As we come to the end of another term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the many achievements and successes that have taken place at our school over the past few months. I am proud to report that we have much to celebrate.

Academically, our teachers have continued to work tirelessly to ensure that every student receives a high-quality and equitable education. They have, and continue to show, incredible resilience, flexibility, and dedication to delivering curriculum that provides the opportunity for all students to experience success. I want to thank our dedicated staff for their tireless efforts throughout the term.

Our students continue to show strong commitment to their cocurricular and extracurricular activities. This term we have joined the Queensland Futsal League, and continued to have success on the field with Rugby League. Our Fuse Cup representatives came 2nd place in their competition and we held our first Theatre Sports Competition. Our Excellence Programs have continued their representation beyond the school gates and we wish our Gen-Stem students the best of luck with their upcoming Grand Prix in Gladstone. This is to name a few of the wonderful opportunities students have had this term. 

We inducted our 2023 Student Ambassadors this week, and for the first time in our College history we were able to have students join the Gold Coast Northern Collegiate Year 10 Leadership Program. 

This week we met with representatives from UMS, our uniform supplier. We have been working with UMS for the better part of 6 months now designing possible options for our Senior Secondary Year 11 & 12 college uniform. In week 1 of next term all families will be emailed a link to a survey asking for your input into the final decision. Below are three options for your consideration over the holiday break. 

A quick reminder also to our families that students are required to wear the official school jacket or jumper should they feel cold. The new, warmer jacket option is now available for purchase at our uniform shop.

Today we held our annual Cross Country on college grounds. It was a fantastic day for our students. While many competed in the official competition, we also had students participating in a fun run, rotational activities and the ever popular tug of war. Thank you to our College Sports Co-ordinator Dane Watmuff for his organisation of the event, our P&C for their refreshment stall and our Year 10 NC Leaders for the slushies! Yes, we did have an unexpected visitor during our race, with a snake (variety unconfirmed) joining us on track. The track was altered and the safety of students prioritised in line with our risk assessment protocols. 

We did it! Term 1 2023 is done and dusted!

Congratulations to all students for their transition to secondary school.

Our students learnt how to read timetables, navigate a multitude of teachers and battle the crowds of our school of almost 1100 students.

Moving into Term 2, there will be some changes to student timetables due to staffing changes, as well as, classes rotating into different Arts subjects. This is a normal practise in secondary schools. Students will be issued with a new timetable via email prior to the start of next term.

At the start of next term, we will spend some time refreshing students of our expectations around behaviour and reminding students of the importance of being an upstander rather than a bystander if incidents occur.

We will remind our students that this is their school and that they need to treat the property, their peers and staff with respect. Students who are unable to show appropriate levels of respect will receive consequences in keeping with the Student Code of Conduct. It is important to us that students can attend school and feel safe and supported.

On behalf of our year level team, Mr Berrell, Ms Tiller and myself, I would like to express how wonderful it has been to truly get to know our Year 7s this term. I love how we can walk into classrooms, along the verandas and through the grounds and for the students to greet us by name and engage us in conversation.

Please take time over the holidays to assist your child to 'tidy up' their iPad folders and get organised ahead of the start of term. Please ensure that they have their folder system set up on their iPad, ready to save fresh work for Term 2.

Winter comes quickly, once we return in Term 2. Foxwell can be a cold place and students will only be only be permitted to wear Foxwell jumpers and or jackets. No plain navy jumpers, jackets or hoodies are permitted, let alone jumper and jackets of different colours.

Finally, we wish you and your family and friends a safe and healthy holiday period. Please help your children and yourselves to find opportunities to connect and find moments of peace, in what is often, a crazy busy world.

As usual, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Bryce or myself.

Until next time

Zana Schroeder

Deputy Principal

We are reaching the end of a busy term, and what better way to finish than with our annual Cross Country event today.

Myself, Mr Breese and Ms Tiller are thrilled to confirm the dates of the much anticipated Year 8 Camp for 2023. Our Camp provider this year is Maranatha Recreation Camp located in Yandina on the Sunshine Coast.

This Camp will be for 3 days and 2 nights and will occur in Term 3. From Monday the 14^th to 16^th of August 2023.

More precise details will be shared with parents early in Term 2, including the overall cost of the camp, the initial down payment, and the schedule for payments. At this stage, it is anticipated that this major school experience will be no more than $300 per student which includes: return bus transportation from Foxwell to the venue, two nights’ accommodation, camp activities, and all meals. As this is a major expense, families will be given plenty of notice for payment. We encourage all our students to undertake this in 2023 with the support of their peers and their teachers. Students will be eligible to attend camp pending finance, attendance and behaviour expectations are met in Terms 2 and 3 leading up to the camp. We thank you in advance for your support in this regard. Please look out for more information from the Year 8 team in Term 2 regarding this experience.

