4
Let’s start with a joke. What did the standardized test say to the Culture of Thinking teacher when it encountered something it didn’t understand? Sorry, I just don’t have the disposition for this. Hilarious! O.K. maybe a bit obscure… to explain- Standardized Test refers to a test like NAPLAN that seeks out ‘right’ answers. Disposition refers, not just to a general tendency but, in Culture of Thinking terms, to the specific tendency to use higher order thinking to ‘explore a range of possible answers’. Replace ‘disposition’ with ‘higher order thinking’, and the double meaning becomes clearer. Actually it’s not so funny when you think about it. It raises the serious question- what lessons from school do we want our children to remember as adults? Here in the GLC we want our students to “be equipped with the thinking skills and dispositions to thrive in an age where facts are free and it is what we do with knowledge that counts.” (Simon Brooks, Masada College) Projects that investigate ways children learn, that go further than standardized scores and certificates, and that place ‘thinking’ at the centre of learning, have been a feature of the collaborative activities of the seven GLC schools. One of these, The GLC Culture of Thinking Project, began in 2008 with a visit by Harvard University's Dr Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church as keynote speakers at a full day conference for all GLC staff. In the subsequent five years GLC staff, individually and in some cases a whole schools, have developed their knowledge and skills to develop a vibrant culture of thinking in their classrooms i.e. classroom environments in which thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the day-to-day experience for students. The Gateway Learning Community is Balmoral State High School, Bulimba State School, Cannon Hill State School, Morningside State School, Murarrie State School, Norman Park State School and Seven Hills State School. ISSUE 36 APRIL 2013 Staff from seven local state schools, located between the Bulimba reach of the Brisbane River and the Gateway bridges, first met together in 2002 to explore the strategic possibility of formally working together and with the wider community as a learning community, the Gateway Learning Community (GLC), to build the schools’ collective capacity and, in doing so, improve educational opportunities for the now 2800 students. Our GLC schools realized that to be a vibrant and viable local hub of learning in the 21st century we needed to break down traditional ’school fence’ boundaries, work smarter and utilize the power of community interconnectedness. Over the past 11 years, there have been many, many collaborative projects, events and networks driven by our passionate Principals, staff, parents and students which have fulfilled the mission of the GLC, and which have been recorded and celebrated in word and photo in this quarterly GLC newsletter. Now, here we are in 2013 producing the 36th issue! As you browse through the pages please note the wonderful advertising sponsors, several of whom have been advertising here since the beginning. They, along with our graphic design and publishing partners, Jackie Cann and John Harrison from MakeArtWork, make the publication of this colour broadsheet possible. We thank them for their continued support. Above - Thankyou Emily from Yr 2 at Norman Park SS for being the model for this profile photo. Thankyou also to the Yr 4 student at Norman Park SS for the use of your wonderful art work showing us your thinking about what is important to you. Left - The GLC would like to thank Caitlin for her wonderful work for us. The GLC also thanks the Culture of Thinking Champions Group who organised the day. They are pictured here. From left - Yvette O’Connor - Norman Park SS, Valerie Rogers - Seven Hills SS, Mary Stumchke - Norman Park SS, Caitlin Faiman - Guest Presenter, Joy Pohlner - Cannon Hill SS, Chris Ling - Principal Cannon Hill SS, Antonia Stewart - Morningside SS, Rebecca Ramsden- Bulimba SS and Karen Renz - Bulimba SS. On 24 Jan 2013, the GLC Culture of Thinking Champions, our school leaders in the Culture of Thinking Project, staged a one day professional development conference for their fellow GLC staff to build upon prior learning about a Culture of Thinking and move teachers further along the expert path. To this effect the Champions arranged for Caitlin Faiman, Head of The Rosenkranz Centre for Excellence and Achievement at Bialik College in Melbourne to address first 167 GLC staff, and then work with a smaller group of 35 GLC school leaders. Caitlin has been involved in the Culture of Thinking Project at Bialik College since its inception in 2005. She has conducted workshops and presentations at numerous schools and conferences including the annual national ‘Culture of Thinking’ conference hosted by Bialik College. Several GLC staff, having attended the conference in the past, were inspired by Caitlin and very keen to learn more from the experience of an actual practicing teacher at Bialik College. Caitlin’s presentations were insightful. She provoked and challenged, as well as encouraged. She provided the GLC with a road map for our school leaders, our Champions and staff, to continue to build a culture in which higher order thinking is at the front and centre of learning in every GLC classroom. Left - Students experimenting with the properties of colour and shape at Seven Hills SS. The GLC turning classrooms into cultures of thinking Above - Concentrating hard to develop writing skills at Morningside SS. Left - A group investigation underway at Norman Park SS Above - Bulimba SS Prep students Lucas, Lauren, Anagha and Harvey thinking about light and shadow in preparation for a Shadow Puppet Workshop they attended at the Ipswich Art Gallery. Below - Guest presenter Caitlin Faiman addresses GLC delegates at a GLC Culture of Thinking Project Professional Development session on 24 January 2013. Above - Rebecca, Marmeau, Tom, Eli and Rohan from Cannon Hill SS pictured here using a Culture of Thinking routine- See, Think, Wonder- to generate ideas for their clay modelling art works. Above - A Morningside SS Prep student pictured here discovering lots of things about plants and soil. Above - Key teachers from each GLC school meet regularly as Culture of Thinking Champions, leaders of the project within their schools. As a network they plan and host several Professional Development opportunities across the year for GLC staff with the aim of building expertise in Culture of Thinking theory and practice. Pictured here in progress is the March Induction Session for New GLC staff which was held at Norman Park SS. GLC website: www.learningplace.com.au/sc/gbr/glc Many thanks to PRBM Office Supplies for subsidizing the cost of stationery for our Culture of Thinking PD event on 24 January.

GLC Newsletter April 2013

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The newsletter of the Gateway Learning Community celebrating the successes of the seven state school's collaborative projects and events.

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Page 1: GLC Newsletter April 2013

Gateway Learning Communityc/o Balmoral State High SchoolThynne Road, Morningside, Qld 4170P.O.Box 120, Morningside, Qld 4170Phone & Fax: 07 3399 6821

GLC website: www.learningplace.com.au/sc/gbr/glc

Making Numeracy CountOver the two years 2011 to 2012, 40 GLC teachers participated in a professional development research projectfocussing on an aspect of numeracy called proportional reasoning, run by a team of University of Queenslandacademics and funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). The formal aspects of the funded projecthave been completed but the drive to ensure that proportional reasoning is explicitly taught in GLC schools, notjust in Mathematics classes but all across the curriculum, continues. One of the UQ researchers, Associate ProfessorShelley Dole, in the 25 January 2013 edition of Education Views,explains the importance of proportional reasoning this way-

“Numeracy is a topic that features prominently in discussionsabout education and school outcomes, and strong calls havebeen made for a 'back to basics' approach to numeracy. However, being numerate is more than knowing your tables andbeing able to do sums. Numeracy is about being able to applymathematics knowledge as needed in everyday life. It includesmental computation and estimation and being comfortablearound numerical information.

One basic but less obvious aspect of numeracy is proportionalreasoning. Many real-world situations require proportional reasoning, or working out relative amounts:

Which is the better buy if 1kg costs $3.50 and 1.5kg costs $4?

How long will it take to get somewhere when travelling at different speeds?

Is 4c per litre always better than a 5 per cent discount on your petrol bill? Draw me a 'mud map' of the path from your house to my house.”

Shelley explains that the ARC project “explored students' proportional reasoning capacity and has found accelerated growthas a result of a focus on proportional reasoning in the classroom.Teachers have reported students' greater capacity to recognise situations of comparison in relative terms and hence improved numeracy outcomes.”

Throughout the project, the researchers demonstrated how simple materials could be used actively and creatively with students from Yr 4 through to Yr 9 to demonstrate complexmathematical concepts associated with proportional reasoning.

Participants trialled these and their own approaches in the classroom and measured student progress along the way.

As a final summation, and to bring together the various project groups, the research team staged a conferenceon 16 February this year at the University of Queensland, which several Principals and teachers from the GLCproject were able to attend.

The GLC would like to thank our University of Queensland partners-Prof. Marilyn Goos, Dr. Geoff Hilton, Dr Annette Hilton and Assoc. Prof. Shelley Dole - for their inspiringworkshops and dedicated researchfor the improvement of numeracylearning.

