CapSDE Week 5, Term Three 2024 eNewsletter
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Principal's Pen
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2024 Language Teachers Queensland Online Speech Contest
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Languages Department
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Is your student missing out on vital information?
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Calendar Photo Competition - Entries close 23 August
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Enrol now for Prep 2025
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P&C Picture Products Fundraiser
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Senior Shirts - Year 6 and Year 12
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Have you done your School Opinion Survey?
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What's happening in Primary?
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Year 5-6 Camp
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Guidance 'Go-2'
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Your Child's Chance to Have Their Voice Heard in Parliament!
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Sports Person of the year award 2024
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We welcome your feedback
Principal's Pen
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As Principal, I am immensely proud of our school community and the values we uphold. Accountability, integrity, resilience, respect, and positive relationships are the cornerstones of our school culture. These values guide us in our daily interactions and long-term goals, fostering an environment where every student can thrive.
We are currently engaged in our strategic planning process, and as part of this, we are considering a slight adjustment to our school vision statement to better reflect our commitment to preparing our students for the future.
The proposed vision statement is: "Supporting every student to be future ready and reach their highest potential."
We believe this addition encapsulates our dedication to equipping students with the skills and mindset needed for future success. We value your input and invite you to share your thoughts by completing a quick survey on whether you support this change or have other suggestions for our vision over the next four years. This survey will remain open until the 30th of August 2024.
Your feedback is crucial in shaping the future of our school and ensuring we continue to provide the best possible education for our students.
Warm regards,
Amanda Rynne
2024 Language Teachers Queensland Online Speech Contest
The LTQ Online Speech Contest is an educational event organised by members of the Modern Languages Teachers’ Association of Queensland Inc. The objective of the contest is to foster and nurture the appreciation of languages and culture.
This year, the Online Speech Contest ran from the 22nd April to the 21st June. Students were provided with a template to prepare their speech. A huge congratulations to Archie for receiving a Gold award and to Maya for receiving a Silver award for their speeches.
Languages Department
Oshu Japanese Student Exchange Program
Capricornia School of Distance Education and Oshu City Board of Education have had a Sister-School agreement since 2019. Negotiations began when a CapSDE teacher was approached by a former colleague from Oshu, asking about the possibility of a partnership with our school.
The proposal was a very exciting, yet daunting prospect, as being a School of Distance Education, the logistics of a homestay program would not be straight forward. We continued to broker an agreement, and in November of 2019, three representatives from Oshu Board of Education flew to Rockhampton to visit CapSDE and inspect the local attractions. The official agreement was signed in April, 2020.
The Covid pandemic then put a hold on any study tour plans, however, this is where the benefits of being a School of Distance Education shone through. We were well positioned to be able to offer online lesson exchanges between CapSDE students and students in Oshu. For the last four years, we have continued the relationship by arranging many online lesson exchanges with Oshu schools. Ken Davis (Oshu BoE), Georgina Harch (DP, CapSDE) and our wonderful Japanese department have been facilitating these. They have been highly successful and are a great opportunity for our students to get an insight into the life of a Japanese student, and to practise their Japanese is a real-life context (and English for the Oshu students).
The Oshu city government oversee the public schools in their area; the agreement is between our school and all the Junior High schools within the Oshu region. We knew that having a homestay exchange program as a School of Distance Education was going to be a challenge, but figured why should our students miss out on an opportunity like this.
The 2024 Study Tour has been the very first visit homestay program of hopefully many more to come. We also look forward to pursuing a reciprocal visit by CapSDE students in the future.
2024 Study Tour Details:
Wednesday July 31 – Tuesday August 6
15 Junior Secondary students from Oshu
3 Officials from Oshu City Board of Education
Information on Oshu City:
It is located on the northern part of Honshu, Japan. It is a beef cattle producing region, famous for Maesawa Beef.
Japanese professional baseball player, Shohei Ohtani is from Oshu. He is currently signed to a 10-year, $700 million
contact with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Georgina Harch
Welcome Ceremony
Upon their arrival at Rockhampton on Wednesday morning, our Japanese guests received a warm welcome from CapSDE host families and staff.
The exchange students and their supervisors were honoured at an official welcome ceremony held at the Botanical Gardens, where Uncle Lester, a local Darumbal Elder formally welcomed them to Darumbal country with a smoking ceremony and a didgeridoo performance.
