If Sport is Cancelled Tomorrow

If sport is cancelled tomorrow due to the weather we will run the following 3 periods after lunch:

• Period 5 will be Period 1 Tuesday
• Period 6 will be Period 2 Tuesday
• Period 7 will be Period 3 Tuesday

We are hoping that the weather will be fine and sport will go ahead, but we need to be prepared just in case.

Professional Learning

As professionals it is important that we are continuing our growth and our learning through attending professional development workshops and seminars. Today I am continuing my learning by attending a workshop focusing on getting the most out of what Google has to offer, and exploring how social media and social networks can be utilised to enhance learning.

It promises to be a great day and I am really looking forward to learning about some new tools and skills that I can bring back and share with the CAC community.

Syba Signs

Cross Country on Tuesday May 3

The Cross Country that was postponed last term has now been rescheduled for next Tuesday, May 3. The Secondary Cross Country is due to start at 12:30pm, so come along and support our runners if you are free.

Happy Easter

I hope you all are enjoying your holidays, and that you are finding time to relax, rest and have fun with family and friends. My family and I spent the first week of the holidays camping up in Bargara, near Bundaberg. We had a great time surfing, bush walking, playing on the beach, climbing the trees and reading. Yes, reading! Holidays are a great time to catch up on some reading.

If you are looking for something to do this week you might want to check out the Gold Coast Parks website - it has heaps of activities organised for kids to get involved in over the school holidays. My children spent the last two mornings at the Runaway Bay skate park being taught by professional skaters. They really enjoyed this and I was very impressed at the quality of this FREE program.

Whatever you are doing this week and over the Easter long weekend I hope you are having fun and appreciating the beauty of the place in which we live. Stay safe and a have a wonderful Easter - see you next Wednesday.

Cross Country Postponed

The Cross Country carnival scheduled for today has been postponed due to a wet course from the heavy overnight rain. A new date will be scheduled for Term 2.

Balance and Consistency

At the recent Parent/Teacher interviews there were two words that came up over and over again - Balance and Consistency.

It is not unusual for junior secondary students to become more focused on social activities and friendships than their school work. That is why it is vital for the parents and the school to work together to help the students maintain a balanced lifestyle. So how do we help our students balance a life full of cocurricular activities, academic responsibilities, social commitments, and technological temptations?

One of the most effective ways is to help our students develop consistent and regular routines that devote small amounts of time to all of their responsibilities/interests on daily basis. As adults, we know how stressful it can be when things start to pile up and we have to make personal sacrifices to fulfill our responsibilities. This is no different for our students, although they seem a little less willing to put academic responsibilities ahead of personal endeavours. If we help our students develop consistent routines based on balance, and prioritise their time according to responsibilities and commitments first, then we should be able to help them minimise times of work overload and stress.

Helping your child to restore the balance in their life through developing consistent routines may just help to develop a happier and healthier teen.

Image credit

Looking to the Future

Today is iDay - a day where we spend some time imagining all the possibilities before us and considering what our futures might be like. The video below is a great example of what can be possible if we imagine and dream, and then practice determination and perserverance to make our dreams come true.

Laptops Break Down the Walls

In the last few weeks we have seen the introduction of 1:1 laptops in the Year 9 classrooms. This initiative has enabled us to explore new ways of teaching, new ways of learning, and new ways of demonstrating understanding. It has also enabled us to make learning more flexible and more mobile - no longer are we restricted to the 4 walls of the classroom and the constraints of a computer lab booking timetable. One of the outcomes of this increased access to technology can be viewed in the video below.

The students not only had a lot of fun producing these reports, but they also learned a lot along the way:

• The importance of communicating and listening when working in groups


• There is not always 1 tool that will help you achieve your goal; sometimes you need to use multiple tools


• Planning and preparation are key to a successful end product


• Developing skills and utilising the available tools are just as important as learning content

I am very impressed with what the students were able to produce and I hope to share more videos with you as they become available.

Festival of Gifts

The annual Festival of Gifts (FOG) will kick off tomorrow with the opening ceremony starting at 9am in the Rod Lane Sports Center. Students need to wear their house sports uniform to school tomorrow as they will be gathering in houses and cheering on their Yelgrued team.

The plan for the week is:

• Tuesday - Opening Ceremony and Athon Day (house sports uniform)


• Wednesday - iDay (dress to express who you hope to be)


• Thursday - Closing Ceremony (Formal uniform)


• Friday - Cross Country and easter Service (house sports uniform)

Looks like it will be an action packed and fun filled week.