A term that new Aquinas students become promptly familiar with is the CAT – abbreviation for Common Assessment Task.

Essentially, a CAT is the ‘test’ that students sit once they have completed a topic in class and have spent time revising and preparing. Each core learning area prepares and sets a CAT each term in Middle School in Weeks 7-8 (CATs are less routine in Senior School courses) as part of the Middle School term rhythm.

Why do we have CATs?

CATs are an important assessment tool that gives both student, parent and teacher information and feedback on how the learning of a particular topic or timeframe is tracking. They are an opportunity for students to put into practice what skills and content they have covered in class and demonstrate what they have learnt. Most importantly, the CATs are an opportunity for students to learn from their marked assessments, and to review what they accomplished well and not so well in the lessons.

How can we navigate exam stress?

Staff understand that the CAT weeks can be an anxious time for our students. To help reduce stress and concerns, students should prepare by using the course Success Criteria as a proforma to write quality revision notes. This will improve the recall and understanding of the material covered in lessons and alert the student if he needs clarification from his teacher for certain content. Parents can assist by asking to read their son’s notes at home and by testing them on the current Success Criteria (these documents can be found on SEQTA course pages).

Due to a shorter Term 1, the CAT weeks will be scheduled one week earlier. We wish your son success in the upcoming Middle School CATs.

About school

So far it has been fantastic the size of the school is a bit worrying when you have a class on the other side of the school you might be one or two minutes late. My old school had all the classes in one class so it was a bit different moving between the 6 periods we have for the one day. A good thing is having the older boys helping you to your class and risking them being late for there class and getting there self in trouble.

After school activities

The best thing is having us do sport every week. Like on Monday we could do co-curricular activities like skill-based training, sprint training, strength and conditioning, drumline, drama club, art club, media, music, dance, photography and welding. With a game on Friday against a different school, like last Friday, we played against Scotch.

About the boarding community

The boarding community is a good place with our mentors coming and checking up on us when we are not feeling the best. We get to stay and talk to the year eights and they will tell us how things go up in the other year so we are ready for it. The Brother House was a good idea because it doesn’t put the year seven and new year eight in the big boarding house yet so we can get a feel on the community before we move in with the senior and older kids.

Term 3 saw the trial of the Middle School Co-Curricular activities on Monday afternoons. Students were given the opportunity to test multiple streams of extra learning. The success of the program will see it cemented in the school program in 2021.

Aquinas College was deeply honoured recently when word came through that Andrea Corr (of the Corr’s fame) wanted our Schola Choir to perform in her Christmas album. The boys jumped at the chance and spent a long evening at Crank Studios in Northbridge recording and rerecording their part of the song “Begin Again”. To make the evening even more challenging, Andrea and her team were in lockdown in Ireland and working with Hugh Lydon and the boys through Zoom!

Andrea Corr “Christmas Songs” is now live on all streaming platforms - https://lnk.to/andreacorrchris...

The College would like to formally thank Andrea and her team at Spoke Records for their faith in our boys and the opportunity granted to them.

As part of the Odyssey Program, Year 9 students undertook a hike and camping trip across New Norcia.

2020 was a very different year. Here's a quick wrap of what went on in Junior School.

A look back on COVID-19 and what happened in Middle School during Western Australia's lockdown period.

Year 12 students reflect on 2020 and the impact COVID-19 had on their final year.

As part of the MS co-curricular program, students took part in creating their own news program. Students spent one session a week of the term writing, filming and editing a news piece of their choice. See the final product below.

As part of the Yr 9 Middle School Dance Challenge, students were challenged to run a dance workshop with Junior School students. Take a peek below.