In this issue

This year’s Under 8s Day was a wonderfully successful event. During the formative years children learn quickly and develop their understandings and to celebrate this important stage of their lives, a fun filled morning was organised  for our Lower Junior students, parents and local community.  The theme this year was ‘Play in a Changing World’  and there were so many activities available for our students and parents to engage with. This included face painting, Taiko drumming and using the Virtual Reality goggles to explore different environments ie; under the sea, rainforests, in the pond and space . There was also the annual Under 8s Sausage Sizzle and Art Show to enjoy. There was an influx of parents into Lower Junior which was great to see as well as three of our local childcare centres in attendance. Our Secondary students and some of  Upper Junior classess were also involved supporting at various activities. Our youngest students were engaged, excited and very exhausted after the morning’s activities.

Year 8 history students have been completing a research project on an self-selected aspect of Medieval times. They have had the opportunity to experience what life is like in the Middle Ages using Virtual Reality. This has given them a “first-hand” insight in an engaging and meaningful way.

Junior Secondary Semester 2 Goal Setting

Thank you to the parents who attended the Parent Teacher Evening. All students in Years 7-9, have worked for the past two weeks in their wellbeing classes, analysing and reflecting on their Semester 1 Achievement/Effort/Behaviour data. They have set goals and recorded actions to lead to them achieving these goals. Parents are encouraged to talk with their child about these goals and have them share their goal setting with you. Your child can show you their Achievement summary data that was emailed to all Year 7-9 students, which helped to inform their goals. The goal setting that students have engaged in forms part of the College’s commitment to the Positive Education framework which is the foundation for the ‘Thrive’ wellbeing program in Junior Secondary.

Mobile Phone Policy- ‘One & Away’

As the College reviews it’s current ‘off & away’ Mobile Phone policy, we would appreciate your feedback in respect to it’s implementation. Please take the time to access the survey by clicking on this Link. and sharing your feedback on a number of possible consequences for breaches to this policy which are being considered.

Hospitality Excellence students embarked on their annual trip to the Royal Pines LIVET Program in July. They were given the opportunity to experience the resort as employees by day, and guests at night.

Students worked rotations across twelve different departments to learn how hotels operate including Functions, Housekeeping, Maintenance, Tees Clubhouse and all the different Kitchens, Pastry is always the most popular.

After hours, we spent time enjoying the facilities available to guests, and dinner in their Japanese Restaurant, Arakawa, where many experienced Teppanyaki for the first time – the Chef provided an exquisite menu and entertainment for the evening as he cooked our meal in front of us.

Royal Pines LIVET is an invaluable opportunity for our students as it allows them to see the industry first hand and consider career opportunities in Hospitality.

Thanks to Gateway to Industry – Hospitality & Tourism, the Hospitality Excellence students were privileged to work side by side with renowned Queensland Chef and Gateway Ambassador, Matt Golinski recently.

Matt designed the menu for the Launch of the College’s Sponsorship Program Function, which he then trained our students to deliver. We spent all day Monday working with Matt preparing for the event, and he even found time to meet with our five aspiring Chefs, so they could discover more about the industry and the next steps they need to take to get their foot in the door.

Matt returned to Calamvale on Thursday to takeover the kitchen for the function which was a huge success, and he took the students through each step of every dish as they prepared for service to deliver a 3 Course Meal:

Squid Ink Tapioca Cracker, Taramasalata, Spanner Crab, Finger Lime

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast, Roasted Tomatoes, Zucchini and Caper Salad, White Bean Puree

Chai Crème Caramel, Strawberries, Rose Petal Ice Cream

The Front of House students also had the opportunity to work with Matt on the preparation day in the kitchen, and delivered service on the evening.

It was a fabulous experience for all, and we look forward to having the opportunity to work with Matt again in the future.

Japanese visitor:

The College was delighted to host Ms. Mikayo Murayama from Udea Someyaoka High School, Nagano, Japan.

Mikako spent some time with Mr Dean Simmonds and students who had been sharing some time online on music projects. She also vis=ted some classrooms and observed lessons.

Taoyuan Professional Visit:

The College hosted25 delegates from the city of Taoyuan Taiwan. The delegates attended workshops on CCIL, class observations and met with management of CCC to learn about many aspects of College Administration & education in Australia. The Taoyuan delegation was lead by the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Education, Taoyuan.

