Humanities ferry to the island of Crete. On Crete, the itinerary included the port city of Chania and the Royal Palace at Knossos. Then, via fast ferry, we spent a glorious week exploring the Mediterranean islands of Santorini and Paros before returning to Athens. In preparation for the tour, Mr Gayton organised an Information Evening and Greek Feast for the tourists. A huge thank you to Mrs Georgina Bissiotis and Mrs Mary Yorath for preparing this feast. There is no substitute for travel for students to expand their comfort zone, develop in selfawareness and independence, and grow in understanding of history and culture. For all on the trip, as the photos attest, it was an unforgettable experience. We look forward to offering another overseas tour in 2016. Curriculum innovation occurred in 2014 through the introduction of selected units from the compulsory Australian Curriculum Geography syllabus. New Jacaranda Geography textbooks were purchased for all boys in Years 7 and 8. The Year 7 course trialled the Geography unit ‘Water in the World’. The related field excursion to Hinze Dam, hosted by the SEQWater educational team, proved a great success and will now become a yearly event. In Year 8, thanks to Mr Steve Roberts, each class participated in a day field excursion from the Southport Seaway to the Tweed River mouth, exploring coastal landforms and beach-management strategies. This excursion will be expanded in 2015 to include a Stradbroke Island camp, as we further develop the Year 8 Geography unit, ‘Landforms and Landscapes’. The staged introduction of the Australian Curriculum in Geography in Years 7 and 8 will be completed in 2015. For their History studies, the Year 7 boys explored ancient civilisations, including Ancient China and Ancient Rome. In Semester One, the boys camped on Stradbroke Island, and participated in activities designed to test their survival skills and grow their respect for the skills of ancient peoples. My thanks to the dedicated teaching team of Mr Lindsay Close, Ms Paula Henry, Mr John Gayton and Ms Susan Presto.
THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL SOUTHPORTONIAN 2014
31
