As a Principal, I have the privilege to be involved in a variety of memorable events and many of these leave a strong impact. Last week, the Creative Voices and Drama Festival performance was definitely one of those. As I sat in the audience, I was in awe, watching the extraordinary talents of our students, I struggled to believe that these students were only in Years 7 and 8 (11 to 14 year olds)! The passion, artistry and ability of these students is quite incredible and the performances they and their teachers/directors/producers put together were mind blowing. I commend each and every person involved in the three performances we had the pleasure of watching. Special mention must go to the Head of Creative Voices, Mrs Cara McLennan, and our Dance and Drama Lead Teachers, Mrs Collette Wilson and Mrs Lauren Riches. Thank you for continuing to develop our students into artists and performers worthy of any stage. We cannot wait until our very first Foxwell State Secondary College Musical in 2022 in our brand new, Performing Arts Complex.

We wish Mrs Wilson and her Drama Festival team the very best at the Gold Coast Secondary Schools Drama Festival. Your haunting performance of Paper Cranes is sure to move the audience and bring accolades from the judges.

Whilst sometimes we as humans can focus on the negative of our world or in our community or schools, we should always remember that the great things that are happening here in our school and community far outweigh the other.

As I walk around our school I see the vast majority of students engaging positively, kindly and inclusively. In classrooms, I see students striving to improve, to learn new concepts and to expand their thinking. In rehearsals and training sessions, I see our students give their all, always striving to be better than the day before. Upon arrival at school, I welcome students who are smiling, well presented and ready for the exciting day of learning, connecting and contributing ahead.

For the very small number of students, who at times make poor decisions, please be assured we address these promptly and according to both our SPIRIT Values and the Student Code of Conduct. If any parent/carer has a concern, please remember that my door and the doors of our entire Leadership Team are always open. Together we are great.

Our students could not have a World of Opportunity open to them if it wasn't for the teachers and staff who truly go above and beyond. One of the most common reasons I hear from enrolling parents about why they NEED to enrol their child at Foxwell, is the extra-curricular opportunities available. Many schools reserve these opportunites for students in Year 9 and above, but we believe that every student who enrols at Foxwell should engage in extra-curricular offerings of their choice from their time of enrolment. The only way this is possible is through the generosity and dedication of our staff.

Each week we have staff who work on weekends with Kokoda training or sporting competitions, who commence at 7am for training sessions or rehearsals and also work late in to the evenings to attend football matches, debating competitions, drama performances, STEM opportunities, eSports competitions...and the list goes on. Please remember to acknowledge and thank these staff members for all that they do for our students, your child. 

This week we commenced our 2022 Enrolment Interviews and I am already very impressed by the confidence and respect demonstrated by our enrolling students.

If you have or know of a Year 6 student who wishes to attend Foxwell State Secondary College in 2022, please ensure their enrolment application or application for a Program of Excellence is submitted as soon as possible.

This year, there is a final date for applications for Programs of Excellence, as testing, rehearsals and trial will commence from June. Don't miss out on these opportunities to join the Foxwell State Secondary College community.

Until next time

Kym Amor

Term 2 Week 5 2021

Science students have been working hard this term. It has been lovely to see them settling into the school year and developing friendships and positive partnerships resulting in constructive outcomes seen during science practicals. The Foxwell SPIRIT value of teamwork has been shining through with students honing their communication and negotiating skills when determining the roles each will take during the practicals.

Year 7 have been learning about substances and mixtures this term; how different separation techniques can be used to create substances and mixtures that can be used for industry or at home.

Students have gained an understanding how our knowledge regarding substances has changed over time learning how different cultures used separation techniques in daily life, such as, hand-separating seeds and grains from the non-edible portions, to grind these into flours for food and how industrial processes have made these processes more efficient. There was a hand-picking of mixtures practical that was timed which showed how long it takes and how ineffective this method is with substances. Most groups were not able to separate all substances and if they did, it took such a long time!

