17 September 2020

Newsletter Articles

Executive Principal’s Report

Dear Parents / Caregivers

As term 3 draws to a close, I know our students are well and truly ready for their spring vacation. Time to enjoy the beautiful Queensland weather and recharge. Our year 11 and 12 students have been working hard with their block exams and preparations for ATAR.

This Friday we are taking the time to enjoy some outdoor activities and soak up the carnival atmosphere as a reward for the hard yards our students have endured throughout 2020. Our students are very excited for Corinda Carnivale this week to celebrate the end of term. I congratulate our student leaders for taking this initiative and organising this special event.

Our Year 10 students have been off site this week undertaking their Certificate II in Active Volunteering. We always receive very positive feedback from our partner organisations about our students and the way they engage in this program. For many students they find this very rewarding and a chance to develop more social responsibility. It has been a busy time for them as they have finalised their SET plans for senior studies as well as completing this program.

Year 11 Leadership Day

While most students enjoyed the student free day the other week, our year 11 leadership applicants came to school and participated in an experiential leadership challenge – to create a vaccine for Corinda Culture. This was led by Michael Jeh who challenged their thinking about bystander behaviour, leadership and teamwork. It was a very productive day and we definitely saw a lot of potential talent amidst the group. We are looking forward to actioning their ideas and aspirations for 2021 and I am confident that the new leadership for next year will make a very positive contribution to our school culture.

Time for some rest and relaxation in preparation for a very busy term 4. I do hope you all have an enjoyable and relaxing vacation. Stay safe.

Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal

Social Media Concerns

I know I could easily say “I told you so”, but recent events in social media have raised significant concerns for me as an educator and parent. No doubt you have already been made aware of the distressing and disturbing reality suicide video being shared online. This video is being shared as a stand-alone video and it has also been reported that it is embedded into other videos, some of these targeted specifically to children.

We are well aware that our students have knowledge of this. We encourage parents to continue monitoring this at home over the break and maintain open communication with students regarding this content. I encourage you to report any concerns immediately.

Brett Lee from Internet Safe Education has provided us with some very helpful information that I encourage you to read:

Year 7 2021 Information Videos

This year has revolutionised the way we operate and our entire approach to dispersing information to our community. Generally, term 3 is when we would host our Parent Information Evening for future year 7 families beginning at Corinda State High School in 2021. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions we had to rethink our approach to this.

We are happy to release numerous information videos to welcome our future students and parents to our school and provide the necessary information you will need to begin your journey at Corinda. Please see the link below to our YouTube page where you will find many information videos including a welcome from the Principal, a message from the Student Leaders for 2021, Enrolments information and individual subject videos to give you an idea of what each faculty has to offer.

Coming Events

Some of our best

Independent Education Union - Literacy Competition

The Independent Education Union of Australia – Queensland and Northern Territory Branch (IEUA – QNT) and the English Teachers Association of Queensland (ETAQ) 2020 Literary Competition has been running in Queensland throughout Term 3. The competition invites students and teachers from across Queensland and the Northern Territory to share their literary prowess by submitting either poetry, short stories or non-fiction prose.

Year 9 English/Humanities Excellence student Olivia Hollis was awarded third place in the Short Story category and was rewarded with a certificate and a novel. Competing against hundreds of other entries, Olivia’s achievement is a testament to her hard work. In lieu of an awards ceremony this year, schools were sent the prize to present to the students on behalf of the competition. Olivia was presented her certificate and book by Ms Jamieson.

Rowing Association Regatta

Two of our students, Cameron Dugdell (year 8) and Charlie McBride (year 9) have been training long and hard, often very early in the morning, to compete in the Gold Coast All Schools Rowing Association Regattas. Recently, the boys competed at Wyaralong Dam in Beaudesert and recorded some impressive results.

Charlie came 3rd in Year 9 boys single sculls, and Cameron came a very close 4th in Year 8 single sculls. The boys both came another close 4th in Year 9 double sculls. Both students also competed in composite races, with Cameron coming 1st in year 8 double sculls, and both boys in the year 9 quad that came 2nd with Ambrose Tracy College. We are very proud and happy to see Cameron and Charlie’s dedication paying off with outstanding results!

School News

Dance Night 2020

Last Thursday the Dance Excellence students and Dance Troupes performed for a modified Dance Night due to COVID-19 restrictions. Year 7-10 Dance Excellence performed their teacher devised Lyrical and Jazz dances with Troupe performing their contemporary, jazz, musical theatre, crew and tap dances. Year 10 Core Dance also performed a Hip Hop dance choreographed by past student Abbey Mackie.

The performance was recorded and edited into a show reel for all students to receive as a memento. We would like to thank the ongoing commitment of all our dance classes and troupes during this difficult time and congratulate them on a wonderful year. Mrs Boddice, Ms Hansford, Miss Nothling, and Mr Papinniemi are incredibly proud with how the dancers have coped with the events in 2020 and we look forward to coming back as strong as ever in 2021.

