Over the past three weeks, we have continued to be impressed by the wonderful achievements of our students, and the amazing opportunities on offer here at Foxwell State Secondary College. 

We know the value of working in close partnership with families so that all students are supported in their learning. Strong learing partnerships are critical to our success at Foxwell State Secondary College. Our Parent-Teacher Conferences in Week 2 were a great success for all members of our college community! Conferences focus specifically on students, their progress, effort and learning behaviours. The feedback from all involved was very positive. Parents told me that they were impressed by the positive relationships between the teacher/s and their child and that the teachers really knew their child, their learning needs, and could identify with the childs next steps for learning. During conferences students took ownership of their learning and their learning behaviours. Parent-Teacher Conferences are held twice yearly and I encourage all parents to take advantage of this important time, regardless of their child's results. 

In the past three weeks students have continued to shine in the classroom, on the sporting field and in their cultural endeavours.

I wish a Happy Mothers Day to the Mums and special women who care for our students in the Foxwell Community. Ms Swader held an Earring Making Workshop this week and a number of our students chose to participate in the hopes to create a hand-made gift for their Mums. We love seeing our students making thoughtful gifts with their creativity in play! I wish everyone in our community a great day celebrating our Mums, and thinking of those Mums who cannot be with us.

On International Dance Day last week, the Foxwell SSC Dance Troupe celebrated by commencing our Musical Theatre routine lead by Mrs Riches. A hugh congratulations to Josie for being appointed as Dance Captain for this year’s Dance Troupe. We can’t wait to watch this dance routine.

In the sporting arena, I offer my congratulations to our Broadwather representatives for Netball, Lily, Jahnae and Charli. I also congratulate Bonnie Smeltz on her tennis achievements and Montana Atkinson on her swimming achievements. 

I wish our Rugby League team the very best of luck in the upcoming Titans Cup and eagerly await the announcement of our very first Broadwater Cross Country representatives.

For further information about these achievements and more, see below our Sports Update from Mr Taylor. 

Next week we will hold our second Creative Voices Performance Evening ahead of students competing in the Gold Coast Secondary Schools Drama Festival. Break a leg!

At Foxwell State Secondary College we are incredibly proud of our the way in which each and every student represents their pride in our college while interacting in the community. This week I was proud and honoured to hear positive feedback from The Head of Languages for Griffith Universty and President for Gold Coast Language Teachers Network, who regularly catches the Gold Coast train:

Students looked beautiful in their uniforms and their behaviour and manners were examplary. Great ambassadors for the school. You are so lucky to have such amazing students! Foxwell State Secondary College should be very proud to be such a great school. 

From Wednesday 12 May to Friday 21 May, our Year 7 students will participate in NAPLAN Online. This term students had the opportunity to engage in the online platform in Week 1. This was a huge success for our college and we feel incredibly prepared as we approach NAPLAN Online next week. Important information for Year 7 Parents about NAPLAN can be found below. We ask that all Year 7 Parents take a moment to engage in this information ahead of Wednesday 12 May. We ask that Parents support their students over the coming two weeks by:

• Encouraging your child to simply do the best they can on the day/s.
• Avoiding excessive cramming or coaching in the lead-up to each test. 
• Ensuring your student has a healthy breakfast each morning and brings a wholesome and filling lunch to school. Remember the canteen is also available. 
• Be kind to yourself and your student in what may seem like an overwhelming time. 
• Contacting the school if you have questions about NAPLAN. 

Until next time

Kym Amor

The National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is used by governments, education authorities and schools to determine whether young Australians are meeting important goals in literacy and numeracy. All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to sit the NAPLAN tests, which are held in May each year. NAPLAN gives a snapshot of how children are performing in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. It complements other effective classroom assessment and reporting practices.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) develops the tests and marking standards. Since 2016, NAPLAN testing has been aligned to the Australian Curriculum.

There are four tests: Language conventions, Writing, Reading and Numeracy.

For Years 7 and 9, the Numeracy test includes both non-calculator and calculator allowed sections. For the Writing test, students are given a stimulus and asked to write a response. The response formats for questions in all other tests are either multiple choice (clicking on a bubble to indicate the answer) or constructed response (type the answer in a box or on a line).

