Student Timetable
Semester 1
Semester 2
Thomas More College
Page 1
Thomas More College
23 Amsterdam Crescent, Salisbury Downs 5108
Telephone: (08) 8182 2600
Facsimile: (08) 8182 2699
www.tmc.catholic.edu.au
Student Information
Name:
Homeroom:
Room No:
Locker No:
Homeroom Teachers:
House Team:
SACE No:
The College Day
Staff supervision of students begins at 8.20am and concludes at 3.35pm each College day.
Students are expected to be at the College by 8.35am each morning.
Mon / Wed
8.35am
Student arrival and locker time
Tues / Thur / Fri
8:40amHomeroom
8:40am Homeroom
8:50am
Lesson 1
8:55am
Lesson 1
9:30am
Lesson 2
9:40am
Lesson 2
10:10am
Pastoral Care
10:25am
Recess
10:50am
Recess
10:45am
Lesson 3
11:10am
Lesson 3
11:30am
Lesson 4
11:50am
Lesson 4
12:15pm
Lesson 5
12:30pm
Lesson 5
1:00pm
Lunch
1:10pm
Lunch
1:40pm
Lesson 6
1:50pm
Lesson 6
2:25pm
Lesson 7
2:30pm
Lesson 7
3:10pm
Homeroom
3:10pmHomeroom
3:15pm Dismissal
& locker time
3:15pmDismissal
& locker time
Diary contents are correct at time of printing (01/01/2015).
Updated information can be obtained via the fortnightly College Newsletter and the College website.
Page 2
Thomas More College
Thomas More College Vision Statement
Thomas More College, as a Christian community in the Catholic tradition,
recognises and celebrates that each individual is unique and made in
God’s image.
Our community values and promotes the life-long love of learning, the
search for truth and the responsibility to work in hope for a better world.
Our Mission Is To:
Faith
• Support and encourage students in the development of their faith, recognising God’s
presence in the world, and in all people.
Excellence
Self Esteem
• Pursue excellence and foster this spirit in our students.
• Nurture an environment in which the self-esteem of all our members is promoted and
which affirms the rich diversity of human culture.
Growth
• Challenge and support students in their growth as spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional
and physical beings.
Outreach
• Encourage an understanding of ourselves as integral parts of a greater creation, and to
respond, reaching out in love and care, to the world around us.
Learning
• Work with families and the wider community to provide students with a range of skills that
will enable them to become independent learners in a changing world.
Safety
• Provide a supportive, caring, just and safe environment for all members of our community.
Hope
• Foster a spirit of hope and a sense of wonder and optimism for the future.
Thomas More College
Page 3
St Thomas More
Saint, Lord Chancellor of England, knight, author and martyr, born in London, 7 February, 1478;
executed at Tower Hill, 6 July, 1535.
As a child, Thomas More’s merry character and brilliant intellect attracted much attention. He was
sent to Oxford, where he studied Greek, French, History and Mathematics; he also learned to play
the flute and the violin. He later studied Law, and was admitted to the bar, where his great abilities
saw him appointed “reader” or lecturer on law.
Thomas More wrote poetry in both Latin and English. He cultivated the acquaintance of scholars and
learned men, including the great Renaissance humanist, Erasmus.
At an early stage in his life, he deliberated on the priesthood as a vocation but, after some time of
prayer and consideration, he chose “to be a chaste husband rather than an impure priest”.
Erasmus, his friend, wrote this of Thomas More:
“… in stature he is not tall, though not remarkably short … His complexion is white, his face rather
pale and though by no means ruddy, a faint flush of pink appears beneath the whiteness of his
skin. His hair is dark brown or brownish black. The eyes are grayish blue, with some spots, a kind
which betokens singular talent, and among the English is considered attractive. It is said that none
are so free of vice. His countenance is in harmony with his character, being always expressive of
an amiable joyousness, and even an incipient laughter and, to speak candidly, it is better framed
for gladness than for gravity or dignity, though without any approach to folly or buffoonery.
He … is a most faithful and enduring friend … When he finds anyone sincere and according to his
heart, he so delights in their society and conversation as to place in it the principal charm of life …
In a word, if you want a perfect model of friendship, you will find it in no one better than in More …
No one is less led by the opinions of the crowd, yet no one departs less from common sense …”
In 1501 he was elected a Member of Parliament and married Jane Colte. The marriage proved a
supremely happy one; of it were born three daughters, Margaret, Elizabeth and Cecilia, and a son,
John; and then, in 1511 Jane More died.
Thomas More married again very soon after his first wife’s death, his choice being a widow, Alice
Middleton.
She was older than he by seven years, and was devoted to the care of the young
children.
Thomas More’s fame as a lawyer was now very great and he enjoyed the King’s favour in appointments:
in 1523 he was elected Speaker of the House of Commons, and in October, 1529, he succeeded
Wolsey as Chancellor of England, a post never before held by a layman.
A few months later, came the royal proclamation ordering the clergy to acknowledge Henry VIII
as “Supreme Head of the Church as far as the law of God will permit” and Thomas More at once
proffered his resignation of the chancellorship, which was not accepted. His firm opposition to
King Henry’s designs in regard to the divorce, the papal supremacy, and the laws against heretics,
speedily lost him the royal favour, and in May, 1532, he resigned his post of Lord Chancellor after
holding it less than three years.
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Thomas More College
St Thomas More
CONTINUED
For the next eighteen months, Thomas More lived in seclusion and gave much time to writing.
In March, 1534, the Act of Succession was passed which required all who should be called upon to
take an oath acknowledging any children of King Henry and Anne Boleyn as legitimate heirs to the
throne. On 14 April, Thomas More was summoned by the King to Lambeth to take the oath and, on
his refusal, was committed to the Tower of London.
On 1 July, Thomas More was indicted for high treason at Westminster Hall. More denied the chief
charges. The jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to be hanged at Tyburn, but some days
later this was changed by King Henry to beheading on Tower Hill.
The execution took place on Tower Hill “before nine of the clock” on 6 July.
St Thomas More was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1935.
Thomas More College proudly bears the name of this great man. As a community, we honour his life,
and celebrate especially his qualities of
•Scholarship
•Cheerfulness
•Integrity
•
Love of beauty
•
Love of family
•Equality of all before God
•
Service, and
•Friendship
We try to live these in our own lives, and we take as our motto, the last part of Thomas More’s final
words, uttered as he was led to the scaffold:
“I DIE THE KING’S GOOD SERVANT, BUT GOD’S SERVANT FIRST”.
Thomas More College
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Prayers
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
THE ANGELUS
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Leader (L) and Response (R)
OUR FATHER
Who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily
bread and forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those
who trespass against us, and
lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
HAIL MARY
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of
thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
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Thomas More College
(L) The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary:
(R) And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
(L) Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you,
Blessed are you among women,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
(R) Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen
(L) Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
(R) Be it done unto me according to your word.
Hail Mary …
(L) And the Word was made flesh.
(R) And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary …
(L) Pray for us, holy mother of God.
(R) That we may become worthy of the promises
of Christ.
(L) Let us pray:
(All) Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord,
Your grace into our hearts,
That we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, your Son,
Was made known by the message of an angel,
May, by his passion and death
Be brought to the glory of his resurrection,
Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen
Origin of the Names of College Buildings
Dean Travers
Dean Travers was the Parish Priest of Salisbury who worked tirelessly for the establishment of the College.
Faulkner Centre
Archbishop Leonard Faulkner was Archbishop of Adelaide from 1985 to 2001. He has been a good friend
and supporter of the College from its origins.
Ignatius Loyola
Ignatius Loyola was the founder of the Jesuit Order which established the College in 1979.
Mary MacKillop
‘Australia’s first saint, who worked to establish schools for the needy and those in isolated areas.
Thomas Aquinas
A learned philosopher and theologian insisting on the truth, no matter who spoke it.
John Bosco
Founder of the Salesian Order and worker for the education of young people.
St Joseph
Foster father of Jesus and our model of good family values and work ethic.
Jim Hawkins
The College’s second Principal who contributed much to the College’s establishment.
Honora Mahar
Benefactor of the College through the auspices of the Jesuits.
John Hyland
The College’s longest serving Principal (1984-1992).
St Francis Of Assisi
The patron saint of animals, birds and the environment. He was the founder of the Franciscan order.
St Gabriel
Patron saint of communication workers, messengers: bearers of the word.
Thomas More College
Page 7
The House System
The students are divided into four equal House Teams for the purposes of intra-school competitions.
The House Teams are:
Hosking (Green)
Fr Philip Hosking S.J. was our founding Principal
McDonald (White)
John McDonald was the Director of Catholic Education who nurtured the establishment of the College
McLuskey (Blue)
Daniel McLuskey was the first Chairman of the College Board
Travers (Red)
Dean Travers was the Representative of the Parish Priests on the Founding Committee and a Benefactor
of the College
Communication
Experience and research have proven conclusively that a young person’s development is positively
influenced when school and family work together with the same aims for their young people. Hence,
our College tries very hard to achieve communication and mutual understanding with parents/
caregivers. Some of the processes are:
1.Important Dates
Important dates of College events for 2014, please refer to the College Website or fortnightly
Newsletter.
