17 October 2025

Principal Address

What an exciting start back to the term! 

Year 11 Transition Week was the perfect backdrop for our return to school for Term 4.  In many ways, this juncture marks the start of their Senior year of high school for our Year 11 students. Future Agent Day saw a plethora of industry professionals join us to share their career history, insights and experience with our young people. The Year 11s asked insightful questions and probed our guests on hot topics like the potential impacts of artificial intelligence on the workforce, financial planning, job satisfaction and work-life balance.  I’d like to express my gratitude and thanks to the industry professionals who attended, our students appreciated your insights.

On the final day of Transition Week, we held our annual Student Leadership Investiture Ceremony, where we introduced our new student leaders for 2026.  For the cohort, this was also the moment where our Seniors took the Corinda Pledge and were inducted as the Senior cohort of our great school. It was a special moment for our students, as our 2026 School Captains took the stage to light the flame and lead their cohort in the pledge.

2026 is shaping up to be an exceptional year at Corinda. Our Leadership team is filled with young people who represent our values and understand the meaning of service in leadership. It is my absolute privilege to introduce to you our 2026 Student Leadership Team.

• School Captains: Genevieve McNie and Lexi Winks
• School Vice-Captains: Charleigh Gill and Angel Sadik
• Cultural Captains: Sana Azeez and Michaela Padilha
• Sports Captains: Caitlan Bourke and Cooper Guse
• Arts Captains: Elanee Mai and Theodore Watson
• Bunar House Captain: Parishi Malhotra
• Dibbil House Captain: Deon Lagueras
• Kabul House Captain: Sune Guse
• Moori House Captain: Ceana Marshall
• Pirri House Captain: Hamish Fisher
• Yarraman House Captain: Harry Brak-Mayers

Earlier this week I received our 2025 School Opinion Survey results. I wanted to thank students, parents and staff for taking the time to complete the survey, as this provides incredibly valuable feedback for our team. We will look closely at the results and reach out to stakeholders to better understand their perspectives. I’ve shared some of the results that have seen the highest improvement this year for you below.

Student Survey (2024 vs 2025)

• I feel safe at my school – Increased 14.2%
• My teachers are interested in my wellbeing – Increased 13.2%
• I like being at my school – Increased 19.5%
• This is a good school – Increased 24.5%
• My school takes students opinions seriously – Increased 13.8%
• The school looks for ways to improve – Increased 14.8%

Parent Survey (2024 vs 2025)

• The school takes parents opinions seriously – Increased 8.5%
• My child is interested in their schoolwork – Increased 6.6%
• Behaviour is well managed – Increased 3.5%
• My child feels safe – Increased 2.1%

Staff Survey (2024 vs 2025)

• Staff morale is positive at this school – increased 18.1%
• Student behaviour is well managed – Increased 12%
• Students with disability are well supported – Increased 11.2%
• Staff wellbeing is a priority – Increased 11.3%
• The school takes staff opinions seriously – Increased 16.6%

I respect that School Opinion Surveys represent a point in time and change over the years. I’m encouraged by the current outcomes and look forward to working with parents, students and staff to build on these strengths in the year ahead.

Congratulations to our Boys SPL team who made the grand final against Palm Beach Currumbin. The boys played a gripping final, with the score tied until shortly after halftime, when Palm Beach scored the only goal of the game. I commend our football program on an exceptional year of competition, with some outstanding results. Whilst winning is great, I was proud of our SPL grand final team for their sportsmanship at the end of the final. After a few late chances, they were understandably disappointed at the result. Their congratulations of the winning side and acknowledgement of their own accomplishment making it to the final was outstanding to see. 

Earlier this week, our HPE team hosted the Corinda Sports Awards. This was an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our student athletes in 2025. In only the second year since we reestablished the Sports Awards, we were pleased to be joined by so many families for the evening. The awards were attended by many partner organisations, sponsors and supporters. On behalf of Corinda Sport, we thank everyone for their support of our athletes and teams.  