Congratulations to our newly elected student leaders in Year 8!

I would like to address the Year 8 team's concern around an emerging pattern of lateness and truancy in our cohort. The most important thing to us is the safety of our students. If a child is not in class when they are supposed to be, there is no way of knowing where they are and what they are doing, which is one of the reasons why we take lateness and truancy so seriously at Foxwell. It also makes it incredibly difficult for teacher's to teach, when they are interupted by students turning up late to class, or they are following up on students that have not arrived to class instead of teaching the lesson. I want to thank parents for their support and understanding as I have made contact home advising of incidences where a student has been repeatedly late to class, or has been truant from a lesson. Students can expect consequences for this behaviour in line with the Student Code of Conduct, ranging from lunch time and after-school detentions to Saturday detentions and suspensions. In Term 2, the Year 8 team are going to continue monitoring lateness and truancy extremely closely, and consequences will continue to be issued to those students who make the choice to be late or truant from a lesson. With the start of a new term, this is an opportunity for students to have a fresh start, and come back to school making positive and safe choices. Thank you to those students who are constantly where they are meant to be, and accounted for at all times. Your teachers and peers thank you for your positive contributions to a productive learning environment. For more information on the importance of regular patterns of attendance, please refer to the Every Day Counts resources on the Department of Education website.

I took some time on Tuesday to visit year 8 students in their Excellence classes - Sporting Minds, Gen STEM, ALP, and Creative Voices. The opportunities for these students are fantastic and I took great joy in experiencing their specialised learning in action.

On Wednesday, Year 8 students participated in the Abbey Museum incursion, as part of their Physical World curriculum studies. This unit looks at the crossover between History and Biology, and students have been studying the biology of the Black Death from the Middle Ages. Exciting stuff! Students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a medieval presentation on armour and weapons, and how this would have protected bodies differently throughout History. They also had the opportunity to play games from the Middle Ages, and even got to experience archery. Thank you to the Physical World team for organising such a rich learning experience for our students!

Our boys rugby team beat Keebra Park yesterday afternoon 28-0 in what showed to be their best performance yet. Keebra didn't get pass halfway in the first half of the game. This is a testament to what they have been learning in training with their line speed and strong defence. Thank you to Coach Mr Way, and also to Mr Taylor and Mrs Morris for helping the boys out. 

Despite only having 1 player on the bench, Benson, Charlie Claydon, Nate and Sosaia did an incredible job with their carries. Nate was able to score two tries from his barnstorming runs. Jet Quigley was also able to score a double with his halves setting him up with some footwork and great passing. Tahi Barclay was able to score an incredible try off a scrum with Charlie Finch putting on some footwork and putting Tahi in a hole to score untouched under the sticks. Charlie Finch was also able to score a try of his own also. Tahi has received the Man of the Match of his debut game in fullback filling in the big shoes of Ty Marstaeller. Tahi's runs from the back of the field and defense were commendable. Every player in the team played exceptionally.

It is a pleasure to be able to share your child's learning journey with you.

Warm regards,

Nahdia McClymont

Year 8 Deputy Principal

Happy holidays!

While it seems so long ago now that we welcomed the Year 9s back to school and introduced them to the Senior Precinct, it also feels like just yesterday.  Your students have achieved so much already in just one term.  There has been amazing growth demonstrated in so many of them and we are really proud of their achievements.  

It was excellent to see the stellar performances of some of our long distance runners today in our Cross Country.  Well done to all participants!

Speaking with students in the last few weeks, it's been lovely to hear about their successes, in assessment and class work.  We look forward to the shift next term to a new suite of PECS for students to engage with and continue to build a picture of where they would like to head in future years at Foxwell.  A reminder that PEC subject selection forms are available on Student Sharepoint and can be submitted over the break.  We will close subject changes on Friday of Week 2, Term 2.

Excitingly, during this time, students will engage in our Cafe Program.  A chance to try out life as a barista and practise making some amazing flat whites and banana smoothies!  Students will learn valuable workplace skills that will assist them if they have the desire to reach out and begin to start sourcing part time jobs in the community.

Most importantly, this April vacation time is a time to rest and relax for us all.  I hope you have a lovely break and Mr Morris and I look forward to seeing you back next term.

