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College Executive Principal – Regan Neumann ■ College Deputy Principal – Elizabeth Foster ■ A/Business Manager – Paul Hillier
Principal Senior School – Duncan Steel ■ Principal Middle School – Mike Loftus ■ Principal Junior School – Damien Greig ■ A/Senior Deputy Principal – Kerrie Richards ■ Middle Deputy Principal – Linda Greitschus
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ISSUE NUMBER: 27
FROM THE DESK OF THE COLLEGE EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL
Dear Families
Our annual Senior School Awards Night was held on Tuesday. At this
event, we acknowledged the academic, cultural, service and sport
achievements of many our Senior School students. Congratulations to all
and thank you for some outstanding entertainment during the evening.
This week I am including some excerpts from the Valedictory speech from
our College Captains as they reflected on their time at KGSC. Sophie has
been enrolled since Year 9 in 2011 and Sidara since Year 4 in 2006.
Sidara Engelhardt
Good evening special guests, staff, parents and fellow students. As you all
know, here at Kelvin Grove we are well accustomed to the term
Excellence, to ‘the pursuit of excellence with all our might’. We are
blessed with a diverse range of programs that encourage and inspire us to
achieve excellence. And we are surrounded by staff and peers who have
taught us that excellence is so much more than just achieving; it is about
the work that you put into achieving more.
Our experience as College Captains of Kelvin Grove has allowed us to
bear witness to the challenges and triumphs of so many of these talented
students and we have been blessed with the opportunity to witness
accomplishments from every facet of this school; from Performing and
Visual Arts to Humanities, Technology and Design to Sport and everything
in between. More than that, it has afforded us the opportunity to see just
what it took to get there, and I know I speak for all the Captains when I say
that we have been so inspired by the passion and fortitude of those
teachers and peers who made it all happen.
Sophie Ross
On a personal note, we would like to extend our gratitude to you all for
your help and support throughout the year, particularly of our 2014
Captains’ project. The mosaic of the school crest now stands proudly at
the top of Tank Street, and as the Year 12’s move on to bigger and better
things and the lower grades make their way up through the college we
hope this will serve as a reminder of the spirit, passion and dedication of
the 2014 Kelvin Grove community. It is through your hard work not just as
individuals but as a whole college that we have accomplished so much this
year.
The teachers and staff here are truly remarkable and we could not ask for
better role models. Tonight, as we come together to celebrate the
achievements of our peers throughout what has been a truly special year,
we also give thanks to the teachers, family, friends and staff who have
offered us their countless hours of support and encouragement. Their
willingness to join us on this journey and the sacrifices they have made
allow us to stand tall tonight with pride for ourselves and each other, safe
DATE 31 October 2014
in the knowledge that we made the most of the opportunities presented
to us. I don’t think I could put it much better than Shandel Slaten, who
said, ‘It is much more rewarding to get to the top of the mountain and
share your experience with others than to show up by yourself,
exhausted.’
I feel our 2104 College Captains, through this speech, have really
captured what makes us special as a college. They have helped me
remember what a privilege and responsibility it is to be a part of children
and young people’s growth and development. I am looking forward to
more celebrations of achievement and effort in our Middle School and
Junior School ceremonies later in the year.
Finally, during the Senior School Awards Night we announced the 2015
College Captains and Vice Captains. This was a very difficult decision
as there were so many high quality candidates who nominated this year.
Our College Captains’ group for 2015 is:
2015 College Captains:
Kalani Armstrong
Rebecca Bomgaars
2015 College Vice Captains:
Nicholas Cruickshank
Jez Miller
I know each of these students is determined to help us make a difference
in our college in the year ahead.
Until next week
Warm regards
Dr Regan Neumann
G20 Public Holiday
The Queensland Government has declared a public holiday for the
Brisbane Local Government Area (LGA) on Friday 14 November
2014 to help manage impacts of the G20 around the city. The
holiday is based on a person’s place of work, rather than their place
of residence.