Students cannot prepare specifically for NAPLAN and are not expected to do so. These tests contain questions similar to those that occur in regular classroom learning and assessment.

Your child will do the NAPLAN tests online

Students at Foxwell State Secondary College will complete NAPLAN Online. By completing NAPLAN Online, students are provided a better and more precise assessment that is more engaging.

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN Online is tailored (or adaptive) testing, in which the test presents questions of higher or lower complexity depending on a student’s performance.

Tailored (or adaptive) testing is designed to assess a wider range of student abilities and to measure student achievement more precisely. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions more challenging than usual; they may be taking a more complex test pathway. A student’s overall NAPLAN score is based on the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly.

Ensuring students are familiar with using devices, typing on them and navigating through programs is a part of student learning and a requirement of the Australian Curriculum from the first year at school. NAPLAN Online is not a test of keyboard skills. There are variations in how fast and well a student can type – just as there are variations in how fast and well a student can write by hand. Schools and students have access to familiarisation through the public demonstration site.

Year 7 students at Foxwell State Secondary College will participate in Naplan as per the below schedule:

The Writing Test will take place on Wednesday 12th May from 8.50am.

The Reading Test will take place on Friday 14th May from 8.50am.

The Conventions of Language Test will take place on Monday 17th May from 8.50am.

The Numeracy Test will take place on Wednesday 19th May from 8.50am.

Withdrawals

Parents can withdraw their child from the test by notifying the College in writing. Withdrawal is intended as an option to address issues such as religious beliefs and philosophical objections to testing.

Exemptions

Students may be exempted from one or more of the tests if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Students with a significant intellectual disability and/or significant co-existing conditions that severely limit their capacity to participate in the test
• Students with a language background other than English, who arrived from overseas and have been attending school in Australia for less than a year.

Exemptions for students with physical and/or intellectual disabilities are determined through consultation between the principal, student, and parents/carers.

Adjustments

A range of adjustments can be made for students with physical and/or learning disabilities. For example:

• Depending on their disability, students may receive slightly more time to complete the tests or be seated separately from their regular class.
• Modified formats, for example large-print and Braille, are provided for students with vision impairment.

For more information about NAPLAN:

• visit www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/8017.html for information about test dates, test preparation, test administration, reporting and analysis, newsletters and marker recruitment
• email the QCAA’s NAPLAN team at naplan.tests@qcaa.qld.edu.auor phone (07) 3864 0299
• visit www.nap.edu.au for general information including FAQs, brochures for parents and carers, and the future delivery of NAPLAN.

We want to hear from you! Please use this link to provide your feedback and ideas regarding our planning for Year 9 and beyond at Foxwell. The survey closes at 4.00 pm on Wednesday 12 May 2021. We value your input and look forward to hearing what you have to say. Thank you to the parents and students who have already submitted their ideas via the parent forums and student survey. 

We are pleased to share that Enrolment Applications for Years 7, 8 and 9 for 2022 are NOW OPEN! Visit our school website, via the link below, for detailed information on how to enrol your child at Foxwell State Secondary College for next year.

https://foxwellssc.eq.edu.au/enrolments/enrolling-at-our-school

We are so excited to announce our first Creative Voices Showcase for 2021 is on next week, Wednesday 12^th May! Parents and friends are invited to come and see the amazing students perform their three plays. The night will start promptly at 6pm in the Sports Hall and we ask that audience members please enter through the top of this space and sign in with the QR code provided.

The students have been rehearsing tirelessly for the past term, focusing on their teamwork, perseverance and their acting skills. The plays being performed on the night are “Lord of the Flies” directed by Mrs McLennan, “Identity Is…” directed by Mrs Riches and the Drama Festival entry for 2021 “Paper Cranes” directed by Ms Wilson.

We look forward to seeing you all there to celebrate in the Creative Voices students’ success for Term 1!

It is with great excitement that we are holding an end of semester showcase that will highlight our hardworking extra-curricular performance teams. As they all prepare to compete at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod in Term 3, our Foxwell Choir, Dance Troupe, Strings Ensemble and Band will perform for a live audience of parents, friends and students their repertoire.