Year 9 Deputy

Di Russell

What better way to end the term than with some fun, laughter, exercise, school and team spirit and slushies…lots and lots of slushies! Our Cross Country this afternoon reminds me of all the great things about our students and our community: their sense of fun, their give-it-a-go attitude, their sportsmanship and mateship and the lovely relationships we share. I was so proud to see our Year 10 leaders raising funds for charity, our athletes and brave no-so-keen athletes earning points for their houses, and the rest of our Year 10 team sharing in the SPIRIT of the day.

As we look forward to Term 2, there is much about which to be excited:

• Our Trade Taster Courses take off for a close to 20 of our students. Thank you to families who have supported your students in enrolling in these courses. We can’t wait to hear all about your experiences!;
• We begin our second term of Compass Courses so that students can continue to extend their experience across the curriculum. With Senior Education and Training Planning beginning shortly, these courses have provided another helpful insight into possibilities for Senior School studies;
• Our excursion to the Gold Coast Careers Expo and our Careers Festival;
• Opportunities to get involved in planning our other events, such as the Semi Formal;
• Developing our identify as a cohort as we continue to get to know ourselves and each other more deeply.

At the start of Term 2, we will issue a new timetable for all Year 10 students. If a student has a blank where their Compass Course should appear, they will receive an email requesting their selection before courses begin in Week 2.  

I encourage all Year 10 students to review and reflect on their Term 1 work as we will engage in some reflection and planning activities in Week 1 of Term 2. One key focus will be arriving on time to school, and for every lesson, every day. This week we trialled a process to support students in managing their attendance; please refer to Ms Moller’s article below. I am pleased to have seen an improvement already is some students’ attendance.

Wishing all students and families a safe and refreshing break. As the cooler months approach, I encourage all students to ensure that they have their winter uniforms ready for Term 2.

Ms Di Nicolas

Deputy Principal – Compass Years, Year 10

Attendance – Late to School and Late Arrival to Class

At Foxwell State Secondary College our vision is to provide a world of opportunity for every student. We maintain a school climate where high standards of behaviour, progress, performance and participation are the foundation for students to achieve their potential. These high expectations enable the College to create and maintain a positive and productive teaching and learning environment. It is imperative that students are in class, every lesson of every day, and engaged in learning; this is the best way to ensure progress, and having the widest possible range of opportunities available beyond school. 

Heads of Year and Deputy Principals will be generating reports each week to track students’ lateness to class and truancy (missing entire lessons). Where we identify patterns or excessive numbers of late or truant lessons, we will be offering our support by providing students with a weekly Attendance Monitoring Card. This should be presented to their teacher at the beginning of each lesson for one week, and will be initialled for attending on time as well as remaining present for the whole lesson (no departures from the learning area without teacher approval or a movement pass).

Students should present these to parents and/or guardians for signing at the end of each day. Please use this as an opportunity to reinforce positive progress, and ask questions about any unsigned lessons.

If there are any particular concerns or issues you’d like to raise around your student’s attendance, or for further information, don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs Lisa Moller (Head of Year 10) or Ms Di Nicolas (Deputy Principal) for guidance or assistance. Thank you for your support in assisting your student to participate fully in their education!

Have a great break, everyone!

Ms Lisa Moller, Head of Year 10

All Term 2 timetables will be emailed to EQ email addresses before we return to school on Monday 17 April.

Foxwell State Secondary College is hosting our very first Careers Expo. 

All Year 10 students will also be provided the opportunity to attend 2023 Gold Coast Careers Festival. 

Foxwell students will attend on Thursday 1st June.

We’ve crossed the finish line for Term 1! Teachers and students have been working incredibly hard in theory and practical classrooms this term to develop skills, understanding and willingness to positively influence the health and wellbeing of themselves and their communities.

It is essential that young people develop this ability to respond to new health issues and evolving physical activity options and we now set our sights to term 2 to continue to this important work.

 7 HWO – In the running

The analysis and understanding of movement is crucial in promoting health, preventing injury, and improving performance in athletic pursuits. In term 2, year 7 students will analyse the range of influences on enhancing a specific movement, with a specific focus on feedback, communication, and motor development. By analysing movements specific to athletics, students can identify areas where they can improve their technique or mechanics to gain a competitive advantage with the overall goal of best performance during the Athletics Carnival!

8 HWO – Healthy Living

The media today is full of tips and tricks to live longer, and the Global Wellness industry is now worth a whopping $4 trillion dollars! Our choices on when and how we move, as well as what we consume, are impacted by so many factors including our families, culture, and socio-economic status. In term 2, year 8 students will analyse these factors and investigate their own personal nutrition and movement habits, as well as explore widespread health issues facing Australia. 

