"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."
Romans 8:38
Jeff Davis
Executive Head of College
Executive Head of College, Jeff Davis shares the latest update from the last two weeks.
Blessings
Culture and Wellbeing
Bonnie – Our New Therapy Dog
We have recently welcomed our new therapy-dog-in-training to the Wellbeing team!
We are delighted to introduce, “Bonnie” to you. Bonnie is a “Spoodle” breed and is just beginning her exciting learning journey to become a qualified therapy dog. One of the most crucial factors in Bonnie’s training is early exposure to the school environment. Ideally this exposure happens prior to 16 weeks, and as such you will find Bonnie out and about at Hillcrest with her handler, SLC counsellor, Tahlia.
Bonnie loves people, and she has quickly adapted to the school environment. Her sweet little face, curious demeaner and obvious love of being with people makes her an already much loved member of our community.
Therapy Dogs are fast becoming recognised as having enormous positive wellbeing impacts in schools. The many benefits which are frequently cited in literature include social-emotional impacts, including improved relationships, rapport and self-regulation, increased self-confidence and focus, teamwork and communication as well as better attendance rates.
We are thrilled to now have 2 therapy pups at Hillcrest. They have quickly become very popular members of our school community, bringing joy and comfort wherever they go. If you see them out and about, make sure you pause for a pat and a cuddle and experience the sense of wellbeing they bring!
From the ELC
We were were so excited to come together as an Early Learning Community to celebrate our Mums and the other special women in our community this past week.
What a privilege it was to spoil our Mums with cuddles, massages, photos and special hair and make-up opportunities. Our children also loved creating special cards and gifts to help shower their Mums with love.
We were excited too, to start Library lessons down in the Bus Library this past week. In the ELC we LOVE reading and sharing stories. Reading and listening to stories, helps grow a child’s vocabulary and their understanding about the world. Snuggling up with a favourite book leads to an increase in self-confidence and imagination, and helps children gain a wealth of knowledge from the books you share. And it only takes 15 minutes a day of reading together to nurture this growth.
Reading is necessary for learning, so instilling a love of reading at an early age is the key that unlocks the door to lifelong learning. Reading aloud presents books as sources of pleasant, entertaining, and exciting formative experiences for children to remember. Children who value books are more motivated to read on their own and will likely continue to hold that value for the rest of their lives.
Instilling a love of reading early gives a child a head start on expanding their vocabulary and building independence and self-confidence. It helps children learn to make sense not only of the world around them but also people, building social-emotional skills and of course, imagination.
Not only that, reading is a critical foundation for developing logic and problem-solving skills. Cognitive development is “the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. What a special adventure to be able to visit the Bus Library, hear a story, get to borrow our very own books and begin to instil a love of reading.
We cannot wait for next week’s adventures!
Blessings,
Michelle Cecil
Director of Early Learning Community
Director of Early Learning Community
What’s been happening in the JLC
JLC Music – Year 4 Composers!
In Year 4 music, students are given the opportunity to learn either a string instrument, or the recorder. The recorder students have been busy learning how to play notes on their instrument and how to make a quality sound by tonguing correctly and blowing gently. During the first few weeks of Term 2, the students have become composers as well! In the photos, you can see them watching step-by-step instruction videos of Mrs Pitt teaching them how to compose a short song for the recorder. As they learn each step, working at their own pace, they get to create their own piece of music that they are busily writing on manuscript paper. These clever composers are also playing their own music on their recorder to hear what it sounds like. What a joy it can be to create music!
Mother’s Pamper Session
In Prep Raspberry, on Friday, 6 May we celebrated Mother’s Day by hosting a very special Mother’s Day Pamper afternoon. We had a number of different areas set up to spoil our Mums for the afternoon including a nail salon, hair salon, makeup station, necklace making, leg shaving (this was a favourite for our Mums!) and a photo booth. We thoroughly enjoyed having our wonderful Mums visit our classroom and being able to spend time pampering them. We really hope they enjoyed the special afternoon in Prep!
