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T3N1 Heritage College Newsletter 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

At Heritage College, our commitment to nurturing your child's potential and providing enriching educational experiences remains steadfast and here are some highlights from this term that testify to this.

Fostering Innovation and Wellbeing

At Heritage College, we are developing a stronger emphasis on nurturing entrepreneurial thinking and student wellbeing. Activate Education Workshops have empowered students in Years 5, 6, and 7 to explore creative solutions and develop critical thinking skills essential for the 21st century. Concurrently, initiatives focused on mental health, including strategies for Year 7 students and insights shared by RUOK ambassador Andy Arnold, underscore our commitment to holistic development and use of our community volunteer’s expertise.

Academic Excellence: NAPLAN Results

We are delighted to share with you that your children at Heritage College has surpassed state and national averages in all tested areas of the NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy) assessments. This outstanding achievement across Y3, Y5, Y7 and Y9 year groups underscores the power of the partnership with you in supporting your child’s learning and the dedication and professionalism of our teachers in nurturing student growth leading to academic excellence. The comparisons can be seen below:

Enhancing Learning Spaces: Capital Works in the Upper Secondary Wing

We are excited to announce a significant development in our infrastructure - the transformation of the old changing rooms in the Upper Secondary wing into a new STEM classroom. This expansion not only enhances our capacity to deliver specialised STEM education but also meets the growing numbers of our Secondary students with this additional learning space needed for next year. It also reflects our ongoing commitment to providing innovative and conducive learning environments for your children.

Junior Primary Initiatives: RAA Street Safety

Our commitment to student safety education extends to our youngest learners. Junior Primary students participated in the RAA Street Safety program, equipping them with essential knowledge and skills to navigate roads safely—a key component of their early educational experiences, supporting you in keeping your child safe when in public spaces.

Preparing for 2025: Guiding Pathways with SATAC and Course Counselling

This term, our focus has been on equipping our Secondary students with the tools they need to navigate their educational journeys successfully. We hosted a SATAC Information Session, guiding our senior students through the complexities of tertiary education applications. Simultaneously, you engaged in an evening session tailored to support their understanding and involvement in this pivotal stage of your child’s life. Course counselling for Year 10 and 11 students has provided invaluable guidance, ensuring that subject selections align with individual career aspirations. These sessions, complemented by our career website and industry conversations, together with you, have empowered students to envision and pursue their desired career paths confidently. This proactive approach underscores our commitment to preparing students for future success.

Celebrating Achievements: Choir and Chess Competitions

Heritage College continues to shine in extracurricular activities. Our Senior Choir recently achieved a commendable 7th place in the Balaklava Eisteddfod singing competition. Their heartfelt performance of "Hope" from the new Worship Book garnered praise for their connection. Additionally, our primary and secondary chess teams are thriving across the city, displaying talent, teamwork, and the supportive partnership between our school and parents. These achievements highlight our commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals.

In closing, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our entire community—parents, grandparents, relatives, and our ecclesial community—for your unwavering support and collaboration. Together, we help to raise the next generation through their learning journey of growth to be the best they can be and we pray to ‘Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them.’ (Ecc 12 v 1 ESV)

Parents & Friends Association

Father's/Grandpa's/Uncle's Breakfast

Father's Day Stall

Scholastic Book Fair 2024

Book Week Parade

Music Performance Night

Lower Primary - Leeanne Clark

Lower Primary - Jesse Bruce

Last week, our students embarked on a creative journey to answer an exciting question: "If you could compete in the Olympics, which sport would you choose?" Using their Keynote skills, they transformed into Olympic athletes, each choosing a sport they are passionate about. The students took photos of themselves in action, striking poses that captured the essence of their chosen sports. With the help of Keynote, they added vibrant details, including Team Australia uniforms, to make their images relate to our country.

The result? A gallery of dynamic, personalized artworks that showcase not only their artistic talents but also their Olympic dreams. This project was a fantastic way for our students to combine creativity with technology. Look out Brisbane 2032!

Middle Primary - Emma Sanderson/Elisa Wiafe

This term in Science we have started investigating concepts of Physics. We’ve had a couple of lessons exploring different types of force, focusing mainly on gravity, friction, magnetism and elastic/spring force.

