Newsletter

Important Dates 2024 - Reedy Creek

Always refer to the Compass Calendar for more events and the most up-to-date event information.

Message from our Deputy Principal

As we approach the midpoint of our first dynamic term at King’s this year, I wanted to share some highlights which you can read via the link below. As a new staff member, I have been so inspired to see the commitment we share to fix our eyes firmly on Jesus and to uphold our Christian values in everything we do at King's. As we journey through this exciting year together, let's wholeheartedly embrace our Christian identity, knowing it's not just a label but a transformative way of life. 

Year 12 Leadership Induction Service 2024

King's hosts a special Leadership Induction Service at the start of each year to present our newest senior leaders with their leadership badges. Our 2024 service took place on Tuesday, 13 February, and it was a privilege to have the parents and families of our incoming leaders join us as special guests, as well as Year 11 students witnessing the event. During the ceremony, every Year 12 student also crossed the stage to receive their leadership badge, acknowledging their responsibility as the most senior students within our school community. We extend our congratulations and gratitude to the 2024 Senior Captains, House Captains, Academic and House Prefects, as well as to all Year 12 students for embracing these vital roles at King's. During the service, our 2024 College Captains, Emily Muller and Byron Tolhurst, delivered an inspiring address which affirmed the leadership potential instilled in every individual by God. Our Campus Principal, Mr Meyers, also shared a pertinent message, drawing from Psalms 78:70-72, and highlighting five pearls of leadership wisdom gleaned from King David:

1. God chooses and equips leaders – we should lean on God to give the courage, strength and wisdom to lead
2. Leaders serve others – good leadership is not about the leader being elevated but about them serving those who they are charged with leading
3. Leaders exhibit integrity – building trust as a leader means always keeping your word and having the right motives
4. Leaders demonstrate diligence and faithfulness – King David provides the perfect role model as someone who was trusted with the small things, before God gave him higher responsibility
5. Leaders continuously strive for improvement – like David, we can all work to increase our leadership skills and how we do things.

Year 7 & 12 Afternoon Creates Connection

Each year in Term 1, High School organises our Year 7 & 12 Afternoon event to foster connection and nurture College culture. The event is often a highlight for both year groups, providing various activities for optimal fun and friendship-building. These shared experiences often create lasting camaraderie that remains strong throughout our students' time at King’s. On Friday, 9 February, the 2024 event unfolded across the campus with exhilarating activities and collaborative endeavours. Fuelled by sugar, our young men and women set off in opposite directions as laughter and chatter echoed across the grounds.

The highlight of the event was the exhilarating game of Laser Skirmish as students navigated through intricate mazes within the school building, strategising and teaming up to outwit their opponents. Later on, the boys set off to revel in the thrill of Ultimate Frisbee, while the girls indulged in their creative pursuits and crafted beaded key rings and origami masterpieces. At the end of the evening, all students gathered for a light dinner where they shared stories from the day and the Year 7 cohort had the chance to pose questions to their Year 12 counterparts during a Q&A session. From study tips to navigating high school life, the seniors generously imparted their wisdom to guide the younger students on their academic journey. The day reminded us of the importance of fostering connections across different age groups within our school community. Through shared experiences and mutual respect, students strengthened friendships and gained valuable insights into the challenges and triumphs of high school life. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the students and staff who made this day a resounding success.

Student Reflections:

Celebrating King's 2023 ATAR Success

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Congratulations to our 2023 Year 12 cohort – The Year of Confidence - who collectively received remarkable ATAR results. This week, our College set aside time in our Senior Assembly to honour the 17 students who achieved an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) exceeding 95.00. These results represent a significant milestone in their academic journey and stand as a testament to their hard work, commitment to their studies, and determination to attain academic excellence. Their achievement reflects the outcomes of a strong work ethic, a genuine passion for learning, and unyielding determination. It is immensely gratifying to see these students embody our core value of Learning Passionately across all subjects.

These students spoke at assembly and helped to inspire the Year 11 and 12 cohort in their own pursuit of academic excellence.

Other notable results:

• 27 students achieved an ATAR of 90+
• 193 students achieved a QCE (including KTTC students)
• 112 students graduated with one or more VET qualifications
• Students completing traineeships and commencing apprenticeships

It is also appropriate to acknowledge the hard work of our College staff who have educated, motivated, encouraged, modelled, prayed for, challenged and applauded this cohort. We thank Year 12 parents for all the support and encouragement you provided, not just during their final year of schooling but throughout their education journey. Finally, we must remember that it is our desire to grow and equip our students to be young men and women who lead, inspire, encourage others, share their faith and become people of influence. We believe that the cohort of 2023 have achieved this and so much more!

Congratulations to the Year of Confidence.

What some of our alumni are doing next...

