6 September 2019
Newsletter Articles
Executive Principal’s Report
Dear Parents and Friends,
This week was an important week in our school calendar as our Year 12 students sat for the QCS test. They are to be congratulated for the way in which they approached the testing and I am confident that they will make us all very proud. This is the end of an era with the final cohort to undertake the QCS test. Our very first Prep cohort have been the last cohort to undertake the QCS test. I am sure our year 12 students will now be starting their countdown to final assessment and their big moment – graduation. It will be upon us very soon.
This week we had our first year 7 Parent Evening as we prepare for our new cohort of year 7 students for 2020. It was great to see so many parents in attendance and to meet our new families. We look forward to seeing our new year 7 students at Orientation Day later in the year.
This week we held a special Leaders Luncheon with our senior student leaders. We were very fortunate to have past student and Entrepreneur Jamie Wilson join us and speak with our students. Jamie is an inspiration to our students and is a very loyal supporter of our school. It was great to have Jamie visit our school and share his stories with the students.
YONDR Implementation
We have received some very positive feedback from parents on our decision to implement YONDR. I have attached another article about YONDR for your information.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/aug/27/highschoolers-phones-yondr-distraction
Thank you to those parents who attended the information evening on Thursday. Dan Gillespie, our IT Manager, shared some interesting statistics and information, which has been uploaded to our Facebook page. I encourage you to take the time to view this.
https://www.facebook.com/CorindaSHS/
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s Social Media interactions please do not hesitate to contact us. We can assist with guiding you with strategies to put filters in place at home. In addition to this I would strongly urge all parents to access the resources on the eSafety Website.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/
Coming Events
|
Date |
Event |
|
Tue - Wed 3 - 4 September |
QCS Test |
|
Thu 5 September |
Yondr Parent Information Evening |
|
Sat 7 September |
Family Farm Day |
|
Wed 11 September |
Senior Music Night |
|
Mon 16 September |
Junior Spring Gala Day |
|
Tue 17 September |
Golden Opportunity Day – Engineering, Design & Technology |
|
Wed 18 September |
Dance Night |
|
Fri 20 September |
World Gratitude Day |
|
Fri 20 September |
Term 3 ends |
|
Tue 8 October |
Term 4 begins |
Some of our best…
Mooting Grand Final
Congratulations to Legal Studies students Ravena and Jemima who were runners-up in the Grand Final of the USQ High School Mooting Competition. Ravena was also awarded the prize for Best Advocate in the Grand Final, receiving the Best Wilson Buckley Family Law Advocate Prize of $2000. Both students also received scholarships to study law at USQ.
The USQ competition involved over 25 teams from across South-East Queensland who had to present oral arguments to a panel of judges in a simulated criminal appeal. To reach the Grand Final, the team went undefeated through the preliminary rounds and finals. The Grand Final was judged by Supreme Court Justice Peter Davis, District Court Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren and USQ School of Law and Justice Lecturer Liam Scott. Both Ravena and Jemima impressed with their ability to advocate and respond to intense questioning on the spot.
The students began preparing for the competition at the Corinda Open Day in March, and have worked diligently since under the direction of Humanities teachers Alex Griffin, Jack Gilroy and Amy Heymer. It is hoped that this competition will be excellent preparation for Ravena who hopes to study law in 2020, while Jemima, who is only in year 11, can use her experience in this year’s competition and build upon it next year.
Students who are take Legal Studies should speak with their teacher if they are interested in being involved in the Corinda High Mooting Team 2020.
Debating
We had a great night of debating at Moreton Bay Boys College on Friday night, with the 9s, 10 and 12s all winning their debates and Alessandra Beasley, Andrew Kennard and Susi Rea receiving Best Speaker awards. Congratulations to all of the debaters and their coaches: Simon O'Brien, Alex Griffin, Amy Heymer and Patrick Duggan.
Corinda Cares
Corinda Cares has recently completed two community projects, volunteering at Sherwood Neighbour Centre’s Seniors Day, and volunteering to work with the Rosies outreach program.
Corinda students and staff had the opportunity to be part of Sherwood Neighbourhood Centre’s Seniors Day. We catered for the event but it was about providing some help and connecting with many of our local residents. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and again it was an opportunity provided through our Corinda Cares initiative.
A few of our year 12 students and staff took the time to volunteer with Rosies on their Evening Outreach Program for the homeless and socially excluded. This is the third time this year that we have volunteered with Rosies and we are looking forward to going out again with them next term as part of our Corinda Cares initiatives which aims to give back to the community and create a culture of service within the school.
Annual Fashion show
Last Friday night the Year 11 Diploma of Business students ran the annual Fashion Show. This year the theme was New York New York.