9 HPE – Respectful Relationships

Respectful relationships during adolescents can be difficult to maintain and manage due to emotional regulation and behavioural changes.  Being able to evaluate situations by understanding theses influences can have a positive impact on both peer relationships and the family unit. In term 2, year 9 students will create a portfolio of work that shows their knowledge and understanding of relationships and the behaviours, emotions and strategies that can be used to ensure the development of positive relationships. 

10 HPE – Health, safety, and wellbeing

A study of health, safety and wellbeing aims to improve the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities educating others about healthy behaviours, investigating access to healthcare services, and recommending healthy environments and policies that support healthy living. In term 2, year 10 students will investigate contextual factors that influence the health and wellbeing of diverse communities. In practical, students will work collaboratively to design, propose, apply, and evaluate interventions to improve fitness and physical activity levels in their communities to lead healthier, happier lives, and improve their overall quality of life.

From the Healthy World team, we hope students and families have a safe and happy Easter holidays full of physical activity, healthy habits, and plenty of rest!

Year 8 Abbey Museum Incursion

On Wednesday the Year 8s had the privilege of participating in multiple sessions lead by visiting staff from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology. Students engaged in Medieval games and were able to closely view knight replica gear and weapons, supplementing their classroom learning with this hands-on experience.

2023 Night at the Museum- Year 7 & 8 Physical World

It is our great pleasure to invite you to attend our Night at the Museum!

Over the course of Term 1, and continuing into Term 2, students have delved into history and have explored people, events, and civilisations in which they developed a keen interest. The objective of this event is to enable students to communicate (find their voice) and engage authentically with their peers and our wider Foxwell community by showcasing their findings via a variety of digital and non-digital means.  We really hope to see you on Wednesday May 24^th! Permission forms have been handed out in classes this week.

Gen-STEM Virtual Reality Experience with Professor Tech

Yesterday morning during the final Gen-STEM session of Term 1, Year 7, 8 & 9 students gathered in the Performing Arts Centre to participate in a virtual reality experience. Erin and Michael Cowling (Professor Tech) volunteered their time and resources, to support the students to develop their teamwork and communication skills. Students took it in turns to engage in the VR experience and attempt to diffuse a virtual bomb! To be successful students relied on effective communication between team members. Some groups were able to really perform as a team and this was impressive to see.

Looking ahead to Term 2, Year 7, 8 & 9 students will begin to work on their Wonder of Science (WoS) projects. In Week 1 of Term 2, classes will have their allocated Young Science Ambassador (YSA) visiting to introduce the program and the topic for their year level. Term 2 work will culminate in the WoS Regional Conference held on Wednesday June 21^st, where students will present their research findings.

Mrs Ramos

2023 STEM Ambassador Conference

On Wednesday 22nd March, four Year 8 Gen STEM students along with Miss Hezlett attended the 2023 STEM Ambassador Conference in Brisbane. Students listened to Bridie Schultz from SATIVUS discuss strategies for effective communication in STEM. Students also began to create a STEM Action Plan to produce change and promote STEM in the Foxwell SSC community. They finished the day by attending a show at QPAC called ‘Biology: The Fascinating Diversity of Life’. Scientists from three different fields of biology presented to students about their area of expertise, which ranged from creating greenscapes in urban areas to tagging and recording data about sharks. Students had a fun day out and are inspired to engage more students in STEM at Foxwell!

Miss Hezlett

Year 9 Gen-STEM primary school visit

On Tuesday, it was an exciting day for the Year 9 Gen-STEM students as they embarked on a journey to share their passion for STEM with the next generation of budding scientists. The students travelled to Picnic Creek State School and Coomera State School to conduct a series of captivating experiments with Year 5 and 6 students.

Over the term, the Year 9 students had been meticulously planning and developing science experiments with the goal of making a meaningful contribution to the world around them. The students were eager to share their passion for STEM and inspire young minds to explore the world of science.

The experiments that were conducted were nothing short of impressive, with a range of fascinating activities including layering liquids to explore density, floating teabags to explain the concept of convection, investigating chemical changes and reactions through elephants’ toothpaste, and discovering the unusual and exciting Oobleck - a non-Newtonian Fluid.

To ensure that the primary school students gained valuable scientific skills, the Gen-STEM students also created resources to help teach their young audiences how to develop hypotheses, identify variables, conduct fair tests, and assess risk.

The students' efforts were met with high praise from multiple staff members who were impressed by their ability to engage the primary students and communicate complex scientific theories in a way that was easy for their audience to understand. It was truly a fantastic day filled with learning, excitement, and inspiration for all involved.

We would like to extend a special thank you to our science lab technicians, Ms Cheryl Newton and Ms Morgan Lamb, for their invaluable support and guidance throughout this exciting journey. Their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts were instrumental in ensuring that the Year 9 Gen-STEM students were well-equipped and prepared to conduct their experiments with confidence and precision.

