Illalong Newsletter - 9 September 2022

Year 10 Semi Formal

The months leading up to the Semi-Formal were filled with excitement as the whole cohort anxiously waited for this special night. After some inclement weather and a couple of last-minute set-up changes, the big night took place and it was the perfect way to end the Year 10 exam block. Semi-Formal was definitely a night to remember as everyone’s outfits were stunning. The evening was a chance to dress up and spend a night with their friends which was very exciting however, they could never have anticipated the amount of fun Semi-Formal was actually going to be.

A walk down the red carpet and through the arch way welcomed the students as they arrived. This year we had the wonderful opportunity for parents and guardians to join us on the Maths block balcony for a refreshment prior to seeing their child enter. As the festivities got under way, they raced to the photobooth and initially, hesitantly to the dance floor, but then there was an avalanche of excited dancers when some old favourites pulled the crowd in. The photobooth was an ongoing hit throughout the evening; everyone wanted to have their share of the fun and time in the spotlight. Many of the students left with stacks of photos and a collection of unforgettable memories. Meanwhile, they danced the night away on the dance floor.

Semi-Formal was a night to remember, which would not have been possible if it weren’t for the amazing people coordinating the event. I would like to give a special thank you to Anika Khawaja – College Leader Interact, Will Piddington – Vice Captain Interact – and the Year 12 volunteers who made the Semi-Formal fun for everyone. A very big thank you to the staff who took the time out of their weekend to make this evening so very magical. And of course, a big thank you to the Class of 2024 for creating a night full of everlasting memories.

Simon Edgar | Acting Head of Senior School

Year 5 Leadership Camp

Our A.B. Paterson College Year 5 students have thoroughly enjoyed their time at the Bornhoffen Leadership Camp, strengthening their skills as they soon progress to the leaders of Junior School.

We look forward to welcoming back to campus our Year 5 students from their first ever A.B. camp at 2:30pm this afternoon, and sharing in all of your adventures.

Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge – Round 2

This week, a group of Year 5 and 6 students competed in the second round of CSIRO’s Digital Careers: Bebras Australia Challenge. Bebras is an international initiative aimed at promoting Informatics and Computational Thinking amongst students.

In Australia, the Bebras Challenge takes place in March and August-September each year. Students have 45 minutes to complete the Bebras Challenge. Each challenge comprises of 15 questions where students work towards an accumulative score resulting in certificates and possible inclusion on an international honour roll. Some students worked on the Challenge individually and others in groups. Collaboration is a key aspect of Computational Thinking and can be of benefit to results.

As the second round closes this weekend, we hope to share the students’ result early next term. CLICK HERE if you’re interested in trying out some of the questions from previous Bebras Challenges.

Test your skills and try some example questions below from the Bebras Challenge:

Beth Claydon | Head of Digital Literacy & STEAM

Years 4-6 Makerspace Term 3

This term, our Makerspace friends from Years 4-6 have been very busy as they have used their weekly sessions to focus upon robotics.

We began the term looking at Spheros and the creation of Make a Bots that cover the device and are manipulated by coding via the SpheroEDU app on the iPad. It was a great project for our students that enabled them to construct a robot from a paper cup, a straw, paper and some tape – simple! Students then designed tracks for their robots to follow. During the second half of the term, student used LEGO Education Spike Prime kits. These kits combine colourful LEGO building elements, easy-to-use hardware and intuitive coding with STEAM learning units that engage students of all levels. Everything is easily adaptable to any learning environment, making it fast and simple for students to get going and start learning.

Makerspace is a space or place where students can make, create and solve real-world problems. They are provided the opportunity to explore, create and develop their computational, systems and design thinking and use scientific, engineering, artistic and mathematical skills (STEAM – Science, Technologies, Engineering, The Arts and Mathematics) within hands‑on practical experiments and investigations.

We look forward to sharing in further Makerspace fun next term. Look out next week for information around signing up for Makerspace Term 4.

Beth Claydon | Head of Digital Literacy & STEAM

Prep to Year 3 Term 3 Makerspace – We work with our hands!

Our Prep to Year 3 Makerspace after school program gives our Prep to Year 3 students the chance to get creative and work with their hands building and creating. Being project based, we develop our fine motor skills while exploring the concepts of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths. We worked to create 7 different projects, each week of the Term 3 program.

The term started off by making structural towers with paddle pop sticks and clothes pins. At first glance students thought this would be a simple task, but as we got to work, we learned it was tricker than we had imagined. The project developed our engineering and mathematical S.T.E.A.M. skills – along with self-regulation.

In our second week we got our bounce on – creating yo-yos from balloons, rice and rubber bands. We had to create different solutions for getting the rice in the balloon and once we did this acted as the weight for our yo-yo. We also discovered that different length rubber bands allowed our yo-yos to work in different ways.

We also made catapults from paddle pop sticks and elastic bands. Students got creative adding different elements to their projects to get an action-packed fling. Soon enough mini marshmallows and pom poms where being catapulted throughout our Gumnut garden.

