CSDE Week 5, Term One 2024 eNewsletter
- School Photos - access links have been emailed to families.
- Important NAPLAN Information
- What's happening in Primary?
- Year 2 Rockhampton
- School Dental Van, CQ Oral Health Services
- Year 5-6 Camp - Save the Date................... Week Five, Term Three: 5 - 9th August
- Secondary Scoop
- NCCS Challenge
- Guidance 'Go-2'
- P & C AGM & General Meeting - 19th March
- Opportunities, Employment & Assistance
- Careers Expo - Save the Dates
- What's on in your community?
- We welcome your feedback
School Photos - access links have been emailed to families.
School Photos will be held during Term One Mini-school. There will be no envelopes, as families have been emailed an access key to be able to order their photos online. Please check your spam/junk folder if you have not received this access key.
CSDE will also be issuing all Secondary Students in Year 7 - 12 with a student card from their 2024 school photo. The first card is supplied and paid for by the school. All replacement cards will be at the expense of the family.
Sibling photos will be on offer at Rockhampton Campus from 7:30am on Monday 11th March to allow families time for this to occur before having to take their secondary students to Conference on North. Any students with senior exams on photo day do not stress! Secondary individual photos will be taken in the afternoon at Conference on North
CSDE is also offering Year Level group photos. These photos are compiled virtually from all the students in that year level that had their photo taken. This is a new option for our families, introduced last year and we are very excited to be able to offer you the latest technology in creating digital memories again this year. These group photos were very well received last year, giving students a lasting momento of their classmates that is usually reserved for only 'face to face' schools.
Important NAPLAN Information
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING NAPLAN testing 2024 – action required before 23 February 2024.
The National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a national Literacy and Numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. NAPLAN assesses the Literacy and Numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time. More information about NAPLAN is available here: www.nap.edu.au/naplan. This year NAPLAN will be held during Term One Mini-school, from Wednesday 13 – Friday 15 March 2024.
If you have a student in years 3, 5, 7 or 9, please click and download the information below regarding your childs' options for accessing NAPLAN testing; onsite, off-site, withdrawals/exemptions.
Please contact your student’s Care Group Teacher by Friday 23rd February, if you would like your student to access any of these options. Applications for off-site testing have now closed.
Timetable
See the timetable below that outlines the times for the NAPLAN testing during Mini-school in Week 8.
What's happening in Primary?
Year 2 Rockhampton
The wonderful Year 2 children have the most amazing Home Tutors who have done a wonderful job of setting up their school rooms ready to start the year!
Jacob is “ready to rock” and is definitely rocking his rainbow facts.
Lucas’ School Room is beautiful, bright and organised!
Angus and Emily have a wonderful learning wall ready to go!
Daniel has a super organised space and we love his two screens! What a great set-up for learning!
Ruby’s school room is inspirational and, complete with a mermaid, is the perfect space for learning on an island!
School Dental Van, CQ Oral Health Services
We are pleased to be offering full dental treatment to the students currently enrolled at your school up to and including Year 10 commencing in February/March 2024. This service will be provided by the Emerald Community Dental Clinic located at the Emerald Hospital, 69 Hospital Road, Emerald 4720.
A letter from our Chief Executive is attached, detailing the information that we legally be given access to.
If you would like to take advantage of this dental treatment for your student, please scan the QR code below to access the medical history/consent form. Alternatively please see form link below. If you have trouble accessing the QR code, please ring 4920 6372 or email cqhhscaohs@health.qld.gov.au
The form below will need to be completed and taken with you for your appointment.
Year 5-6 Camp - Save the Date................... Week Five, Term Three: 5 - 9th August
What an adventure awaits our Year 5-6 students in 2024, as they visit PGL Kindilan Adventure Camp! There has been strong demand for CSDE to visit this destination, and we can understand why!
It will be an amazing opportunity for our students.
The dates for this camp - 5 - 9th August.
More information will be released soon, to give families plenty of time to plan. See below video however, to introduce you to what's on offer at PGL Kindilan Adventure Camp!