2.T he Student’s Diary
The College Diary plays a central role in communication between the College and parents/caregivers
and each student will be issued one. In it, students list their homework and any other information
which parents/caregivers need to know. Teachers may also use the diary to inform parents/caregivers
about any matter of a general nature.
THE STUDENT DIARY MUST BE FREE FROM GRAFFITI AND OFFENSIVE MATERIAL.
3.Reports
Each term, reports are prepared for each student. The report aims to let parents/caregivers know of
the student’s achievement, attitudes and attendance. Parents/Caregivers are welcome to make an
appointment to discuss a student’s progress at any time.
4.Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews
Parents/Caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend the scheduled parent/student/teacher nights.
5.Newsletter
The College newsletter, More News, is distributed to students fortnightly. More News informs parents/
caregivers of past and future happenings close to the date of issue and announces appropriate
arrangements. More News is also available on the College’s web page.
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Thomas More College
Roles
Homeroom Teachers
Homeroom Teachers have a fundamental position in the organisation of the College and are responsible
for the pastoral care of the students in their class.
Year Level Coordinators
Each year level has a Year Level Coordinator who has overall responsibility for the pastoral care
and studies of an individual year level. This teacher supports the Homeroom Teachers and Subject
Teachers in liaison with parents/caregivers.
Assistant Deputy Principals
These staff work in the areas of Personal Responsibility, Curriculum and Flexible Learning. After Year
Level Coordinators they have primary roles in student welfare.
Counsellors
The college has two Counsellors who support students and their families with personal and school
related issues which may impact on students’ learning and overall well-being.
Day To Day Routine
Student Absence
Parents/Caregivers must notify the College of a student’s absence either by phone or a diary note on
or before the day of absence.
If families fail to notify the College of their child’s absence and we have been provided with a parent/
caregiver mobile phone number, an SMS message will be sent to the parent/caregiver.
The message will read “Thomas More College records show that (child’s name) is ABSENT today
(date provided). Please provide a reason by reply SMS or by contacting the school.
Late Arrival
Students are expected to be at the College prior to the 8.40am siren.
Any late arrival must be
explained via a diary note from parents/caregivers.
If a student arrives at the College after the 8.40am siren has sounded, they are to report to the student
office and sign in using their personal identification cards. Students will receive a late arrival slip that
must be signed by parents and returned to Homeroom Teachers the following day.
Students who arrive late on more than 5 occasions in one term will be precluded from receiving a
AAA Award.
Early Departure
Students are not permitted to leave the College grounds during the course of the day unless written
parental authorisation has been given and shown to a Homeroom Teacher.
Should a student have written permission explaining a required absence, they are to report to Student
Reception and be collected from the office at the time stipulated by the note in the diary.
Students are required to report to the office staff in Student Reception on return to the College.
Students are encouraged to seek dental, medical and other personal appointments outside of College
hours.
Thomas More College
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Day To Day Routine
CONTINUED
Illness/Injury At The College
If a student is injured or falls ill whilst at the College they are to immediately report to the student
office where office staff will determine the appropriate course of action. If a student needs to go
home the front office staff will contact parents/caregivers.
Students are not permitted to contact parents/caregivers to be picked up.
If injury / illness is serious an ambulance will be called to the College and office staff will contact
parents via their phone.
Bicycle Riding
The College provides a facility for the storage of bikes transported to the College.
Owners of bikes, who leave their bike in the bike storage facility, are reminded that they do so at their
own risk. Whilst this facility is generally locked, the College strongly advises that bikes kept in the
facility are also kept locked.
Medication
The College must be notified of any student who requires medication. The distribution of medicine
during College hours should be discussed with a College Deputy Principal.
The appropriate documentation needs to be completed and submitted to the office. To ensure the
student’s safety, the College will not dispense analgesics, unless directed and provided by parents/
caregivers as above.
Excursions
Parents/Caregivers will receive written notification and are required to sign a consent form prior to
excursions. Consent forms must be returned prior to the student attending an excursion.
Lost Property And Valuables
The College does not take responsibility for valuable items that are not submitted to the front
office for safe-keeping. Students are to assume responsibility for the care of their property. All
students are asked to label their belongings.
Lost property is sent to the Book Room and is held until the end of each term.
Payments
All payment of monies is to be made to the Finance Office.
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Thomas More College
Day To Day Routine
CONTINUED
Student Lockers
All students are provided with a personal locker. On a student’s enrolment at the College they
will be issued with a padlock which is to be used by the student until they leave the College at the
completion of their enrolment. If a student misplaces or breaks their padlock they will be required
to purchase a new one from the College. No other types of locks may be used on lockers.
To protect personal items and in order to assist personal organisation the following guidelines
apply:
•Students are required to use a Thomas More College issued padlock.
• Students should keep their padlock code private at all times and not disclose the code to others.
• Lockers should remain locked at all times when not in use.
• All items are left in lockers at the owner’s risk and the College’s insurance policy does not cover
loss of items.
Students should access their lockers at the following times.
Prior to morning Homeroom
To get books & equipment for Homeroom as well as lessons
1 & 2 (& Pastoral Care when it occurs on Monday &
Wednesday)
Recess
To put books away & access food & drink for break time
To get books for lessons 3, 4 & 5
Lunch
To put books away & access food & drink for break time
To get books for lessons 6 & 7
After dismissal from afternoon Homeroom
To collect equipment to take home
Student Drivers Policy
Written authority must be obtained from parent(s)/caregiver(s) and students must purchase as
parking permit sticker before they are allowed to drive to school and park in the College car park.
‘Parking Permit Application forms’ are available from the Student Office. A condition of driving
and parking in the Assisi College car park is that students are aware of and follow the established
guidelines. Students are required to read and sign the permit application form prior to being
allowed to drive to the College.
Student drivers are not permitted to carry other students unless they have permission in writing of
the parent(s)/caregiver(s) of the driver and passenger.
The College has the right to determine which students are permitted to use the Assisi College car
park (subject to parent/caregiver approval) and under what conditions that approval will be granted.
Breaches of road rules may be a matter for the police.
Thomas More College
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AAA Student
The AAA is an award distributed each term to students who meet the College’s expectations with
regards to Attendance, Attitude and Achievement.
Attendance:
Students must attend the College every day unless there is a very good reason. Whatever this reason,
verification is required from parents/caregivers.
Criteria:Students need to have no ‘unexplained’ absences and less than 5 late arrivals per
term in order to be eligible to achieve a AAA award.
Attitude:
Generally, a good attitude includes such things as being punctual to lessons, listening well, contributing
ideas, starting work quickly and being prepared for lessons.
Criteria:As well as the above, specific subjects have individual criteria that enable students to
demonstrate that their attitude is ‘Satisfactory’ or better.
Students need to demonstrate a ‘Satisfactory’, ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ attitude in each
subject in order to be eligible to achieve a AAA award.
Achievement:
If a student is achieving the previous two ‘A’s then a third ‘A’ for achievement should follow.
Criteria:
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Students are required to achieve a ‘C’ Grade or better in all of their subjects in order to
be eligible to achieve a AAA award.
Thomas More College
Homework
Homework consists of:
• Work set by teachers to be completed for a particular lesson.
• Study which includes revision of earlier work and wider reading.
Homework is given for several reasons:
• To ensure work taught in class is understood, learnt and practiced;
• To prepare for new topics about to be studied;
• To provide time for revision of knowledge already gained;
• To develop self-discipline and good study habits;
• To help prepare for exams and meet deadlines.
The maximum recommended time spent on homework should be:
Year 8:
1 - 2 hours each weekday
Year 9:
1½ - 2 hours each weekday
Year 10: 2 - 2½ hours each weekday plus 2 hours on the weekend
Year 11: 2½ - 3 hours each weekday plus 3 hours on the weekend
Year 12: 3 hours each weekday plus 3 hours (more as the year progresses) on the weekend.
Students are encouraged to learn to be flexible. Some nights they may devote 4 hours
for homework study/review, whilst another night may only require 1-2 hours.
Homeroom Teachers are available to support students to develop their own homework/study schedule.
It is important that parents/caregivers encourage their child to become efficient in getting homework
done. Provision of a quiet, comfortable study area with the necessary writing materials is highly
recommended. Any homework time not required for set homework should be devoted to further
reading, study, revision and research.
If homework is a cause for concern, the Subject Teacher and/or Homeroom Teachers should be
informed.
Thomas More College
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Personal Responsibility
Our College is a group of people sharing a common aim and in this sense it is a Christian Learning
Community.
We wish to help each other to make our choices according to Christ’s teaching …
“Do to others as you would wish others to do to you”.
Behaviour is driven by the needs of the individual. The values of justice and reconciliation guide
the College community to determine consequences for behaviour. Consequences are aimed at
assisting students to learn new behaviours and address the underlying needs of students. (Behaviour
Education & Personal Responsibility Policy. SACCS, 2010)
Restorative Justice
Our preference is to work with members of our community within a restorative framework.
Behaviour is driven by the needs of the individual. The values of justice and reconciliation guide
The Principles of Restorative Justice
• Foster awareness in the student of how others have been affected.
• Avoid scolding or lecturing. This often results in the student reacting defensively. It distracts from
noticing other people’s feelings.
• Involve the student actively. In a Restorative intervention the student is asked to speak. They face
and listen to those who have been affected by their inappropriate behaviour. They help decide how
to repair the harm and make a commitment to this. This student is held accountable.
• Accept ambiguity. Often fault is unclear and people can agree to accept the ambiguous situation.
• Separate the deed from the doer. We can recognise a student’s worth, their virtues and
accomplishments while disapproving of their wrongdoing.
• See every serious instance of wrongdoing and conflict as an opportunity for learning. Negative
incidents can be used constructively to build empathy and a sense of community in the hope that
there is a reduction of negative incidents in the future.
Thomas More College uses a multifaceted approach to wellbeing, employing the services of:
• College Counsellors
• Homeroom Teachers
• Year Level Coordinator
• Assistant Deputy Principal - Student Welfare
• Peer Support Team
• Pastoral Care Programs
• Educational programs
• Mental Health, Resilience and Wellbeing programs
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Thomas More College
Personal Responsibility
CONTINUED
Restorative Justice
The Principles of Restorative Justice continued
The principles of Restorative Justice underpin the student welfare processes and practices at
Thomas More College. An individual’s dignity and wellbeing are paramount, respecting the desire
and importance of connection in relationship with others.
We believe that by using Restorative
Practices, we are strengthening the connections between relationships and learning.
At Thomas More College our aim is to give those most affected by conflict the strategies needed to
resolve problems and build relationships. Working restoratively, we assist the students to develop a
personal responsibility for their behaviour with a focus on restoring broken relationships
Affective Questions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What happened?
How did it happen?
How did you act in this incident?
Who do you think was affected?
How were they affected?
How were you affected?
What needs to happen to make things right?
If the same situation happens again,
how could you behave differently?
Responsibilities of Students
• Respect for God and self.
• Respect for other people.
• Respect for property.
•Punctuality:
Good habits of punctuality respect the importance of the work of both self and others.
• Courtesy and Manners
To contribute to a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.
Some examples of responsible behaviours which support this and are expected of all students include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wearing the College uniform correctly
Communicating appropriately ie polite, courteous & well mannered
Being tolerant of all people regardless of race, gender or disability
Showing respect, consideration and courtesy to community members
Resolving conflicts appropriately
Taking pride and actively maintaining the College environment.
Maintaining a positive attitude to learning
Working collaboratively
Treating all justly
Accepting and responding to challenges
Recognising and learning from mistakes
Accepting and celebrating the success of self and others
Thomas More College
Page 15
Anti-Bullying
At Thomas More College, staff, students and parents/caregivers are working together to provide
a supportive, caring and safe environment free of bullying.
The Thomas More College anti-bullying policy aims to:
• Raise awareness and concern about bullying;
• Support and challenge students to create a better world through the way they relate to other people;
• Make it clear that bullying is unacceptable in our College.
What Is Bullying?
• A wilful, conscious, ongoing action to hurt, threaten or frighten someone
• It can take many forms including violence, verbal, threatening gestures, intimidation, using
technology, mobile phone messaging, social exclusion and gossip spreading.
We All Have A Responsibility To
• Abstain from bullying
• Discourage it when it happens
• Give support to those who are bullied
If You Are Bullied...you could
• Think of ways you can stay safe
• Do your best not to react
• Tell a counsellor, teacher or any adult you trust. Persist until the bullying stops
• Email one of the Counsellors, David Smith at dsmith@tmc.catholic.edu.au or Nancy Belperio
at nbelperio@tmc.catholic.edu.au
• Call Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800 or talk online at www.kidshelp.com.au
• Find out more information at the following websites:
www.reachout.com.au; www.bullyingnoway.com.au; www.cybernetrix.com.au
If You Are A Bystander...you could
• Help the person being bullied to get away from the situation, include the person in your social group.
• Tell a counsellor, teacher or any adult you trust. Persist until the bullying stops.
• Speak up and tell the person bullying to stop if safe to do so.
For Parents/Caregivers
If you know or suspect that your child is involved in bullying either as a victim or perpetrator please
contact your child’s Homeroom Teacher, Year Level Coordinator or a Counsellor. You could also email
one of the College Counsellors, Nancy Belperio at nbelperio@tmc.catholic.edu.au or David Smith at
dsmith@tmc.catholic.edu.au
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Thomas More College
Grievance Policy For Students
If there is a grievance with a staff member which cannot be resolved between the two parties, a
student may approach the relevant College contact as outlined in the diagram below. At any point
the College Counsellors can be approached by either party to help mediate in the process.
Personal Related Issue
Subject Related Issue
Homeroom Teacher
Subject Teacher
Year Level Coordinator
Learning Area Coordinator
Assistant Deputy Principal - Curriculum
A ssistant Deputy Principal - Student Welfare
Deputy Principal
Principal
Deputy Principal
Principal
Sexual Harassment and Students
Introduction
Sexual Harassment of any person in Catholic schools is contrary to the Gospels and the vision for
Catholic schools, South Australia. Harassment of persons in any form is not tolerated and is subject
to the following guidelines. In addition, Sexual Harassment is unlawful under the South Australian
Equal Opportunity Act, 1984.
What is Sexual Harassment?
Section 87(11) of the South Australian Equal Opportunity Act says that a person subjects another to
sexual harassment if they do any of the following things in such a manner or in such circumstances
that the other person feels offended, humiliated or intimidated:
• They subject the other person to an unsolicited and intentional act of physical intimacy;
• They demand or request (directly or by implication) sexual favours from the other person;
• On more than one occasion, they make a remark pertaining to the other person, being a remark
that has sexual connotations and it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the other person
should feel offended, humiliated or intimidated by that conduct.
Sexual Harassment may include:
• Persistent and unwelcome invitations for sexual favours or for social outings
• Smutty jokes, innuendo and suggestive comments
• Displays of sexually graphic material
• Leering and ogling
• Suggestive comments about a person’s private life or sexual preference
• Belittling comments based on sex role stereotyping
Sexual Harassment is not:
• Making genuine compliments
• Behaving with common courtesy
• Expressing friendship
Thomas More College
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Sexual Harassment and Students
CONTINUED
What is Sexual Harassment?
Sexual Harassment may involve:
•Students
• Staff and students
• People in a work experience setting
• Other adults
The Equal Opportunity Act prohibits sexual harassment in schools. This includes:
• Staff harassing other staff members, students and parents.
• Students harassing staff or other students. Sexual harassment of students by other students aged
16 years and over is unlawful under the Sex Discrimination Act, 1984. In accord with the overall
intent of these Guidelines, sexual harassment of students by other students under the age of 16
is also prohibited.
Grievance Procedures
If you are being harassed, there are ways to approach the problem:
• Tell the harasser that you object to the behaviour and do not want it repeated.
• Discuss the situation with your Year Level Coordinator and tell her/him that you want the behaviour
to stop and to obtain confidential advice on how to handle the situation. The Year Level Coordinator
will also provide ongoing support regarding the situation and may involve others such as the
College Counsellors.
If you are being harassed, there are ways to approach the problem:
• If the matter has not been resolved with the College’s assistance and the harasser is aged 16 or over,
you can contact the Equal Opportunity Commission to lodge a complaint on 82071977 or
www.eoc.sa.gov.au.
Confidentiality
In dealing with complaints or enquiries about sexual harassment:
• No action will be taken without the consent and knowledge of the person lodging the complaint
• A just and appropriate resolution will be sought to any complaint
• Confidentiality must be maintained throughout the process of investigation and resolution and
thereafter
• The need for reconciliation and to return the College environment and relationships to accord with
the Vision Statement as soon as possible shall be the guiding principles
• A person lodging a complaint shall not be victimised or prejudiced in any way.
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Thomas More College
Prohibited Substances
Thomas More College is committed to making our community a safe and happy environment.
Concerns about drugs, bullying and violence are widespread in many communities. They have no
place in our College.
It is our expectation that students will not, while on College premises, at College functions, whilst
wearing the College uniform or travelling to and from the College:
• smoke tobacco
• consume alcohol
• consume energy drinks
• possess or use prohibited drugs
• possess drug-related equipment (except in cases of lawful medical use)
• possess any intimidating or harmful articles
• intimidate others
It is important for students and parents/caregivers to know however, that the possession and/or
sale of illegal drugs is against the law and police will be notified. Suspension or exclusion from the
College community could result depending on the circumstances.
Students who choose to ignore College expectations on these matters will be faced with a range of
consequences depending on the circumstances and previous behaviour.
Aerosol Cans
Aerosol products such as deodorants, hair spray and body spray are known asthma triggers. These
pressurised aerosol products emit volatile organic chemicals and produce a fine mist that is easily
inhaled into the lungs.
Hence aerosol products are banned at the College, that is they should not be seen or used. Students
should consider using roll-on deodorants or liquid-paste products instead.
Glass bottles/containers
Glass drink bottles and other containers are prohibited as they pose significant risks such as:
•
Cuts/lacerations from broken glass
•
Glass fragments could embed in eyes
•
Slips from spilt liquid on floors.
Students should ensure all drink containers brought to the College are shatter proof, such as a
stainless steel water bottle or a BPA free plastic water bottle.
Thomas More College
Page 19
Critical Incidents
Emergency Drill Information
If the emergency is in your area inform Student Reception immediately of the nature of the emergency.
Evacuation
An emergency that requires all personnel to assemble on the oval / in the John Hyland Centre.
Signal:
5 long siren blasts / interrupted chimes / fire bell.
Lock-In
An emergency that requires all personnel to remain in their immediate area.
Signal: 45 seconds of continuous siren / chimes.
Wet Weather Policy - Recreation Time Arrangements
When the siren rings (3 times) during recreation time, it signifies that the Wet Weather Policy is in
operation. This policy is in operation throughout that lunchtime or recess period, unless the yard
duty teacher is notified otherwise by a Deputy.
Designated covered areas in College grounds are set aside for student use during these times.
eg John Hyland Centre.
During wet weather, the ovals are out of bounds. Students are required to move to undercover areas.
Page 20
Thomas More College
Thomas More College Uniform
All College uniform items are available only through the College uniform shop (except shoes).
Uniform Shop Hours
Thursday morning:
8.00am – 10.00am
Friday afternoon:
2.00pm – 4.00pm
First Saturday of each month:
10.00am – 12.00pm
Other times or changes to the opening times will be advised in the College newsletter
In wearing the College uniform, a student represents the whole College community. Behaviour while
in uniform therefore reflects others - past and present students. The uniform is to be worn correctly
and with pride. Behaviour is to be such that the whole College community can be proud of the way
it is represented.
SUMMER UNIFORM (Term 1 & 4)
Girls
1. College green and gold check dress worn at or below the knee
2. College Plain white, ribbed, knee-high socks
3. College green jumper or vest
Boys
1. Short sleeve, cream shirt with open neck and College logo
2. College Surrey shorts or College Surrey trousers
3. College plain black/grey marle socks with trousers or Grey Marle socks with shorts
4. College green jumper or vest
WINTER UNIFORM (Term 2 & 3)
Girls
1. Long sleeve, cream shirt with College logo
2. College green check skirt worn at or below the knee
3. College plain black knee high socks or black full length tights (70 Denier or more)
4. College green jumper/vest (optional item)
5. College Green & Gold striped tie
6. College Blazer: Years 8 – 12
Boys
1. Long sleeve, cream shirt with College logo
2. College Surrey trousers
3. College Plain black/grey socks
4. College green jumper (optional item)
5. College Green & Gold striped tie
6. College Blazer: Years 8 – 12
All students in Years 8 – 12 are required to wear the College blazer to and from the College with the
winter uniform. (Official Year 12 jumper may be worn in place of the blazer to and from the College
when available).
All students in Years 8-12 are also required to wear the blazer with the winter uniform to assemblies,
masses and at other times when requested by the College eg excursions.
Thomas More College
Page 21
Thomas More College Uniform
PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNIFORM:
Years 8-12
1. Thomas More College black shorts or Thomas More College black tracksuit pants with TMC
embroided on leg
2. Thomas More College green polo top
3. Green & Yellow Rugby Jumper or Thomas More College warm up jacket
4. White sport socks
5. Green TMC hat
6. Sandshoes - Skate shoes and slip on shoes are unacceptable
Years 8 – 9: Students may wear their Physical Education uniform to and from the College on the
days they have Physical Education
Year 10 - 12: Students may wear the Physical Education uniform to and from the College on the day
they have a double lesson of Physical Education. For single lessons students are to
bring sandshoes if they are participating in a practical lesson.
The College hat must be worn in Term 1 and Term 4 for all outside Physical Education lessons.
The Physical Education uniform is not an alternative uniform to wear when something is
wrong with the normal uniform.
OTHER UNIFORM ITEMS
1. Black leather low cut, low sole and low heel school shoes. In various specialist areas,
for safety reasons, no sports shoes are accepted. (compulsory)
2. Thomas More College bag (compulsory)
3. College green or plain black scarf (optional in Terms 2 and 3)
4. College green or plain black gloves (fingerless gloves not permitted)
UNIFORM - Weather Policy
If there is likely to be a string of unseasonable weather the College will make a decision on the
uniform to be worn i.e. full Summer uniform or Winter uniform. Students are not to make their own
decision about this matter unless directed by the Principal.
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Thomas More College
Item
Guidelines
Some examples of items that contradict the
College’s uniform policy
Hair
Neat & tidy
Off the face
Natural in tone
Discreet highlights
Hair ties / bands – College green
or black
In some situations safety and
hygiene constraints require hair
to be tied back
Male students should be
clean shaven
Rats tails, mullets, long fringes covering eyes, shaved
hair shorter than number ‘2’ cut
Shaved sections, dreadlocks, unkempt hair, extreme
hairstyles as determined by the College
‘Un-natural’ colours, extreme/contrasting colours
Hair extensions and braided hair are not permitted unless
prior approval is obtained from the Principal
Earrings
Two earrings in one or both EAR
LOBES ONLY
Students may wear sleepers
no larger than a 5 cent piece in
diameter or studs no larger than
5mm
Large hoops, drop earrings or decorative jewellery and
stretches
Other
piercings
Not permitted
Clear studs, stoppers or band aids covering piercings
Bracelets
One simple gold or silver
bracelet/bangle - no larger than
5mm in diameter.
Leather bands, promotional / plastic bands, material ties,
elastic ties
Rings
One simple gold or silver ring on
each hand
Large rings, decorative rings
Necklaces
Simple thin gold or silver chain
Small religious pendant worn
under shirt or dress
Decorative jewellery ie surf wear, leather cords, chunky
chains, chokers or straps, large crosses/pendants
Make up
Natural tones only
Coloured eye shadow, mascara, eye liner, blush or
lipstick
Tattoos /
body art
Not permitted
tattoos, henna tattoos, transfers
Fingernails Short, well groomed
Coloured varnish, nail decals / treatments
Belts
Plain black
Large buckles, studs or adornments
Shoes
Leather School Shoes
Canvas black shoes, street shoes
Sport
Shores
Appropriate Sandshoes
Street shoes, High tops, canvas sport shoes
Must be kept in good order
College
bag / Diary
Graffiti, scribbling, collages, photos, graphics,
information not relevant to the College and student
learning
Thomas More College
Page 23
Mobile Phones and other Portable Technology
The College maintains that devices brought to the school that are not part of authorised schemes (eg
College laptop / tablet program) are subject to these general guidelines.
Mobile phones or other similar devices must not be used by students at any time during the school
day for calling, texting, web surfing, listening to music, recording images or sound. If a student
chooses to bring their mobile phone onto the College campus then the phone should not be heard,
seen or used from the time a student arrives at the College until dismissal. Only under the very
direct instruction from a teacher may a student use his/her phone for a specific educational purpose.
Students in Yr 11/12 in particular may be permitted to use personal music devices under the direct
instruction of a teacher or in study lessons.
Students are especially alerted to the ban applied to using phones during breaks or between lessons.
Calls to parents must be made via student offices. Penalties apply for breaching any above guidelines
that may result in confiscation of devices and other sanctions. The College takes no responsibility for
any mobile phones or devices if lost, stolen or damaged.
Students who are part of the College laptop or tablet program are subject to the regulations and
guidelines contained in the policies and charters for those devices. Students need to familiarise
themselves with these policies in order to prevent penalty or sanction. Consult the College’s intranet
site for further information on these policies. Students who wish to use school laptops/tablets during
recess or lunch may only do so in designated study rooms, main courtyard areas or in the Resource
Centre.
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Thomas More College
Network User Policy
Purpose
To ensure all staff and students at Thomas More College are accessing and using communication
technologies in an acceptable manner in accordance with our College values, policies and the law.
1. Access and Security
Students will:
• not disable settings for virus protection, spam and filtering that have been applied as a departmental
standard.
• ensure that communication through internet and online communication services is related to
learning.
• keep passwords confidential, and change them when prompted, or when known by another user.
• use passwords that are not obvious or easily guessed.
• never allow others to use their account.
• log off at the end of each session to ensure that nobody else can use their account.
• promptly tell their supervising teacher if they suspect they have received a computer virus or spam
(i.e. unsolicited email) or if they receive a message that is inappropriate or makes them feel
uncomfortable.
• seek advice if another user seeks excessive personal information, asks to be telephoned, offers
gifts by email or wants to meet a student.
• never knowingly initiate or forward emails or other messages containing:
- a message that was sent to them in confidence.
- a computer virus or attachment that is capable of damaging recipients’ computers.
- chain letters and hoax emails.
- spam, e.g. unsolicited advertising material. • never send or publish:
- unacceptable or unlawful material or remarks, including offensive, abusive or discriminatory
comments.
- threatening, bullying or harassing information to another person or make excessive or
unreasonable demands upon another person.
- sexually explicit or sexually suggestive material or correspondence.
- false or defamatory information about a person or organisation.
• ensure that personal use is kept to a minimum and internet and online communication services
are used for genuine curriculum and educational activities. Use of unauthorised programs and
intentionally downloading unauthorised software, graphics or music that is not associated
with learning, is not permitted.
• never damage or disable computers, computer systems or networks of Thomas More College.
• ensure that services are not used for unauthorised commercial activities, political lobbying, online
gambling or any unlawful purpose.
• be aware that all use of internet and online communication services can be audited and traced to
the accounts of specific users.
Thomas More College
Page 25
Network User Policy
CONTINUED
2. Privacy and Confidentiality
Students will:
• never publish or disclose the email address of a staff member or student without that person’s
explicit permission.
• not reveal personal information including names, addresses, photographs, credit card details and
telephone numbers of themselves or others.
• ensure privacy and confidentiality is maintained by not disclosing or using any information in a
way that is contrary to any individual’s interests.
3. Intellectual Property and Copyright
Students will:
• never plagiarise information and will observe appropriate copyright clearance, including
acknowledging the author or source of any information used.
• ensure that permission is gained before electronically publishing users’ works or drawings. Always
acknowledge the creator or author of any material published.
• ensure any material published on the internet or intranet has the approval of the Principal or their
delegate and has appropriate copyright clearance.
4. Misuse and Breaches of Acceptable Usage
Students will be:
• held responsible for their actions while using internet and online communication services.
• held responsible for any breaches caused by them allowing any other person to use their
account to access internet and online communication services.
The misuse of internet and online communication services may result in disciplinary action which
includes, but is not limited to, the withdrawal of access to services.
5. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements
Students will report:
• any internet site accessed that is considered inappropriate.
• any suspected technical security breach involving users from other schools, TAFEs, or from outside
Thomas More College.
DER-NSW Laptop User Charter: Retrieved August, 2010, from the DER-NSW site:
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/technology/computers/l4l/user_charter.doc
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Thomas More College
Digital Safety Top Tips
Social Networking Safely
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Here are some steps to help protect you when using social
network sites:
• set your online profile to private and be discerning about
who you accept as your ‘friend’
• protect your accounts with strong passwords
• have a different password for each social networking site
so that if one password is stolen, not all of your accounts
will be at risk
• think before you post – expect that people other than
your friends can see the information you post online
• don’t post information that would make you or your
family vulnerable – such as your date of birth, address,
information about your daily routine, holiday plans, or
your children’s schools
• don’t post photos of you or your family and friends that
may be inappropriate – or that your family and friends
haven’t agreed to being posted
• never click on suspicious links – even if they are from
your friends – they may have inadvertently sent them to
you
• be wary of strangers – people are not always who they
say they are. It’s a good idea to limit the number of
people you accept as friends
• always type your social networking website address into
your browser or use a bookmark.
Never let anyone else know your password. If you think
someone else may have found your password, change it
straight away.
Never let anyone else use your username and password. You
may be held responsible for anything they do.
Always keep your laptop with you or in a very secure place.
Tell a teacher straight away if you suspect you have received
a computer virus or if you receive spam or if you have received a
message that is inappropriate, abusive, harassing or makes you
feel uncomfortable. Do not reply to it.
If someone on the internet asks for personal information
about you, asks to be telephoned, offers you gifts or wants
to meet you, report this immediately to a teacher or parent.
Do not give this information.
If you find any internet site that contains inappropriate
material such as information or graphics that are sexually
inappropriate, violent or racist, tell a teacher.
If you suspect that anyone has somehow got around the
security of a laptop or the schools’s network, report them to
a teacher.
Set strong passwords, particularly for important online
accounts and change them regularly—consider making a diary
entry to remind yourself.
Stop and think before you share any personal or financial
information - about you, your friends or family. Don’t disclose
identity information (drivers licence, Medicare No, birth date,
address) through email or online unless you have initiated the
contact and you know the other person involved.
Don't give your email address out without needing to. Think
about why you are providing it, what the benefit is for you and
whether it will mean you are sent emails you don’t want.
Be very suspicious of emails from people you don’t know,
particularly if they promise you money, good health or a solution
to all your problems. The same applies for websites. Remember,
anything that looks too good to be true usually is.
Limit the amount and type of identity information you post on
social networking sites. Don’t put sensitive, private or
confidential information on your public profile.
When shopping online use a secure payment method such as
PayPal, BPay, or your credit card. Avoid money transfers and
direct debit, as these can be open to abuse. Never send your bank
or credit card details via email.
When using a public computer, don’t submit or access
any sensitive information online. Public computers may have
a keystroke logger installed which can capture your password,
credit card number and bank details
Do You Know About?
Read on for tips about:
Unwanted contact, Cyberbullying, Online friends, Playing
games online—keeping the balance, Digital footprint,
P2P/filesharing, Inappropriate content, Financial security and
online shopping, Identity theft.
www.cybersmart.gov.au > Teens >Tips and Advice
Resources
• Copyright Australia has a website that details all copyright information
for Australia and overseas. www.copyright.org.au
• Stay Smart Online is the Government’s cyber security website designed
to help Australians understand cyber security risks.
www.staysmartonline.gov.au
• The Cybersmart website is produced and hosted by The Australian
Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) and includes
information, tips and resources specifically for teens.
www.cybersmart.gov.au
• The ThinkUKnow website provides information and resources to help
educate and raise awareness amongst parents, carers and teachers
about how to help children stay safe online.
http://www.thinkuknow.org.au
Thomas More College Page 27
SACE Assessment Deadlines Policy
1. The College expects all assessment tasks to be submitted. Late work may still be requested by the
Subject Teacher in order for student feedback and to ensure subject understanding.
2. All assessment tasks are to be submitted during the lesson on the day stipulated by the Subject
Teacher.
3. All Extension requests must be negotiated * with the Subject Teacher and must be communicated
to that teacher in writing at least 24 hours prior to the due date via an Extension Request Form
found on the College website under Curriculum. Absence on the due date does not result in an
automatic extension. Where illness is involved the form must still be submitted and negotiation
must still take place. Confirmation of illness upon return will be as follows:
a.A short term of illness (3 days or less) needs a diary note from the parent/caregiver explaining
the student’s illness. This must be presented to the Subject Teacher to assist with their
discernment regarding an Extension Request. A Doctor’s Certificate may be required in some
circumstances eg. where a practical activity or test has been missed.
b.A term of illness longer than 3 days must be accompanied by a Doctor’s Certificate. When
presented to the SACE Coordinator, a course of action will be determined.
4. Grounds for an extension are to be determined by the Subject Teacher and will naturally represent
a balance between compassion to an individual and fairness to the whole group of students
involved. To assist a Subject Teacher with their discernment regarding an extension request, a
Subject Teacher may ask for a student to immediately provide evidence of work already completed.
(An Appeal against an extension decision by the Subject Teacher can be made via the Principal’s
Delegate).
5. If work is late with no negotiation it may not be eligible to be credited towards a student’s
assessment and penalties are at the discretion of the Subject Teacher. This may include an
“I - 0” grade being awarded for the task. The submission of incomplete work on the due date may
gain sufficient marks to pass that piece of work. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that
students submit what has been completed rather than nothing at all.
SACE Board Special Provisions Years 10 – 12
The SACE Coordinator should be consulted regarding Special Provisions.
*Negotiation means communication between the student and the Subject Teacher to try to come to
a mutually acceptable arrangement. Attendance at Work Completion sessions maybe required as a
part of the agreement.
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Thomas More College
Consent to Use Images, Recordings, Documents
and/or Artwork
Introduction
During the course of their studies students will produce a variety of work. From time to time, sound
recordings, photographs or video images of students and their learning are taken in school or at
places where the children are involved in an excursion or activity. These student works / photos
/ images / videos / audio recordings may be used in class activities or could be published by the
School / College and Catholic Education SA in documents, school magazines, newsletters, displays,
journals, professional development materials for teachers, or on a School’s / College’s or Catholic
Education SA’s website or social media platforms. Adults may also create work for the school,
or in the course of working with or for students and may also be involved in photographs, sound
recordings or video images.
Educational Sharing
The School / College and / or Catholic Education SA may also like to make publications containing
your or the student’s work available free of charge to government and / or non-government schools
and education authorities around Australia for their educational purposes under the National
Education Access Licence for Schools (NEALS). NEALS is a licence between government and nongovernment education authorities and sectors of the various states and territories, which allows
schools to share material.
Your Consent
We would like to obtain your consent before including you or your child/ren in any such publication
or display. In most circumstances the material will not include any personal information regarding
you or the student’s identity or may include a first name only. However, in the school magazine and
in the school newsletter, because of the limited circulation of these documents, it is usual for the
full name to appear under photographs or to record achievement in various activities or beneath
examples of work.
Please return the attached consent form to indicate your consent or otherwise. If you require any
additional information regarding this request or if your circumstances change at anytime, or should
you wish to withdraw your consent, please contact (name & contact details to be inserted).