Animated worldsThe age difference may have been five or six years but, throughthe universal medium of animation, students from Yrs 3 and 4at Seven Hills SS and Yrs 11 and 12 at Balmoral SHS found acommon voice.

It all came about when a teacher at Seven Hills SS, SusanMcKinnon, contacted Balmoral SHS in the hope of tapping intothe computer skills of high school students to ‘animate’ paintings, drawings and audio tapes her students had created asself portraits and on the theme ‘The world that we choose’.

Balmoral SHS teacher Rhona Page and her Yr 11/12 class tookup the challenge. Each high school student was linked with oneprimary student’s work. They photographed, hand coloured and

then combined all the raw elements into short film animations, making the mouths of each self portrait move, synchronised with the speech, and with the elements of that student’s themed painting ebbing and flowing withinthe screen. The effect was to transport the viewer into an imaginary animated world that communicated the social message of the art and audio in a clear and powerful way.

The primary students met their co-creators when they visited Balmoral SHS on 12 November last year for the ‘premiere’ viewing of ‘The world that we choose’. As each student’s animation was screened came a delightedmoment of recognition and amazement at how the ‘magic’ of animation had ‘brought to life’ their artworks.

All who attended were moved bythe artistry, technique and messageof this collaborative work.

Thank you and congratulationsto Susan, Rhona and all the students for your dedication to this very successful across GLC schools’ project.

GLC NEWSLETTEREditor: Cherry Van RytEmail: [email protected]/Fax: 3399 6821or 0407 972 242

Aspley3863 2688

Newmarket3352 7088

Chermside3350 2288

Bulimba3399 2388

Above and below - Allison Crane, Principal of BalmoralSHS and Michael Zeuschner, Principal of Bulimba SS, accept Certificates of Acknowledgment from UQ researcher Shelley Dole for their schools’ involvement in the ARC Numeracy Project.

Above - A view of a presentation at the Australian Research Council (ARC) linked “Proportional Reasoning as a Key to Numeracy Across the Curriculum” Project Conference held on 16 February at the University of Queensland.

Above - Balmoral SHS teacher Rhona Page shows the visiting primary students from Seven Hills the techniques and how much work goes into putting together an animation. The young students were enthralled by the process and grateful to their high school buddies for converting theirart works and dialogue into such creative sequences.

Below - A scene from the ‘premiere’ viewing of the animation project between Balmoral SHS Yr 11 and 12students and the Year 4/3Mc students of Seven Hills SS.

Let’s start with a joke.

What did the standardized test say to the Culture of Thinking teacher when it encountered something it didn’t understand? Sorry, I just don’t have the disposition for this.

Hilarious! O.K. maybe a bit obscure… to explain-

Standardized Test refers to a test like NAPLAN that seeks out ‘right’ answers. Disposition refers, not just to a general tendency but, in Culture of Thinking terms,to the specific tendency to use higher order thinking to ‘explore a range of possible answers’.

Replace ‘disposition’ with ‘higher order thinking’, and the double meaningbecomes clearer.

Actually it’s not so funny when you think about it. It raises the serious question-what lessons from school do we want our children to remember as adults?

Here in the GLC we want our students to “be equipped with the thinking skillsand dispositions to thrive in an age where facts are free and it is what we do withknowledge that counts.” (Simon Brooks, Masada College)

Projects that investigate ways children learn, that go further than standardizedscores and certificates, and that place ‘thinking’ at the centre of learning, havebeen a feature of the collaborative activities of the seven GLC schools.

One of these, The GLC Culture of Thinking Project, began in 2008with a visit by Harvard University's Dr Ron Ritchhart and MarkChurch as keynote speakers at a full day conference for all GLCstaff. In the subsequent five years GLC staff, individually and insome cases a whole schools, have developed their knowledgeand skills to develop a vibrant culture of thinking in their classrooms i.e. classroom environments in which thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the day-to-dayexperience for students.

The Gateway Learning Community is Balmoral State High School, Bulimba State School, Cannon Hill State School, Morningside State School, Murarrie State School, Norman Park State School and Seven Hills State School.

I SSUE 36 APR IL 2013

Staff from seven local state schools, located between the Bulimba reach of the Brisbane River and the Gateway bridges, first met together in 2002 to explore the strategic possibility of formally working together and with the wider community as a learning community, the Gateway Learning Community (GLC), to build the schools’ collective capacity and, in doing so, improve educational opportunities for the now 2800 students. Our GLC schools realized that to be a vibrant and viable local hub of learning in the 21st century we needed to break down traditional ’school fence’boundaries, work smarter and utilize the power of community interconnectedness.

Over the past 11 years, there have been many, many collaborative projects, events and networks driven by our passionate Principals, staff, parentsand students which have fulfilled the mission of the GLC, and which have been recorded and celebrated in word and photo in this quarterly GLCnewsletter. Now, here we are in 2013 producing the 36th issue!

As you browse through the pages please note the wonderful advertising sponsors, several of whom have been advertising here since the beginning. They, along with our graphic design and publishing partners, Jackie Cann and John Harrison from MakeArtWork, make the publication of this colour broadsheet possible. We thank them for their continued support.

Above - Thankyou Emily from Yr 2 at Norman Park SS for being the model for this profile photo. Thankyou also to the Yr 4 student at Norman Park SS for the use of your wonderful art work showing us your thinking about what is important to you.

Left - The GLC would like to thank Caitlin for her wonderful work for us. The GLC also thanks the Culture of Thinking Champions Group who organised the day. They are pictured here. From left - Yvette O’Connor - Norman Park SS, Valerie Rogers - Seven Hills SS, Mary Stumchke - Norman Park SS,Caitlin Faiman - Guest Presenter, Joy Pohlner - Cannon Hill SS,Chris Ling - Principal Cannon Hill SS, Antonia Stewart - Morningside SS, Rebecca Ramsden- Bulimba SS and Karen Renz - Bulimba SS.

On 24 Jan 2013, the GLC Culture of Thinking Champions, our school leaders in the Culture of Thinking Project, staged a one day professional development conference for their fellow GLC staff tobuild upon prior learning about a Culture of Thinking and moveteachers further along the expert path.

To this effect the Champions arranged for Caitlin Faiman, Headof The Rosenkranz Centre for Excellence and Achievement atBialik College in Melbourne to address first 167 GLC staff, andthen work with a smaller group of 35 GLC school leaders.

Caitlin has been involved in the Culture of Thinking Project at Bialik College since its inception in 2005.

She has conducted workshops and presentations at numerous schools and conferences including the annual national‘Culture of Thinking’ conference hosted by Bialik College.

Several GLC staff, having attended the conference in the past, were inspired by Caitlin and very keen to learn more from the experience of an actual practicing teacher at Bialik College.

Caitlin’s presentations were insightful. She provoked and challenged, as well as encouraged. She provided the GLC with

a road map for our school leaders, our Champions and staff, to continue to build a culture in which higher order thinking is at the front and centre of learning in every GLC classroom.

Pink lady applesCannellini beansCeleryWalnut oil &

walnut piecesElephant garlicFresh herbs… sage &

sweet paprikaFennel bulbsBaby gingerWatercressProsciutto crudo

Home Loans • Personal Loans Credit Cards • Insurance

682 Wynnum Road, Morningside QLD 4170Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0413 977 536

www.facebook.com/AussieHomeLoansMorningside

Left - Students experimenting with the propertiesof colour and shape at Seven Hills SS.

The GLC turning classrooms into cultures of thinking

Above - Concentratinghard to develop writingskills at Morningside SS.

Left - A group investigation underway at Norman Park SS

Above - Bulimba SS Prep students Lucas, Lauren, Anagha and Harvey thinking aboutlight and shadow inpreparation for a

Shadow PuppetWorkshop they attended at the

Ipswich Art Gallery.

Below - Guest presenter Caitlin Faiman addresses GLC delegates at a GLC Cultureof Thinking Project Professional Development session on 24 January 2013.

Ingredients for Sara B’s New recipes

Above - Rebecca, Marmeau, Tom, Eli andRohan from Cannon Hill SS pictured hereusing a Culture of Thinking routine-

See, Think, Wonder- to generate ideas for their clay modelling art works.

