grammar quarterly term 1, 2015
DESCRIPTION
Sunshine Coast Grammar School Quarterly MagazineTRANSCRIPT
Term 1, 2015
QUALITY TEACHING:
FOCUS ON STUDENT
OUTCOMESDEVELOPING
ACTIVE THINKING
TOP MARKS FOR
GRAMMAR SENIORS
GRAMMAR
WELCOMES 93 NEW FAMILIES
WORLD CHAMPION
VISITS GRAMMAR
MONDAY 20 APRIL TO FRIDAY 19 JUNE
25 April ANZAC Day; Senior Concert
Band at Buderim
28 April Parent Teacher interviews
Yr 7-12
30 April Parent Teacher interviews
Yr 7-12
5 May Primary & Secondary District
Cross Country
7 May P&F Mother’s Day Stall
8 May Year 12 Formal
8 May Prep to Year 2 Mother’s
Afternoon
12-14 May 3,5,7,9 Naplan Testing
15 May P-3 Disco
15 May Grammar Rugby Golf Day
22 May Primary Athletics Carnival
24 May Primary School Family Chapel
Service at 4.30pm
30 May Rugby Jeans and Jersey Evening
2 June Foundation Day
3 June Year 4 Camp
4 June Year 4 Camp
8 June Queen’s Birthday Holiday
11 June Grandparents Day
12 June Nambour Show Holiday
DATE CLAIMERS TERM 2
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GRAMMAR CONNECT
Six-time World Surfing Champion Stephanie Gilmore headed back to school to announce a world record attempt for the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon.
On Tuesday, 16 March, Stephanie Gilmore joined over 500 students at Sunshine
Coast Grammar to announce the under 16’s Sanitarium Weet-Bix TRYathlon
series is set to become the biggest on the planet with over 40,000 kids planning
to swim, ride and run their way into the 2015 World Record Books.
Close to 1,000 Sunshine Coast children will have the opportunity to swim,
ride and run their way around the specifically designed course at the Kawana
Aquatic & Leisure Centre and Stockland Park on Sunday 24 May 2015. To
register visit www.try.weetbix.com.au.
STEPHANIE GILMORE VISITS GRAMMAR
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TERM DATES 2015Term One 27 January - 1 AprilTerm Two 20 April - 19 JuneTerm Three 13 July - 18 SeptemberTerm Four 6 October - 3 December
SOCIAL MEDIATo stay up to date with all the latest news and events at Grammar follow us on
QUICK CONTACTS372 Mons Road, Forest Glen, Queensland 4556 Australiatelephone +61 7 5445 4444 facsimile +61 7 5445 4345email [email protected] web www.scgs.qld.edu.au
Business Directory. Join the Grammar business community online and list your business for FREE by heading to www.scgs.qld.edu.au/grammarconnect and complete the form for your free listing. ‘Connecting Grammar Businesses with our community’.
BUILDING COMMUNITIES
#GRAMMARPRIDEWe are excited to be launching our Grammar Pride Campaign this term, and we encourage you to get involved by sharing your proudest Grammar moments with us using the hashtag #Grammarpride and tagging us in your posts.
Happy Snapping!
In the Grammar community, the student voice is the most important voice to hear. After all, schools are about students and supporting, challenging and nurturing their capabilities and goals. So not only do we as educators need to ensure we engage the adults in our community, but we can also implement the same 4 key strategies of effective engagement
with our students.
Inform – students have a right to know what key initiatives are being implemented in a school and why. For example, technology programs such as BYOD – Bring Your Own Devices or 1:1 programs directly impact on the student, so they should be part of the process of the ‘why’ the school is moving in a particular direction. If we want the support from parents, we certainly need it from students who will be the direct users of these initiatives. If students know the ‘what’ of a project or change and the ‘why’, they can become the champions of change and assist the school in the ‘how’ to move forward.
Consult – Students thrive in environments where they can be a genuine voice in what is going on. What opportunities can be created in the curriculum for students to negotiate and design authentic tasks. This is certainly not a new concept, but where we have deliberately sought student advice, comment and opinion on how we can improve/enhance the learning environment. At Grammar, students are an integral part of the feedback process on curriculum, learning tasks and activities as well as seeking input on how to engage students more effectively in the learning process.
Involve – Students are seeking more opportunities to develop their leadership capabilities and be directly involved in exciting initiatives. Where can they share their particular talents, passions and build their skillsets and how does the school know what their students have to offer? Schools are only limited by their imagination and thinking. Students already peer tutor, assistant in coaching sporting and debating teams, older students mentor younger students, and work tirelessly driving charity fundraising in the broader community. The list is endless. What strategies can we instigate to capture the information about what students are interested in and who are the key people in your community who can assist students and foster this incredible opportunity. This is an area we have really brought to the fore as a flagship venture for our students. Their drive, passion, selfless attitudes and their genuine commitment to servant leadership is a unique characteristic of this school. So many local, state and indeed international agencies are very proud to work collaboratively with Sunshine Coast Grammar School.
Partner – We work alongside students in many particular projects and initiatives within each of our school communities. At the heart of great learning and connectedness to a community is the strength of the relationship. Educators know that the positive and respectful relationships with students underpin the framework for creating an emotionally safe, intellectually challenging and happy learning environment. As teaching and learning in the 21st century utilises and embraces digital technologies as important educational tools. In the 21st century teaching and learning environment we have recognised that our students are growing up in a world where digital technologies are a daily part of life and young people have different expectations of school, teachers and how they can learn and work. New technologies have transformed our society.