Miss Jones

Year 10 Gen-STEM upcoming H2GP Australian Finals

We are thrilled to share with you the exciting news that in April, our Year 10 Gen-STEM students will be attending the H2GP RC Car Racing Australian Finals in Gladstone!

RC racing involves using remote-controlled cars to race on a track. It requires precision, speed, and a passion for engineering and technology, which our Gen-STEM students have been learning all about.

They have shown SPIRIT Values as a team to design and build their own hydrogen-powered RC cars, focusing on elements such as speed, handling, and durability. They have also fine-tuned their cars by adjusting the gears, suspension, and weight distribution to achieve the best possible performance. With the ongoing support of our generous sponsors ABB Technologies, and Dr Bulmer from Griffith University, the students are well-prepared for an exciting experience.

Win or lose, we are incredibly proud of our Year 10 Gen-STEM students. All the best for the big race!

Mrs Moraes

Year 8 Japanese: Wa to Watashi Exhibition

The Japanese team at Foxwell is thrilled to share a number of yurukyaras designed by our Year 8 students. For those who may be unfamiliar, a yurukyara is a Japanese term for a category of mascot characters used to promote a place, event, region or organisation. They are a staple of Japanese culture and are characterised by their kawaii (cute) and unique designs.  

As part of their assessment, our Year 8 students also engaged with the idea of the heart of Wa; the concept of harmony and unity in Japanese culture. They were tasked with creating their own yurukyara and writing a self-introduction and optional short story about their character, which helped them to connect with the yurukyara and understand its purpose.  

We are incredibly proud of our students' dedication to being responsible language learners, and hope that you will join us in celebrating their achievements. Students will be able to view the Wa to Watashi Exhibition video in their classes, which showcases the creativity and hard work of our Year 8 students during their Term 1 Japanese assessment.

This term, students have completed a narrative task in English in both Year 9 and Year 10 English.  Over the last couple of weeks, students have started working on the second half of the unit that they will continue after the Easter break. All of our units are Semester based and therefore students are working in every lesson to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for success in English to the end of every term.  If students are absent, work is available on One Note and it is an expectation that students catch up with this and speak with their teacher to ensure that they understand anything they were not present in class for.  In addition, may I remind you that if students require an extension for an assessment task or exam, please complete the form available on the website and forward to dgodd2@eq.edu.au to action.

Our tasks in both Year 9 and Year 10 English in Term 2 explore representations of key concepts and how these are underpinned by cultural assumptions, values, attitudes and beliefs in society.    If your students are telling you that they need to watch sitcoms or movies for English, then this is correct! However they should be taking notes whilst doing so to hold their thinking for their assessment tasks. Students all have access to TV4Education to access the material required for these units. They should speak with their teacher if they need additional assistance to create their accounts to access these resources.

Year 9 English

Students have begun work on the next part of their unit 'Just for Laughs' looking at sitcoms in order to explore the inquiry question:  How does comedy reflect or provoke societal change?  Students will watch a variety of sitcoms in class and for homework to answer this question by deciding whether their chosen sitcom should be rebooted for a modern audience or remain in the past.  

Year 10 English

Students have begun work on the next part of their unit 'Heroes and Villains' looking at films, TV shows and other texts such as comics and graphic novels to explore the inquiry question:  Why are we fascinated by heroes and villains?  Students will examine a variety of visual texts in class and for homework to explore the construction and representation heroes and villains and answer this question in a multimodal response based on a hero or villain of their choice.  

Our Year 10 students should focus on developing their skills so that they are able to achieve the best possible results and make appropriate subject choices for English in Semester 2 and into Senior.  Results in English will impact their subject choices in Senior.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe break.

Danielle Goddaer

HOD English and Humanities

This Term we have been studying a great deal of different topics in our Humanities subjects.  Over the last couple of weeks, students have started working on the second half of the unit that they will continue after the Easter break. All of our units are Semester based and therefore students are working in every lesson to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for success in their chosen Humanities subject to the end of every term.  If students are absent, work is available on One Note and it is an expectation that students catch up with this and speak with their teacher to ensure that they understand anything they were not present in class for.  In addition, may I remind you that if students require an extension for an assessment task or exam, please complete the form available on the website and forward to dgodd2@eq.edu.au to action.

Year 9 History

Students have been examining the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade this term and begun work on their study of WW1 that will continue after the break.  Our key inquiry questions this semester are:

• What were the changing features of the movements of people from 1750 to 1918? 
• How did new ideas and technological developments contribute to change in this period? 
• What was the origin, development, significance and long-term impact of imperialism in this period? 
• What was the significance of World War I? 

