CSDE Weekly eNewsletter, Week 2, Term 3, 2023

Message from your P&C - General Meeting tomorrow - Tuesday 10th October, 3:30pm

Please note there will be a general meeting on Tuesday 10th October at 3:30pm.

Please forward any discussion items for agenda. Link in the schoolzine calendar event and below.

Week 2 – Term 4 – Tue 10 Oct 2023 

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What's happening in Primary?

Primary Postings

Well, here we are already at Week Two, Term Three and the time continues to fly by!  Academic reporting has been completed for semester 1. With report cards now showing academic ratings only it is important that feedback on assessment guides is considered in full. These provide specific detail on learning success for the unit and next steps for improvement. These annotations provide the comment that would previously have been found on the report. Congratulations to our students for their hard work and learning successes in Semester 1. Imagine what you could achieve this semester.

This term we have our Prep-Year Four Mini-school in Week Five.  This, as always, is a wonderful opportunity for students and teachers to come together and have those important face to face interactions.  These weeks are the highlights of our term! 

While this Mini-school is happening our Year Five and Six students will be having a blast at their camp at the Apex Camp Sunshine Coast.  We know they will make the most of each opportunity to push themselves and realise their potential, as well as enjoy the mateship that comes with this.

For those who are unable to attend either of these events, we will still be running online lessons.  Please check the Mini-school booklet for information about the time and location for these.

One of the changes in curriculum delivery for semester two has been an alignment in teaching phonemics. All teaching programs in the Primary sector are planned from the Australian Curriculum.

This ensures that your student is receiving the same high quality learning as all other schools in Australia. When young children begin formal schooling it can be easy to jump straight into learning how to write and recognise letters. However phonemic awareness is often overlooked.

Phonemic awareness involves the ability to identify, isolate, manipulate, and blend individual phonemes — the smallest units of sound — in spoken words. For example, being able to identify that the word ‘cat’ has three sounds (/k/ /a/ /t/) and being able to change the /k/ sound to /b/ to create the word ‘bat’ is a sign of phonemic awareness. Phonemic skills do not require students to read letters but to hear and say sounds. Phonemic awareness is also the skill that allows students to decode, recognise and sound out words. It allows them to break down words into their individual sounds (phonemes) and blend those sounds together to form words. This skill supports development in reading and spelling.

Our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 Home Tutors will learn more about this in the Partners in Learning sessions at term 3 Mini-school.

Looking forward to sharing a great term 3 with you and our learners.

Amanda Mobbs and Lachlan Scheuber

Guidance 'Go-2'

Secondary Scoop

Secondary Scoop

Learning from home creates a unique opportunity for your child to become an assessment capable visible learner. 

In simple terms, an assessment capable visible learner is someone who understands their own learning process and can articulate their progress towards learning goals. 

Here are some tips to support your child in becoming assessment capable and a visible learner:

1. Encourage self-reflection – encourage your child to think about their learning process by asking questions such as “What did you learn today?” or “What was challenging about the assignment?”  By reflecting on their learning, your child will become more aware of their own progress.
2. Set learning goals together – work with your child to set clear learning goals. Make sure the goals are specific and measurable, so your child can track their own progress.  Encourage them to write down their goals and keep them in a visible place.
3. Ask for feedback – your child’s teachers are a valuable resource in helping them become assessment capable visible learners. Encourage your child to ask for feedback on their work and to use that feedback to improve their learning.
4. Create a positive learning environment – learning from home can be challenging, but creating a positive learning environment can help your child stay motivated and engaged. Encourage them to take breaks, get regular exercise, and avoid distractions during study time.
5. Celebrate success – celebrate your child’s successes, no matter how small they may seem. Positive reinforcement can help your child stay motivated and confident in their abilities.
6. Model assessment capable visible learning – finally, model assessment capable visible learning yourself. Talk to your child about your own learning process and how you set and track goals in your own life.  By modelling these behaviours, you can help your chid develop the skills they need to become successful learners.

We hope these tips will help you support your child in becoming an assessment capable visible learner.  By working together, we can help them succeed in their learning journey.

Year 10 SET Planning - Bookings extended until this Friday 28th July.

Thinking about what subjects you may like to study in Year 11 & 12? Here's a taste!

With Year 10 SET Plan interviews opening soon for bookings with our Heads of Departments, now is the time to start discussions around what subject choices would interest your student for Years 11 & 12.

CSDE offers a range of options for students entering their senior phase of learning, whether they would like to pursue further studies in university, embark on a pathway with certificate courses through Vocational Education and Training or prefer a working pathway. CSDE has something for everyone.  All subjects offered in Years 11 & 12 acrue QCE points that go towards your students final Queensland Certificate of Education. SET Plan interviews are designed to assist students and parents to make informed decisions regarding thier student's future. The staff facilitating these interviews will be able to answer your questions and point you in the right direction. 

