BANKSTOWN COLLEGE OF TAFE
HSC 2012
STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET
Introduction
The purpose of this information sheet and meeting is to give you important information about studying the HSC at Bankstown TAFE. Please make sure you keep this sheet and read it. Studying your HSC at Bankstown TAFE means that you must follow the rules of both the Board of Studies and TAFE.
1. The Higher School Certificate
1.1 Please read the Rules and Procedures for 2012 booklet for details of Board of Studies requirements.
1.2 As well as being enrolled in your HSC subjects, you are enrolled in a TAFE unit called Learning by Contract. Every time you attend a meeting or come to see either the HSC coordinator (Ken Enderby) or the HSC clerical assistant (Marta Fossemale), and every time the coordinator comes to see you, this will be recorded as an attendance in this subject. You are also required to sign a conduct contract as part of this unit. Failure to behave in accordance with the contract means you could be excluded from the course.
2. HSC Administration
2.1 The HSC coordinator, Ken Enderby, or the HSC clerical assistant, Marta Fossemale will help with any general issues or questions you have about your HSC. Ken’s contact details are below. Marta is in room J1.05. Her phone number is 9780 5648.
2.2 You must CONSTANTLY check the HSC website (http://bankstowntafehsc.swsi.wikispaces.net/), which has information pertaining to all aspects of the HSC at the college (class notes, timetables, exam information, Board of Studies matters, etc.). Please check the notice board on the website each week, in case something important comes up. There is also a physical notice board on the 1st floor of E Block, however it contains very little useful information.
2.3 You need permission from the HSC coordinator before you can change any of your subjects. You can ONLY do this if there are extenuating circumstances and if there is room in the class you wish to join. YOU CANNOT CHANGE SUBJECTS AFTER 17th FEBRUARY 2012 (i.e. the end of teaching week 2).
2.4 You must complete a Board of Studies HSC Entry Form and give it to the HSC Coordinator if you study all or most of your subjects at Bankstown TAFE. There is a meeting on Monday 27th February at 12:00 pm in J4.4 to fill in these forms. Once your details have been entered with the Board of Studies, you will be issued with a Confirmation of Entry Form, which you must check carefully and sign. You will then be required to come to J1.05 to give the completed for to Ken or Marta. If there are any mistakes, they will be corrected immediately.
2.5 You must complete a short module covering the issue of plagiarism (entitled All My Own Work). This must be done by the end of March. You can do this course yourself online (via the HSC website) or in the Individual Learning Centre, with the help of a teacher. Students who have already done it at school will not have to do it again. NOTE: You will not be enrolled with the Board of Studies to sit the HSC until you have completed this module.
2.6 Special provisions may be available for HSC assessments and exams if you have a disability, injury or illness (see the Rules and Procedures booklet). Contact the HSC coordinator for details as soon as possible.
2.7 There will be trial examinations in week 6 and 7 of Term 3 (beginning Friday August 24th), so keep those weeks free. Trial exams cannot be rescheduled, just to suit your particular needs. You do not have classes during the trial exams but you must return to normal classes after the exams finish.
2.8 The HSC examinations will start in mid October and finish in mid November. If you are employed, please ensure that you take study leave or holidays during these exams. If you cannot sit your exam, you will be given zero for that subject.
2.9 Your TAFE photo ID Card is used as your identification, and must be with you at all times. Please bring it to both the trial and HSC exams for identification. If you lose your card, inquire at G Block for a replacement. Do not give the college security officers any backchat if they ask you to produce your card. Just show it politely, otherwise you will have to answer to the college principal.
3. Attendance
3.1 Under the rules of the Board of Studies, each individual school or college may set standards with regard to attendance. In the case of this college, the attendance requirement is 80 percent of all classes. If you attend less than the minimum number of classes for a subject, you may be reported to the Board of Studies as not having satisfactorily completed that subject, and you may not be awarded an HSC. You will be sent warning letters if you are in danger of breaching this requirement.
3.2 If you have documentary evidence (e.g. a medical certificate) explaining an absence from class, you must present this to the HSC coordinator (Ken) or the HSC clerical assistant (Marta). They will then send notification to each of your teachers and will mark you appropriately on the roll.
3.3 If you will be absent from class for a long period of time for a valid reason (e.g. in hospital) please notify the HSC coordinator and your teachers – in advance, if possible. You can find the email addresses and office phone numbers of all your teachers on the HSC website.
3.4 If you display disruptive behaviour in class, you will be excluded for the remainder of the lesson and marked absent. You will also be required to explain your behaviour to the HSC coordinator. Any repeat of that behaviour and you may be suspended from the course or even expelled from TAFE. Remember, in TAFE any teacher has the power to suspend you from class for a single lesson.
3.5 If you have not attended class for two consecutive weeks, you will not be permitted to return unless you provide a satisfactory reason to the HSC coordinator. This rule applies to each of your subjects. If you know you are going to be away, please let your teachers and the coordinator know.
3.6 If you are late for class, you may be locked out, in which case you must wait until the mid-lesson break to enter. The mid-lesson break is at the teacher’s discretion and is usually 10 minutes. If you are late back from the mid-lesson break, you may not be readmitted to class. Please note that you will marked absent for these times.
