The 2019 graduates have already commenced their Year 12 courses and they have certainly hit the ground running. It is commendable the way the students take to their new courses after such a condensed Year 11.

In ATAR Religion & Life, students are busily preparing for their first assessment by looking at social factors, which influence the way people interact with religion and some of the differing ways religion is viewed in society. The benefits of having one assessment already completed by the end of this year will be felt next year. It also helps that they find the topics in Year 12 Religion & Life both stimulating and relevant. An activity such as the one pictured is also an opportunity to put the laptops away for a while and draw on their prior knowledge of the world in which they live, to facilitate discussion. I am really proud of the way they have commenced their final year of study at Santa Maria.

How do you feel about beginning your new ATAR courses?

The start of our new ATAR courses can be a daunting time as the realisation comes that we have entered our final year of schooling and important decisions about university and work after Year 12 are beginning to be made. Despite all the nerves, it is also a very exciting time as we are the leaders of the school and have many more opportunities both within the school and in our individual endeavours outside of school. Even though we have just started Year 12, the coursework feels like a natural continuation from Year 11 in which we continue to develop our skills and the work feels like it relates much more to real-life situations. Madeleine Haines and Jennifer Lin

 What do you like about the Religion and Life ATAR course?

Religion and Life ATAR provides us with the opportunity to be informed about world religions. It has been especially interesting to increase our understanding of the context of the society we grow up in, and to adopt an educated perspective on our pluralist, multi-faith country. The syllabus points of the course can be applied to any religion which is a fascinating expansion from previous years of Religious Education and allows us to extend our learning outside of our own Catholic faith and worldview. Gabby Hardwick and Sam King