CSDE Weekly eNewsletter, Week 7, Term 3, 2023

What's happening in Primary?

Year 3

This term in English, students have been ‘employed’ at Goldy’s Construction, hard at work learning how to write and ‘construct’ entertaining narratives. Led by ‘Goldy’ (we think she looks a lot like Mrs Goldston), we don our ‘Goldy’s Construction’ hat for every English lesson. You can see us all proudly wearing them in the photos below. We’ve been learning how to write different types of sentences, and also use figurative language such as personification and alliteration to bump up our writing.

Buried in the soft golden sand, was a cranky, camouflaged crab winking at its friends.  Emily

By the sun-warmed rocks, was the speckled, shining sand begging to be cooled by the sea. Eli C

Peeking out of the ocean, was the playful, grey dolphin twirling and dancing with the waves. Isla

Deep in the Aussie outback, the dry, dusty creek whispered to the gum trees. Tim

Year 3 Eteach

During Term 2 the Year 3s had fun and created prints using the Visual Arts printmaking skills they explored during their Eteach unit. Their assessment was to create 2 prints and an Artist Statement about their works. The first print was to be of a building/place in the past and the second of the building/place now.

Korven’s Mt Coolon’s Lyric Theatre—past and present photos and Korven’s impressive past and present prints!

Olivia’s past and present prints and her incredible Artist Statement!

Secondary Scoop

In Music at CSDE our year seven students learn about the elements of music. They explore the unit Popular Music and complete a student portfolio improving their understanding of all areas of music. Music theory, notation, compositional aspects and the enjoyment of the social and cultural components of music to one and all.

Students have two main tasks to complete in the semester, using their understanding of the elements of music. They then analysise a popular song of their choosing and create a mock interview with the artist. Students present their interview as a podcast, YouTube clip, radio broadcast or feature article.

Students also have the opportunity to compose a basic melody using the chord progression, 1,4,5,1. Students have online access to the Music Software Soundtrap.

Soundtrap is an online cross-platform digital audio workstation for browsers that allows users to create music or podcasts. Using the tools, students create an 8-bar song for assessment. They also have time for free choice music using looped recording to create music and record sounds. Students have lessons on how to use the program and are able to create their own musical songs, downloading them for ring tones, mp4 and even pod casting capabilities.

Bailey - Year 7

Ciara - Year 7

Free Choice - Year 11

Jackson - Year 7

Tobie - Year 7

Year 9 Design and Technology

Last semester, students were asked to design a promotional product for a real-world issue.

They replicated real-world processes by researching their chosen issue, product and charity. Students created a criterion for success and Gannt chart to manage their time. Finally, they visualised their ideas through draft sketches and developed prototypes in Tinkercad, an online 3D modelling program.

Christine C- Water bottle for Domestic Violence

Christine designed a water bottle to raise awareness around domestic violence. ‘My worldwide issue is domestic violence as 1 in 3 women experienced sexual and physical abuse performed by people, they're familiar with such as family, or spouse. 61% of women kept children in abusive environments. Children who faced these issues, grew up to have lots of social issues, health problems and low-self-esteem due to the traumatic past they experienced at an early age evolving around abuse. 'RizeUp' is my chosen charity as it supports families suffering from domestic violence and helps save lives. […] It’s specifically designed for those facing domestic violence as it can happen anywhere and at any time.’

Christine’s water bottle features a voice recorder and automatic trigger to alert police if needed.

Minna S- Pink Tax Personal Product Carry Case

Minna’s carry case is designed to raise awareness around pink tax. She chose to work with the charity Share the Dignity.  ‘Females are people, right? So, why aren’t the things that we need to live, free to us? I'm talking about something called the ‘pink tax’. When compared to goods marketed to men, goods and services targeted to women are subject to a fee known as the “pink tax”. For instance, if needed to buy a razor, the “women's” ones cost a lot more than the “men's” one. It’s unfair that women don’t already earn equally to men, but paying more for items that others can obtain for less is absurd. Not to mention the costs pads, tampons, and other supplies.’

Will L – Drug detector

‘My real world problem is drug addiction there is currently 1 in 20 Australians have a drug or substances addiction and currently there is no real solution for this except therapy and catching people doing drugs so I am making a product that will add to that It will catch people with drugs in there possession.

I have choses the charity taking action on addiction an amazing thing they display on there website is a few inspirational quotes such as 'Recovery is possible for everyone, please don't ever believe that you don't deserve it' there main purpose is trying to help stop both alcohol and drug abuse or addictions and my product is going to help with that by taking the drugs away from the people that are using them way to much mainly just drugs and not alcohol.’