This night will be held in Week 10 of Term 2 on Wednesday 23^rd June. The night will begin at 6pm and should anticipate finishing by 7.30pm. Please keep the date saved!

10-12 Years Netball Regional Trials

Congratulations to Charli McRae, Lily Haines and Jahnae Hunt on representing Broadwater District in the South Coast Regional Trials.

All girls played hard and reported that they enjoyed the experience!

It is great to see more students from Foxwell SSC representing our Broadwater District in sport.

Tennis Achievement

A huge achievement by Sporting Minds student, Scarlett Smeltz, who won the Tennis Australia Gold 12/U Girls Doubles competition last week in Adelaide.

Great work Scarlett! 

Queensland School Sport Swim Team Announcement

After participation at the recent Queensland School Sport (QSS) state championships, we are so proud to announce that Sporting Minds student, Montana Atkinson, has been selected as a member of the Queensland School Sport 13-19 Years Swimming Merit Team 2021.

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, QSS teams will not be competing at any higher competition in 2021, but this is still such an amazing achievement. Well done, Montana!

Cross Country 2021

In Week 1 of this term, we had our first ever school cross country and, thankfully, the weather not only held out for us but provided great conditions in which the students could compete.

The carnival was a great success, which is attributed to the effort of the staff and students throughout the afternoon.

I am pleased to announce the winners of each age group and overall house champion:

12 Years Boys:

1^st Tom Deegan

2^nd Jacob Inglis

12 Years Girls:

1^st Lily Haines

2^nd Layla Mathias

3^rd Elana Argent

13 Years Boys:

1^st Riley McMinn

2^nd Bailey Teasel

3^rd Booker Bodley

13 Years Girls:

1^st Montana Atkinson

2^nd Panatahi Tonga-Awhikau

3^rd Emerson Smith

14 Years Boys:

1^st Braxton Robin

2^nd Tanner Chenery

3^rd Ryder Bodley

14 Years Girls:

1^st Chloe McGowan

2^nd Haylie Martin

3^rd Summer Morandini

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR OVERALL HOUSE CHAMPION…. Coral House with a score of 356 points.

2^nd was Moreton on 295 points, 3^rd Pacific on 226 points and 4^th was Oakey on 216 points.

Titans Cup Rugby League Team

The Foxwell Year 7/8 rugby league team has been preparing for the upcoming Titans Cup Competition, which begins Monday afternoon Week 4. As part of their preparation for this competition, the team played a practice match against Trinity College. The boys came away with a win - 6 tries to 4. Once we have a confirmed draw, details regarding how you can watch the team will be made available.

Broadwater Cross Country Trial

On Thursday we had over 35 students nominated to trial for the Broadwater Cross Country team. For a new school, this is a significant school team and a great showing by our students. It is so encouraging to see so many students keen to represent our school at a district trial.

Stay tuned for the results of this trial next week.

Extra-curricular AFL

Extra-curricular AFL will be commencing in Week 4 of this term. This program is open to all interested students (prior experience is not necessary) and will take place on a Monday afternoon from 3:30pm-4:30pm at Foxwell.

We are proud that this extra-curricular program can be offered free of cost, courtesy of our ongoing relationship with the Gold Coast Suns. Any students who are interested must see Mr Taylor ASAP for a permission form.

Broadwater Sport Trials

UPCOMING TRIALS:

Nominations Due Week 4 Tuesday 11^th May

Students interested in trialling for Broadwater District representation need to see Mr Taylor in the staffroom at lunchtimes or email their interest to trial to stayl328@eq.edu.au  

Thanks Mr Taylor

Student Resource Scheme Instalment plan due dates:

Term 1 $120.00 by 26/02/2021 Term 2 $110.00 by 30/04/2021 Term 3 $110.00 by 16/07/2021

Term 2 Instalment is now due. 

Please contact finance@foxwellssc.eq.edu.au if you require a copy of your invoice. 

Do you receive Family Tax Benefit A or B from Centrelink? If so, you can nominate a fixed amount to be paid form your Family Tax Benefit directly to the School to cover your child's education costs. Please see link to a CentrePay Application form. You can submit this form directly to the Finance Department via email at finance@foxwellssc.eq.edu.au