16 October 2019
Newsletter Articles
Executive Principal’s Report
Dear Parents and Friends,
Welcome to term 4 and I do hope you all had a very enjoyable and relaxing spring break. As you know term 4 is always very busy, but significant for our school community as we have a number of very special celebrations in the coming weeks.
Our Annual Speech Night “We Are the Champions” is the first of these events. This will be held on Wednesday 23 October at Riverlife. I hope you can join us for the celebration to acknowledge some very special student achievements as well as enjoy the many and varied talents of our students. It will be a very enjoyable evening for all.
Our year 12 students are no doubt on the countdown until graduation and for those final pieces of assessment. The graduation ceremony and graduation ball will be a very special time for our year 12 families. Hard to believe our first cohort of Prep students are graduating high school.
YONDR Implementation
The introduction of YONDR has been very smooth with our students and I have to congratulate them on the way in which they embraced the introductory lessons with the YONDR staff. These lessons were very informative and assisted the students in understanding why this strategy is important for their health and wellbeing. We are doing this because we care about our young people and the impact social media and screen time is constantly having on them – 24/7.
There has been a lot of reports in the media regarding teenagers, schools and screen time and it is reassuring to know that our strategy is addressing the issues that we as a society are facing.
We are the first school in Queensland to introduce YONDR and I am sure many other schools will soon be following our lead.
It was quite interesting to watch the students in the afternoon as they unlocked their pouches after the first day without their phones. There were no conversations taking place between each other as they were all intensely checking their phones.
Year 11 and the New QCE
Our year 11 students are currently undertaking their Unit 2 block exams. This marks the end of the first two units of their QCE. Following these exams students will begin the serious work of units 3 and 4 which follow a very rigid assessment schedule that is endorsed by the QCAA and leads to the final external exams. Each subject is different and the way the final exam at the end of year 12 is assessed also varies. Students are encouraged to become familiar with the course requirements and what is being assessed at the end of unit 4.
We know our students are very accustomed to test taking and are confident that they can approach the external assessment with the skills to manage this. The key for units 3 and 4 is in being able to recall the information, reinforce their knowledge and ensure they have good systems for storing their information – eg note taking and storing these notes so that they can access them at a later date. Students are encouraged to ask questions and ensure they fully understand concepts so that they are able to revisit with confidence at a later date. Our staff will reinforce this along the way and assist students with this. If parents or students have any concerns or questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact the school as we are only too happy to assist and put your mind at ease with this very new and different system.
We know our students are very accustomed to test taking and are confident that they can approach the external assessment with the skills to manage this. The key for units 3 and 4 is in being able to recall the information, reinforce their knowledge and ensure they have good systems for storing their information – eg note taking and storing these notes so that they can access them at a later date. Students are encouraged to ask questions and ensure they fully understand concepts so that they are able to revisit with confidence at a later date. Our staff will reinforce this along the way and assist students with this.
If parents or students have any concerns or questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact the school as we are only too happy to assist and put your mind at ease with this very new and different system.
Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal
Coming Events
|
Date |
Event |
|
Mon 21 October |
Student Free Day |
|
Wed 23 October |
Speech Night |
|
Wed 30 October |
Golden Opportunity Day – Football, Tennis & Visual Art |
|
Fri-Fri 1-8 November |
Year 12 Exam Block |
|
Wed 6 November |
Year 11 “Antigone” Drama performance |
|
Fri 8 November |
Visual art Excellence showcase |
|
Mon 11 November |
Remembrance Day |
Some of our best…
Work Experience
Year 10 Student Jake Faulkner spent a fabulous week in the holidays doing work experience at QANTAS with the Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. Next year Jake will embark on a Cert II in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and ultimately become a LAME as part of his tailored Senior Schooling Program here at Corinda SHS.
