It is fantastic to see our Year 8 students return to school for Term 2 with enthusiasm and excitement for the learning that lays ahead. It will be a busy term with lots of events scheduled and three successive short weeks with the inclusion of our public holidays.

Upcoming events include: dance competitions, district cross country, inter-school sport, more rounds of debating, and our inaugural musical, Matilda, to name just a few.

Reminder College Processes and Procedures

Please ensure as we move toward winter that your child has the correct winter uniform. Children are required to wear the Foxwell sports jacket and/or the wattle coloured knit jumper. No other jumpers/jackets are permitted.

Please also check that your child is wearing the correct uniform each day. If there is a valid reason that your child is out of uniform (temporarily), please ensure you have completed the application for Temporary Uniform Variation form and send it with your child.

Children who are out of uniform and without an Application for Temporary Uniform Variation are issued with a 20 minute detention.

Students are, at all times outdoors, required to wear the appropriate school hat to match their uniform, i.e. formal hat with formal uniform and sports hat with sports uniform. The wearing of a hat is also required whilst transiting to and from school.

To meet Workplace Health and Safety requirements, children are required to wear black lace up leather shoes with their formal uniform and when they are in practical work spaces such as laboratories, kitchens and workshops. Students presenting to practical work-spaces without leather shoes, may be denied entry.

Camp Marantha

Preparations are well under way for our Year 8 adventure camp. As mentioned in the last newsletter, we will be attending Marantha Recreation Camp at Yandina. https://www.maranatha-camp.com

If you wish for your child to attend, please complete the EOI form by Tuesday 3rd May.

For those families who complete the form, an invoice will be sent by the end of week 3 and once the invoice is paid, you will have secured a place on camp for your child, pending the return of permission forms and full payment by the due date. The date for payment of the deposit will be indicated when the invoice is sent to you. Please ensure that your email details are up to date and that deadlines are adhered to, to ensure your child can attend camp. Unfortunately, if the deposit is not paid on time and full payment made by the deadline, your child will be unable to attend camp.

A letter outlining full details of the camp, the payment process and a permission form will be distributed to those families who complete the EOI form and pay the $30 deposit.

We reserve the right to deny attendance at camp to any student who demonstrates a pattern of unacceptable attendance or behaviour at school which places their own, or others' safety at risk.

The details of the camp are:

When:     Monday 17^th- Wednesday 19^th of October 2022.

Where:    Marantha Camp, Boulder Creek

              281 Hill Rd

              Mothar Mountain

              Qld 4570

Cost:      $280

Whilst at Camp Marantha, students will participate in some exciting activities which will  include a selection from the following:

Giant Swing: Students are pulled 13 metres in the air by their peers and then pull a rip cord to go for a thrilling swing! A daring activity, the Giant Swing pushes participants out of their comfort zones and requires full team participation.

Jacob's Ladder: Jacob's Ladder is a 10 metre high climbing activity. Students will work in a small team to pull themselves up a suspended ladder with the goal that and no person gets left behind. A fantastic activity for encouraging team work. It gets harder, the higher it gets!

River Rafting: A great activity for a group to work together planning, designing, communication and constructing a raft from scratch. Students will grab some pontoon floats, ropes and planks and build a 'river worthy' raft to race against the other teams. What better setting than the beautiful and private stretch of Maroochy River.

Bridge Building: This is an engaging activity and draws on the lost art of knot tying. The bridge building teams learn square and diagonal lashing and how to tension ropes and follow a briefing on how to construct a Burma Bridge strong enough for the whole group to climb across. The group discusses structural principles. Building materials include big bamboo poles and ropes.

Leap of Faith: A classic outdoor ed activity, Leap of Faith tests a student's nerves as well as their self-belief. Participants scale a 7m ladder and then take a leap into the void - like a miniature bungee jump! With the option to challenge themselves further by leaping for a buoy, Leap of Faith is a dynamic activity suitable for a wide range of students. 

Bush walks/hikes

I look forward to sharing the camp experience with your children. Please ensure you keep up to date with all the communication which will be sent through email and hard copy permission letters.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding anything Year 8, please feel free to contact myself, Deputy Principal, Zana Schroeder zschr2@eq.edu.au or our Head of Yr 8, Bryce Berrell bdber0@eq.edu.au