Year 9 Geography

Students have been examining biomes and will continue with this study after the break.  Our key inquiry questions this semester are:

• What are the causes and consequences of change in places and environments and how can this change be managed? 
• What are the future implications of changes to places and environments? 
• Why are interconnections and interdependencies important for the future of places and environments? 

Year 9 Economics & Business

Students have been exploring competitive advantage and business strategies this term and will continue this by examining financial risks and rewards after the break.  Our key inquiry questions this semester are:

• How do participants in the global economy interact? 
• What strategies can be used to manage financial risks and rewards? 
• How does creating a competitive advantage benefit business? 
• What are the responsibilities of participants in the workplace and why are these important? 

Year 9 Civics & Citizenship

Students have been examining the justice and legal systems this term and will move into analysing our political system and participating in a democracy in Term 2.  Our key inquiry questions this semester are:

• What influences shape the operation of Australia's political system? 
• How does Australia's court system work in support of a democratic and just society? 
• How do citizens participate in an interconnected world? 

Year 10 History

This semester, all Year 10 students have been studying History.  Our Term 1 focus has been on WW2 and students have been focusing on how to analyse sources and write analytically.  In Term 2, we move onto the study of Human Rights and Freedoms bringing us to the present and current issues as well.  Our key inquiry questions for this semester are:

• How did the nature of global conflict change during the twentieth century?
• What were the consequences of World War II? How did these consequences shape the modern world?
• How was Australian society affected by other significant global events and changes in this period?

Year 10 students may choose another Humanities subject as an elective in Semester 2.

As you can see, our students are working hard and learning a great deal about the world that we live in.  I hope everyone has a happy and safe break. 

Danielle Goddaer

HOD English and Humanities

Year 7-10 students in maths have been learning about algebra and how letters and numbers can really go together to tell even more amazing stories! The algebra unit spans term 1 and term 2 for our year 7-9 students, which has allowed students the full opportunity to enagage with their learnng till the end of term and then refresh and consolidate concepts in the next term. 

Quite often I am asked why do we study algebra so early in the year?  Surely it is too hard to do at the start? It is actually the opposite.  Algebra has such a bad reputation as being confusing and hard but it underpins all areas of maths.  It represents unknown values that can be used to solve everyday problems and questions.  Building the skills of algebra early in the year allows students to develop their mathematical thinking to apply to more unfamilar settings later in the year when doing other maths areas such as geometry.  The added plus is the breaking down of the barriers that maths and algebra are difficult and seeing how it links to real world aspects, thus helping to establish success for the rest of the year. 

Year 10 students will be moving onto their unit on statistics next term.  The year 10 maths program was very purporesully written to allow students the maximum ability for success with mini tests and assignments throughout the semester, allowing for multiple opportunities to demonstrate their abilities as this can impact their subject choices as they move towards their senior schooling years and maths pathway.

We have an amazing dedicated team of maths teachers at Foxwell, who help students make these connections every lesson!Maths though does require effort.  it isn't a subject that can just be done with minimal effort.  It is like a sport that requires training, dedication, committment to success, having the right equipment and resilience to keep trying.  If your child feels they are struggling in their maths I strongly encourage them to talk with their teacher.  All maths teachers run tutorials during WIN time before and after school.  Please touch base with your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Have a safe and relaxing holiday break and ready for another amazing term of maths in term 2!

Mrs Tania Russell - Head of Department Mathematics

All students are now well underway with their Short Film entries for the Inaugural FSSC Film Festival. To support the development of their skills we are excited to be having a team of Screen & Media teachers and students from TAFE QLD coming to work with our students and hold a Q & A session in Term 2.

The Year 7s are currently working on developing the production skills needed for their projects. They’ve organised their Production Teams and are finalising their scripts and have sought out Locations for filming various scenes. 

The Year 8s are building on the skills they learnt in Year 7 Media. With their scripts completed they are eager to begin filming and are even venturing into the area of camera chroma keying using our Green Screen spaces. 

The Year 9s, through developed skills and enhanced techniques, have begun their creation through film production. They have sources, locations, costuming, actors and equipment and now race to complete their masterpieces. All cylinders are firing!

At the conclusion of term one, I look back and am amazed at the range of opportunities our students in the Arts have been provided and have embraced with open arms.  

