WELL, our Saturday tutorials have begun. As many in the community would be aware, Coolum State High School recently won a ‘Showcase Award’ for its outstandingly successful approach to senior schooling. The Showcase Awards are the premier awards for state schooling in Queensland, with the award presented by the Minister for Education. There are many reasons why Coolum High won this award, but none was more important than the dedication of our staff.
The Saturday tutorials are the last piece in the puzzle before students sit their final public exams, the last act they undertake in the calculation of their ATAR scores. For students in Maths and Science subjects, the exams are worth 50% of their overall grade. For other subjects, the exams make up 25% of their final outcome for each subject. The stakes are high and, as a result, students have to be on point, ready and prepared for what’s ahead.
The work the students are asked to do is complex, and retaining two-years-worth of content is daunting. Highly successful students have been working consistently and diligently since the start of year 11. Many Coolum High students attend the after-school tutorials on offer and, on the final leg of this journey, attend the Saturday tutorials to add the finishing touches to their preparations.
Given the mentoring systems in place and the expertise of all staff involved in this process, it’s no wonder Coolum High are winning awards. After all, our students are pretty amazing and anyone who has had contact with them would know how many really special young men and women enter our gates each day. For our year 12 students, there are a small handful of Saturday tutorials and then it’s match day – the final exams begin. On behalf of our whole community, I wish them all the best!