End of year assessments are just around the corner - and though some students may have already started or even finished their assessment period, it’s never too late to pick up a few tips. Here’s five of them.
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Make a study schedule. Many students already do this - but if you don’t, this is for you! Make a study schedule in advance to ensure that you’re giving all the subjects an equal and sufficient amount of attention they need. It’s best to study at least an hour per night beginning a week before exam week depending on the number of subjects you have - it is hard to study for three assessments in one night, after all!

Study at least a week beforehand.  If you’re reading this the night before an assessment, sorry - this tip isn’t going to help very much. Studying a week beforehand helps you review the notes once so that by the time the night before rolls around, you’ve got a better idea of the subject and studying becomes a breeze.
Make your own notes.  ​Retyping or rewriting all your notes in a way that suits you not only helps you to review all your notes at once but improves your understanding, helping you to figure out where your “weak points” are in the topic. Whether it be flashcards, your own version of notes, or recording an audiotape to listen to over and over - it’s up to you and whatever your learning style is. These are best done at least a week or so from assessments though!     “Every man for himself” doesn’t have to be the case for exam preparation if you don’t want it to be! Maybe you missed one sentence or two in class and didn’t realise, or you have massive amounts of notes to write out and not enough time to balance it out. Split up the work with a friend! It’ll save you some stress and work and get the same result as doing it alone.
​Ask your teacher or Google old papers on the subject to do.  ​                                                                                          Studying or redoing old tests help you review and makes sure that you know your stuff - and it helps you prepare for the same style of questions. Don’t be afraid to ask: after all, your teachers only want you to do the best you can!
Don’t stress/overthink too much.
This is said a lot - but it’s true. Okay, so maybe this assessment might shape the course of your life forever, but overthinking it isn’t going to help and will most likely stress you out even more. Put that energy to sleeping or go study some more instead - do not stress too much. Stressing or overthinking won’t shape the course of your life, or improve your grade - but it will affect your mindset going into an assessment and certainly won’t help improve your mental health. Make breaks in-between study sessions and be sure leave enough time to study so that you don’t have to study through meals or at lunches at school.                                                                                                                                 Good luck! Agnes Shu

 A little background:
From an early age, I developed a strong passion for the ocean. This began with my Dad always telling me his stories about the myriad of colorful wonders that hid beneath the ever-changing realm of blue: about the mesmerizing surroundings and the unimaginable diversity of creatures; The more of these stories I heard, the deeper I fell in love with the sea.

My message to you:
We must not continue to pretend that we do not know, to persuade ourselves that it is fine to just let the problem continue to worsen. We live in a world where Mother Nature is a shadow of her former self. The environment, especially the ocean, is deteriorating day by day; Marine life is on the brink of extinction - All because we have done little to stand up and protect the safety of the ecosystems. It is unjust. Mother Nature provides to us, she gives us food and water, but all the while we continue to carelessly toxify her with pollution, emptying waste into her mouth.

Every year, humans heedlessly ravage marine ecosystems, shattering the beauty, and tearing apart the peaceful lives of marine animals. In fact, Data shows that each year, humans carelessly throw over 8 million tonnes of plastic waste in the ocean, leaving devastating effects on the marine environment and threatening the lives of every creature. For instance, baby sea turtles suffocate on eating the plastics, not knowing what they are. Seahorses fall ill and die under acidified water conditions. Fish and corals slowly suffer and die from toxic material decaying. If we do not stop this now, the whole seabed will soon become a lifeless underwater desert. The consequences will haunt all of humanity.