Above - A Morningside SSPrep student pictured here discovering lots ofthings about plantsand soil.

Above - Key teachers from each GLC school meet regularlyas Culture of Thinking Champions, leaders of the projectwithin their schools. As a network they plan and hostseveral Professional Development opportunities acrossthe year for GLC staff with the aim of building expertisein Culture of Thinking theory and practice.

Pictured here in progress is the March Induction Sessionfor New GLC staff which was held at Norman Park SS.

Doggy Day Care Centre

New Pet Boutique

Visit Pets at Home

Professional Dog Walkers

OPEN SATURDAY MORNINGS

GLC website: www.learningplace.com.au/sc/gbr/glc

Many thanks to PRBM Office Supplies for subsidizing the cost of stationery for our Culture of Thinking PD event on 24 January.

InvitationEach weekend during July is an opportunity to taste and buy aged, special release and back vintage wines at cellar doors across the region.

Follow wine trails, attend very special events, long lunches and delicious degustation dinners with rare aged museum wines.

Visit www.coonawarra.org for a full program of events or follow us on

Page 2: GLC Newsletter April 2013

Although usually considered an indoor sport, the game of Futsal can be successfully played outdoors, as was the case at the GLC Futsal Carnival held on Friday 22 March at the StateHockey Centre at Colmslie.

Twenty two GLC teams from three GLC schools- Cannon Hill SS, Seven Hills SS and Morningside SS- took over the two astro-turf fields, grandstand and surroundsat Colmslie for a day to participate in a round robin competition across three divisions- Junior Boys, Senior Boys and Senior Girls. The events was full of firstsfor many of the around 160 students. Their first competitive game of Futsal;their first visit to the State Hockey Centre and the first time they have had theopportunity to play on a synthetic, astro-turf, oval surface.

Games were played continuously, on the half hour, with refereeing supplied byBalmoral SHS Sport and Recreation students and cheering supplied by enthusiastic team mates in the grandstand.

Local Sport and Recreation Officer Daryl Francey, who is based at the StateHockey Centre, assisted the GLC access these state of the art facilities as wellas preparing the draw, scoring and acting as a ground official across the day.

Balmoral SHS also co-hosted this event, with PE teacher Dan Nightingale andhis students providing both planning support, practical set up andMC duties on the day.

Many thanks to State Hockey Centre management, Daryl, Dan and Balmoral SHS students forall their efforts to ensure the day was ‘awesome’.

Thanks also to the PE teacher from the participating schools- Sarah Spacie at Cannon Hill SS,Sonia Gegenhuber at Seven Hills SS and Karen Powell at Morningside SS, for all the work theyput in back in the schools to organise teams, permissions, transport, coaching and supervisionfor the event.

The primary students gave it their all. Congratulations to the winners-

Junior Boys: 1st- Seven Hills 1, Tied for 2nd- Cannon Hill 3 and Seven Hills 2

Senior Boys: Tied for 1st Morningside 1 and Seven Hills 1, 2nd- Cannon Hill 2

Senior Girls: Tied for 1st- Morningside 2 andSeven Hills 1, Tied for 2nd- Morningside 1 and Seven Hills 2

This was the second sports carnival staged under the GLC banner designed to provide GLCstudents from Yrs 4 to 7 with the opportunity to participate in a competitive and fun teamsporting event and foster friendly competition and sportspersonship when interacting with

students from differentschools.

In 2007 the Federal Government introduced funding for school chaplaincy services for the firsttime. Balmoral SHS, Bulimba SS and Norman Park SS were successful in obtaining this initialfunding. Now, in 2013, two more GLC schools, Murarrie SS and Morningside SS have successfullysourced funding, bringing the number of Chaplains working in GLC schools to four.

Our GLC Chaplains are Gary Cazzulino- Balmoral SHS, Bonnie Morris- Norman Park and BulimbaSSs, Taidhg Retford- Morningside SS and Jonathan Gupta- Murarrie SS.

Our chaplains provide a much valued service that includes:

Curriculum Support including the Peer Support Program, sports coaching, school leadershipprogram, camps and in class activitiesSchool activities including school parades, lunchtime activities and programs, special needsteam, sports day and other school community activitiesCommunity/family support and partnerships including pastoral care, meeting with parents,staff and community

The GLC Chaplaincy program is managed by an across school committee of interested schooland community members, and is funded in three ways- by the Commonwealth Government

through Scripture Union Australia; by fundraising efforts organised by the committee and the schools, and with business sponsorship.

The upcoming Mother’s Day High Tea- see advertisement on this page- is the major GLC Chaplaincy Fundraiser and a much anticipated social event on the local calendar.

The GLC thanks Nick Pappas’ Downtown Toyota for continuing this yearas our major business sponsor. Nick, as a long term supporter of GLCChaplaincy, understands the value of having chaplains in schools.

Chaplains support the total school community including students, staff and parents. They significantly complement the support services provided in state schools. School families are not immune to life issues such as illness, divorce, bereavement and students being required to move schools often due to the jobtransfers of their parents. The schools have found that chaplains assist to build resilience in thechildren and their families. Key community stakeholders, including P and C Associations havecontinued to show support for the chaplaincy service within the schools.

Sponsorships and donations made towards Chaplaincy services in state schools are tax deductible. Businesses may like to sponsor our GLC chaplains on a regular monthly or quarterlybasis or via one off donations. Interested businesses who would like to know more are invitedto contact Allison Crane Principal at Balmoral SHS on 3823 8588.

A free kick for Futsal“This year there are 90 beginner band students in Yr 5 across Murarrie SS, Bulimba SS, Morningside SS and Cannon Hill SS. That's an increase of nearly45% from last year, so it is great to see so many more students getting involved.The annual Beginner Band Camp early in Term 3 will be bigger and better thanever and definitely the highlight of the year for all GLC Yr 5's.”

Instrumental Music students at Norman Park SS led by teacher Tony Bryer arerehearsing for an upcoming assembly performance, the school's Anzac Ceremony,and are rehearsing a new piece “Majestica” for the End of Semester Concert inJune. Seven Hills SS and Norman Park SS both also have junior and senior string orchestras in violin and cello conducted by Margot Flemming.

We wish all the instrumental music students, under the guidance of their dedicated instrumental music teachers, all the very best as they rehearse andpractise to reach the high standard we enjoy from their band performances.

“Queensland state schools” instrumental music program isthe most extensive in Australia and one of the largest under asingle authority in the world. It has been found that learning amusical instrument by the age of 12 will actually make a partof a child’s brain larger, in particular the left temporal region. This has been linked with a better verbal memory and vocabulary when they are adults.” Department of Educationand the Arts Senior Education Officer (The Arts) Mike Tyler.

Tuning up for Instrumental Music

Most of their day is spent at their computers and books, learning about thelatest from the Australian Curriculum.

However, thanks to a Gambling CommunityBenefit Fund grant, Murarrie SS studentsnow have a beautiful 12 seater mini-busto enable opportunities to broaden theirlearning beyond the confines of the classroom out into the real world.

This achievement evolved from a joint vision of Murarrie State School’s Principal, Mrs. Tina Gruss, and the P&C Association as a way toprovide students with real-life opportunities, and to celebrate student success with the widerlocal community. When asked what a bus means to the school, Principal Tina Gruss explained,“A new school bus provides students, staff and parents with the flexibility to explore their immediate area in a metropolitan city, to present their creative talents to the wider educationaland local community.”

The bus will certainly be used frequently and well. The Yr 7 students’ firsttrip has been on a Leadership camp to Brisbane’s Scenic Rim, providing achance to appreciate the beauty of the country as a backdrop for learningabout leadership.

As well as regular shorts trips for sport and cultural activities, later in theyear, Prep to Yr 7 students will travel to community centres around the Brisbane area to showcase the Murarrie and Vision Dancers, participate in‘real life’ shopping trips to purchase plants for their school Hedgemaze,and link with local businesses as ‘active citizens’ when they go out to purchase spare parts for push bikes. The school’s philosophy is to providethe students with an ‘all round’ education so that they leave school as welleducated individuals who are respectful of the world around them. The provision of a school-owned bus greatly assists with this goal.

The school is also willing to share the bus with other GLC schools on an availability basis. Enquiries can be directed to the Murarrie SS school office on 3908 0333.