We must be contemporary in our practices and thinking if we are to educate and support students in a hyper-connected world. The feedback from our students has indicated that the teaching and learning is transforming and our students are highly engaged in the new opportunities at their fingertips. There are so many opportunities to partner with our students in how we utilise technologies to communicate, collaborate, create, design, problem-solve. It is exciting times in how teachers and students work together. Technology is transforming partnerships in new and innovative ways.
“It is not enough to simply listen to student voice. Educators have an ethical imperative to do something with students, and that is why meaningful student involvement is vital to school improvement.”
Adam Fletcher
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The release of OP results recently has once again seen seniors at Sunshine Coast Grammar School achieve excellent academic results. The 2014 cohort exceeded all expectations, outperforming previous years and recording the best academic results for the School to date including five OP 1s.
The statistics indicate that 32.46 percent of Grammar students
secured an OP between 1-5 and 95.61 percent between 1-15.
Results were well above the State average of 20.51 percent (1-5)
and 79.26 percent (1-15).
Principal, Mrs Maria Woods has commended scholars including
the five OP1 recipients on their hard work, dedication and
commitment to excellence.
“When the educational research indicates that the biggest
impact on student learning is the influence of teachers, we
would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts
of our staff who continue to be driven by a true passion for
their profession,” said Mrs Woods.
“At Sunshine Coast Grammar School we are focused on
developing a mindset for the future and assisting students to
find passion and purpose in all that they do.”
“These results and indeed all the achievements from
throughout the year – be it in the classroom, on the sporting
field, in the community or on stage – reflect the breadth of
opportunity available and importantly, the depth of each
students’ individual endeavour.”
“Congratulations to the Class of 2014, we look forward to
following our seniors, now Grammar Alumni, as they move
beyond the school gates to commence the next stage of their
adventure.”
TOP MARKS FOR GRAMMAR SENIORS
SCHOOL LEADERS AND SCHOLARS ASSEMBLY2014 graduates who achieved an OP1-5 were acknowledged at the annual Scholars Assembly held in Grammar Hall earlier this term. The schools’ teaching and management staff were excited to welcome the scholars’ back to Grammar for the assembly, sharing in and celebrating the students’ success whether they taught them in Year One, coached them in the 1st XV Rugby or guided them through their final years of schooling.
The special assembly also congratulated and
acknowledged our 2015 school leaders and prefects
and awarded them their 2015 leader badges.
Secondary School Captains
Elke Jansen and Callan Morgan
Secondary Vice-Captains
Molly Osborne and Jordan Vieira
Primary School Captains
Erin Blond and Aydan Rusev
Primary Vice-Captains
Arabella Henderson Thomas Reid
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teachers advising they want to be in a particular
colleagues classroom to improve a specific strategy or
further develop their own knowledge about a curriculum
initiative in action.
8. Lead and undertake coaching and mentoring to support
important conversations about practice and to learn the
specific skillsets required to have those conversations with
colleagues to improve practice.
9. We work intentionally on building a culture that
supports collaboration, mentoring of teachers and
providing feedback that improves practice.
Grammar has a very clear Vision for Learning – the
principles that underpin our teaching and learning
practices. Each teacher reflects and reviews their
performance annually against our Vision for Learning
Principles and the Australian Standards for Teachers. This
is undertaken in consultation with their direct supervisor
before they then plan their goals for the following year.
For Grammar teachers there is no greater joy than assisting
students to develop, perform and achieve individual goals
and personal aspirations.
Students ignite the passion for us and strengthen our
purpose.
How do we this at Grammar?
1. Supported by contemporary educational research,
we know the biggest positive factor influencing student
achievement is the quality of our teachers.
2. We invest in teacher development and support teachers
to undertake professional learning that builds their
skillsets, knowledge and capabilities.
3. Teachers are encouraged to experiment new learning
particularly in the use of technology given this is the world
for children of the 21st Century.
4. Teachers set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic, time specific) goals that are carefully planned and
executed throughout the year.
5. Teachers engage in meaningful professional
conversations with their supervisors and each other about
student progress and achievement.
6. We build teacher capability so that colleagues can
give each other genuine feedback about the teaching and
learning environments being created.
7. Collecting evidence of quality teaching – videos,
teachers offering to share their expertise with colleagues.
A really effective learning tool for teachers has been
QUALITY TEACHING: AN INTENTIONAL FOCUS ON IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMESEach year at Grammar, we have an intentional focus on improving and enhancing student outcomes. Student achievement and student success is a key strategic driver. Our goal is to nurture and appropriately challenge each student P-12 to give their very best to become their very best.
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Last year, two students from Grammar applied for
these grants and have recently been notified they were
successful in receiving grants of $2500 each.
Cassie Lee is an outstanding Surf Live Saving competitor
with multiple State, National and International titles to her
name. She travels across Australia and abroad to compete
and regularly needs to update her equipment, which can
be very expensive. Cassie is a very deserving recipient of
a Sporting Grant through the Youth Development Program
(YDP).
Elke Jansen, our current School Captain, has an
outstanding record of academic endeavour, servant
leadership and community service. Elke was awarded a
grant for Community Leadership and Civic Participation
through the YDP. She will be using her grant to pursue
further opportunities in these areas during 2015.
