Learning and Teaching News

Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke Evening

From Sohee Chu – Japanese Coordinator

On Tuesday 13 August, our senior students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Japanese culture with a memorable dinner and karaoke excursion in the city. The evening began at Shabu House, where the boys indulged in an all-you-can-eat buffet. They enjoyed customising their own shabu-shabu, along with a variety of sushi and other delicious Japanese finger foods such as Takoyaki (octopus balls), Karaage (deep-fried chicken), chicken wings, and Edamame (green beans). To top it off, they sipped on some fancy soft drinks like Blue Cloud Soda and Mellow Peach Soda.

After dinner, the students continued the fun at a coin karaoke venue. For an hour, they sang their hearts out to a diverse mix of international songs, including English Pop, Korean K-pop, Chinese C-pop, and Japanese J-pop. The evening was not only filled with laughter and good times but also served as a much-needed break for the students, helping them to relieve stress and refresh their minds before diving into their External Exam preparations.

It was a night of cultural exploration, bonding, and stress relief—a perfect blend to support our students as they gear up for the challenges ahead.

ICAS Science Testing 

Last week, our high-performing science students from Years 5, 6, 7, and 8 took part in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) Science testing. This annual competition, known for its challenging questions and rigorous standards, is an excellent opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in science.

The ICAS Science test assesses students' ability to apply their scientific knowledge to a range of real-world and experimental situations. It covers various topics, including biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences. Our students faced questions that required not only factual knowledge but also the ability to think critically and solve problems.

Science in Action 

Our Year 10 General Science students are currently engaged in an exciting and innovative project that brings the real world into the classroom. As part of their studies, students are tasked with designing and building sustainable, eco-friendly homes. This project not only enhances their understanding of science but also teaches them about the importance of sustainability and renewable energy in today's world.

The project requires students to carefully plan and calculate the cost of materials needed to construct their homes. They are learning to balance the budget while ensuring that their designs are both environmentally friendly and functional. An interesting twist to the project is that the cost of materials will be subsidized based on the amount of renewable energy the house produces. This encourages students to incorporate energy-efficient solutions, such as solar panels and wind turbines, into their designs.

Our Year 8 extension students have been channelling their creativity and engineering skills into building Rube Goldberg machines—those wonderfully complex devices that perform simple tasks in the most elaborate ways possible. This project has provided a fun and engaging way for students to explore concepts in physics, mechanics, and problem-solving, and consolidate key topics before their upcoming energy examination.

Head of College Awards – Years 7, 10 and 12

Last Tuesday at Year Level Assembly, we presented our Year 7, 10 and 12 recipients with their Head of College Awards.

These awards are presented to students who receive A’s in all areas of Application (Punctual and Prepared, Application and Homework and Behaviour) on their Semester 1 and Unit 3, 2024 Academic Reports.

Congratulations to the following Recipients:

