Welcome back to Term 2 to our Foxwell families, and welcome to Foxwell to all of our new families. We are proud of the community that we have built, and I hope that our newest families have enjoyed a wonderful start to their new community and our College.

We continue to grow and welcome families from across the Northern Gold Coast and also from around the country. We believe that our diversity is our strength and that we want everyone to feel that they truly belong at Foxwell.

Our SPIRIT values are an integral part of the fabric of our College, and tie us all together as we strive to achieve success for every one of our students.

The first week of school has started with a bang. The first day saw students engaging in in-school workshops from the Abbey Museum, with catapults and knights in armour enthralling our students in their study of history.

On Wednesday night we held our Annual Information Evening and Principal Tours for enrolling families. This saw over 350 people attend with our Principal Tours booking out with over 300 participants. I repeatedly heard, “I wish I could go back to school” from parents as we toured our amazing facilities and discussed the extensive range of opportunities on offer to our students.

Our enrolments have opened for the 2023 school year and applications for our four Programs of Excellence with trials, testing, and auditions processes to occur over the coming months. 

Today we held our moving ANZAC DAY service. I thank our special guests, President of the North Gold Coast RSL Sub Branch - Warrant Officer Class One, and Medal of the Order of Australia recipient, Ken Golden, Mr Graham Foxwell, our bugler, Marco Sassetto, and our P&C President, Mrs Roz Rowe for their contribution to this event. I also acknowledge our student Cadets, Cooper Hayden and Hayden Walker, who were presented with a book purchased from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and an ANZAC plant that will be planted in our ANZAC garden to accompany our Lone Pine.

ANZAC Day has always been a very special commemoration day for me as we acknowledge the sacrifices of more than a hundred thousand Australian service men and women who have lost their lives in military operations carried out in our country’s name, and the mateship, loyalty and courage of the soldiers who fought at Gallipoli. 

Now, as my son is a soldier based at the Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, I feel an even stronger connection to the Australian Defence Force and have broadened my understanding of the contributions these men and women make to our communities.

Their work in peacekeeping missions and their work in Australian and foreign countries is extraordinary. Their recent contributions to the Flood disaster recovery in NSW and QLD, and their work in restoring Tonga after the tsunami, are examples of their commitment to humanitarian projects, and their positive impact cannot be underestimated. They too show their SPIRIT values in all that they do.

 

 

The excitement then built as we held our annual Cross Country races. Congratulations to all of our competitors who have qualified for the Foxwell State Secondary College Cross Country Team for 2022. There certainly was a lot of competition as the students raced towards the finish line. Regardless of the place, we are proud of the perseverance of all students who participated today in either the competitive cross country or the fun run cross country.

 

 

We look forward to many other exciting events and opportunities over the coming weeks and months. I continue to encourage all of our student to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities available to them. You only get out of your education and schooling what you put into it. So I encourage our students to grab these with both hands and continue to make these the best years of their lives.

Until next time.

Mrs Kym Amor

Principal

Foxwell State Secondary College

Time:         3.10pm to 7.30pm

Location: Foxwell State Secondary College - Sports Performance Hall

Please follow the marked entry and exit pathways and the relevant directions from the carpark. A waiting area will be available in the Amphitheatre. Refreshments will be available for purchase at the Canteen. The Learning Hub will be open until 4.00pm, as usual, if students are awaiting the arrival of their parents/guardians.

Conference Sessions    

All sessions will be 10 minutes in length, which will include time to transition between conferences. A warning bell will sound after 9 minutes to facilitate efficient movement between conferences.

Booking a Session       

Please follow the link below to make bookings with teachers.

When you enter the booking page:

1) Identify the teacher with whom you would like to schedule a conference. It is important to note the first AND last name of teachers to ensure you have scheduled a conference with correct person/avoid missing out on a place. Please be aware that some teachers may contact you directly requesting that you book a conference with them. This contact will be made via email, so please continue to check your inbox. 

2) Select a time marked "AVAILABLE" (this will appear as a small green button on the right)

3) Click on the + to add your booking, then complete your details.

Please finalise your bookings by 11.45pm on Tuesdsay 26 April 2022. Please remember to bring a copy of your booking schedule with you.

Please ensure that your child attends these conferences with you. We ask that students bring their iPads with them so they have the opportunity to share evidence of their learning and progress during the session. Please also bring a pen.

We value the opportunity to engage with you as partners in your child’s learning journey and look forward to seeing you next Wednesday. Should you be unable to attend on 27 April, please contact your child’s teacher/s to make alternative arrangements. 

