Term 3 Week 10
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
The end of Term 3 break is an important opportunity for our students, staff and families to rest and refresh in readiness for the run home to the end of the school year. This term has seen a host of wonderful events, achievements and performances by our students, both individually and as a collective. I extend my thanks and gratitude to the many contributors in the KC community. We are indeed blessed to have so many people who contribute so fully to the benefit of our students.
Congratulations to Year 11 Visual Art student, Leah Duncan on her highly commended artwork in the Brisbane Portrait Prize. Congratulations also to the students who competed in the Tournament of Minds competition recently.
KC Sustainability Fair
The Kimberley College Fair was held last Friday with a theme this year of Sustainability drawn from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations:
Middle School classes have been working on this theme throughout the term as part of their curriculum and the fair presentation formed part of their assessment. The day also featured a showcase of the many different talents amongst our student body with performances scheduled throughout the day. We also had community stalls including a stall run by our dedicated Parents and Friends group. Events such as this are great for community building and do not happen without the dedicated efforts of a team of staff. I will take this opportunity to thank all involved and single out Margherite Rigden, our Middle School Coordinator for coordinating this event.
Glenn Johnson
Deputy Principal's Message
Whilst students, staff and families enjoyed the fun, food and connections that last week’s KC fair provided, it was the celebration of student learning across the school that took centre stage. From dancers and artists to presentations on animal rights and climate change, the richness of (and passion for) learning cannot be understated. This ‘experience’ of the fair captures the heart of the College.
Planning is currently underway for this year’s graduation evenings; these events afford recognition and celebration of student learning and achievements across the 2021 year. Whilst we acknowledge that Government Health directed COVID-safe restrictions will inform our 2021 format and audience capacities, we endeavour to create memorable events for our students and families nonetheless.
Please note that it is a College expectation that all students attend with any unavoidable absences directed in writing to the respective sub school coordinator. Specific details about each event including audience composition, event duration and ticket booking process will be provided in Term 4 but in the interim, I invite you to note the following dates, venues and starting times:
Senior School Awards and Year 12 Graduation - Wednesday 17 November (foyer doors open from 5.00pm for photos and coffee, seating from 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start) at Chandler Arena, Sleeman Sports Complex.
Middle School Thursday 25 November (foyer doors open from 5.00pm for photos and coffee seating from 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start) at Chandler Arena, Sleeman Sports Complex.
Primary School – Tuesday 23 November (seating from 9:00am for a 9.30am start) at Kimberley College.
It has been a wonderfully rich but exhausting Term Three. We wish you a restful break and look forward to seeing all students fresh-faced and re energised for Term 4.
Janine Parkinson
Senior School News
Year 11 and 12 for the past two weeks and a bit have been in exam block. Many thanks to the footy playing students in front of Barada for limiting their game to just passing so the Grand Inquisition could have reasonably quiet time. Year 12 have sat mock exams written by the QCAA. They will receive detailed feedback on performance inside those assessments and strategies to help them improve.
I remind you year 12, the September break is no longer a holiday for any student in a General subject. You need to be studying. QCE credit points are not collected on the way, they are collected at the end, called Exit. Your QCE depends on you exiting your subjects at a Sound Standard or better. There is no predefined QCAA cut-off for that. The cut-offs for the five standards A to E will be determined by the QCAA using distributions. External tests contribute 50% to the exit standards of maths and science subjects and 25% to the other subjects. It is important you do as well as you possibly can.
On top of QCE considerations is the ATAR and university offers. The self-discipline you show and how you prepare yourself in the next 5 weeks will determine if you get into the program you want, at the university you want to attend. After the External Testing, you have over 3 months to relax after school finishes – but not now. Regular, targeted study, lots of sleep, good food & exercise is the key.
Year 11 also experienced the exam block as practice for the external QCAA assessments that will occur in term 4 of 2022 for them. All students have demonstrated a mature and disciplined approach to the way in which they conducted themselves, with attendance rates being very good. Some students sat as many as 11 assessments in the two-week period to mimic the number they will need to attend in the three week, three day external test block. A number of the assessments were practice tests and will not be used to define reports but, will provide important formative feedback to further inform the upcoming learning process. If your brains are tired and ‘sore’ then that is a good thing. It means you worked hard, a bit like how a football team feels after a grand final.
Year 10 Term 3 reports and Year 12 End of Unit 4 reports should be published to Parent Lounge by the beginning of the first week of the break. Year 11 End of Unit 2 reports will be sent to the Parent Lounge at the start of the second week of the break.
