CSDE Weekly eNewsletter, Week TWO Term 4 2023
-
Date Claimers - Term 4
-
Calendar Photo Competition
-
P&C Newsletter Giveaway!
-
Parent Teacher Interviews - Bookings close this Thursday 12th October
-
What's happening in Primary?
-
Primary Captain Speeches Yr 3-6
-
Student Spotlight - Heidi
-
Could the next Student Spotlight be YOUR student's success story?
-
Languages
-
Secondary Scoop
-
Leaver's Week
-
Lost Property from Camp
-
2024 Next Step Year 12 Completers Survey
-
What are valid exam conditions?
-
School Leadership Positions - Nominations Open Now! Are you a Year 11 student wanting to make a difference? We want you!
-
Secondary Swimming Carnival
-
Work Experience - Term 4
-
Simpson Prize Competition
-
Guidance 'Go-2'
-
Cultural Snapshot
-
Message from your P&C - General Meeting tomorrow - Tuesday 21 Nov, 3:30pm
-
Opportunities
-
What's on in your Community?
-
Sports Person of the year award 2023
-
We welcome your feedback
Date Claimers - Term 4
Calendar Photo Competition
P&C Newsletter Giveaway!
Parent Teacher Interviews - Bookings close this Thursday 12th October
Parent Teacher Interviews for Prep - Year 12 will be taking place in
Week 3, 16 - 19th October.
These will be phone interviews with the teachers phoning the parents.
Below are letters for Primary Parents and for Secondary Parents.
Primary Interviews:
- Primary Parents go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au
- Enter the code that is on your Primary letter for Primary Students - s8tyd
Secondary Interviews:
- Secondary Parents go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au
- Enter the code that is on your Secondary letter for Secondary Students - gkugc
- Enter your details.
- Select the teachers you wish to see.
- Select the appointment time that suits your family best.
When you click FINISH your selected bookings will be emailed to you instantly.
If you do not receive your email INSTANTLY, please check your junk-mail AND your SPAM folder, or enter the event code again and check your email address spelling. Update your details if the email address is incorrect.
The email will arrive from bookings@schoolintervie.ws
DO NOT DELETE the email you receive. Keep it somewhere safe. You may need to refer back to it at a later date.
REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR APPOINTMENTS TO YOUR CALENDAR - reminders will not be sent.
Bookings must be finalised by Thursday 12th October
If you need to view, cancel, change or print your bookings:
- Click on the link in the confirmation email you received after you made your bookings
- OR return to schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the code and the email address you used when making your bookings.
What's happening in Primary?
Welcome to Term Four, the getting to the end of the year term, and also the getting ready for 2024 term.
We Heard You
During Term Three Mini-school, Home Tutors and staff gave feedback on the success of the event. Items that were repeatedly given the thumbs up were Clusters, facilities, after school activities and a school day schedule with a focus on learning. A range of interesting ideas were also offered, so thank you to all of you who took the time to contribute. We will continue to work towards providing a high quality learning environment for all students during these weeks.
You’ve Got Mail
Part of getting ready for 2024 is reviewing the learning material that is mailed to families to ensure what you receive is directly linked to the lessons students will receive. Consideration has also been given to your experience, when this material is organised in the home classroom.
During Term Three, our teachers spent time realigning and reducing the contents of material sent home. Teachers had opportunity to review all Primary year level contents for the year. During Term Four’s Mini-school, we plan to give our families the opportunity to preview the slimmed down mail out material for 2024, so you know what will be coming your way in 2024.
Reading
Feedback from Mini-school last term highlighted the success of the Partners in Learning Professional Development that was offered to Home Tutors of Early Years students. To support reading development in this phase we have reshaped the emphasis of our approach to teaching reading to align with some of the messages from this workshop. All teaching that we deliver to students is underpinned by The Australian Curriculum. The curriculum references use of prior knowledge, predicting, monitoring meaning and reflecting as comprehension strategies with use of phonic decoding and high frequency words to attempt unknown words. We use picture cues when we first engage with a book to predict and activate prior knowledge. Decoding of words requires students to ‘hear’ sounds and be able to match them to single letters and then bigger and bigger chunks of letters. The intervention programs the school provides in the Early Years such as OLEY, PMAP and Heggerty are designed to ensure all students can identify, discriminate between and manipulate sounds so they are able to decode unknown words in their reading. HIT Lit sessions provide students with guided practice in using the skills mentioned above.
Like any sporting practice regular attendance improves performance. We thank you for ensuring your students are attending all of their learning opportunities regularly and participating for the duration of the session.
Warm regards, Lachlan Scheuber & Amanda Mobbs
Primary Captain Speeches Yr 3-6
WANTED! Year 5 Students who are...