The Year 9s have enjoyed a smooth start to Term 2. Our new Personal Endeavour Courses have begun with students eagerly attending their first classes this week. Our "Ceramics" class is the first cohort to engage in our Cafe Program, and they have already spent lessons learning about safety, service and coffee preparation, oh, and some sniffing of coffee beans! It was great to see our students engaging in this program in our beautiful new Cafe/Restaurant, "Kaizen". In Week 2, it will be the students of "Build it and they will come" who will have their turn on the machines. All students who complete the work module and practical experience and achieve Competency for their work will receive a Certificate of Completion to add to their folio of achievements. The schedule for all classes is provided below:

Week 2        Built it and they will come (GARRMO)     

Week 3        First Aid (SAYECA)

Week 4        Food and Nutrition (WELLCO)

Week 5        Sound Production (MATHSO)

Week 6        Specialist Coaching (GOUDRE)

Week 7        Film Production (POWETH)

Week 8        App Development and Game Design (NEWTLI)

Week 9        Food and Hospitality Practices (FOERTR)

Week 10      Continuing Japanese 1 (YOSHMA)

Upcoming events for this term include: dance competitions, district cross country, inter-school sport, more rounds of debating, our inaugural musical, Matilda, another opportunity for First Aid students to achieve their certificate and various humanities excursions, to name just a few.

Reminders - College Processes and Policies

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, including on the way to and from school. No other jumpers/jackets are permitted and students will be asked to remove them. 

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 and send it with your child before or on the day. Students will then be issued with a pass. 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 workspaces without leather shoes, may be denied entry.

Arrival to School

All students are reminded that they should be in class, seated and ready for learning by 8.45am. Arriving by the first bell at 8.35am allows reasonable time to get to class. It is concerning that we still have students arriving even after 8.45am with no explanation from home as to their late arrival. It is important that all students are in class, on time, every day. 

Course and Class Changes

Applications to change courses will not be accepted unless the process has been followed by the student in terms of having their parent sign to endorse the application. Given the complexity of class changes (logistically in terms of the timetable structure) and the impact of moving classes (catching up on work missed etc.), there must be significant reason for the change. We encourage all students to explore their areas of  passion and interest, and it is concerning that a student may wish to change subjects due to wanting to be in class with friends. 

Organisation and Communication

To ensure clear, effective and timely communication and sharing of information, it is vital that students:

1) check SharePoint notices at least once a day (before 9am) for whole cohort and College information;

2) maintain their awareness of notices and annoucements in Seesaw for their individual class and year level; and 

2) check email daily for personal messages. 

As we move through our Compass Years Program and become more personalised in our interactions, students must ensure they are up-to-date with information and are responding to emails otherwise they may miss out on key information and great opportunities.

We appreciate families' support in reminding students to take ownership of their daily organisation and communication.  

Excursions

There are a number of excursions planned across the year. To avoid the disappointment of missing out on an invaluable learning experience, or having an excursion cancelled, we ask all students and families to ensure that they sign and return all relevant consent forms by the due date. This information is issued via Seesaw so please continue to check announcements. 

Mobile Phones

A reminder to all students and families that, as per our Code of Conduct for Students, students are not permitted to have their mobile phones during the day. This means that students can not have phones with them in their pockets or in their bags or with other personal belongings. All phones brought to school must be locked in a locker between 8.45am and 3.00pm. 

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

It was lovely to see our Year 7 students return this week, well rested and keen to get stuck into learning for another bumper filled term.  

Year 7s were involved in NAPLAN practice sessions on Thursday.  We were most impressed with how students were able to cope with a change in normal classroom routine during this time.  Classroom changes and variations to normal school routine can be a lot to process for our newest students, and they did very well organising themselves effectively.  These practice sessions were an excellent opportunity for students to ensure they had the right equipment and the NAPLAN app was downloaded and functioning on their devices.  They were able to enter the app on their iPads and experience the portal functions, navigation and style of questioning that they will complete in their tests between 10-20 May.  Overall, we were most impressed with Year 7s ability to navigate this process effectively and efficiently.  Well done, Year 7!

A reminder that students require the following items to complete their NAPLAN sessions effectively;

• fully charged iPad
• functioning keypad
• wired earphones (not bluetooth or Airpod style earphones) and any required connection jacks
• a pen or pencil for drafting and working out

A gentle reminder that as we move toward winter, please ensure 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 suchs as laboratories, kitchens and workshops. Students presenting to practical workspaces without leather shoes, may be denied entry.

Ms Wilson and myself look forward to another great term with our Year 7 superstars.

Welcome back to Term 2!

The Year 7 and 8 ALP students are continuing to develop the skills they identified in Term 1 to assist in their preparation for TEDx and presentations. Year 7 students have begun developing an inquiry question on a topic of their choosing. These will be then made into a presentation, in a style that the students have chosen. Some of the topics so far are very interesting! We are looking forward to conferencing with the students next week and we cannot wait to share their ideas with you in future updates. The Year 8s are also continuing to prepare for their TEDx presentations and developing the relevant and necessary skills required to do this successfully. They are eagerly researching and taking on feedback from teachers and peers to ensure that they are ready for their presentations on Wednesday 20 July 2022. 

Mrs Cabrera and the ALP team

Social World in Term 2 has started with a bang! In Year 7 English, students will be exploring characters in films as they learn to write, in role, as one of the characters from their film. Through their Arts subject of either Dance or Media, students will be immersed in learning the fundamentals of how to communicate their intent through either the lens or movement as they use their photography skills to demonstrate certain angles and shot types in an interactive way or create a ‘Just Dance’ that links to wellbeing for a target group in the community.