Currently, results for Year 12 Internal Assessments IA2 & IA3 are being confirmed by QCAA formed panels. Those results will be available to students at the start of next term.
Final subject results including QCEs, Senior Statement and a Statement of Results will be released to Year 12 students from the QCAA on December 18 2021. ATARs are not published to anyone other than the student themselves, including schools; but you can share if you choose.
Next term is an important one. Year 12, you must finish well. Year 11, Term 4 marks the beginning of the summative units of credit from Week 1. In essence, it is your year 12 game beginning. You must come back to school and hit the ground running. Year 10, you will commence your Unit 1 QCE studies in Week 3 when Year 12 is no longer at school except to sit External Assessments.
All Year 10, 11 & 12 students should rest up over the break and get lots of sleep. Stay safe, be sensible and kind online, read a good book and remember the sunscreen.
Year 12 Formal 2021 and the final week of school.
The year 12 formal this year is still on Thursday 18th November Cherbon Waters, Burbank. The evening will commence with student arrivals from about 4pm. A letter detailing those adjustments An email containing the invitation and important information has been sent to families this week. Parents wanting to watch the arrival need to read that email carefully please.
Also, we insist that parents collect their children from the venue for safety sake. We do not want any students driving to or from the venue.
Tickets will be on sale in from Monday 20th September through the Parent Portal. Details are in the email I referred to earlier. Students prior to the formal should prepare for their graduation on Wednesday evening at the Sleeman Complex (polish your shoes). Year 12 will return to school on Friday 19 November for a BBQ lunch, to see who is sitting in THEIR spaces around the school, and to prepare to be taught their final lesson at school – the water fight with the teachers. We are really hoping Year 12 will bring a theme of their own this year too.
Parents, fingers crossed, it is hoped you will be allowed to watch the water soaked humiliation of your children by their teachers, but we will send communications closer to the day to confirm.
Chris McAlpine
Year 10 Dance
This week our year 10 Dance class and some middle school students had the privilege of participating in a traditional Aboriginal dance workshop with the Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dance Company. They learnt four routines based around spirits, animals and cultural beliefs. The year 10s have been studying Aboriginal dance in class this term and have been analysing traditional dance pieces. We would like to thank the company for the enriching learning experience.
Middle School Update
It was very exciting and heartwarming to open our doors to our KC families and community. The 2021 Kimberly College Fair was a huge success. We had lots of fun running the inflatable obstacle course, participating in activities at Sideshow Alley and watching our talented peers perform. The preparation for Fair was a learning journey for everyone. To make the day a success we worked hard to prepare our classrooms for so showcase what we learnt about the UN Sustainability Goals. We researched our chosen topic in order to create an informative display to raise awareness of different issues across the globe. Completing our research and working on our displays required persistence and dedication. Everyone did their best to produce work they could be proud of. We used maps, graphs and included an interactive element, which many groups enjoyed creating and playing. Every group worked through different challenges, but in the end we all pulled it together making our class presentations amazing.
The day before the fair the classrooms were set up and they looked amazing. Our teachers and students had done a fantastic job with the presentation. Fair finally arrived and parents were able to visit our classroom to see how hard we had worked to create our displays. Every parent was impressed with our display and enjoyed playing the games that we had created. After the class display had ended, everyone set off around the school to have a fun day going on rides like inflatables and rock climbing, enjoying delicious food from the food trucks and visiting market stalls. The day was very successful and everyone enjoyed spending time with family and friends.
Margherite Rigden
Primary School Update
To all of our Primary families, we wish you a happy and restful holiday. We appreciate all the time, effort and support you put into making Term Three a success. We look forward to welcoming Term Four, and seeing the year out with fun and excitement.
Talking of fun and excitement, the last week of school the Primary School ended the term with a bang including, celebrating the Climate Action Superheroes by dressing as one for the Spring Festival Day, Multicultural Day, Potluck Picnics and Play Performances to name a few. We definitely kept busy right up until the last day of term.
Kokomini Wraps Up Term Three
Oi, Ni Hao,Kia Ora, Aloha and G'day mate from the Kokomini class. This term the Kokominis travelled to Australia, China, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Brazil exploring a different way of life, learning about the weather and food and other fun facts. To tie in with the Fair theme of Sustainability, the students also focused on a problem from each country and used their thinking hats to create a solution. For Fair Day, the Kokominis created, memorised, presented and rehearsed a song, powerpoint presentation, book and a dance for their families and loved ones. They were such superstars and should be extremely proud of themselves!
