Inter House Cross Country

This Friday, March 30, we will hold our annual Inter House Cross Country.  Students will have the opportunity to put their physical endurance and intestinal fortitude to the test as they compete against each other to complete the cross country course.  Should be a lot of fun!

Parent Teacher Interviews

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 27 and 28, we will be holding Parent/Teacher interviews in the IGC.  These meetings are a very important opportunity for parents to meet with their child's teachers and to discuss more of the holistic aspects of the education experience, going beyond just the grades for achievements, effort, and study habits.

I look forward to meeting with you next week so we can celebrate some of the great things that have been happening during Term 1 and devise strategies on how we can help your children achieve their goals during Term 2.

Putting the student at the centre will ultimately help them achieve their goals

  

Kony 2012

You would have had to have been living out in the wilderness during the past couple of days not to have heard of the Kony 2012 phenomenon.  The Invisible Children organisation have created a social media frenzy by releasing its latest documentary on You Tube and using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to help it go viral in record time.

The popularity of the video has brought with it many detractors - people who are questioning the integrity of the Invisible Children organisation and how they allocate the funds that they raise.  Whether you believe this is a credible organisation or not, you cannot ignore the message of what they are trying to do.  You also can't ignore how cleverly they have leveraged social media to promote awareness of their cause.

 It will be interesting to see how long this issue remains in the headlines.

You are likely to see a lot more of this image over the next couple of months

International Women's Day

March 8th is International Women's Day - a day where we pause to reflect on the amazing contributions that women make to all areas of life and how positively women impact the world.  It is also a time for us to pause and reflect on the fact that not all women around the world enjoy the freedoms, safety, and respect that others in some countries do.

Take some time today to show your appreciation to the women (Mothers, sisters, wives, friends, daughters, colleagues) who have made a positive impact in your life. 

How Do You Read?

2012 is the National Year of Reading - an initiative designed to promote the joy, value, and importance of regular reading.  As a result we have a number of initiatives under way to help our students become immersed in good books/stories.

I am quite fortunate that both of my children are avid readers.  I am also very aware that as they approach their teenage years the challenge of maintaining their love of reading will arise.  Recently I have been using the Kindle Touch to re-ignite my son's passion for reading.

I know that many people like the feel of a book in their hands when they are reading.  I also know many people who felt that way until they tried an e-reader - my son being one of them.  The reasons I like e-readers are:

• no more trips to the book store looking through a limited range - when using a Kindle you have access to Amazon's huge selection of e-books
• no more waiting for books to arrive in the mail - e-books are downloaded to your e-reader in seconds
• the built in dictionary - when you come across a word that is unfamiliar you can simply put your finger on the word and it will bring up the dictionary meaning for you (great for increasing the vocabulary of young readers)
• you can take an entire collection of books with you wherever you go

If you are lucky enough to have an avid teenage reader you might find an e-reader is a helpful tool for feeding their voracious reading appetite.  If you have a reluctant teenage reader, you may find that an e-reader can help them to rediscover their love of the written word.  Whatever you use, take every opportunity to help your children enjoy reading and engage with good stories.

Passmarc II

We now have 57 out of 58 students from 8J and 8A enrolled in Passmarc II.  I will be using this Moodle course for Year 8 English this year - in particular I will be communicating assessment grades through this portal.  I encourage parents to sit down with their children and ask them to show you their English Passmarc II course.  I hope you find it useful in keeping you informed about what is happening in our English classes, and a great way to keep up with the progress of your child.

Passmarc II Link

A Snapshot in Time

Today we had our annual photo day - an opportunity to take a snapshot of the students and staff at the College in 2012.

It was great to see the students taking such pride in their appearance and wanting to look their best for both the class photo and their individual portraits.  I am sure that these photos will be a wonderful reminder of Year 8, and I hope that parents and students will look back on these photos with happy and positive memories.

Ahhh - the coolness of the rainforest.

We have just left Joala National Park and Curtis Falls - a beautiful example of a rainforest environment right on our doorstep.  We really noticed the difference in temperature when we entered the micro climate of the rainforest - welcome relief after the high humidity of the wetlands. We are now on our way back to school.

Wetland Wonderland

We have just left Phil Hill Environmental Park on Jabiru Island - a wonderful example of a mangrove wetland area right in the heart of Hope Island and Paradise Point.

