6 August 2020
Newsletter Articles
Executive Principal’s Report
Dear Parents and Friends
The developments of the past week with COVID-19 have no doubt heightened our efforts to ensure our school is adhering to social distancing and good hygiene practices. We continue to reinforce these practices with our students while remaining calm and focused on learning.
We have been contacted by several parents asking about students wearing face masks. The Chief Medical Officer has advised that at this point in time it is not necessary in Queensland. However, this is a decision that Parents are able to make if they believe wearing a face mask is in the best interests of their family’s health. The main concern I would have would be on crowded public transport where social distancing is difficult.
Any student who presents to sick bay unwell will be provided with a face mask as a precaution while waiting to be collected by a parent or guardian.
If your student wishes to wear a mask while at school we encourage you where possible to consider a light colour, preferably not black, but if that is all you can obtain we understand. It is important that these are washed daily for hygiene reasons.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Facilities Update
The A Block refurbishment is taking shape and we are looking forward to the completion of this project for term 4. The new Art Studios will be amazing creative spaces for our students to work in. As this block was one of the first teaching blocks in the school, it is great to be able to celebrate our 60th anniversary year with this refurbishment. A wonderful birthday gift to our school.
Semester 1 Reporting Data
We have analysed our semester 1 reporting data to assess the impact of COVID-19 on student results. Overall this is positive and, compared to this time last year, our data has improved. We do understand this may be different for individual students, however it is pleasing to see that the impact has not been too critical and our students are progressing with their learning.
This is a testament to the support they received at home from their parents and the amazing work of our teaching staff. Thank you for all you are doing at home to support your child’s learning.
Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal
Coming Events
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Date |
Event |
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Fri 14 August |
People’s Day public holiday |
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Wed 19 August |
Dance /Culinary Excellence Golden Opportunity Day |
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Wed 26 August |
Music Excellence Golden Opportunity Day |
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Fri 18 September |
Last Day of Term 3 |
Some of our best
Fulton Hogan Work Experience
During the recent school holidays two of our year 12 students, Tamima and Selu, undertook a week’s work experience with Fulton Hogan after experiencing their ‘Try a Skill Day’ and enjoying it greatly. Work experience at Fulton Hogan includes a five day week with five disciplines that explore different types of opportunities within a construction career. Their week covered Engineering, On-site Safety, Environmental, HR and Community areas. Tamima has expressed her gratitude for this experience and says that it has shaped her future career aspirations.
“When Corinda provided an excursion for girls to explore construction, I took the opportunity without a second thought. From then, my interest in construction peaked. I always wanted to be an engineer after watching my dad work in construction, however I didn’t know what type of engineering would be suitable for me.
Working with real civil engineers gave me an insight to how complex the engineering role is in real life and I thought that it may be something that I could pursue as a career. I really enjoyed my time at Fulton Hogan and the connections I made, which I believe will be beneficial to me in the future. I would recommend these work experience opportunities for anyone who is thinking about going into civil engineering to get an insight into construction.”
Success for the Corinda Tennis Team
Our Corinda Tennis Team have Exceeded all our Expectations last week at the QSS Teams Tennis event. All students played at an outstanding level with the Senior Boys remaining undefeated and winning the regional qualifier- progressing to the State Finals!
After being told that we could not defeat the more historically successful teams in the competition, Coach Kent Linyard and the students worked tirelessly at training preparing to play against some of the most successful tennis teams in Brisbane. The Corinda team beat Brisbane Boys College who has been the most successful tennis school in Australia for the last 20 years. They have won the last 7 consecutive GPS titles and many Australian School Boys titles. We also beat St Peters who were state champions last year and came third in Australia.
Kent has said this achievement is the biggest success of his coaching/teaching career. This win qualifies Corinda to compete in Rockhampton in the State Finals and our team will be favourites to win! Big thanks to Kent and congratulations to our Corinda tennis players, we hope to continue this success into future tournaments!
School News
Young Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow
Earlier this term, Year 5 and 6 students from our local Primary Schools participated in a Golden Opportunity Day to explore the concept of social entrepreneurship. Mirroring our Future Enterprise Studies curriculum in Year 9 and 10, students explored the question, ‘How can you use your entrepreneurial skills to make the world a better place?’
Whilst exploring issues that exist in our schools, homes, local communities and globally throughout our world, students were able to identify some of the root causes that they could address through a business concept.
Students came up with the incredible ideas of tailor-made face masks suitable for children to combat the spread of COVID-19; custom designed pot plants with all proceeds to support refugee families with the cost of school uniform; and DIY tie-dye kits that include an educational app aimed at addressing school-yard bullying and racism.
Some of our talented Year 10 students joined the workshop to support our young entrepreneurs in developing their final pitch. It was great to see our students working as mentors and sharing what they have discussed through their own social enterprise journey.
It seemed that our young entrepreneurs enjoyed the day as much as we did with some very exciting feedback:
“It was so much fun! We learned so much.”- Jacqueline
“My favourite part of the day was pitching my product after getting the whole idea ready.” – Alexandra
“I would do it again!” – Ruby
“I would recommend it to my friends because it was fun!”- Tyler
We can’t wait to see what these young entrepreneurs of tomorrow do next with their enterprise skills and how they will make the world a better place.
Setting the Tone for Learning
At Corinda, we aspire to have every student nurture his or her passions. We aim to assist all students in attaining their personal learning goals. Part of this journey is establishing clear foundations for learning both at school and at home.
From a school perspective, being ready for learning and setting the tone is crucial to having a successful lesson and a positive learning environment. At Corinda, we have classroom entry routines to assist in this process.
At the beginning of every lesson, all students are greeted outside the classroom by their teacher. We have students unpack their learning materials for the lesson, asking them to bring inside their laptop, notebook (if required), student planner and their Yondr pouch. Whilst outside the classroom any issues concerning missing equipment will be addressed and rectified where possible so that once inside the classroom all focus can be on learning. At the conclusion of each lesson, the classroom teacher will ask students to use their classroom planner to note any homework or additional equipment required for the next lesson.
It can be hard for students to always be prepared and it is through a joint effort between school and home that we can foster strong habits of organisation and preparedness for learning. A few strategies that may assist your child to be prepared include:
- Developing a routine of checking the student planner each day when they arrive home. Ask whether they have any homework written down for the day.
- Take note of how long they are spending on their homework. If you have concerns that the homework is taking too long, please provide the feedback to their teacher. Staff aim to set homework that is achievable, but as every student is different this may vary.
- If there is no formalised homework, encourage that they spend 10-15 minutes reviewing their notes and learning from the day. What was the learning intention? What new information did they learn?
- Encourage them to write in assessment dates and draft dates ahead of schedule.
- Sporadically ask your child to show you their planner. This allows them to see your engagement with their learning at home and allows you to see how they organise their learning. Provide some positive feedback around recording homework and assessment tasks.
- Promote the idea of packing their bag the night before. Have their laptop on charge (or already charged) near their bag and ensure the planner and all required equipment is back in the bag ready for the next day.
- If you have any concerns regarding homework completion, or missing equipment for the day, make a note in the planner for the classroom teacher. It is a simple communication tool that is easily accessed in the classroom.
Visit our LinkedIn
Connect with us on LinkedIn to discover exciting opportunities and news from our school.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/corinda-state-high-school/