- Graduation 2009
- IB and University information session
- Easing the Burden
- Study skills update
- Theatre festival 12 -17 November at QACI
We have much to be proud of at QACI and as Principal I am constantly given reason to feel proud. It is the best part of my role. Certainly this pride comes from the standard achieved by students when given challenges. Last Friday night’s performance by year 10 theatre was such an example. It was an amazing performance of sophistication and depth, but what made it a remarkable performance was that every aspect of the performance was created and delivered by the students themselves. It was not a published script with the performance crafted by the teacher as director. It was written, directed, design and performed through the collaboration of every student in that group. Mr Tate was a mentor not director. The outcome – stunning and worthy of pride as a parent, student and Principal. Well done.
Sometimes though it is not a performance or achievement that brings me the most pride or satisfaction. It can be the most simple of everyday things that we take for granted sometimes.
May I share a story?
On Monday I was involved on a teacher interview panel. One representative on the panel I had never met or heard of before. He is a teacher at another state school. At lunch I asked if he would like to look at QACI and meet some of the students. He replied that he had already met my students and explained that he travels on a bus with a number of them each morning. He said that he also shared the bus with other school students, state and private. He said the QACI students stood out. Why I asked?
He then went on to explain that they were not “normal” in his eyes. They always stood up and offered seats, they took pride in how they were attired and when he ear-dropped in on their conversations they spoke of interesting things and spoke appropriately, not “rubbish”. He said he did not have to tell me this but it stood out to him so much that he believed it was noteworthy.
I felt so proud. We do many different things here at QACI and have so many expectations in achieving our vision, but nothing is more satisfying to me than knowing my students are good people with strong and principled values and treat each other and those around them with respect and care.
My pride in the young people here was further reinforced to me by a support staff member who left us this week. In a departing email he spoke of the differences he has experienced here. To keep these to myself would be selfish as his comments and observations are something our whole community should take pride in. May I share some extracts:
“I'll miss my return trips from the coffee shop where I had to remind myself to get back to work and not get stuck in awe at the gallery. The work down there is not just brilliant in comparison to other schools, most of which didn't have a gallery, but on a global scale. Simply amazing work from simply amazing students”
“Recently I went down to help Mary on level 6. I walked into the room and couldn't work out where the 'piped' piano was coming from. A student said it's the practise room next door. Admittedly I didn't believe him at first. It didn't cross my mind that music like that could be coming from a high school student.”
“Hope that some day my daughter will attend a school where she will be lead by a staff who care as much about making a difference in this world as they do about her education. That the passion for her education will be carried on from the home to the school.”
“this group of students has been the brightest, most articulate; respectful I've ever come across in any high school.”
“None of the above probably comes as news to you but before qaci I spent 12 months visiting many different schools in the greater Brisbane region. As a visitor I know what a 'regular' school feels like. And this ain't no regular school; not it's design, not it's students”
Far out! Just then a young girl left the room and said to Adam "Thankyou Adam. Have a good day" - THAT'S what I'm talking about!
A point I would like to make explicit at this stage is this is your children I am talking about .
Gee you should feel great and I am sure you do.
New Cohort Family Information Session
Planning for the new cohort information session on Sunday November 15 is in full swing and we are looking forward to meeting the many new families face to face. The information session in the Theatre will feature our students sharing their very real and well informed understanding of life at QACI. This is a value set that we share and live by every week as part of our culture.
Please note that we have arranged a simple BBQ on the deck from 5.30 pm -Please feel free to BYO drinks for this event. Members of the P and C will be in attendance to answer many of your questions.
Graduation 2009
It is hard to believe that our final students from the foundation cohort are now facing the challenge of exams -and that we will now see them for the last time as a full cohort at Graduation, which is scheduled for Friday November 20.
Year 12 students, their families and Year 10 and 11 students will receive their invitation to this wonderful celebration and reflection next week. The tradition ,if only very young , is that all students attend to celebrate this milestone with and for the graduates.As is traditional, Year 10 parents are preparing a buffet event on the deck as a special tribute to the Year 12 students and their families and we thank them in anticipation of a wonderful event.
Calls for Expressions of Interest Creative Generation 2010
Please note that the nominations for participation in the Creative Generation State Schools on Stage event are now open. Please see the nomination form attached. This event is always a fabulous experience for all of those involved and we urge you to complete the paperwork appropriately should you wish to be considered.
IB and University Information Session
On Wednesday I presented all the information we have to hand at present in regard to IB and university entry. By now you would have received an email with copies of all the information that was presented.
I fielded several questions on the night and subsequently and believe it beneficial if I could share these.
1. Why does QACI report on an A to E scale when IB is 1 - 7 ?
We are required to report on a 5 point scale by the Federal government .
When we report on progress this is not against the Exit descriptors (1 – 7) for IB syllabus which take into account final exams and specific combinations of tasks . When published on a report, the A-E refers to the statements at the base of the report and should not be interpreted beyond that. When we report it may be on based on a particular piece of work or combination pieces which reflect the learning at that point of time. The report serves a particular purpose, that being to provide one small picture of progress at a point in time . Its value is enhanced greatly by the conversation and that occurs throughout the term with parents and students and at formal parent teacher interviews. It is a developmental picture.
At the end of a course is the only time when it is appropriate to officially record IB 1 - 7 ratings as judged by IB against their syllabi. This year at the end of term 3 I had discussions with each year 12 and showed them their predicted grade for IB based on our judgement with evidence before us to this point . This is still very unofficial ,with the purpose to allow students to make finer grain decisions for QTAC entry if required. As you can appreciate publishing grades ( and then the how these may be used ) with 50-80% assessment still remaining is unwise.
Another final reason for using the 5 point scale is that if a students leaves QACI , the report has some relativity to other schools language and is consistent with what the QSA requires to be provided upon transfer under their data capture sytem.
2. Can QACI increase the range of subjects within each IB group?
We would like to but staffing is based on enrolment. To increase the subject mix by one subject requires a critical mass of students wanting to do the subject and an economy of scale to employ a specialist teacher (given the depth of knowledge entered into with an IB course). At this stage we have given an emphasis to providing a broad range in our signature arts and languages. As we grow the necessity is meeting the increasing number of classes in English and Mathematics and the associated staffing before we can introduce new subjects.
Easing the Burden
In Greenland, where mood disorders are prevalent, depression is called ‘perlerorneq’ – the burden. In Australia, we have high rates of depression, especially among adolescents and young adults. Gifted youth do not experience higher rates of depression than exist within the general population. High intellectual ability is seen as a protective factor but it does not exclude gifted students from experiencing depression. Stress, anxiety and depression have serious impacts on a student’s ability to concentrate, remember, complete tasks and achieve academically.
Fortunately, the development of resilience has been found to be effective in preventing the onset of stress, anxiety and depression. Bonnie Benard, in her book ‘Fostering Resilience in Kids: Protective Factors in the Family, School, and Communities’, outlines ways in which we can foster protective factors among adolescents. She maintains that in families and in schools, we need to provide care and support for young people. This means fostering a positive relationship between the students and at least one caring adult: a parent, teacher, relative, neighbour or coach. Ideally, this is a confidant, someone to whom the student can turn when they experience difficulties; and someone who acts as a positive model.
High expectations have also been shown to be effective in building resilience. Families and schools foster resilience when they have high expectations of students’ moral behaviour and academic achievement. It is important to provide appropriate support for students to achieve these goals; to combine high expectations with warmth. This combination creates an environment that nurtures resilience and high academic performance. Bernard maintains that offering failing pupils a challenging accelerated curriculum works better than watering down their expectations.
Creating opportunities for students to participate in the family and school settings has been identified as another protective factor. Expectations that students contribute by taking on responsibilities and chores build strength, resilience and connection to the family. Finding opportunities in school to channel students’ energy and potential into positive activity and responsible roles allows students to feel that they are accepted and contributing members of the school community.
Stress is a normal part of life and we all need skills to cope with stressful times in our lives, but students exhibiting high levels of stress, anxiety or depression should seek professional help. By providing caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities to participate in the family and school we can help students build strengths and develop resilience to protect against these burdens.
Michele Juratowitch ©
STUDY SKILLS TIP FOR NOVEMBER FROM PRUE SALTER (Enhanced Learning Educational Services)
Every now and then you might hear students ask their teacher ‘what is the best way to study?’. There is a very short answer to this – there is no best way! An important lesson for students to learn is that everyone learns in different ways, everyone has different approaches and preferences, and what works well for one person may not work well for another. This truth applies to all aspects of effective learning – time management, research skills, writing skills and so on. There are certainly good techniques and strategies available in all of these areas, and also approaches that work well for the majority of students; however it is essential that all students try different techniques to see what works best for them. Your preferences could also change over time, so it makes sense to at least once a year stop and reflect on your approach to your schoolwork, what did you do, what worked, what didn’t, what should you change, what should you keep, what new things could you try. This is what ‘metacognition’ is all about. It means taking the time to try and understand more about the process of learning and your role as a learner. Students who take a metacognitive approach to their learning definitely improve their results much more than those who do not.
Find out more about this topic in this month’s podcast at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au. Lots of new multimedia added again this month, and for those students finishing school this year and heading to uni, when your final exams and assessments are over, click on the “extra units” drop down menu and work through the unit on note-taking skills for university lectures.
It is also the time of year when the study skills handbook is evaluated. You will see a link on the home page where you have an opportunity to share your thoughts or suggest other features or content you’d like covered.
Our school’s subscription details to this online study skills website for secondary school students are -
User name: forqldacademycionly
Password:
51worksmart
You're invited to Federico Garcia Lorca’s:
“The House of Bernarda Alba”
Time: 7:00pm
Dates: Thursday, 12th November – Saturday, 14th
November, 2009
Venue: The Theatre, Queensland Academy for
Creative Industries,
61 Musk Ave, Kelvin Grove
Price: $12 Adults, $10 Concessions
Bookings: (07) 3552 9333
A story of love, power and a family’s secrets set
amongst the stifling heat of rural Spain in the
early 1930’s, The House of Bernarda Alba explores
the disintegration of a house and family as a result
of a tyrannical mother’s repression of her
daughters’ maturing passion.
Join some of Queensland’s most promising emerging actors working in collaboration
with established industry professionals in this beautiful production about the conflict
of desires.
Harold Pinter’s
The Dumb Waiter
Time: 5:00pm
Date: Monday, 16th November – Tuesday, 17th November, 2009
Venue: The Theatre, Queensland Academy for Creative Industries,
61 Musk Ave, Kelvin Grove
Price: $4 Students, $5 Adults
Two assassins. One basement. Too much time.
Ben and Gus are on the job, but this particular job is unlike any they've done before.
While waiting for the call to arms, they are trapped in an odd limbo, tormented by each
other's idiosyncrasies and confused by mysterious messages that drop down what was
thought to be an abandoned dumb waiter. This cannot end well This play by Nobel Prize
winning absurdist playwright Harold Pinter is being co‐directed by Simon Tate and John
Carozza in a collaboration between QACI's Theatre and Film departments to create a
challenging work that asks the audience to step beyond what they know and into a place
where every detail is important, and at the same time ultimately meaningless.
Upcoming Events
3 November – year 12 Formal IB exams commence (run until 20 November)
12/13/14 November –year 11 Theatre performances “The House of Bernarda Alba” 7.00pm
15 November – New cohort Induction and family barbecue
16/17 November – Film/Theatre collaboration “The Dumb Waiter” 5.00pm
20 November – year 12 Graduation
16-20 November – year 10/11 submissions block
26 November – year 10/11 Film showing
23-27 November – year 10/11 examination block
27 November -year 10 and 11 finish
28 November – Uniform sales commence
30 November/1 December – year 11 Intensive Extended essay/ TOK workshops