- Innovative
- Kind
- Helpful
- Proud
- Enthusiastic
- Reliable
We want you for our 2024 Student Leader Team! See information below and link to be able to nominate.
Student Spotlight - Heidi
Could the next Student Spotlight be YOUR student's success story?
Languages
Just imagine being offered a fully funded and organised 10-day trip to Japan. All you need is your passport and some spending money, but everything else is covered. Sound like a dream? Well, this dream came true for 5 of our Year 10 students in December last year when they were selected to participate in the Tokyo Experience School Program 2023, a joint initiative between the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education and Education Queensland. Accompanying the students were two of our Capricornia School of Distance Education staff – myself and Rutherford sensei (Douglas Rutherford - Japanese Language Teacher and QLearn Administrator). Our group was also joined by one student from Brisbane School of Distance Education and one student from New South Wales School of Languages, making a lovely mix of regional, rural, remote, urban, full-time and school-based students studying Japanese.
During the trip, the students were hosted by families of students from Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya High School, an academically selective public senior high school founded in the late 1870s. We were warmly welcomed by the school community and the students were invited to participate in classes to experience typical school days. While there was definitely a struggle to understand the lesson content at times, the universal languages of things such as music, art, mathematics equations and science formulas allowed our students to participate in classes and gain some understanding of what was being studied. Special lessons in Calligraphy art and a chance to watch students do Kendo (martial arts) in a Physical Education lesson were a highlight. Hibiya High School students organised a Cultural Exchange after school one day and we were joined by a large group of Hibiya students interested to talk with our group and share some Japanese snacks for afternoon tea. Using a mix of Japanese and English and some sign language, the students were able to communicate with each other and many swapped details to keep in touch in the future.
We were also taken on several excursions during the trip, one of which was to the National Noh Theatre for a detailed look into the production of Noh (costuming, masks, music and movement) and watch a portion of a performance. Another day the students were professionally dressed in traditional Japanese clothing (kimono) and had free time to explore the Asakusa area, including the Senso-ji (temple) and Naka-mise (shopping street). After changing, we then went to Tokyo SkyTree – the tallest tower in the world, at 634m – and were able to spend time looking at the amazing view of Tokyo from the observation decks located at 350m and 450m, with a section of glass floor! Miraculously, we even got to see a little bit of Mt Fuji, located 105km away! On our last day at school we were taken on a walking tour of the local area around the school by some of the staff of Hibiya High School. Firstly, we went on a tour inside the National Diet Building. Much to the students’ interest, this had nothing to do with Japan having a national eating plan (!) – but rather, is to do with the national legislature of Japan. The House of Representative and the House of Councillors meet in the building. Other places visited on the walking tour were a Shinto shrine, a Harry Potter shop, beautiful gardens and spectacular illumination and artworks in a large hotel reception.
Teary goodbyes are always the benchmark for the success of a trip like this, and there were lots of tears when we said goodbye to our new friends at Hibiya High School. On our final evening together again, we had a yummy team dinner and went to karaoke.
On our last day in Japan before our evening flight, we spent a lovely morning walking through the grounds of Meiji Shrine before heading across the road to pop-culture filled Takeshita-doori in Harajuku. The students were very keen to use some spending money in the cool shops and game centres, and try their luck on the UFO catcher machines and capsule-toy vending machines.
It was a whirlwind trip, packed with amazing experiences that will hopefully help carry the students through their last two years of Japanese study. We are so grateful for this experience. As a school, we look forward to supporting more students who continue to study Japanese as an elective subject with us. Keep learning and loving language!
B sensei (Miranda Broadbent)
Head of Department, Languages
Secondary Scoop
Leaver's Week
During the last week of school for Year 12's (week 7), CSDE will be running a Leaver's Week program from Monday - Thursday.
Each day, Year 12 students will have a special program that will give them the opportunity to not only spend time with their peers, but also gain some valuable life skills. An excursion to the Yeppoon Lagoon, RACQ Docu-drama, rental information session with the Tenancy Skills Institute, Mental Health Mini-mart and Awards and Graduation Ceremony practice at CQU, followed by a special session with Kate Miles the Guidance Officer. Don't forget the Secondary Swimming Carnival, Secondary Awards and to wrap up the week's activities... the Year 12 Formal!
Leaver's week timetable will be available by the end of Week Three.
Lost Property from Camp
Have you lost me....? I am single... dusty blue.... elastisized around the edges and I fit a bed...
I was also left at Year 7 - 9 Camp and might be missing from a student's bedding stash.
If you have lost your fitted sheet.... please phone the school on 4931 4800!
2024 Next Step Year 12 Completers Survey
A reminder that our Year 12 students will be invited to participate in the Next Step Year 12 Completers survey starting in March 2024. The short confidential survey will ask questions about graduates’ activities since finishing school, like study and work.