4. Assessment
4.1 You will receive an assessment schedule from each of your class teachers. This will show you the type of task, the week it is due and its relative weighting. You must sign in the class roll to acknowledge that you received this schedule. It will be placed on the HSC website for each subject, and can be downloaded.
4.2 You will be assessed in both Preliminary and HSC courses in an integrated way, up until the beginning of the HSC exams (mid October). For some subjects, the Preliminary course may finish in first term.
4.3 Your teacher will give you at least two weeks’ notice of the exact date of an assessment task.
4.4 Following each assessment task, you will be given your mark and the range of marks in the class/course. You can dispute your mark only at the time the task is returned.
4.5 Your teacher will notify you if you have missed an assessment task or if he/she believes that you have not made a serious attempt at it.
4.6 If you have missed an assessment task, you must show the teacher documented evidence explaining your absence on the day of return to the class. You must be prepared to complete a substitute task on that day or another day as set out by the teacher. If you have no satisfactory evidence for the absence, you will be given a mark of zero for this task.
4.7 You may be given an extension of time for submission of an assessment task if your teacher and head teacher agree. You must fill out the official extension request form and have it signed by both teachers. If no such permission is gained, a 5 percent per weekday penalty will be deducted for late submission of tasks. e.g. a mark of 83 percent reduces to 53 percent if it is 6 weekdays late.
4.8 If you do not attempt more than 50 percent of assessment marks in any subject, no assessment will be submitted to the Board of Studies for that subject. You will not be awarded the HSC in that subject. Warning letters will be sent if you are in danger of breaching this requirement. N awards are rarely given at Bankstown TAFE. Non-performing students are simply withdraw from their subjects and denied an HSC.
4.9 Individual assessment tasks must be your own work and not influenced by others. If your teacher proves that you are involved in any misconduct during an assessment task, you will score zero for that task.
4.10 Your final assessment mark will be given to the Board of Studies. You will not be told this mark, as the Board will moderate it.
4.11 See the Rules and Procedures booklet for details on examination attendance.
5. General Information
5.1 The Board of Studies website www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au has very useful information, including the syllabus for each subject, past papers, examiners' comments and study resources.
5.2 The Counselling and Careers Service located in E Block, Ground Floor Room 1, can help you to choose subjects that meet requirements for the Board of Studies, UAC, TAFE and employment. It is open both day and evening, and can help with family, financial, study and other problems. This is a free and confidential service. Phone 9780 5554 for appointments.
5.3 The Student Association on the ground floor of C Block provides a large range of activities and sports programs. Membership entitles you to many discounts on and off campus (such as cheap movie tickets). Only members of the Student Association may use the car park, but must still pay for the privilege.
5.4 The College has uniformed security officers who can help with problems such as lost property or personal security. Security can be contacted in G Block or on 9780 5622.
5.5 You can book lockers on the 4th and 5th floor of E Block through the laboratory staff in room E5.09. You will need your own small padlock and key. Please inform the laboratory staff when you have finished using a locker. All lockers are cleaned out at the end of the year.
5.6 Special rules apply when using laboratories and computer rooms, even if using them as ordinary classrooms. Please take notice of their rules and do not eat or drink in these rooms. The science teacher will point out special safety rules when using laboratories for science lessons.
6. Student Rights
As a student at this college, you are entitled to:
· be treated fairly and with respect by TAFE staff and students.
· learn in an environment free of discrimination and harassment.
· pursue your educational goals in a supportive and stimulating adult environment.
· have access to counselling.
· privacy concerning records or documents containing personal information. If you are under 18, it is a Board of Studies requirement that any warning letters about missed attendance or assessments must be sent to your parent/guardian.
· have ready access to assessment procedures and progressive results.
7. Student Responsibilities
As a student at this college, you agree to:
· treat other students and all staff with respect and fairness e.g. not disrupt classes.
· use good manners when dealing with other people.
· not interrupt or judge other students in their studies.
· come to class prepared e.g. with pens, paper, textbooks, etc.
· not plagiarise (copy the work of others), collude or cheat in assessment events or examinations.
· be punctual and regular in attendance. You will be locked out of class if you arrive more than ten minutes late. This applies to breaks too.
· submit assessment events by the due date or seek approval for extension.
· do at least 80 percent of the homework tasks set by your teachers.
· take responsibility to catch up on missed work after an absence
· return or renew library books on time.
· observe usual safety practices e.g. use approved clothing or equipment
· follow the instructions given by teachers.
· not attend class under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
· not swear.
· not smoke in non-smoking areas.
· not eat or drink in class unless otherwise notified.
· make a serious attempt at studies (please refer to HSC Information Sheet).
· look after TAFE property (including lifts).
· turn off mobile phones in the classroom.
So, good luck with your studies this year. If you have any problems, please contact me.
Ken Enderby
Head Teacher, HSC Program
Office: J1.05
Telephone: 9780 5588
Email:
HSC Wiki: http://bankstowntafehsc.swsi.wikispaces.net/
Version 1 – Student Information Sheet 21/10/2012 4 of 4