Hills Times - 2024 - Term 1 - Edition 5

As Term 1 of the academic year 2024 draws to a close, I'm excited to share the great achievements and developments from our campus in recent weeks.

Our students have shown remarkable dedication and enthusiasm in their studies, with outstanding performances across various subjects, reflecting their commitment to excellence.

Outside the classroom, our students have excelled in extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, and leadership initiatives, showcasing not only their personal growth but also the lively spirit of our school community.

Currently, I'm attending the Secondary Youth Leadership Conference with our College Captains and Vice Captains, focused on inspiring young leaders and igniting change, aligning perfectly with our mission to foster leadership qualities among our students.

Term 1 has seen significant improvements to our campus, including the ongoing projects slated for completion early in Term 2:

Playground Construction: Our new playground, driven by student-initiated designs, will provide safe and exciting recreational spaces for our students.

Music Centre Conversion: The renovation of our music center promises improved acoustics and updated facilities, offering an inspiring space for musical exploration for both Primary and Secondary students.

As we approach the Easter break, I extend warm wishes to all families in our community, hoping for a time filled with joy, peace, and cherished moments with loved ones.

Looking ahead to Term 2, commencing on April 16, let's greet it with renewed vigor and a commitment to excellence, upholding the values of integrity, compassion, and resilience that define our school community.

A big thank you to our staff, parents, and students for their dedication and support, making Term 1 a success.

It was truly heartwarming to witness our students' achievements celebrated during our Year level catchups. Congratulations are in order for those who received L.A.W.S. Awards, as well as for students who consistently uphold our College's student code of conduct.

The Primary Playground is finally starting to take form, and it's truly uplifting to witness its development. I earnestly anticipate its completion in time for our students to enjoy as they embark on Term 2.

The conclusion of NAPLAN Testing for 2024 marked another successful endeavour for us, made possible by our inclusive approach and the dedication of our staff. I extend my sincere gratitude to our staff members who facilitated the testing process and provided invaluable support to our students. A special thank you goes out to our supportive P & F for generously providing Zooper Doopers to our NAPLAN participants.

Our recent parent-teacher interviews served as a valuable opportunity to strengthen our partnership in nurturing our learners. I appreciate everyone who took the time to engage in meaningful discussions about their child's learning journey, contributing and gaining precious insights along the way.

As we prepare for Term 2, please note that we have a few minor timetable adjustments. Specifically, Mr Kyle Moffet will continue teaching HPE in Year 4, while also taking on classes for Years 5 and 6, and assuming the Head of Year position for Years 9 and 10. Additionally, Mr Tomoki Kanaya will now be responsible for teaching Prep PMP and Year 3 HPE. We have swiftly secured a replacement for Ms Teresa Zheng, our P-3 Chinese teacher, in the form of Mrs Jialin Qu (pronounced Choo), who has already begun collaborating with our team in preparation for the upcoming term.

On behalf of the Primary College, I wish you all a safe and joyful holiday period. To those students celebrating their birthdays during the Easter Break, a very Happy Birthday to you all. We eagerly anticipate welcoming everyone back for Term 2!

Yours sincerely,

Mr Matthew Noel
Head of Primary

matt.noel@hills.qld.edu.au

In the spotlight with 4B

To finish off our Who We Are unit, the Year 4s hosted a “Multi-sensory” Health Expo for parents and family members. The students showcased their learning about being healthy and physically active, and how this contributes to our wellbeing.

The students and parents could practice being active, with either yoga or Just Dance (all the hits, of course). Once some students started dancing, they didn’t stop, and it was great to see some parents join in! We were also lucky enough to have our Year 1 and 2 buddies come to visit to see what we’ve been learning and to have a dance with their buddies.

The highlight of the expo was undoubtedly the blindfolded food-tasting station, where parents selected a food for their child to taste and guess. The students then added their guesses to a giant food plate, highlighting the variety of foods in each food group. Some students were more impressed than others by the particular foods they were given.

The final activity saw students reading a health pledge poem, and making a health goal for themselves. It was a very fun afternoon, and it hopefully inspired the students to keep making healthy choices for themselves.

Miss Tomlin
4B Teacher

Digital Technologies in Prep

Over the past few weeks, the Prep students have been coding floor robots. The students have devised programs of instructions and entered these commands into the robots.

The students undertook a multitude of tasks. They were able to spell out words by programming the robot to go from one letter to the next. The students instructed the robots to draw various 2D shapes. The students used simulation software on their iPads as well. This software required students to enter a sequence of commands to move the virtual robot from point A to point B.

The robots we use are called BeeBots. Somehow, one of the BeeBots acquired a stinger. The students loved programming this modified robot to travel a path to burst a balloon.

Ms Carter
P-6 Digital Technology Teacher

End of Term 1

As the Easter season approaches and the term winds down, there's an undeniable buzz of excitement in the air here at Hills. Amidst this joyous atmosphere, I had the pleasure of visiting each Prep to Year 2 class, sharing Easter stories and fostering a love for reading among our youngest learners. Our Preps were read "The Easter Bunny visits Queensland", our Year 1s listened to 'Bluey Easter' and our Year 2s were read 'Bad Bunny'.

The importance of reading cannot be overstated, especially during the holiday break. It's not merely about honing literacy skills; reading opens doors to imagination, creativity, and empathy. That's why, as I visited each class, I emphasised the significance of continuing to read over the holiday break. In a special challenge, every student was encouraged to read to their families every single day. This simple yet powerful act not only strengthens family bonds but also reinforces the habit of reading outside the classroom, making learning a seamless part of everyday life.

As I sat with the eager faces in each classroom, I shared timeless Easter tales filled with lessons of hope, renewal, and the spirit of giving. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity as they followed along, and their imaginations took flight with each turn of the page. Through these stories, we explored themes of kindness, compassion, and the joy of community, instilling values that extend far beyond the pages of a book.

But our journey through the classrooms wasn't just about storytelling; it was also a time to reflect on the achievements and successes of the term. From mastering new mathematical concepts to unleashing creativity in art, music and dance, our students have shown remarkable growth and resilience. Each accomplishment, no matter how big or small, deserves to be celebrated and cherished.

As we wrap up the term, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our students for their hard work and dedication. Your achievements have filled our school with pride, and we look forward to witnessing your continued success in the terms to come.

To all our families, I wish you a joyous and safe Easter break filled with love, laughter, and unforgettable memories.

Mr Stuart Ablitt

Deputy Head of Primary & Head of IB Programs

stuart.ablitt@hills.qld.edu.au

From page to canvas – GOMA “Fairy Tales” Excursion 2024

Recently, Year 11 and 12 Visual Art and Literature students were delighted to explore a new art installation at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), in Brisbane. The exhibition centred on the theme of 'Fairytales', bringing a new level of understanding and engagement to well-known tales such as Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Where the Wild Things Are, and Alice in Wonderland. Viewing the artworks enabled students to complete personal reflections, designed to set them up for success in their upcoming Term 2 assessments.

The artistic transformations featured a range of acclaimed artists including Yayoi Kusama, Trace Moffat, and Del Katheryn Barton. Attendees were also treated to the sight of original costumes used in film adaptations of fairy tales.

Head of English and Excursion facilitator Ms Goyne described the day as a “raging success”. Year 11 Literature and Art student, Jakayla Au, highlighted being able to “witness a rare variety of artists’ perspectives,” as her favourite part of the day. Meanwhile Summer Mesecke (Year 12 Art and Literature) expressed her appreciation for how immersive the experience was, saying “I felt as if we were truly inside the stories. There was clearly a lot of planning and thought that went into all the art.”

Overall, the experience was a visual feast, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The College extends their thanks to Ms Goyne for organising and supervising, and Ms Dwyer and Ms Barnard for supervising and encouraging students to draw inspiration and ideas from the experience. A special thanks also goes to Year 11 student and chief photographer, Tina Butcher, who captured the exhibit from behind the lens of a camera.

Joshua Feeney

Hills Reporting Team Captain

Edited by: Finn Newbery, India Carroll, Jakayla Au, and Jaxson Lees (Literature/ Visual Art students)

Where the Wild Things Are exhibit

Beauty and the Beast exhibit

Alice in Wonderland exhibit

Year 11 and 12 Visual Art and Literature students, along with Ms Goyne (left), Ms Dwyer (right) and Ms Barnard (behind the camera lens)

Wellbeing initiatives - Community Feedback

Now that the hurly burly of Term 1 is complete, we can look to have our first Feedback sessions for the year. Dates will be forthcoming for the following groups, all of which provide comment, suggestions, and opinions about the programs, facilities, policies, and initiatives that we have at the College. They're also a great opportunity to learn more about the legislative backgrounds and best practice guidelines that we work to better here at Hills.

Hills Wellbeing Community

This is open to all parents and family members of students at the College, and provides families to provide direct, personal perspectives about how we all work to help and grow our students. This year, we'll be working hard to provide ideas and content that will help develop our Wellbeing Framework. This document will be the guiding principles behind our wellbeing programs here at Hills.

Student Council

This is a group of secondary students who work together with me to provide a student 'voice'. The Council provides feedback and ideas directly relating to the policies and programs that impact students the most. The Council will also be helping to develop our Wellbeing Framework.

Staff Wellbeing

This group is comprised of staff members who meet on a volunteer basis to make sure our LAWS and wellbeing goals align with the needs and perspectives of our staff. This group will also be working to develop the Hills Wellbeing Framework in 2024.

Harmony Day

The College was vibrant in orange and cultural dress last week! We came together in the spirit of diversity and inclusion to celebrate Harmony Day on 21 March. Many people ordered a delicious Indian lunch, supplied by local family restaurant Flavours Cafe and Curries.

Classes joined in the fun by creating beautiful posters for a Harmony Day poster competition. It was a difficult decision to determine the winners! Congratulations to 3B and Mrs Parer's Year 11 and 12 classes for their winning entries!

Harmony Day is celebrated around Australia every year on this day, and Hills' Culture Club proudly organises the event for our community. The students designed posters which were hung around the College, visited classes to collect lunch order money and donations, and assisted with the delivery of the delicious Indian lunches. Thank you, Culture Club members, for your valuable help; especially the girls in 2C!

The gold coin donations collected from students and staff who wore orange or free dress have been counted, and together we raised $557 for the Refugee Association of Logan. This money has been gratefully received by founder Chris Miranda; "Thank you for thinking of us once again. Yes we would grateful for the donation."

Culture Club

Culture Club meets once a fortnight, and aims to promote the amazing cultural diversity at Hills. If you would like to come along, we meet in C4 (near the Uniform Shop) on a Thursday at morning tea. Our next meeting is scheduled for 25 April, which is ANZAC Day, so we will meet on Wednesday 24 April instead. Hope to see you there!

Homestay in Term 1

Homestay has been a busy part of College life this term. In Term 1, we have 19 long term students in homestay, plus 15 short stay visitors. Thank you to my caring and supportive families! I wish you all a safe and restful holidays!

Looking ahead...Term 2 International News

Term 2 will be exciting for international education at Hills College. We have a new Japanese golfer arriving to start his high school studies in Australia. We will have some short stay students across the term as well, including a French exchange student joining Year 11 at the end of the term. He will be with us for a short stay cultural immersion. I look forward to reviving my very rusty French!

As Term 1 draws to a close, we reflect on a successful development phase with all the Golf Academy students in all areas of their game. With the weather conditions being the largest obstacle and having the biggest effect on training, practicing and performing on the golf course, the students have coped extremely well with the adverse conditions and have shown the necessary application to keep improving.

Ashton Gurung has improved his game immensely so far in 2024 with his handicap reducing from 4 down to scratch, and as we head into the holidays leads the Academy Gross Order of Merit after bettering 70 twice in Term 1.

When we return in Term 2, the Four Ball Best Ball Matchplay finals will be determined before we play the College Championship in the beginning of May. The final is Danny Lin and Saxxon Ford verses Melinda Hsu and Zac Li.

Hills alumni Ashley Lau winning her first professional tournament, and Anthony Quayle finishing third in the NZ Open, are very positive signs of things to come. Mirabel Ting will compete in the Augusta Women’s invitational next week and in her build up has had a huge victory in the Valspar Masters tournament, so we hold high hopes for her at Augusta National Golf Club.