The significance of these exchange programs was highlighted by Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams, Deputy Mayor Drew Wickerson, and Acting Director of Global Engagement at the Department of Education International, Susan Brook. This sentiment was echoed by Yasushi Goto, Principal of Higashi Mizusawa Junior High School, Toshie Koshido, Teacher Trainer at the Oshu City Board of Education, and Ken Davis, ALT at the Oshu City Board of Education, who accompanied the students to Australia.
A special thanks goes to Mrs. Georgina Harch, Mrs. Miranda Broadbent, and Mrs. Stacey Stewart for their tremendous efforts in ensuring the success of this program. Such exchange programs are vital for fostering educational growth and strengthening the relationships between our countries and educational institutions.
Our Japanese guests along with their host families were also treated to some of the local Rockhampton sights on their excursion day. Koorana Crocodile Farm was a hit, with students given the opportunity to hold a baby crocodile.
Next stop was Emu Park beach and then on to the Rockhampton Heritage Village where the 'school room' gave students a glimpse of education in days gone by.
Today students visited the Rockhampton Primary Mini-school, joining in with the school song on assembly. Our guests ran the first session, where the students were able to share about themselves in English, and join in on some activities.
Tomorrow will see them leaving Rockhampton and saying goodbye to their host families. All of our guests have thoroughly enjoyed their stay and experience at CapSDE and look forward to continuing this relationship between the two schools.
Thank you to our amazing host families. Without your participation and willingness to open your homes, we would not have been able to offer this student exchange.
Excursion Day
Is your student missing out on vital information?
Some students are not able to access assessments and other important work as they are working in a Private Profile in Microsoft. Students need to be working in their Education Qld Profile.
Please see the information below and as the Home Tutor, spend a moment with your student to make sure they are working in the correct profile.
Calendar Photo Competition - Entries close 23 August
Enrol now for Prep 2025
Children learn and grow in a safe nurturing environment with the help of our experienced teachers, engaging curriculum and play-based learning. Visit https://capricorniasde.eq.edu.au/ to learn more about what Capricornia School of Distance Education has to offer your child.
P&C Picture Products Fundraiser
During the upcoming Mini-school, the Parents and Citizens Association are running a Pictureproducts melamine plate activity fundraiser, and we'd love you to join in.
Your child's unique artwork is transformed into durable, high-quality melamine Pictureplates.
Both decorative and useful, Pictureplates are simply beautiful. Children love eating off their very own Pictureplates, and as the years go by and they grow up and have their own families, their Pictureplates will bring back memories of those happy childhood years.
Your child can use photos, markers, paints and handprints to create their artworks, and you can have as many copies made as you'd like, so it's a fantastic gift idea for grandparents and other family members. (Remember Christmas is coming up!) What will your child draw?
We are also offering a range of other products decorated with your child's artwork, such as the functional and beautiful Pictureclocks, plastic or ceramic mugs, water bottles and calendars.
How to get involved
- Fill out the order form attached to this email and return it to comms@caprrocksde.eq.edu.au
- Pay for your order online at https://pay.pictureproducts.com/CAPROA/97495/ All prices are outlined in the Order Form attached. Please note a $1 payment processing surcharge will be applied per payment.
- Orders and payments are due in by 16th August (late orders will not be accepted).
2. Children in Years Prep – 4 will complete their artworks during Mini-school, 5th – 9th August. If you’d like your child to include any photographs on their artworks, be sure to send them in to mini-school.
- Items offered to design at mini-school will be: plates, clocks, mugs, water bottles, calendar, tote bags
What if my child is not attending campus for Mini-school, will be on camp or they are a secondary student?
- If your child would still like to do the activity, templates are available online to print and complete at home. Pens, paint, stickers, fingers, feet and photos—the brighter the better!
- Download the special drawing paper for the products you'd like to order from www.pictureproducts.com.au/drawing/ and print it out. The paper should be printed at A3 size. If you don't have an A3 printer, print shops and Officeworks can do this for you. If you print at A4, your products can still be made but the drawings will be scaled up.
- The at-home designs can then either be posted or scanned (not photographed) and emailed back to the school. Scans should be 300DPI or greater and in colour. See the following video for scanning tips https://upload.pictureproducts.com/help/#scanner
- Please remember to keep the design FLAT and preferably post it back in a cardboard folder or between two pieces of card. Any folds will show up in the final design.
- Drawings and completed order form can be emailed back to comms@caprrocksde.eq.edu.au Please include your completed order form in this email as well. This will ensure the school knows what you have ordered and what items your student has created.