For gravity, we used an iPad and a metre ruler to time how long a variety of items took to fall to the ground from the same height. It was interesting to note that the weight of an item didn’t really matter because a full pop-top bottle took around the same time to fall as an empty pop-top bottle. A feather was the slowest and an uncrumpled piece of paper also took quite a long time to fall.

For friction we created a ramp out of a whiteboard, propped up on some books, then drove a toy car down this same ramp onto different surfaces. We discovered that the car only went about 15cm when it hit a thick rug after the ramp, while on a smooth surface, like our desks, it travelled over 2 metres. This illustrates that some rough surfaces have a lot of friction to slow an object down, while a smooth surface has very little friction.

To explore magnetism, we experimented with magnets and different types of metal, to see which ones were magnetic and which ones weren’t. We then worked out which of our magnets were the strongest, by putting a magnetic object next to a ruler and seeing which magnet could be the furthest distance away from the object and still pull it in with magnetic force.

Finally, for elastic or spring force, we challenged ourselves to think of 3 different ways to propel a toy car using rubber bands. Students came up with some very interesting ideas, including using the rubber bands as a slingshot and attaching a rubber band to the back of a car and stretching it, then allowing the rubber band to hit the back of the car to propel it forwards. This one uses two forces – spring and contact.

We will continue exploring these and other concepts of Physics this term!

Upper Primary - Rachel Morrison

It has been exciting having the ability to watch elite athletes show their skills and all the training and effort they put in. We have been working on an assignment around Olympic sports. We got to choose a sport from the Olympics that interests us and/or that we are passionate about. We need to research about the history, rules, and famous athletes in the sport.
Once we have a good understanding of our chosen sport, we are going to create a Claymation stop motion animation to showcase our chosen sport.
To finish off our assignment we will be writing an explanation text to explain the sport.
We are having a lot of fun learning how to make people using plasticine and how to use stop motion techniques, including using appropriate lighting, props, backdrops and sound. It covers many curriculum areas all in one!
We look forward to our finished products!

Upper Primary -Jason Hauser

We've had an action-packed start to the term! Catching some of the excitement of the Paris Olympic Games, our theme for the first two weeks has been all about the Olympics. Students had the opportunity to choose from a wide range of activities that covered different aspects of the Games.

Here’s just a few of the activities that students could choose from:

Which is your favourite event? Why? Research your favourite event at the Olympics. Explain the rules and judging criteria, and then share a 5-minute video that best shows the excitement of the event to the class.
What if there were animal Olympics? What would the events be and which animals would excel or fail? Create a humorous radio broadcast or comic strip about what could happen.
Make a prediction of what new sports will be played at the Olympics when you are 50 years old? Create a new sport with the rules, playing field and equipment needed. Explain to the class how the game works.

Here’s what some of our students had to say about their experiences:

‘I liked the activities because I enjoy using PowerPoint and learning more about the Olympics. We chose our favourite sport, Soccer, and I learned how many substitutions are allowed in a game.’ – Silas
“I liked that we had a choice of what to do. I chose the animal Olympics activity because it was fun making up what animals could do in the Olympics, for example, the cow trying to jump over the moon.” -Esther
“I liked that we could choose whatever we wanted. We chose to think about what the Olympics would look like in 50 years. There wouldn't be enough space to do the Olympics in one city because the population would grow and we would need more houses. So we thought the Olympics would be done at home and streamed in.” - Jack
“For art, I chose three athletes’ silhouettes and glued pictures of Olympians on the silhouettes. Hope you enjoy my artwork shown below.” -Venetia

The Olympic Games always provide lots of different learning opportunities, making them a favourite theme for both students and teachers. We hope you enjoy reading these comments as much as our students enjoyed the activities!

Lower Secondary - Brett Arnold/Jo Cheek

This term the Year 7’s are involved in a new program being run at Heritage. It’s called ‘Activate 2024’ and it is part of the ‘Future Anything’ series that promotes entrepreneurial thinking in students. The way the program works is that students follow a topic they are passionate about, come up with an idea, research the competition, work on marketing their idea, and then present their finished product/idea at a show case. Students develop a sense of passion about an environmental topic and a greater understanding of the issues facing the community and the world. They understand their impact on the world both in relation to sustainability and in realising that they have a voice and can influence change. This program is all about developing entrepreneurial skills and capabilities along the way. On Tuesday in the gym, the Year 7 students were able to get ‘hands on’ with their ideas through an all-day workshop. Their main task was, ‘As a change maker show case an innovative idea that makes our community more liveable.’ The students were asked to think locally, nationally and globally. As a result, there are some enterprising ideas that they can move forwards with. We look forward to some amazing show case presentations at the end of this term!

