Dear Foxwell families,

We have had a wonderful and very busy start to the year, as you will read more about in this whole school newsletter, and I hope that you all have an enjoyable Easter holiday break.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our three nominees for the Gold Coast Secondary Principals' Alliance Excellence Awards:

• Excellence in Secondary Education Leadership Award: Mr Andrew Nicholls
• Excellence in Educational Support Award: Ms Lynn Davies
• Excellence in Secondary Teaching Award: Miss Marine Madsen

As a College, we are so proud of our nominees and wish them the best of luck.

Kind regards,

Melanie Harth

Principal

MOB 2025 Year 11 Enrolment EOI

The Men of Business Academy is a Senior Secondary School that focuses on empowering young men with the skills, knowledge and confidence to be happy, healthy and successful in life after school. The MOB Academy caters for boys in Years 11 & 12 who are looking for alternative learning to mainstream schooling.

For more information about MOB Academy, please visit https://menofbusiness.com.au or alternatively contact our Guidance Officer Pascale Street ppier6@eq.edu.au to speak further about this opportunity for your son.

Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey

In Term 2, students at Foxwell SSC will be asked to take part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey.  

We know that wellbeing and engagement are important parts of your child’s life at school. The QEW Survey is designed to measure how students view their wellbeing and engagement across different topics. The information we get from the survey helps us better understand and support our students.  

Additional information will be shared early in next term. More information, including FAQs, can be found on the Education here https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/students/queensland-engagement-wellbeing-survey

UQ Engineering, Design and Computing Holiday Program

Designed for Year 9 and 10 students, the 4-day program follows our study areas of Engineering, Design and Computing. You will learn to think like engineers, architects, designers and planners, and computing professionals through hands-on and interactive workshops and presentations, facilitated by lecturers and our wonderful Student Ambassador team. 

You can enrol in one, two, three or four days.

• Tuesday 25 June - Engineering School Holiday Program Day 1 
• Wednesday 26 June - Architecture + Planning School Holiday Program 
• Thursday 27 June - Design and Technology School Holiday Program 
• Friday 28 June - Engineering School Holiday Program Day 2 

Cost: $35 per day.

For more information and to register for the program can be done via https://www.eait.uq.edu.au/event/10052/engineering-design-and-computing-school-holiday-program?j=303304&sfmc_sub=205800648&l=14760_HTML&u=6231844&mid=510005436&jb=3&utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dom-fsa-news-from-uq_202403&sfmc_id=003Om000002AsaWIAS

In Year 9, students are refining their mentoring abilities to provide guidance and support to their younger peers in Years 7 and 8. Through weekly lessons, they improve their communication skills—both verbal and non-verbal—and learn effective methods for maximising the potential of their mentees. These sessions also focus on fostering confidence, encouraging reflective thinking, and setting achievable goals. Following these lessons, students apply their newfound skills by spending dedicated time with their mentees, assisting them with understanding STEM concepts relevant to their 'Beat the Flood' project.

Meanwhile, in Year 10, students are immersed in the thorough refinement of their Hydrogen Fuel Cell Remote Control cars, gearing up for the upcoming Hydrogen Grand Prix next term. Supported by esteemed professionals such as Professor Andrew Bulmer from Griffith University, Mr. Andrew Nicholls from Foxwell SSC, and Ales Rakovsky and Kieren Curry from Horizon Educational, students are developing innovative strategies to enhance the control and speed of their vehicles. This involves careful adjustments to the weight and dimensions of the cars, as well as a deep dive into aerodynamics principles.

This term, our Year 7 and 8 Gen STEM students, alongside their Year 9 Gen STEM student mentors, tackled the 'Beat the Flood' project. They designed and built flood-resistant model houses, focusing on sustainability and engineering principles. Last week, they tested their designs against simulated flood and wind conditions, showcasing their problem-solving skills and teamwork. Currently, each team is preparing presentations to evaluate their design choices and share insights with their mentors. This project highlights their STEM abilities whilst fostering teamwork and critical thinking. We're proud of their achievements and look forward to their presentations!

Our first round of GCSN Interschool Sports kicked off this term with a huge showing of students attending in a wide variety of sports across our community. Whether they were on the basketball court, soccer pitch, or touch football field, it was impressive to see our students showcase exemplary sportsmanship, athletic prowess, and their commitment to our school values.

Many teams took home wins the first round and have started their stead towards finals well. The social benefits of playing team sports extend far beyond the scoreboard however, as they also contribute to the holistic development and well-being of our young athletes. Through interactions with teammates, coaches, referees and oppositions,  young athletes learn to collaborate effectively, resolve conflicts, and support one another; skills that are invaluable both on and off the field.