KEY DATES TERM FOUR
 Tues 4 Nov
 Thurs 6 Nov
 Fri 14 Nov
 Mon 17 Nov
 Mon 24 Nov
Year 8 Vaccinations
Year 12 Block Exams
G20 Public Holiday
Year 11 Block Exams
Year 10 Block Exams
Student Absences
Please note the following direct phone numbers and email
addresses:
Junior School (Years 1 – 5)
3552-7420
or email: js.absence@kelvingrovesc.eq.edu.au
Middle School (Years 6 – 9)
3552-7302
or email: ms.absence@kelvingrovesc.eq.edu.au
Senior School (Years 10 – 12)
3552-7303
or email: ss.absence@kelvingrovesc.eq.edu.au
FROM THE DESK OF THE SENIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
The end of the year is fast approaching with the Year 12 students
beginning their final block exams on Thursday 6 November to 12
November. These last exams are critical to their final placement and can
impact on the students’ OP and/or QCE.
The Year 12 Graduation is on Monday 17 November at 6pm for a 6.30pm
start. I have really enjoyed working with the Year 12 students. Staff are
constantly informing me of the impressive achievements and attitudes of
the Year 12 students.
On Tuesday Night at our Senior School Awards Night we announced the
following award recipients:
2014 Dux – Mateo Vlacic
All-Rounder Awards:
Year 10 – Max Obrocki
Year 11 – Kalani Armstrong
Year 12 – Elise May
QUT Engineering Bursary – Raymond Quan
Outstanding Service – Jeremy Ridsdill-Kenny
Outstanding Cultural – Eloise Hazelwood
ADF Long Tan Award:
Year 10 - Sonia Singh
Year 12 – Jeremy Ridsdill-Kenny
Sportsman of the Year – Jake Minett
Sportswoman of the Year – Likitha Silapurem
I would also like to congratulate the 2015 College Captains; Rebecca
Bomgaars and Kalani Armstrong, and College Vice Captains; Jez Miller
and Nicholas Cruickshank whom were announced on the Senior School
Awards evening.
Duncan Steel
Senior School Principal
FROM THE DESK OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
This week I would like to share with you an extract from an article I have
recently read about Middle Years schooling. I will share more of this article
with you over the coming weeks. I am sure you all, as Middle Years
parents, will recognise some if not all of these traits in your child.
Adolescence is the transition from childhood (0-4) to adulthood (15-19
years). While many books have been written about the period of
adolescence the needs of Middle Years’ learners have been summarised
as a series of developmental tasks (Hargreaves & Earl, 1990). Begun
between the ages of 10-14 years and accomplished by some, more likely
girls, by the end of that period, for many young people these tasks
extend into and beyond 15-19 years. Each individual adolescent will
complete these tasks in their own way and their own time. According to
Hargreaves and Earl these tasks are physical, intellectual, social,
emotional and moral. They include:
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adjusting to profound personal, physical, emotional and social
changes;
growing towards independence and autonomy;
gaining skills and experience in decision making and learning to
take responsibility for choices and decisions;
achieving confidence and positive self-esteem through success in
progressively challenging activities and events;
developing a sense of personal, peer and social and cultural
identities including a set of personal values and commitments that
underpin and shape decisions and actions for living in their,
sometimes conflicting, social worlds;
adjusting to physical changes with sexual maturity and establishing
personal, and social gender identities;
gaining acceptance, support and respect from their male and
female peers;
developing a capacity for and skills in abstract thinking and
reflection on both their own development and actions and the world
more generally;
becoming increasingly aware of the social, political and economic
environments in which they live and building skills in successful and
critical interaction with these environments;
establishing and maintaining positive relationships with significant
adults including parents, family and teachers who can support and
act as role models; and,
continuing to prepare for further schooling and learning, training
and a career.
Together, these are a challenging and complex interactive set of
developmental tasks. Each of them has important implications for the
learning experiences provided both within schools and in contexts
outside school (DET Victoria, 2003). Recent research suggests that
some of the most significant developments during adolescence in which
schools have undeniable imperatives are intellectual. These relate to the
brain development that occurs during the Middle Years and which likely
influences all ideas, beliefs, abilities and behaviour of adolescents.
Awards Night
We are starting to make arrangements for our Middle School Awards
Night. Please remind your student that it is their responsibility to ensure
that they are recognised for particular achievements. Our Cultural and
Service Awards in the Middle School are combined into ACE Awards to
align with our Active Citizenship Education Program. This award is a
self-nominating process and students need to have this completed by
next week. Students with sporting achievements need to check the
notice boards at the Middle School Staffroom to ensure that have been
recognised for their achievements. Students who have been involved at
a high level in sports outside of school need to ensure that Mr Brad
Smith our Middle School Sports Coordinator (located in the Middle
School Staffroom), has this information.