Thomas More College
Page 29
Consent to Use Images, Recordings, Documents
and/or Artwork
I give consent for:
•
All materials created solely or partially by the person named below (including
documents, artworks, and/or projects generally);
•
All photographs/images of the person named below;
•
All recordings of the person named below (including videos, CDs, DVDs and/or
audio recordings);
Yes / No
created as part of the school curriculum or taken in school or at school related events such
as excursions, sporting events or productions to be published from time to time:
• By the School / College (for example, in documents, school magazines, newsletters,
displays, journals, professional development materials for teachers, presentations,
distribution within its community and the like); Yes / No
•By Catholic Education SA (for example, in documents, educational magazines,
newsletters, displays, journals, professional development materials for teachers,
presentations, distribution within its community and the like);
Yes / No
• On the School / College or Catholic Education SA’s website including intranet sites;
Yes / No
• On the School / College or Catholic Education SA’s social media platforms;
Yes / No
• On the Federation of Catholic School Parent Communities (SA) website and
publications, including the Federation’s newsletters and brochures;
Yes / No
•Under the National Educational Access Licence for Schools (NEALS). I
acknowledge that this is a licence between various Australian education
authorities, allowing such education authorities to use licensed material without
charge for educational purposes;
Yes / No
with or without acknowledgments and without payment or compensation.
•In relation to Copyright and Intellectual Property issues where materials or
recordings are published in accordance with this consent, I consent to the name
of the person below being published as the creator of the materials, or as someone
featured in the recordings, as the case may be. Yes / No
I acknowledge that:
• I can withdraw my consent at any time by giving written notice to the School / College.
• I have read the accompanying document headed CONSENT TO USE IMAGES,
RECORDINGS, DOCUMENTS AND/OR ARTWORK.
Name of person subject of consent: .........................................................................................................................................................
Signature of this person (optional if person is a minor):
........................................................................
If the person is under 18, this form MUST be signed by a parent or guardian.
Name of Parent / Guardian:
Signature:
Page 30
.......................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
Thomas More College
Date
.......................
Date
.......................
What Good Readers Do
Strategies
How they are used
Predict
• What do you think will happen next in the text?
• Use the title, text and/or illustrations to help you.
Visualise
• Create mental images of the characters, setting and events in the text.
• Use magazines, television, film and the internet to find pictures.
• Underline the words which support your visual and mental images.
Question
•
•
•
•
Stop and ask yourself questions to see if the text makes sense.
Find the meanings of words (clarify) in the dictionary or ask others.
Reread the text to find more information.
Question what is being written. Do you agree with the author or the idea?
Connect
•
•
•
•
•
•
Think about what you already know.
Use your prior knowledge about the subject or text type.
Find ways to connect the text to yourself, other texts and the world around you.
Make connections.
Synthesise by bringing different pieces of information together.
Use Venn Diagrams, T or Y Charts.
Identify
• Identify the genre (narrative, recount, report, exposition, etc) and ask how this
relates to vocabulary and sentence structures.
• What is the author’s purpose? To entertain? Persuade? Inform?
• Summarise - make this brief, just one or two sentences.
• What is the meaning of the text? Main idea/s? Theme/s?
• Look for and highlight the important information:
o Use a highlighter or underline
o Write notes in the margins/or use Post It notes
o Use Mind Maps
Infer
• Use prior knowledge.
• Go beyond what is written to think about meaning.
• Use clues in the text and from your own knowledge to fill in the gaps and
draw conclusions.
Adjust
•Self-correct.
• Monitor, check and confirm.
• Crosscheck clues by rereading.
• Improve your writing by changing language choices.
Evaluate
• Think about the text as a whole and form opinions about what you read.
• Determine the importance of the main ideas.
• Notice how the author writes. Is the text well-constructed?
• Notice author’s intentions and ideas and ask yourself are they:
oWorthwhile?
oSignificant?
oUseful?
oImportant?
oSuccessful?
Thomas More College
Page 31
Effective Study Skills
Information/Research Skills
The aim of library research is to be able to locate, select, record and present relevant information
for assignments, essays or assessment tasks. Information skills will enable you to do this research
in the most effective way.
Key words in information skills for research are:DEFINE
LOCATE
SELECT
ORGANISE
PRESENT
ASSESS
To carry out research you must be able to:1. Define your topic, know your terms, isolate key words for headings, and know your purpose.
2. Locate suitable resources via the catalogue and browsing, and using internet resources.
3. Find relevant information from the Library resources by using table of contents, book index, etc.
4. Skim or scan read relevant information for facts.
5. Record facts in note form – DO NOT PLAGIARISE, keep track of:
(a) quotations (and record citation details)
(b) references used (and record in the bibliography)
6. Translate (rewrite) rough notes into appropriate text forms, e.g. report/essay, etc.
7. Produce illustrations, graphs, tables, maps, etc to support your text.
Research Strategy Secrets
1 Defining
2 Locating
• What do I really want to find out? • Where can I find the information I need?
• What is my purpose?
• What do I already know?
• Why do I need to find this out?
• What do I still need to find out?
• What are the key words and ideas of the task?
• What sources and equipment can I use?
• What do I need to do?
3 Selecting
4 Organising
• What information do I really need to use?
• How can I best use this information?
• What information can I leave out?
• Have I enough information for my purpose?
• How relevant is the information I have found?
• How can I best combine information from
• How credible is the information I have found?
different sources?
• Do I need to use all this information?
• How will I record the information I need?
• Is it current?
6 Assessing/Evaluating
• What did I learn from this?
5 Presenting
• Did I fulfil my purpose?
• How can I present this information?
• How did I go with each step of the
• What will I do with this information? (purpose)
• With whom will I share this information?
(audience)
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Thomas More College
information process?
• How did I go–presenting the information?
• Where do I go from here?
Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Note Taking
What is note taking?
• It is a brief and accurate record of essential information in an organised form.
Why take notes?
• Humans forget!
• Research shows 50% of information just read or heard is lost within 5 minutes.
How to take efficient notes:
•
•
•
•
•
Use a pen (pencil is too light).
Use loose-leaf folders, note pads or cards.
Know why you are taking notes – for a further task
Identify, define and understand key words and phrases of the task or question,
e.g. “When was the telephone invented?” Content key word – “telephone”; strategy key word – “when”.
Re-read your notes before you write:-
System of note taking:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use a separate book or loose-leaf folder.
Make notes brief; do not write in sentences – use phrases (write in point form).
Only write enough to make sense.
Use a new line for each point; only write each point once.
Use your own words; only write what you understand; do not copy.
Use headings/sub-headings in a descending order of importance. The idea is to give yourself an
abbreviated overview of the information.
Use a new page for each main division of a subject.
Keep notes neat; rewriting is a waste of time.
Underlining/highlighting may be useful for emphasis.
Abbreviate where possible, e.g. Aust – Australia, sci – science.
Use symbols for frequently used words, e.g. – for example i.e. – that is, re – concerning, ca – about.
Leave out points not relevant to the topic.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Guidelines For Referencing
Why use referencing?
Referencing is used to acknowledge that an idea, or the exact words, used within a piece of writing
are those of another person. Referencing shows respect for other people’s intellectual rights and
avoids plagiarism. Referencing also enables the reader to follow up the work of other authors referred
to in the writing.
What system of referencing should be used?
It is easier for students and teachers if a school adopts and teaches a consistent referencing system.
The examples of referencing used in this guide are based on the Harvard Referencing system. It is
also referred to as the Author-Date system. It is constantly being updated so slight differences may
be observed between examples of use.
The SACE board of South Australia recommend Harvard.
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Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Referencing
The Harvard Referencing system (sometimes referred to as the Author/Date system) is the preferred
referencing format for the SACE Board.
There are several resources which Thomas More College has provided students with access to. This
will help you to reference using the Harvard Referencing Style.
Examples of Referencing using Harvard
The Harvard Online Referencing Generator icon can be found on TMC Online on
the first page.
This icon will take you directly to the generator where you enter the source details
in the appropriate fields and a citation is created for you.
Years 8-10 Students should choose Middle school and Years 11-12 should choose
Senior School options of the generator.
Copy and paste the citation which is automatically generated into your assignment
Bibliography. This should appear on the last page and be in alphabetical order of
the author.
A guide to referencing and bibliographies: for secondary school students is
an ebook that students will have access to from 2014.
This book will give more obscure examples of referencing than the generator
provides. It will also give you helpful examples about how to complete in text
referencing correctly.
To add this e-book to your desktop, all you need to do is download it to your
computer. Instructions on how to do that can be found on the Resource Centre
Website.
Referencing is an important part of your assignments. It is very important that students DO NOT
copy and paste information from internet sites and claim it as your own, as this is called Plagiarism.
Thomas More College takes plagiarism very seriously and there are severe consequences for doing
this.
Please note that footnoting does not conform to the Harvard Referencing Style. If you choose to
use this style, you will need to find out the details of and conform to, the guidelines for the Footnote
Referencing style.
If you need assistance with Referencing, please come into the Resource Centre and see Ms
Kranendonk or Mrs Eldridge.
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Thomas More College
Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Referencing examples
Bible
Book
1 author
(Details of Biblical sources are not usually included in a bibliography, just in the text.
