Kimberley College Newsletter - Term Three 2022

Principal's Greeting

It's no secret that Term Three at Kimberley College promises to be an exciting time with a calendar full of events and activities for our students.

Cast and crew of the upcoming production of Legally Blonde The Musical have been working tirelessly in rehearsals including the recent July school holidays, and I for one, am looking forward to attending 20-21 August. I would encourage all members of our community to support the students and attend this family fun night of lively entertainment with tickets now on sale. https://www.trybooking.com/CAUFQ.

Our annual Dance showcase is on Friday 26 August and once again promises a night of outstanding dance by our extremely talented dancers who work extremely hard all year on perfecting their craft. Other events this term include Parent/teacher conferences, Subject evenings for Year 10 and 11, Kokoda Weekend, Stem Punks and the return of the much anticipated Senior Snow trip. 

Our Year 12 students are busily preparing for their external exams, and I wish all our students the very best, but it is a timely reminder to also make time for exercise, family interaction and regular rest to relieve stress and exam nerves.

The Ekka holiday will provide a well deserved break for our students with the school closed from Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 August (inclusive). I hope you will enjoy reading our fresh approach to the newsletter with a forward focus on the coming term's events and activities and we look forward to unveiling more changes in the next issue as we continue to streamline and improve our communication channels with you. 

Glenn Johson
Principal
principal@kimberley.college

Safety, Wellbeing & Support

No Bullying Survey
Safety and wellbeing are key factors to ensure a happy and fulfilling future for our young people. It is crucial that we remember: SAFETY - WELLBEING – LEARNING – in that order. ‘Maslow before Bloom’; children’s safety and basic needs must be met before we worry about their learning. Creating an environment where students feel safe is a priority - as articulated in the College’s Vision statement and respective policies.

This year we have chosen to partner with Resilient Youth Australia to run a No Bullying Survey across our Middle and Senior School domains; this is a comprehensive online survey which collects, analyses and reports the what, where, how and why of physical, verbal, exclusionary and online bullying across the school. The No Bullying Survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. It will provide valuable information to assist us in creating and maintaining a positive school culture underpinned by student safety and wellbeing.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s participation in this survey project, please contact:
Ms. Janine Parkinson
Janine.parkinson@kimberley.college 

Paul Dillon is back!

The much-anticipated return of Paul Dillon draws closer. Having worked extensively in the area of drug education for more than 25 years, he has incredible knowledge in this field and an ability to engage young people with such powerful messages and sense of humour. Whilst his presentations were virtual in 2021 due to Covid, we are delighted that Paul will be here in person on Friday 22 July to work with all Year 10 – 12 students at the College.

Challenging Term for Year 12s
Cognitively, socially, and emotionally, Term 3 is a challenging one for Year 12 students; they have so much to balance in what seems to be a very short period of time. Our senior vertical pastoral care structure and Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) Program play an important role in supporting students and addressing some of the issues they may encounter at this time. This term, the Year 12 SEL program includes a futures presentation from the alumni, the RACQ on driver safety, Red Frogs on leavers, as well as Paul Dillon’s presentation on drugs & alcohol.

Important term for Year 10s
Term Three marks a pivotal time in the life of a Year 10 student. Developmentally, students are positioned favourably to set goals and think in terms of the future. This is important as they begin to carve out a future pathway that aligns with their strengths and passions. Utilizing a GROWTH framework to navigate their Senior Education and Training (SET) planning process, they will plan and lead a conference in the attendance of their PC teacher and parents/carers. With the subject-selection information evening, SEL program, career expo, faculty presentations and support, students will be well-positioned to select their senior subjects that will lead them on their respective pathway – albeit university or vocational.

In the areas outlined in the preceding text, the collective support of teachers and parents/carers is what matters most in setting our young people up for success in Term Three and beyond.

Ms. Janine Parkinson
Deputy Principal

Primary School Update

We can’t believe that we are already in Term 3. The teachers have been very busy over the Term break to plan an exciting and engaging learning journey for our Primary Students throughout Term 3. Take a look at the snapshots of learning that you will see happening in your child’s classroom.

This term the Kokominis theme is 'World Traveller'. Huggle Buggle Bear will be visiting the class and receiving letters and packages from his furry friends from around the world. We will learn about different countries, through stories, dance and culture.

Kokowara will be looking at the world around us and the stories that come from different parts of the world.  In Kokowara we will be exploring folk tales, popular stories and favourite books from around the globe.

This will lead to a celebration of learning, where, in small groups, we will be given the challenge to retell or rewrite the story we liked best.  Or instead may choose to invent a new story for a favourite character we discovered along the way.  We will use puppetry, writing or dramatization to showcase our work.