Both Cassie and Elke have now been invited to, and plan
to attend, a leadership forum at Bond University for all
award recipients offered by the RSL and Bond University.
Other high achieving students who are currently in Years
10 and 11 may wish to consider the program later this year
for the 2016 grants, to help them pursue their passions and
goals. Bond University and the RSL are working together
in this program to help young people bring ambition to life.
RSL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The RSL Youth Development Program has been designed to recognise and reward the efforts of high-achieving Queensland students. The program is offered through the combined efforts and resources of the RSL (Queensland Branch) and Bond University. Grants of $2500 and $5000 are awarded annually to Year 10 and 11 Queensland students who have demonstrated academic, sporting, community and civic leadership achievements.
A VISION FOR CONNECTING LOCAL YOUTH IN RSLFor many years, Nambour RSL sub-branch has had the vision of connecting local youth with the RSL in as many ways as possible. From Community Link badges, to involving the local student leaders in ANZAC Day proceedings, sub-branch Secretary Bill Sawrey has embodied this vision, including the latest initiative of the Nambour RSL sub-branch the ‘Spirit of Mateship’ award.
The RSL Sub-Branch executive decided to introduce this
award to a Year 11 student from each of the five High
Schools in Nambour’s immediate area.
The award criteria are:
1) A student who exhibits a strong work ethic (this
student would not necessarily attain high grades)
2) A student who exhibits care for fellow students and
teaching staff (e.g. the student may tutor younger students
without receiving accolades for doing so)
3) A student who exhibits a strong sense of community
(e.g. to be involved in fundraising for the disadvantaged
either in Australia or overseas)
At the end of 2014 Cara Schultz was awarded this prize
at Sunshine Coast Grammar School. Perpetual shields
were made and presented to the schools at the Award
Presentation Night where she received an embossed glass
trophy and a $500 cheque.
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The move from Year Six to Seven is an exciting time for students. Over many years the Year Seven team have implemented a Transition program which gradually introduces students to Secondary Schooling. Year Seven has been developed so that students experience a hybrid model of education, one in which the differences between Primary and Secondary school are minimised. Students are taught by a smaller number of teachers than traditional models and are based in their own courtyard for a large proportion of their classes.
Throughout the year, various initiatives are in place to ensure that Year Sevens have the best opportunity to adapt academically and socially to a new environment. A specific focus is dedicated towards organisation so that students are able to develop greater independence in their learning. Several strategies used are outlined below:
• Students are shown how to correctly setup their locker and how to colour code stationery for each subject.
• Assessment and subject planners are provided to students at the beginning of each term.
• A list is provided on the locker door showing what materials are needed for each subject.
• Students are shown how to manage and coordinate files on their tablet.
• Students are shown how to correctly use their diary.
For parents, regular emails are sent to inform about events and important news. At the beginning of each term parents also receive the Assessment planner to assist their child with upcoming tasks. There is also a parent information evening held at the beginning of the year.
Each child belongs to a Form Class, led by a dedicated Form Teacher who will also teach the class for between one and up to three subjects. This quite often results in Year Seven students encountering fewer teachers than older year levels. The Form Teacher delivers a pastoral program in the mornings, focusing on age related issues such as cybersafety, resilience, relationships and the aforementioned organisation skills. This person is also the first point of contact for home and for the convenience of students is also located in the Year Seven courtyard.
To further assist students to settle in, the following initiatives are held throughout the year:
• Currimundi Camp where students get to know staff and develop further friendships.
• Year 11 Mentor program where students are mentored once a week for a semester.
• Weekly help sessions are available for students who require extra assistance or extension.
• Lunchtime House activities
• Student academic reviews
THE TRANSITION FROM YEAR SIX TO SEVENGETTING IT RIGHT.
Where Passion Meets Purpose
Learning Now and For the Future
Thinking. Discovering. Creating.
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Once again this year it was truly a day of celebration.
Our whole school assembly is always the focus of the day
and it was wonderful to see students and staff embracing
the theme of New Zealand in an array of outfits to give
the day a really festive and positive ambiance. Some
Primary classes had been busily preparing maori masks
and headbands which looked fantastic. Our Language
Ambassadors were our hosts for the morning and we
were all enthralled by the multi-lingual school prayer
which is such a unique way to embrace the cultures and
backgrounds of all. The Haka had to feature as part of our
assembly as did the performance of a Maori stick game to
a traditional folksong by 6SF.
Our inter-house poi spinning competition was certainly
entertaining and our House Leaders did a great job of
mastering the art thanks to the coaching skills of Ms
Gilpin. Students across Primary and Secondary put their
creative hats on and produced some amazing posters to
represent the culture and art of New Zealand and award
winners were presented on assembly. At lunchtime
students were able to try some yummy delights from the
Tuck Shop; fush n chups, hokey pokey ice cream and lolly
cake! There were some international rugby and netball
games where teams of Australian students took on their
New Zealand counterparts in some fiercely contested
matches – watch out the Diamonds and All Blacks!
The form and class quizzes rounded off a busy week as
students researched and investigated facts about the real
New Zealand for a class prize.
Thank you to all members of the school community who
continue to support us in our endeavors to acknowledge
the different backgrounds and cultures of all of our
students and families.