Wheels to success

GLC Chaplaincy Hey, I am Taidhg, I have just started Chaplaincy this year at Morningside StateSchool (and also at Manly West State School)I am really enjoying being at Morningside. I have been focusing on getting to know thestaff and the students by getting around theclasses and in the playground, which hasbeen a bit daunting at times but really good. In week seven I went along to the Yr 7 Camp,which was really great fun, doing a lot of adventure activities like high ropes, archery,etc. I felt this really was beneficial to me ingetting to know the oldest year level at theschool. I would like to thank you all for your supportin this role.Bless,

TaidhgTaidhg Retford- Morningside SS Chaplain

Greetings,I havereturned to Norman Parkand Bulimba SSs for another year of Chaplaincy. We have andcontinue to build strong relationships with students, staff, and the community while showing our faith in our service

and commitment to each and every individual. Recently, the Honourable Kevin Rudd came to help announcethe new leaders of Norman Park SS. I talked to him about the importance of chaplains in the schools and what we are achieving. I will continue to speak to anyone whowants to know about the chaplain’s programs and how it affects all the students and staff in schools. Bless,

Bonnie MorrisBonnie Morris- Norman Park SS and Bulimba SS Chaplain

My name is Jonathan, I have been appointed as chaplain at Murarrie SS.I am currently studying a Bachelor of Education and I am in my final year. I have been tremendously privileged at Murarrie.I have fitted nicely into the role here and have already established true connections with staff and students. It is such a wonderful school to be apart of. I have been given a large room for the children to spend time in withloads of games and activities. I have been busy organising a fundraisingteam for SPIN OFF (spinoff.org.au) as well as a special bacon and eggsbreakfast club happening at the end of term. I will be attending the Yr 7 Leadership Camp and I am very excited to begoing. This is a great way to spend some quality time with the leaders of our school as well as dive a little deeper into what it means to be a leader.It has been a very eventful term and I am just so blessed to call Murarrie my second family. Thanks

JonathanJonathan Gupta-Murarrie SS Chaplain

Welcome to a new year. I’m here to support students, their families, staff and

the broader school community in any way that I can, from providing pastoral

care and practical support, through running camps and programs at school

like Breaky Club, and co-ordinating food for BASE, Balmoral High’s after

school study program.

Some of our plans/programs for the year include- ‘Wild at Heart’ which is a

new camping program for Yr9 boys at Balmoral. It’s a camp that builds

resilience, team work and a sense of manhood. It’s a brilliant program and

heaps of fun!

Keep an eye out for more info about Outbreak Extreme camp, a cluster camp

for Yrs 8-12 that happens in the second week of the September holidays.

It’s five days of intense activities like

tubing, laser skirmish and a physical

challenge or two. It’s a great program

so don’t miss out when the time comes.

Registrations are open online so give

me a call at Balmoral for more details.

Don’t forget our Mother’s Day High Tea,

hope to see some of you there!

Gary CazzulinoGary Cazzulino- Balmoral SHS Chaplain

Above - These Morningside SSboys got into the spirit of thecompetition cheering on theirteam mates from the vantagepoint of the main grandstand atthe State Hockey Centre.

Left- The Balmoral Band at a before-schoolrehearsal under the tutelage of KristianneWhiston.

Right - Balmoral SHS Instrumental Music and Rock Band girls pictured herehaving just participated in raft building and sailing as a team bonding exercise at the annual Balmoral Music Camp held at Kindilan Camp in February.

Above - Murarrie SS student leaders Kaleb andKelshana with the school mascot, Billy the cat, whose photo adorns the bus.

Below - Balmoral SHS students with International Women’sDay guest speakers, Sigrid Sagorski and Whitney Stacey.

Far left - Kelshana from Murarrie SS andMaliaka from Seven Hills SS place their personal mark on the group art work devised especially for International Women’s Day by Balmoral SHS art students.

Left - Kelshana from Murarrie SS, Marni and Phoebe from Bulimba SS, and Rebecca,Sinead, and Evie from Morningside SS enjoythe delicious breakfast courtesy of BalmoralSHS to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Above - Chaplain Jonathan Gupta helps Murarrie SS students pack their new school bus.

Left - Chaplain Bonnie Morris chatswith Kevin Rudd on a recentvisit by our Federal MP for Griffith to Norman Park SS

Above - Chaplain Gary Cazzulino conducting a team building activity with students from Balmoral SHS

GLC Instrumental Music Bands, examples of the proud tradition of Instrumental Music in Queensland, have made a great start to 2013, working hard at building their repertoires for manyupcoming performances. Norman Park and Seven Hills SSs run their own band programs withteachers Tony Bryer and Margot Flemming, whilst the other five GLC schools- Murarrie, Bulimba,Morningside and Cannon Hill SSs and Balmoral SHS - share one teacher, Kristianne Whiston.

The Balmoral SHS Band attended a successful music camp in February which gave them a significant head start with their pieces. A concert for their families on return from camp was verywell received and demonstrated just how much can be achieved in intensive rehearsal sessions. Instrumental Music Teacher Kristianne Whiston said, “It was great way for the Band to welcome ournew Yr 8's into the program and to learn other team building skills. They are looking forward to performing at the Qld Day celebrations next term and touring the primary schools to showcase what

they have learnt.”

“Our Yr 6 & 7 Bands across theGLC are doing just as well andpreparing to perform for theirschool and at community eventsincluding new events to theBands calendar- the Qld YouthMusic Awards and Battle of theBands.”

After graduating from high school in 2010 actor and model Whitney Stacey travelled to Africa for six months, volunteering ina Tanzanian orphanage.

Returning to Australia, she just could not forget the children andtheir living conditions, and wanted to do something substantial tohelp them build a better future. A year on, Whitney has createdMonochrome a not for profit organisation committed to providingthe children of Errat Care Centre Orphanage in Tanzania with better facilities and ultimately empowering the youth of Tanzaniato make a difference in their nation.

The inspiration of these incredible young women’s stories was evident as girls gathered around with many questions after theformal part of the event concluded. They were wonderful International Women’s Day ambassadors for our GLC students.

“International Women’s Day is a very important date for all people in all places inthe world. We must strive for equality forall, irrespective of gender, wealth, educationor politics. Schools are the perfect place to educate young women about their rightsand responsibilities.”Robin Martin, Balmoral SHS Acting HODEnglish and The Arts

Many thanks to Balmoral SHS staff and students for putting on a fine breakfast andproviding beautiful music and art work,that celebrated this day so well, creatinglinks and camaraderie between the girls.

Every year amazing women come to speakat the Balmoral SHS International Women’sDay Breakfast.

This year, two young women, only a fewyears on from their own school days, spokewith a maturity and eloquence that impressed and affirmed the all-female audience of Yr 8 -12 students from BalmoralSHS and student leaders from Murarrie,Seven Hills, Morningside and Bulimba SSs.

Robin Martin, Acting HOD English and TheArts at Balmoral SHS explains, “Our annualbreakfast celebration brings girls from theGLC together to hear inspired women speak

and to offer the challenge: how will you change our world for the better?”

The stories of the two 2013 speakers demonstrated that with a purpose, a vision, passion,tenacity and the drive to learn pretty much anything is possible! They have both achievedpersonal goals and have been agents of change, building connections within their communities in ways in which they could not have predicted even a couple of years ago.

At 21, Sigrid Sagorski is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of Moustache Magazine, a Brisbane based arts and culture magazine. Sigrid did not at first intend to be involved in publishing. She earlier completed studies in Photography at QUT but rather than embarkingon a conventional career path was drawn to address a need in Brisbane for contemporarycommentary on local art, photography, music and fashion. By gathering around her a team ofcreatives and by learning everything she could about publishing, the niche Moustache Magazine was launched in 2011.

The magazine is now into its 2nd print edition, enjoying wide success and acclaim as a springboard to propel the careers of emerging creatives- artists, designers, writers, musiciansand photographers.

The Gateway Learning Community (GLC) concept seeks to support and add value to the work ofeach school, using networking and partnering to achieve desired outcomes based on matchedschool priorities more efficiently and effectively.

The GLC is not a separate organisation, but simply a congenial arrangement between the sevenschools themselves. Over the last eleven years many, many projects and networks have been rununder the umbrella of the GLC, some of a large scale involving all GLC schools and others involvingsmaller across-school groups.

