Term 3, Week 7, 2026
Book Week 2026
Book Week has come and gone, and what a week it was.
Monday opened with our audio chill zone, where students settled in for an orchestral Storytime and let the music carry the story alongside the words. Tuesday brought a musical quiz that produced plenty of good-natured argument over the answers. Wednesday was the literary jam session, where students improvised a live story together and took the plot in directions nobody saw coming. Thursday and Friday closed the week with a viewing of last year's school musical, a great chance for newer students to see what our performing arts program can do.
Students also dropped in throughout the week for a range of other activities in and around the library. Thank you to the staff who gave their time, and to the students who turned up with energy each day.
Already looking forward to next year.
Course Selections Now Closed
Thank you to the families who submitted course preferences on time this year. Selections have now closed and student timetables have been built around the choices submitted.
Because each class, teacher allocation and timetable line is set from these selections, changes at this stage have flow-on effects for a student's whole timetable and can affect the classes of other students as well. For this reason, we are unable to accept general changes to subject choices. Any request will only be considered where there is a significant reason, and will be subject to availability in the requested course and to whether the change can be accommodated without disrupting the rest of the student's timetable.
Families with a concern should contact me directly so we can discuss the options available - Jabez Castray
Projects Spotlight: FIRE YTH
This week’s spotlight is on FIRE YTH, one of the many projects that students can participate in on a Wednesday afternoon. FIRE YTH is a student-led youth ministry, run by former Faith and Service Captain, Naomi Rayner.
During FIRE, students have the opportunity to play games such as “Keys to the Kingdom”, “Poison Pole”, “Capture the Flag” and others before splitting into three main groups known as Fireplaces. In this time, students are encouraged to ask questions about Christianity and what it can mean for them. The current series being used in Fireplaces is called “Foundations of the Faith”, where leaders go back to the basics of what it means to be a Christian.
After Fireplaces, the students are invited to participate in afternoon tea, and are encouraged to follow up with leaders about any questions they may still have.
FIRE is a fun, safe place to learn about life’s big questions while connecting with others.
Robot Revolution: Course Snapshot
Robot Revolution asks students a straightforward question: what does our community need, and can we build it? Aligned to the Technology and Science learning areas, the course puts students through the full design cycle, from identifying a genuine problem to coding and testing a working prototype.
This term students have been developing prototypes that respond to real need. One student has built a device that translates hand movements into written language, designed to support people who face barriers to writing. Another has developed an alarm system that wakes the user with a tap rather than a sound, offering an alternative for anyone who cannot rely on an audible alarm. In both cases, the problem came first and technology followed, which is exactly the habit of mind we are trying to build.
Along the way students have been learning to code, to troubleshoot when a prototype does not behave as expected, and to test their designs against the needs of an actual user rather than their own assumptions.
Next term the focus shifts to a build challenge. Students will choose between robot racers and battle robots, applying the same design and coding skills in a more competitive setting.
Date Claimers
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Friday 4 September
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Student Free Day/QCAA Confirmer's Day
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Wednesday 16 September
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Last day of Term 3
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