New P-2 Music Room
We were beyond excited to move into our new P-2 Music Room this term. It is wonderful to have a dedicated space that fosters our music learning. We have room to move to music, engage in music games and participate in group music making as well as wonderful instruments and resources to support our learning. The Prep students have also moved into our new music space and have responded beautifully to the new structures and routines, learning through music play each lesson. Mrs Kilpatrick is especially blessed to teach each of the P-2 music classes twice a week. This allows for a deeper understanding of musical concepts, evidenced currently in our Year 1 and 2 cohorts who participated twice weekly in music lessons last year. In addition to this deep musical understanding are the extra-musical benefits of increased memory, concentration, self-control, co-ordination and language, mathematical and social-emotional development. What a joy and privilege it is to share music with our little ones!
Convict Children of 1787
In Year 4 we are exploring the era of early European settlement in Australia beginning with the 1780s in London. We have been researching the conditions children faced in London during the 1780s, the rise in crime, and the convictions leading to transportation to Australia. 4JF children created convict ID cards which will be used to inspire their upcoming narratives. While everyone tried their best to look authentically sad and portray the part, there was a lot of laughter!
3EB Maths and Science
In 3EB the students have been very hands-on in their maths and science learning. We’ve darkened the room and used a torch and globe to discover how day and night occurs as well as looking into how seasons happen. Students also used different sized balls to explore how the moon and sun can be such different sizes but appear the same size.
In maths the students have been hands-on using kitchen and bathroom scales to explore mass and a variety of containers to pour liquids and learn about capacity.
From the Head of the MLC
The highlight for me over the past fortnight has been seeing the large number of students taking part in our proactive programs designed to improve wellbeing and build emotional awareness within the MLC. Mrs Liz Snowdon (Head of IQ) has been working closely with Mrs Michelle Pohlmann (Head of SQ) and the Year Level Leaders to build a program that responds to the needs of our students but also offers fun activities that they have been asking for. Everything from mindful colouring club to 3D printing club, chess club, silent reading club, cricket club, leadership club and worship club (just to name a few) are now operating across a timetable each break so students can pick and choose what they would like to get involved with.
Wednesday Wellness has been a program running within our Life Groups each week with a focus on social emotional skills and creating positive behaviour patterns through better self management. This program has been designed using current research to inform its structure and ties in perfectly with our existing SECRET Skill framework that underpins all learning across the College.
It always amazes me how giving the MLC staff are with their time as all of these programs are delivered outside of already busy teaching schedules. When the staff are so focussed on supporting the wellbeing of their students, they often don’t take the time to care about themselves, so I am going to ask the parent community for a favour. I would appreciate anyone who could find the time to write a short email of thanks to a teacher that has supported their child in any way. You may not know how much it means to a teacher to receive a random message of thanks and I would really appreciate your support in letting our staff know how much they are cared for within our community.
Darren Rackemann
Head of Middle Learning Community
What’s been happening in the MLC
MLC Student Leadership
The model of leadership in MLC is inclusive as we recognise leadership qualities in all students and support them to contribute to our community in their areas of passion. We promote a servant leadership approach, whereby students aspire to promote the wellbeing of others and put the needs of others first. If you’d like to learn more about this model, you can find more info here.
Students in MLC have the opportunity to be part of Leadership Club each week. The 5/6 Emerging Leaders meet on Tuesdays at lunch and the 7/8 Leaders meet on Wednesdays at lunch. These groups are open to all students to voice their ideas and work on projects to make MLC a vibrant and supportive community, as well as support the wider Hillcrest Community.
This term students are developing small teams to plan and implement the MLC mash-up, JLC buddy programs, MLC new parent tours, Effective Aid fundraising and community celebration days.
Taylor D Life Group
In Life Group we learn and further our relationship with God. We do a daily prayer and praise him every day. We also play some cool games where the Houses compete against each other and see which House is superior and not to be biased but the best house is Taylor. 😀
Last term, we focussed on one College value a week and we learned how to use that in our life. This helps us become a better person and to have a more Christian-based life. I love having big group discussions where we can learn about Jesus and how to be more like Him and I also love all the House challenges.
We also play fun games like, ‘Whose pet is this?’ where we emailed our teacher a picture of our pet, and we all had to guess who it belonged to. Taylor D are the owners of some very cute pets. Last week, we played the game, Mouth or Hand? When it was my turn to play this game, I had to hide a lolly in either my mouth or hand. My classmates then had to ask me three questions before they have to guess if I put the lolly in my mouth or if it was in my hand. It was a lot of fun and some people were able to trick our class very well. Our Life Group teacher always has fun games for us to play.
– Willow (Year 6)
Debating Victory
Four Hillcrest teams are participating in the Gold Coast Debating Competition (Junior B division) this year. For our most recent debate we took on the challenge of the gruelling motion, ‘Everyone should learn a foreign language.’ Hillcrest 1 and Hillcrest 3 ended up coming out of the debate victorious with the coach for the opposing Year 8 team stating, “Your team was incredible”. Hillcrest 4 also debated with Hillcrest 2 needing to defer due to musical rehearsals. We can’t wait to compete in more debates!
– Claudia Branson (Year 8)
Secret Skills – Effective Participator
Last term we studied civics, citizenship and Australia’s political and legal system. We had to create a solution or idea to address an issue that we were passionate about. The Secret Skill – Effective Participator – asks students to ‘break a large problem into sets of smaller problems, in order for lots of people to work together to solve it.’ The problem that I discovered was that students at Hillcrest are not active enough, and traffic around campus can be quite slow. My project aimed to encourage more active travel to and from school. Students walking to school could reduce heavy traffic congestion during school pick up and drop off times daily. So, I designed a walking pathway for entering the school from both sides. I sent my proposal to Cr. Glenn Tozer, and he was really interested in my proposal. We had several meetings and discussed the idea. We are hoping to continue to work together in the future. This is a problem that requires the input of a lot of people, and I am excited to see what happens!
– Jackson O’Neill (Year 8)
Life Group Game Day
Thursday is Games Day in MLC Life Group. Carmichael B joined Flynn B for a games tournament. Uno, Jenga, Lego and Mini Basketball were the chosen challenges.
It was fun, enjoyable experience even though I caused the huge Jenga tower to fall. I can’t wait for us to do this again.
Ashton Blakey (Year 8)
GLOW Pancake Breakfast
To celebrate the end of Week 4, students enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere in the MLC Courtyard. There was music and pancakes, cooked and served by our GLOW Team.
It was such a fun way to conclude our first five day week of the term, NAPLAN for Year 5 and 7 as well as approaching the middle of the term.
Elevate Education Parent Workshop
On Thursday, 26 May, Elevate Education will be working with our Year 7 and 8 students to teach skills around Time Management, Self-Directed Learning, Study Routine and Assignment/Exam strategies. They will also be running a free Parent Session from 6.00-7.00pm that night in the Hillcrest Theatre. Topics covered will include:
- TIME MANGEMENT – How parents can help their child manage their time effectively so they’re able to maintain a balanced routine and not leave tasks to the last minute
- STUDY SUPPORT – What kind of work is most valuable in helping to achieve higher marks? Presenters will discuss what good study looks like so parents can help their children work smarter
- MOTIVATION – Sometimes, the most difficult part of studying is simply being motivated enough to do the work. This seminar will help parents understand the key drivers behind student motivation and how to leverage these to help their child reach their potential.
Parents are provided with access to the Elevate Parent E-book to follow up and extend on the best ways to support their child through high school. We would love to see you there. Bookings are not necessary.
From the Head of the SLC
Student Wellbeing
Congratulations to the cast, crew, teachers, and staff who were involved in the College Musical, Beauty and the Beast. It was a fantastic show, and all involved should be commended for their efforts. Everyone I have spoken to thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Well done to all involved.
This week the Year 9 students undertook the annual NAPLAN tests. These generic literacy and numeracy tests align to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. Students have been thoroughly prepared for these tests through our teaching and learning programs and practice tests.
I have been reading recently about the long-term effects of COVID lockdowns on students. There is a trend emerging where some students are now failing to cope with unpredictable change. I recently encountered this while talking to a parent about the rain event upon us. They were explaining how the long-term weather forecast was affecting their child in decision making for the next day. The College has a Wellbeing team that can provide support if your child requires assistance.
I encourage people to be proactive with regards to their wellbeing. There is great research from the United Kingdom which has been subsequently picked up by Australian organisations, including The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Blackdog Institute and a number of state health departments, which outlines steps to good personal wellbeing. These steps are: Connect, Be Active, Be Aware, Keep Learning and Help Others. I encourage you to set goals with your student in each of these areas.
I wish you a great fortnight.
Jason Day
Head of Senior Learning Community
What’s been happening in the SLC
University Representatives Visit Year 12
The Year 12 students had a visit from representatives of Griffith University, Southern Cross University and Bond University last Thursday. The representatives each covered the highlights of university life at their respective universities, the enrolment process, scholarship opportunities, timetable structures at university and flexible learning options. The students were able to glean some insight into what next year could look like for them. The overall take home message was that there is something for everyone. Some highlights included learning about the 200+ social clubs available at university to get involved in, other than just academic studies and that there are multiple entry options to access tertiary education. The students engaged well and asked questions. When the session was over they took away with them a prospectus from each university, showcasing hundreds of courses available for the students to browse through in their own time.
Year 10 Geography Excursion
Last week our Year 10 Geography students went on an excursion to investigate how the proposed developments on the Spit will impact the Southport community socially, economically and environmentally. Students collected a number of primary data which included beach measurements, water level quality, drone footage for mapping purposes and interviewing locals. The data collected will assist students in making an informed decision about whether or not the proposed developments should go ahead based on the implications related to coastal management.
Year 11 Geography Excursion
Last week our Year 11 students investigated how traffic flow at Burleigh Heads impacts the locals socially, economically and environmentally. Students collected a number of primary data which included traffic count, noise levels, field sketches and interviewing locals. The data collected will assist students in making an informed decision about what proposals should be considered to allow for more effective traffic flow in the Burleigh area.
Junior Council Program
Last week, Councillor Glenn Tozer met with the Junior Council and was interviewed by a number of groups from amongst the elected participants, answering questions about climate change, transport and light rail, politics and the political spectrum, the projects happening in Division 9, residential developments, housing costs and more.
The Junior Council program is highly regarded as a leadership development program for young adults and it is great for these students to get a first-hand opportunity to engage in their influencing decision making and asking direct questions about how politics and government work at a local level.
Want to try a trade?
If you would like to try a trade, just download and fill out the enrolment form here.
Interested in TAFE at School?
If you would like to consider TAFE at school, please see the attached forms.
Career Pathways – Latest University Information
QUT
QUT Open Day is on Sunday, 31 July at Gardens Point campus. Chat to staff and students from all study areas about courses, careers, and uni life. Explore our facilities and see what makes QUT the university for the real world.
A quick guide to QUT: for Year 9 -10 students and parents is on Wednesday 27 April, 5.30pm–6.45pm. This session will provide some tools to help students with course and career decisions.
Pathways to QUT is on Wednesday, 4 May, 6pm–7.30pm. Get tailored advice for post-school and mature-age students about ways to gain entry to QUT and support for success at uni.
Are you a Year 11 or 12 student interested in studying a university subject while in high school? Applications for START QUT Semester 2, 2022 are now open, and close on 31 May. Check eligibility requirements, browse available subjects, and apply on the START QUT website.
Want to go to uni in 2023 but not ready to start a degree? QUT have these options for you to consider …
Duration
- 8 months full-time
- 16 months part-time
Delivery
- Kelvin Grove
Duration
- 8 months full-time
- 16 months part-time
Delivery
- Kelvin Grove
Duration
- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time
Delivery
- Kelvin Grove
Duration
- 8 months full-time
- 16 months part-time
Delivery
- Kelvin Grove
Bond University
Join us for Virtual Open Day, your exclusive snapshot of life at Bond
Experience Bond’s deliberately different approach to learning at our 2-hour Virtual Open Day broadcast, streaming to you live on Saturday, 14 May from 2pm AEST.
