St Joseph's Catholic High School Albion Park
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16 Macquarie St
Albion Park NSW 2527
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Email: info@sjchsdow.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 4230 8500

From the Curriculum Office

Welcome back to Term 2. We hope students and families had an enjoyable holiday and have returned ready to jump into Term 2 and finish off Semester 1 strongly.

Curriculum Dates to Remember:

  • Week 3 (Tuesday 13th May) - Year 11 and 12 Semester 1 Reports released
  • Week 3 (Wednesday 14th May) - Year 11 and 12 Face to Face Parent Teacher Interviews 
  • Week 5 (26th - 30th May) - Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8) Assessment Week
  • Week 6 (2nd - 6th June) - Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) Assessment Week
  • Week 7 (11th June) - Year 11 2026 Subject Selection Information Evening

A reminder about the use of AI

As the use of AI tools like ChatGPT becomes more common, we’d like to remind students and parents that while these platforms can support learning, they must be used responsibly. AI should not be used to complete assessment tasks or assignments on behalf of students. Work submitted must reflect the student's own understanding and effort.

Using AI inappropriately may be considered a breach of academic integrity. We encourage open discussions at home about how to use these tools ethically—for research support, idea generation, or study assistance, not for copying or submission.

For seniors use of AI may seem like an efficient way to stay on top of course work and assessments. In the long run it does not support the students capacity for critical thinking, application of knowledge and the ability to write individual responses that may be required in exam like situations.

Thank you for helping us maintain a culture of honesty and learning.

At Home Study

With Semester 1 Assessment Weeks approaching students in all years should now be into a routine of regular study/revision at home to prepare for exams. A few things to notes about home study/revision:

  • Home study/revision is separate to homework and working on assessment tasks
  • It is recommended students should be doing around 2-3 hours/week minimum study revision
  • Students should be working with their class teachers to understand what content is going to be covered in exams and use this as the basis of any study/revision program
  • There is no one correct way to study. Students should choose the method that best suits their learning style as well as the course they are working in ie the approach to prepare for a Maths exam may be different to the preparation for a HSIE or Science exam.
  • Some sample strategies can include summary notes, tables, flash cards, practice exam questions, revision activities/quizzes.
  • Students should also share their work with their class teachers to get feedback that they are getting the work correct, developing their understanding of key content and developing the skills to apply this knowledge as required in the subject
  • Whilst this can seem overwhelming, starting small (eg 10-15 mins at a time) for a particular subject, with a clear goal of what to achieve (eg improve my understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages) and how they will do this (eg review textbook and class notes, complete summary quiz/activity and submit to my teacher for feedback
  • Practice writing extended responses. This may sound silly but as students spend more time on devices, the ability to write for extended periods is becoming more challenging
  • As students engage more in this process they will develop a better understanding of what works for them and the specific subjects they are preparing for. Class teachers can be a highly beneficial resource in this process.

Year 11 2026 Subject Selection

This Term will see the beginning of the Year 11 2026 Subject Selection process for Year 10 students. Further information will be provided in coming weeks. For now, Year 10 students should be focussing on their class and home studies to maximise their Semester 1 results to allow access to as many subjects in Year 11 as possible.

Trial HSC Exams

The Trial HSC exams for Year 12 will be held in Weeks 3/4 of Term 3. The exam schedule is currently being finalised and will be distributed to students once it is finished.