Yours sincerely
Mike Loftus
Middle School Principal
FROM THE DESK OF THE JUNIOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Dear Families
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Fun Run
Congratulations to all the
runners who successfully
completed the Mini Fun Run
last Friday. It was very well
supported and the children
thoroughly
enjoyed
the
opportunity to be active and
test their fitness with the
number of laps they could complete of our track. Thank you to Karen for all
her work coordinating the event and to Darcy, Camille, Heather and all
other staff who helped setup. We look forward to running the event again
next year.
Disco
A huge thankyou to Cathy and Amy for
organising a fantastic disco event for our
children. The night was full of entertainment and
was complemented by having a food van. The
disco theme was highlighted by the addition of
lights, decorations, disco ball and music. I
would like pass on a big thank you to all the
staff who attended on the night to help
supervise.
Year 3 Excursion to Teneriffe and New Farm
By Kate Willacy and 3S …
On Tuesday 28 October, we went on a short bus ride to the Brisbane River
because we were looking at what was in, on and beside the river. We saw
a police boat, ferries and Citycats. We walked along the bank and stopped
for lunch near a small playground and a big fig tree. On the way we saw a
lot of old wool stores, now turned into apartments. Then we walked to the
Powerhouse and had a look. From the Powerhouse we walked to New
Farm Park and had our snack. We surveyed six people about the
significance of New Farm Park, then had a play at the adventure
playground. We walked to the end of New Farm Park and, at two o’clock,
took a bus ride back to school.
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Semester Overview on College website for changed dates due to
G20)
Year 10 Business Technology (BTY102A) – Documents and Design
(Theory Text on 4 November; Practical Tasks Folio from 10
November; see Semester Overview on College website for
changed dates due to G20)
Year 11 ICT SAS (ICT111A) – Network Fundamentals (Thematic
Task in class from 22 October)
Year 11 and 12 Information Processing and Technology (IPT112A;
IPT122A) – Web Based Algorithms and Programming (End of
Semester exam in exam blocks)
VET Students (VCM and VTY) are currently working towards
finalising units of competency in their Certificate II. Year 12 students
need to finalise all units prior to the exam block unless additional
time is negotiated with their class teacher.
A reminder that all semester overviews which include assessment dates
can be found on the College website (link on the home page).
With the recent review of Australia’s national curriculum, it is anticipated
that our existing Year 9-12 ICT subjects will continue to follow their
current work programs at this point in time. With the recent decision to
introduce a Year 8 ICT elective in 2015, we will shortly be finalising
details of a course. The course will be engaging for students with a
focus on game and mobile application development. More information
about this subject will be provided once it is available.
A special congratulations to Mr Johnstone and the Year 12 IPT students
for their excellent results leading up to the Year 12 verification process.
Apart from fantastic results, the verification panel provided positive
feedback on assessment instruments used and decisions made in
relation to the placement of students in the relevant levels of
achievement.
If you have any questions regarding the Middle and Senior School ICT
curriculum program, please contact Sue Isbell on 3552 7333 or email
sisbe2@eq.edu.au
Proposed 2015 BYOx Program Update
The Middle School Principal, Mike Loftus, will shortly be communicating
with College families regarding the outcome of the consultation process.
Any further enquiries can be directed to BYOx@kelvingrovesc.eq.edu.au
Sue Isbell
HOD Teaching and eLearning
SCIENCE NEWS
Warm regards
Damien Greig
Junior School Principal
ELEARNING NEWS
ICT Curriculum Program
Our Middle and Senior School students are now well and truly into their
final units for the year which include:
 Year 9 Information and Communication Technologies (ICT092A) –
Programming and Robotics (Group Major Project from 28 October)
 Year 10 Information Technology (ITY102A) – Mobile Applications
Development (Extended Response – Folio from 6 November; see
Science in the Spotlight
Outstanding Teacher of Science Award
Congratulations must go to Ms Lynn Lancaster, our wonderful Year 6
teacher, who has won a Peter Doherty Award for excellence in science
teaching. This prestigious award recognises teachers who display
exemplary science teaching practices. As the leader of Kelvin Grove’s
environmental committee, Lynn has demonstrated an amazing passion
for the development of our schools’ natural physical environment. She is
always keen to bring real life science into the classroom with students
from her classes being involved in “I’m a Scientist, Get me Out of Here”,
the Kids’ S.T.E.M conference and NATA Young Scientist of the Year
Award.
STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics)
STEM CONVENTION: South East Queensland
10 Middle School students entered their projects across 7 categories in
this competition centred on the Year of Crystallography. KG students
Michelle Shilby and Kylian Roy were deserved winners of two categories:
Individual Project and the Crystallography Award. Henry Carlsen was
runner up. Other participants were Lochlan Ryan, Rosa Flynn-Smith,
Angus Greenwood, Bailey Holden, Damien O'Regan-Mals, Sanya Alam,
Cooper Jones, Amelie Badcock and Anthony Tenaglia who also amazed
the judges with their projects.
Parenting and Bullying
Warm and positive family relationships can help buffer young people
from the negative consequences associated with being bullied. Young
people who receive high parental support, report fewer depressive
symptoms than those receiving low parental support, regardless of
whether they are the ones engaged in bullying behaviour or the target.
CHEMISTRY WALL AT THE QUT CUBE
Kelvin Grove teachers and students have played an integral part in the
development of the Chem World which was created for The Cube at QUT;
providing an inspiring, explorative and participatory experience of
chemistry and its fundamentals. Of the three inter-actives it was our Year
10 students who conceived both the fireworks and the rocket launcher.
Declan Antcliff, Danielle Grother, Jesse Mason, Sara Waak, Arabella
Mundie, Emma Turner and Juyoung Park were ambassadors for the
official launch and impressed the QUT Chancellors and the Minister with
their creativity and inspiring endeavours.
If bullying is occurring or suspected, don’t ignore it – the consequences
can be serious – ask your young person how they are, listen and take
their feelings and fears seriously. You can:
BIOLOGY EXCURSION YEAR 11
Our Year 11 biologists will be visiting Tinchi Tamba Mangrove Wetlands
and Osprey House to learn about the importance this area plays. These
areas are a nursery for the Bay's fish, prawns and crabs — the basis of an
important commercial and recreational fishery. As a wildlife refuge Tinchi
Tamba provides an important feeding and resting place for migratory
shore birds from the northern hemisphere escaping the harsh winter.
Some birds migrate annually from as far away as the Siberia, Alaska,
Japan and China.
Karen Gosney
HOD Science
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Ways parents can help improve their child’s self-esteem (these tips
may a big difference).
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SCHOOL BASED POLICE OFFICER NEWS
Bullying
Raising sensitive issues and working out what to do can be challenging
when you think a young person you know may be being bullied. It can be
difficult to know when to give advice, when to push an issue, when to back
off and when to seek help. Family and friends play a critical role in
supporting young people involved in, or experiencing bullying. It’s
important to manage your own feelings so you can work through the
issues together in a constructive manner.
Four key ways you can help:
1. Be supportive: be consistent, ask questions and cultivate trust
2. Be involved: show that you are interested in young people’s life,
friendships, and hobbies
3. Establish and maintain good communication: ask open ended
questions and listen
4. Be prepared to seek help: establish a support system and remember
that help is available.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is the intentional (often repeated) intimidating behaviour by an
individual or group against another person or group. Bullying is not simply
‘part of growing up’; it is a destructive issue that can have serious effects
on a young person’s physical and mental health. Bullying takes many
forms and can occur in a real (face to face) or virtual (online) environment.
Face to face bullying can be verbal, physical, relational (social), or indirect
(involving a third person).
Cyber bullying involves intimidating/degrading behaviour via technology
such as text messages, email, chat rooms, and social networking sites
such as Facebook Snapchat, Twitter and Kick. This enables the bullying to
occur outside of the school yard; 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Bullying is a complex and dynamic issue and individuals may at different
times (or in different situations) be the target, the perpetrator or the
bystander in relation to bullying behaviour.
Normalise any feelings of embarrassment, hurt or fear
Reassure them that bullying is not their fault and that they are not
responsible for what is happening to them
Make sure they are safe. Sometimes this may require taking action
they are not happy with. Have a conversation if this might be the
case
Try to give them as many options as possible to find solutions so
they feel more in control. Solving problems, with your support, can
increase self-esteem
Work on improving the young person’s confidence by building on
the things they do well
Help them feel good about other things in their lives
Reassure them that they are not alone, it shouldn’t be the
responsibility of your young person to ‘do something’ about the
situation by themselves, report it to the school and School Based
Police Officer in extreme cases.