Lower Secondary - Julie Samuel

Students have been learning about various chemical reactions in and around them. We have learned that some chemical reactions give off heat and some absorb heat in the process. When they release heat and light, the overall temperature increases whereas the temperature decreases if the heat is absorbed during the process. What an amazing Creator we have.

We have explored some reasons as to what makes someone have heartburn – and how to fix it easily. Students have learnt the science behind heartburn and the chemicals from a medicine that can help to fix the issue. We experimented with a few different varieties of antacids to see which one works best.

Upper Secondary -Kirsty Palmer

For the second year in a row the Senior Choir competed in the Balaklava choral eisteddfods. We drove to Balaklava and had the opportunity to listen to the first four groups competing before we went out the back to warm up. It is a great opportunity to experience new repertoire and hear what other students their age can do.

We had a blast performing, we sang three contrasting songs, an Irish traditional, a spiritual song and a soft flowing beautiful piece. We received some fantastic feedback from the adjudicator. The most meaningful feedback we received was for our spiritual song “Hope” from the Blue worship book, where the adjudicator said “You demonstrated great connection to the piece and focus” and she also spoke about the importance of relating to the words being sung. It is a real testament to our students' development of their faith that a member of the public can hear their genuine faith in their singing.

Overall, we achieved a score of 89/100 which is very impressive for a free choice extra-curricular group and in the group of 13 other schools we came 7^th.

Upper Secondary -Danielle Smith

Year 8 Home Group is working on preparing for an assembly in a few weeks’ time on the Sermon on the Mount. We have started considering the Lord’s Prayer and how it is a template for prayer that can be adapted for our own prayers. We have considered such points as the meaning of Yahweh and God’s purpose with the earth and how that Matthew 5-7 shows, at the beginning of Christ’s ministry, what his mission was and what he stood for, a summary of which is God manifestation.

Upper Secondary - Trevor Dodson

The Student Representative Council (SRC) has been busy for the first half of 2024, continuing its efforts to make a difference to the school experience of fellow students at Heritage College. Some of the things that we have been doing include:

Fund-raising and events

We held a whole-of-school fundraiser activity during week 8 Term 2 (21 June 2024) in support of the Heritage College School Musical – Aladdin Trouble. Students dressed in characters from the musical, we held a colouring in competition, a whole-of-school lunch, and had magic carpet rides on purpose built magic carpet go-carts. Funds collected on the day went towards the School Musical costs.

Issues discussed during Primary SRC Meetings

Improvements made to the bus drop-off times.
Streamlining the process of borrowing sports equipment from the Year 6 sports shed.
Purchasing some larger portable soccer nets for use in the Primary areas.
Holding a school emu hunt to collect rubbish from around the school.
Highlighting the purpose and value of the friendship Buddy Bench.

Issues discussed during Secondary SRC Meetings

Improving the quality of the school laptop cases.
Resurfacing the basketball court.
Exploring the feasibility of having a school hoodie / rugby top.
Fundraising for an outdoor study area with enough seats for a full classroom.
Bringing back the House Cup for Friday sport.

We have a few events and activities planned for the remainder of the school year including:

The appointment of the 2025 School Captains and Vice Captains
A whole-of-school fun activity to raise funds for seating in an outdoor classroom.

We thank all our Primary and Secondary students and School Captains / Vice-Captains for their time, effort, ideas, and contributions to the Student Representative Council.

Upper Secondary - Shannon Kennedy

This term in Café Skills the year 11’s have being developing their barista and practical cooking skills in relation café foods and beverages. As part of this students were required to work in pairs to produce a signature café menu. This menu had to include a savoury item, sweet item and two beverages. Through their menu development and practical assessment students focused on developing their practical skills, creativity, leadership skills, time management and collaboration. Although due to time constraints not all menus were served as a collective, here are some photos of their delicious creations.

HeLP Awards - Foundation Dodson

Benjamin Mullassery Raphel for doing a great job of listening to feedback to help improve his work.

Mahalia Witton for being eager to learn and participate in class.

Hunter Scott for growing in resilience and trying things even when they are hard.

Adeline Tretola for always taking her time with her work and trying her best.

Layla Chandler for being a cheerful and friendly member of our class.