Secondary Scoop
On behalf of the secondary English faculty, a very warm welcome to our returning students, families and those new to CSDE. 2024 is shaping up to be quite a significant year, not just for CSDE but Education Queensland, as it is the final year for all of the current English syllabus. Work is already underway to develop new units and topics to ensure English as a subject remains relevant and continues to engage 21st Century learners and open doorways to career opportunities.
Welcome to new staff
I would like to welcome Dr Portia Simelane, the newest member of the English faculty. Dr Simelane is currently working with Year 10 English classes, and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and 16 years of experience; having taught in state and private schools, and the tertiary education systems in Queensland and South Africa.
Also joining the English faculty is Mrs Kelly Pearson. Mrs Pearson joined the faculty late last year supporting classes and students with Term 4 assessment and the planning for the updated English curriculum. With over 9 years of experience as a classroom teacher, Mrs Pearson is will be putting her considerable skills to work with her Year 8 English classes and the delivery of the QCAA Literacy Short Course.
2023 senior results
Congratulations to the 42 Senior English and Essential English students who completed their education with CSDE in 2023. These students have now received their confirmed subject results, and the subsequent QCEs and ATARs they earned. I’m thrilled to share that 92% of General English students successfully completed the two year course with a passing result. Meanwhile, 96% of students successfully completed the Essential English programme. The results are a reflection of the outstanding work done by the Year 12 English and Essential English teachers, the teacher aides who supported these classes and the dedicated Home Tutors who helped students to be successful across all genres, modes and topics.
Term 1 English Units
Below is a quick summary of the topics being covered in English classes at the moment. We hope that your child is enjoying the topics and texts being discussed and deconstructed in their English lessons.
Year 7 – Reading, discussing and analysing the storytelling techniques in the biographies of courageous people
Year 8 – Creative writing with a focus on short stories written to engage teenage readers– we’re really looking forward to showing off the wonderful stories our Year 8s will be writing later in the term
Year 9 – Creative writing inspired by emerging technologies, prompted by the overarching question, What if…?
Year 10 – Thinking critically and analysing the language in news reports to shape an audience’s point of view about contemporary social issues
11 Essential English – Examining the language of workplaces, from recruiting personnel to promoting a work event
11 General English – Critical analysis of how readers’ cultural assumptions, values, attitudes and beliefs are reflected and communicated in fairy tales; and how these classic stories can be adapted for modern audiences
12 Essential English – Creative writing to develop an effective persuasive speech for a public audience about an issue of important to Queensland teenagers
12 General English – Critical analysis of themes and concepts in John Krakauer’s novel, ‘Into Thin Air’, a harrowing tale of survival and loss during an ill-fated expedition to the summit of Mt. Everest and the film, ‘The Martian’.
School Library
The freshly renovated CSDE library is now fully up and running. With a flexible design, the library is a wonderful space, stocked with a terrific array of books, magazines, readers, comics and DVDs – and really comfortable furniture. We encourage students to speak with their Care Group teachers or English teachers if they’d like to borrow a resource from the school library.
Information regarding student borrowing is available on the CSDE website, along with information and links to multiple partner organisations, including Rockhampton Regional Libraries, the State School eLibrary and Overdrive. There is a wealth of resources available to students and we encourage all students to be reading for pleasure and to support their school subjects.
Visit https://capricorniasde.eq.edu.au/facilities/library for more information.
I’d like to leave you with one of my favourite quotes, and encourage all students to choose a book and dedicate a little bit of time each day to reading.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” George R. R. Martin
CSDE Library Rockhampton
Year 12 CQ University Experience
See below to register for the Yaer 12 CQUniversity experience. More details in Announcements and email sent to year 12 students on Monday.
NCCS Challenge
What is the NCSS Challenge?
The NCSS Challenge is a programming competition open to all school students and teachers. The Grok Academy team have been running coding competitions like the challenge for over 12 years.
The NCSS Challenge is unlike any other programming competition. We’ll teach you how to program as we go along, rather than expecting you to be an expert already. If you’re a seasoned coder, we have something for you too – the problems range from relatively simple to mind-bendingly hard.
