Dear Iona families,

Welcome to Term 4! It has been a joy to see our students return to campus with renewed energy and enthusiasm. I am still trying to determine if this was a reflection of their excitement about Term 4, or the significant wins experienced by the Lions and both Broncos teams.

Either way, their presence brings life to our community, and we are grateful for the spirit they bring each day.

Seniors Start Strongly

Term 4 marks a significant milestone for our Year 11 students as they commence Unit 3. Each task is summative and contributes to their QCE and ATAR calculation. It is important they start strongly and make the most of every mark.

Persistence, engagement in class and effort will be rewarded. It is important to realise the significance of this term to maximise results.

TASS Update

The commencement of Unit 3 (Year 11 students) marks another milestone as we transition to TASS. All Unit 3 assessment will be created in the new platform and is the first step towards the College’s implementation of continuous assessment.

What does this mean?

• Year 11 students will be able to access their assessment via Student Café
• Students will submit their assignments via TASS: Activities to complete
• Teachers will provide feedback and final results
• Once published, parents and students will be able to see their results and accompanying feedback.

Parents and students will have real-time feedback on individual tasks. Please note that report cards will continue to be generated. However you will be able to access results in Parent Lounge and Student Café once they are marked and released by the classroom teacher.

Continuous assessment will be fully operational in TASS from the commencement of the 2026 academic year when all assessment will be visible in the platform.

External Exams & SWOTVAC

For our graduating class, the final weeks are upon us. It is a time of reflection, celebration, and preparation for the next chapter. We are proud of their journey and look forward to honouring their achievements in the coming weeks.

SWOTVAC (Week 3) is an important season for the Year 12 cohort. Use this time to review content, download past papers, practise under exam conditions in short bursts, challenge your peers to competitions and quizzes, cross-check notes with each other and use the time to prepare yourself for the exam season.

I recommend accessing ATOMI and completing past exam papers under exam conditions. This will provide students with excellent feedback on what they know and areas that may require further study and improvement.

Reimagining Engagement

During the September break, I began reading Reimagining Student Engagement – From Disrupting to Driving by Amy Berry. I have found it to be an interesting read and one that has been formative in developing my ability to communicate what we mean by engagement.

Amy defines six different levels of engagement on a continuum from ‘disruptive’ behaviours to ‘driving’ behaviours. Each descriptor is unpacked and defined in student-friendly language.

What I appreciated most was her ability to frame the level of engagement in a way that students will be able to understand. In doing so, they will be able to identify their current behaviours and level of engagement and see what they need to do to grow and develop as self-regulated learners.  

Her work takes engagement from an intangible, affective concept and reframes it objectively in a way that allows teachers to observe and provide tangible ways to improve.

AIC Athletics

AIC athletics will be hosted at QSAC today and tomorrow. This is a wonderful event that provides our track and field athletes with an opportunity to participate in competition and demonstrate their abilities.

I look forward to attending and seeing what our young men are capable of achieving.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in the education of your son. I look forward to a productive and rewarding Term 4.

Mr Adam McPhee
Deputy Principal