Our students showcased pieces from several brands including Portmans, Rodd & Gunn plus some exclusive Corinda Designs!
It was a fantastic event for all involved. Thank you to everyone who supported the students.
Gifted and Talented
Opti-Minds
Congratulations to our Opti-Minds Language and Literature Team who received Honours in the recent Opti-Minds challenge at Somerville House. The team made up of 6 students spent 6 weeks of their own time preparing for the long term challenge based around the concept of “Works of Wisdom!” The team also had to face a short term spontaneous challenge on the challenge day and obviously wowed the judges! Well done to all team members. The team had no help from any teachers or their parents. They should be very proud of their efforts.
Stem Online (QVSA)
Week 7 saw the start of a new range of courses offered by the QVSA (Queensland Virtual STEM Academy) run through the Queensland Academy. A range of highly capable students in grade 7-9 have taken up the opportunity to engage in online courses including Mathematical Simulations, Bio-materials, Arduino Coding, Alternative Energies and Crest Awards. The students are able to sign in to a virtual classroom and engage with students, teachers and experts from across the state. Our year 9 students are continuing their research into Feeding the Future through aquaponics after presenting their early findings to UQ representatives at PACE. They are now looking at ways to expand their setup. They are definitely exceeding our expectations.
Golden opportunity days
Our recent Maths Golden Opportunity Days was a wonderful day for primary school students to experience our Maths Science Excellence Program. Not only did students have to solve maths riddles to break out of the escape room but they also had to design and create a catapult using engineering, geometry, rations, critical thinking and teamwork. Teams then explored the distance travelled, accuracy and power! Thank you Miss Engler and the year 7 Maths Science Excellence student helpers for such an awesome day.
The Agriculture Golden Opportunity day was a huge success also! Students spent the morning engaging with Virtual Reality and exploring mosquitos, amphibians and the process of critical thinking. The students were then posed a critical thinking problem to bring their new knowledge together. Thank you to our guest presenters and Mr Butcher who made the day so hands on for our primary students.
We still have a few Golden Opportunity Days left for the year. Football, Tennis, Visual Art and Digi-tech are all happening in term 4. If you would like to register your primary school student to attend one of these days please download the Skoolbag app, locate Corinda SHS and complete the Golden Opportunity Day interest E-form.
Sports
Tennis Excellence
Recently, some of our Tennis Excellence students participated in the Metropolitan Finals at Queensland Tennis Centre. All teams represented Corinda State High School very well with the following results achieved on the day:
- Grade 10 Boys beat Kelvin Grove
- Open boys runner up to Kelvin Grove
- Grade 10 girls beat Kelvin Grove
- Open girls runner up to Kelvin Grove
Congratulations to all of our students for their efforts and success, we can’t wait to see what you have in store for the future!
Netball Results
Year 9 and Open Girls Netball Teams travelled to Wavell SHS recently for round 2 of the Met Finals. The year 9 team played a great game though couldn’t get the result against a strong opponent.
The Open Girls dominated their game winning 42 - 27. This win means they progress to the semi-finals next week. Congratulations and good luck for the semi
Languages
Spanish Week
Spanish Week was held during Week 6, with students participating in cultural and creative activities such as decorating piñatas, creating Picasso-style self-portraits, and building Aztec temples in Lego. Congratulations to the enthusiastic group of students who learnt to dance Colombian Cumbia steps, earning house points in the process. The tuckshop served Spanish/Latin food throughout the week, while students on the Plated with Ben O’Donoghue team prepared paella for teachers’ lunches.
School News
Literacy and Numeracy Week
Students have spent the week on the oval and the library to celebrate Literacy and Numeracy week! Letters and Numbers, sentence hangman, numeracy nerf, spoons, twister and relay scissors paper rock were just some of the activities designed to test and challenge students with house points on offer.
Congratulations to all students who took part and to the winning house, Yarraman!
Moori took our second place and Pirri came in third.
Community News
Centenary Dolphins Swimming Club – Come and Try
The Centenary Dolphins Swimming Club at Jindalee Pool, are hosting some come and try nights coming up on 5th and 19th of September.
Souths Little Athletics Sign on
Souths Little Athletics season runs from September through to March each year. Friday night’s 6.30 pm start.
Little Athletics is a sport for children 5-16 years. It is based upon the sport of athletics (track & field). A wide range of running, jumping, throwing and walking events is conducted.
Venue: J F O'Grady Memorial Park - Brougham & Home Streets Fairfield.
Toowong State School Fete
Toowong Hands and Hearts Fair is this Saturday 7 September at Toowong state school from 11:00 am.