Queensland Virtual Stem Academy (QVSA) Round 3

This semester we have six students completing the online QVSA Grand Challenge with both Central Queensland University and QLD Academies. All six of our participating students are currently enrolled in the Maths / Science Honours Program of Excellence and have an interest in extending their knowledge. The program is offered to families from different grade levels each term and students participate online for 1 – 1.5 hours for ten weeks to complete their course.

Ava and Umaiza completed the Mission to Mars Challenge earlier this year and are excited to be involved again this semester. Additionally, we have Reuben and Aiden from Year 9 completing the Mission to Mars Grand Challenge. Finally, we have Sharvvash and Eshan from Year 8 completing the Efficient Physics course. In this program they will be focusing on the areas of energy transfer, transformations and measurement of energy efficiency. Each week they will be analysing physical concepts of energy through scientific inquiry and experimentation, linking each concept back to its mathematical origin, and use this knowledge to determine the efficiency of each energy source. It is a hands on program and both boys are enjoying the course.

Netball

Our Corinda Netball Program has been scoring goals this term with three teams making it all the way through to the Metropolitan Grand Finals! Our Year 8 team played a well drilled opposition in St Peter Claver and, though they played well and worked hard, they did not walk away with the win this time. Coach Judith Eddy said the girls can take away a great learning experience and awarded player of the match to Leone.

Our Open team played an exciting game but also could not secure the win in end, going down to St Peter Claver by just five goals. Coach Jess Lukritz was impressed with the Open girls’ performance and awarded Most Valuable Player to Emma for her hunger and drive throughout the game.

The Year 10 team played a competitive game against Cavendish Road State High School in their metropolitan final. Coach Faith Wild said the girls put in 100% effort but eventually conceded the win 34-44. It was champion effort to make the final and thrilling to have such quality netball players in our Corinda Students! We also received a glowing email from the Principal of Cavendish Road State High School congratulating the Year 10 team on their conduct and sportsmanship. He wrote “they were gracious, courteous and happy young people. A credit to their school.” We are so proud of the team’s sporting achievements but also delighted to have such wonderful students representing our school.

Football

Our Year 10 Girls Football team were crowned Metropolitan Champions last week after winning the Metropolitan Grand Final! It was an exciting match with two goals apiece forcing the game into extra time. This involved a “10 minute Golden Goal” situation, which meant that the first goal scored in that time would win the match. Jorja Guilk brought it home for Corinda, scoring the winning goal in the 6th minute of extra time and securing the championship for Corinda! The other two goals in the match were scored by Ellieah and Layla.

The team is mostly made up of Football Excellence students who have been training hard all year, working towards this goal. Due to injuries, the players had to be flexible, playing in different positions to ensure we could put forward our best team on the day.

A huge congratulations to this team for their determination and effort throughout the year. We are so proud to call our Year 10 Girls Football team Metropolitan Champions!

UQ St Lucia – Year 10 Experience Day

In Week 9, sixty year 10 students attended a University of Queensland Experience Day. Students started the day learning about study options followed by a tour of the stunning St Lucia campus. They then participated in Engineering and Humanities Degree Tasters which had them solving real world problems.

Throughout the day students were able to discuss university life with their Student Ambassadors. Before heading back to school, each group competed in a showdown quiz to recap what they had learnt. Student, Jean-Paul said, “I enjoyed learning about the many types of Engineering as this is a pathway I am interested in.”

Reflecting on Learning

As the term draws to a close it is an excellent time for students to reflect on the term and to consider what did and what did not work well for them. It is often difficult for students to identify how they could improve so below is a list of a few simple ideas that can support student growth at school and facilitate positive conversation at home to set achievable goals for Term 4.

As parents and guardians, simply opening the conversation at home and asking the right questions can help students to be on a productive educational journey. You may ask, is your student:

• Spending time reviewing the work they have previously completed? As they progress through the years, their examinations will cover more work. It is a wonderful habit to reflect and review on notes taken in class.
• Completing homework to the best of their ability? Homework is an opportunity to see how much comprehension is taking place from the days learning. If a student is rushing their homework or not taking the time to complete it, you may see a decline in academic results or effort.
• Seeking assistance from their teacher? It is important that students seek support (at an appropriate time) to ensure they are fulling grasping concepts and responding to timely feedback. If they are unsure of set work, they should approach their teachers in a timely manner. Keep in mind, emailing the teacher outside of work hours may not always elicit an immediate response and staff may not respond until after 8am the next working day.
• Applying the feedback provided to them by the teacher? Teachers often write and give verbal feedback around tasks issued in class. It is important that students regularly reflect on this feedback and break it down into manageable steps they can implement.
• Accessing additional help available? Corinda students can access free after school tutoring in Q block each week from 3pm – 4pm. An updated timetable is regularly published in the school newsletter.
• Keeping track of assessments and homework in their planner? Organisation goes a long way! Students are asked each lesson to write their homework and assessment in their student planner. Additionally, students can access a semester assessment planner from their OneSchool account, which lists all subject assessment for the whole of semester 2.

Community News

Dreamers School Holiday Masterclass

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