Some projects and networks exist briefly to fulfil short term goals, whereas others run over severalyears. All have the power to nurture links that previously did not exist, building both formal and informal interconnected webs of professional relationships between teachers, students, parents andthe wider community. Some outcomes of GLC projects are direct and visible e.g. an obvious improvement in a student’s skill or interest level after participating in an extension project. Some outcomes are equally valuable but not so immediately measurable e.g. the flow on benefits to students from enhanced teaching practice as a result of GLC staged teacher professional development opportunities and networking.

For all GLC projects some form of evaluation takes place which informs an annual review and planning process by the Coordinating Committee of GLC Principals.

Then, at the beginning of each year, an Operational Plan is put inplace to focus allocated GLC resources and effort into a manageablenumber of projects and networks, identified as current priority areas of interest and need. Each school determines which elements itwishes to participate in and, in reciprocation, also commits resourcesto their management and implementation.

The GLC has never rested on it laurels, recognising that regular reflection and renewal are vital to maintaining the relevance andpassion for what we aim to do as a learning community.

Plans for 2013 are yet to be fully finalized, but in the meantime, the2012 Annual Operational Plan is still available for viewing on the GLCwebsite.

The GLC explained

Right & above - Active professional networks are an important long term feature of theGLC. Pictured here is a recent early morning meeting of GLC Business Service Managers.From left, Chris Wiggins- Bulimba SS, Danielle Thomas- Norman Park SS, Ruth Warren-Morningside SS, Julia Eggmolese- Seven Hills SS and Rose-Marie Mikic- Cannon Hill SS.

Right - This Morningside SSSenior Girls player sets up indefence as the pack moves forward to take a shot at goal.

Above - The $9 million state of the art facilities of the StateHockey Centre, Colmslie provided an ideal venue for the GLCFutsal Competition. Pictured here are three senior games inprogress playing across the main astro-turf hockey field.

Left- Local Sport and Recreation OfficerDaryl Francey has an excellent view of thegames whilst taking care of scoring andtimekeeping. As the score board in the distance says- 1min 16secs left in the game and a hot and humid 31degrees.

Right - Cannon Hill SSstudents getting into theFutsal action.

Right - There are strong, ongoing, practical links between the groundsmen of the GLC resulting inefficiencies in work practice and the use of materials. They share tools, equipment and advice andalso provide practical assistance on the occasions when more than one pair of hands is needed.Pictured at the recent network meeting hosted by Bulimba SS are, from left, Brian Saboa- MurarrieSS, Dennis Fitzgerald- Morningside SS, Fred Collishaw- Bulimba SS, Phil Young- Bulimba SS, Brendan Gray- Bulimba SS, Ross Stokes- Cannon Hill SS and Pat Egan- Balmoral SHS.

A way beyond their years

Below - Vashni, Kelshana, Kaleb and Maddy test out Murarrie SS’snew mini bus.

Above - These Morningside SS Instrumental Music students clearly enjoy both playing and performing. They are pictured at a before school rehearsal in 27 March.

Above - An almost symmetrical move on the ball by twoMorningside SS Senior players at the GLC Futsal Carnival.

Page 3: GLC Newsletter April 2013

Although usually considered an indoor sport, the game of Futsal can be successfully played outdoors, as was the case at the GLC Futsal Carnival held on Friday 22 March at the StateHockey Centre at Colmslie.

Twenty two GLC teams from three GLC schools- Cannon Hill SS, Seven Hills SS and Morningside SS- took over the two astro-turf fields, grandstand and surroundsat Colmslie for a day to participate in a round robin competition across three divisions- Junior Boys, Senior Boys and Senior Girls. The events was full of firstsfor many of the around 160 students. Their first competitive game of Futsal;their first visit to the State Hockey Centre and the first time they have had theopportunity to play on a synthetic, astro-turf, oval surface.

Games were played continuously, on the half hour, with refereeing supplied byBalmoral SHS Sport and Recreation students and cheering supplied by enthusiastic team mates in the grandstand.

Local Sport and Recreation Officer Daryl Francey, who is based at the StateHockey Centre, assisted the GLC access these state of the art facilities as wellas preparing the draw, scoring and acting as a ground official across the day.

Balmoral SHS also co-hosted this event, with PE teacher Dan Nightingale andhis students providing both planning support, practical set up andMC duties on the day.

Many thanks to State Hockey Centre management, Daryl, Dan and Balmoral SHS students forall their efforts to ensure the day was ‘awesome’.

Thanks also to the PE teacher from the participating schools- Sarah Spacie at Cannon Hill SS,Sonia Gegenhuber at Seven Hills SS and Karen Powell at Morningside SS, for all the work theyput in back in the schools to organise teams, permissions, transport, coaching and supervisionfor the event.

The primary students gave it their all. Congratulations to the winners-

Junior Boys: 1st- Seven Hills 1, Tied for 2nd- Cannon Hill 3 and Seven Hills 2

Senior Boys: Tied for 1st Morningside 1 and Seven Hills 1, 2nd- Cannon Hill 2

Senior Girls: Tied for 1st- Morningside 2 andSeven Hills 1, Tied for 2nd- Morningside 1 and Seven Hills 2

This was the second sports carnival staged under the GLC banner designed to provide GLCstudents from Yrs 4 to 7 with the opportunity to participate in a competitive and fun teamsporting event and foster friendly competition and sportspersonship when interacting with

students from differentschools.

In 2007 the Federal Government introduced funding for school chaplaincy services for the firsttime. Balmoral SHS, Bulimba SS and Norman Park SS were successful in obtaining this initialfunding. Now, in 2013, two more GLC schools, Murarrie SS and Morningside SS have successfullysourced funding, bringing the number of Chaplains working in GLC schools to four.

Our GLC Chaplains are Gary Cazzulino- Balmoral SHS, Bonnie Morris- Norman Park and BulimbaSSs, Taidhg Retford- Morningside SS and Jonathan Gupta- Murarrie SS.

Our chaplains provide a much valued service that includes:

Curriculum Support including the Peer Support Program, sports coaching, school leadershipprogram, camps and in class activitiesSchool activities including school parades, lunchtime activities and programs, special needsteam, sports day and other school community activitiesCommunity/family support and partnerships including pastoral care, meeting with parents,staff and community

The GLC Chaplaincy program is managed by an across school committee of interested schooland community members, and is funded in three ways- by the Commonwealth Government

through Scripture Union Australia; by fundraising efforts organised by the committee and the schools, and with business sponsorship.

The upcoming Mother’s Day High Tea- see advertisement on this page- is the major GLC Chaplaincy Fundraiser and a much anticipated social event on the local calendar.

The GLC thanks Nick Pappas’ Downtown Toyota for continuing this yearas our major business sponsor. Nick, as a long term supporter of GLCChaplaincy, understands the value of having chaplains in schools.

Chaplains support the total school community including students, staff and parents. They significantly complement the support services provided in state schools. School families are not immune to life issues such as illness, divorce, bereavement and students being required to move schools often due to the jobtransfers of their parents. The schools have found that chaplains assist to build resilience in thechildren and their families. Key community stakeholders, including P and C Associations havecontinued to show support for the chaplaincy service within the schools.

Sponsorships and donations made towards Chaplaincy services in state schools are tax deductible. Businesses may like to sponsor our GLC chaplains on a regular monthly or quarterlybasis or via one off donations. Interested businesses who would like to know more are invitedto contact Allison Crane Principal at Balmoral SHS on 3823 8588.

A free kick for Futsal“This year there are 90 beginner band students in Yr 5 across Murarrie SS, Bulimba SS, Morningside SS and Cannon Hill SS. That's an increase of nearly45% from last year, so it is great to see so many more students getting involved.The annual Beginner Band Camp early in Term 3 will be bigger and better thanever and definitely the highlight of the year for all GLC Yr 5's.”

Instrumental Music students at Norman Park SS led by teacher Tony Bryer arerehearsing for an upcoming assembly performance, the school's Anzac Ceremony,and are rehearsing a new piece “Majestica” for the End of Semester Concert inJune. Seven Hills SS and Norman Park SS both also have junior and senior string orchestras in violin and cello conducted by Margot Flemming.

We wish all the instrumental music students, under the guidance of their dedicated instrumental music teachers, all the very best as they rehearse andpractise to reach the high standard we enjoy from their band performances.