Year 7

Seve Ahlholm

Benjamin Arcus-Simpson

Isaac Arthur

Jacob Ashton

Tyler Baines

Sam Bennett

Julian Bishop

Atticus Caesar

Pedro Chadud

Cooper Chaseling

Nicolas Cienfuegos

Ned Clifford

Beau Collins

Billy Croft

Jack Donohue

Isaac Gervais

Thomas Graham

Frankie Hain

Harry Heather

Xavier Hill

Alexander Holding

George Holland

Oliver Holt

Lincoln Hughes

Xavier Hunter

Thehan Jayasundara

Hunter Kayra

Dillan Keane

Luke Keir

Casey Kuhnert

Harrison Leigh

Cooper Lewis

Henry Mackay

Quinn Mahoney

Hamish McAndrew

Lachlan McDonough

Elliott McGregor

Cormac McKenna

Josh McLean

Flynn Mohr

Ethan Moody

Post Ninkhamueang

James Phelan

Andy Robbins

Rahul Rodrigues

Preston Ryder

Ronan Sadimenko

Lachlan Scanlan

James Stute

Jed Taylor

Joseph Tickle

Noah Watherston

Ethan Wu

Year 10

Hugh Ambrose

Ethan Barbaro

William Beaton

Oliver Bishop

Benjamin Blaszczyk

William Davis

James Dee

Lucas Dempsey

Oliver Eaton

Luke Ferguson

Levi Fisher

Harry Franklin

Harper Frazier

Hayden Gane

Ben Hawley

Riley Hughes

Alessander Javier

Alexander Keane

Cade Kelly

Will Lambley

Weston Lewis

Leo McKenna

Archer Mellifont

Joseph Murphy

Lachlan Nisbett

Sean O'Riordan

Lachlan Pawsey

Archie Powell

Ruben Smythe

Matthew Stower

Daniel Thirgood

Isaac Ting

Alexander Tsamis

Luke Walker

Fletcher Wessling

Harry Zappert

Year 12

Arran Abraham

Alex Apelt

Jasper Barry

Oliver Betts

George Bishop

Ashleigh Bishop

Liam Bourke

James Brandon

Aidan Briza

Phillip-John Catalano

Marley Chan

Zane Cooper

Charlie Cowlishaw

Daniel Cusack

Lachlan Darr

Louie Di Lucchio

Tommy Garden

Austin Gillett

Tom Grinham

Tristan Jeffrey

Ashley Kani

Liam Knox

Cyrus Kwok

Henry Lambley

James Leigh

Ewan MacTaggart

Luca Martinuzzi

James Mulcahy

Ryan Murdoch

Kalen Neville

Matthew Nisbett

Henry O'Malley

Liam O'Rourke

Nicholas Parry

Jesse Pattel-Brown

Cooper Phillpott

Oscar Pittman

Henry Purcell

Nate Scott-Day

Shawn Simonetti

Bailey Skinner

Billy Smith

Jordan Ta

Thomas Treston

Joshua Vogler

Sam Wilcox

Edward Wild

Max Wilson

Tristan Woods

Hamish Woods

Finlay Wright-Elizabeth

End of Term 3 Exam Blocks

This week our Year 9 and 12 students have commenced their Exam Blocks, with our Year 7, 8, 10 and 11 students commence their exam period next week. The exam periods run across the following dates –

• Year 7 – Monday 2 September to Thursday 5 September 
• Year 8 – Monday 2 September to Friday 6 September
• Year 9 – Monday 26 August to Thursday 29 August 
• Year 10 – Monday 2 September to Fridy 6 September 
• Year 11 – Tuesday 3 September to Wednesday 11 September 
• Year 12 (Mock Exams) – Tuesday 27 August to Friday 6 September

Year 7-12 Exam Block schedules were released to all students and parents in week 6. Please check your emails or access the Parent Lounge – Exam and Assessment Schedule and Information for a copy of these.

It is an expectation that all students will be at school for their exams. For students in Year 7-9, classes will continue as normal with students leaving class for their scheduled exams. For students in Years 10-12, there will be no classes running with students only attending the college for their scheduled exams. Please see the email (as mentioned above) for further information. 

If a student is absent from these important assessment tasks, a medical certificate is required. No exams will be sat early. Again, please refer to last week's email for specific details.

Other important things to note:

• all boys must have their student ID card for their exams.  This allows us to mark our roles accurately.  If your son has lost his student card, please order a new one this week.
• Please ensure boys have necessary equipment.  This includes pens, pencils, highlighter and calculator. 
• A student will make up a missed exam as soon as possible when they return to school.  Boys will be emailed make up session time and rooming.

Request for Leave – Unapproved Leave Over Assessment Periods

Please know that if leave has not been approved for missing assessment (assignments and exams), that a summative mark of NA will appear on the End of Semester Report for the relevant subject. This is in line with QCAA policies in regards to leave and missing assessment and includes events such as family holidays. Students will still sit the assessment on return to school, and receive formative feedback; however, the result will not be counted towards the summative result at the end of the semester for the following reasons:

• Deadlines for reporting not being met
• Conservation of academic integrity
• Workload of teachers and staff around marking and reporting times
• The validity of the mark completed in timelines given for the assessment

Please note that this does not apply to leave that has been granted for approved reasons (Illness, etc.) as per QCAA policies. 

Bachelor of Education pre-requisites

Changes have occurred with the pre-requisite subjects required to study an Education degree in Queensland. Please search the relevant university website or contact universities for further information. 

Old Boy’s afternoon Math tutoring

Old Boy Math tutoring is available to students on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons in the Senior library from 3:10pm-5:00pm. All are welcome.

How do I access my son’s assessment feedback?

Student results and feedback for assessment items can be accessed at any time by parents on Parent Lounge. Please follow the steps below which highlight how to access your son’s results and feedback.     

1. Open parent portal and click on “Parent Lounge”    

2. On the left-hand tab select “Curricular Activities Due” and select “view all activities” on the top right-hand side of page.     

This will take you to a screen that lists of your son/s assessment to complete or has been completed.    

3. Click on a subject to view feedback.     

4. Once you click on the subject you will be able to find the following information:    

1. Task sheet for assessment – this will outline what your son needs to do to complete the task successfully    
2. Draft due dates and due dates    
3. Criteria sheet    
4. Feedback    
5. Result 

Old Boys Tutoring List  

Please find here a list of Old Boys available to tutor your son outside of school. This list can also be located on the parent portal or via this link.  Please note it is the parent’s responsibility to organise and liaise tutoring times with the Old Boys.   

Tutoring at the College 

Tutoring is available for all students, and outlined below are faculties where you can receive assistance:

*Other faculties by appointment with the classroom teacher.

Year 12 Night Study Sessions   

The Night Study Sessions are weekly study times available to Year 12 students who wish to work in collaboration with their peers for assessment, complete revision, revisit classwork or work on external exam preparation.    

When: Every Wednesday during term time from 5:00pm-8:00pm

Where: Senior Library

Who: 2024 Year 12s only

Requirements:   

• Current ID card is to be presented on arrival   
• All students must sign in and out of the library   
• All standard library rules are to be followed (including no eating)   
• Normal student behaviour expectations apply; if these cannot be met, boys will be prohibited from returning to future sessions   
• Students are free to wear full College uniform or plain clothes   
• Students are free to arrive and leave as they see fit. Supervision is only provided in the library between 5:00-8:00pm.   
• Students are to be in the library only. This is not a time for sport or social gatherings. 

A supervisor will be on duty from 5:00-8:00pm to assist if required; however, these are not tutoring sessions.  

Study Tip