In Waka this term we are exploring the unit ‘What a Waste!’ We will be looking at how we can become better environmentalists to make our world a better place. The students will explore where our rubbish goes and how this can affect our environment. We will investigate how people are reducing their waste to lessen the impact on the environment and how to create a sustainable future. This will include conducting different experiments to clean water, crafting their own recycled paper, creating a landfill simulation and using solar, wind and water energy to make things work.

This Term in Gubbi Gubbi we are exploring 'A Whole New World' as our theme. Students will dive into the lives and histories of famous refugees who have come so far to Australia in Hass and write detailed reports about their lives, in English. In Maths, as the song lyrics suggest, our migrants have moved to a "dazzling place," therefore the students will create new and exciting cities using their knowledge of area, perimeter and volume. Meanwhile, in Science, students will master the power of electricity as we seek to power the homes in our newly built shining, shimmering. splendid cities.  

Gubbi is also excited to announce that we will be headed to the theatre to learn what it takes to be part of the production! This term with Opti-MINDS in the Middle school, Gubbi will be putting on our own 'Picnic and a Play'. More details will follow soon, as we will see the stage production of Cinderella the Broadway musical.  

Emma Percasky
Acting Primary School Coordinator

Parents & Friends Update

The 2022 Mother’s Day Stall was a HIT, thank you for your support!  We loved helping your little (and big) ones pick out the perfect present – we hope you all had a fabulous day with your families.

As only a small community within the College, we appreciate each and every one of our helpers. If you would like to join our team, attend a meeting, or even lend a hand at an event please email: pandf@kimberley.college

Make sure to Like our NEW Facebook Page – KC Parents & Friends – to keep up to date with all things P&F. We will be sharing all you need to know about the coming events/fundraisers there.
Page Link: https://www.facebook.com/KCParentsandFriends

The ARTS 

Quota Eisteddfod
Quota marks the final eisteddfod of the year for our primary, junior, and senior performance teams. Quota will be held at the Logan Entertainment Centre on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 August, with our junior and seniors performing on Thursday, and primary performing on Friday. We look forward to seeing our dancers perform and wish them the very best at their final competition of 2022.
Dance Showcase
We are pleased to announce our 2022 Dance Showcase will be held on Friday 26th August at Lingo Lin Performing Arts Theatre, Ormiston College from 6.00pm. This showcase is an amazing opportunity to highlight all the dancers that take part in the college’s program. We are extremely excited to see the students up on stage performing in a live show to celebrate all their successes this year. Tickets will be available soon! 

Musicaviva – Rhythm Works
Our primary school will be attending an energetic Musicava performance on Friday 12 August. Rhythm Works are a dynamic percussion duo who show students how to create visual images through music.

In this high energy show, students are introduced to a range of instruments from African djembes, marimbas, electronic loop machines, Boom whackers, and wearable instruments made from PVC pipe! Students are given the chance to perform on these instruments to create their own musical imagery, with opportunities to re-create the experience back in the home or classroom. 

Our wonderful primary and middle school music teacher, Ms Kathryn Robinson, will be running three choirs next semester.

Prep to Year 2: Wednesday at 8:30am in the Kokowara classroom 
Primary Years: 3 - 6: Thursday at 8:30am in Waka Waka Classroom 
Middle & Senior Schools: Friday second break and through PC time (1:10pm-1:45pm)

Save the date: Instrumental Music Showcase - Thursday 20 October

Goodluck to all of our students with their studies and extra-curricular events this term.   
Elizabeth Wagenknecht
Head of the Arts and Yunupingu Faculty

Legally Blonde The Musical

Middle School Update

What an amazing term, Term Two proved to be. The students had participated in a whole variety of different activities, in and outside of school proving that yet again, Kimberley College students are talented, engaged, and compassionate citizens.

Term Three will see our Middle School “Breaking Boundaries” as they focus on how they can push the limits of physics with extreme sports; write, perform, and present a play of their making; get to the heart, mind and body of the most villainous and then ask… Are villains born or created? This is the term where our performers get to shine, our philosophers challenge and our scientists explore.

You will never hear, “It’s going to be a quiet term”, from Middle School and that is the way we like it.

Coming up:

• Write a book in a day (15^th July)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences (Week Three)
• Kokoda 13^th August
• Opti-minds competition (28^th August)
• Stem Punks (10^th September)

Keep your eye out for more information for each of the above events as they get closer.  

Margherite Rigden
Middle School Coordinator 

Senior School Update

Term 3 is now well underway, with Year 10 completing their preparatory work for the start of their QCE studies at the beginning of Term 4; Year 11 is completing Unit 2 about to commence their first summative work in Unit 3 Term 4; and Year 12 is completing Unit 4 in readiness for the QCAA external testing block in Term 4 and their exit from school. For Year 11 & 12, classes finish this term at the end of Week 8, with the last two weeks of term dedicated to testing.