Earlier this term, we welcomed Prep and Year One families into College to participate in their own learning through a Reading workshop. Parents and guardians took on the challenge of learning how our early years children learn to read. Families engaged with some interesting research which tells us that our brains are not ‘wired’ to be able to read and that reading is a skill that has to be explicitly and systematically taught. Some of the tips and strategies for supporting your child to read at home can be found below.

Parents and guardians were open-minded risk takers and very reflective, noticing the big differences in the way that reading is taught in schools now compared to when they were at school. Our Prep and Year One students were very excited to have their families in the classroom with them and then be able to practise the tips and skills learned in the workshop.

Over the last few months, our Prep students have been immersed in many different adventures to provide real life experiences which enhance their growing oral language, develop their vocabulary and support their oral recount and writing skills.

These intentionally planned and engaging learning experiences have included: our annual Prep Teddy Bear’s Picnic, using Virtual Reality headsets to step into stories, a trip to the Theatre, a excursion on the bus to Toohey Forest, and even a virtual visit to Disneyland to meet some princesses! Students were then encouraged to orally recount and write about their learned experiences, with some very impressive outcomes.

Learning in Prep is so much fun!

The Kokoda Challenge Program has come to an end for another year after teams participated on 16-17 July and despite all the setbacks, it has been one of the most successful years yet.  

With a program like, sometimes it’s easier to tell the story in number: 

The Lead Up 

• 80 students trialling for the Program 
• 12 x teams of 4 successful 

• 18 x Monday after-school High-Intensity Training Sessions  
• 18 x Wednesday cardio sessions  
• 3 x 20-27km Night Hikes on some Fridays (total of about 9000km in hiking) 
• 1 x excursion to the Gold Coast Hinterland to sample the hills 
• $14000 raised to facilitate the program, including $10200 donated to the Kokoda Foundation that works with at-risk youth 

The two weeks before the event 

• 5 x Team Leaders (Teachers) out with Covid or injury 
• 4 x Team Leaders stepping in 
• 1 x team collapsed due to student illness/injury 

The Event 

• 11 x 48km teams participating 
• Breakdown of students and year levels:  

• 44 students participating 
• 13 Year 12s 
• 14 Year 11s 

• 9 Year 10s 
• 7 Year 9s 
• 1 Year 7  
• 14 girls/30 boys 

• 6 x Support Crew – big thanks to those who braved the cold and offered encouragement and support to weary trekkers 

• 124 meals prepared – thanks to Tom Bishop for coordinating this 
• Fastest Team – – a CCC record : 10 hours, 18 mins. 
• Most gruelling effort: also a CCC record for longest completion of the track: Two Teams finished together: 17 hours, 34 mins 

Overall, a large program like this has many moving parts. I’ve mentioned everyone above, but once again, thanks for being part of a program that has immeasurable impact on the lives of our students (and Team Leaders!). 

A special thanks needs to go out to our sponsors: 

Major Sponsors: 

• Higgins Coatings 
• Algester Sports Club 
• Australian Beach Resin 
• Tactile Learning Centre 

• GC Plumbing 
• DG Building Concepts 
• HTA Global 

Raffle Sponsors 

• The Cruse Family 
• The Sala Family 
• Brisbane Broncos 
• Mella Beauty Studio 
• Cream House Café 

• Impressive Dumpling 
• Zone Learning 
• Auslaw Partners 
• Security Screens 
• Future Plus Education 

• ACEC Education Group 
• Kirst Hellmech Photography 
• Matt Stone Racing 
• Brad Jones Racing 
• It’s All About You Massage
• Savvy Hair and Beauty 

We look forward to an equally successful program in 2022. 

We are halfway through Term 3 as this newsletter arrives in your inbox and across the College students are highly engaged in their learning and preparing for assessment. Our younger students have been engaged in some more experiential learning on camps and in creative play.

Senior students now have a wonderful Formal night at the Hilton in Brisbane city behind them. They looked gorgeous and had a fantastic time; we are all very proud of how they presented themselves at a formal occasion.