In honour of Science Week, students made slime as clear as glass – as the theme of Science Week was Glass - More than Meets the Eye. As always, slime making brings joy to our students – and fear to our families at pick up time. Along with a science project – this slime making was also a social study to see if parents were willing to keep the slime in the house for the needed 5 days to allow it to turn clear. Reports from students have been positive!

While slime might not be our families’ fan favourite – using the Oculus VR googles certainly is! Both students and parents enjoyed getting a turn in a virtual reality, playing ‘Beat Saber’. During this lesson, students also go the opportunity to use the new iPads that have been purchased in Junior School. It was incredible to see how quickly our young students learned to use the app, Puppet Pal – and were bringing their own stories to life.

Father’s Day was this term – so we celebrated the men in our lives by creating personalised Father’s Day puzzles. Special messages were created on the puzzles and then they were broken up and put into lovely little bags to give as gifts. We hope time was spend putting the puzzles of love back together.

We always end our Makerspace program by making ice cream and discussing the Science behind this. The delicious final project is created with basic ingredients, plastic bags and kid-power. As this is a definite outdoor activity and the temperatures have still remained cool at the end of Term 3, our students braved cold fingers to make beautiful ice cream. They soon forgot about the cold as they were adding sauces and sweets to their creations. Families were met with sticky smiles (and uniforms) at pick up time!

Again, this term we must appreciate our ‘Green Jackets’ who continue to help allow our program to be as meaningful as it is for our younger students. The program has Senior School student volunteers, who help manage the program and work with our youngest Makerspace students to aide them and give advice with their projects and creations. They are extraordinary in their love and support of both our projects and our students.

We have a new group of Makerspace students beginning our Term 4 program. Our Year 2 and Year 3 Makerspace students meet on Wednesday afternoons in the Lilly Pilly Learning Centre and our Prep and Year 1 students meet on Thursday afternoons in the Lilly Pilly Learning Centre. While our Prep to Year 1 program is already full for Term 4, there are still some spaces available for Year 2 and Year 3. If you are interested in registering your child, please contact Stephanne Siberry at ssiberry@abpat.qld.edu

Happy Creating!

Stephanne Siberry | Head of Library Services

Years 1-2 Poetry Competition

Our Years 1-2 Poetry Competition finalists all performed magnificently. Mrs Anne Wood, Head of Faculty – English at A.B. Paterson College, praised the finalists for their voice projection, pace, rhythm, intonation, hand gestures and eye contact.

The students captivated the audience with their rich collection of poems delivered with passion and emotion. It is extraordinary to know that these students are in Years 1 and 2.

The judges had a difficult time deciding on the winners but they are all winners in our eyes.

Sara Bakanay | Acting Head of Junior School

Years 5 & 6 Poetry Competition

Robert Frost famously said “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and thought has found words”.

Well our Year 5-6 Poetry Competition finalists certainly took the audience on an emotional and thought provoking journey with their recited words.

A number of the poems heartfeltly performed, were written by our college namesake, Andrew Banjo Paterson. The students in the Own Verse category delivered enlightened poems which dealt with current and urgent global issues; challenging the audience with their insightful message.

Thank you to our College staff who have instilled a love of poetry in our students.

Thank you to the judges for adjudicating the competition. It could not have been as easy task with all the outstanding finalists.

Congratulations to all our finalists and well done to the winners in each category.

The art of poetry is thriving at A.B. Paterson College!

Sara Bakanay |Acting Head of Junior School

F.A.B. Father's Day Stall & BBQ

It is that time of year again where we get to say thank you to our wonderful A.B. Dads. Joy and excitement filled the air as students picked out the perfect gift for their dad at the FAB Father’s Day stalls. From keyrings to funky socks, our wonderful dads were in for a treat! So much love and care were taken into picking that perfect something and we hope you all loved your special gifts.

Our attention quickly turned to the Father’s Day BBQ which was held on Thursday afternoon. We hoped that everyone was hungry as the BBQ was raring to go! The air was quickly filled with laughter as our dads raced around the oval, competing in games and activities organised by the Interact Club. It looked like everyone had a great time and we thank you for your involvement.

None of these events can take place without the continued support and assistance of our wonderful A.B. Paterson College community. Thank you to the following parent volunteers who assisted us in creating some magical moments:

Joanna Duggan, Richard Nixon, Kristy Bracehan, Kristen Randal, Nancy Zhang, Juliette Segui, Kerry Jensen, Zoe Garnett-Lepellar, Donna Vanes, Belinda Enger, Tamara Karabetsos, Fabienne Tillot, Naomi Favero, Abbey Lawless, Donna Ballantyne, Beenu Bhatt and Andrea Bambrick.

Also thank you to our wonderful Senior School students who assisted at the stalls and the Interact Club for the wonderful activities!

We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend with their families celebrating the special people in our lives.

Kristin Higgins | FAB Deputy Chair