Solomon’s proverbs from the Bible give good advice to children, saying ”…”
(Proverbs 10:1-3)
Lane, BF 2003, Islam: a history, Viking Books, London.
Book
2-3 authors
Wills, M & Titan, CW 2003, Computer networking: making it all work, Macmillan, London.
Brochure/Pamphlet/Leaflet
Department of Health n.d., Immunisation for your child, pamphlet, Department of Health,
Brisbane.
Document within a website
Personal author
Hawkins I 2003, ‘Art of the afterlife’ Akhet Egyptology, viewed 11 May 2009,
<http://akhet.co.uk/arthome.htm>.
Document within a website
Organisation or group as
authoring body
Environment Australia 2004, ‘Freshwater’, Inland waters, Department of the Environment and
Heritage, Canberra, viewed 10 June 2005, <http://www.deh.gov.au/water/freshwater/index.
html>.
DVD
Mandela: the long walk home 2009, DVD, Payless Entertainment, Ultimo, NSW. Produced by
David Fanning and Indra de Lanerolle.
Space 2002, DVD, BBC Productions, London.
Emails
Journal or magazine article
Legal Authorities
Case Law
Jenson, WB 2012, email, 10 June, <jensenwb@iprimus.com.au>.
Doyle, W 2007, ‘Learning in the classroom environment’, Journal of Teacher Education,
vol. 28, no.4, pp.47-51.
The State of New South Wales v. The Commonwealth (1915) 20 CLR 54 (The Wheat Case).
Newspaper article
known author
Folberg, L 2004, ‘Issues for Australia’s solar future’, The Australian, 19 July, p.7.
Newspaper article
unknown author
Issues for Australia’s solar future’ 2004, The Australian, 19 July, p.7.
Online image
Photograph/clipart/diagram
/chart/graph/map
Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1997, ‘Martian terrain near Pathfinder’, Planetary Photo Journal,
online image, NASA, viewed 9 July 2007, <http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/tiff/PIA00610.tif>.
Online Journal article
known author
Harvey, AJ 2005, ‘Pauline Hanson and Australian politics’, Australian Politics Today, 10 July,
viewed 18 September 2007, <http://www.auspol.org.au>.
Online Journal article
unknown author
‘AIDS crisis in Africa’, 2009, International Health Journal, January-February, viewed 21 July
2009, <http://www.whj.com.uk/decjan/index.html>.
Personal Communication
Phone call, text message, fax,
letter, interview, conversation
Whole web site
Personal author
Whole web site
Organisation or group as
authoring body
Balkins, R 2008, pers. comm., 28 June.
Hawkins, I 2003, Akhet Egyptology, viewed 11 May 2009, <http://www.akhet.co.uk>.
The Melanoma Foundation 2008, Melanoma facts, University of Sydney, Sydney,
viewed 15 May 2013, <http://med.usyd.edu.au/medicine/melanoma.htm>.
Thomas More College
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Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Improving Your Writing
Step 1: Understanding words
What are the different parts of English grammar?
Articles
Pointers which indicate what is being referred to - a, an, the
Nouns
Concrete nouns – desk, plane, pen, apple
Abstract nouns – happiness, poverty, beauty
Proper nouns – Mr Jones, Grey’s Anatomy
Pronouns
These stand in place of nouns
– I, you, he, she, it, we, they, those, them, that, this, etc
Adjectives
Describers – big, round, fluffy
Classifiers – Green Tree Frog, Poison Dart Frog
Verbs Action processes – drove, had been sleeping, fall
Saying processes - sang, whispering, will tell
Sensing processes – wondered, will consider, hope
Relating processes – am, were, have been, will have been
Adverbs
Intensifiers which add meaning to adjectives and verbs - very, extremely, intensely,
mistakenly, must, suddenly, loudly, quickly
Prepositions
In, on, under, with, for, up, around, between, next to, during
Conjunctions
Join text and sentences – although, consequently, because
Step 2: Writing Better Sentences
1. Understand how a sentence is structured
• Sentences are built up using clauses. A clause has the following parts:
Participant
( Who? or What? is doing/
receiving the process?)
E.g.
The Lion King
A large orange ball
Happiness
Process
Circumstance
(What is happening, has
happened or will happen?)
E.g.
Action – swim, is growing,
will be studying
Saying – is speaking, explain,
whispered
Sensing – believe, felt, may
have realised
Relating – is, are, was, will be,
had, have, has
(Where/When/How/Why/With
whom/ is it happening?)
E.g.
Place – on the wagon, between
the two older houses
Time – during the last century,
after dinner
Manner – quietly, with great care
Cause – due to ill health, for his
education
Accompaniment – with my
brother, with an old suitcase
• A sentence MUST have correct punctuation. Clauses can only be joined with conjunctions NEVER with a comma.
E.g. I like football, it is a great game. X is NOT a correct sentence – it needs a full stop instead
of a comma.
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Thomas More College
Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Improving Your Writing CONTINUED
Step 2: Writing Better Sentences CONTINUED
2. Use more complex sentences
Increasing Complexity
1. Simple sentence
Has ONE clause
E.g. I like dogs.
2. Compound sentence
Has 2 or more clauses
joined by Linking
Conjunctions
E.g. I like dogs but I
don’t have one as a
pet.
3. Complex sentence
Has 2 or more clauses
joined by:
Binding Conjunctions
E.g.
Although I like dogs,
I don’t have one as a
pet.
Relative Pronouns
Dogs make great pets,
which is why I really
want one.
-ed /-ing Parts of Verbs
Projecting Processes
Having finished my
homework, I watched
‘Idol’.
I said I would have to
think about it.
Types of Conjunctions
Linking
Conjunctions
Binding
Conjunctions
Cause/Effect
Time
Compare/
Contrast
Adding
Relative
pronouns
so
otherwise
yet
and then
but
nor
and
or
who
whom
whose
which
that
Because
If
Since
Although
Due to
By
As
In order to
For
So that
After
Before
While
When
As
Just as
Whenever
As long as
As soon as
Since
Until
While
Instead of
Apart from
Although
Even though
Whereas
Whilst
As though
Like
As well as
Besides
Apart from
Not only.. but
also
Thomas More College
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Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Improving Your Writing CONTINUED
Step 2: Writing Better Sentences
CONTINUED
3. Build longer and more detailed noun groups
• This helps make your ‘story’ genres more interesting
• It also helps to build up information in your factual texts
Number
Some of
Pointer
Intensifier
Describer
Classifier
NOUN
Qualifier
A
very
talented
sports
team
from TMC
the
most
dangerous,
snakes
in the world
chemicals
in the
venomous
extremely
Three
volatile
liquid
laboratory
4. Use nominalisations
i.e. the NOUN form of a word
• This makes your writing less ‘spoken like’
• It helps to condense more information into a single sentence
E.g.
Students at TMC are very generous.The generosity of students at TMC is evident
throughout the year.
I couldn’t finish my interview properly Several interruptions adversely affected the
because we kept being interrupted by interview and final results.
the phone, and this adversely
affected my final results.
5. How does your audience and purpose shape the language you use
There are different types of English you can choose to use – and the language choices you make can either help or harm your ability to communicate effectively, whether it is speaking or writing.
InformalFormal
EverydayAcademic
Spoken-likeWritten-like
Audience is well-known
(such as close friends)
Audience is unknown
(such as a documentary on TV)
E.g. Like ... it was totally cool.
E.g. The concert was very impressive.
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Thomas More College
Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Improving Your Writing CONTINUED
Step 2: Writing Better Sentences
CONTINUED
5. How does your audience and purpose shape the language you use
N.B. Words and expressions used in everyday conversation are not necessarily correct for formal academic English. When writing, avoid these common mistakes:
Alot This is actually two words: “a lot”
Should of
This is really spelt “should have”
Step 3: Writing better paragraphs for factual genres
A paragraph has one
main idea.
E.g.There are many
dangerous snakes
in Australia
Several supporting ideas
1. Top eight of most
poisonous in world.
Further detail/example
1. (E.g.) Inland Taipan
2. Inland Taipan very toxic
2. (E.g.) Poison can kill over three hundred people.
3. Very aggressive
3. (E.g.) Tiger – will actually attack if disturbed
1. A well-organised paragraph will be structured like this:
2. Turn this main idea into a topic sentence.
E.g. There are many dangerous species of snakes in Australia.
3. Add the supporting ideas and the detail to the topic sentence.
There are many dangerous species of snakes in Australia. Australia has eight of the ten most
poisonous snakes in the world. These include the King Brown, the Tiger Snake, the Copperhead
and the Inland Taipan. The most poisonous snake ever discovered is the Inland Taipan. The
poison from just one bite would be powerful enough to kill over 300 full-grown men. Also, some
of these snakes are very aggressive. The Tiger Snake, for example, will actually attack someone
if it is disturbed.
Step 4: Writing better paragraphs for factual genres
Recount
Narrative
1. Understand genre
Different texts will be structured according to their purpose. These are called genre.