If you’ve visited for a recent event, you may have seen that there have been some upgrades completed to the screens and sound system in the Sports Centre. The upgrade provides us with the ability to reorientate the audience when holding events in the Sports Centre, allowing for increased capacity and much clearer visuals and sound. Due to the construction taking place in the Assembly Hall, we’ve had several opportunities to test the system following its installation in the holidays. In combination with the upgrades in the Assembly Hall, we’ll be better set up for a greater variety of community events into 2026.

Today is the last formal day of regular classes for our 2025 Seniors. We’ll start Monday with the Year 12 Breakfast, where our students will hear from Toni Caldwell, someone who has had an extraordinary career, as one of Australia’s most respected sporting officials. Renowned for her trailblazing officiating roles in the NBL and WNBL, Toni has also built an impressive 30-year career in Media and Marketing. This event is also our opportunity to share important information about the upcoming external exams and Senior events. Like so many in our community, I am proud of our 2025 Senior cohort, for not just what they’ve achieved, but for the grace and humility they have demonstrated. 

Regards,
Ross Bailey
Executive Principal

Key dates

Some of our best

Max advocates for parasport and inclusion

Year 12 student, Max has had an incredible week of advocacy and education, championing parasport and inclusive communication. He met with Deb Merchant from The Merchant Foundation to highlight UQ’s ParaSTART program and its health and wellbeing benefits. He also met with Andrew Hopper, Director-General of Sport and Recreation, Racing and Olympic & Paralympic Games, to discuss the need for more parasport facilities in Brisbane.  

Max was also invited to be a guest lecturer for Human Movement and Exercise Science students at UQ. His session, “How to Communicate with Non-Verbal People in a Clinical Environment,” combined text-to-speech technology, lived experience, and humour to teach inclusive communication strategies. Already invited to present across other UQ faculties, Max continues to make an inspiring impact.

Corinda students honoured with QUT awards

We are proud to celebrate several of our students who have been recognised with the QUT Students with Potential Award. These students were nominated by their teachers in recognition of their outstanding promise and achievements. They attended the official ceremony at the Queensland University of Technology, where each recipient was presented with a $100 gift voucher as part of the award. Well done to all on your dedication, effort, and excellence.

Corinda Drumline shines at Brisbane Festival

Our talented Drumline students recently made an impressive mark at this year's Brisbane Festival! Seven of our students joined 46 other young musicians from across Southeast Queensland to create a spectacular drumming performance as they marched across the Neville Bonner Bridge to South Bank.

The energy and skill of our students had the crowd cheering and captivated everyone passing by. It was an incredible opportunity for our Drumline to showcase their talent on a city-wide stage and be part of such a vibrant celebration of music and community. We are so proud of their dedication, teamwork, and the way they represented Corinda. 

Young creators tackle a one-day book challenge

Our Year 7 and 8 students took on an incredible challenge for Write a Book in a Day. Their tasks were to plan, write, illustrate, and publish a complete book in just one day.

Working in teams, students combined creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving to bring unique stories to life from start to finish. The event was not only a fun and rewarding experience, but also supported an important cause, with completed books donated to hospitals for children undergoing treatment. Congratulations to all our young writers and illustrators on their amazing effort.

Showcasing Corinda talent at the Australian Dance Festival

Our Senior Dance and Year 9 Dance Excellence students travelled to Sydney to participate in the Australian Dance Festival.  They took part in world-class workshops, met dancers from across Australia, and had the opportunity to audition for full-time dance schools. Students also enjoyed professional performances and explored some of Sydney’s most iconic sights.

Our Dance teachers, Ms Hansford and Ms Boddice attended professional development sessions, bringing back new ideas and inspiration to enrich our Dance faculty. 

School news

Last chance to secure your Dance Night tickets here: https://brushfire.com/riverlife/corinda/613271

Community news

Train like a champion – your chance to go behind-the-scenes at the QAS

Ever wondered how Queensland’s elite athletes train for success? Now you can experience it for yourself! The YouFor2032, Train like a Champion Competition, presented by the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) and RACQ, is giving five lucky Queenslanders an exclusive high-performance training experience at the QAS - plus a $500 sports equipment voucher.

How to enter: download the YouFor2032 app and complete the tests in the app. Additionally, you can click the link below. Entries close: 28 November 2025.