Illalong Newsletter - 14 July 2023 | A.B. Paterson College

College Musical - Legally Blonde

The screenplay of Legally Blonde carries several important underlying messages that are relevant for us all. The story revolves around Elle Woods, a young woman initially seen as a ditzy 'sorority girl', but who ultimately proves herself to be intelligent and capable.

At its core, Legally Blonde is a story about empowerment, perseverance, and breaking down stereotypes. The protagonist, Elle Woods, starts off as a shallow and materialistic character, but over the course of the play, proves that she is much more than meets the eye. She is a strong and determined young woman who refuses to be defined by anyone else’s opinion of her!

The damaging effects of stereotypes and preconceptions are vividly illustrated as Elle is belittled by her peers, but rather than succumbing to these biases, Elle rises above them and proves that she is just as capable and intelligent as anyone else.

Across the course of the screenplay, Elle finds allies and friends in unexpected places, and these relationships give her the strength and courage to pursue her goals. The play emphasizes the importance of uplifting and empowering other women, rather than tearing them down or competing against them. Despite facing numerous challenges and obstacles, Elle does not give up on her dream of becoming a lawyer. She works hard, studies diligently, and ultimately succeeds in achieving her goals.

In all of these ways, Legally Blonde is a powerful reminder of the importance of perseverance, self-confidence, and the fight against stereotypes.

The entire cast and crew of students and staff have put in countless hours of hard work and dedication to bring this story to life.

Sharyn Walker-Joyce | Head of The Arts

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Camp

During the last week of the school holidays seven students took part in a Duke of Edinburgh Camp in Girraween National Park 4-7 July.

They were taking part in their Gold Expedition Adventurous Journey as part of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award Scheme. Five were taking part in a Qualifying camp and two as part of a Practice camp. Students planned to stay at various destinations along the route for three nights and four days, completing detailed navigation plans to guide them through the beautiful landscape.

Unlike other national parks in Queensland previously explored by A.B. Paterson College Duke of Edinburgh’s students such as Springbrook and Lamington, Girraween National Park replaces rainforests with rocks, making it a distinctly different experience for all students and staff involved. Girraween National Park is an area of the Granite Belt in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, approximately three and a half hours drive from the Gold Coast.

Other important components of the camp experience required that students arrange and cook their own nutritional meals and organise equipment and tent groups. The highlights for the group whilst exploring Girraween were the numerous spectacular rock features scattered amongst the landscape. Giant, gravity-defying granite formations which rise out of the earth, carved into the landscape over tens millions of years thanks to wind, water and ice.

Highlights included seeing the Sphinx, Turtle Rock and Bald Rock formations. The weather for the four days of the camp was very challenging with heavy rain on the first day and intermittent showers for the remainder of the camp. It was also very cold at night with temperatures heading towards minus figures. Creating an open fire on the second night was most welcome.

The students were accompanied by Head of Outdoor Education, Mr Andrew Sole and Year 6 teacher, Miss Kelly Harker.

Andrew Sole | Head of Outdoor Education

CLICK HERE to watch a video of the camp.

News from our Year 6 Winton Camp

Winton 2023 is officially underway!

Our Year 6 students and teachers departed a very cold A.B. Paterson College before sunrise on Tuesday morning, marking the official start to their nine-day adventure through outback Queensland.

The excitement was palpable, the air buzzing with a mix of nerves and anticipation of the days to come!

This Year 6 camp has become a highlight in the school calendar, as students learn our cultural heritage, the very essence upon which our College was founded.

We encourage our College community to stay connected with their journey, as we share updates, photos and highlights, allowing you to catch a glimpse of our student's adventures.

Day 1 saw our intrepid Year 6 travellers journey more than 800 kilometres, following an early departure from the College on Tuesday morning.

Students stretched their legs in Dalby for morning tea before settling back into the buses, entertaining themselves with card games, music and naps to make up for the early start.

After refuelling with lunch in Miles, and a pitstop in Roma, they visited the Charleville Bilby Experience for the afternoon.

Students enjoyed an engaging talk about the iconic Australian marsupial, explored the nocturnal house and browsed souvenirs in the gift shop.

That evening, they arrived safely at the Charleville Showgrounds for their first sleep and some chilly overnight temperatures!

Our Year 6s may be tired, but luckily their beanies appear to double as a sleeping mask!

Day 2 - Winton Camp 2023

Another early rise for our Year 6 campers!

Lots of tired faces departed Charleville on Wednesday morning, en route to the rural town of Barcaldine.

In Barcaldine, our students delved into the history of the township and learned about the Great Shearer's Strike of 1891. They had the opportunity to visit the Tree of Knowledge, a ghost gum which stands outside the Railway Station, and lives on as a powerful symbol of the strike and subsequent labour movement.

After a final leg in the afternoon, students arrived in Longreach and eagerly embarked on setting up their tents, which undoubtedly tested their teamwork and coordination!

Everyone ended the night on a high watching the spectacular Qantas Luminescent Show, a night time light and sound experience.

They also had a very special reason to celebrate as one of our students, Oliver Hart, turned twelve! Happy Birthday, Oliver!

Day 3 - Winton Camp 2023

Our Year 6 students had a busy itinerary exploring some of Longreach's greatest destinations, visiting the Qantas Founders Museum and Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.

Students learned the story of Australia's national airline and toured incredible life-size exhibits, artefacts and interactive displays.

At the Stockman's Hall of Fame, they discovered the history behind Australia's bravest and most intrepid explorers. Students eagerly plugged in to the self-guided audio tour while browsing the iconic heritage institution, paying tribute to our pioneers.

Day 3 also saw our adventurers enjoy a true Aussie outback experience with a visit to Camden Park Station!

Students explored the 18,000-acre working sheep and cattle station, prepared a traditional camp fire meal and ended the night with star and planet gazing.

What a wonderful trip they're having!

News from our Banjo's Science Club

In Term 2, the UQ Science Ambassadors in Banjo’s Science Club, explored two fascinating topics: crystal growing and titration.

These experiments not only provide a hands-on experience, but also have numerous applications in our everyday lives.

Crystal growing is a visually appealing activity that allows us to witness the process of crystallization. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, crystal growing has several practical applications in various fields like material science, pharmaceutical industry, and chemical research.

Titration is a versatile technique that finds applications in many areas of our everyday lives. In medicine, titration is used to determine the concentration of drugs and ensure accurate dosing which is crucial for treatment and patient safety. Titration can also be used for environmental analysis and the food and beverage industry.

While titration is a powerful technique, it can present challenges that require careful attention to detail. One of the key challenges in titration is accurately detecting the endpoint of the reaction, which in this case was determined by a colour change. Achieving precise and accurate results in titration can be extremely challenging and so practicing good technique is the key to producing accurate results.

Over lunch hours and after school, the UQ Science Ambassadors and other interested students worked at developing key skills and technical knowledge, but also developing and applying various character strengths. Embracing a mindset focused on learning, improvement, and resilience allowed participants to see mistakes as opportunities for growth and to persist in the pursuit of excellence.

By understanding the applications of crystal growing and titration, we can appreciate their significance in everyday life. These experiments not only expand our scientific knowledge but also contribute to advancements in technology, healthcare, and environmental protection.

Term 2 culminated with the judging of the crystals from the Banjo’s Science Club Crystal Growing Competition. We are delighted to announce the prize winners of this competition: Jake Wallace (Year 10), Saanvi Sriram (Year 10) and Nicole Hu (Year 11).

For the RACI Titration Competition, the following students received participation awards: Felix Chen, Alexander Readshaw, Turab Shaw, Zara Khan, Zara Khan, Jonas Longhurst, Cate Ellwood, Vipasha Rajkumar, Beth Roberts, James Beh, Alistair Hughes.

Some notable achievements are Nicole Hu and Jacob Lahood achieving Credits and Eden Knopke achieving a High Distinction.

These engaging practicals would not happen without the care and commitment of our lab technicians, Mrs Nisha Dayaram and Ms Elizabeth Lee. Whilst assisting with the musical costumes last term, Ms Elizabeth Lee also was making solutions to an exact concentration as well as organising and setting up equipment so that activities and competitions could run smoothly for all students.

This term the UQ Science Ambassadors will be running weekly STEM related challenges to test everyone’s creative thinking and problem-solving skills and have some fun.

Robyn Dewar | Science Teacher

2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge

The 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is underway at A.B. Paterson College.

The PRC is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, between 8 May to 25 August. The reader record form for students to record the number of books they have read can be found in our libraries or online at:

https://readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au/register/Documents/non-state-school-reader-record-form.pdf

To complete the challenge:

Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books
Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books
Years 5 to 9 must read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2023 challenge is to encourage students to make time to read.

Key Dates	Activity
8 May to 25 August	Reading period for Prep to Year 9 students
28 August	Student reader record forms submitted to teacher
30 October to 10 November	Premier's Reading Challenge celebration weeks

For suggested books or for more information about the PRC, please visit: readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au or contact our Library Team in our space or at librarystaff@abpat.qld.edu.au.

Every student who completes the challenge and returns the completed record reader form and consent form, will receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier. We look forward to seeing as many of our students as possible take part in the 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Consent form and third-party providers for the Certificate of Achievement

This section is to inform you about how the department will use, record and disclose you and your child’s personal information. The department, as the PRC organiser, often works with third-party providers which may involve disclosing personal information to those parties.

Due to the high volume of reader entrants in the PRC, the department utilises a third-party organisation (Median Technologies Pty Ltd) for collecting the reader entries, printing the individualised certificates and mailing them to schools.

The department needs to receive consent in writing before it uses or discloses an individual’s personal information or materials to a third-party organisation.

By completing and returning the reader record form and the signed consent form to us, you agree to your child/children participating in the PRC and their personal information (their first and last names, year level, class name and school name) to be collected, used and disclosed by the department for the purposes of registration of their entry in the PRC, and printing and issuing a Certificate of Achievement to your child. This information is collected and disclosed to Median Technologies and held for a period of one (1) year in their online database (https://prc.median.com.au) which is based in Australia (using local Microsoft Azure Cloud Services). Any data held by Median Technologies is deleted within one (1) year after the PRC is completed.

Duration of consent

The consent lasts for one year. If you wish the department to update or remove your child’s/children’s data before one year has expired, you can contact reading.challenge@qed.qld.gov.au or call 07 3328 6628. For more information, please see section 3 of the consent form, our Terms and Conditions at https://readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au/how-to-register/terms-and-conditions and our Data Collection Notice available at http://prc.median.com.au.

We look forward to seeing a large number of A.B. Paterson College students from Prep to Year 9 receiving this prestigious certificate, signed by the Premier of Queensland!

Happy Reading!

The Library Team