A few people have asked: Why do we need to protect the oceans? How does it affect us?
The answer to this, is very clear. We need to protect our oceans because if they die, so do we. Oceans are the lifeblood of every living thing on Earth. The water-bodies take up 71% of our planet and contains 97% of all the water on the planet. Wherever you are in the world, the oceans are always affecting you and ensuring your survival. For instance, did you know that the oceans absorb more than a third of all Human Carbon emissions? And that over 50% of the world’s oxygen is produced by underwater plants? The oceans are an important producer of the basic element that we depend on to survive. Furthermore, oceans regulate the weather that we experience, reducing drastic climate change as much as possible, and they also form clouds that rain the fresh water that we drink. By polluting the oceans, we are pretty much poisoning the water we consume. In addition, the oceans are responsible for a lot of the food that we eat, and a lot of medicinal cures for cancer and other diseases. (So next time you see Sushi on the table, please do not waste any of it!) And not only us, 36% of the world’s fish catches each year go into feeding farmed fish, chickens and pigs too, which are also our food sources. As you can see, our safety and survival depends on the healthiness of the ocean. By ensuring its future, we are ensuring our own future, the future of the entire human race; hence we must learn to love our oceans and to care them, not exploit them.

​As an avid scuba-diver, I have seen many wonders that our oceans have to offer, and I have learnt to appreciate them for what they are truly worth. This is why I have published Aqua Utopia, my very own underwater album, dedicated to raising awareness for the protection of marine life. I hope that I can turn my underwater hobby into something contributive to society: I wish to spread awareness through my photography, to awaken the concept of marine conservation in people’s minds, and hopefully inspire change in people’s views towards the ocean. Another contribution I have dedicated myself to, is a marine conservation team, which aims to help raise awareness through our organized events. Activities we do include coastal cleanups and also coastal excursions to educate people about the oceans.

​The main message to take away from this, is that, “It is the worst of times but it is the best of times because we still have a chance”. We need to protect our oceans. We cannot stand aside as spectators of Mother Nature’s deterioration: Oceans are an important part of our lives, our survival depends on how we act now. So, next time you decide to throw rubbish into the ocean, think about the consequences of doing so. Please try to raise awareness, talk to your parents, your families and friends, anybody. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that through this small piece I will have inspired you to become more environmentally friendly person.
Remember, every small effort counts. Little by little, a little becomes a lot. Together we can make a big difference.
If  you are interested and want to know more about the project, please contact lucalit888@gmail.com"

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When students approach learning and school, I have noticed that many aren’t sure what characteristics in their personality they should be working on to improve their learning. To try and solve this problem, I have interviewed several teachers on this topic to find some things that all students should strive to achieve.

The most popular one mentioned was perseverance and determination. Almost all teachers have mentioned this in their reply. They have said that they deeply encourage students to keep trying even if they fail and realise that failure is just as valuable as success. They found it very pleasing when a student is willing to work hard on something they haven’t quite grasped in class.
A close second was a passion or interest in learning. Many teachers have said that they found teaching very rewarding when a student does research outside of class and tells them about it. Contrary to a popular belief, teachers truly enjoy conversations after class when a student wants to discuss a topic in more depth.

​Most of all the other characteristics teachers have mentioned are part of the FIS Personal Profile. It is a list of traits that all students at FIS should be working on - and all the first letters of the traits make the abbreviation I PROMISE. A more detailed description of it can be found on the first page of the Student Planner.

I - Inquirers
P - Principled
R - Risk-takers
O - Open-minded
M - Mindful
I - Innovative
S - Smart
E - Empathetic
 
It is not expected that students come in Year 7 with these traits fully developed. Teachers have told me that they are glad to help students develop these over the years so that when they leave FIS, they leave as well-rounded students.
Other things teachers mentioned were responsibility, concentration, creativity and toleration.

​Out of all the answers I received, which were quite straightforward, I had one odd answer which I found very interesting. This teacher, Ms. Hazari, said she didn’t really ‘look’ for qualities in a student.
“The singular thing that has kept me from getting jaded in my teaching career is that students are different by virtue of their different qualities which give them unique personalities” she says.
Although there are some qualities she expects when students come into secondary, she celebrates the fact that students have different strengths and weaknesses. According to her, even one new student can change the whole group’s dynamic different.
 
Thank you to all the teachers who have replied and contributed to this post!
 
Audrey Corno

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