The UN Global Goals sets out to achieve a better and more sustainable future with one focus being clean water and sanitation and this was part of the focus for Foxwell students during the term. They looked at grey-water and ways to separate this mixture to produce clean water. Water is necessary for life and is a finite resource. With rising populations throughout the world it is becoming necessary to reduce and recycle water waste and a practical using different separation techniques helped students work out ways to effectively make grey-water cleaner.

Year 8 students have soooo much energy and they have been using this in Term 2 to understand the different forms that energy takes, energy transformation, energy efficiency, and using technology in finding solutions to our  current world-wide energy crisis.

They began by undertaking a simple collaborative experiment that showed them the many different forms of energy such as, kinetic, potential, sound and heat by using a bouncy ball and recording information and using this experimental data to look at energy transformations.

There was also another fun experiment which students participated in where they were looking to understand stored energy in food. The body converts the chemical energy in food into chemical energy that your body can use to function and students burned food (scientifically, of course) to visualise this process of transformation and used maths to calculate and determine the energy in the food they burned. This Calorimetry practical really needed cooperation between team members as this was a much more complex practical than the bouncy ball experiment but you can see by the photos that it was successful.

By now, all families ought to have received an Expression of Interest letter for our camp which will occur from the 13th to 15th of October this year.

Please return the EOI, as soon as possible, so we can finalise numbers and costs.

If you have not yet received an EOI letter, please contact our Year 8 Head of Students, Mr Dane Anderson via email dande230@eq.edu.au. 

We look forward to sharing the expedition camp experience with your child, our students.

Broadwater Team Selection -  Cross Country 

Good luck to the following students who placed in the TOP 14 runners at the recent Broadwater Cross Country Trial: Tom Deegan (2^nd place), Riley McMinn, Braxton Robin, Jack West, Scarlett Smeltz (3^rd place) and Montana Atkinson (1^st place). These students will now compete for a spot on the South Coast Team at the next trial. 

Broadwater Team selection - Rugby Union

Congratulations to Sporting Minds student Brigham Siteine on his successful trial for the 11-12yrs Boys Rugby Union. He was selected for the team and will compete for a spot on the South Coast team. Good luck!

Broadwater Team selection – Surfing

Congratulations and good luck to the following students on being selected to represent the Broadwater region in surfing. Jimmy Gamble, Alannah Scott and Jayden Carroll will all be competing at Currumbin Beach to be considered for South Coast selection.

South Coast Representation

Well done and good luck to Sporting Minds student Tom Deegan, who was successful in making the South Coast Team for Football. He will be travelling with his team to Toowoomba again the region for a spot on the Queensland team.

Congratulations also goes to Ariana Griffiths on also being selected for South Coast in her sport of Hockey. Ariana will also be heading to Toowoomba for her state championships.

We look forward to seeing how they both go at their respective trials.

Inter-school Sport

This begins Week 6 Tuesday. Students will be participating a range of schools in a number of different sports for 4 full days of competition and fun.

Students not participating in a team will be completing alternate activities back at school for those 4 days.

If you are still keen to participate, please see student services for a note ASAP and let Mr Taylor know which sport you would like to trial for.

Titans Cup Rugby League Team

The Foxwell year 7/8 rugby league team played their second match in the Titans cup this week against a tough opponent in Marsden SHS. A noted Rugby League school, Mr Way’s team put in a great effort. Unfortunately, they went down 22-12, but are keen and preparing for next weeks game. Good Luck team.

Extra-curricular AFL

Extracurricular 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 3:30-4:30pm at school. We are proud that this extracurricular program can be offered free of cost, courtesy to our ongoing relationship with the Gold Coast Suns. Any students who are interested must see Mr Taylor asap for a permission form.

Thanks Mr Taylor

Inter-school sport begins next Tuesday. For those students not participating in inter-school sport, an alternate timetable will run at school - no regular timetabled class will occur. Students will rotate through a series of physical activities each day of the inter-school sport competition.

We wish all of our teams competing in inter-school sport all the very best in Round 1 and we wish our remaining students at school, a day of Fox-wellness through engagement in physical activity.

Go Foxwell Mariners!

We are still holding a Showcase to highlight our hardworking extra-curricular Performing Arts teams. Due to a date clash, our students will now be performing on Wednesday 21^st July in Week 2 of Term 3.

