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High Notes, Vol 26 No 39, December 12 2025

From the Principal

High Talent

Congratulations to Cassiel Yun (11T) on his win in the Mobile Muster competition. His poster design was high class. Well done to all our successful Duke of Edinburgh participants. Gold – Cassiell Yun, Lucas Su. Silver - Adrian Wang, Francesco Menichetti, Haroon Syed, Om Kothari, Jiekai Miao, Lachlan Yuen, ryan chai, Sajan Thiagalingam, Siddarth Menon and William Cahyadi. Bronze – Daniel Kuskopff and Dhuryah Sapra.

Final High Notes for 2025

As next week is the last week of term, this will be the last edition of High Notes, possibly also in this format. We have to consider moving to Sway or its replacement Google software and decide on going all digital as a publication, sometime in 2026. Thank you to Rosa Owen for managing and editing the publication and Brooke Ashton for her proof reading. Thank you to the teachers, students and parents who contributed to making High Notes a weekly, informative and celebratory vehicle for news about student activities and achievement, and about educational issues more generally.

Interpreting Year 10 Reports – Semester 2

All Year 10 boys should now have their reports. Parents are advised to work with their sons in the process of choosing Year 11 courses to be sure they have made the right choices, aligning their abilities, interests, and possible post-secondary plans. It is really important for students to be sure about their selections. Choosing courses for Year 11 study can be assisted by evaluations of Year 10 performances. English and mathematics courses are determined by the school’s pattern of offered courses and by the results of the mathematics selection process for extension 1. For Year 11, 2026 the permitted number will be - as is our custom – seven classes only. Year 10 boys should have done their Career Voyage questionnaire during their Transition Education periods. These results should be discussed in the light of your son’s interests and abilities. Courses can be selected to underscore certain tertiary directions – eg chemistry for medicine, or economics for a commerce degree. Year 10 boys should all have had interviews with a member of staff to discuss their possible pathways and appropriate Year 11 course selections. Year 10 boys should all complete their Life Ready courses next week. It is compulsory in order to complete Preliminary HSC study.

As for the semester 1 report, ranks are varied by several factors. Students who have not performed well in PE will have a slightly reduced ATAR prediction because the calculation is made on 12.3 units (using a pro rata for PE based on time spent). Students who do the online elective receive the average of the other units, so as neither to advantage nor disadvantage them, whereas they may have taken another elective and earned an above average score or a below average score. Students accelerating have a harder task than non-accelerants as they are assessed at stage 6 standard. Consequently, their scaled marks may be lower, reducing their overall score, and hence rank. Students may also lose interest in electives they are not continuing and record weaker results. Electives done for enjoyment are in contrast to the serious efforts that will need to be made in their stage 6 courses. I do not make a judgement on these outcomes. Stage 5 satisfactory completion is all that is required in Year 10. What matters is what happens next, in stage 6. Therefore, students should choose their suite of courses for Year 11 ultra carefully, with insights gained after research and discussion with parents and staff and by acting in their own self-interest. Course selection amendments need to be finalised early in the new year.

Interpreting Year 8 Reports – Semester 2

[Year 8 will get their reports next week]. When coming to the end of Year 8, some boys do not put much effort into subjects they do not intend to continue. This behaviour is regrettable but understandable. Parents should realise that such a lack of interest in one or two subjects can result in big fluctuations in grades awarded by teachers, and in turn, cause large movements in overall ranks. Some boys are better at geography or history and the semesterisation of subjects might not suit them for half the year. Such fluctuations will be reflected in ratings on ‘learning behaviours’ by teachers on reports and by comments from the Principal. From one perspective, parents can appreciate better what sort of learner their son is not. It is better not to persist in a discipline that does not excite you and motivate you to excel. For other students, doing well in the Yearly examination is their objective. They can turn around their cruising first semester with much more self-disciplined effort in the second half of the year.

Elective choice going into Year 9 is very important. Students need to follow their interests in a low-stakes choice environment. Some boys change both electives again in Year 10! We offer a wide range of electives for students to experience different learning contexts, with varying content and required skill sets. By the end of Year 8, the generalist focus for secondary education is completed. That is, compulsory experiences in music, visual arts and technology have now finished. Stage 5 is characterised by learner exploration and enlargement of perspective – more student choice. Students start to prepare for stage 6 selections by trialling subjects. Of course, the core subjects are vitally important, and students need to be held accountable for their satisfactory progress in them. At our school, the expectation is state grade ‘A’ performance in core subjects. Discuss your son’s report from the two perspectives – core and future electives. Talk about their selections with them. Let them follow their interests.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal