In this issue

  • Secondary School Team News
  • Sporting Triumphs at Calamvale Community College
  • Creative Generation
  • 3lements Multisport Club donation
  • Australian Dance Project – collaboration with Japanese Schools of Performance

Important Dates in June

June 2018
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Important Dates in June

01 July01 Jul – 15 Jul 2018 School Holidays
09 July09 Jul – 13 Jul 2018 Rugby League Boys Invitational 10-11 yrs
15 JulyTerm 3 starts
16 JulyWelcome back to Term 3
9.00am-11.00am Year 10 - Romeo & Juliet incursion
9.00am-12.00pm Taiwan Artist Workshop
2.30pm-3.30pm LEAP Leadership
17 July6.30pm-8.30pm - P&C Meeting
18 JulyAll Day - Taiko Performance
12.15pm-12.45pm - Kokoda Post Celebration Event
6.00pm-7.30pm - IB Information Evening for Year 9 families
19 JulyAll day - Met West Regional Trials - 10-12yrs Girls Softball
All day - Secondary School Athletics Carnival @ School
All day - High Resolves Workshop for Year 10 & Student Leadership Team
9.00am-2.30pm - Professional Visit - Saudi Arabia Teachers
20 JulyAll day - Café
All day - Met West Regional Trials - 10-12yrs Boys softball
All day - Year 12 Theatre Trip
20 Jul - 26 Jul 2018 - Kinmen Study Tour
21 July21 Jul - 23 Jul 2018 - Cross Country State Champions 10-19yrs
22 JulyAll day - Netball Invitational 10-11yrs
23 July23 Jul - 27 Jul 2018 - Beenleigh Eisteddfod - TBC
9.00am-3.00pm - Profesional Visit - Kangawa BoE (Japan)
2.30pm-3.30pm - LEAP Leadership
4.30pm-5.30pm - Kokoda Post Celebration Event
24 July8.40am-1.20pm - Year 9 Careers Day
9.00am-2.30pm - Professional Visit - National Taipei University
5.30pm-7.00pm - 1,2,3 Magic for parents
25 July6.30pm-8.30pm - Restaurant Christmas in July
26 JulyAll day - Archery Excursion - TBC
All day - UQ Earth & Environment Day Excursion - Year 9 APEX & Year 12 Geography
26 Jul - 29 Jul 2018 - Football State Champions 13-15yrs Redlands Football Club
26 Jul - 29 Jul 2018 - Rugby League State Champions 14-15yrs Padua College
All day - Met West Regional Trials - 11-12yrs Girls Rugby League
1.00pm-10.00pm - Suncorp Experience Day
27 JulyAll day - Café
9.00am-10.00am - UQ Mad Challenge - Panel Tertiary Representatives
29 July29 Jul - 01 Aug 2018 - Golf State Champions 10-18yrs Kingaroy
30 July30 Jul - 31 Jul 2018 - District Athletics Carnival
30 Jul - 03 Aug 2018 - Deqing Stud Tour
30 Jul - 05 Aug 2018 - Nantong Sister School Visit
2.30pm-3.30pm - LEAP Leadership
31 JulyAll day - Student Led Conferencing - Times TBC
All day - ICAS English Competition
All day - Sofitel Breakfast Excursion - TBC
All day - Year 10 Career Day/Market
5.30pm-7.00pm - 1,2,3 Magic for parents
6.00pm-8.00pm - Year 10 & 11 Subject Information Evening

2018 Term Dates

School holidays and term dates for Queensland state schools The Department of Education sets the term and school holiday dates for all Queensland state schools. Staff professional …

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2018 Term Dates

School holidays and term dates for Queensland state schools

The Department of Education sets the term and school holiday dates for all Queensland state schools.

TermDatesLength
Term 1Monday 22 January - Thursday 29 March10 weeks
Term 2Tuesday 17 April - Friday 29 June11 weeks
Term 3Monday 16 July - Friday 21 September10 weeks
Term 4Monday 8 October - Friday 14 December10 weeks

Staff professional development days (SPDDs) for 2018

  • 18, 19 January
  • 11, 12, 13, 16 April
  • 22 October

Finishing dates for 2018

  • Year 12 – Friday 16 November
  • Year 10 and 11 – Friday 30 November
  • Prep to Year 9 – Friday 14 December
  • Special schools – Friday 14 December

Public holidays

For public holidays, show holidays and special holidays in Queensland, visit the Department of Justice and Attorney-General’s website.

Numbers to Know

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Numbers to Know

DepartmentNumber
College Office07 3712 6333
Student Absence Line07 3712 6360 or
Student.Absences@calamvalecc.eq.edu.au
Junior Student Services07 3712 6390
Senior Student Services07 3712 6323
Finance07 3712 6332

Office, Finance & Uniform Shop

Office Hours Finance Room Uniform Shop

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Office, Finance & Uniform Shop

Office Hours

Monday8.00am - 4.00pm
Tuesday8.00am - 3.30pm
Wednesday8.00am - 4.00pm
Thursday8.00am - 4.00pm
Friday8.00am - 3.30pm

Finance Room

Monday8.00am - 12.00pm
Tuesday8.00am - 12.00pm
Wednesday8.00am - 12.00pm
Thursday8.00am - 12.00pm
Friday8.00am - 12.00pm

Uniform Shop

Monday8.00am - 12.00pm
TuesdayCLOSED
Wednesday8.00am - 12.00pm
Thursday2:00pm - 5.00pm
Friday8.00am - 12.00pm

International News

Australian Dance Project – collaboration with Japanese Schools of Performance In Week 5, CCC partnered with the Jikei Group of Japan and the University of …

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International News

Australian Dance Project – collaboration with Japanese Schools of Performance

In Week 5, CCC partnered with the Jikei Group of Japan and the University of Queensland for the Australian Dance Project, held at Calamvale. Students from Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo and Fukuoka performed in CPAC. The highlight of the performance was the last performance – a collaborative performance of Japanese and CCC students to the sounds of ‘Zippity Do Dah”. This is the second year of the joint project.

Virtual Gallery Grant

The College has been awarded a grant from the EQI Innovation Fund to develop a VR Art Gallery. The gallery will be exhibiting student work from CCC, 2 indigenous schools in Australia, China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Year 10 STEAM students will be developing the platform – this will be a classy interface for CCC with international and friendship schools.

David Hepper
International and Business Manager

3lements Multisport Club donation

Calamvale Community College has graciously accepted a large donation of sporting resources and outdoor equipment from the 3lements Multisport Club, a local triathlon training organisation. …

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3lements Multisport Club donation

Calamvale Community College has graciously accepted a large donation of sporting resources and outdoor equipment from the 3lements Multisport Club, a local triathlon training organisation. After ceasing operations in March, the members of this club chose to donate their physical assets to the College. For the club, the College was at the top of the recipient list, as many of the club’s members were former students of the school. The club’s donation comprised a set of ten road bikes, tents, indoor trainers, swimming equipment, and a trailer (pictured). The club initially obtained these assets as a part of a community grant that focused on local road safety.

The College awarded Certificates of Appreciation to Hazel Edwards and Kerry Lee members who donated the resources (pictured) in recognition of their service to the school. Calamvale Community College anticipates that these resources will be used by their students in the Athlete Development Program, an excellence program that aims to cultivate student success through sports and physical activity.

Creative Generation

This July, Calamvale Community College will once again perform at Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage (CGEN), an award-winning performing arts extravaganza that showcases young talent from …

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Creative Generation

This July, Calamvale Community College will once again perform at Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage (CGEN), an award-winning performing arts extravaganza that showcases young talent from more than 120 state schools across Queensland. The College is one of only eight schools to have participated in CGEN since its inception in 2005.

After a highly competitive audition process, two students from the College have been invited to perform centre-stage as featured dancers. Sisters Hannah and Caitlin Rogerson will perform in the Junior and Senior dance ensembles respectively. Along with other members of her ensemble, Hannah will feature in eight items including a Motown Medley comprising six songs, while her younger sister Caitlin will participate in six featured group items throughout the event. Eleven other students have also been selected as massed dancers for numerous group performances.

Celebrating her tenth consecutive year of involvement, the College’s CGEN coordinating teacher, Christine Knight, also holds an important position as a teacher crew member. Christine’s role as Backstage Manager involves supervising the movements of more than 1500 students over four days at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Christine exalts CGEN as a “tremendous opportunity for our students to be involved in a professional production on a huge scale. CGEN is incredible fun and our students experience the true reward that comes from commitment and hard work. Our students and teachers meet and befriend like-minded individuals from schools across Queensland. I can’t praise it enough.”

Executive Principal Lisa Starmer says that the College’s fourteen years of participation with Creative Generation has been invaluable for her creative students. “CGEN not only complements our robust performing arts portfolio – it has and continues to offer our students an unrivalled opportunity to build confidence, acquire new skills, network with industry professionals, and realise their creative potential on an arena stage.”

CGEN 2018 will be held on 13-14 July at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Even after fourteen years at CGEN, the College is showing no signs of slowing down – they are already working towards massed choir and instrumental nominations for next year, as well as growing the number of dance participants.

Sporting triumphs at Calamvale Community College

Calamvale Community College has solidified itself as a sporting powerhouse after its basketball, softball, rugby, and volleyball teams emerged as victors across Interschool tournaments last …

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Sporting triumphs at Calamvale Community College

Calamvale Community College has solidified itself as a sporting powerhouse after its basketball, softball, rugby, and volleyball teams emerged as victors across Interschool tournaments last week.

On Wednesday, the College had several Year 7-9 teams qualify for and compete in the Brisbane Metropolitan Finals. The Year 9 Boys team were crowned champions after sweeping through to the final round undefeated in all matches.

Calamvale’s Years 7/8 and Open softball team also made it through to their respective semi-finals and final rounds of the Brisbane Metros. In rugby, the College’s Open Boys’ and Girls’ teams are now Karawatha District Champions after forging through undefeated at Gala Day on Friday.

To top it all off, Calamvale entered their Year 9/10 Boys’ team into Volleyball School Cup for the very first time in Toowoomba this weekend, and emerged as unprecedented Division 3 Champions after a tense three-set final.

The College’s Executive Principal Lisa Starmer has nothing but praise for her talented students and hardworking coaching staff: “these sporting achievements are testament to our comprehensive sports programs which shape our students into formidable young athletes.”

Despite such commendable victories and efforts, the College is showing no signs of slowing down; its teams are gearing up for the Winter Interschool round and aiming to become district champions across all sports.

Jordan Roache
Senior School HPE Teacher

Positive Education – The Start of the Calamvale Community College Journey

In a modern world where mental illness in young people is on the increase, schools need to be equally focused on building well-rounded, self-reflective students …

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Positive Education – The Start of the Calamvale Community College Journey

In a modern world where mental illness in young people is on the increase, schools need to be equally focused on building well-rounded, self-reflective students as much as clever ones. Schools know this, but wellbeing programs often come and go and many lack a level of comprehensiveness or are taught as stand-alone lessons, lacking context. Positive Education differs in that it is based on the fundamental tenets of positive psychology and is a broad education model that is proven to help students flourish into happy and fulfilled individuals.

However, more importantly, Positive Education is not just another educational fad. At a school, it is a way of being, a culture that underpins everything that school has to offer, which will ultimately give students the ability to withstand the pressures life will throw at them. Calamvale Community College (CCC) understands this and has made a firm commitment to improve the lives of its students by investing heavily in the Positive Education philosophy across its entire P-12 campus.

This article is the first in a series that will document CCC’s Positive Education journey in the hope of encouraging more schools to follow this path. Based on the model developed by leaders in the field, The Geelong Grammar School, CCC has developed a 5-year plan that will create a Positive Education culture in the College to help students be the very best versions of themselves.

So what is positive psychology and Positive Education?

Essentially, positive psychology differs to other psychological paradigms in that it centres on what’s right with a person as opposed to what’s wrong with someone. It is completely evidence-based and is primarily focused on giving people the tools to ‘flourish’ in their lives, with Positive Education being the educational philosophy and practice created from this psychological paradigm.

It would be foolish to try to summarise Positive Education now; however, the following link will do Positive Education justice on a superficial level.

Click here to view more information.

Calamvale’s Teacher-Centred Implementation Plan

Firstly, like Geelong Grammar, CCC has chosen to follow the mantra:

Learn it, Live it, Teach it, Embed it.

This mantra illustrates the fact that implementation of a truly embedded culture, where the rudiments of positive psychology typify the daily machinations of a school, has to start at the beating heart of that institution – its hard-working teachers.

Additionally, CCC strongly believes that the wellbeing of its teachers is equally important as its students, so has invested greatly in Positive Education with its staff, as they will professionally, and more notably, personally benefit. Our model highlights that teachers have to be given ample time to learn the framework and personally live the evidence-based strategies before teaching it to students. Authenticity is paramount for students to take the framework seriously and teachers who have experienced positive outcomes from their own practise of the framework can only be authentic.

Consequently, the first two years of our implementation plan is completely teacher-focused, giving teachers the opportunity to explore Positive Education in their own personal context rather than be pushed into delivering the Positive Education Framework to students somewhat blindly.

Where are we now and where are we going?

Right now, every teacher is engaging in over 20 hours of professional development in 2017 with a similar amount of time planned for 2018. Teacher wellbeing is the focus and the College’s Positive Education Team is constantly monitoring the program and adapting based on teachers’ feedback. Overall, the Calamvale Team of 160 educators and numerous support staff are the first to benefit from Positive Education at the College and we hope that other schools explore this opportunity for their staff and students also. Feedback from staff has been universally positive, which means we know we are definitely on the right path. We look forward to sharing the highs and lows of this exciting initiative as time rolls on.

Sean Loriaux
Deputy Principal

Preparing our students for the new senior education system

The Calamvale Community College 3 year senior Based on a review of Queensland’s Senior Curriculum by the Queensland Government, the Year 11 cohort of 2019 …

Secondary School Team News
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Preparing our students for the new senior education system

The Calamvale Community College 3 year senior

Based on a review of Queensland’s Senior Curriculum by the Queensland Government, the Year 11 cohort of 2019 will be the first group of students to experience the new curriculum and tertiary entrance system that has been on the planning table for the last three years. The new system sees the end of the Overall Position (OP) and the introduction of the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) in its place. Additionally, a key change to the new system is the implementation of external examinations for all academic subjects in the Senior Curriculum.

External examinations will play a crucial role in a student’s Senior Schooling for those students on a tertiary entrance pathway. Calamvale has been preparing students by doing assessment under external examination conditions for the last two years for Years 7-10. More importantly, however, to support students’ development to be their most effective in this new context, the College has designed a 3-Year Senior course of study for Year 10s starting in 2019. The advantages of this 3-Year Senior model are numerous.

Firstly, in Year 10, students will sample the subjects that will be assessed in later years to ensure that the subjects meet the pathway choices of the students. This sampling will be done in combination with core requirements of Year 10 Australian Curriculum where relevant. In the new system, students changing subjects during Year 11 and 12 is extremely disadvantageous, so Year 10 is the time when decisions about pathways and subject choices will be finalised.

Moreover, the studying of Senior subjects in Year 10 will primarily focus on the development of 21st Century skills. These skills are those that are deployable in the changing landscape of our future generations, as the job titles of many of our young people have yet to even be named. Our goal is to facilitate the development of student skills that can be applied in any context that they are placed within in our changing world.

Overall, focusing on the underlying skills through the 3-Year model will better prepare students for the future, as well as the Year 11 and 12 external examination system that begins in 2019. Designing Year 10 as a space where students can grow and better prepare themselves for the business end of their studies is something that Calamvale believes in strongly.

Here at Calamvale, we are confident that our students are being best prepared for successful futures. If you have any questions about senior pathways or options at Calamvale Community College please contact Deputy Principal: Sean Loriaux.


Educating the Global Generation: CCC’s Multicultural Festival

On 28 June, Calamvale Community College will host an immersive, all-day Multicultural Festival. This year’s theme – World within a World – spotlights the College as a microcosm of the world, where students originate from 101 cultures and speak more than 66 languages. The festival aims to celebrate the College’s cultural diversity, boost community harmony and spirit, and engender a sense of belonging irrespective of race, religion, or culture.

With stalls spread along the College’s peace path, this vibrant festival will prove to be a true sensory delight – there will be interactive cultural lessons to try, stunning traditional dress displays to see, migration stories to read, and international culinary treats to enjoy. The College has also invited Mr Imtiaz Ali – refugee, current student, and volunteer for Red Cross Australia, to address all students as a keynote speaker at the whole College assembly.

This exciting multicultural event will not only celebrate the linguistic and racial diversity of our 2100 students and increase international mindedness and cultural awareness, but it will also provide invaluable volunteering opportunities for both school students and community members.

This is not just a stand-alone event – carefully planned by our very own student leaders, the College’s Multicultural Festival follows the United Nation’s Day of Cultural Diversity in May, coincides with in-class multicultural wellbeing lessons in June, and precedes NAIDOC Week held in early July.

Click here to download the Multicultural Festival flyer.

Sharyn Angel
Senior School Principal

Duncan Pegg’s Parent Forum

Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) Forum Guest Speaker: Professor Matt Sanders, Triple P founder Topic: Raising Confident, Competent Children Date: Tuesday 26 June 2018 Time: …

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Duncan Pegg’s Parent Forum

Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) Forum

Guest Speaker: Professor Matt Sanders, Triple P founder

Topic: Raising Confident, Competent Children

Date: Tuesday 26 June 2018
Time: Tea and coffee from 6.30pm / Forum 7.00–8.30pm
Location: Performing Arts Centre, Sunnybank Hills State High School. 77 Symons Rd, Sunnybank Hills
Cost: FREE
RSVP: By Friday 22 June via email qgtpiadmin@triplep.net
Bookings are essential.

Parents do the best they can but I don’t know any parent who doesn’t sometimes have doubts about whether they’re doing the right thing. That’s why I’m so delighted that Professor Matt Sanders has agreed to be guest speaker at our Triple P Forum.

The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is one of the most effective evidence=based parenting programs in the world, backed up by more than 30 years of ongoing research. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them confidently manage their children’s behaviour, prevent problems developing, and build strong, healthy relationships. The program is currently used in 25 countries.

 

Calamvale Community College – a first generation Independent Public School

The Independent Public Schools Initiative is currently under review, with the possibility of any review being that the initiative might cease. Below is an overview …

From the Principal’s Desk
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Calamvale Community College – a first generation Independent Public School

The Independent Public Schools Initiative is currently under review, with the possibility of any review being that the initiative might cease. Below is an overview of what this initiative has meant to our College.

The Independent Public Schools (IPS) initiative was the Queensland Government’s response to this statement, and it has positioned us at the forefront of the innovative reshaping of education practice and policy. IP Schools are high-potential schools that are selected on the basis of their growth, performance, and demonstrated ability to innovate and share good practice across the state education system. Once selected, these schools are proffered greater autonomy and operational flexibility, whilst maintaining the same core values as other state schools.

Calamvale Community College has been a first generation Independent Public School (IPS) since this Queensland Government initiative began in 2013. From this time, the College has taken many opportunities to maximise the learning outcomes, wellbeing and success of its 2100 students.

The College Council is a demonstration of the enhanced local governance and autonomy which enabled the restructure of the three phases of learning to enable staff expertise to be applied in a 7-12 timetable. This has directly improved student outcomes, comprehensive preparation across Years 7 to 12, and increased opportunities for Junior School students to gain specialist tuition in the Arts and STEAM subjects.

The financial and operational flexibility has allowed the College to seek out and employ staff whose skills match the needs of students, new programs, and the College as a whole. This includes the employment of experts in STEAM subjects, as well as English Language tuition to support students from multicultural and non-English speaking backgrounds. Invoking increased flexibility has always been tempered as per the IPS Framework. The College is guided as always by an adherence to transparency and accountability structures, and as such has worked collaboratively with both the School Council and the Local Consultative Committee.


The ability to shape its own strategic direction has seen the College moulding globalised, future-minded students by trialling of innovative practices and programs. In 2016, we introduced Immersion Mandarin from Prep to Year 2, which exposes our youngest, most enthusiastic learners to a new language and fosters their linguistic and cultural interests. Similarly, the College now possesses an enhanced capacity to engage with the global community, and this has led to the substantial growth of its International Student Program. The College’s international base has grown from 5 students in 2015, to now 75 long-term students in 2018. The College continues to develop the international mindedness and cultural sensitivity of its students with study tours, live classroom collaborations with international schools, and professional visits from teachers, principals, and educational boards from across the globe.

Greater flexibility and autonomy to tailor curriculums has allowed us to cater to the needs of our students, and anticipate and apply innovative trends in education. The Playgroup – a new preparatory program – nurtures the language and social skills of the College’s youngest students, and allows them to fully engage with their learning from a young age. Pending successful authorisation,the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years and Diploma Programmes will also provide interested and capable students with comprehensive, internationally recognised qualifications that will allow them to pursue study and career options both at home and abroad. From second language acquisition through to community service projects, the sheer breadth of the IB program is conducive to fostering the international sensitivity, mobility, and cultural awareness of all candidates. The IB endorses a student-focused perspective of inquiry and learning, through which all candidates emerge as future leaders.

Schools like Calamvale Community College are also supported by the IPS Alliance – a collaborative initiative of principals from Queensland’s 250 IP Schools, governed by an elected Executive Group. The Alliance seeks to complement the independence of its respective schools with empowered leadership and meaningful collaboration. It also provides IP Schools with the capacity to both individually and collectively improve student learning, equity, and wellbeing. By harnessing their collective capacity to influence state-wide change, the Alliance seeks to share good practice across the state school system.

Through IPS we feel that both Calamvale Community College and Education Queensland have been the beneficiaries of our involvement in the initiative. We urge you as our community to support the Independent Public Schools program in whatever way you are able to do so.

Lisa Starmer
College Principal