ECUMENICAL SERVICEOur annual Ecumenical Chapel Service was
held at Pacific Lutheran College recently. It
was wonderful to take our Prefect Cohort who
enjoyed the chance to worship with other
students and hear an interesting message
about how Religion and Science can co-exist.
Our school captains Elke and Callan prayed a
beautiful blessing at the close of the Service.
INTERNATIONAL DAY 2015-NEW ZEALANDKia ora! Each year the Language Faculty organise and host International Day for both our Primary and Secondary students. The focus of the day is to celebrate and recognise the backgrounds of students and families within our community to help foster inclusion and awareness of different cultures.
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New horizons await the students of Sunshine Coast Grammar School as our tour to Timor-Leste, from 18 to 26 September approaches. The tour is being organised by Mr Ben Princehorn and Pastor Jon Taylor, who also organises Grammar Helping Hands (GHH); a group within the school that promotes servant leadership within the Sunshine Coast Community.
The tour-group, comprised of students from Years 11
and 12 along with Mr Princehorn, Pastor Taylor and Mrs
Woods, Principal of Sunshine Coast Grammar School, will
be collaborating with ‘Destination Dreaming’ to build
relationships with and serve the rural community in the
Maliana region - a mountainous area near the border with
Indonesia.
Throughout the tour, students will gain experience
travelling overseas, experiencing differences in culture
and understanding the challenges faced by the local
community.
“For staff and students at Grammar the traditional
classroom environment really is a thing of the past. We
now see ‘learning’ in the traditional sense taking place
everywhere we look.” says Mr Ben Princehorn.
“We really feel that this tour will continue to expand
our learning horizons in new and exciting ways. Most
importantly though we know that there is so much we
can learn from those who live in a country as diverse as
Timor-Leste.”
In the vein of previous events where Grammar Helping
Hands has served the community, the tour is also focused
on assisting the local communities.
“Grammar has had a long and proud history of serving
others. GHH was established as a platform for giving
and care of those in our community but has grown to
encompass much more in terms of servant and community
leadership. To assist those in communities in Timor-Leste
is really just an extension of this in many ways,” says Mr
Princehorn.
By Callan Morgan and Molly Osborne
INTERNATIONAL DAY 2015-NEW ZEALAND
CoreED CoreEd 101 are offering students in Years 4, 5 and 6 a new
extra-curricular activity which supports, enriches and
extends the school curriculum, in particular, the areas of
information and communications technology, digital literacy
and entrepreneurial skills.
Students will be involved in hands-on, interactive tasks,
designed to experience and discover various essential
skills such as collaboration, self-reliance, responsibility,
researching, cooperation, contribution, adaptability, critical
thinking and creative problem solving.
The aim of CoreEd is to engage and inspire students to
collaborate, problem solve and create innovative solutions to
real world challenges through a variety of digital literacy and
entrepreneurship extra-curricular programs and our mission
is to become the national training and certifying authority at
the forefront of global education in ICT, digital literacy and
entrepreneurship.
EXTRAS EXPO At Sunshine Coast Grammar School we offer a tremendous
number of extra-curricular activities for students to get
involved in. These range from sport and community service to
performing arts and extra-curricular academic pursuits. The
Extras Expo held in Term 1 of each year provides students and
parents with information on a wide range of offerings in one
place where they can find out more about an activity or sign
on to their favourite team.
GRAMMAR STUDENTS ABROAD
TIMOR-LESTE
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This term our Visual Art students celebrated Gratitude Week,
with an artist in residence, De Greer-Yindimincarlie from
Yindi Artz, who ran a number of workshops across both
Primary and Secondary.
GRATITUDE WEEK
In the lead up to International Women’s Day, our Principal, Mrs Maria Woods was invited by the Defence Force to speak to aspiring young women about leadership in the community.
Two of our student leaders were also invited to attend
the high tea event where they got to learn about what
makes a good leader, how to lead and influence and
the barriers faced in becoming successful leaders.
Grammar was once again represented with pride and
our students got to take home some valuable lessons.
ASPIRING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP FORUM
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LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON INSPIRES YOUNG LEADERSSunshine Coast Grammar School welcomed the Secondary School leaders from their associated PMSA (Presbyterian and Methodist School’s Association) Schools; Brisbane Boys’ College, Somerville House and Clayfield College for the annual PMSA Captains’ Luncheon on Tuesday, 24 February.
It was a wonderful opportunity for the leaders from
the four schools to get to know each other, learn about
different leadership styles and share their experiences.
Sunshine Coast Grammar School Principal, Mrs Maria
Woods congratulated all of the 2015 leaders on their
appointment and believes it is an honour not only to
represent your school but be a part of something bigger.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to meet like-
minded students and collaborate with other leaders who
may be faced with similar challenges,” said Mrs Woods.
“Getting together with other leaders in an informal setting
like this will help build lasting relationships between
students and enable them to learn from one another.”
To conclude the day, PMSA leaders toured the school and
learnt a little bit more about what makes Grammar unique
from its Brisbane counterparts.
Sunshine Coast Grammar School joined the PMSA in
2005 and has since had a strong association with the
other schools.
It was a full house at the Secondary Mother Son breakfast
recently. This event is a wonderful opportunity for our
Grammar mums to take some time out and share breakfast
with their boys while being entertained in a relaxed
environment. It was great to see so many of our students
enjoying a chat and laugh.
MOTHER SON BREAKFAST
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YEAR 7 CAMP
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Year 11 and 12 Visual Art students had a tremendous experience on Monday 16 February. Twenty one students visited three galleries- Caloundra Art Gallery, Holloway Gallery at Moffat Beach and University Sunshine Coast Art Gallery. Students were fortunate to have the Gallery curators from each gallery speak to them about the exhibitions on display. At Caloundra Art Gallery the exhibition, ‘Digital Disruption’, showcased new media, design innovation and future thinking through art. At Holloway Art Gallery the students were
welcomed with the ‘blue carpet’ treatment, bubbles of lemonade in champagne glasses and red berets. The students were made to feel very special, and the artist, Kyarna, spoke to the students about her artworks. At Sunshine Coast University the students were given the opportunity to view ‘Telling Stories: the illustrated book’ and ‘Drift of impure thoughts: Kym Tabulo”. All the students reported on how fortunate they were to have this opportunity to view such creative work.
SUNSHINE COAST GALLERIES OPEN THEIR DOORS TO OUR SENIORS
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Once upon a time Primary School age children would ‘cut
and paste’ a range of materials and held their creations
together with glue, using scissors, paper and sticky glue.
Today’s students ‘cut and paste’ from a range of exciting
ICT programs, but what skills do they need to ‘glue’ this
together?
Today’s ‘glue’ for our children is to be able to think;
both critically and creatively; to be innovative with
ideas and solutions. Thinking is the glue which ties the
understandings and skills together to be able to use them
effectively for the future.
But how do we teach children to ‘think’? What does
learning to ‘think’ involve? How can we make it visible
in the curriculum? What do teachers need their students
to know about thinking and be able to do? How do good
schools ensure their teachers know how to use a range of
thinking tools to teach thinking?
For Prep age students the teaching should focus on
teaching children to inquire, generate ideas and actions,
and consider alternatives. Good schools develop their
teachers to know how to provide their students with
learning tasks which will encourage children to;
• pose factual and exploratory questions based on
interests and experiences
• identify and describe familiar information and ideas
during a discussion
• clarify information and ideas
• gather similar information or depictions from given
sources
• predict what might happen in a given situation and
when putting ideas into action
• suggest alternative and creative ways to approach a
given situation or task
• imagine possibilities and connect ideas
• use imagination to view or create things in new ways
and connect two things that seem different
• describe what they are thinking and give reasons why
• connect information from one setting to another
• identify the main elements of the steps in a thinking
process
• apply logic and reasoning skills leading them to identify
the thinking used to solve problems in given situations.
It is no longer enough for children to be taught to read,
write, compute mathematical equations, and have social
skills. Becoming innovative and creative should be the
result of being taught what Active Thinking is so that
children know how to think critically and creatively.
Good schools should invest time and money to ensure
that teachers have the teaching tools to share with their
students so our children can take these skills into the 21st
Century and beyond.
By Genevieve Hudson - Asistant Head of Primary P2
DEVELOPING ACTIVE THINKINGMost parents of school age children will recently have been introduced to the phrases ‘21st Century Learning’, or ‘Preparing children for the 21st Century’. But what does that mean?
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Cassells Financial Planning Pty Ltd is a corporate Authorised Representative of Securitor Financial Group Ltd ABN 48 009 189 495 AFSL 240687
BUDERIM T: 07 5477 1100 F: 07 5477 1105. PO Box 1558. 34 Gloucester Rd, Buderim Q 4556
ACCOUNTING & TAXATIONAccounting, tax returns, bookkeeping
Tax StrategyCorporate Advisory - Structure/
PlanningStrategic PlanningAsset Protection
Business Due Diligence
SMSF SPECIALISTSAccounting, tax & audit
Borrowing in SuperFINANCIAL PLANNING
Investment AdviceRetirement & Estate Planning
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PRIMARY RESULTS: Lawson: 434
Bradman: 386
Sturt: 366
Chisholm: 277
Congratulations to Lawson for taking out the Primary Swimming Carnival and to Bradman for winning the Secondary Swimming Carnival.PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SWIMMING
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SECONDARY RESULTS: Bradman: 1909.5
Chisholm: 1735
Sturt: 1577
Lawson: 1535
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Congratulations to Mitchell Stitt.
He was named the Grammar
boy swimmer of the meet at the
Independent Carnival and went on
to swim so well, he has qualified
for 6 events for the State Swimming
Championships to be held at
Chandler Swim Centre in Brisbane
March 23 – 25. Grammar wishes
you well Mitchell in the 200m
Individual medley, 100m freestyle,
100m & 50m Butterfly, 100m and
50m Breaststroke.
Two other students are off to the
State Swimming Championships
as well. Finn Prass will compete in
the 50m freestyle and backstroke
and Kasey Bond will compete in the
100m backstroke.
Congratulations to Lawson for taking out the Primary Swimming Carnival and to Bradman for winning the Secondary Swimming Carnival.PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SWIMMING
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Grammar Helping Hands (GHH) were proud to support the Surfrider
Foundation with a beach clean up this term as part of the annual Noosa
Festival of Surfing. The team collected more than 60kg of rubbish. It was
a great opportunity to show our appreciation of the work of this great
organisation and the work they do in protecting and caring for our natural
environment.
The Grammar Helping Hands Community Kitchen held its first cook up for 2015. The Community Kitchen is a fantastic opportunity allowing staff to contribute in a tangible and meaningful way by supporting those in the community who may find themselves in a difficult position. It is our aim to provide a range of meals to those in need throughout our community. Staff generously volunteer their time after school and meet each term to prepare and package a range of meals, which are then frozen and kept on hand for when the need arises.
GRAMMAR
T i m o r T o u r F u n d r a i s i n g E v e n t
Come and support the Timor Tour! Tickets are only $25 per person. Hot and cold finger food with a variety of drinks, all inclusive • Catering will be by the Year 11 Hospitality Students.
• Date: 1 May 6:00pm • Location: Grammar Hospitality Courtyard • Tickets can be purchased from Events Online www.scgs.qld.edu.au • All enquires: Pastor Jon Taylor 5445 4444 or [email protected]
We welcome you attending in support of the Global Awareness Timor Tour
TIMOR TOUR COMMUNITY EVENT
GRAMMAR
T i m o r T o u r F u n d r a i s i n g E v e n t T i m o r T o u r F u n d r a i s i n g E v e n t
Friday 1st May 2015 Arrive 5.30pm for 6.00pm start | location TBC
Cost $40 per head | Tickets can be purchased from Events Online at www.scgs.qld.edu.au/events All proceeds to support the SCGS Timor Tour
Hot & cold finger food with a variety of drinks all-inclusive Catered for by the Year 11 Hospitality Students
Enquiries: Pastor Jon Taylor 5445 4444 | [email protected]
Come and support the Timor Tour!
GRAMMAR HELPING HANDS COOK UP
GHH BEACH CLEAN UP
SHAVE FOR A CUREThank you to all those who got on board to support Team Adem and help raise much needed funds for the Leukaemia Foundation World’s Greatest Shave recently.
Team Adem’s 2015 World’s Greatest Shave Campaign looks to have raised well over $70,000. Placing them as Queensland’s top fundraisers and in the best 3 nationally. Since 2011, with the generous support of the community Team Adem has raised almost $500,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland.
All money that you helped us raise goes directly to patient support and vital blood cancer research.
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Our music tutors performed their annual
Music Tutors Concert for students and
parents alike. As always it was a fabulous
event with a huge variety of styles
performed throughout the concert. We
have an amazingly talented team of music
tutors and the standard of performances
were a wonderful testimony to the calibre
of musicians they each are. Thank you to
the members of the Music Support Group
who assisted in setting up and catering
refreshments for the event. As usual, it
was a wonderfully elegant event and if you
weren’t there you missed out!
It is with great pleasure that we announce our Music Captains for
2015 are Angus Donaldson and Emily Jackson. Congratulations
Angus and Emily; we look forward to a wonderful year of strong
leadership from you both and wish you both well in your positions.
MUSIC CAPTAINS
MUSIC CAMPOn Friday 27 February 64 students and three staff headed
to Currimundi Recreation Centre for our annual Music
Camp. After 15 hours of rehearsal across three days, beach
activities, barefoot bowls under lights, and some award
winning gelato ice-cream, our students performed a brief
but wonderful concert for their parents and family in the
afternoon of Sunday 1 March. A huge thank you goes to
all students who attended. You can be extremely proud of
your commitment to rehearsals, care for each other and
staff, and all round great behaviour. A huge thank you also
goes to the staff who attended; Mrs Warren for her help
with senior choir, Mrs Heaton in her role as accompanist,
and Mr Bond for his work with the band, the choir and
the Chapel group. A fantastic team effort! A special thank
you goes to Mrs Saunders-Brugnatti for her strong admin
support, and to the members of the Music Support Group
who attended the concert to assist in disseminating
information. Well done everybody.
DR BRENDA HEYWORTHWe were fortunate to have Dr Brenda
Heyworth come and speak with many
of our parents about our children’s
emotion and behaviours.
Dr Heyworth is a child and adolescent
psychiatrist who has transformed
her knowledge and experience into a
parenting approach that makes sense.
She has developed a ‘jungle’ analogy
for understanding children’s emotions
and behaviour with implications for
understanding adults as well. An
entertaining speaker, her session was
very popular amongst parents.
MUSIC TUTORS CONCERT
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BACK TO SCHOOL FOR BAKER QUINTET
While the first day of school is often one filled with many emotions for both students and parents, this week was a real milestone for mum Felicia Deguara as she returned home after the school drop-off to an empty house for the first time in 14 years.
The five Baker children were excited to return to school today and for the youngest, Evie who was already quite familiar with the school routine, could not wait to join her older brothers as she put on her Prep uniform for the first time to begin her very own journey.
The back to school rush may have been a little more busy this year for the Baker family than most as they got ready to add one more to the school routine with their youngest of five starting Prep this term at Sunshine Coast Grammar School.
We were blessed to welcome 93 new families and 194 students to Grammar for the start of 2015 and we had the opportunity to meet many at our P&F New Parent Welcome Evening.
We do hope that all our families have had a wonderful start to
the year and look forward to seeing you out and about.
GRAMMAR WELCOMES 93 NEW FAMILIES
Congratulations to the 1st XV and 2nd XV for their wins against Shawnigan Lake from Canada earlier this term. The matches were tough and physical but the Grammar boys stood tall with size and power no match for speed and skill on the night.
1st XV - Grammar 32 def. Shawnigan 24
2nd XV - Grammar 33 def. Shawnigan 10
Congratulations must also go to our Grammar 1st XV players Matt, Tate and Charlie on their selection in the Reds U17 team to play the Waratahs U17s on Easter Saturday - an awesome achievement!
A record 11 Grammar players have also been selected in the Sunshine Coast U18 Schoolboy team at the regional trials. The boys will compete in the QLD State Championships in Townsville in May.
RUGBY SUCCESSG
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In a little over 12 months the School Plus Grammar Vacation
Care Program has been a real success story. The program
offers children a wide variety of play based activities with
the giant inflatable waterslide being a real hit with the
children over summer.
Permanent bookings for 2015 Before and After School Care
are also on the increase but places are limited, so if you are
interested in either the Outside School Hours Care Program
or the Vacation Care Program please enquire by emailing
OSHC INCREASES LICENSE TO MEET DEMANDOur Grammar Vacation Care program has been a huge success over the December – January holiday period with our provider School Plus having to increase their license to accommodate the demand.
A celebration of early childhood learningROMP IN THE FOREST
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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL TENNISGrammar students, Ethan, Patrick, Grace, Sean, Adrian and Connor were thrilled to be playing on the outside courts at the same time as the likes of Sharapova, Federer and other International Tennis Players.
For the first three days they were involved in a round robin (one of three) where 21 schools competed. On the final day the three groups played off for positions (based on the number of games they had won). Grammar played so well beating Brisbane Boys’ College in the final set of games to place 8th overall. An outstanding achievement and congratulations must go to Zoran and his coaches for mentoring the children over the years and supporting them to help the children achieve their potential in tournaments. The happiness was etched in their faces. Congratulations to each of you and we look forward to watching as you continue to improve.
Laura, Cassie and Dan were part of a 23 person Queensland Royal Life Saving Squad. They travelled to a cold, wet and windy Hobart in January to compete in the 2015 Australian Pool Life Saving Championships (APLSC).
Queensland won the following categories, just missing the top prize of Overall Champion Team by 24 points.
• First Mixed Team Initiative
• First Overall CPR Team
• First Overall Open Age Group
• First Overall Under 19 Age Group
• Overall Womens Team
Grammar was well represented with the following overall individual placings:
Dan – Under 14 – 6th Overall (2 medals) Laura – Under 16 – 7th Overall (7 medals) Cassie – Under 19 – 9th Overall (7 medals)
Combining the Annual Australian Pool Life Saving Championships with 100 Years of The Royal Life Saving Society Tasmania Branch proved to be a very successful event for all involved.
GRAMMAR AT THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN POOL LIFE SAVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
NATIONAL ATHLETICSGrammar is proud to have five students representing the Queensland Athletics Team at National Juniors in Sydney.
The Australian Juniors Athletics Championships will be held at Sydney Olympic Park on 11 – 14 March and we would like to wish Patrick, Alexander, Clancy, Ashleigh, Amy and Jaime all the very best.
Congratulations goes out to Shari, who earlier this year was presented with her Certificate III in Business, which she undertook as a School Based Traineeship with O3 Office in Maroochydore. Shari has spent the past 12 months working with O3 Office, where she has gained some great experience, as well as completing a nationally recognised qualification.
Shari’s employer was so impressed with her
that she has continued to offer her casual
SHARI COMPLETES HER TRAINEESHIPemployment. This is a great testament to
Shari’s work ethic and great attitude.
She is now completing her Diploma
of Business, which she hopes to have
completed before she graduates this year.
This will provide her with a fantastic
pathway into a Business degree at
university, as well as making the transition
from Secondary school to university as
smooth as possible. Congratulations Shari!
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GRAMMAR MENTORS BUILDING THEIR CAPACITYGrammar has begun working with the University of the Sunshine Coast on a project designed to build the capacity of the staff who act as mentors to USC pre-service teachers.
In September 2014, Grammar was successful in receiving a significant grant from Independent Schools Queensland that allows us to badge ourselves as a Centre of Pre-Service Excellence.
This year we have 20 Grammar teachers and 10 students from USC who have agreed to work across the year as part of a learning community.
During the year we will come together on four separate days to improve our understanding of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and show our pre-service teachers that practising educators still engage in learning themselves.
The project will continue until early 2017 and will allow us to pioneer a relationship with a tertiary provider that only a few schools in Queensland have.
Will Urquhart, speaking with staff about his experiences as a pre-service teacher.
The Year 11 Hospitality students swapped their Grammar uniform for standard black and whites to spend 2 days working in industry experiencing and seeing first hand what it would be like to work in a large 4 star resort.
Students spent their days rotating between departments such as
Food and Beverage, Housekeeping, Banquets and the Kitchen. The
experience was tiring but rewarding and also eye opening and
educating. It wasn’t all hard work as they also had the opportunity
to check-in and experience the resort from a guests perspective by
staying overnight.
‘Life is a work in progress that is never complete. We learn a different
lesson from each experience we meet!
By Tom Krause
YEAR 11 HOSPITALITY STUDENTS SEE BEHIND THE SCENES AT NOVOTEL TWIN WATERS RESORT
SHARI COMPLETES HER TRAINEESHIP
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After graduating from Grammar at the end of 2012, Daniel embarked on his journey of one day becoming an airline pilot.