Simply sit back, relax, and tune in on your favourite device to get to know us a little better. From tours of our beautiful campus, to deep dives into our study areas, interviews with current students and academics, and so much more, Virtual Open Day is your all-access pass to life and study at Bond University.
Heading to Melbourne for uni in 2023?
A webinar designed specifically for QLD high school students who are considering studying at the University of Melbourne in the future.
There’s a lot to uncover about the University of Melbourne, and if you’re from Queensland, this is your chance.
Join the ‘UniMelb 101 for QLD students’ webinar to hear about your study and accommodation options at Melbourne, how to apply, scholarships, internships, exchanges, and Access Melbourne – the University’s special entry access scheme.
You’ll also hear from current Melbourne students who made the move from Queensland.
Details:
Date: Tuesday 10 May 2022
Time: 6.00-7.30pm
To register or find out more: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/ha6e
We look forward to seeing you online.
Diploma of Business – especially for students who like to study virtually
Term 2 intake for Diploma of Business is open and it will start on the 26th of April. This virtual course offers more flexibility to students who are wanting to do the course.
Please click the link to view the course flyer.
Should you wish to enroll, please see enrolment form online and use the code: 2022-DOB-APR-V.
Interested in a career in AVIATION?
Open Day: Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, Drone & Cabin Crew
The aviation industry is experiencing a severe shortage of skills and desperately needs a passionate and well trained aviation workforce to support aircraft maintenance and flight safety. Aviation Australia is opening its doors to those looking to pursue a career in Aviation.
Join them for a free guided tour of our Brisbane campus, Saturday 18 June to see what Aviation Australia can offer.
Their expert team will guide you through engineering hangars, cabin crew, and flight crew facilities. Experience a drone racing demonstration, see their planes and so much more! Learn about all course offerings for 2022 – 2023 and the career opportunities that each will open for you. Speak to instructors about what it’s like to study and work in an exciting, challenging and cutting edge industry.
There are three session times available, each session will be 1 hour long.
• Session 1: 8:30am – 9:30am
• Session 2: 9:30am – 10:30am
• Session 3: 10:30am – 11:30am
If you have any questions please contact Lyn.Sank@aviationaustralia.aero
Co-curricular
2022 College Musical: Beauty and The Beast: Thank you and Congratulations
Thank you Mr Davis and the Executive for your support of the annual College musical, it is very much appreciated.
Congratulations to the cast of Beauty and The Beast. I know I speak on behalf of Mrs Boucher and the Creative Team – we are so proud of you and how you stepped up, despite adversity, to produce five incredible performances. Your commitment and willingness to be at rehearsal every Wednesday and Thursday, as well as the occasional Friday, Saturday or Public Holiday is indicative of your passion and love for what you do.
With that in mind I would like to acknowledge our parents for your support of your son or daughter over the past 11 weeks of rehearsal and our audiences for your support of these talented young men and women.
I would like to make special mention of the Creative Team, who have given of their time and energy every week and who have gone above and beyond. When someone commits to a production you need to know that the creative process never leaves them and sometimes it even wakes them up in the middle of the night! A production lives on in our hearts and minds, beyond rehearsals.
Thank you also to our incredible orchestra, technicians, crew, support staff and Hillcrest community, who have assisted in producing Beauty and The Beast.
IMAGE GALLERY
Futsal Competitions
Last week we had eight teams enter the Gold Coast schools Futsal competition which was run over three days. It was a fantastic few days with the teams putting in some great effort. We had six of the eight teams make it into a finals game, which was an incredible effort considering the amount of time we had to train and prepare for the competition. The teams showed some incredible skills and talent, which we will be looking to build on at training over the rest of the term. A huge thank you to all the coaches that gave up their time to come along, I was really impressed by the commitment and attitude shown by all.
AFL Q Schools Cup Carnival
On Thursday, 5 May, selected Year 7-9 boys and girls travelled to Ormeau for the first round of the AFL Q Schools Cup Carnival. Our girls were the stars of the show remaining undefeated over the four games, winning convincingly. This allowed us to experiment with the team exposing some of our more inexperienced players to the action, fast tracking their development for the rounds ahead.
Ava Usher was awarded the MVP of the day with eight votes with Sunny Lappin runner up on seven votes. The core of this team is the same as the team that won the State Championships three years ago as Year 5 and 6 students. We are excited to see how they’ve developed in comparison to other schools as the competition continues into Term 3.
The boys had a much tougher day on the field coming up against more experienced opposition. Whilst not recording any wins, they remained competitive in all four games. Our team was led by Elijah Welsh whose tireless work rate, skill and toughness kept our boys in the games all day. He was supported by Ryan Ballantyne whose experience and kicking skill came to the fore. A pleasing aspect of the boys’ games was the involvement of our younger Year 7 boys, Archie Pridmore, Seth Bolt and Joseph McKibbon (until a hamstring injury kept him out of the game). They showed great courage and skill against the far bigger opposition which is exciting for our future.
We are proud of the way our students played on the day showing skill and competitiveness but above all else, the respect they showed the game, the opposition and the umpires. We finished the day leaving all those in attendance with a positive lasting memory of our great College.
District Cross Country
We were blessed with a rare fine and quite a warm day for the District Cross Country. We had 63 Hillcrest students invited to run distances from 2 to 6 kilometres. This year TSS hosted the event. The course was challenging yet fast, snaking through the expansive grounds of the riverside school.
On arrival, we walked the course and some students started their warm up. We had early success with Ben Vickery (Year 6) taking gold in the 12 years boys’ race leading from the start and appearing to win comfortably.
Next, it was Matilda Duhig (Year 8) winning the 14 girls’ event, wearing down the opposition as the race went on. She finished strong showing the preparation and her dedication to her sport.
Lucas Soegaard (Year 7) ran an amazing race to finish second in the 13 boys’ race. The winner set an amazing pace with Lucas remaining with him for much of the race.
We had many other great results, with many joining the above students to go to Regionals in June. We are just waiting on results from other competitions before we can announce these students invited to participate in this event.
Thank you to all parents who attended to support our athletes and to the teachers who organised and attended the day.
Senior Ethics Olympiad
Congratulations to both our Senior Ethics Teams! Fantastic results once again in the Ethics Olympiad. Hillcrest entered two teams who both performed excellently.
Hilcrest – Purple won the silver medal
Hilcrest – Red finished 6th overall out of 18 teams
Both teams received honourable mentions from the judges as well.
This is a terrific result considering all the disruptions over the last few week. Well done to all involved!
Student Achievements
Caden Surfs his way to Hawaii
Year 7 student, Caden Francis, recently surfed his way to 3rd place in the Rip Curl Grom Search National Final, which was held at the URBNSURF wave pool in Melbourne.
Caden was then fortunate to be invited to attend the Billabong Bloodlines camp on the North Shore in Hawaii at the end of last term, with six other young surfers selected from around the world. Well done Caden!
Indigenous National Basketball Success
Jett Wilson recently played in the first Indigenous National Basketball Tournament held on the Gold Coast. He played an amazing game and was selected into the National All Star Starting 5. Well done Jett!
Other News
New Parents Dinner
If you are a new parent to Hillcrest Christian College since March 2021, we warmly invite you to the New Parents Dinner on Wednesday, 18 May 2022.
Please join the P&F Committee as well as College Executive in the Senior Learning Community Courtyard from 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
Please RSVP by Friday 13 May 2022 via the Eventbrite link below:
Vegetarian and gluten free options available.
Please note – This is a child free event.
Food Services Update
The Hub team are excited to share that the new kitchen renovation is underway, and The Hub will be back serving a wider variety of food service in the coming weeks.
With several setbacks out of our control we apologise that the transition into our new Hub space has taken longer than expected.
We appreciate your patience and understanding with the limited menu through this transitional period. We will continue to update the Flexischools app as each stage progresses and more food options become available.