The ATAR and IB DP seniors are completing their mock exams and over the next couple of weeks will follow an exam timetable (emailed home). Attendance at these exams is crucial, as they will provide each student with valuable feedback on their preparation and capability as they enter the final revision period for external exams. Weeks 9 and 10 for these students will include opening marking of work, teacher feedback and preparation of tutorial and study programs for the first three weeks of term 4. Seniors in Applied and certification course are finalising their courses and assessment, completing modules with an expected deadline of the end of this term. Applied and certification students must be in class, there is no opportunity for them to be absent from school. It’s a busy time and no doubt this is evident at home, thank you for your ongoing support and please ensure that students are in attendance at school.

In Junior School, we have just welcomed home our Year 5 student camp from Currimundi and our Year 6 students have had their day in the snow on the Canberra trip. The return of camps to the College calendar has meant a return of an important program in our students’ education, namely building independence and self-management. These skills are invaluable to our students as they enter secondary school, where they are expected to take greater responsibility for themselves, their learning and their outcomes. Our Junior School PYP provides an excellent preparation for secondary school through these programs.

Of course, many of you also spent time at the College on Friday enjoying Under 8s Day, and we hope that was a very enjoyable time spent with your students in discovery learning.
Many of you have now experienced six years of International Baccalaureate education at CCC. In 2023, as well as gaining authorisation for the Middle Years Program, we are undergoing an evaluation process for IB DP (Senior) and the PYP (Junior School). If you have had students in Junior School in the last five years or you have a senior student who is engaged in or graduated from the IB DP program, the evaluation team would appreciate your feedback. Please click on the link and complete a brief survey to share your experiences. https://forms.office.com/r/CgnkLCgBar

Continuity of Learning and Every Day Counts
No doubt you are fully aware either through the press or your student’s experience that schools are experiencing difficulties with the ongoing impact of the pandemic. Staff and students are frequently absent with cold and flu symptoms, sometimes up to 20% of staff are ill and absent and our student attendance which is normally 93% is tracking at 85% P-12 across the year. Now more than ever, every day is important and if healthy, students must be at school to ensure continuity of learning. I am very grateful to our staff including Deputy Principals and Heads of School across P-12 who are supporting classes when staff are absent. This is a significant drain on resources but a necessary one and as a College we have a focus on resilience and flexibility to mould ourselves to the times in which we live. Thank you for your ongoing support, understanding and efforts to ensure that your students are engaged with their learning.
As the College continues to grow with increasing in-catchment enrolments, as evidenced by the expanding numbers of families attending fortnightly Principal Tours, we now have photos to share of our new facility, AR Block. Students from across the College will have access to the Digital Technology labs and the Lego walls as well as to the new Dance studio, Art facilities and Film and New Media Production Studio. The building has also afforded a redevelopment of outdoor learning spaces and lunch time meeting areas with a bush tucker garden, tiered seating and access paths which will open in Term 4. These are exciting times for students at CCC, here is a peek at some of these facilities

Secondary School Processes
To finish, we seek your advice and feedback for College practices that will support continuing high expectations and maximising learning opportunities for all of our secondary students. We know and have experienced the benefits of the removal of phone distractions in class and the re-engagement with each other in the grounds at lunch. After a solid start lasting for 18 months, our mobile phone policy is again a focus and the research about the negative impact of mobile phones on learning is continuing in the press. https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/7852333/put-it-away-dramatic-results-after-schools-mobile-phone-ban/
Our Year 7 students have high incidence of misuse, which is troubling given that throughout Year 6 they had no access to a phone and they did not miss it. Senior students regularly disregard the ‘off and away’ policy, persisting with headphones and texting. Teachers and administration are engaged in arguments with students who are defending their access to their phones and student behaviours escalate if staff press the issue. Afternoon detentions are given and failures to attend followed up and some students (too many) persist with the phones until we reach suspension; some directly refuse, swear and refuse to give their names to duty staff. We would appreciate your feedback through the survey link as we continue to focus our students’ attention on their learning for the six hours a day they are with us. We may have to change this policy next year to removes phones from class using lockers or the like. Click on the here for the survey

Reminder that emails from the College regularly go to parents’ junk mail. I appreciate the response some may have to this statement however CCC does not mail letters home and an email home is our responsibility fulfilled. If this ‘junk mail’ issue is frustrating for you then to improve communications and your knowledge of occurrences at CCC, please identify the College email address and manage this with a rule in your inbox to avoid the ‘junk’.
Kind regards,

Lisa Starmer