Dear Foxwell families,

We have had a great semester, as you will read more about in this newsletter.

Well done to all of our staff and students for their participation in our Athletics Carnival today. We are especially thankful to our HPE staff for their organisation of this event. It was also so lovely that staff and students from Coomera Special School could join us, further showcasing our commitment to the 6Cs of Character and Citizenship, and the importance of growing good humans for our community. 

We have been focussing on effort this semester and asking our young people to reflect upon their effort and work ethic. When we are working to the best of our abilities, we reap the rewards. We look forward to celebrating our students' academic successes for the semester when report cards are issued and to seeing you at our Parent-Teacher Interviews on Tuesday, July 16 from 3-7pm in our Sports Performance Hall.

We have also been celebrating attendance at school and positive behaviour for learning through our SWEL HOD and Principal Shout Reward Days. Yesterday, we purchased 500 hamburgers to recognise the efforts of our students for Principal Shout in having 90% attendance (including explained absences) and positive learning behaviours. Well done to our students. 

Our Foxwell team have also worked tirelessly this semester to value add to our College community and to keep growing our College culture. This has included, but is not limited to, introducing our Year 11 curriculum and establishing senior schooling in our College, establishing a new student leadership model, vocational education and training opportunities, careers events, Waves Forward, social and emotional programs, Year 6 into Year 7 information sessions and Connect @Foxwell Experience Day, Interschool Sport, sport competitions, guest speakers, and of course, focussing on our teaching and learning for improved, quality outcomes for our young people.

We are farewelling some staff today who are going on planned leave. We wish them all the best for their new families and holidays and look forward to seeing them back. We are excited to welcome our new staff members next term when school returns on Monday, July 8.

We wish all of our families a wonderful holiday break. 

Kind regards,

Melanie Harth

Principal

Enrol now for 2025!

Enrolments for 2025 are now open. If you have a child enrolling for Year 7 or other year levels next year, please visit https://foxwellssc.eq.edu.au/enrolments/enrolling-at-our-school to complete our Enrolment Expression of Interest Form. Enrolment interviews will begin in the coming weeks. If you know of families in the community looking to enrol at Foxwell next year, please pass this information onto them also. We are excited to welcome new students to our school next year!

Our Excellence Programs have been updated for 2025, and are now our Academies of Excellence. Applications for 2025 are now open with the following deadline:

            Round 2: Applications close at 3pm on September 10 (Week 10, Term 3)

These programs aim to extend and enrich the development of students in their areas of passion, with mentorship from expert teachers and deep learning experiences.

From 2025, the Advanced Learning Program (ALP) will be for Year 9 and 10 students only. It is designed to offer extension in specific subjects for students who are excelling academically. Students will be extended through faster paced curriculum, complex learning tasks and challenges aimed to promote high levels of academic achievement and early entry to university programs.

Creative Voices will continue to remain a 7-10 program and will now engage and extend students through two streams: Musial Theatre (Dance, Drama and Singing) or Visual Arts Excellence. Creative Voices will provide a platform for students to broaden their skills by working collaboratively with other students, industry artists/speakers, teachers and guest professionals.

Generation STEM (formerly Gen STEM) will engage students in Year 7-10 with advanced STEM education and promote the pursuit of STEM careers. This program is now open to both girls and boys. Students will develop their skills through an inquiry-based learning approach, and will be provided with guidance, mentoring, inspiration and support from our partners including the Wonder of Science, based at the University of Queensland.

The Sporting Minds High Performance Sports Program now has two streams: Elite Athlete Development and Futsal Excellence. Both programs will nurture and develop the physical, mental, social and emotional potential of high-performing student athletes. Sporting Minds recognises elite athletes and assists them in achieving excellence in both sport and academics. The Futsal Excellence program targets specific Futsal skills and development.