Aivana Wiafe for starting her work straight away and working quietly, always trying her best.

Amos Maslin for doing a great job of writing his m's in Read Write Inc.

HeLP Awards - Year 1 Clark

Saoirse Flood for always showing kindness and being a good friend.

Alice Badams for being a reliable and responsible iPad monitor.

Anya Yuile for always using good manners and showing kindness.

Anastasia Luke for being a reliable and responsible iPad monitor.

Michael Henriksen for responsible behaviour in all learning tasks.

Chloe Mackinnon for always being responsible in all learning activities.

Josephine Johns for always being willing to help organise and tidy our classroom.

Rosanna Nayathottil for working hard in Maths with a positive attitude.

Micah Hill for working hard to learn new Maths concepts.

Josephine Johns for being responsible in all tasks given.

Anderson Mansfield for working hard in Maths.

Harper Scott for being a responsible iPad monitor.

HeLP Awards - Year 1 Bailye

Levi Witton for being a responsible learner and a hard worker.

Imara Khokhar for being resilient and making great progress with her writing.

Addison Wigzell for being a responsible member of our class.

Theodore Cheek for always being willing to help other students.

Patrick Mitsos for being a consistently responsible and respectful student.

Audrey Hornhardt for working hard in class with good focus.

Asaph Edgecombe for great contributions to classroom discussions.

Amos Coish for kindly offering to help other classmates.

HeLP Awards - Year 2 Bruce

Sam Knowles for improved focus in lessons this week.

Amali Richards for showing kindness to her peers.

Rosalinda Arnold for amazing effort in writing lessons.

Jude Dowling for demonstrating resilience in Maths lessons.

Lily Evans for high quality responses in comprehension.

HeLP Awards - Year 3/4 Morrison

Beatrix Parry for being a fantastic new class member and always doing your best.

Oliver O’Callaghan for being a good support to your classmates and a good friend.

Sylvester Cheek for focusing on neat and good quality work. Well done!

Elka Arnold for being a good friend and trying to include everyone.

HeLP Awards - Year 3/4 Lagowski/Witton

Imani Wiafe for being a responsible learner and focusing on tasks.

Hadassah Mansfield for asking questions and participating enthusiastically in class discussions.

Moses Petiet for helping others without being asked and being a kind friend to all.

Isabelle Jamieson for starting Term 3 with a bright and positive attitude.

Harmony Badams for working diligently in Maths groups.

Amarlie Milliken for always being willing to help her teachers and peers in class.

Leo Mitchelson for showing initiative and responsibility in our digital technology lessons.

Fergus Yuile for offering to help your peers with Maths questions when they are unsure.

Grace Edgecombe for singing loudly and beautifully in class when practicing our song for assembly.

HeLP Awards - Year 3/4 Sanderson/Wiafe

Emily Nemeth for an outstanding effort during writing lessons.

Jonah Camplin for showing dedication to his learning and applying himself consistently.

Nathanael Thiele for consistent effort across all learning areas.

Macedon Pearce for providing thoughtful help to her teachers where she sees a need.

Ochre Gibbs for enthusiastically and joyfully encouraging his classmates in PE.

Phoebe Williams for her focused effort in writing this week.

Zoe Schulz for an outstanding effort and application to Maths this week.

Austin Ingram for resiliently applying himself this week.

HeLP Awards - Year 5/6 Hauser

Miah Wang for responsible learning and positivity towards all the learning activities.

Henry Oliver for demonstrating respectful servant leadership, supporting classroom expectations and routines.

Anthony Schulz for showing resilience and demonstrating positivity and creativity in his skateboard collage.

Esther Beale for being proactive in helping with classroom tidy up without being asked.

Decklan Scott for your consistent example of responsibility and respect.

Harrison Arnold for your self-motivation and your commitment to excellence.

HeLP Awards - Year 5/6 Healy

Florence Parry for resilience in settling into a new country, school and class this week.

Isabella Plail for resilience in gratitude, mindfulness and positive thinking.

Elaina Kruger for resiliently wiring a cardboard house independently.

Elodie Crispin for resiliently wiring a cardboard house independently.

Parker Scott for going above and beyond in creating a house and wiring it successfully.

Jonathan Cridland for resiliently making and wiring his cardboard house with a fan and lights.

HeLP Awards - Year 5/6 Morrison

Noah McKinlay for always asking questions and being focused during tasks.