DANCE/SHOOT/EDIT/PLAY: Foxwell Dance Experiences 

It's been a hive of activity in the Arts during the last few weeks, starting with our Year 10 Dance students finalising their Dance for Film assessment.  The Year 10 Dance students worked with videographer, Ethan Outram from Dynamite Studios Australia to capture two dance works.  Students have worked collaboratively to prepare this assessment, understanding the various dynamics of screen work.  Congratulations to all students involved and our student choreographer, Josephine McMurtrie. We are excited to share our end product after the easter break.  

 Our 2023 Foxwell Dance Troupe students also joined in on the dance for film action, as they performed sections of their upcoming competition routines for promotion.  Their professionalism, energy and focus made for a fast, smooth, and playful workshop experience. Students will continue to prepare for their first competition in Term 2, Week 7.  These dancers have been working weekly with our Dance staff to prepare for their year of competitions and had the pleasure of working with Jack Harrison (DSA) on their hard-hitting hip hop routine.

EXCITING THINGS HAVE BEEN FIRING IN OUR KILN

“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.”

Twilight Professional Learning Series for Staff

This week saw our teaching staff engage in the first of their three Twilight Professional Learning sessions for 2023.

Staff had the opportunity to select a focus area from our Quality Teaching and Learning Framework, aligned to our School’s Annual Improvement Plan.

Topics included:

• Differentiated Teaching - understanding our range of learners and how we can best support them
• Explicit Teaching – pedagogical strategies to boost student engagement and retention of learning
• Learning Environments: Digital – learning about the new digital platform for Queensland schools – Q Learn
• Learning Environments: Social and Physical – building effective relationships with others

Through our Twilight series, staff will reflect on current practices, learn about practical strategies to apply to their classes, and engage in collaborative inquiry to drive improvement in outcomes for our learners.

Enrich

As a culminating task in Enrich this term, Year 7 and 8 students were asked to create a game to showcase their learning in a subject area of their choice. They were required to show their communication skills by creating a set of written instructions, and collaboration skills by working with a partner or in a small group to create their game.

Pictured below are students in Ms Madsen’s 7H Enrich class collaborating on their creations.

Debating has a topic to argue and teams are randomly assigned to be either for (affirmative) or against (negative) the topic.  Debaters are expected to be able to argue logically and rebut (argue against) the opposition 'on their feet' in order to win their case.  Every debater is marked out of 100 on Matter (what they say); Manner (how they say it) and Method (the structure and clarity of their arguments and case).  Teams must work together to construct a case and assign arguments logically, as well as construct arguments against their opposition's case.

Junior A teams are considered experienced debaters and must speak for 5 minutes each.  Intermediate A teams are experienced debaters and must speak for 7 minutes each.  Our Intermediate debaters have even higher expectations to present well-rounded perspectives on current affairs and demonstrate critical, higher order thinking. A greater percentage of their speeches are expected to be spent on rebuttal, with more advanced techniques such as comparative rebuttal being employed.  Intermediate A debaters also begin to use Points of Information (POI) where a question is asked of a speaker during their speech. The purpose of a POI is to undercut the point the opposition is making or to force the opposition to respond to a difficult question immediately.  As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult skill to both ask these POIs and answer them when asked.  Whilst debaters can opt not to address a POI, each team is expected to offer and accept 2 POIs throughout the debate.

Round 1 Debates

Junior A teams debated the topic: NAPLAN is worthwhile last Wednesday night at AB Paterson College.  

Fox 1 (Lucas, Brooke and Mia) and Fox3 (Ashley, Ella and Stella) were affirmative and Fox 2 (Millah, Bonnie, Phoebe and Eve) was negative.  Fox 1 and 3 were successful in winning their debate and Fox 2 argued admirably, but were unsuccessful in winning their debate.

Our Intermediate A teams debated the difficult topic:  Artificial intelligence is developing too quickly this Wednesday night at Trinity Lutheran College.

Both Fox 1 (Zak, Vicky, Amritha and Mehrnaz) and Fox 2 (Alexis, Jelena and Luke) were negative.  Both teams were awesome, but Fox 1 was successful in winning their debate.  Fox 2, while unsuccessful, fought hard and lost by a close margin.

I would like to congratulate all of our amazing debaters as well as the parents and friends who support us by attending and driving our debaters every week.  

The SWEL team warmly welcome our newly appointed Industry Liason Officer, Lynn Davies. Lynn comes with a wealth of information and experience and we are excited to have her joining our team. Lynn will continue to develop and maintain relationships with employers, training providers and apprenticeship support agencies. Form connections and develop partnerships between our school and employers that will assist our students to transition to employment and make effective career choices.

Lynn Davies

Monday - Friday

ldavi157@eq.edu.au

We are also excited to share with our community our new school chaplain, Michael Rapata. Michael commenced in recent weeks and will continue to build our chaplaincy program within the school. Michael will lead our Breakfast Program and begin implementing some social and emotional intervention programs to support students' wellbeing. 