Starting on Monday 12th February, 2024 and running for about 5 weeks, we will release notes and problems containing the information you will need to complete the week's programming challenges.
Why learn to code?
Programming (also known as coding) is how sites like Facebook and apps like Instagram are made. Knowing how to program is like having a computing super power.
Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have all said that students should learn how to code. It’s a skill that not only teaches you how to work with computers, but also teaches you how to think about solving problems with systems.
The NCSS Challenge teaches students to code in Python 3.6. Python is an easy to learn scripting language used for many different purposes such as web applications and scientific research. Companies like Google, Facebook and Reddit all use Python in their infrastructure and web services.
Challenge Newbies Feb '24
Perfect for young beginners learning to code visually with blocks. Competition starts on 12 February, 2024.
Learn how to program in our fun and friendly Blockly visual environment while you compete with students from around the world! You can also see how your programs look in Python.
The Newbies stream is designed for students with no prior experience at programming. It is most suited to students in late primary or junior secondary school (ages 10—14).
https://groklearning.com/competition/challenge-newbies-2024-feb/
Challenge Beginners Py Feb '24
https://groklearning.com/competition/challenge-beginners-2024-feb/
Perfect for beginners of all ages learning to code with text. Competition starts on 12 February, 2024.
Learn how to program in Python while you compete with students from around the world! The Beginners stream is designed for students with no prior experience at programming. This level is most suited to students in junior secondary school (12—16 year olds) or anyone who wants to start with the basics.
We offer two versions of the Beginners challenge, one in Blockly (block-based coding) and one in Python (coding with text—this one). You can start the Python course below, or try the Blockly version instead.
Guidance 'Go-2'
P & C AGM & General Meeting - 19th March
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 468 854 770 34
Passcode: r5wgGj
Opportunities, Employment & Assistance
We have an exciting chance for collaboration between our school and Aurizon that students won't want to miss!
During this collaboration, students will have the chance to delve into the diverse career paths and exciting opportunities available within the rail sector. It's a fantastic opportunity for students to gain valuable insights into an industry that plays a crucial role in our nation's infrastructure.
If interested in attending please register by email to Lucy – Lucy.Boland@aurizon.com.au or refer to Tremayne Saunders tsaun94@eq.edu.au for more information.
Careers Expo - Save the Dates
CQUniversity is delighted to be delivering Careers Expos in 2024.
Career Expos are an exciting opportunity for our local schools and students to engage with businesses, industries and universities to discuss future job opportunities and career paths.
Rockhampton Expo - Thursday 16th May 2024
Emerald Expo - Friday 17 May 2024
Both of these dates correspond with Mini-shcool in Term Two. This will be an excursion for our Year 10 students during Mini-school, however if any Year 11/12 students would like to attend, they will be required to email Mrs Cowley for permission on dcowl25@eq.edu.au . It will also be expected that they would watch the recording for any classes that are missed during the time of the excursion. If the student has an exam scheduled during the time of the Expo, they will not be granted permission to attend.
More information regarding this excursion in Rockhampton will be available in the Term Two Mini-school Newsletter.
What's on in your community?
Help your students kick off their university studies early with UniSC's Headstart program
Join us for UniSC's Headstart Information Evening – calling all students and parents! We'll spill the beans on everything you need to know about the program and how it can help your students.
Headstart is the chance for those in Years 10 – 12 to get a taste of university life while still in high school. In Headstart, students dive into first-year uni subjects and accrue credit towards their degree. So, they're not just starting early; they're getting a head start!
And here's the kicker – UniSC is covering the tab for the first course. Additional courses? Only $400, adding up to serious savings on the full degree. Don't let this opportunity slide – let the parents and students at your school know about our Headstart Information Evening this March.
Event Details
UniSC Sunshine Coast: Wednesday 6 March
Lecture Theatre 1, Building K, 4:30pm – 6:00pm
UniSC Moreton Bay: Thursday 7 March
Auditorium, Foundation Building, 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Online via Zoom: Wednesday 13 March
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Who should attend:
Students in Years 10 – 12, parents and secondary school staff.
We welcome your feedback
