NEWINGTON TOPS BOTH HSC AND IB - Newington College

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Advice from the Experts Advice from the Experts wayland jian • YEARS AT NEWINGTON: 2011–2012 Stanmore • ATAR: 98.30 • HSC CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO MY SUCCESS I think the support and help from the teachers and my parents, combined with the hard work and preparation I put in before exams and assessment tasks are what made the difference in my HSC year. PLEASING ASPECTS OF THE HSC Looking back now, I am very glad with the diversity of the subjects you can choose to do for your HSC. This allowed me to choose the subjects I was interested in, and in turn, I was more focused and willing to put more effort in studying for these subjects. ADVICE FOR THOSE STILL TO FINISH SCHOOL AND THEIR PARENTS Start preparing early for assessments and exams; procrastination will get you nowhere. STUDY TIP Study in a comfortable place where you can concentrate without distractions such as phones, the Internet and iPods. MOST MEMORABLE HSC MOMENT The parties we had in school celebrating the end of the HSC course. Mr McVicar threw the best party for the boys in his Physics class. He knows how to party! CO-CURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT AND THE IMPACT THIS HAD As a member of the Rifle Shooting team, training and practicing became something I looked forward to every week. Sport helped me to clear my mind and relieve the stress from studying during the week. WHERE TO NOW I will be studying Civil Engineering with Architecture next year at UNSW. andrew see • YEARS AT NEWINGTON: 2007–2012 Stanmore • ATAR: 98.20 • IB Score 40 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO MY SUCCESS The support of many great teachers, family and hard work leading up to the exam. PLEASING ASPECTS OF THE IB I am very pleased with my choice of the IB because it allowed me to focus on a broad range on subjects, and also put emphasis on assisting the community. I was able to study a variety of interesting subjects and become involved with Surf Life Saving Australia as a part of my service for CAS. EXPECTATION VS RESULTS I was pleased with most of my results, especially with my high scores in Standard Level Maths and Japanese as this is where I invested the most time studying after trials. ADVICE FOR THOSE STILL TO FINISH SCHOOL AND THEIR PARENTS Start early! This is especially important for IB students, due to the multitude of Internal Assessments and the Extended Essay which are all due in a space of roughly two weeks. The last thing you want is to realise you have four or five things to be done that are due in the same week and end up rushing madly to complete everything, which usually results in a poorly done job for something that counts towards your final mark. Also, start compiling notes as soon as you can. I felt that writing up a set of detailed study notes straight after every topic was completed (and still fresh in your mind!) saved a lot of time in the lead up for the exams. It became much easier to refer back when I was revising and saved me countless hours relearning material. MOST MEMORABLE IB MOMENT The relief when it was all over! WHERE TO NOW Hopefully I will study Medical Science at USYD and from there, study post-graduate Medicine. | Results 2012 Results | 11 James Grogin • YEARS AT NEWINGTON: 2000–2012 Wyvern and Stanmore • ATAR: 98.20 • IB Score 40 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO MY SUCCESS Hard work, communication and mates. The first factor is self-explanatory but what many IB students remember too late is that “prior preparation prevents pretty poor performance”. Effective note-taking and consolidation of topics and concepts are absolutely vital, as everything over the two years can, and most likely will, be assessed. The second factor for success is communication. Teachers are the best source of information and are more than willing (most of the time) to give you a free period or send emails to help understand things. Talk to them! Let them know what you’re having issues with and you can go from there. Don’t feel embarrassed. Communication is important, but not just with your teachers, also with your parents and mates. If there are issues, your parents will do everything in their power to help. In addition, talk to your friends. Not only does this help you not feel isolated, it keeps you sane. Go out every once in a while and spend time not talking about school. ADVICE FOR THOSE STILL TO FINISH SCHOOL Respect your teachers and friends, but most of all, respect your parents. They want you to succeed, to get an education and for you to get what you want out of life. STUDY TIP Do not call it quits if there is more to be done especially when writing your Extended Essay or an Internal Assessment. When your flow of thinking is disrupted, it is clear in your writing, so do not go days in between writing sessions. Push on! A close friend stuck this up over her desk: “Five more minutes, one more question”. Finish that last paragraph, read another page, do another question and don’t lose faith! Everything you do now will help later. Not writing notes, not re-reading English texts, not doing the homework will only lead to a result you’re not happy