Eligibility criteria for all programs has also been amended:

• Very high+ results for Effort and Behaviour in previous school reports.
• Demonstrated interest or passion in the student's area of excellence (demonstrated through their Student Statement).
• Recommendation from a teacher or coach detailing evidence of engagement in the student's chosen area of excellence
• Participation in a compulsory workshop conducted at Foxwell State Secondary College (students who enrol mid-year will participate in alternate selection process determined upon application).
• Payment of application fee.

Further information is available at https://foxwellssc.eq.edu.au/curriculum/excellence-programs. Please email enrolments@foxwellssc.eq.edu.au for any enquiries.

This term, our Year 7 and 8 Gen STEM students, as well as one Year 9 Gen STEM team, have been diligently preparing for the Wonder of Science Regional Conference. The Wonder of Science program encourages students to engage in STEM subjects by tackling real-world problems with innovative solutions.

On Wednesday, 19th June, year level teams competed against each other. They were scored on creativity, scientific understanding, and presentation skills. Their hard work and dedication paid off as they delivered outstanding presentations. The winning teams will compete against other teams from all over the state in November at the University of Queensland.

At the regional conference, students also participated in science workshops run by Youth Science Ambassadors who are studying their PhDs at the University of Queensland. They then participated in a speed meeting round with the ambassadors to learn about their research projects and university life. We are incredibly proud of the students’ achievements and the effort they put into their projects. Well done to all our budding scientists!

Last Wednesday, June 12th, the Year 10 Gen-STEM students from Foxwell State Secondary College showcased their ingenuity and teamwork at the H2GP Racing Championships held at AB Paterson College. After a year of dedication to building hydrogen fuel cell remote control cars, these young engineers put their creations to the test in a competitive and challenging environment.

The project required students to not only construct the hydrogen-powered vehicles but also to design aerodynamic shells to enhance performance, understand the scientific knowledge behind using hydrogen as a clean energy source and the skills involved in driving cars in a fast-paced race for an extended period of time.

On race day, the students encountered numerous technical difficulties. Cars lost wheels mid-race, others experienced burnt wires that disrupted communication between the controllers and cars, and others dealt with melting nuts and bolts. Remarkably, one of our teams even faced the daunting task of rebuilding their car from scratch during the competition.

Despite these setbacks, the students displayed extraordinary perseverance and problem-solving abilities. They tackled each challenge with determination, maintaining their composure and a positive attitude throughout the event. Their ability to overcome obstacles and continue competing with a smile on their faces was a testament to their resilience and teamwork developed through our Gen-STEM program over the past 3 years.

The H2GP Racing Championships provided a valuable real-world experience for these budding engineers, highlighting the importance of collaboration and adaptability in overcoming technical challenges. Moreover, the event underscored the significance of using renewable energies, like hydrogen, for a cleaner future. By engaging in such innovative projects, students are not only honing their technical skills but also contributing to the advancement of sustainable energy solutions, crucial for addressing global environmental challenges.

A special shout-out goes to ABB for their generous sponsorship, support, and guidance throughout this journey. Their involvement was instrumental in making this project a success and inspiring the next generation of engineers and innovators.

Eisteddfod season has begun in the Arts Department.  Our Creative Voices and Dance Troupe students recently took to the stage at the Star Bound Eisteddfod.  Our students achieved extremely well in a highly competitive Eisteddfod that saw schools travelling from as far as Toowoomba to compete.  The Creative Voices team were awarded a 3^rd place for their ‘Greatest Showman’ Musical Theatre piece and our Dance Troupe received 3^rd place for their Jazz routine and a Highly Commended for their stunning Lyrical routine.  We are so incredibly proud of these students and their dedication to the Performing Arts at Foxwell.    

Our Instrumental Music students alongside their teachers also recently took to the stage at the Fanfare Regional Eisteddfod.  They also experienced great success at this event coming away with many gold awards for their beautiful performances.  Again, these students need to be acknowledged for the commitment to the Instrumental Music program.

Thank you to all our Arts staff who go above and beyond to give our students such incredible experiences!  The skills that students develop when performing for a live audience are invaluable. We cannot wait to see our students shine throughout the rest of Eisteddfod season.