Looking ahead, we are eagerly anticipating the next round of the GCSN Interschool Sports scheduled for Term 2, Week 2 (Wednesday, April 24^th).

Thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement as they continue to represent our school with pride on the sporting field.

Let’s go Mariners!

Our first round of Year 11 students have been settling into their Senior Science Subjects. Our Aquatic Practices students are learning the complexities of keeping aquariums and the requirements of aquatic species, whilst our Science in Practice Students have been developing their skills in various food preservation techniques, and the science behind them, including conditions affecting microbial growth. In Chemistry, students have been examining the properties and structure of atoms, materials and various types of chemical reactions through theory and practicals including purification techniques for polluted water and percentage yield of products during a reaction. Physics students are exploring heating processes and ionising radiation whilst conducting experiments examining specific heat capacity (amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance by a particular amount) and heat effects on gas expansion. In Psychology, students are investigating the role of the brain and cognitive development, through examining early and more recent brain investigation techniques, the structure of the nervous system and main areas of the brain and brain development as well as sensitive and critical periods during development and the role of enriched environments. Biology students have been further refining their microscope techniques whilst examining requirements for cell survival as well as animal and plant processes, including enzymes and the digestive system. Students have conducted experiments examining the effects of surface area on nutrient intake of cells, effects of temperature on digestive enzymes and investigating the digestive system and cellular respiration.

Year 10 Science students are investigating genetics and the inheritance of particular traits, including isolating DNA from strawberries and examining the inheritance of their own traits, as well as comparing theories of evolution utilising examples such as the increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria. Year 9 students have been undertaking an investigation exploring their own bodies’ recovery after exercise, with a particular focus on the importance of the circulatory system in maintaining homeostasis, including performing a heart dissection. They are now examining ecosystems and how organisms interact with their environment, and how all matter is conserved regardless of whatever form it changes into via various experiments. Year 8 Physical World topics this term have included investigating different body systems including making model lungs and examining dissected organs, reporting on possible causes and treatments for infertility and researching significant, historical individuals of the Medieval Ages with an opportunity to participate in an incursion to learn more about Medieval life and try their hand at archery and other medieval games. Our Year 7s have been enthusiastic learners grasping opportunities to explore how the ancient Egyptians may have overcome forces to help build the pyramids, exploring these concepts during their investigative projects. We are pleased with how they are developing their scientific techniques in the laboratory whilst exploring forces through different experiments, look forward to them all obtaining their Bunsen burner licences before the end of this term.

As we get into the colder months of the year, please remember that all students need to wear the school winter uniform items (listed below), and cannot wear any non-school jumpers or non-school winter clothing items. The uniform shop is open every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning from 8:00-11:00am. and every Wednesday from 2-4:30pm.

I am excited to announce that one of our Wellbeing initiatives this year is STYMIE and we will be launching on the 18th of April. 

So, what is Stymie? Stymie is an old-fashioned word that means to stop or thwart.

Stymie is an online, confidential messaging service for anyone who is needing help or is concerned about someone else. Stymie provides a proactive opportunity for students to say something about harmful behaviours or anything they are concerned about for themselves, or someone else.
It works, because it is accessible 24/7, anonymous, easy to use and messages are typically delivered in a few seconds to approved notification recipients.

Stymie is a web app that delivers encrypted, anonymous, and confidential notifications and where possible, uploaded evidence including screenshots to authorised recipients about issues of abuse, harm and unacceptable behaviour.

Stymie allows students, as bystanders, to remain anonymous, and it gives them the courage to overcome the fears and social pressures that prevents them from speaking up. It also can relieve feelings of helplessness if they want to help a friend but don’t quite know how.

Young people can make notifications about all kinds of harm including self-harm, suicide ideation, bullying, illegal activity, sexual assault, and family violence.

Stymie’s focus is on breaking the cycle of harm and abuse through education, intervention and prevention. We know that the first step (in breaking the cycle of harm) is to reduce the stigma associated with reaching out for help.

Launch day is set for the 18^th of April. All students will engage in a 40 minute presentation by the STYMIE team, who will explain the system and how to make reports. Please be aware that topics which may be included in the presentation are: self-harm, bullying, harassment, family violence, sexual assault, illegal activity and suicide ideation

Following Launch Day, students are free to use the Stymie notification system.

Stay tuned for more information after Launch Day.

We look forward to working in partnership with you in better supporting our students' well-being. When we know more, we can do more!

Kind regards,

Zana Schroeder

Deputy Principal - Well-being, Engagement and Inclusion