.’ I chose my design because its nice and ergonomic, the flip phone affect it very handy because its nice and compact. Its also very nostalgic in a way because it’s the original DS by Nintendo design. I also chose it because I thought it would be very fun to design. ‘

George K- Fisherman’s keyring

George’s key ring is for Trash Tribe, a charity aiming to raise awareness around marine debris and clean up Australia’s beaches and coastline. George’s key ring is made from recycled beach waste. His key ring is ‘recyclable, floatable and eco-friendly’. It has a QR code to educate people about how this product was made and the impact on our environment. George says ‘My preferred future would look like building a recycling centre that turns most ocean pollutions into reusable materials such as fishing rods, fence posts and outdoor furniture’.

Ethan K – Farmer’s belt pouch and SMART watch

Ethan designed a belt pouch and smart watch for farmers affected by natural disasters. ‘My real world problem is farmers affected by natural disasters, and wellbeing. They need help and support, either other farmers helping to fix the farm or funding so they can fix it themselves. There needs to be a solution to this problem because farmers need their crop or livestock to be able to provide for their families’. ‘My product is a belt pouch, that has got medical aid, tools, a flint, and flares in it. This will help a farmer if a natural disaster occurs, involved in an accident, or other problems that could arise anytime. The other product is a watch to remind you when to drink, and it tells the temperature, and has other features. This will help the farmer to stay hydrated and to not feel dizzy, and/or collapse, meaning less injuries (short term or lifelong). Most of the money made from these products will be donated to Rural Aid Australia’.

Year 10 Visual Arts

Last semester, students were asked to paint an expressive portrait inspired by award winning contemporary Australian Indigenous Artist Thea Anamara Perkins.

Students learnt about Thea’s paintings and techniques in class and completed an art analysis. Following on from this, they explored colour theory and painting techniques which they used in their own portraits of someone meaningful to them.

Portrait

By Sarina

'My work is inspired by the art style of Thea Anamara Perkins, an Indigenous artist who espressses her art through painting family portraits. The symbolic photograph I chose to replicate is an image of me as a child and my mother. It is a close-up photo of us on a boat. I chose this image because it conveys heavy emotion, a candid shot of a mother and daughter. the hidden details also add to the significance of this painting, for example, the person holding the camera is my father. Painting wise, I used a series of light and neutral colours such as skin tones and brown in order to indicate at the positivity surrounding the image itself. The medium I used was acrylic paint and I decided this would be best for the chosen art style. The painting technique (originating from Anamara Perkins) prevented the colours from becoming lifeless as the designing process provided multiple shades.' 

Sarina

'Family is an extremely important part of us, the health of yours is the entire deciding factor in how you will turn out. It is a safe group to live with, fall back to, and send you out to do great things. The indigenous Australian artist Thea Anamara Perkins has a beautiful artistic style to portray this in a way. She uses subjective colours, unrealistic shapes and values, all of these artistic tools to bend reality for us to see what is basically just an emotion she has felt towards the subject of her painting. Her doing this, inspired me to do it in a little bit different way. I found a picture of a family member I am close to, and immediately knew what I thought and felt when I looked at it. The pose was Batman, and as silly as it sounds, especially if you knew the person I painted, it was exactly how I wanted others to see him in this painting. I used the colours you would think, which is something I would change next time, though I do like how I have used the common principle of painting, warm light makes cold shadows, and cold light makes warm shadows. I also like that I left it somewhat rough, because I think it lends itself to the rough character of Batman, and Allan in the reference photo.'

Axel Torrisi​

'This project for me has been about adapting to change. My initial goal was to produce a piece of art that expressed my duality. My concept was originally a hybrid image, half human, half insect, I wanted to portray the concept of loneliness, and being different, an outcast. However, upon finalizing the artwork, I was disappointed that the main viewers (my family) missed the point, mistook the patched repairs in the tattered clothing and thought it was just poor shadow work, and mistook the large eye of the insect for a green apple and accused me of copying Son of Man by Rene Magritte. In hindsight, the story I was trying to tell with that artwork was quite complicated and quite abstract, and due to my limited artistic ability, I couldn’t capture it properly. This left me feeling disappointed, frustrated, and annoyed. It was at this moment that my mum took a photo of me to show me that an expressive portrait didn’t need to be so complex but simply needed to clearly express and convey an emotion just like the photo she had taken. This photograph became the basis of my second approach. I then took the photo (with my mum's help) into a photo editing software and I noticed that when I moved the image it displayed an interesting pixelated pattern, which I adapted and traced onto my canvas and decided on my palette. After beginning the painting however, I painted my base coat over my tracings (oops), so the rest of the painting was done freehand. '

Kian Barram

'I was inspired to complete this painting / colouring in the style used by the Indigenous Australian artist Thea Anamara Perkins. The expressive work is of me and my current youngest Niece. I used many bright colours which made the portrait more personal and expressive. My palette used a mix of expressive vibrant colours and shades that matched the original photo, such as my black clothing and the skin tones within the image. I felt that these were not needed to be changed as they showed who I was (style and outfit) and helped in avoiding make people mad. This artwork is a tribute to my baby niece and how fast she is growing up.'