Graduates can expect to be invited to the survey via a letter from the Minister for Education or an email or phone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office on behalf of the department. Please check your contact details are correct with your school and your learning account by logging into the student portal at https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/
We appreciate your participation in this important survey as it helps our school improve our senior services for future students. For more info visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep.
What are valid exam conditions?
With the Exam Period looming, it is important that all Home Tutors take the time to ensure they are providing valid exam conditions for their students. So what are valid exam conditions?
Please see the document below to ensure you are supporting you student to achieve their best results.
School Leadership Positions - Nominations Open Now! Are you a Year 11 student wanting to make a difference? We want you!
Nominations close Wednesday for our Secondary Leadership Positions.
Nominating for a secondary leadership position at CSDE presents a remarkable opportunity for personal growth and contribution to our CSDE school community. This role offers a chance to develop essential leadership skills, foster teamwork, and make a positive impact on our school's culture and initiatives.
Year 12 students in 2024 can actively contribute to CSDE's improvement and success. This experience will not only enhance students own leadership abilities but allow them also to serve as a role model for younger students, inspiring them to pursue their passions and take an active role in shaping our school's future.
If you are a Year 11 student and interested in nominating for a Leadership Position in 2024, click the links below to Nominate and to view more details in the Secondary Leadership Handbook.
Secondary Swimming Carnival
The Secondary Swimming Carnival will be held on Wednesday 15th November, during Mini-school.
Location - Rockhampton Southside Pool - 2nd War Memorial Aquatic Centre
Time - 9:30am Parents to drop students to the pool
Finish - 12:00pm Bus Transport for students back to Conference on North.
Students will be required to RSVP and complete the permission form to attend the Carnival
RSVP's due by Wednesday 1st November
RSVP Link: https://capricorniasde.schoolzineplus.com/form/29
Nominations are due by Wednesday 1st November and should be emailed directly to Mr Murray Harch on mharc4@eq.edu.au
Work Experience - Term 4
Simpson Prize Competition
Student Entry Requirements
Eligibility
Students must be in either Year 9 or 10 to enter.
Previous winners are ineligible to apply, however previous runners-up are welcome to apply again.
2024 Simpson Prize Question
‘Commemoration of the Anzac tradition has widespread support in Australia despite different historical interpretations and debates about the nature and significance of the Anzac legend.’
To what extent does your own research support this view?
A link to the 2024 Simpson Prize Question and Sources is:
The Simpson Prize 2024 | Australian War Memorial (awm.gov.au)
Instructions
To enter the Simpson Prize you must respond to the question using the Simpson Prize Australian War Memorial Source Selection and your own research.
You are encouraged to discuss and respond to the question from a variety of perspectives, individual and national, using a variety of sources.
You are expected to make effective use of a minimum of 4 provided sources.
Up to half your response should also make use of information drawn from your own knowledge and research.
Word and Time Limits for Entries
Essay word limit: 1200–1500 words, not including supplementary information such as a contents page, references, bibliography and appendices.
Audiovisual Presentation word and time limit: No more than 10 minutes, accompanied by a written explanation of up to 400 words.
Closing date
5.00 pm Friday 3 November 2023.
Submitting entries
Please go to How to submit entries.
Note: Students who submit winning entries for this year’s Simpson Prize question will participate in Simpson Prize activities in 2024.
Guidance 'Go-2'
Cultural Snapshot
Message from your P&C - General Meeting tomorrow - Tuesday 21 Nov, 3:30pm
Please note there will be a general meeting on Tuesday 21st Nov at 3:30pm.
Please forward any discussion items for agenda. Link in the schoolzine calendar event and below.
Week 8 – Term 4 – Tue 21 Nov 2023
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 435 302 797 627
Passcode: 7fcgwz
Download Teams | Join on the web
Learn More | Meeting options | Legal
Opportunities
Do you have students and jobseekers interested in a trade career?
Whether they already have a trade, are an apprentice, or have no experience at all, they’ll gain all the skills needed with extensive on-the-job trade training - and be paid from day one.
Hear from Jarryd and Bronson on how they started their stories in a Navy trades career and what it’s like training and living on base via the links below.
Do you or your students have questions about studying and student life at JCU? In our upcoming Year 12 Webinar we will address the important questions to help make the transition from high school to uni as easy as possible.
- Hear from current JCU students about their move from school to uni, and their top tips for students preparing to start uni.
- Find out about on-campus student accommodation options.
- Learn about student life at JCU including the vast range of clubs, social activities and societies available to your students.
Have your questions about JCU answered. Get in touch with your question(s) and we'll try to answer as many as we can during the live webinar.
Webinar details
Date: Thursday 12 October 2023
Time: 7 pm - 8 pm (AEST)
Join via: Phone, tablet, or other computing device (no webcam needed)
What's on in your Community?
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.