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Be careful of what you say and how you say it. Kids can be very
sensitive to parents or others words, often becoming embarrassed
over the slightest thing. Reward effort and completion over outcome.
Be a positive role model. If you’re excessively harsh on yourself,
pessimistic or unrealistic about your abilities, your children may
mirror you one day. Therefore try to use warmth and humour to
help your kids learn about themselves in a positive way and let
them know that being different or unique is ok. Nurture your own
self-esteem and they’ll have a great role model.
Identify and redirect inaccurate beliefs. It’s important for parents to
identify kids’ irrational beliefs about themselves whether it be about
perfection, attractiveness, ability or anything else. Helping kids set
more accurate standards for themselves and be more realistic in
evaluating themselves will help them have a healthy self-concept.
Be spontaneous and affectionate. Your love will help boost your
child’s self-esteem. Give hugs and tell your kids you are proud of
them. Give praise often and honesty without over doing it.
Give positive and accurate feedback. Saying things like “you always
work yourself up into that frenzy!” Will make kids feel like they have
no control over their outbursts.
Create a safe and loving home environment. Kids who don’t feel
safe or are abused at home not only physically but verbally are at
greatest risk for developing poor self-esteem.
Let’s all work together at home for happier healthier children.
Kind regards
Your School Based Police Officer
Acting Senior Constable Bronwynn Reaich
GOLF EXCELLENCE NEWS
Our Senior Golf Team have performed well throughout the year; being
placed second behind Hills International in the Queensland Intercollegiate
Golf Association events. Individually, Zac Maxwell finished 17th and
Keegan Short 18th out of a male field of over 80 golfers. Our best
performer overall was Hazel Martin who shot 75 in the final event at
Indooroopilly on October 13th to win the net prize and gain selection into
the three girl Intercollegiate team.
What I Am
Reading Now
At the Sports Excellence Graduation Dinner the awards for fitness and
golfing ability were presented. Dominic Falkowski received the shield for
winning the Matchplay Championship while Kieran Homer won the Human
Fusion Award for his efforts in fitness training. Hazel Martin won the Order
of Merit for her performances over the year and, for the second year in a
row, she won the Bill Kennedy Award as the best overall student in the
Golf Excellence Program.
The Greg Norman Rural Golf Development Week at the College was held
from 15th – 19th September. Five young, talented golfers from all parts of
Queensland came to Brisbane to experience the Golf Excellence Program.
In addition to receiving expert tuition from Garry Calder at Indooroopilly
Golf Club the visitors played eighteen holes at Keperra Golf Club and
enjoyed golf specific fitness training in the gymnasium at the College.
While the focus was to exhibit an overall sample of what is offered in the
program, the students were also ‘buddied up’ with partners who helped
them negotiate the academic side of the week.
What I am reading now is:
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
This book is about:
After a few days acclimatizing to their new surroundings, the visitors
became more relaxed and by the end of the week had made new friends
and didn’t want to return home. The Greg Norman Rural initiative was very
successful this year and it is hoped more young golfers will apply next year
to take up this great opportunity.
A girl who one day saw her picture on a milk carton as a “kidnapped
child”. Is she Janie Johnson or Jennie Johnson? Are her parents really
her parents? She doesn’t know!
Duncan Linscott
Golf Excellence Coordinator
For the ones who like kidnapping or family stories.
ENGLISH
Spread the Word
Last week, the inaugural schools edition of local literary publication
OnePage: Brisbane was launched. The magazine aims to promote
excellence in creative writing across our city. The outstanding creativity of
KG writers has been recognised, with nine of our students accepted as
contributors to the magazine. Congratulations to Molly Sanders-Dwyer,
Charis Webb, Morgan Larkin, Hai Xia Wang Pole, Thu Nguyen, Stella
Pahor, Sonia Singh, Ivy Roberts and Megan Kirkby. The magazine is
available via the iTunes app store and online via
http://onepagebrisbane.com.au/
Adam Davy
HOD English
Homestay Families Needed
KGSC International Program requires Homestay families for new
students arriving in 2015.
These students are coming from China, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Japan
and Korea and will be staying between 3 months and 2+ years.
Homestay fees are $263.00p/wk.
Please
email
Helen
Baxter
(Homestay
Co-Ordinator)
baxtergh@bigpond.com for any information.
I’d recommend this book: