19 February 2016 newsletter

Cnr of Gowan Rd and Illaweena St
Stretton QLD 4116
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19 February 2016
From the College Principal
Our Student Leadership Ceremony held this
week was an affirming reminder of the
power of one person to make a difference
to an entire community. It was wonderful to
see so many parents, grandparents and
families at Tuesday’s ceremony, and we are
always extremely grateful for the large
number of supportive adults who make
such a significant investment in terms of direction, guidance,
support, encouragement and love for our young people.
There is always such an abundance of positivity, energy, futures
planning, excitement and pure unbridled HOPE at the beginning
of the school year. It is a palpable force as it pulsates
throughout our College.
I believe that students need to have
ceremonies such as this as a rite of
passage throughout their schooling years,
as they are powerful reminders to us all
about the power of one person to make a
difference. When one individual rises up because of an innate
desire to improve the lives of others, what a ripple effect is
created! And this is what leadership is all about. I see leadership
as a privileged opportunity to give back to others. It is an
opportunity to think about WE rather than the selfie-dominated
culture of ME. It is an opportunity to turn problems and
challenges into real opportunities for individual creativity and
social entrepreneurship.
There can be no doubt that our student leaders will have an
opportunity this year to develop their individual character and
values through their service leadership to others. I reminded our
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07 3723 0222
Fax: 07 3723 0200
leaders that they will be judged by their actions, their words,
their behaviour, both inside and outside of the school gates.
Obviously our Stretton SPIRIT, our college culture, will be
affected by the quality of our student leadership, as they have
the amazing power to exert their influence for good. It is my
hope that our student leaders will always show humility rather
than arrogance; compassion rather than selfish disregard;
respect rather than disrespect; and above all else to show a
willingness to serve and give of themselves.
Our student leaders across all Year levels have a unique
opportunity in front of them to move beyond the boundaries
of the ‘me’ culture and to move themselves and the rest of
the student body to become involved in and lead real and
purposeful activities where their time, energy and motivation is
expended in a voluntary manner for the benefit of others in the
community.
Schools such as Stretton exist to open the
door of opportunity. I want our student
leaders of 2016 to use every opportunity
that is created this year to open that portal
for others. I want them to share the
knowledge and values which their families
and teachers have embedded within them of pride, respect,
dignity, integrity and self-worth. I want to see them displaying
true generosity of SPIRIT in their circle of influence.
I have great confidence that they will be an inspirational
leadership team. I hope that they will always look back upon the
year that was 2016 and know that they’ve been the best leader
they could possibly be. That is all I ask.
Until next time,
Jan Maresca
Executive Principal
Gowan Principal News
What a wonderful start to the year! We have
already had a number of celebrations
including our recent College Student
Leadership Induction and Assemblies
which have highlighted our wonderful
student achievement. Our Student Leaders
for 2016 are to be congratulated and I wish
them well in their endeavours as leaders
throughout the year. Our Student Leaders on Gowan Campus
are:
School Captains
Neel Patel, Isobelle Rayner, Giselle Roe, Ishir Singh
Prefects
Mason Bennett, Adam Cajee, Amariah Collard, Dominic Gore,
Jordan Oldano, Rebecca Tan, Harrison Tew, Sean Weston
Drop off and Pick up procedure for our Prep
children
As of Week 2 the new routine will require the Prep children to
go to the undercover area upon arrival at school where they will
line up in their class groups. There will be signs in place, clearly
labelled with the class names. They will need to sit in two lines
with their bag to their side until their teacher comes to collect
them after the 8:30 am bell. The children will then be escorted
to their classroom to start the school day. You are welcome to
walk with your child’s class and Teacher. Official lessons will
begin at 8:45 am.
The afternoon procedures will remain the same. The Prep
children must be collected from the classroom at 2:45 pm.
They will NOT be allowed to leave the classroom without a
parent or a responsible older sibling. Until this time, we ask that
you wait in the main undercover area to avoid any disruption to
Year 1 and Prep classes.
Racheal Jones
Gowan Campus Principal
Class Representatives
Jayden Hansen, Ella Kanafani, Charlotte Brown, Lorelle
Kireka-Rameka, Riona Elshani, Amelia Wright, Jessica Nicol,
Coco Lin, Brooke Farrelly, Edie Miles, Sultan Sajid, Joshua
Beetham, Kaylis Brown, Angelina Tomic, Alex Dmitrovic,
Rebeka Schulz Fernandez, Max Boyd, Lucy Huynh, Bailee
Williams, Shayan Ahmadi, Cynthia Chand, Lelya Boz, Ashley
Cooper, Liam Rossow, Charlie Dyble, Zain Junaid, Nathan Li
House Captains
Kelsey Beetham, Jackson Dunne, Alyssa Karibalis, Nikita
Marama, Rhys Roser, Gurshaan Sandhu, Jack Scott, Samuel
Sili,
Assemblies
I would encourage all our families to attend one of our regular
Assemblies on a Monday at 2:00pm to see the student
achievements being celebrated. As communicated with our
families and school community we have decided to split our
regular Prep to Year 6 Assemblies, as the Gowan Campus
has grown in enrolments. We will alternate each week between
Prep to Year 2 and a Year 3 to Year 6 Assembly. We have
discovered that this has now eased the congestion and made
it more comfortable for all students, teachers and parents
attending the Assemblies. Each term we will have a full campus
assembly. Our first full assembly will be in week 9 – Monday
21st of March. Please see the dates of our up and coming
assemblies below.
Gowan Tour and Talk
All families are invited to come along next Tuesday 23rd of
February at 1:30pm for a Principal Talk and Tour of the Gowan
Campus. We will begin this tour at the front of the
Administration space near the flag poles. Looking forward to
meeting many of Stretton families at this special event.
Illaweena Principal News
Student Leaders
Our Student leaders were inducted into
their roles and Year 12 students received
their senior badges at a ceremony on
Tuesday morning. We have a fine group of
young people taking up Captain, Prefect,
House
Captain
and
Year
Level
Representatives from Year 7 through to
Year 12. Our Captains led the Ceremony
with aplomb. The College Captains delivered an insightful
speech reflecting their collective understanding of their roles
and their individual strengths. Their speech can be viewed via
this link:
The staff look forward to working with the student leaders and
helping them to develop in their various roles. We were pleased
to be able to share this ceremony with parents and community
representatives who are great supporters of our college. Our
student leaders for 2016 are;
College Captains
Johnny Arakkakunnel, Jonathan Fung, Mikaela Miley, Anastasia
Sechenova
Junior Secondary Captains
Sara Ghamrawi, Declan Lau
Prefects
Israel Afolayan, Courtney Black, Kiara Bloomfield, Brittany
Karanikich, Caitlin Lean,
Kian McGrath, Kaela Mefford, , Hephzibah Olayemi
Year Level Representatives
Hamza Al Ansari, Rishabh Bhat, Aarushi Chadha, Navraj
Duggal, Jayda-Lee Hira, Georgia Pearson, Ahniya Siua’ana,
Jordyn Wilson
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House Captains
Megan Campbell, Megan Cole, Angela Faatuga Moe, Sarah
Goode, Bryce Harding, Benjamin Howkins, Craig Hunt, Faith
King, Lara McKinnon, Rebeckah Sweet, Cameron Terrill,
Kaijah Waller-Thompson
College Standards
Speaking to parents in enrolment interviews they are attracted
to our College by our high uniform and behaviour standards, the
positive learning environment and the student outcomes. I want
to thank the Deputy Principals and staff for the way they have
put extra effort into ensuring these high standards, particularly
with regard to uniform are in place from the beginning of this
year. I also appreciate the support of parents who have ensured
their students are coming to school in the correct uniform and
with the materials they need to be successful in the classroom.
Student Resource Scheme
Our resource scheme is an essential element in providing
quality resources for students to use in the classroom. Again,
parents have been very supportive from the beginning of the
year, paying this fee either directly at the payment window
or from home using the convenient BPay payment method.
Parents are also able to spread payments across the year to
have the scheme paid off by the end of term 3. Forms for this
are available from the office. A reminder that payment or an
active payment plan must be in place before students are able
to access elective activities (including sport, excursions, HPV,
Formal, Camps etc.). Students in Year 9 to 12 may also have
subject fees depending upon which subjects they have chosen.
Without the payment of these fees students may not be able to
continue in these resource dependent subjects.
Communication
There are many ways for parents to engage with the College
and find out more about what is happening in our classrooms.
Recently our IDT details held their open nights, Mr Jell has sent
information about upcoming afternoon events for Year 11 and
12 parents and the Tour and Talk for Term 1 will be held on
23 February from 8:45am. We hold two Parent/Teacher nights
to follow up Term 1 and Semester 1 reporting and we hope all
parents take these opportunities to engage with the teachers
and their student about progress in each subject. The first of
these nights is Thursday 14 April from 3:00pm – 7:00 pm.
Student Achievement
Already our sporting students are being recognised. A massive
congratulations to Klara Brac for being selected in the
Australian Volleyball team to tour Thailand. This is a wonderful
achievement for her and a reflection of the hard work she puts
in to training and improving in this sport.
Congratulations also to Sheldon Waller, Ryschan Thompson
and Kaijah Waller-Thompson who have all been selected in their
respective Met West Softball teams.
Our Interschool sporting teams are completing their trials and
training and will begin the Wednesday afternoon competition
soon. We wish them well and trust they can demonstrate true
Stretton SPIRIT on the sports field while building on the
successful platform built by our teams last year.
Geoff Latta
Illaweena Campus Princpal
Senior Secondary Deputy Principal News
Year 11 Parent Information
Session
Year 11 and 12 can be hugely rewarding
and memorable, but at times the pressures
and expectations of achieving can be
stressful and seem overwhelming. Students
however, are not on their own. We believe that successful
senior outcomes are a partnership between the school, the
student and their family to support a young learner to their
highest potential.
Self-motivation and self-management is vital for success in Year
11. It is important for students to settle into a good study
routine early in the year, learn to set priorities and develop a
balance between study commitments and life outside of school.
We believe that it is also vital that parents are fully aware and
equipped to support their young learners at home and have a
good understanding of the demands and requirements of the
senior school.
I would like to invite all parents and caregivers of Year 11
students to a school-based information session:
Date: Monday, 22 February
Time: 3:00pm to 3:45 pm
Venue: Senior Learning Building; Illaweena Campus
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This session is intended to support your capacity to assist
your child’s success in the classroom. The 45 minute afternoon
session will be presented by the Senior School Deputy
Principal, Guidance Officer and the Head of Senior Schooling
and cover the following topics:
• A day in the life of a senior school student
• QCE Requirements
• Well-being and managing stress
• Time management: Short-cuts and strategies for
success in the classroom
• Requirements at home: What should it look like?
What can I do?
• How to get involved with my child’s learning
I hope you can make it and I look forward to seeing you there.
Year 12 News
Now that the Year 12s have settled into their final year of
schooling our program of QCS preparation continues with the
results of the full QCS practice test that they sat in November
last year. The students will have access to the data in the
days to come and be provided with a range of feedback and
activities to help hone their skills for the two day test in
September. The College will also begin the first of a series of
2016 OP analyser interviews for one on one feedback to each
OP eligible student. The seniors will sit with their academic
coach to be informed of their OP predictions, QSC progress
and study techniques.
Our 2016 QSC campaign also includes a series of regular
‘Masterclass’ sessions in the afternoon which are mandatory
for all OP eligible students. I was very pleased to see a good
number of seniors at our first OP maximiser session; a great
way for our Year 12 students to work together, network and
support each other in their studies.
Drew Jell
Senior Secondary Deputy Principal
Getting Reading Right
We have also continued to roll out the synthetic phonics
program ‘Get Reading Right’ into our classrooms. The program
gives our students the tools they need to crack the reading
code so that fluency and comprehension follow. Synthetic
Phonics is an effective method to get all children reading,
because it’s explicit and systematic, helping children master
the code of reading from the simple to the complex. For more
information and resources please visit the website:
http://www.getreadingright.com.au
P-2 Assembly
Each fortnight on a Assembly we will be celebrating student
achievement. The recipients this week are:
Stretton Stars – for outstanding effort in learning
• Emily Hansen PF
• Yazmin Hope 1C
• Izabela Pemaj 2A
Prep – Year 2 Deputy Principal News
Prep Routines
It has been a very busy start to the Term in
the Early Years! Last week we started the
new morning routine for the Prep children.
Each morning they are to go to the
undercover area upon arrival at school
where they line up in their class groups. The
children will then be escorted to their
classroom to start the school day. The Preps did an
outstanding job last week and are starting to become familiar
with the school environment and classroom routines.
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Green Gnome Award – Prep D and Miss Peace for the cleanest
area inside and out of their classroom.
A big thank you to Prep B and Mrs Bryant for performing “The
Needs of an Animal” song which they are learning for their
science unit on living things.
Aimee Thompson
Deputy Principal – Prep – Year 2
Years 3 – 4 Deputy Principal News
BYO iPad
This year in Year 3 and Year 5 we have five
BYO iPad classes for the first time. We also
have one Year 4 and two Year 5 & 6
Lighthouse classes using iPads. Our
teachers and students have been very busy
exploring the many ways that iPads can be
used to enrich the learning process.
To share a few examples, our students have been using their
iPads in Mathematics to explore different ways of making 10
using 10 frames along with representing their problem solving
solutions. In English students have been accessing texts for
reading and annotating and highlighting the author’s use of
language features. Across all learning areas students have been
accessing our Wi-Fi network for research and note-taking
purposes. They have used highly engaging apps such as
Chatter Pix to communicate their understanding of characters
they have read about and to explain their understanding of
scientific principles.
Judy Rose-Cooper
Deputy Principal – Years 3,4
Years 5 - 6 Deputy Principal News
This week Stretton State College
acknowledged the student leadership team
at our annual Leadership Induction
Ceremony. I would like to extend my
congratulations to all of the students who
have been selected in a leadership position,
whether it be School Captain, Prefect,
House Captain or Class Representative.
Our student leaders have already been taking a proactive role
across the Gowan Campus, from leading and running
assembly, to assisting in the playground and running sports
programs in the hall. Last week we also acknowledged our
Library Monitors, who on a daily basis assist in the library during
first break.
Anyone can be a leader and the world definitely needs more
good leaders! What is leadership? It is all around you and
shows up in many ways. Leadership is…
• Doing the right thing without being asked or when no
one is watching
• Helping others in need
We would like to publically acknowledge the hard work and
dedication of our class teachers and technicians for ensuring
such a smooth and successful start-up to this exciting initiative.
To our families, thank you your ongoing support. Please be
sure to check your children have now downloaded all of the
required apps. If you are having trouble doing this, please
communicate with your child’s teacher so we can offer support
where possible.
From http://inspiremykids.com
We look forward to sharing our BYO classes’ journeys as the
year goes on.
Last week I wrote about setting learning goals. Setting routines
is an important part of goal setting - A routine can be thought
• Guiding others on the right path
• Setting a good examples for others and being a good
role model
• Stand up for others even when it may be the hard
thing to do
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of as any procedure, process, or pattern of action that is used
repeatedly to manage and facilitate the accomplishment of
specific goals or tasks” - (Visible Thinking),
Outside of school Rachel has a keen interest in art, film and
languages and brings her love of these topics into her English
classroom.
Here are some thoughts for creating effecting learning/study
routines:
Rachel is incredibly excited about what 2016 holds and she
looks forward to a future filled with lots of Stretton success.
• Create and write down realistic learning/study goals
- When do you usually study and for how long?
- What subjects do you need to focus on or are
having difficulty with?
• Make study time a part of your daily routine
• Structure and prioritise study time
• Establish a study zone or place to study
• Get enough sleep and rest
• Track your progress
Brad Stewart
Deputy Principal – Years 5,6
School Council
Nominations are called for a Parent Representative on our soon
to be formed School Council. Please refer to the College
website for the relevant nomination form.
https://strettonsc.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/
Formsanddocuments/Documents/School%20Council/
Stretton%20State%20College%20School%20Council
%20Constitution%204.3.16.pdf
The closing date for nominations is Friday 4th March, 2016.
Please forward all completed nomination forms to Geoff Latta
(Returning Officer), at the Illaweena Administration Office.
There will be one Parent Representative on the School Council.
An election will take place at the next P&C Meeting (16th March)
if more than one nomination is received.
Staff Profile
Introducing Rachel Breen: Illaweena
Literacy Coach, English teacher and
reading enthusiast.
Since her arrival at Stretton State College in
2011, Rachel has fulfilled a number of roles
including English, Dance and Senior ESL
teacher, Choreographer and most recently,
Literacy Coach. Rachel’s belief that every
student has the ability to succeed underpins her work as a
Coach. This core belief has enabled her to work deeply with
English teachers and provide critical assistance to students.
An exciting addition to Rachel’s portfolio this year is ILLI
(Illaweena’s Levelled Literacy Intervention). After much
anticipation, the program is set to begin in Week Five.
According to Rachel, this is a brilliant opportunity that will
change the ability of struggling readers, allowing them to more
easily make meaning of text.
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Instrumental Music News
Leadership Induction Performance
On Tuesday 16 February our Hawaii Concert Band performed
at the Student Leaders’ Induction Ceremony. This is the first
performance this group has done since starting rehearsals in
Term 4 last year. The band performed exceptionally well with
many parents and staff commenting on the high standard of the
performance. Credit must be given to these students for their
hard work and dedication. Congratulations to all involved!
Hawaii Tour
A reminder that we have our final tour meeting coming up
next week on Tuesday 23 February at 7:00pm. We ask that
all families involved in the Hawaii tour be in attendance at this
meeting.
Our tour uniforms arrived on Tuesday and they look sensational!
Once they have been packaged together for students, families
will be invoiced and will then be able to collect them once
payment has been received. I will email parents when they are
ready.
Rehearsal and Lesson Attendance
As we move into Week 4, students should have now settled
in to lessons and rehearsals for the term. The majority of our
students are very good at making it to lessons and rehearsals
on time, however, there are some students who have been
absent or arriving late. As students only have one lesson a
week with our excellent teachers it is vital that students are
on time and prepared for every lesson. If students are sick,
or unable to attend their lesson or rehearsal, students should
inform their teacher beforehand via a note or email from a
parent. If possible, an alternate lesson time will be arranged
by the IM teacher. Lateness and non-attendance is noted by
teachers so if you could please assist us by ensuring your
children are prepared and are aware of their lesson time it
would be very much appreciated.
Student Levies
Invoices for the IM levies have now been issued. If payment can
please be made or a payment plan put in place by the end of
Term 1 it would be greatly appreciated. These levies assist with
the purchasing and maintenance of resources for our program.
Thank you for your support of Instrumental Music.
Adam Hornagold
Director of Instrumental Music
The Arts
We are almost at the mid - point in what is a very short term
and are now seeing all of our visual and performing arts classes
settling into content and getting started on assessment items
ranging from drama and music performances, FTV story boards
and productions and visual art projects.
As well as the exciting things happening in our classroom
we have some of our regular programs starting up including
our Illaweena and Gowan Choir rehearsals this week and our
Open Mic Lunchtime Concerts to run from Week 5 through to
Week 8. Congratulations also to our vocal soloist Diana Matai
who performed the Mariah Carey classic “Hero” at our recent
Student Leaders’ Induction Ceremony.
We are also offering our Visual Arts students extra tutorial
lessons on a Tuesday from 3.00pm – 4.15pm beginning in
Week 5 through until the end of the term. These classes will be
run by Ms Martens and directly aimed at students enrolled in
Year 11 Visual Arts to allow students to complete some major
pieces of work before the end of term. Students in this course
will be invited to attend the tutorials via a permission letter.
Our Senior Visual Arts students will also be enjoying a full day
excursion on Friday to The Gallery of Modern Art at Southbank
next Friday. More information about this excursion is detailed
below.
In what was a very exciting afternoon for a group of
approximately 70 students across our College, we saw the
auditions of our first school play take place recently. Students
arrived with scripts in hand and ready to show off their acting
skills. Our Drama staff Ms Monroe, Mrs Amos and Ms Jordan,
were able to cast roles and were confident about the talent and
preparation of our students. Rehearsals for our school play get
under way this week also and we look forward to seeing this
production take place over the next two terms.
Leona Dangaard
HOD - Arts
Luke Fleming
HOD eLearning
Student Wellbeing
This fortnight saw our pastoral care programs kick off in each
of our year levels during our Tuesday Pastoral Care and STAR
lessons. Our teachers have been working really hard to create
some engaging, interesting and relevant lessons for our
students.
Our Year 7 and 8 students will be focusing on a unit called ‘The
Art Of Growing Up’. This unit is broken up into topics of Building
Relationships, Resilience and Understanding Your Friends and
Peers.
The Year 9 students are working from a program called
‘Unleashing Personal Potential’. This program is broken up
into three sections: Growth Mindset, Grit and Wellbeing. This
Term’s focus is Growth Mindset, where students will explore
the difference between Growth and Fixed Mindsets and how
they affect performance.
Year 10 and 11 students are completing a program supported
by the Australian Government called ‘Alcohol and other drugs
education program’. These sessions address Responsible
Partying and Decision Making while outlining the negative
affects alcohol and drugs have on young people’s lives.
Our Year 12 students are broken up into QCS and Non-QCS
classes. Our QCS students started their QCS preparations
while our Non-QCS students looked at renting in Queensland
and all that comes with moving out of home.
If you would like any information about any of these programs
please contact me on [email protected]
Mystery Bus Tour – Year 12
Technology News
The Year 7 and 8 Technology Centre is now up and running.
This space has been designed to encourage 21st century
learning in a modern environment. These rooms have been set
up to provide and encourage the use and support of a range of
digital technologies.
Examples of such technologies include robotics, Minecraft in
education and programming and coding.
We are exciting to have these resources now available for your
children and look forward to providing them with exciting new
ways of learning.
If there are any Year 12 students that have any suggestions for
the Mystery Bus Tour after the formal please stop by my office.
You can write down your ideas and place them in the box in my
office. We’re all very exciting about making this a really fun night
for you all so please let us know your ideas!
Jodie Austin
HOD Well Being
Student Council
Recently the Illaweena student leadership body successfully
participated in a Valentine’s Day fundraiser for the Heart
Foundation where roses were sold for $5.00 each. After weeks
of dedicated planning and organisation, the leadership team,
headed by Captain Mikaela Miley, sold out all roses in two
days inWeek 2. On the following Friday, the team endeavoured
to label, ribbon and wrap the roses in order for them to be
delivered on Friday afternoon. Ecstatic faces filled the rooms
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when the roses were delivered during fourth period, receiving
a revenue of over $1,000. All profits from this fundraiser were
distributed to the Heart Foundation. We hope that this
fundraiser can be continued in upcoming years as it is a great
way to bring smiles to faces and warm the hearts of Stretton
State College.
to come along to listen to books being read by our enthusiastic
volunteers.
Anna Galbraith
Teacher
Regards,
Thanks for Ms La Sala who started this program with 'The Wide
Mouth Frog". It was a very entertaining and funny story.
Hope to see you all there.
Halima Karger
Books for Breakfast Coordinator
Art at Stretton
YEAR 12 VISUAL ARTISTS TAKE A ‘WALK WITH
WOLSELY’
Year 12 Visual Artists have commenced the year studying
Australian artist John Wolseley. Their studies form part of their
unit titled Art as Navigation and Documentation. Wolseley
immersed himself in a variety of Australian environments, often
living in remote areas for months. He was interested in the
effect that weather had upon his art surfaces; often burying his
paper or strapping his canvas between trees. He was known to
artistically map the terrain he lived amongst.
Our senior school artists interpreted his methods in a variety of
ways. They buried organic matter, digging it up once a week to
photograph (using cameras and phones) the decaying process,
or they chose another manner which would demonstrate the
passage of time upon a natural form. They also used a
viewfinder to map a micro terrain from within the school
grounds. They produced a watercolour study from this
Navigation.
They are now looking at the work of environmental artist, Andy
Goldsworthy who is noted for creating installation IN the
environment with ONLY natural objects and NO formal tools.
We have had some interesting results with that!
Chess News
Students wishing to participant in an interschool chess
competition are invited to register for the Brisbane South
Inter-School Chess Championships to be held at the Anglican
Church Grammar School on the 22nd March.
To register and for further details please refer to the link below.
Library News
Illaweena Library News
Resource Hire
Students who have made partial or full payment for their
Resource Hire are encouraged to collect their texts from the
Library before school or during lunch breaks as soon as
possible. We have purchased a considerable number of new
texts this year across all subject areas and they are screaming
out to be borrowed!!
Coming Soon!
Year 7 students need to get ready for the annual Yu-Gi-Oh!
Competition held during first break in the Library. There are
a considerable number of dedicated players who come each
lunch to battle against each other so we have decided to bring
the competition back during Week 6.
Scholastic News
Their major body of work will commence with an Excursion
into the city on Friday the 19th of February. Here they will view
the APT8 exhibition at GOMA then navigate and document a
journey all through the Southbank precinct, across the river,
through the Botanical Gardens and Parliament House and up
historical George Street.
I can’t wait to share the results with all of you!
Sandy Friend
Year 12 Visual Art Teacher.
Books for Breakfast
Welcome back to a new year everyone. Books for Breakfast
has started very successfully and is running on a Tuesday
morning at 8:15am in the Gowan Library. All children are invited
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Invitations are open for students in both Years 7 and 8 to
purchase from the Scholastic Book Club catalogue. Already
thriving on the Gowan Campus, we decided to extend the
invitation to Illaweena students as well. Brochures can be
obtained from Care Class teachers and payments made either
online or handed into the payment window. Any enquiries
please contact the Illaweena Library.
WANTED! - Student Reviewers
Scholastic is seeking student reviewers aged 6-13 years to
read and review books. Sometimes students will have the
opportunity to read books even before they are published!
Selected students will join the Scholastic Reading Review Crew
and will receive free books and manuscripts throughout the
year and will be asked to read and review titles within 2 to 3
weeks. Reviews will be featured in the Scholastic Book Club
catalogue, Book Fairs and local bookstores such as Dymocks.
Nominations can be submitted online at
http://www.scholastic.com.au/readers
Maria Kapa
Teacher Librarian
Gowan Library News
The past fortnight we have been learning about book care and
how to care for our library books. The main rules are:
1. Carry your books in your library bag
2. Use a bookmark
3. Always keep books clean
4. Keep books dry and away from water
Karen Jeffries
Books for Babies Co-Ordinator
5. Don’t ever draw in library books.
Last week library monitors were announced on parade and
presented with their library monitor badges. After careful
consideration, 20 monitors were selected from grade 6.
The 2016 Gowan Library Monitors are as follows:
Garth 6D
Hayley 6F
Mackenzie 6B
Natalie 6G
Meiting 6F
Ava 6D
Ariana 6A
Aimee 6E
Cameron 6D
Felicity 6A
Amy 6A
Ashley 6C
Samantha 6E
Chloe 6F
Nicole 6A
Sonia 6A
Charlie 6E
Tiarne 6G
Sophie 6B
Emily 6D
Congratulations! I look forward to seeing these students uphold
the Stretton Spirit in the library.
Just a reminder, all students need a library bag in order to
borrow books during their library lesson. If you do not have a
bag, these are available from the Uniform Shop on Illaweena
Campus for a cost of $10.50.
Happy reading,
Sara Effron
Teacher Librarian
Books for Babies
Our first Books for Babies welcomed baby Ishmatu, little sister
for James, Mariah and Alex. Proud parents, Hawa and Sumaila
received a book package containing two books – a book to
share with Ishmatu and Reading Magic by Mem Fox.
From the Uniform Shop
Formal Knit Pullovers for winter this year are now in stock. If you
would like to beat the rush when the cooler weather starts to
arrive in the next few months, they are available for purchase
now.
Size 8 – 11 white sport socks are on back order. All other white
sock sizes are now in stock.
Primary and Secondary backpacks are now in stock and are
available for purchase.
Flexischools is still our preferred way of purchasing goods from
the Uniform Shop.
http://www.flexischools.com.au/
Uniform Shop Hours:
Monday : 8.00 am – 10.00 am
Tuesday : 7.30 am – 9.30 am
Wednesday : 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Thursday : 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Janet O’Neill
Uniform Shop Convenor
Football Academy News
Term 1 offers a number of exciting events for the Football
Academy.
On Monday the 29th of February and 14th March (primary)
we have the first Rounds of Vikings Futsal for boys and girls.
Stretton State College is taking 5 Senior Boys teams 2 Junior
Boys’ teams and 2 Senior Girls teams. Good luck to all of the
players competing.
Football training:
Primary Football Academy: Tuesday morning 7:30am8:45am (Gowan oval)
Primary Academy feeder program: Thursday morning
7:30am – 8:45am (Gowan oval).
Secondary Football Academy: Monday afternoon
3:00pm – 4:00pm (Gowan oval) every second session for
athletes will be football specific strength and conditioning
sessions in GY04.
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Secondary Feeder program: Monday first break (Gowan
oval)
Regards,
Georgia Chapman
Football Director
Met West Representative
Congratulations to the following students who were successful
in making Met West Softball
Kaijah Waller Thompson – 19 Years Girls Softball
Ryschan Thompson – 19 Years Boys Softball
Sheldon Waller – 19 Years Boys Softball
Illaweena Sports News
Kristen Jansen
HOD – HPE
Swimming Carnival 2016
Our annual swimming carnival is the first of our three major
carnivals each year. This year, the carnival was held on the
8th of February at Hibiscus Leisure Complex. Barakula was
tipped to win yet another carnival boasting a string of swimming
carnival wins (2013, 2014 and 2015) as well as having some
outstanding swimmers in the house! Karawatha was however,
out to spoil the party…
Karawatha and Barakula fought it out all day, with the lead
changing multiple times. Kawaratha ended up being
triumphant, winning the first interhouse competition of the year.
Swimming Age Champions
Gowan Sports News
Congratulations to our team of 10-12 years swimmers who
competed in the Sunnybank District Swimming carnival on
Tuesday 9th February.
Special congratulations to the following students:
Kelsey Beetham
1st place in 100m Breaststroke, 50m Breaststroke,
100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle & 50m Butterfly.
2nd place in 100m Butterfly
3rd place in 100m Backstroke & 50m Backstroke
Joshua Beetham
Emma O'Brien
12 Years
Kode Lawrence
12 Years
Ella Kenneally Potts 13 Years
3rd place in 50m Backstroke
Kode Lawrence
3rd place 100m Freestyle
Josh Frommolt
13 Years
Kyle Wildemast
13 Years
Kathy Luong
14 Years
Ashton Lamont
14 Years
Alex Dean
15 Years
Lleyton Revie
15 Year
Harlin Casey
15 Years
Juanita Witehira
16 Years
Jonathan Friend
16 Years
Megan Cole
17 Years
Kian McGrath
17 Years
4. Kode Lawrence
Omer Yildiz
Open
5. Tricia Wang
Megan Campbell
Open
6. Nikita Frommolt
Stretton State College is also proud to announce that the
following students have qualified for the Sunnybank District
Swimming Team:
1. Kelsey Beetham
2. Emma O’Brien
3. Joshua Beetham
7. Jessica Pollard
8. Felicity Pollard
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Term 1 2016 – Important Sporting Events to
Remember:
WEEK 4: Tuesday 16th & Thursday 18th February Football (soccer) District Trials boys and girls
WEEK 4: Wednesday 17th February – Basketball District
Trials boys and girls
WEEK 5: Monday 22nd February – Basketball District
Trials continues boys and girls
WEEK 5: Tuesday 23rd & Thursday 25th February – AFL
District Trials
WEEK 5: Friday 26th February – Gala Day 1
WEEK 6: Monday 29th Feb & Thursday 3rd March –
Rugby League District Trials
WEEK 6: Tuesday 1st and Friday 4th March – Netball
District Trials
WEEK 7: Monday 7h March – Touch Football girls
District Trials
WEEK 7: Wednesday 9th March – Touch Football boys
District Trials
WEEK 8: Monday 14th March – Touch Football girls
District Trials continue
WEEK 8: Wednesday 16th March – Touch Football boys
District Trials continue
WEEK 9: Thursday 24th March – Stretton State College
Cross Country
DISTRICT TRIALS • District teams are for 12 years and under (Years 5, 6
& 7).
• Only 4 students can be selected to represent
Stretton State College to trial for a district team
• Students must nominate by adding their name to the
district sport they would like to trial for in the district
book located in Ms Hutson’s office next to the
Gowan Hall. This MUST be done at least 2 weeks
prior to the trial date.
• Students can nominate for more than one sport.
• It is imperative that students who nominate to trial
have experience in that sport e.g. plays at club,
district, state or national level.
• Students must have their own equipment to take to
the trials e.g. Shin pads, mouth guards etc.
Bianca Hutson
Gowan HPE Teacher & Sports Co-ordinator
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