Schools

Preparation and passion triumph First class results beat

IT takes more than passion to argue a point well, it takes preparation, skill and tenacity, traits that describe this year’s successful debating teams from Good Shepherd. Of the six teams competing for Good Shepherd Lutheran College, four made it through to finals and two won the grand finals for the Sunshine Coast Schools Debating Competition for 2021. The Intermediate team competed against Immanuel Lutheran College, and the Senior team competed against Sunshine Coast Grammar. The competition, which has been running since Term 3, includes schools from right across the Sunshine Coast region and is divided into three divisions: Junior (Years 6 and 7), Intermediate (Years 8 and 9), and Senior (Years 10-12). The competition consists of four preliminary rounds, and then two rounds of finals with teams needing to win a minimum of three of their four preliminary rounds in order to have a chance at the finals. Head of Senior Years Studies and Debating Coordinator at Good Shepherd, Matt Armstrong said debating is a vital skill students need once they venture out into the business world. “It was great to see how thorough they were in their preparation and how well the teams worked together.” Good Shepherd’s Intermediate team included Year 9 students Ella Tudor, Indigo Whyatt, Olivia Ashley, and Cate Hardinge, while the Senior team was a mixed Year 11 and 12 team with Katelyn Dyer, Carson Revell, Jemima Harman and Veslemøy Berge-Venter. Both teams remained undefeated throughout the preliminary rounds, and worked with a great sense of teamwork and independence as they approached each of their topics. The Grand Final was held at Sunshine Coast Grammar School and was adjudicated by a panel of senior adjudicators who had been volunteering throughout the season. The Intermediate topic was, “That artificial intelligence does more harm than good”, while the Seniors were called to debate the very relevant topic, “That corporations are responsible for the spread of misinformation”. Competition coordinator, Meg Dunstan, noted how professional the teams worked and how thorough they were in their arguments. “Both debates were of an exceptional quality, and it was really pleasing to see that level of skill at a Grand Final.” Congratulations to both teams on their victories, and Good Shepherd looks forward to participating in the competition again in 2022.

ABOVE AND RIGHT:: Good Shepherd’s Senior Team, Chancellor’s Cup defending Champions 2021, and the Intermediate Team.

targets for Noosa High

AT Noosa District State High School we are proud of the academic achievements of all of our students as 86% of all academic results were C or better and even more impressively, 46% of all results were an A or B. This is a fabulous outcome for our students and already exceeds the school’s targets of 85% and 45% respectively. The results were: - Year 12, 93.9% C or better and 55.7% A and B; - Year 11, 84.2& C or better and 41.3% A and B; - Year 10, 79.5% C or better and 43.2% A and B; - Year 9, 82.4% C or better and 52.9% A and B; - Year 8, 86.9% C or better and 42% A and B; - Year 7, 87.9% C or better and 39.6% A and B. With between four and seven weeks of school remaining of Term 4 in 2022, the entire school community of staff and parents will continue to support our students to succeed. As a school we also congratulate all our Year 12s on their outstanding achievements to date. Year 12 external exams started on Friday, 22 October, and are continuing for three weeks; we wish students all the best with these exams, and acknowledge their efforts of incredible hours of study and practice to ensure they can achieve their best. As future 2022 enrolments are being finalised, Noosa District State High School community is looking forward to welcoming our 2022 Year 7 students on their transition day at the Pomona Campus on Tuesday, 7 December. For enrolment enquiries, phone the Pomona Campus office on 5480 8111

Life Lessons

CHOICES VS CONTROL

By viewing children as little adults who are learning to successfully navigate social situations, we see the importance of giving them freedom to make mistakes and learn within a safe environment and also give them lots of choices (as much as possible) to empower them and to develop their decision making skills.

Our website will be live over the next few days!

Upcycling all in a day’s work

THE children at Pomona Early Childhood Centre have been busy making a roadside children’s library as part of the Pomona Great Upcycling Challenge. Manager, Leonie MacCartie, told the Cooroy Rag that they wanted to create something to “give back” to the wonderful community that is always so supportive to them. “All materials for the construction are upcycled (even the books) and the children have learnt to use real tools to build something not only useful, but something for our whole community to enjoy.” The Library will be on show at the Pomona Railway Station Gallery along with all the other entries from 1-13 November. “Then, from 15 November, the library will be erected beside the footpath in front of Pomona Early Childhood Centre and open for community use. “Any members of the community who would like to donate any children’s books to keep the library serviced, please feel free to drop these donations to the centre.” Pomona Early Childhood Centre is located on Hill Street, Pomona.

LEFT: Children at Pomona Early Childhood Centre get bust building a library from repurposed materials.

Pomona Kindergarten

Our Government Approved Kindergarten program is delivered by a university qualified Early Childhood Teacher. Discounts/ free days apply for Health Care card holders. We are currently

accepting enrolments for 2022.

We offer: • High quality care for children 6 weeks to 5 Years • Exciting outdoor adventure playground • Nutritious meals prepared on site daily • Experienced and dedicated Educators