“Queensland state schools” instrumental music program isthe most extensive in Australia and one of the largest under asingle authority in the world. It has been found that learning amusical instrument by the age of 12 will actually make a partof a child’s brain larger, in particular the left temporal region. This has been linked with a better verbal memory and vocabulary when they are adults.” Department of Educationand the Arts Senior Education Officer (The Arts) Mike Tyler.

Tuning up for Instrumental Music

Most of their day is spent at their computers and books, learning about thelatest from the Australian Curriculum.

However, thanks to a Gambling CommunityBenefit Fund grant, Murarrie SS studentsnow have a beautiful 12 seater mini-busto enable opportunities to broaden theirlearning beyond the confines of the classroom out into the real world.

This achievement evolved from a joint vision of Murarrie State School’s Principal, Mrs. Tina Gruss, and the P&C Association as a way toprovide students with real-life opportunities, and to celebrate student success with the widerlocal community. When asked what a bus means to the school, Principal Tina Gruss explained,“A new school bus provides students, staff and parents with the flexibility to explore their immediate area in a metropolitan city, to present their creative talents to the wider educationaland local community.”

The bus will certainly be used frequently and well. The Yr 7 students’ firsttrip has been on a Leadership camp to Brisbane’s Scenic Rim, providing achance to appreciate the beauty of the country as a backdrop for learningabout leadership.

As well as regular shorts trips for sport and cultural activities, later in theyear, Prep to Yr 7 students will travel to community centres around the Brisbane area to showcase the Murarrie and Vision Dancers, participate in‘real life’ shopping trips to purchase plants for their school Hedgemaze,and link with local businesses as ‘active citizens’ when they go out to purchase spare parts for push bikes. The school’s philosophy is to providethe students with an ‘all round’ education so that they leave school as welleducated individuals who are respectful of the world around them. The provision of a school-owned bus greatly assists with this goal.

The school is also willing to share the bus with other GLC schools on an availability basis. Enquiries can be directed to the Murarrie SS school office on 3908 0333.

Wheels to success

GLC Chaplaincy Hey, I am Taidhg, I have just started Chaplaincy this year at Morningside StateSchool (and also at Manly West State School)I am really enjoying being at Morningside. I have been focusing on getting to know thestaff and the students by getting around theclasses and in the playground, which hasbeen a bit daunting at times but really good. In week seven I went along to the Yr 7 Camp,which was really great fun, doing a lot of adventure activities like high ropes, archery,etc. I felt this really was beneficial to me ingetting to know the oldest year level at theschool. I would like to thank you all for your supportin this role.Bless,

TaidhgTaidhg Retford- Morningside SS Chaplain

Greetings,I havereturned to Norman Parkand Bulimba SSs for another year of Chaplaincy. We have andcontinue to build strong relationships with students, staff, and the community while showing our faith in our service

and commitment to each and every individual. Recently, the Honourable Kevin Rudd came to help announcethe new leaders of Norman Park SS. I talked to him about the importance of chaplains in the schools and what we are achieving. I will continue to speak to anyone whowants to know about the chaplain’s programs and how it affects all the students and staff in schools. Bless,

Bonnie MorrisBonnie Morris- Norman Park SS and Bulimba SS Chaplain

My name is Jonathan, I have been appointed as chaplain at Murarrie SS.I am currently studying a Bachelor of Education and I am in my final year. I have been tremendously privileged at Murarrie.I have fitted nicely into the role here and have already established true connections with staff and students. It is such a wonderful school to be apart of. I have been given a large room for the children to spend time in withloads of games and activities. I have been busy organising a fundraisingteam for SPIN OFF (spinoff.org.au) as well as a special bacon and eggsbreakfast club happening at the end of term. I will be attending the Yr 7 Leadership Camp and I am very excited to begoing. This is a great way to spend some quality time with the leaders of our school as well as dive a little deeper into what it means to be a leader.It has been a very eventful term and I am just so blessed to call Murarrie my second family. Thanks

JonathanJonathan Gupta-Murarrie SS Chaplain

Welcome to a new year. I’m here to support students, their families, staff and

the broader school community in any way that I can, from providing pastoral

care and practical support, through running camps and programs at school

like Breaky Club, and co-ordinating food for BASE, Balmoral High’s after

school study program.

Some of our plans/programs for the year include- ‘Wild at Heart’ which is a

new camping program for Yr9 boys at Balmoral. It’s a camp that builds

resilience, team work and a sense of manhood. It’s a brilliant program and

heaps of fun!

Keep an eye out for more info about Outbreak Extreme camp, a cluster camp

for Yrs 8-12 that happens in the second week of the September holidays.

It’s five days of intense activities like

tubing, laser skirmish and a physical

challenge or two. It’s a great program

so don’t miss out when the time comes.

Registrations are open online so give

me a call at Balmoral for more details.

Don’t forget our Mother’s Day High Tea,

hope to see some of you there!

Gary CazzulinoGary Cazzulino- Balmoral SHS Chaplain

Above - These Morningside SSboys got into the spirit of thecompetition cheering on theirteam mates from the vantagepoint of the main grandstand atthe State Hockey Centre.

Left- The Balmoral Band at a before-schoolrehearsal under the tutelage of KristianneWhiston.

Right - Balmoral SHS Instrumental Music and Rock Band girls pictured herehaving just participated in raft building and sailing as a team bonding exercise at the annual Balmoral Music Camp held at Kindilan Camp in February.

Above - Murarrie SS student leaders Kaleb andKelshana with the school mascot, Billy the cat, whose photo adorns the bus.

Below - Balmoral SHS students with International Women’sDay guest speakers, Sigrid Sagorski and Whitney Stacey.

Far left - Kelshana from Murarrie SS andMaliaka from Seven Hills SS place their personal mark on the group art work devised especially for International Women’s Day by Balmoral SHS art students.

Left - Kelshana from Murarrie SS, Marni and Phoebe from Bulimba SS, and Rebecca,Sinead, and Evie from Morningside SS enjoythe delicious breakfast courtesy of BalmoralSHS to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Above - Chaplain Jonathan Gupta helps Murarrie SS students pack their new school bus.

Left - Chaplain Bonnie Morris chatswith Kevin Rudd on a recentvisit by our Federal MP for Griffith to Norman Park SS

Above - Chaplain Gary Cazzulino conducting a team building activity with students from Balmoral SHS

GLC Instrumental Music Bands, examples of the proud tradition of Instrumental Music in Queensland, have made a great start to 2013, working hard at building their repertoires for manyupcoming performances. Norman Park and Seven Hills SSs run their own band programs withteachers Tony Bryer and Margot Flemming, whilst the other five GLC schools- Murarrie, Bulimba,Morningside and Cannon Hill SSs and Balmoral SHS - share one teacher, Kristianne Whiston.

The Balmoral SHS Band attended a successful music camp in February which gave them a significant head start with their pieces. A concert for their families on return from camp was verywell received and demonstrated just how much can be achieved in intensive rehearsal sessions. Instrumental Music Teacher Kristianne Whiston said, “It was great way for the Band to welcome ournew Yr 8's into the program and to learn other team building skills. They are looking forward to performing at the Qld Day celebrations next term and touring the primary schools to showcase what

they have learnt.”

“Our Yr 6 & 7 Bands across theGLC are doing just as well andpreparing to perform for theirschool and at community eventsincluding new events to theBands calendar- the Qld YouthMusic Awards and Battle of theBands.”

After graduating from high school in 2010 actor and model Whitney Stacey travelled to Africa for six months, volunteering ina Tanzanian orphanage.

Returning to Australia, she just could not forget the children andtheir living conditions, and wanted to do something substantial tohelp them build a better future. A year on, Whitney has createdMonochrome a not for profit organisation committed to providingthe children of Errat Care Centre Orphanage in Tanzania with better facilities and ultimately empowering the youth of Tanzaniato make a difference in their nation.

The inspiration of these incredible young women’s stories was evident as girls gathered around with many questions after theformal part of the event concluded. They were wonderful International Women’s Day ambassadors for our GLC students.