Krystel​

Visual Arts in Practice - Year 12 Gallery

ATTENTION: Year 12 ATAR eligible Students

Year 12 Students,

If you are applying for an ATAR this year via QTAC, you are invited to attend the following information sessions:

ATAR session 1:

When: Tuesday 22^nd August

Time: 8.00am

Where: Secondary Cohort Dashboard – “ATAR session 1”

ATAR session 2:

When: Tuesday 29^th August

Time: 8.00am

Where: Secondary Cohort Dashboard – “ATAR session 2”

Following the two sessions, students will be invited to book a one-on-one session with Mrs Benfer regarding your individual ATAR application.

Looking forward to meeting with you for our first session.

For questions please be sure to make contact before Session 1. Email: jbenf8@eq.edu.au 

Job Opportunities and Positions Available

Certificate III in Sports and Recreation

About the Traineeship

This School Based Traineeship is designed to engage young adults in the aquatic, sport and recreation industry.
Students will train and work across a variety of roles, including pool lifeguarding, swim teaching, sport coaching and customer service roles.
The program is the perfect opportunity for those students who are looking to gain a head start in their careers or expand on their workplace readiness and life skills for post schooling pathways.

One of these positions is at the Lagoon, Yeppoon. There is also one in Gladstone and Southside Rockhampton.

Guidance 'Go-2'

If your student is carer for a family member with a diagnosed disability and would like some support, please contact one of our Guidance Officers to discuss how we can assist.

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST BULLYING AND VIOLENCE

Last Friday 18th, was the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. This years theme was Growing Connections, which is a great reminder that together we can make a difference. As we 'grow connections' and build relationships with one-another we work to make everyone feel included and accepted within our school community and online! 

Should you or someone you know be experiencing Bullying, we ask that you reach out to a trusted Adult, the eSafety Commissioner, @headspace_aus or Kids Helpline Official. 

#bullyingawareness #GrowingConnections #BullyingNoWay #2023nda

Cultural Snapshot

Australian schools have long been at the forefront of fostering a sense of belonging for all.

At the surface level, cultures can be distinguished by many "visible" things, such as food, festivals, fashion, music, holidays and so on.

But these visible cultural similarities and differences have roots in many "invisible" layers of culture, such as beliefs, values, approaches, attitudes, and perspectives.

As a school, we are trying hard to look beyond the surface culture and go ‘deep’. By delving deep and really understanding the underlying foundations of ‘culture’, we can start to see some of our strategic vision goals (school community engagement), values (positive relationships) and purposes (all decision making to be guided by a students’ first lens) make a difference and help us achieve our mission of ‘supporting every student to reach their highest potential’.

The below image helps explain surface and deep culture.

Opportunities and 'Goings-on' in your Community

Year 10 - James Cook University - Unmasking the ATAR System

Webinar Details

Date: Thursday 31 August 2023

Time: 7:00pm (AEST)

Start TAFE Now - Senior Secondary Students

We are excited to announce that 2024 Start TAFE Now course applications will open on Tuesday, 22 August 2023 (9 am AEST) via Apply Online.

With strong demand for Start TAFE Now courses and limited places in on campus offerings, we recommend students apply as soon as possible. To prepare their application students will need to:

• Organise a completed Start Now Study Authorisation Form. This will be uploaded as part of the online application supporting documentation section. All sections must be completed.
• Create a Unique Student Identifier (USI). This will be required to submit the application online.

For more information on key dates, student eligibility and the application process visit our how to apply page. 

If you require further information please email the STN team via stn@cqu.edu.au. 

Scholarships open for girls in Year 8, 2023

Who Can Apply For A Harding Miller Scholarship?

 The Harding Miller Education Foundation offers life-changing scholarships to young women in Australian public high schools. The HMEF's mission is to bridge the long-term societal gap of opportunity for girls within the public-school system for those who meet our THREE criteria:

1. High Academic Achievement or Potential
2. Socio-Economic Hardship
3. Motivation to Achieve at School and Attend University

Applicants must be in year 8 in 2023 to apply. 

Click the link below for more details 

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