with. CO-CURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT AND THE IMPACT THIS HAD I had three things that kept me going: Cadets, the College Choir and The Scarlet Pimpernel. They were so different to what I was doing in the classroom. My advice is keep up with Sport and do something creative – it helps immensely with CAS, and gives you an outlet for stress. That being said, don’t spread yourself too thinly. If you want a good result, don’t spend all of your time doing everything apart from study! MATTHEW SHIM • YEARS AT NEWINGTON: 2007–2012 Stanmore • ATAR: 98.20 • IB Score 40 CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO MY SUCCESS The last two years of high school were a huge roller coaster ride. They were the best and worst years of my life. When there are so many ups and downs, you need a firm foundation to stay positive and driven – for me, they were my friends, family and my faith. On top of this, all of my teachers had my best interests in mind, and were always willing to guide and help me with my studies. PLEASING ASPECTS OF THE IB I loved all the classes in the IB but mostly my Economics class. The atmosphere within the classroom was always great and we became like a family. EXPECTATION VS RESULTS I was happily swamped in Co-curricular activities during Year 12, but I feel that I also had a decent balance with studies and social life. My overall result was expected, although I did better in some subjects than I thought I would and poorer in others. ADVICE FOR THOSE STILL TO FINISH SCHOOL AND THEIR PARENTS Balance your time well between socialising, studying and doing whatever Co-curricular you do. Make sure you don’t “burn out” and supplement whatever hard work you do with a reward. For parents: Don’t burden your son with too much doom and gloom about the HSC/IB. His last year of high school should be enjoyed and balanced. CO-CURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT AND THE IMPACT THIS HAD I was a Co-curricular culprit… I was involved in Football, NewFit, Music, Cadets, Duke of Edinburgh, Debating and SRC. It did get hard at times with the workload expected from school and Cocurricular, but overall, I think I came out the better for having done things that I am passionate about than if I hadn’t. WHERE TO NOW I plan on taking a gap year to travel Asia, Africa, Europe and North America to volunteer and work before studying Commerce (Liberal Studies, hopefully) at The University of Sydney. | Results 2012 12
Advice from the Experts matthew markakis • YEARS AT NEWINGTON: 1999–2012 Wyvern House and Stanmore • ATAR: 97.75 • HSC CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO MY SUCCESS Studying in groups really helped me with my HSC. The epic thing about studying in groups is you can surround yourself with all sorts of different peers and the whole cohort benefits. This really helped me as when I studied with someone who seemed to know more than me I was always absorbing new content and finding out innovative ways to do things. Studying with someone who perhaps seemed to know less than me meant that I could consolidate what I had learnt and find better ways to articulate and explain information I already knew. Engaging with different people over different subjects and topics always kept me interested and it motivated everyone to improve through healthy competition, so regardless of our internal ranks we would all benefit come our external exams. ADVICE FOR THOSE STILL TO FINISH SCHOOL AND THEIR PARENTS The most valuable piece of advice I can give is that there is absolutely no other time than the present. Make use of the lull periods in your assessment schedules so that when the busy moments come you are well prepared. Don’t procrastinate on take-home assignments as, given the right amount of effort and the correct understanding of the task, they should be easy marks. Never be afraid to ask questions as even the most seemingly intimidating of teachers can be the friendliest person with the advice that could lift your marks to the next level. STUDY TIP Don’t get lost in the depths of the internet wasting time. What often began for me as a small “planned” (cough, cough) study break to unwind after school could suddenly end up as a wasted night filled with Facebook, YouTube and the odd links your mates seem to always send you. If you want to get through some effective study, especially earlier in the HSC, there’s really nothing like powering down your computer and just going back to basics i.e. working through the textbook. MOST MEMORABLE HSC MOMENT The moment I rested my pen down in the last HSC exam. I reflected on the achievement I had just accomplished whilst being overwhelmed with joy at the thought of my newfound freedom. WHERE TO NOW I hope to study Commerce/Law next year at university. Newington boys credit top marks to top teachers and taking time out As Newington’s Class of 2012 boys gathered to celebrate their results at the Stanmore campus, they recognised two things as vital to not just their happiness during their senior years at school, but crucial to achieving the results they did. The first was their involvement in Co-curricular pursuits and the second was the unwavering support from their teachers. Education, particularly in creativity, has to walk a fine line