FEATURES
STRUCTURE
PURPOSE
STORY GENRES
To tell a story
To entertain or amuse
•Orientation
•Complication
•Series of events
•Resolution
- Usually specific people
- Verbs usually in past tense
- Time words used to connect
events
- Actions words often in the
complication and the resolution
To retell a series of events
To reconstruct past experiences
by retelling events in the order in
which they occurred
•Orientation background
information about who, where
and when
•Series of events in time
sequence
•A personal comment
Descriptive language
Past tense
Time words to connect events:
‘then’, ‘firstly’, ‘before’
Words which tell us where,
when, with whom, how
Thomas More College
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Effective Study Skills
CONTINUED
Improving Your Writing CONTINUED
Step 4: Writing better paragraphs for factual genres
1. Understand genre
PURPOSE
Page 40
Explanation
Response
Critical Response
RESPONSE GENRES
Discussion
Argument
FACTUAL GENRES
Procedure
Information Report
CONTINUED
STRUCTURE
FEATURES
To present factual information
To classify and/or describe
• Opening general definition or
classification
• Description as a sequence of
related statements about
topic
• Concluding topic
Technical language
Simple present tense
Generalised terms rather than
specific terms
To instruct someone on how to
do something
• Opening statement of goal
or aim
• Material required listed in order
of use
• Series of steps listed in time
sequence
Verbs usually at the beginning
of the instruction
Words, or groups of words,
which tell us how, when, where,
with whom
To explain how or why something
occurs
• A general statement or
identification of problem
• Explanation sequence placed
in order
• Concluding statement
Technical language
Use of words such as ‘because’
‘as a result of’ to establish
cause and effect
To put forward an argument or a
particular point of view
• Point of view as stated
• Justifications or arguments
in a logical order
• Summing up of argument
- Words that qualify and express
judgement, such as ‘usually’,
probably’, ‘obviously’.
- Words that link arguments, such
as ‘on the other hand’, ‘firstly’,
‘lastly’, ‘besides’ etc
To present information and
opinions about more than one
side of an issue
• Opening statement presenting
the issue
• Arguments or evidence for
different points of view
• Concluding recommendation
To respond to a literary, popular,
or artistic text
• Context of artistic work
• Description of work
•Judgement
- Words which express
judgements
- Descriptive language
To critically analyse and evaluate
a literary, popular, or artistic text
• Introduction – author, title,
thesis, foreshadowing of
arguments
• Justification or arguments
in logical order
• Concluding statement
- Technical language naming
text devices and their
effects
- Textual evidence
- Appropriate text connectives
Thomas More College
Technical language
Conjunctions which show cause
and comparison, such as
‘consequently’, ‘because’,
‘however’, ‘alternatively’
Words which sequence
additional ideas, such as
‘furthermore’, ‘moreover’ etc
Wk
1
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
26 Jan
27 Jan
28 Jan
29 Jan
30 Jan
31 Jan
01 Feb
02 Feb
03 Feb
04 Feb
05 Feb
06 Feb
07 Feb
08 Feb
09 Feb
10 Feb
11 Feb
12 Feb
13 Feb
14 Feb
15 Feb
16 Feb
17 Feb
18 Feb
19 Feb
20 Feb
21 Feb
22 Feb
23 Feb
24 Feb
25 Feb
26 Feb
27 Feb
28 Feb
01 Mar
02 Mar
03 Mar
04 Mar
05 Mar
06 Mar
07 Mar
08 Mar
09 Mar
10 Mar
11 Mar
12 Mar
13 Mar
14 Mar
15 Mar
16 Mar
17 Mar
18 Mar
19 Mar
20 Mar
21 Mar
22 Mar
23 Mar
24 Mar
25 Mar
26 Mar
27 Mar
28 Mar
29 Mar
30 Mar
31 Mar
01 Apr
02 Apr
03 Apr
04 Apr
05 Apr
06 Apr
07 Apr
08 Apr
09 Apr
10 Apr
11 Apr
12 Apr
Australia Day
2
3
Tuesday
8A,B,G, P Camp
Year 8 students
begin
Parent Information
Night
8A,B,G, P Camp
4
Year 8 students
all day
Year 9-12 students
8.30-12.30pm
8A,B,G, P Camp
Year 8R,W, Y Camp
Ash Wednesday
Mass
Year 8R,W, Y Camp
Splash Carnival
Year 8R,W, Y Camp
5
6
7
Adelaide Cup
Holiday
TMC Athletics
Carnival
8
9
10
11
Easter Monday
Report Distribution
3.30-8.30pm
Good Friday
End Term 1
Thomas More College
Page 41
Wk
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Sunday
20 Apr
21 Apr
22 Apr
23 Apr
24 Apr
25 Apr
26 Apr
27 Apr
28 Apr
29 Apr
30 Apr
01 May
02 May
03 May
04 May
05 May
06 May
07 May
08 May
09 May
10 May
11 May
12 May
13 May
14 May
15 May
16 May
17 May
18 May
19 May
20 May
21 May
22 May
23 May
24 May
25 May
26 May
27 May
28 May
29 May
30 May
31 May
01 Jun
02 Jun
03 Jun
04 Jun
05 Jun
06 Jun
07 Jun
08 Jun
09 Jun
10 Jun
11 Jun
12 Jun
13 Jun
14 Jun
15 Jun
16 Jun
17 Jun
18 Jun
19 Jun
20 Jun
21 Jun
22 Jun
23 Jun
24 Jun
25 Jun
26 Jun
27 Jun
28 Jun
29 Jun
30 Jun
01 Jul
02 Jul
03 Jul
04 Jul
05 Jul
0
1
Saturday
Staff Development
Day
2
3
Parent Teacher
Interviews
2.00-9.00pm
Yr 9 Naplan
Testing
Yr 9 Naplan
Testing
4
5
Year 9
Activities Day
Yr 9 Naplan
Testing
Staff Retreat Day
Year 9
Activities Day
Yr 9 Naplan
Testing
Year 9
Activities Day
Anzac Day
6
7
8
9
Queen’s Birthday
Holiday
Year 8-11
Exam Week
Thomas More Day
Year 8-11
Exam Week
Begin Semester 2
Year 10
Work Experience
10
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Thomas More College
Year 8-11
Exam Week
Year 10
Work Experience
Year 8-11
Exam Week
Year 10
Work Experience
End Semester 1
Year 10
Work Experience
End Term 2
Wk
1
2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
20 Jul
21 Jul
22 Jul
23 Jul
24 Jul
25 Jul
26 Jul
27 Jul
28 Jul
29 Jul
30 Jul
31 Jul
01 Aug
02 Aug
03 Aug
04 Aug
05 Aug
06 Aug
07 Aug
08 Aug
09 Aug
10 Aug
11 Aug
12 Aug
13 Aug
14 Aug
15 Aug
16 Aug
17 Aug
18 Aug
19 Aug
20 Aug
21 Aug
22 Aug
23 Aug
24 Aug
25 Aug
26 Aug
27 Aug
28 Aug
29 Aug
30 Aug
31 Aug
01 Sep
02 Sep
03 Sep
04 Sep
05 Sep
06 Sep
07 Sep
08 Sep
09 Sep
10 Sep
11 Sep
12 Sep
13 Sep
14 Sep
15 Sep
16 Sep
17 Sep
18 Sep
19 Sep
20 Sep
21 Sep
22 Sep
23 Sep
24 Sep
25 Sep
26 Sep
27 Sep
Staff Development
Day
SACE Information
Night 7.00pm
3
4
Assumption Mass
5
6
7
Parent Teacher
Interviews
3.30-8.30pm
8
9
10
End Term 3
Year 12 Trial
Exams
Year 12 Trial
Exams
Year 12 Trial
Exams
Year 12 Trial
Exams
Year 12 Trial
Exams
Thomas More College
Page 43
Wk
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
12 Oct
13 Oct
14 Oct
15 Oct
16 Oct
17 Oct
18 Oct
19 Oct
20 Oct
21 Oct
22 Oct
23 Oct
24 Oct
25 Oct
26 Oct
27 Oct
28 Oct
29 Oct
30 Oct
31 Oct
01 Nov
02 Nov
03 Nov
04 Nov
05 Nov
06 Nov
07 Nov
08 Nov
09 Nov
10 Nov
11 Nov
12 Nov
13 Nov
14 Nov
15 Nov
16 Nov
17 Nov
18 Nov
19 Nov
20 Nov
21 Nov
22 Nov
23 Nov
24 Nov
25 Nov
26 Nov
27 Nov
28 Nov
29 Nov
30 Nov
01 Dec
02 Dec
03 Dec
04 Dec
05 Dec
06 Dec
Begin Term 4
1
Last Day Year 12
2
3
4
5
6
New Parent
Information Night
Last Day Year 11
Year 10 Exams
Year 8-9 Exam
Week
Year 11 Exams
Year 10 Exams
7
8
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Thomas More College
Year 8-9 Exam
Week
Year 11 Exams
Year 11-12
Orientation Day
Presentation Night
Year 8-9 Exam
Week
Year 11 Exams
Year 8 & 9
Celebration Day
Year 8-9 Exam
Week
Year 11 Exams
Last Day Year 10
Year 7-8
Orientation Day
End Term 4