“International Women’s Day is a very important date for all people in all places inthe world. We must strive for equality forall, irrespective of gender, wealth, educationor politics. Schools are the perfect place to educate young women about their rightsand responsibilities.”Robin Martin, Balmoral SHS Acting HODEnglish and The Arts

Many thanks to Balmoral SHS staff and students for putting on a fine breakfast andproviding beautiful music and art work,that celebrated this day so well, creatinglinks and camaraderie between the girls.

Every year amazing women come to speakat the Balmoral SHS International Women’sDay Breakfast.

This year, two young women, only a fewyears on from their own school days, spokewith a maturity and eloquence that impressed and affirmed the all-female audience of Yr 8 -12 students from BalmoralSHS and student leaders from Murarrie,Seven Hills, Morningside and Bulimba SSs.

Robin Martin, Acting HOD English and TheArts at Balmoral SHS explains, “Our annualbreakfast celebration brings girls from theGLC together to hear inspired women speak

and to offer the challenge: how will you change our world for the better?”

The stories of the two 2013 speakers demonstrated that with a purpose, a vision, passion,tenacity and the drive to learn pretty much anything is possible! They have both achievedpersonal goals and have been agents of change, building connections within their communities in ways in which they could not have predicted even a couple of years ago.

At 21, Sigrid Sagorski is the co-founder and Editor in Chief of Moustache Magazine, a Brisbane based arts and culture magazine. Sigrid did not at first intend to be involved in publishing. She earlier completed studies in Photography at QUT but rather than embarkingon a conventional career path was drawn to address a need in Brisbane for contemporarycommentary on local art, photography, music and fashion. By gathering around her a team ofcreatives and by learning everything she could about publishing, the niche Moustache Magazine was launched in 2011.

The magazine is now into its 2nd print edition, enjoying wide success and acclaim as a springboard to propel the careers of emerging creatives- artists, designers, writers, musiciansand photographers.

The Gateway Learning Community (GLC) concept seeks to support and add value to the work ofeach school, using networking and partnering to achieve desired outcomes based on matchedschool priorities more efficiently and effectively.

The GLC is not a separate organisation, but simply a congenial arrangement between the sevenschools themselves. Over the last eleven years many, many projects and networks have been rununder the umbrella of the GLC, some of a large scale involving all GLC schools and others involvingsmaller across-school groups.

Some projects and networks exist briefly to fulfil short term goals, whereas others run over severalyears. All have the power to nurture links that previously did not exist, building both formal and informal interconnected webs of professional relationships between teachers, students, parents andthe wider community. Some outcomes of GLC projects are direct and visible e.g. an obvious improvement in a student’s skill or interest level after participating in an extension project. Some outcomes are equally valuable but not so immediately measurable e.g. the flow on benefits to students from enhanced teaching practice as a result of GLC staged teacher professional development opportunities and networking.

For all GLC projects some form of evaluation takes place which informs an annual review and planning process by the Coordinating Committee of GLC Principals.

Then, at the beginning of each year, an Operational Plan is put inplace to focus allocated GLC resources and effort into a manageablenumber of projects and networks, identified as current priority areas of interest and need. Each school determines which elements itwishes to participate in and, in reciprocation, also commits resourcesto their management and implementation.

The GLC has never rested on it laurels, recognising that regular reflection and renewal are vital to maintaining the relevance andpassion for what we aim to do as a learning community.

Plans for 2013 are yet to be fully finalized, but in the meantime, the2012 Annual Operational Plan is still available for viewing on the GLCwebsite.

The GLC explained

Right & above - Active professional networks are an important long term feature of theGLC. Pictured here is a recent early morning meeting of GLC Business Service Managers.From left, Chris Wiggins- Bulimba SS, Danielle Thomas- Norman Park SS, Ruth Warren-Morningside SS, Julia Eggmolese- Seven Hills SS and Rose-Marie Mikic- Cannon Hill SS.

Right - This Morningside SSSenior Girls player sets up indefence as the pack moves forward to take a shot at goal.

Above - The $9 million state of the art facilities of the StateHockey Centre, Colmslie provided an ideal venue for the GLCFutsal Competition. Pictured here are three senior games inprogress playing across the main astro-turf hockey field.

Left- Local Sport and Recreation OfficerDaryl Francey has an excellent view of thegames whilst taking care of scoring andtimekeeping. As the score board in the distance says- 1min 16secs left in the game and a hot and humid 31degrees.

Right - Cannon Hill SSstudents getting into theFutsal action.

Right - There are strong, ongoing, practical links between the groundsmen of the GLC resulting inefficiencies in work practice and the use of materials. They share tools, equipment and advice andalso provide practical assistance on the occasions when more than one pair of hands is needed.Pictured at the recent network meeting hosted by Bulimba SS are, from left, Brian Saboa- MurarrieSS, Dennis Fitzgerald- Morningside SS, Fred Collishaw- Bulimba SS, Phil Young- Bulimba SS, Brendan Gray- Bulimba SS, Ross Stokes- Cannon Hill SS and Pat Egan- Balmoral SHS.

A way beyond their years

Below - Vashni, Kelshana, Kaleb and Maddy test out Murarrie SS’snew mini bus.

Above - These Morningside SS Instrumental Music students clearly enjoy both playing and performing. They are pictured at a before school rehearsal in 27 March.

Above - An almost symmetrical move on the ball by twoMorningside SS Senior players at the GLC Futsal Carnival.

Page 4: GLC Newsletter April 2013

Gateway Learning Communityc/o Balmoral State High SchoolThynne Road, Morningside, Qld 4170P.O.Box 120, Morningside, Qld 4170Phone & Fax: 07 3399 6821

GLC website: www.learningplace.com.au/sc/gbr/glc

Making Numeracy CountOver the two years 2011 to 2012, 40 GLC teachers participated in a professional development research projectfocussing on an aspect of numeracy called proportional reasoning, run by a team of University of Queenslandacademics and funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). The formal aspects of the funded projecthave been completed but the drive to ensure that proportional reasoning is explicitly taught in GLC schools, notjust in Mathematics classes but all across the curriculum, continues. One of the UQ researchers, Associate ProfessorShelley Dole, in the 25 January 2013 edition of Education Views,explains the importance of proportional reasoning this way-

“Numeracy is a topic that features prominently in discussionsabout education and school outcomes, and strong calls havebeen made for a 'back to basics' approach to numeracy. However, being numerate is more than knowing your tables andbeing able to do sums. Numeracy is about being able to applymathematics knowledge as needed in everyday life. It includesmental computation and estimation and being comfortablearound numerical information.

One basic but less obvious aspect of numeracy is proportionalreasoning. Many real-world situations require proportional reasoning, or working out relative amounts:

Which is the better buy if 1kg costs $3.50 and 1.5kg costs $4?

How long will it take to get somewhere when travelling at different speeds?

Is 4c per litre always better than a 5 per cent discount on your petrol bill? Draw me a 'mud map' of the path from your house to my house.”

Shelley explains that the ARC project “explored students' proportional reasoning capacity and has found accelerated growthas a result of a focus on proportional reasoning in the classroom.Teachers have reported students' greater capacity to recognise situations of comparison in relative terms and hence improved numeracy outcomes.”

Throughout the project, the researchers demonstrated how simple materials could be used actively and creatively with students from Yr 4 through to Yr 9 to demonstrate complexmathematical concepts associated with proportional reasoning.

Participants trialled these and their own approaches in the classroom and measured student progress along the way.

As a final summation, and to bring together the various project groups, the research team staged a conferenceon 16 February this year at the University of Queensland, which several Principals and teachers from the GLCproject were able to attend.

The GLC would like to thank our University of Queensland partners-Prof. Marilyn Goos, Dr. Geoff Hilton, Dr Annette Hilton and Assoc. Prof. Shelley Dole - for their inspiringworkshops and dedicated researchfor the improvement of numeracylearning.

Animated worldsThe age difference may have been five or six years but, throughthe universal medium of animation, students from Yrs 3 and 4at Seven Hills SS and Yrs 11 and 12 at Balmoral SHS found acommon voice.

It all came about when a teacher at Seven Hills SS, SusanMcKinnon, contacted Balmoral SHS in the hope of tapping intothe computer skills of high school students to ‘animate’ paintings, drawings and audio tapes her students had created asself portraits and on the theme ‘The world that we choose’.