It has been a busy term with special events. This term the students also enjoyed taking part in the Book Parade. All of the students dressed up in character and attended a special assembly and joined the parade with excitement. We also celebrated Father’s Day, kicking off with a sausage sizzle and then having our Dad's join us for a special Koko song and some fun in the classroom.
We have had our last few visits to Bush School. The students enjoyed building forts, making waterfalls and jumping in muddy puddles. They observed the weather, checking on the wind speed before each session and discovered types of clouds through their cloud viewers. We are looking forward to visiting the beach with Beach School next term.
In finishing the term, we say a big, huge, gigantic thank you to our families who have made our days in Kokomini extra special this term. We are all very excited to see what adventures and fun will be had in Kokomini next term...
Kokomini Teachers
Primary Events
While it might be time to rest for the next few weeks, we would like to remind you of some significant events that occur in Term Four. Please see below for a list of events and dates. If you have not received information on these events, please contact either Miss Shepherdson or the classroom teachers.
Week One – Week Five – Primary School Swimming Lessons at the YMCA
Week Two - 14th Thursday and 15th Friday October - Waka Waka School Camp
Week Three – 20th October - Waka Waka Museum Trip
Week Eight – 23rd November - Primary School Graduation
Week Eight – 25th November - Primary School Swimming Carnival
Week Nine – 2nd December - Primary School Christmas Carols Morning
Primary Assembly
We wish to congratulate the following students who received a KC Attitude Award at our assembly. Well done, Madilyn Longhurst, Oliver Bowles-Sykes, Eligh Thompson, Penny Small, Frank Cornelius, Imogen Marjanovic, Emerson Bonner, Ellora Lowe, Jimi Pascoe, Sylvie Ansell, Stuart Patterson, Abidah Yusuff, Charli Lowis, Willow Steadman and Jasmine Whitehouse.
Kristy Shepherdson
Art Update
The Brisbane Portrait Prize is a prestigious competition and exhibition which is all about celebrating Brisbane portrait artists and their sitters, while encouraging public engagement with the arts.
The Brisbane Portrait Prize encourages excellence, creates opportunity for artists and increases engagement in the arts by providing space for artists to explore contemporary portraiture, encompassing notions of storytelling in the digital age. It also creates opportunity for audiences to broaden their thinking about their city, the community and the worlds by engaging with the artistic process and the narratives of the sitters.
Following the highly successful Under 18 Prize in 2020, the Brisbane Portrait Prize again ran a youth prize in 2021. Newly named the ‘Next Gen‘ prize, the category was open to participants 18 years and under and encouraged young artists to think about portraiture in a modern sense.
We are thrilled to announce that the artwork of one of our young talented Year 11 Visual Art students, Leah Duncan, has been highly commended in this year's competition. The artwork is called “Head Above Water” and the media is acrylic on canvas.
This will officially be announced on September 18th and will coincide with the release of the online gallery which Leah’s work will feature in.
https://www.brisbaneportraitprize.org/gallery/
Leah, we would like to congratulate you on such a great achievement. Your hard work, dedication, commitment and passion for art has paid off! It is just the beginning of a great journey in the world of art which we cannot wait to embark with you. Well done and again congratulations!
Roya Khorsandi - Visual Art Teacher
Tournament of Minds
“An international educational program 'challenging the world' to develop creative problem-solving skills”
Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a program providing students with the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking whilst developing collaborative enterprise, excellence, and teamwork. Challenges are set in the following disciplines - The Arts, Language Literature, Social Sciences and STEM.
We would like to recognise the efforts of our inaugural TOM teams that overcame a series of hurdles to compete and complete the challenge. All teams learnt valuable lessons on their TOM journey about themselves and teamwork. We recognise their dedication, creativity, performances, humour and spirit to complete the tasks to the best of their ability. Congratulations and thank you to those students that represented Kimberley College.
CONGRATULATIONS
Charlotte Robinson, Summer Stanton, Lacey Whitehouse, Jessica Hall,Inara Geijskes, Dakota Jacobs, Ella Reece, Nadia Yusuff, Priya Kumar, Lily Bell, Mai-Lyn Harris, Alicia Clifford, Kai Finlay, Heidi Kricker, Jayden Givney, Layla Tuffs, Mia Wilkison, Braden dal Santo, Hudson Morris, Olivia Campbell, Sybella Reynolds, Felix van der Walt, Brodie Monaghan, Flynn Sprott
Absentees, Early Collections & Late Arrivals
Please remember that details pertaining to a students absence or an early collection can be sent via:
- our school App,
- a call to 3209 0300 and select the Student Absences option or
- you can email student.absences@
kimberley.college . There is a link within the Rollcall app, however this is not linked to the school.
