Last week, King's libraries celebrated Australia Library and Information Week 2021 with this year's theme Adventures in Time and Space. The exciting week fostered a sense of curiosity as our students delved deeper into the wonder of creation, reading relevant books and engaging in a range of space-related activities.
Wednesday, 19 May, at 11am marked a memorable moment for our Primary students, who joined more than a million students from across Australia and New Zealand for National Simultaneous Storytime. Now in its 21st year, this incredible event promotes the value of reading and literacy, with an age-appropriate Australian children's book read simultaneously to participating students. This year's book 'Give me space,' by Philip Bunting, was sent by a rocketship into space and read by astronaut Dr Shannon Walker from an International Space Station to awestruck audiences! Our students loved this captivating story of Una, who dreamed of an exciting life in space and found herself on the adventure of a lifetime.
King’s Intercampus Debating Competition is an authentic way for our budding young debaters to put their skills to the test as they pit their teams’ persuasive argument against those from another King’s campus. The purpose of this friendly competition is for students to formally present their debate, and while there is no official adjudication or timing, students still take the competition seriously. The Year 5 and 6 students came to their Round 2 debate well prepared to defend their case having worked hard during their before and after school debating classes.
Round 2 was hosted at Reedy Creek and it was exciting to welcome parent spectators back to the event. Having an audience created some initial apprehension for our newest debaters, but the nerves quickly subsided once speeches were underway. The topic for this round was 'All children should do daily chores' - a topic that had parents nearly jumping out of their seats to defend the affirmative. Round 2 was another great debate and it was clear that every student felt like a winner after confidently presenting their arguments for and against daily chores. Well done students for showing your skills and having an open mind to learning new debating tips throughout the event.
The Primary playgrounds at King's can be a bustling place during break times so its heartwarming to know that the Year 6 students love to spend their breaks serving around our campus as ‘Peacekeepers,' alongside our duty teachers. King's Primary Peacekeepers Program has been running for a number of years and gives our oldest Primary students the opportunity to volunteer their time as they serve in the playground and use their developing leadership skills in a meaningful and practical way. Our Peacekeepers are easy to spot on the playground in their bright blue vests, and are often attract a big crowd of little followers.
Last week during break times, our busy Peacekeepers were spotted helping with tuckshop deliveries, playing group games on the green, building plastic towers, leading obstacles courses, chatting with students and always creating an inclusive community across the playground. Thanks to our amazing Year 6 students for modelling such servant-hearts to our younger years!
Year 10 headed to the beautiful beachside location of Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast in Week 6, for a three-day stay at Alexandra Park Conference Centre. This year’s camp was especially exciting for the cohort, who had missed their camp experience in Year 9 due to COVID. The warm autumn weather provided perfect conditions for their outdoor adventures. Students were split into gender groups for the daytime activities where they enjoyed sand and sea sports, team-building trials, adrenalin-inducing activities, and ‘Survivor-themed’ challenges, competing in their Houses and ‘Tribes’ for the coveted camp trophy. Congratulations to NEWTON who won the trophy! Well done to Tyndale on a close second place and Finney for finishing third. The cohort came together at night-time for chapels and worship. This was one of the highlights of the camp as it gave them all the chance to connect with God. Thank you to every staff member who attended camp – your extraordinary efforts and energy throughout the Year 10 camp made it such a memorable experience for all involved!
King's charitable cohort of High School students covered the courtyard during lunchtime on Thursday 26 May, as they brought their small change in the hope of bringing big change for teens in need. The State of Origin themed day saw students dress in their team colours and support their peers in a friendly game of 'NSW v QLD Oz Tag'. The tempting lunchtime treats proved popular and successfully raised hundreds of dollars for Teen Challenge Queensland - an incredible organisation that has worked for half a century to help young people overcome addiction, abuse and other life-controlling challenges. King's ongoing support for this incredible charity has funded a number of young people to change their lives through the Teen Challenge QLD Rehabilitation Program. Our College consistently encourages all students to Live Purposefully by showing compassion and concern for others, and events like this provide an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for people in need. Thanks to all of our families who contributed to this special day in support of Teen Challenge's life-changing work.