Balmoral SHS teacher Rhona Page and her Yr 11/12 class tookup the challenge. Each high school student was linked with oneprimary student’s work. They photographed, hand coloured and

then combined all the raw elements into short film animations, making the mouths of each self portrait move, synchronised with the speech, and with the elements of that student’s themed painting ebbing and flowing withinthe screen. The effect was to transport the viewer into an imaginary animated world that communicated the social message of the art and audio in a clear and powerful way.

The primary students met their co-creators when they visited Balmoral SHS on 12 November last year for the ‘premiere’ viewing of ‘The world that we choose’. As each student’s animation was screened came a delightedmoment of recognition and amazement at how the ‘magic’ of animation had ‘brought to life’ their artworks.

All who attended were moved bythe artistry, technique and messageof this collaborative work.

Thank you and congratulationsto Susan, Rhona and all the students for your dedication to this very successful across GLC schools’ project.

GLC NEWSLETTEREditor: Cherry Van RytEmail: [email protected]/Fax: 3399 6821or 0407 972 242

Aspley3863 2688

Newmarket3352 7088

Chermside3350 2288

Bulimba3399 2388

Above and below - Allison Crane, Principal of BalmoralSHS and Michael Zeuschner, Principal of Bulimba SS, accept Certificates of Acknowledgment from UQ researcher Shelley Dole for their schools’ involvement in the ARC Numeracy Project.

Above - A view of a presentation at the Australian Research Council (ARC) linked “Proportional Reasoning as a Key to Numeracy Across the Curriculum” Project Conference held on 16 February at the University of Queensland.

Above - Balmoral SHS teacher Rhona Page shows the visiting primary students from Seven Hills the techniques and how much work goes into putting together an animation. The young students were enthralled by the process and grateful to their high school buddies for converting theirart works and dialogue into such creative sequences.

Below - A scene from the ‘premiere’ viewing of the animation project between Balmoral SHS Yr 11 and 12students and the Year 4/3Mc students of Seven Hills SS.

Let’s start with a joke.

What did the standardized test say to the Culture of Thinking teacher when it encountered something it didn’t understand? Sorry, I just don’t have the disposition for this.

Hilarious! O.K. maybe a bit obscure… to explain-

Standardized Test refers to a test like NAPLAN that seeks out ‘right’ answers. Disposition refers, not just to a general tendency but, in Culture of Thinking terms,to the specific tendency to use higher order thinking to ‘explore a range of possible answers’.

Replace ‘disposition’ with ‘higher order thinking’, and the double meaningbecomes clearer.

Actually it’s not so funny when you think about it. It raises the serious question-what lessons from school do we want our children to remember as adults?

Here in the GLC we want our students to “be equipped with the thinking skillsand dispositions to thrive in an age where facts are free and it is what we do withknowledge that counts.” (Simon Brooks, Masada College)

Projects that investigate ways children learn, that go further than standardizedscores and certificates, and that place ‘thinking’ at the centre of learning, havebeen a feature of the collaborative activities of the seven GLC schools.

One of these, The GLC Culture of Thinking Project, began in 2008with a visit by Harvard University's Dr Ron Ritchhart and MarkChurch as keynote speakers at a full day conference for all GLCstaff. In the subsequent five years GLC staff, individually and insome cases a whole schools, have developed their knowledgeand skills to develop a vibrant culture of thinking in their classrooms i.e. classroom environments in which thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the day-to-dayexperience for students.

The Gateway Learning Community is Balmoral State High School, Bulimba State School, Cannon Hill State School, Morningside State School, Murarrie State School, Norman Park State School and Seven Hills State School.

I SSUE 36 APR IL 2013

Staff from seven local state schools, located between the Bulimba reach of the Brisbane River and the Gateway bridges, first met together in 2002 to explore the strategic possibility of formally working together and with the wider community as a learning community, the Gateway Learning Community (GLC), to build the schools’ collective capacity and, in doing so, improve educational opportunities for the now 2800 students. Our GLC schools realized that to be a vibrant and viable local hub of learning in the 21st century we needed to break down traditional ’school fence’boundaries, work smarter and utilize the power of community interconnectedness.

Over the past 11 years, there have been many, many collaborative projects, events and networks driven by our passionate Principals, staff, parentsand students which have fulfilled the mission of the GLC, and which have been recorded and celebrated in word and photo in this quarterly GLCnewsletter. Now, here we are in 2013 producing the 36th issue!

As you browse through the pages please note the wonderful advertising sponsors, several of whom have been advertising here since the beginning. They, along with our graphic design and publishing partners, Jackie Cann and John Harrison from MakeArtWork, make the publication of this colour broadsheet possible. We thank them for their continued support.

Above - Thankyou Emily from Yr 2 at Norman Park SS for being the model for this profile photo. Thankyou also to the Yr 4 student at Norman Park SS for the use of your wonderful art work showing us your thinking about what is important to you.

Left - The GLC would like to thank Caitlin for her wonderful work for us. The GLC also thanks the Culture of Thinking Champions Group who organised the day. They are pictured here. From left - Yvette O’Connor - Norman Park SS, Valerie Rogers - Seven Hills SS, Mary Stumchke - Norman Park SS,Caitlin Faiman - Guest Presenter, Joy Pohlner - Cannon Hill SS,Chris Ling - Principal Cannon Hill SS, Antonia Stewart - Morningside SS, Rebecca Ramsden- Bulimba SS and Karen Renz - Bulimba SS.

On 24 Jan 2013, the GLC Culture of Thinking Champions, our school leaders in the Culture of Thinking Project, staged a one day professional development conference for their fellow GLC staff tobuild upon prior learning about a Culture of Thinking and moveteachers further along the expert path.

To this effect the Champions arranged for Caitlin Faiman, Headof The Rosenkranz Centre for Excellence and Achievement atBialik College in Melbourne to address first 167 GLC staff, andthen work with a smaller group of 35 GLC school leaders.

Caitlin has been involved in the Culture of Thinking Project at Bialik College since its inception in 2005.

She has conducted workshops and presentations at numerous schools and conferences including the annual national‘Culture of Thinking’ conference hosted by Bialik College.

Several GLC staff, having attended the conference in the past, were inspired by Caitlin and very keen to learn more from the experience of an actual practicing teacher at Bialik College.

Caitlin’s presentations were insightful. She provoked and challenged, as well as encouraged. She provided the GLC with

a road map for our school leaders, our Champions and staff, to continue to build a culture in which higher order thinking is at the front and centre of learning in every GLC classroom.

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sweet paprikaFennel bulbsBaby gingerWatercressProsciutto crudo

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Left - Students experimenting with the propertiesof colour and shape at Seven Hills SS.

The GLC turning classrooms into cultures of thinking

Above - Concentratinghard to develop writingskills at Morningside SS.

Left - A group investigation underway at Norman Park SS

Above - Bulimba SS Prep students Lucas, Lauren, Anagha and Harvey thinking aboutlight and shadow inpreparation for a

Shadow PuppetWorkshop they attended at the

Ipswich Art Gallery.

Below - Guest presenter Caitlin Faiman addresses GLC delegates at a GLC Cultureof Thinking Project Professional Development session on 24 January 2013.

Ingredients for Sara B’s New recipes

Above - Rebecca, Marmeau, Tom, Eli andRohan from Cannon Hill SS pictured hereusing a Culture of Thinking routine-

See, Think, Wonder- to generate ideas for their clay modelling art works.

Above - A Morningside SSPrep student pictured here discovering lots ofthings about plantsand soil.

Above - Key teachers from each GLC school meet regularlyas Culture of Thinking Champions, leaders of the projectwithin their schools. As a network they plan and hostseveral Professional Development opportunities acrossthe year for GLC staff with the aim of building expertisein Culture of Thinking theory and practice.

Pictured here in progress is the March Induction Sessionfor New GLC staff which was held at Norman Park SS.

Doggy Day Care Centre

New Pet Boutique

Visit Pets at Home

Professional Dog Walkers

OPEN SATURDAY MORNINGS

GLC website: www.learningplace.com.au/sc/gbr/glc

Many thanks to PRBM Office Supplies for subsidizing the cost of stationery for our Culture of Thinking PD event on 24 January.

InvitationEach weekend during July is an opportunity to taste and buy aged, special release and back vintage wines at cellar doors across the region.

Follow wine trails, attend very special events, long lunches and delicious degustation dinners with rare aged museum wines.

Visit www.coonawarra.org for a full program of events or follow us on