The booking link to secure your interview will be emailed home shortly. Keep an eye out for an email from Mrs Benfer or Ms Haywood-Batchelor which should hit inboxes this week. 

Vocational Pathways:

The Certificate II in Applied Digitial Technologies has direct career links to various careers such as

• Data Entry Clerk.
• Systems Administration Assistant.
• Help Desk Support.
• Software Tester.
• Systems Tester.

The following certificates can give students skills and knowledge that can be used across all career paths. 

Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways

Certificate II in Workplace Skills

Certificate II Self Awareness and Development

Capricornia SDE is a registered training organisation (30951) and deliver course offerings which are registered with the QCAA. Students can study VET programs through external providers and also through undertaking school-based apprenticeships and traineeships.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) assists in the learning of practical workplace skills to prepare students for employment in a specific industry. VET links the hands on learning with theoretical understanding. VET’s intent is to give students better skills and more opportunities learning within a vocational context. VET qualifications are NATIONALLY recognised by employers and training providers. Attainment of a VET qualification is proof that you are competent to do a specific job.

VET qualifications attained by students are recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), and this may give advanced standing or credit towards a traineeship or apprenticeship and/or credit towards entry to courses at TAFE institutes and other registered training organisations.

General and Applied Subjects

General syllabuses

General subjects are suited to students who are interested in pathways beyond senior secondary schooling that lead primarily to tertiary studies and to pathways for vocational education and training and work.

Applied syllabuses

Applied subjects are suited to students who are primarily interested in pathways beyond senior secondary schooling that lead to vocational education and training or work.

If your student would like to consider a university pathway, they will need to consider their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) eligibility.

The calculation of an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) will be based on a student’s:

• best five General subject results or
• best results in a combination of four General subject results plus an Applied subject result or a Certificate III or higher VET

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) has responsibility for ATAR calculations.

English requirement

Eligibility for an ATAR will require satisfactory completion of a QCAA English subject.

Satisfactory completion will require students to attain a result that is equivalent to a Sound Level of Achievement in one of five subjects – English, Essential English, Literature, English and Literature Extension or English as an Additional Language. While students must meet this standard to be eligible to receive an ATAR, it is not mandatory for a student’s English result to be included in the calculation of their ATAR.

myQCE Competition for Years 10-12

The myQCE competition is here! To help you #getacademic in 2023, QCAA are giving away three Sony Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones and one MacBook Air to four lucky winners, and you could be one of them!This competition is open to Queensland high school students who are in Years 10 to 12 with access to the Student Portal.The competition closes on Friday 15 September 2023. Click below to find out more information and to enter!

Link: myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/get-motivated/get-involved

Year 12 students and families

Don't forget to RSVP and purchase your tickets for the Year 12 Formal.

My First Speech Competition

The Department of the House of Representatives, Parliament of Australia has launched the “My First Speech” Competition for schools.

This national competition challenges students in years 10, 11 and 12 to envision themselves as newly elected Members of the House of Representatives and record a 90-second speech on video, focusing on a topic of their choosing.

The winners, accompanied by a parent or guardian, will be flown to Canberra to deliver their speeches live at Parliament House and participate in an engaging program tailored to deepen their understanding of the legislative process.

The submission deadline for the competition is set for 5pm AEST on 11 August 2023.

To learn more about the competition and submit their entries, students can visit the dedicated competition website: www.aph.gov.au/myfirstspeech.

This is an exciting opportunity for our local Flynn students. Students will have the chance learn more about the way our nation’s democracy works, and how actively engaging with the parliamentary process can draw attention to the issues that are most important to them.

Experience ADFA Virtual Open Day

2024 Apprenticeship Program Recruitment

What's on in your community

Introducing Qkr - The way to order all CSDE Uniforms

The P&C has handed over the running of the 'Uniform Shop' to the school.

From this point on, all school uniform orders and payments will need to be placed through Qkr! on your mobile device.

Once you have downloaded the Qkr! App, turn on the notifications so that you will be informed of any specials, last order deadline dates etc.

Our Finance Department has put together a quick tutorial video below to help you get started.

What is Qkr?

Qkr is a mobile app for iPhones and Android smartphones that provides secure purchases, protected by Masterpass security for administrators and parents.  Qkr will be used for  uniform and senior shirt payments, replacing my school connect as the Uniform Shop is being transferred to the school to manage. Qkr will also be used in the future for other school payments as the system is rolled out within the finance department. 

What do customers pay to access Qkr?

Qkr is free for customers, there is no transaction fee charged to customers making payments via the app.

Important to enable notifications...

Sports Person of the year award 2023

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.

We welcome your feedback