Michaela Healy for being inquisitive and taking her time to complete her work.

Levi Dowling for using his imaginative and creative mind during art.

Lily Seaman for asking for clarification and using this to improve her work.

Dallas Farren for creating a cool book week art including flying piggies.

Sophia Atkins for having a resilient attitude during Activate lessons.

Anastasia Williams for being a kind, compassionate and reliable friend.

Henry Todd for being patient in waiting to complete his Claymation.

Wellbeing Support - Hannah Mitchelson

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is a neurological condition that affects how the brain processes and interprets auditory information. Although APD is related to our auditory processing, it is not a hearing impairment - it affects the way the brain recognises and interprets sounds, leading to difficulties in understanding and processing spoken language.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) can affect people of all ages, but it is most commonly diagnosed in children. It is estimated that around 5-7% of school-aged children are diagnosed with Auditory Processing. However, it can also affect adults, and it may coexist with other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or specific learning disabilities.

Signs to look out for:

Symptoms can vary from person to person, but here are some common indicators to look out for:

Difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments - Individuals with APD may struggle to understand speech when there is background noise, such as in a crowded classroom or a noisy restaurant.

Trouble following directions - They may have difficulty following multi-step instructions or may need instructions to be repeated.

Poor listening skills - Individuals with APD may have difficulty paying attention during conversations or lectures, leading to missed information.

Difficulty with phonics and reading - APD can impact reading and phonics skills, as individuals may have trouble distinguishing between similar sounds or blending sounds together.

Problems with language and communication - APD can affect language development, leading to difficulties with vocabulary, grammar, and understanding complex sentences.

Sensitivity to loud sounds - Some individuals with APD may be hypersensitive to loud sounds, becoming easily overwhelmed or distressed in noisy environments.

What to do if you think your child has APD:

If you suspect that your child may have APD, it is important to seek a comprehensive evaluation from a qualified professional, such as an audiologist or speech pathologist. They will conduct a series of tests to assess your child's auditory processing abilities and determine if APD is present.

Here are some steps you can take if you think your child has APD:

Consult with professionals: Reach out to healthcare professionals who specialise in APD diagnosis and treatment. They will conduct a thorough evaluation and provide recommendations based on your child's specific needs. This can be your GP or an audiologist.
Collaborate with the school: Inform your child's class teacher about your concerns and discuss their experiences with your child. I am also happy to discuss further about how to go through the process for diagnosis or to help with accommodations needed for your child. Some children require a sound field to support their hearing and helps to reduce background noise and distance issues. Every Primary classroom is fitted with one of these but please discuss with your child’s class teacher about how we can support the use of this in your child’s classroom.
Provide a supportive environment: Create a supportive environment at home and at school by minimizing background noise, using visual aids to supplement verbal instructions, and providing clear and concise communication.

My child doesn’t have APD, but their peer does. How do I help my child to support their peer?

Encourage them to be clear and concise with their communication and instructions
Educate them on why their peer may require a sound field or sound device and help them to understand how it supports their learning
Encourage inclusivity – help your child realise that we all have our differences and that we are to celebrate what makes us different, rather than see it as a negative issue.

Remember, early identification and intervention are key in managing Auditory Processing Disorder. By seeking professional help and providing the necessary support, you can help your child navigate the challenges associated with APD and improve their overall communication and learning abilities.

2024 TERM 3 KEY DATES

July 29th - September 27th

August 20 Book Week Virtual Show
August 20 & 22 Course Counselling Years 10 & 11
August 21-26 Scholastic Book Fair
August 23 Book Week Parade
August 23 P&F Lunch Day Sausage Sizzle
August 26 P&F Meeting
August 28 Father's/Grandpa's/Uncle's Morning Tea
August 30 Father's Day Stall
September 2 - 5 Year 10 Camp
September 6 Staff Development Day/Student Free Day
September 13 Whole School Lunch Day
September 19 Music Performance Evening
September 20 SRC Fundraiser
September 23 Council Meeting
September 24 Northern Seniors Concert
September 27 Secondary Mid Semester Reports Published
September 27 Last Day of Term 3

HERITAGE CONTACTS

Principal Justin Robinson
Business Manager Adrian Maycock
Enquiries Front Desk

Staff Contact Details available on Sentral under "Resources:Miscellaneous Information: Heritage Contact List"

COUNCIL MEMBERS