When sending an email to class teachers to advise them, please ensure that you also c.c in the Student Absences email.
If you are aware of an upcoming appointment, those details can be sent through ahead of time.
When picking up students early please come to the Student Hub to collect them.
Unfortunately, we cannot allow students to sign out and leave without a parent / carer or an emergency contact person being sighted.
All students arriving after the first bell (8.45) must go to the Hub and sign in late.
Also just a reminder that the top carpark is for staff only, the main carpark at the front of the school is for parents.
From the Counsellor
During school, children and adolescents go through many stages of making friends and along the way, they are bound to experience conflict at some stage. It is very normal for students to experience conflict from time to time as this a way of discovering what works with friends and what doesn’t – put simply students are developing their social and emotional skills. Some students may get confused when they have a disagreement or conflict with another person and may call this bullying. There is a great difference between conflict and bullying and here is a simple way to differentiate between them:
Misunderstanding – usually problems around communication.
Disagreement – do not agree on something and both want their own way.
Conflict – people usually want to solve the problem. Can be over a period of time if not sorted properly.
Bullying – threatening, repetitive, targeted, deliberating wanting to harm, abusive, no attempt to resolve issue.
If your child does experience conflict, this is a wonderful teaching moment to guide them and help them learn about how to get along with others. Sometimes children can resolve conflict themselves, particularly as they grow into the upper years of primary, but when they are young they may need guidance, and most importantly emotional support.
The best way to give emotional support is to use ‘reflective listening’. When we practice this type of listening, we listen to the content of what your child is saying and listen for the emotion and then we reflect back what they are saying e.g. “it sounds as though that really frustrated you when you did not get to play your game”. We can then try to help them problem solve the situation by giving them lots of opportunities to brain storm a solution without stepping in too early to solve it for them.
Conflict teaches children:
- How to give and take
- How to come to an agreement
- How to compromise
- How to solve problems
- To build empathy
- To understand others and their needs
- How to get along in a group
- How to develop successful, loving and healthy relationships as adults.
Klynton Kelly-Bolt - College Counsellor
Covid immunisation information
Dear Parent/Carer
The Chief Health Officer has written to me and other school principals across Queensland to urge you and your family (including all children aged 12 years and older) to take the opportunity over the upcoming school holidays to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Children aged 12 years and older can receive a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a Queensland Health vaccination location or at a participating General Practice (GP). In the very near future, you will be able to access Moderna (Spikevax) vaccine at a participating community pharmacy.
How to book
Register your interest on the link below to receive your COVID-19 vaccine at a Queensland Health vaccination location.
Older children can register themselves separately if they have their own email address or a parent/guardian can register and set up their children as dependents. All correspondence will be managed through the parent/guardian’s email address. Read more about creating a dependent in the vaccine booking system. If you need assistance with vaccination bookings, call 134 COVID (13 42 68).
Access the Covid-19 Vaccine Eligibility Checker below to book a vaccination at a participating GP or community pharmacy
Walk in opportunities
Walk in appointments are currently available at selected Queensland Health vaccination locations. To find your closest walk in vaccination location check on the link below
Consent
For young people, consent from a parent/guardian is usually required. In Queensland:
- individuals aged 12 to 15 years may require a parent/guardian to provide consent, however may be mature enough to provide informed consent
- individuals aged 16 years and older are generally deemed to have capacity to consent for vaccination.
It is recommended that children under the age of 16 have a parent/guardian with them at their vaccination appointment. Young people seeking to provide informed consent themselves, without parental consent, should speak to their vaccinating clinician.
Find out more about the age of consent for vaccinations below.
Additional information and support
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine and children, please visit Queensland Health’s website for children, young people and parents.
General information about the vaccine is also available in multiple languages.
If you need an interpreter to book your vaccination appointment, call 13 42 68 and ask to be connected to an interpreter. If an interpreter is needed to phone this service, first call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50 and they can connect you.
If an interpreter is needed at the vaccine appointment, advise a staff member when you arrive at the vaccination location so they can arrange this for you. This is a free service.
Thank you for your cooperation to keep Queensland and our school communities safe.