Read Real Stories of Lives Changed
It has been an exciting week of sport for our College with many students showing remarkable skill and sportsmanship on fields and courts across the Gold Coast, to finish one of King’s most successful APS Sport (Associated Private Schools) seasons to date. The First XV Rugby team played their Grand Final at Bond University on Monday, 24 May, and lost a very tight game to finish second overall in their league. King’s Open XI Football team made history on Tuesday 25 May, winning their Grand Final match after exhibiting sheer determination and teamwork throughout the game, to claim their Premiership. King’s Intermediate A Girls and Boys Volleyball teams also triumphed in the finals to win their Premierships. Congratulations!
This season King’s had an astounding 47 teams make the APS Grand Finals and 43 of these teams played off on Friday, 28 May, for a 2021 APS Premiership. We’re so proud of every King’s athlete for the humility and respect they display on and off the sports arena. The results of all premiership matches will be published in the next newsletter.
Dr Justin Coulson is a renowned speaker, published author and gifted communicator, and he returned to the College throughout the past fortnight to impart some valuable advice to our Years 5-12 students regarding Respectful Relationships. Dr Coulson tailored each talk to the various year level groups and gained their full attention as he challenged them, made them laugh, and encouraged every student to create the most respectful relationships they can.
Dr Coulson Reinforced Three Main Points:
Dr Coulson also held a live parent's webinar called 'Raising Respectful Children' which included an overview of what he communicated to students, some practical tips for reinforcing the messages at home, and a Q&A session. It was great to have a number of parents join the webinar and reinforced the value of these sessions for our King's community. If you missed the webinar, you can listen to the recording via the button below.
Please remember to take advantage of your free Happy Families membership, which has been purchased by the College for all King's families to utilise. Dr Coulson's incredible online library of 'Happy Families' parenting resources have been providing a wealth of information and support to over 500 King's families since the program started last year.
The children of Noah's Ark enjoyed a visit from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services recently. Officer John (Archie Douglas' grandfather - Possums Pre-Prep) attended the Centre and spoke to each class about fire safety. He also dressed in his protective suit, boots, helmet and gloves so the students could see all of the important safety gear that a fireman needs to do their job.
As part of this special incursion, a fire truck was brought into the outdoor play space and students met Officer John's team of firemen. They pointed out all of the different parts of the truck, demonstrated how the bright red sirens work, and sprayed the powerful fire hose to show what happens in an actual fire emergency. Thanks to Officer John and his team for taking the time to provide this exciting and interactive learning opportunity for Noah's Ark students..
King’s had 24 students represent the College at the Term 2 Gold Coast Interschool Secondary Chess Championships held at TSS recently. The tournament featured 219 competitors from 15 schools across four divisions: Premier, A Grade, B Grade and C Grade. King’s team performed extremely well overall and PLACED 1ST in the competition. Congratulations to every participant for their effort, behaviour and phenomenal display of King’s values!
Premier
Round 1 started with a few known and feared students from rival schools collecting points early. However, King’s students soon turned lost and drawn positions into wins. Edwin Choi (rated 1334) defeated a higher rated Somerset player in Round 4. Elena Jule (rated 1281 and Queensland School's Team Female Chess Captain and Australian Representative) also won against her higher-rated opponent in Round 5, and Jordan Chan proved to be a juggernaut, losing only one game… to a fellow King’s student! Jordan took first place in the competition and carried King’s Team 1 to equal first.
Individual: 1st Place - Jordan Chan
Teams: Equal 1st Place; King’s Team 1: Jordan Chan, Edwin Choi, Elena Jule and Ethan Carr
A Grade
This division was very competitive, featuring 74 players. King’s Team three placed 7th and comprised of Nepal Krongkaew, Jamie Evetts, Lorezno Hizon and Raphael Knudsen. King’s Team 4 finished 16th and included Kiran Sen, Mason Case, Hannah Mehta and Bowen Jiang. Merits were awarded to Nepal Krongkaew scoring (5/7), Kiran Sen (scoring 4.5/7), and Jamie Evetts (scoring 4.5/7).
B Grade
Year 12 newcomer, Patrick Heelan, showed a stellar effort and was leading the tournament after five rounds with 5/5, however, the last two rounds didn’t go his way and he finished 5/7. But his early success helped his team achieve 2nd Place, missing out on 1st by only 1 point!
King’s Team 6: 2nd Place - Patrick Heelan, Tyrone Okesene, Jack Turcic and Olley Wang
Merits: Patrick Heelan, Jack Turcic and Tyrone Okesene
King’s is very proud of all the students who participated and helped showcase the College’s immense chess talent, well done!
Last week we caught a glimpse of the monumental work required to orchestrate King's annual school photos. For three full days, QSP worked tirelessly to take 2,444 student portraits, 55 group shots, and countless staff and sibling photos, so that King’s could capture the complete 2021 school community. These important photos are used to preserve the faces of our College at a point in time for our Yearbook, for parents to purchase, and for the purpose of Student ID cards and school records.
Thank you students for dressing to perfection and bringing your best smiles this week. Thank you parents for reminding your students about their photo days and for creating some very special hairstyles.
Photo packs are still available for parents to purchase via the Queensland School Photography website.
King's Deputy Head of Primary, Mr Bristow-Wilson, has created the 'King's Catch Up' podcast series to connect parents, students and staff across our College. His insightful, short interviews offer a lighthearted look into the lives of different members of our community. Listeners will be entertained and enlightened as they discover things they may not know about King's and some of our amazing people.
Episodes are available on iTunes, Spotify, Anchor, Breaker and Radio Public, with new episodes added weekly. Use the link to your favourite podcast platform to follow 'King's Catch Up' and spread the news with members of our King's family.
[Click the event name for more information. Please check the relevant websites for updated information on changes to these events due to COVID lockdowns]
| SAE Creative Media Institute Virtual event and Open Day experience. For those considering studying creative media, this 4-hour program will give you a taste of the courses and career outcomes. | 8 Aug | 10am - 2pm |
| Gold Coast Fresh Futures Market
Gold Coast’s biggest post-school options expo for people with disability, schools, parents and the wider community, at the Gold Coast Events Centre. | 18 Aug | 10am start |
| The Hotel School Industry Insights Day Year 12 students are invited to this free, interactive experience where they will go behind the scenes at one of Brisbane’s luxury 5-star hotels. They will meet staff from key departments and learn firsthand about the life of a hospitality professional. Saturday, 21 August at Sofitel Brisbane Central, 249 Turbot St, Brisbane. Register early - places limited. | 21 Aug | 9:30am - 1:30pm |
| Airways Aviation's Pilot Training Workshop The Gold Coast Academy has three options available for their upcoming 2-hour workshops where potential pilots can learn more about aviation and how to gain their pilot licence. | 24 Aug, 22 Sept, or 24 Nov | 5 - 7pm |
| GC Trades College Try-A-Trade Experience Expressions of interest are now open for Years 9-11 students who would like to participate in the 'try-a-trade' program at Gold Coast Trades College. For four Wednesdays in Term 4, students will enjoy a hands-on trade experience, without using their VETiS funding. | Term 4 | 8am - 2pm |
[Click the university name for more information. Please check the relevant university websites for updated information on changes to these events, or the virtual Open Days now available, due to COVID lockdowns]
[view the links below for more about school-based traineeships available for Year 10 and 11 students]
See all upcoming virtual information sessions...
The 'Where to Next' Hub is available on CareersEvent.com, and provides an informative Careers Hub for senior students and their parents. Visit the hub for access to tertiary webinars, upcoming events and the latest news on careers and courses.
For a full list of events or to register for the King's Careers Newsletter, visit King’s College Careers.
Tips for Career Planning with your Child Career Conversations with your ChildDid you know that King's have a range of vibrant Instagram accounts showcasing many exciting aspects of our school life? We have pages for our art and sports departments and our central College page: @kings_christian_college. We'd love you to follow us to support our students and see what's happening behind the scenes at King's...
