The Year 11-13's will be on study leave from 3pm, Tuesday November 8. 

Teachers will still be available for tuition during their normal allocated subject time for students who would like further assistance. Students will be getting their external exam admission slip this week which needs to be checked for any errors. The slip has the dates and times for their exams.  All students must be in full uniform for exams.

Tips for parents of students who are sitting NCEA exams:

1. If your child tells you they don't have to sit the exams because they've already passed, please don't listen. Quite frankly, just 'passing', doesn't mean anything in today's employment market. You need to pass well. Exams, whether we like it or not, still have a level of educational mana associated with them.

2. Know when the exams are. Click the link for the time table.http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/…/national-secondary-examinations-…/

3. Success in exams requires mental preparedness as well as the knowledge required for achievement. The kids need to know how to work through a process in their heads when they come across something difficult. They need to be able to visualise what sitting in the exam will be like and think about what it will feel like.

4. Have a good kai, a bit of exercise and water before the exam. Take water into the exam.

5. Students are permitted to leave after a certain time period in the exam. Discourage this. They should use all of the time they have. Plan answers before writing them down. 2 to 3 hours is a very short time in the greater scheme of things. Using this time wisely is crucial.

6. Prepping for exams should be regular over a long time, rather than a couple of big sessions over a short time. This will ensure better long term retention of the required knowledge.

7. Study can happen in all sorts of ways. Mnemonic devices like pictures, rhymes and tactile objects work well for some. Working in a structured format in a group works well too, as long as they maintain focus.

8. Make study time free from unnecessary distractions like FB, TV, games etc.

9. Every subject being externally assessed have a subject resources page on the NZQA website. You can access exams from previous years, the schedules that were used to mark the exams and the achievement standards. Some subjects will have examples of student responses at A, M and E. these are extremely valuable tools for prep.http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/…/subjects/

10. Be positive.Some parents may experience some resistance by their kids to study, but investing your energy into supporting them is really worth it in the long term. There are plenty of good videos on YouTube about making study fun.

11. The kids LOVE seeing awesome grades on their NZQA record when their results come out in January. The satisfaction is immense and it's cool to do something to celebrate a good result. But, more importantly, celebrate to acknowledge their effort and attitude in preparing for the exams.

12. Teachers are more than happy to help the kids out during exam leave. The school doors are open.

13. Go hard and good luck