Secondary News

Buy Smart Highly Commended Award

Congratulations to Demi de Tournouer (Year 9) and Savannah Connolly (Year 9) for their Highly Commended Award in the Buy Smart Competition! Demi and Savannah received this recognition for their creative entry - a children’s book that educates young readers about the right to redress, cleverly based on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale. Their innovative project combined storytelling with consumer education, showcasing their ability to engage with important financial concepts in a fun and accessible way.

The students attended the Awards Ceremony at Parliament House on Thursday 14 November and were presented their award by The Honourable Deb Frecklington MP Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity. 

The Buy Smart Competition is an exciting opportunity for Queensland students in Years 4 to 12 to test their skills in consumer education and decision-making. Designed to encourage young people to make informed choices about spending, saving, and budgeting, the competition challenges participants to think critically about everyday purchases and how they can make smart financial decisions.

Middle School Ethics Olympiad Competition

On Tuesday 19 November eight Year 9 students in two teams competed in the Middle School Ethics Olympiad Competition. The Ethics Olympiad is a collaborative event which encourages students to analyse and discuss real-life, interesting, ethical issues. This is different from a debate as students are not assigned opposing views rather, they are defending whatever position they believe is right and succeed by showing they have carefully, deeply and perceptively thought about the case in question. 

Congratulations to the Clayfield Purple Team who placed sixth and the Clayfield Black Team who placed eighth. The students all enjoyed the day and found the Ethical topics interesting and engaging to discuss.

Ms Francis and Mrs McPherson have been training the teams in the lead up to the competition. The competition involved competing against 22 other schools from across Queensland in four heat rounds. The teams that competed are below:

Purple Team

Ava Luk

Gemma Nicoll

Tiana Miller

Charlotte Strickland

Black Team

Do Hee Lee

Rhea Suchak

Alice Wang

Evie Williamson

IGNITE Program

We are very excited about the upcoming IGNITE Program, which will include a range of experiential, project-based, and service-learning opportunities for students in Years 7 to 10 from today to Wednesday 27 November. Students will attend classes on Tuesday 26 November to receive results and assessment feedback from their teachers.

Years 7 and 8 students will compete in the 2nd Annual Clayfest Film Festival, learning how to create a 1-minute short film based on a creative theme. At the end of the program, the films will be shown, and prizes will be awarded to groups who exceed certain criteria. 

Our Years 9 and 10 students will engage in a range of service-learning opportunities, including:

• Making breast cushions for Zonta
• Packing Birthing Kits for Birthing Kits Australia
• Making back-to-school-kits for Friends With Dignity
• Visiting local elders in our community and providing activities at Aveo, Clayfield
• Cooking meals for Community 4 Compassion, Nundah
• Up-cycling fast fashion items to raise funds for Clean-Up Australia

It will be an experience not to be missed, so please ensure your child attends school right up until the last day on Thursday 28 November. Please note students in Years 7 and 8 can wear their HPE Uniform during the IGNITE Program.

Lockers

Students will be clearing out their lockers this week and are asked to bring any unneeded items (including books) home.

St John Youth Program for 2025

St John's is excited to announce the launch of a pilot program for 2025, offering 20 exclusive spots for interested students. The weekly program, designed to provide enriching educational experiences, will begin in February and take place at the Nundah campus. Expressions of interest are now open, so if you're looking for an exceptional learning experience for your child in 2025, we encourage you to apply soon before the spots fill up!