It was always something he dreamt of doing since he was a young boy so it was only natural that Daniel applied for an Airline Pilot Cadetship with Regional Express Airlines (also known as Rex) in 2013. Following a grueling interview and testing process, Daniel’s dream become a reality as he was successful in being selected as one of only 10 recipients per year of this type of Airline Pilot Cadetship. This cadetship included training provided by the airlines-pilot academy in Wagga Wagga and, upon completion of this
training, you are then guaranteed a job as a qualified Airline Pilot.
Daniel was fortunate enough to be given the life changing opportunity to be offered one of these by Rex. The airline formed shortly after Ansett collapsed, and is now Australia’s largest regional airline, with 51 passenger aircraft in its fleet flying to over 50 destinations in its route network within New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. The training is provided much like the Defence
Force structure, whereby the organisation invests their time and money into their cadets. In return, the cadets are then required to give a minimum return of service with the airline, which in Daniel’s case is 7 years. However, cadets have the option to stay on much longer than this and can spend their entire career at Rex, or they can choose to move onto bigger airlines within Australia or in other parts of the world. After 7 years of flying with Rex, you will have hopefully logged enough flying hours and experience to be able to fly bigger aircraft for larger airlines.
Daniel completed his training in June 2014, and was issued an Airline Pilot License. From this point further training was needed to be able to fly passenger jet aircraft and therefore able to fly the type of airliner Rex uses in its fleet. This was conducted in the simulators located in Melbourne and Wagga Wagga. Once Daniel completed this extensive training he was given the option to select where he would prefer to be based and primarily fly from. He was allocated to Sydney Airport which happened to be his first preference, while other people in his course were given Townsville, Melbourne, Adelaide and Albury.
Daniel now resides in Sydney and flies full-time with Rex across its route network as a First Officer, otherwise known as the Co-Pilot. In around 4 to 5 years’ time, he will be eligible to upgrade to Captain, which means a move from the right hand seat, to the left hand seat.
A final comment from Daniel – “I could not be any happier than being in the position I am in now. It is an amazing job, and far more than my dreams could of imagined.”
Throughout the first few weeks of 2015, the Secondary Interact Club were eager to fundraise for an international cause, the Widhya Asih Children’s Orphanage in Bali. This orphanage has a wonderful connection with the Grammar community. In 2013 money was raised by our school to contribute towards an engine for their car, and in 2014 money was raised to put shoes on the feet of all the children there. This term, Interacts goal was to provide the children at the orphanage with clothes to wear, an everyday necessity which many of us take for granted.
A “clothes drop” week was promoted and held in Week 5 of Term 1 with all proceeds going directly to the children at the orphanage. Students were asked to bring in one item of clothing to donate. Students throughout Secondary participated greatly to the fundraiser, with boxes of clothes overflowing outside form classes! Interact members were then responsible for collecting, counting, folding and sorting clothes in preparation for them to be transported across to the Bali Orphanage by Grammar families and friends throughout the year.
We already had several families taking a box across, and if you
are travelling to Bali sometime throughout 2015 and are in a position to take clothes across, please contact one of the following Grammar staff members who will be happy to assist: Denise Purdon: [email protected]; Carolyn Stafford: [email protected]; Alan Burnett: [email protected]. It’s pretty simple. Once in Bali a travel agent will collect the clothes from your accommodation and transport them to the orphanage, which is around 3 hours drive north from Kuta.
In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Jess - Interact Secretary
INTERACT’S FIRST FUNDRAISER FOR 2015 PROVES A MAJOR SUCCESS
FLYING HIGH WITH DANIEL TURNOCK
ALUMNI NEWS
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Our Class of 2004, 10 Year Reunion was
held at the Grammar Function Centre in
February with over 20 Alumni and their
partners returning to tour the school and
see the changes which have taken place
since they graduated. Many travelled from
Brisbane and even Rockhampton to catch up
with their fellow classmates and teachers.
It was an evening enjoyed by everyone as
they all reminisced about their time spent at
Grammar. A special thank you to Mr & Mrs
Guteridge for taking the tour and for being
wonderful hosts during the evening.
10 YEAR REUNION
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ZAC ZROPF AND HARRY MASTERS
GRAMMAR
When: Thursday 7 May P&F Mother’s Day Stall
When: Friday 8 May Prep-Year 2 Mother’s Afternoon
Address: 372 Mons Road, Forest Glen, Queensland
MOTHER’S DAY
Grandparents’ Day and Special Friends’ Day is a celebration of the wonderful influence our grandparents have on the lives of our students.
Date: Thursday 11 June Time: 8.30am Where: Grammar Hall, 372 Mons Road, Forest Glen
After assembly, our special guests are invited to visit Primary School classrooms and enjoy a shared morning tea in the courtyard with students
and staff, concluding at 11.00am.
GRANDPARENTS’ AND SPECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY
When: Friday 8 May Time: 6.00pm - Photos from 5:00pm Dress: Formal
Address: Novotel Twin Waters Resort, Wandiny Room
Tickets: Via Events Online
RSVP: 5445 4444 or [email protected]
For seating arrangements, please contact Vera Armgardt on 5445 4444
YEAR 12 FORMAL
Foundation Day is the celebration and reflection of the Foundation and development of our beautiful school. All members of the
Grammar community are warmly welcome to attend.
When: Tuesday 2 June
Where: Grammar Hall, 372 Mons Road, Forest Glen
RSVP: 5445 4444 or [email protected]
FOUNDATION DAY