Coastal Landforms

We have just left the Southport Spit where we had the opportunity to learn all about the vegetation that is vital to the health of the dune system. We also had the opportunity to plant some Beachbean and Pig Face - two plants that do a great job of holding our dunes together.  We are now on our way to explore the wetlands on Jabiru Island.

Year 8 Excursion

We all made it onto the bus and we are now on our way to the Southport Spit. The weather looks great and it promises to be a fantastic day! More posts to come as the day progresses.

Where is the Term Going?

I can't believe nearly two weeks have passed since the swimming carnival and we are now beginning week 6!  We have a couple of important things happening this week that I would like to draw your attention to:

1. Our SOSE excursion is happening on Wednesday, Feb 29 - during this full day excursion we will be visiting and studying a coastal environment, a wetland environment, and a rainforest environment.  Please make sure your permission notes have been returned to your PC teacher
2. We are in the middle of presenting our debates on environmental issues affecting our local area - these will continue this week
3. Audit scores will be available this week

With so much going on it is very important to be checking the Assessment Planner and to be writing things into your diary.  This should help you to stay organised and on top of things.

Swimming Carnival Photos

Some photos from yesterday's swimming carnival:

Gibbs House Supporters

Mr Cooper on crowd control

Smith House Supporters

Lane House Supporters

Happy faces of the winning team - Morris House!

House Swimming Carnival

It was a great day for our annual inter-house swimming carnival today. The students were in good spirits and it was great to see so many of them getting in the water and having a go. Congratulations to Morris house who won the day.

Safer Internet Day Tip #5

It is easy to get caught up in emotional thoughts and feelings when in the middle of an ‘animated discussion’ or argument. 

Take your Time! Think before acting; remain calm, thoughtful and deliberative.

If you write an email, txt or message to someone that is nasty or deliberately negative, think before your click SEND!  Read what you have written, go away and come back later when you have calmed down a little.  Read it again and think about the ramifications and consequences.  Better still, pick up the phone or go and see the person.  You can’t take back a message, and it can be used against you in the future.  If someone has sent something nasty to you, become more mature than them and decline to respond.  They may in fact apologise to you at a later date.

Today's message is a very good reminder for both students and adults - face to face communication can often resolve or even avoid problems and issues that may result from written electronic communication.

Safer Internet Day Tip #4

Don’t believe everything you see or read on the internet.  Just because it appears on a website doesn’t make it true.  Likewise, just because a few people are circulating gossip about someone you know, it doesn’t mean that information is true.  Don’t perpetuate gossip, innuendo or tales – break the cycle.  Challenge all that you see and read, and don’t rely on one information source when gathering information from the internet.

Safer Internet Day Tip #3

If anyone online says anything inappropriate to you or about you, harasses you, or sends you unwanted messages, tell a trusted adult immediately.  You need to know that you can trust your parents, relatives and teachers to help you.  It is very easy to be nasty online because there is a sense of anonymity. 

A Google Alternative

It is interesting to note that Google has been added to the dictionary as both a noun and a verb.  Googling is something that we do on a regular basis when we are looking for information on the web.  In an education context the search results can be overwhelming and often difficult to find what you are looking for.

Thanks to Mr Jorgensen for sharing this information about Instagrok - an alternative to locating relevant and useful information on the web.

Safer Internet Day Tip #2

It is important to remember that people are often not who they say they are online. Although it is very difficult to know whether someone is an online predator, scammer or bully, there's one simple rule for making sure that friends on the Internet are NOT dangerous: do not talk to people online unless you've met them in person first!  There have been many cases when an online ‘friend’ has said they are a fourteen year old boy or girl when in fact it is an adult man seeking vulnerable children.  Never give away personal information, including your address, DOB, school and when you will and won’t be somewhere.  Protect yourself by protecting your information.

Safer Internet Day

Today is Safer Internet Day - a day to promote safe online activity for our children and students.  Each day this week Mr Jorgensen will be sharing tips on how to make your online experience a little safer and more enjoyable.

Tip #1 - Don’t give you password out to anyone, including your best friends and your siblings.  Only you and/or your parents should know your password.  Try changing your password regularly, like every 6 months or so.  A combination of digits, lower case and upper case letters is desirable.

Have a great day and stay safe on the internet.