Information for new students
Here's a quick summary of most of the things you will need to know to get started as a new Year 9 student at James Meehan High School:
COMING SOON - UPDATED BOOK
Student Handbook
This is a more detailed version of policies, procedures and rules at James Meehan High School. It's how we look after your wellbeing, and keep the school running smoothly.
COMING SOON - UPDATED BOOK
Wellbeing
Wellbeing for schools is a strengths-based approach across all NSW public schools, so that every student can connect, succeed and thrive at school and beyond.
Student wellbeing has always been a top priority at James Meehan High School.
Find more about the Department of Education Wellbeing initiatives here: Wellbeing for Schools DoE
NAPLAN in Year 9
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy. The assessments are undertaken nationwide, every year, in the second full week in May.
NAPLAN is made up of tests in the four areas (or ‘domains') of:
- reading
- writing
- language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
- numeracy.
http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/naplan.html
Courses
Students in Year 9 must study mandatory courses in a number of Key Learning Areas. They also have the opportunity to choose elective courses based on their interests and plans for careers and further study. The school offers a range of electives based on student interests and staff availability.
Students should ensure they are prepared to pay any fees for materials and equipment in their elective courses. The school office can provide a list of subject contributions for different courses.
Assessing student achievement
Teachers use a variety of ways to assess the knowledge, skills and understanding of their students. They may look at work in class, tests and assignments.
Assessment tasks are compulsory tasks that teachers use to judge achievement in a course. All students in a course will be required to do equivalent assessment tasks. As such, it is important that students complete tasks on or before the due date, and to the best of their ability.