- Drawings for those completing designs at home are due in by no later than 16th Aug
How will I receive my order?
Once your order is completed at the Pictureproducts factory, it will be posted back to the school.
For those that are attending Mini-school your designs should be ready to collect at mini-school Term 4. For those that won’t be at mini-school, collection or delivery can be organised.
Senior Shirts - Year 6 and Year 12
The first round of orders for 2025 Senior Shirts for Year 6 & Year 12 will be available for families to purchase from tomorrow on Qkr!
Final orders for Round 1 will be Thursday 31st October. This will ensure delivery in Week 1 of 2025.
The cost of the shirts:
$39.00 – Sublimated Polos (Year 6 & Year 12)
$80 – Year 12 Senior Jerseys
Please ensure that you indicate in the notes section in Qkr! what name your student would like on the back of their shirt. If your student does not wish to have a name, please write 'no name' and the shirt will be printed with the standard '25' on the back. Nicknames are permissible; however, these will be vetted to ensure appropriateness.
There will be a second round for these shirts available in Week One 2025 so that any new families will be able to place an order.
Have you done your School Opinion Survey?
The suite of School Opinion Surveys is undertaken each year by the Department of Education to
obtain opinions about our school from families, school staff and students in target year levels (5,
6, 8 and 11).
The surveys will help identify what we are doing well, and understand where we can
improve. The survey invitation will be emailed in the week beginning 15 July and is titled School
Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2024.
Each school family will receive one email invitation from the Department of Education to complete
the Parent/Caregiver Survey. The survey is anonymous, and the results are reported in ways that
an individual’s response can be identified by the school.
Parents/Caregivers are encouraged to complete the survey. The survey can be completed via
computers, tablets or smart phones with an internet connection.
For Parents/Caregivers who do not have access to the internet school computers/tablets will be
available. Parents/caregivers who experience difficulties accessing the survey can request a new
survey from the School Opinion Survey team via email schoolopinionsurvey@qed.qld.gov.au.
It’s important that as many parents/caregivers as possible complete the survey.
Can’t find your invitation? If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they
haven’t received the invitation and/or check your junk email folder.
What's happening in Primary?
Year 5-6 Camp
Our students were off and flying this morning on their way to Kindilan for the Year 5-6 Camp and have arrived safely.
Students are looking forward to a week of fun and time with their peers, with smiles stretched from ear to ear!
Thank you to our volunteering teachers, for giving up their own time to accompany these students for the week, foregoing time with their own families to ensure our students are given these opportunities.
Guidance 'Go-2'
Your Child's Chance to Have Their Voice Heard in Parliament!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are excited to let you know about an opportunity for our students to participate in this year's Youth Voice in Parliament week, an initiative by Raise Our Voice Australia. From October 7-10, students from across the country have the chance to have their 90-second speeches read by a federal politician in parliament in Canberra.
This year's question is:
“What do you want your community to look like in the next 10 years, and what can the next parliament do to achieve it?”
This question encourages students to reflect on their ideas for the future and is an opportunity for them to raise the issues that matter most to them.
Submissions close on 12 August, so be sure to get writing.
Learn More: Visit the Raise Our Voice Australia website for more information on how your child can participate: https://raiseourvoiceaustralia.com/youthvoice
Follow the campaign: https://www.facebook.com/raiseourvoiceaustralia
Thank you for supporting your child in this exciting initiative!
Sports Person of the year award 2024
CSDE annually acknowledges the sporting achievements of a Primary and Secondary Student, who has excelled throughout the year at the end of year awards.
The presentation of the Sports Person of the Year Award goes to the student who has accumulated the most amount of points throughout the year in their various sporting achievements.
Parents are asked to advise the school throughout the year of the sporting achievements by completing this online form. Scores are based on events, the level of the event (district, regional, state, national etc) and the students placing within those events. You will need to complete the form for each individual acheivement. Do not place all acheivements on the one form.
At the end of the year, points are collated, and the winner announced.
Information to note:
* School sports are what counts for CSDE Sportsperson of the year. Students are recognised for their achievement in other non-school fields; however, these achievements are not part of the accumulation of points towards the CSDE Sportsperson of the year.
* You should list the highest level that your student has represented in that sport, noting that the points are only entered if the student represented, and not if they were selected and did not attend.
* Unfortunately, camp-drafting, is not a recognised school sport and so would not apply for Sportsperson of the year.