Michael Zapata

Monday, Tuesday and Friday

mrodr39@eq.edu.au 

Congratulations on a successful Term 1 Foxwell students and families! For our Year 7s there were lots of new learnings and building of confidence in their new high school landscape and for all students there were learnings about the responsibilities that come with stepping into their respective year levels. Within our inclusion department we were able to launch a more comprehensive style of case management, that brought more staff from Foxwell into our Inclusion team than ever before. While there have been hurdles with staff stepping into other roles, together we have pulled together towards a consistent model of support for your students. We thank you for your understanding throughout Term 1, and continued patience as we continue to develop this model. 

Moving into Term 2 with necessary timetable changes brought on by adding new staff to the mix, there will be some inevitable case management changes. Please be assured these case manager changes will be communicated with you as the parent first and foremost, so if you hear anything not directly from me please let me know and please ignore until you receive further communication from me directly.

Over the break, if any external support structures for your student change or diagnosis information is updated, please also communicate with me directly at emgil0@eq.edu.au so I can ensure appropriate supports are in place for Term 2. 

Finally, if you find yourself in need of extra supports over this break, the Wellways Carer Gateway is a national support service funded by the Australian Government. It provides free support for carers through a network of regional Carer Gateway service providers. If you support a family member or friend who has a disability, mental health condition, chronic health condition, terminal illness, or is frail aged you can access free supports via Carer Gateway. You don't need to be a new carer to use Carer Gateway services – any carer can use the services at any time in their caring journey. Supports range from counselling to career planning to emergency respite and are just a call or an email away. To make contact with the Wellways Carer Gateway contact at 1300111400 or at enquiries@wellways.org 

Have a restful break with family and friends this Easter and we will see your students on Monday April 17th! 

Elle Bullock - Head of Inclusion

Can you help? They are looking for 15 families with a child aged 10-13 years to talk about the challenges they are facing with childrens’ online safety, and where you are getting it right. 

Interviews can take place in zoom, in your home, or at a cafe near you. Interviews will take around 30 minutes.  Interested? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us on j.orlando@westernsydney.edu.au

Intend on enrolling at Foxwell in 2024? Please see below for a list of important dates.

• Monday 17th April 2023: 2024 enrolments open. Applications for Excellence Programs open.
• Wednesday 26th April 2023: Enrolment information evening.
• Friday 12th May 2023: Round 1 applications for Foxwell's Excellence Programs close. An application and trial payment of $50 is also due on this day, for those trialling for an Excellence program.
• Wednesday 17th - Friday 19th May 2023: Creative Voices and Sporting Minds trials.
• Saturday 20th May 2023: ALP and Gen STEM trial (entrance exam).
• Wednesday 24th May 2023: First round offers will be communicated.

If you know of any friends or families who would be interested in applying for one of our Signature Programs of Excellence, please feel free to share the below Program of Excellence Prospectus document.

As part of Foxwell State Secondary College’s commitment to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all members of our community, a student dress code which reflects the College expectations and balances the right of individual students is in place. The school uniform is viewed as integral in encouraging a sense of self-esteem, belonging and self-discipline in our students.

Consistent with this policy, students are required to present at school in a neat and tidy manner at all times. By adhering to the Code of Dress, as outlined in our Student Code of Conduct, our students continue to promote a positive image of our College to our local community and demonstrate that the school has high expectations of its students.

From Monday the 17th April (first day of Term 2), it is expected all students will be in full correct uniform, including winter items - jumpers and jackets at all times. Students out of uniform, must follow the school process for uniform variations.

Reminders:

• Bag - Foxwell or plain navy backpack with no logos or markings
• Formal hat or sports hat dependednt on uniform
• Shoes - plain black leather [may be sports style] - formal uniform
• Shoes - plain black leather or fabric - sports uniform
• Socks - plain white, above the ankle or College purchased socks which have the navy stipe
• Jewellery 2 earrings in the lower lobe and refer to policy for details regarding facial piercings
• no artifical nails and noticeable makeup

Some helpful pictures have been included for you below:

A detailed list of uniform expectations can be found in pages 57-62 of our Student Code of Conduct.

It can be difficult to keep your children busy and occupied over the school holidays, especially if you are continuing to work during the break. Below are some school holiday acitivies being provided by the City of Gold Coast for Coomera, Upper Coomera and Pimpama. 

Are you interested in participating in Kokoda 2023. If so, please see below information about the opportunity including the requirements and commitments for parents and students. 

Please email Karen Barnaby at kbarn196@eq.edu.au to register your interest.