Year 11 & 12 will participate in an exam block for General Subjects in week 9 &10 of this term. The timetable for these exams has been emailed to students and parents/carers. The exams are sat in Mabo with a study hall in Namatjira. All General subjects will have an exam during this period. For some Year 11 subjects, such as 11 General Maths, these will be exams are formal assessment that contribute to reported grades. For other Year 11 subjects, such as 11 Physical Education the exams are a practice for the External Assessments at the end of Year 12. For all Year 12 General subjects, the exams are a practice for the External Assessment (EA) block in Term 4 using past EA papers,for which the student responses will provide important feedback as to how individual students can improve their performance. There are no exams for Applied subjects,except for Essential English which will have a practice exam for the Common Internal Assessment (CIA) – the QCAA’s external assessment of Applied Essential subjects on Monday 12 September in the morning.

If year 11 &12 students do not have an exam, they should not attend school if possible as there are no timetabled subjects operating and certificate programs are on hold. A supervised independent study room will be available for those students who must attend school due to their own unique circumstances. Students who leave school after an exam must go directly home by vehicle. If they then go out afterwards, they must not be in uniform.

For Year 11, the exams will concentrate on Unit 2 and may count towards reported grades which will be issued just after the break. The exam block provides experience beyond the assessments themselves with how to handle an exam block; the first practice for the main event in Term 4 Year 12. Year 12 will be sitting mock exams designed by the QCAA to mimic the tests they will taking part
in during the exam block. Teachers in the senior school will be marking a significant amount of student work over the September break as all maths & science subjects alone consist of two mock papers each. Feedback and analysis of mock exam data will be provided to Year 12 General subject students in the first two weeks of term 3.

Week 3 Term 4 will then be student free for Year 12 as students prepare individually at home for the external testing. At this time, Year 10 will commence Unit 1 of their QCE subjects.

Our General subject students need to be studying calmly now at full tempo. It is now that you build success. Designate set times for set subjects on set days of the week and begin revision. For maths and science students in Year 12 that goes back to the beginning of term 4 last year, for the other subjects just Unit 4. Your diligence will bring you reward. And as with NSW and Victoria, September
can no longer be considered as a holiday period for you. You should ensure you rest, but you should also study.

Year 10 is in the final term of their studies before commencing their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) studies in term 4. Reports for Year 10, Term 2 progress were issued during the break and a Parent Teacher conference is planned for Tuesday evening  - 19 July (Week 2), with bookings available in the Parent Poral until 6pm this Sunday 17 July. Please see my email sent to
families for details.

As part of the Senior Education & Training Plan (SETPlan) process for selection Year 11 & 12 subjects, Year 10 will be attending the Ignite Career Expo with their teachers, run annually by the Logan CityCouncil. There is no cost to families and the students will be at the Expo from about 9am to midday on Tuesday 26 July (Week 3). That evening we will be running the Subject Selection Information Evening & Subject Market at school to commence the formal subject selection process for Year 10 into Year 11, and to begin the transition process for Year 9 into Year 10. Please see my email sent to families for details.

Week 7 - Year 10 will have selected their subjects for their QCE studies and presented their SETPlans to their parents/carers, and Year 9 will have selected their elective subjects for next year.

In the senior school, Yunupingu would like to extend a warm welcome to our new faculty teacher Ms Cassie Nguyen. Ms Nguyen has replaced Miss Katherine Grimes who left us at the end of last term.

 Week 5 sees the Snow Trip return to the Senior School replacing the ‘No Trip’ of the last couple of years. It promises to be a memorable trip with some of the best early season snowfalls and consistent snowfalls for the next couple of weeks.

Chris McAlpine
Head of Senior School

‘Life is what you bake of it,’ and this could not be more true for KC senior Mackaylie

Year 12 Namatjira student, Mackaylie Taylor has been busy baking up a storm since commencing her school-based apprenticeship in March this year at Mt Cotton Sourdough Bakeries.

Baking scones with her father each weekend since the age of 6, has installed a love of cooking which Mackaylie was keen to make her chosen career. Each Friday Mackaylie steps away from the Kimberley College classroom and is onsite at the bakery at 4.00am. Currently she is working on the patisserie line and is making everything from apple pies to lemon curd tarts.

While doughnuts are her signature dish, she is looking forward to continuing her role in a full-time capacity in November this year when she finishes year 12. Kimberley College offers a variety of pathways for our students including TAFE at school. Namatjira is the school’s vocational pathways faculty and currently has 100 plus senior students enrolled in the TAFE at School program.