Our Year 8 students are excited to learn more about the real world as they connect to characters in novels and plays that deal with teenage issues and relate to the world.  Drama students will perform scenes from “Stories in the Dark” and learn how the characters survive in a war-torn city by telling stories of hope. Our budding Visual Artists in Year 8 will have their turn at painting on canvas as they plan and make a painting that raises awareness about a local issue that links to a Global Goal.

We can’t wait to see the wonderful work our students produce in Term 2 Social World.

Jacobs Well Geography Excursion

This coming Tuesday 26 April 2022, students in Year 9, who are studying Our Changing World, have a great opportunity to attend a curriculum essential excursion to Jacobs Well. Currently many Excursion Permission notes have not been returned for this great day on a boat. A copy of the excursion permission note can be found on Seesaw. For a student to attend, this form needs to be signed and returned to bgrif94@eq.edu.au before departure at 8.15am on Tuesday 26 April. 

It is with great excitement that our Year 9 History students have been invited to view and interact with the ANZAC gallery exhibition at the Queensland Museum next Thursday 28 April 2022. Students will also have the privilege of handling artefacts from this exhibition.

This visit to the Museum will help students extend on their knowledge of World War One and the landing of Gallipoli, as well as their historical skills of analysis and evaluation as they interact with the artefacts and information in this exhibition. They can then use elements of this experience in their assessment item for this term. This visit will inspire students and provide them ideas for their own museum exhibition item, to be completed by the end of this term.

Students need to arrive at school, in their formal uniform, by 8:15am to ensure that buses can depart by 8:30am. If your student is yet to return the signed permission form, can you please take a photo of it and upload it to your students' Seesaw or email it to their History teacher by 3pm Tuesday the 26^th of April.

This excursion is of no additional cost to you as it is covered by the Student Resource Scheme. We are looking forward to this wonderful opportunity and look forward to seeing all students attending.

How to Deal with School Refusal

Every parent has trouble getting their teen out of bed and off to school every now and then. However, if your teen is regularly asking to stay home and seems upset or worried about school, it could be a sign of a bigger problem. 

What’s going on?

School refusal is different to ‘wagging’ because it stems from a teen’s anxiety about school. They might be worried about their academic performance, interacting with peers, dealing with teachers, playing sports or being away from their family.

Why does it matter?

• Your teen is likely to fall behind in their subjects and this can have a serious impact on their learning in the long term.
• Your teen could miss out on important social activities and may lose friends or struggle to make new friends.
• It could be against the law. All Australian school-age children are legally required to attend school everyday. Unexplained absences can cause legal problems for your family, including financial penalties. Legal requirements are different for every state and territory.

How can you help?

• Try to speak to your child about what’s been happening.  
• Work on some ways to motivate your teen.
• Let the school know what’s going on. 
• Find out about the school’s attendance policies and procedures. 
• Cooperate with the school and your child to improve their attendance. Working together with the school will give your teen the best chance of overcoming their anxieties about school. Focus on trying to make school a structured and predictable part of your teen’s life.

If you feel you have tried everything.

• Make an appointment with your GP. If there are no physical reasons for your child’s school refusal, the GP may refer your child to a mental health professional such as a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist. A mental health professional will help your child to learn skills to deal with their anxiety about going to school.
• It is likely that the school has noticed inconsistent attendance and have attempted to make contact. Be open and honest with the school about what is going on for your teenager so additional supports can be explored.

If you would like support, please email Pascale Street (Guidance Officer) to arrange an appointment – ppier6@eq.edu.au or contact 5555 3333 and request a return phone call in relation to supporting your child.

At the end of last term, G-STEM students became cosmetic chemists by creating their own lip balms!

Cosmetic chemists are STEM specialists who choose from thousands of ingredients when they create new products, careful to select ones with chemical properties that enhance the look, feel, and use of the product they are making. For instance, no one wants lip balm to be too hard, which is why most homemade lip balm recipes call for some type of oil or butter. 

Oils are generally thick, viscous liquids at room temperature and are usually emollients, meaning that they soften and smoothen the skin. Butters are another kind of emollient; they are soft, but not liquid, at room temperature. On the other hand, a super soft, runny lip balm would be too messy, so waxes, like beeswax, which are solids at room temperature, are added to thicken the recipe. The "perfect" product means getting just the right ratio of emollients to waxes.

Students tested this theory by creating 3 different recipes of differing ratios, and evaluating them for look, smell and feel.

We are so proud of our incredible debating teams here at Foxwell.

In the first round, of the 2022 competition, our three Junior A teams all won their debates. 

Foxwell 1 and Foxwell 3 won against Saint Stephen’s College

Foxwell 2 won against Coomera Anglican College

In their first round, our two Junior B teams also won their debates.

Foxwell 1 won against AB Paterson.

Foxwell 2 won against King’s Christian College.

We are so proud of how all of these students have prepared for and competed in these debates. We would also like to thank every student that has come to any debating practice or helped out these teams by stepping in as an additional speaker, chair person or timekeeper. 

We can’t wait to see how these debaters go for the rest of the season.

Mrs Goddaer and Mrs Arndt