Junior School Report

November 12, 2020

By Mr Gavin Webb, Director of the Junior School

The year 2020 continues to deliver surprises, which has meant we have all continually had to adapt our personal, social and professional lives. From a Junior School perspective our new and current normal has been going for five weeks, since the return of students in week two. Students should be congratulated in the way they have accepted the need to wear masks and the fact that many co and extra-curricular activities have either not happened or been significantly changed. Moving forward over the next few weeks the focus is very much on completing school course work, assessment tasks and preparing for end of Semester 2 exams.

Staff will be working closely with your son in readiness for English, Maths, Humanities and Science exams in week 9 (a schedule is available at the following link: Junior School Exam Timetable.) This should not be a time to stress or worry about results. Exam results are not a judgement on the intellectual and academic ability of your son, we are merely passing a professional and caring comment on where your son is at in their educational journey at this precise time.

The process of completing the required course work, being taught how and having an opportunity to study for an exam is an explicit skill that takes years to refine and master. This is one of the very reasons why we do exams from Year 7 at St Patrick’s College. The last three weeks of school should be seen as a challenge where a certain amount of grit will be required to succeed, nothing good in life comes easy and if there is disappointment the lesson should not be lost on your son, results can and will improve with effort over time. If you have any questions at all about the exam schedule or process please do not hesitate to contact myself, or any classroom teacher at the College.

Mr Gavin Webb

Director of Junior School