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 their repertoire for a live audience of parents, friends and students.

The night will begin at 6pm and should conclude no later than 7pm. Please keep the date saved! 

We seek your support and thank you in upholding the high expectations of our College in terms of Uniform and Appearance. Provided below are some reminders.

As the weather cools down, we would like to remind you that during the colder months the following items are acceptable:

• Foxwell SSC Wattle coloured knitted jumper (with school logo) – to be worn with Formal Uniform
• Foxwell SSC Ink blue jacket (with school logo) – to be worn with Sports Uniform.

Please ensure that your child has both a school sports jacket and a school knit jumper. The jumper is required for days when the formal uniform is worn and the sports jacket is worn with the sports uniform. There is no mixing and matching of formal and sports uniform items permitted.

• Foxwell SSC Ink blue track-pants (with school logo) – may be worn with Sports Uniform
• Ink blue stockings/tights
• Foxwell SSC Ink blue scarf (with school logo)

Beanies, balaclavas, knit caps with ear flaps or other similar headwear are not permitted. Undershirts must be not be visible outside/through the uniform (e.g., T Shirts, Tank Tops and singlets)

Socks

• White school crew sock with stripe (compulsory for school events - photos etc)
• Plain white crew socks - minimum length 5cm above the ankle, maximum length base of calf

 Socks must be visible at all times whether plain white or school socks.

 Shoes

• Black leather lace up shoes or black leather joggers that are below the ankle
• Black shoe laces only
• No ankle boots, work boots, Doc Martins, ballet flats or other shoes which do not cover the upper part of the foot are permitted.

Students are permitted to change into approved footwear in order to access the curriculum. These include sports shoes for sport, steel-capped work boots in design or ballet/dance shoes for dance.

Full black leather shoes are required to be worn with the formal uniform whilst plain black fabric sports shoes are permitted with the sports uniform. Black leather sports shoes can provide a single shoe solution which can be worn with both the sports and formal uniform and which meet WH & S requirements in laboratories, workshops and kitchens.

Hats

We still have a large number of hats in lost property.

Students must wear the appropriate hat every time they are outside a classroom. Students without hats or other items of uniform which is not explained by a parent/guardian, will receive a 20-minute detention.

Students, out of uniform must report to Student Services before school with an explanation from parent/guardian in order to be issued with an uniform variation slip and to not be issued with a detention.

Please ensure all items of your child’s school uniform are clearly labeled with their name so items can be easily identified and returned to them.

Please be reminded that our Student Code of Conduct – Appearance Policy states:

 Jewellery

• One flat ring
• Two (2) pairs of plain studs or sleepers worn in the lower lobe of the ear

Any item of approved jewellery may  still  be  required  to  be  removed  in  subjects  or activities for safety reasons under Workplace Health and Safety legislation.

     Facial piercing and other visible  body  piercings  are  not  permitted.  Facial piercings include but are not limited to nose, lip, chin, eyebrow and tongue piercings. Piercings in the ear, other than in the lower lobe are not permitted. Clear plastic facial piercings which do not protrude and are not clearly visible may be permitted, upon application to the Principal.

 Hair

• Hairstyles must be neat, clean, tidy and well-maintained.
• Extreme hairstyles or significant variations in hair length (e.g., Mohawks, mullets, buzz cuts, shaved sections, tracks, and rat’s tails or bright unnatural hair colours) are not acceptable. Natural toning only is permitted.
• Hair ribbons or hair bands in any of the school’s colours may be worn (ink, gold
• or white).
• Other hair accessories such as bandanas, beanies, brightly coloured or
• patterned headwear, tiaras, hair claws, feathers, beads or bun nets are no
• Long hair (below the shoulder) must be tied back this is a Workplace Health and
• Safety requirement.

Tattoos

No visible tattoos are permitted. Students with tattoos are required to cover them in a manner which does not brech the StuDent Dress Code - E.G, skin coloured covering.

We will continue to work, as partners, with you in ensuring every child in our school maintains our high expectations of uniform and appearance and that each child continues to be a valued ambassador of our College.

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 OVERDUE.

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