Illalong Newsletter - 4 September 202

Year 12 Students Shine at State Economics Competition

Recently 23 of our Year 12 students participated in the University of Queensland’s State-wide Economics Competition, under the guidance of Senior School Economics Teacher, Dr Pails and Head of HASS Faculty, Mr Chetter.

Our students completed 30 challenging questions on International Economics and Contemporary Macroeconomics.

Four of our students achieved High Distinctions – Prabhav Sharma, Che Sander, Louis Quach and Austin Bates.

Most notably, Louis and Austin were awarded joint-third-highest result in the State, which is a phenomenal achievement!

Another six students achieved Distinctions – Noah Padowitz, Luca Dussin, Tiantian Shen, Agan Pillai, Luis Signorelli-Costa
and Keerti Nayak.

All remaining College students who participated attained a Credit result, which is to be commended.

We wish our Year 12 students luck as they continue preparations for their Mock and External Assessments.

Dr Rod Pails | Head of Business Operations | Senior Leadership Team

Global Innovators Program

Our Year 5 students spent Term 3 as Global Innovators, tackling the United Nations Global Sustainability Goals with a focus on people and the planet.

This program is designed to empower students to think beyond the classroom and also engage with local, national and global issues that are affecting both people and the planet.

Students learn about the 17 global goals with sustainable development, and this has been set from the United Nations. Students then use these to invent, innovate and campaign effective solutions to solve relevant problems in order to make this world a better place.

This year we have had some amazing guest speakers. Our first guest speaker was Doctor Dinesh Palipana, and he is known as an incredible doctor. A charity called Baby Give Back, this charity provides support and resources to women and children who are in need. Animal Welfare League rescues animals and they also support pet owners. Convoy of Hope, which is an organisation that is an immediate response to people who have suffered in natural disasters. Our last guest speaker was from Rosies and Friends on the Street. This is an organisation that provides support and food and shelter to those in need.

We run workshops throughout the Term so students can collaborate. They identify their passion, their goals and that they would like to focus on, which is in a lot of different sectors. They are working in groups to then build their solutions. This is where they invent, they innovate, and they also design those solutions to contribute to solving these global problems. They then showcase their ideas in a Global Innovators trade show. This is an incredible opportunity for them to present their ideas to parents and teachers. Other students are welcome to come and see what they have worked hard on for this past Term.

The two major key learnings for this program are to actually encourage students to think beyond themselves. Think beyond the classroom and be inspired to know that they can contribute to their local, national and global communities regardless of their position here at school, regardless of their age or even their resources.

Another key point for our students would be to encourage them not to despise the days of small beginnings, so it’s important that they are able to be confident in taking risks, in trial and error. If at first their idea does not succeed, they are encouraged to try again and try again.

Watch the video below.

Hannah Caspen | Year 5 Teacher

Year 4–6 Learning Update – Term 3, Week 7

Term 3 has been a vibrant and engaging time for our Year 4–6 students, filled with rich learning opportunities across the curriculum. As we move into the latter part of Term 3, students are busy consolidating their skills, finalising key assessment tasks and celebrating the progress they have made so far.

Year 4

Year 4 students have been exploring the world of forces in Science, conducting experiments to investigate gravity, friction and magnetism. In HaSS, they have delved into the journeys of the First Fleet, using maps and timelines to bring history to life. Mathematics lessons have focused on building fluency with multiplication, division, and fractions, while in Technologies, students are finalising their Sphero-powered robot car projects, applying design, data, and problem-solving skills in exciting ways.

Year 5

Our Year 5 students have been demonstrating their creativity and critical thinking as part of the Global Innovators Program, presenting innovative solutions to real-world problems linked to the United Nations’ Global Goals. In Science, they have been studying marine adaptations, creating ‘Great Barrier Reef Creatures’ that showcase both research and imagination. Mathematics lessons have emphasised practical financial literacy and exploring decimals, fractions, and percentages. In English, students are applying their research and writing skills to craft information reports, ready for assessment this week.

Year 6

Year 6 students have returned from their unforgettable Winton Camp, full of stories and new connections to their studies in HaSS and English. Back in the classroom, they are finalising their comparative research projects in HaSS, exploring economic and social differences between Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries. In Science, students are investigating electrical circuits in the ‘Electrickery’ unit, while Mathematics lessons are stretching their skills with measurement, angles, and probability. Technologies classes have seen them programming drones and exploring their role in agriculture, leading up to presentations in Week 7.

Looking Ahead

All the Year 4–6 students are eagerly preparing for Book Week in Week 10, with this year’s theme, ‘Book an Adventure.’ In library lessons, students have been exploring the CBCA shortlisted books for 2025 and discovering the vibrant work of visiting author and illustrator Sophie Beer. The celebrations will culminate in the much anticipated Book Week dress-up day and the End of Term Assembly, where students will celebrate the joy of reading and the adventures it brings.

Kiera Sutcliffe | Junior School Curriculum and Wellbeing Coordinator