Mackaylie completed a Certificate 2 in Baking at South Bank TAFE as part of the program before applying for a school-based apprenticeship. While the typical apprenticeship takes 4 years to complete, Mackaylie is pleased she was able to get a head start by combining her senior studies with a school-based apprenticeship saving six months and reducing her post school apprenticeship time to 3.5 years. She is excited to be taking the first steps in her career, in an area she is passionate about and is looking forward to a bright future. 

For further information on vocational programs on offer for your child, please contact:

Mr. Terry Elliot 
Head of the Namatjira Faculty
terry.elliot@kimberley.college 

Rachael joins international Science School

Year 11 Kimberley College student, Rachael Stalley was selected to join 150 outstanding year 11 -12 science students from Australia and across the globe to participate in the prestigious Professor Harry Messel online International Science School (ISS) through the University of Sydney. She also attended the Dr Gurion Ang's Biology Winter School (UQBWS) through the University of Queensland, with both programs held over the recent July school holidays.

Rachael said “The ISS was a truly phenomenal experience. Spanning over the course of 10 days, myself and other scholars worldwide got to partake in unique and revolutionary lectures delivered by internationally renowned scientists, engaging workshops featuring all aspects of science, and interactive lab tours which gave participants a close-up view into the exciting field of research”. 

“The UQBWS was the best Biology-based workshop outside of school that I have ever attended. Over the two days it was incredible to be on campus at St. Lucia and interact with likeminded year 11 students.” The program also included lectures and experiments covering topics as diverse as computational biology, venom ecology and earthworm dissection. Rachael is wishing to pursue research in the field of environmentalism once she has completed her year 12 studies at Kimberley College next year.

KCFA Update

We look forward to another exciting term ahead. With year-long competition campaigns such as the Queensland Football Schools League (junior boys and girls, senior boys teams) and Uhlsports Cup (senior boys team) looking to end this term, we are eager to secure spots in the finals stages and have seen great results from our junior girls and senior boys team.

Futsal comes back into the schedule this term as we qualified for the Champion of Champions South East Queensland (SEQ) stage of the competition with the following age groups qualifying - U12 girls, U13 girls, U13 boys, U19 girls and U19 boys. These full day events will see our teams compete against the best futsal school teams in SEQ for a shot to make the national level competition.  

Primary and Middle training schedule (same as Term 1 & 2) 
Monday Session 3 - All Middle School (Oval) 
Monday Session 4 - All Primary School (Astro Turf) 
Thursday Session 2 - Boys Middle School (Oval) 
Friday Session 2 - Boys Primary School (Astro Turf) 
Friday Session 4 - Girls Primary and Middle School (Oval) 

Year 10 students (same as Term 1 & 2) 
Students have scheduled 2 separate training sessions during either the middle or senior school sessions. If students could like to change this, please see Mr. Shepherd in the Namatjira staff room. 

Year 11/12 Sport and Recreation - Football Subject (same as term 1 & 2) 
Tuesday Session 1 
Wednesday Session 3
Friday Session 4 
Sessions will vary weekly depending on KCFA matches played. 
-          Technical/tactical/physical session 
-          Analysis session 
-          Recovery session 
This term Year 11/12 football students will complete their Football Federation Australia endorsed Miniroos Coaching Course during Term 3 (TBC) as a part of their theory component. During Term 4, we look to provide Year 12's the opportunity to complete a Referee Course (Level 4 - TBC) to help further their skillset, qualifications and pathway choices. 

We always look to continue expanding our inclusive in-school football program here at Kimberley College. If you are interested for your child to have this valuable experience in sport, please contact football@kimberley.college 

Head of Football, KCFA
Scott Shepherd

PISA is coming to our school

Our school is participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is taking place in Australian between 18 July and 9 September 2022.

PISA is an important part of the National Assessment Program in Australia, which is the measure through which governments, education authorities and schools can determine whether or not young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes. All Australian Education Ministers have agreed to Australian schools’ participation in PISA, which is reflected in the Australian Education Act 2013.

International assessments provide a wide range of valuable information for education policy and review in Australia and overseas and also enable Australia to consider the performance of our education system compared with others.

Since the first PISA assessment involving 32 countries in 2000, the survey has continued to raise interest amongst educators and policy-makers world-wide.  In 2022, Australia will be one of over 85 countries participating in PISA with around 15,000 students (from around 800 schools) representing our country.

What will PISA mean for our school?

A random sample of 15-year-old, mostly from Years 10 and 11, will be sampled to complete a two-hour computer-based assessment consisting of mathematics, science, reading, and creative thinking. These students will also be asked to complete a questionnaire. 

A random sample of teachers will be asked to compete an online questionnaire which will collect information on classroom instruction, teachers’ educational backgrounds, training, and teaching experiences.

 As an international assessment, every participating school and student has an important role in showing the rest of the world what Australia can do.

 ACER will provide our school and participating students with a certificate, recognising our contribution.  Each student will also receive access to the Insight video series.