between: 1. teaching the grounding, the foundations, the core building blocks – without losing engagement from your student, and 2. teaching the freedom to fly well past the norm, to question, to think outside the square, to discover, to think why not or why is it so? To intellectually push and prod rather than succumb to the boy demanding spoon-feeding and again without losing engagement from your student. These challenges require a wonderful teacher – we are so blessed at Newington having such teachers. Dr David Mulford Headmaster Design and Technology teacher, Mr Ross Yates, congratulates Jarrod Stilp on achieving 96 out of a possible 100 in Design and Technology and his HSC Showcase nomination for DesignTECH. | Results 2012 13 samuel aravanis • YEARS AT NEWINGTON: 2000–2012 Wyvern and Stanmore • ATAR: 97.65 • HSC CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO MY SUCCESS Going to the local library during my HSC period provided an ideal quiet study environment free from technological distractions and being among other students gave me motivation to continue working as I did not feel alone in my endeavors. Joining the library also gave me access to books and resources, helpful in my research. In addition, moral support from family and friends encouraged me to continue striving to achieve my goals when times got tough. PLEASING ASPECTS OF THE HSC The HSC allowed me to undertake a range of subjects which appealed to me such as Music, Chemistry and PDHPE. Doing subjects which interested me made studying more enjoyable. EXPECTATION VS RESULTS My results were higher than I was expecting and they far exceeded the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the HSC year. However they were reflective of the effort that I put in as I worked to the best of my ability throughout Years 11 and 12. ADVICE FOR THOSE STILL TO FINISH SCHOOL AND THEIR PARENTS Don’t procrastinate! My biggest problem was finding the motivation to begin studying. Once I began the time passed quickly, however it was the ability to get myself into a working mind-frame which took me a while and wasted a lot of time. Try and avoid this and stay alert in order to maximise your potential when studying. Maintaining a sense of humour throughout the HSC is imperative. My friends provided me with lots of laughs. STUDY TIP Utilise your breaks. Don’t waste them by sitting in front of the TV or playing electronic games. Try and be active as this helps clear your mind and helps you relax. Secondly, make sure that your phone, computer and all distractions are not accessible as they will interfere with your concentration and ability to effectively study. Studying for shorter periods of time with no distractions is more beneficial. MOST MEMORABLE HSC MOMENT Receiving my ATAR was definitely a highlight for me as it showed I could achieve a lot if I put my mind to it. Also performing in my Music 1 class and joking with my teacher was a highlight throughout the year. I always looked forward to having Music as it provided me with relief from the written work, and gave us the opportunity to bond and have experiences I will always cherish. WHERE TO NOW Veterinary Science at The University of Sydney. The importance of supportive teachers The class of 2012 boys credited their success to their supportive teachers at Newington, who not only motivated them in class but also took the time out of class to offer advice, feedback on work and extra help when boys felt the pressure of revision and exams. Jonathan Ciofani, who achieved a perfect score in the IB, described his teachers’ instruction as “invaluable”. Speaking about his final years at Newington he said, “I was most pleased with the guidance and expertise that my teachers were able to provide. They were always generous with their time and offered assistance whenever it was asked for.” Matthew Markakis who achieved an ATAR of 97.75 recognised the style of teaching at Newington. He said “I found the teachers really knew when to be proactive and motivate students and when to leave the students to get through work and thrive through their own individual learning methods.” James Grogin told us about the vital support he was given following his disappointment at receiving a grade of 4 in the Higher Level Biology Trial Exam, usually thought to be a good indicator of the November exam results. He said, “I was devastated, shocked and completely pessimistic. I studied so much for those Trial exams and all I received was a 4? It didn’t make sense. All that effort for such little reward was so unsatisfying. Miss Bateren sat me down and told me to calm myself, get a grip and plan an attack on the Biology syllabus. She also told me that over the next months leading up to the final exams, she was there to answer any questions, repeat and consolidate knowledge and offer support, something that I desperately needed. It was good to know that there was someone close by who was willing to lend a hand and pull me out of my rut”. James took Miss Bateran’s advice and worked hard and focused on the task at hand and when he rang Dr Pride at 9.03am on 4 January, he found it had all paid off; James achieved a grade of 7 – the top grade – in his Biology exam. | Results 2012 14
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