Eva shines at Constitutional Convention
On Friday 11th October, Legal Studies students from schools across the region gathered at the Queensland Parliament House to investigate the topic “Is the Constitution in need of a preamble?”. They were given the opportunity to share their thoughts with other students, listen to a presentation delivered by a constitutional law expert and to participate in their own referendum to decide the issue. Also a part of the day’s proceedings was the chance for one representative from each school to share a two-minute speech outlining their opinion. Of these, the top three students were selected to represent Queensland at the National Constitutional Convention in Canberra in March 2020. Corinda’s representative, Eva, placed first and will be travelling to Canberra next year. This is the fourth year Corinda will be sending a representative, with Sophie Veprek attending the 2019 National Convention earlier this year.
Gifted & Talented
Last term we hosted a variety of keen primary school students for our Engineering Golden Opportunity Day. Students explored the concept of centre of gravity before testing their skills in a range of difficult challenges. The day culminated in students designing, creating, testing and manipulating their own moving object. Thank you to Mr Korger for your engineering expertise and handball skills at lunch time. Term 4 will see Digital Technologies, Football, Tennis and Visual Art Golden Opportunity Days on the schedule!
Languages
On Sunday 29th September 9 students from Corinda State High School (8 from Year 9 and 1 from Year 11) and two teachers (Jane Muil and Faith Wild) congregated at Brisbane International Airport, suitcases in tow, bade farewell to their families and embarked on their one week cultural and linguistic adventure in New Caledonia. Upon arrival in the capital, Noumea, the students took part in a number of activities like taking the Tchou Tchou train guided tour of the city, boasting breathtaking views and interesting historical information, before they were picked up by their homestay families. The families, New Caledonian French-speaking locals, provided them with boarding over the next week and dropped them off at the French classes they attended from Tuesday – Thursday, and then picked them back up again in the afternoon following the group activities. These activities included organising logistics and finances for local transport, shopping visits into the city centre, visits to the beach where the students swam and relaxed and played games, a visit to the Tjibauo Cultural Centre showcasing the traditions and history of the local Kanak culture, a day visit to the Phare Amedee (or lighthouse island) and a visit to the local aquarium. Some of the students also took part in some karaoke at the restaurant of the hotel they stayed in at the end of the trip, proudly calling themselves Corinda! The trip was an outstanding success. The students learnt a lot about the local history, culture and various languages of the French Pacific, gained confidence in speaking French and in navigating their way around a new place with different systems and procedures and made some lifelong friends. At the end of the trip, there were a few bittersweet tears shed, an emotional response to a profoundly memorable experience.
The Arts
Oxley Road Music Festival
Corinda recently hosted the annual Oxley Road Music Festival. Oxley Rd Seniors day was first led by Amadeus Strings, Symphonic and Big Band, followed by Junior day supported by Chamber Strings and Wind Ensemble. Thank you to all our students from Oxley, Corinda, Sherwood, and Darra Primary schools.
Creative Generation
On the first day of the school holidays we were proud to announce that Naomi Arnold, one of our year 12 students was awarded the Generation Art Excellence Award for Queensland.
Hers is 1 of 33 works chosen from 391 works from state and private schools in Queensland that will be exhibited at GOMA in 2020. Her work was displayed alongside 3 other excellent artworks by Holly Hunter and Jen Lind (Arts Captains) and Bridget Cash, all of who were shortlisted as finalists.
Artist Statement: Compulsion
When attempting to complete a task I deem ‘imperfect’, my compulsion towards perfectionism causes frustration, inertia and shame. It’s a compulsion that, despite my awareness of it, overcomes and stifles my creative process. Referencing the Crown-of-Thorns’ destruction of vibrant coral reefs, I have represented perfectionism’s invasive and draining effect on my mind. The delicate coral forms demonstrate how susceptible the mind is to this destructive pattern of thinking. The shells below support this, demonstrating how perfectionism consumes the brain, making me inefficient and undermining my ability to confidently create works that are intuitive and spontaneous.
Community News
QLD Rail Train safety
The Smith Family – Saver plus program
The Smith family aims to help school families with associated costs of education.
South Graceville Hounds – Come & Try Day
Diving Australia