• Noah Law - University of Queensland, Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics (honours)
• Isabella MacDonald - Griffith University, Bachelor of Health Science
• Hayate Takahashi - Melbourne University, Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Sarah Moloo - Bond University, Bachelor of Laws
• Rebecca Webb - Bond University, Bachelor of Laws
• Aziah Donaghy - Victoria University, Bachelor of Applied Movement Sciences/Master of Physiotherapy
• Lachlan Chang - Monash University, Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science Advanced (Honours)
• Mandy Wang - University of Sydney, Bachelor of Commerce/ Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Dalyell Scholars)
• Ciara Fay - Griffith University, Bachelor of Paramedicine
• Cynthia Lin - University of Queensland,  Bachelor of Dental Science + Doctor of Medicine
• Zelia Hein - Griffith University, Bachelor of Biomedical Science
• Ern Wong - University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)

Years 8-10 Honours & Leadership Inductions 2024

Every semester at King's, our Honours Assemblies recognise and award our High School students for success in their studies and extracurricular pursuits. Our Honours categories include Academic, Cultural and School Enhancement (Performing Arts & service) and Honours Badges are awarded at Teal, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. During our Years 8-10 Honours assemblies in Term 1, we presented our Semester 2, 2023 Honours, as well as officially inducting our 2024 leaders in these year levels. Congratulations Honours recipients and our amazing middle school leadership teams.

High School Swimming Carnival 2024

On Wednesday, 31 January, excitement filled the air as King's students plunged into the pool for our annual High School Swimming Carnival. Despite the overcast skies, spirits remained high as students from Years 7 to 12 gathered at the Miami Aquatic Centre, adorned in their house colours and showcasing camaraderie and enthusiasm. The Year 12 cohort led their respective Houses with energetic war cries and engaging House Challenges, setting the stage for a thrilling event. Each participant poured their effort into earning points, contributing to the success of our inaugural 2024 sports carnival. A special congratulations goes to RAYLEIGH House, whose exceptional swimming skills and unwavering House Spirit earned them the prestigious title of House Champions.

Final House Standings:

• Rayleigh: 2,482pts
• Finney: 2,197pts
• Tyndale: 1,193pts
• Newton: 1,877pts

We also commend our record breakers and fastest swimmers whose remarkable performances secured them the titles of 2024 Age Champions!

Record Breakers

TANYKA GOODE 12yrs

• FREESTYLE 28.71s < 29.93s (2021)
• BUTTERFLY 33.11s < 35.09s (2017)

JESSICA MELO 15уrs

• FREESTYLE 27.33s < 28.38s (2021)
• BACKSTROKE 31.54s < 34.18s (2008)
• BUTTERFLY 30.89s < 31.09s (2015)

JADA DE GELDER 15yrs

• BREASTSTROKE 35.15s < 35.44s (2015)

MAXIMUS TRUMAN 14yrs

• BACKSTROKE 31.03s < 31.44s (2020)

Primary School Swimming Carnival 2024

On Wednesday, 6 February, excitement filled the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre as King's students surrounded the sidelines and plunged into the pool to compete in our annual Primary School Swimming Carnival. Our excited Years 4-6 swimmers were adorned in their House-coloured creative costumes and showcased their best camaraderie and enthusiasm. Our newest Year 6 House Captains enjoyed their inaugural leadership opportunity as they led their House group through energetic 'war cries' to rally and raise collective House Spirit. Each participant poured their effort into trying their best to earn points and contribute to the success of their first Primary School Sports Carnival for 2024. A special congratulations goes to TYNDALE House, whose exceptional swimming skills and unwavering House Spirit earned them the prestigious title of House Champions.

Final House Standings:

• Tyndale: 1,688pts
• Finney: 1,388pts
• Rayleigh: 1,325pts
• Newton: 1,169pts

Congratulations to our 2024 Age Champions

Year 2 Explore the Wonderful World of Minibeasts

Our curriculum at King's is designed to offer students a diverse range of experiences, including regular excursions and incursions, to enrich their learning journey. This week, our Year 2 classes participated in an exciting session led by Indi from Wild Rangers, immersing themselves in the captivating world of Minibeasts. Students were excited to interact with a variety of Minibeasts and they met Speedy the snail, Scarlet the Spiny Leaf Insect, Millie the Millipede and Fluffy, the Australian Tarantula. Indi’s expertise taught them fascinating details about the different invertebrate groups, their habitats, diets, life cycles, defensive strategies, and safe ways to engage with them in nature. This hands-on experience complemented our students’ current unit of study, focusing on the growth and metamorphosis of living organisms, highlighting the intricate marvels present in the natural world. Through tactile engagement, students developed empathy and gained a deeper understanding of the significance of preserving these small creatures and their habitats within our ecosystem.

Parents Pop into Prep

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Throughout week 3 this term, we opened one Prep class each afternoon and invited our parents and grandparents to spend time inside their child's classroom. During their visit, our special guests enjoyed a student-led tour of the classroom and were amazed by how much learning has already happened in the first three weeks of school. This firsthand experience gave our Prep families the chance to see all of the exciting things that take place each day in Prep. It also created time and space for making memorable moments at school as parents participated in interactive activities and enjoyed the chance to connect with other King's families. Thank you Prep parents for taking time from your busy schedules to attend this special event!

APS Swimming Carnival 2024

The annual Primary and Secondary APS Swimming Carnival was held at Somerset College on Wednesday 14 and Thursday, 15 February. These two big days in the pool saw our High School compete on Day One, followed by our Primary School team on Day Two. Both teams came up against some of the best student swimmers in the region and both finished in fifth place overall. Congratulations to Maya Zunker for taking a new record in the 15 Girls Breaststroke and our 14 boys, who broke the relay record. 

Well done to our swimmers for these Age Champion placings:

🥇 Maya Zunker – 15 Girls
🥇 Makyra Melo – 12 Girls
🥇 Meggie De Chhimba – 11 Girls
🥇 McKenna Burden – 9 Girls
🥈 Danny Baxter – 14 Boys
🥉 Kaitlyn Baxter – 16 Girls
🥉 Tanyka Goode – 12 Girls
🥉Braxtyn Truman – 12 Boys

Primary School APS Swimming Carnival

High School APS Swimming Carnival

Christian Kicks Goals for Australian Boys Football Team

King's Year 12 student, Christian Mladenis, was selected for the U19 Australian Schoolboys Football squad recently. The squad travelled to the UK and Europe to play various teams across the region. Christian ended the tour on a high note, winning the team's Golden Boot award after scoring five goals across the eight games. These valuable points were instrumental in the team's overall success and included a goal over Wales in a 2-1 win, a goal in the team's 4-2 win over Scottish club team Celtic, sharing 2 in the 14-0 win over Dutch team Bvv Barendrecht FC and a lone goal in the team's 9-1 loss to the English schoolboys' squad. Returning to King's for his final year of school, Christian will join local club Gold Coast United as part of their men's squad in the state NPL competition. Congratulations Christian!

King's Teacher Publishes Second Book

King's Creative Arts Department are excited to announce that one of our Film and TV teachers, Mr Zoltan Vincze, published his second book entitled Hurt Runs Within, late last month. Prior to teaching, Mr Vincze spent six years in the Australian Army reserves as a driver specialist and that is where he draws some inspiration for his writing. As a gifted writer, Zoltan's creative energy stems from his love of film and says writing is like putting words to every frame of a movie. Congratulations Mr Vincze, we are very proud of you!

His latest novel is set in Afghanistan in 2012, where Mackay Connolly, a British army veteran, grapples with physical and psychological scars from an IED blast. Endowed with a revolutionary synthetic bone structure, Phragazom, he returns to the UK, but is haunted by PTSD. A chance encounter with Renee Cross, a disabled military boxing instructor, offers solace amidst despair. But tragedy strikes anew when Mackay's family perishes in Australia, compelling him to unearth the truth and locate his nephew. With Renee by his side, Mackay embarks on a global quest for justice, unaware of the true extent of his enhanced abilities. Their journey unveils startling revelations, testing their resolve and the limits of human augmentation.

Paperback and ebook copies of Hurt Runs Within can be purchased through most major online bookstores.

Library Lovers’ Week 2024

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While people across Australia celebrated the importance of love on Valentine's Day, our King's libraries were busy celebrating the love of literature which extended throughout our annual 'Library Lovers’ Week.' Library Lovers is celebrated internationally to honour libraries, librarians, and library lovers, and the valuable roles that libraries play in our lives. King's dedicated team of librarians encouraged students and staff to experience all that our libraries have to offer. They ran several engaging activities and competitions, including Blind Date with a Book, Library Love Letters and the Spinning Wheel. These activities were popular in the senior library while our juniors enjoyed the colouring competition. Throughout Library Lovers' Week, our Reedy Creek campus community borrowed an astounding 1,300 books, reiterating the love of literature and the ongoing popularity of books.

NAPLAN 2024 | Reminders

NAPLAN is coming up soon for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. For Year 7 and 9 students, testing will occur on the following dates:

• Writing: Wednesday, 13 March
• Reading: Thursday, 14 March
• Conventions of Language: Friday, 15 March
• Numeracy: Monday, 18 March
• Catch-up session: Tuesday, 19 March
• Catch-up session: Wednesday, 20 March

All testing will happen during periods 1 and 2. Please ensure timely arrival at school on these days.

PARTICIPATION + ADJUSTMENTS FOR YEARS 7 & 9

All students who are present at school on the days of NAPLAN testing (including catch-up sessions), must participate, unless officially withdrawn. To withdraw your student, please urgently email Mrs Stephanie Kozina.

If your child is entitled to adjustments for assessments, these can also be arranged for NAPLAN. There is official paperwork to be completed. If this applies to your child, please urgently email Mrs Stephanie Kozina or Mrs Allison Craig-Ward, if you have not already done so.

What to Bring

On each testing day, please ensure your child comes to school equipped with the following:

• Charged device (all testing occurs online) and charger
• Headphones (there are audio components in the testing, and headphones are imperative)
• Pen
• Novel
• Clear plastic water bottle

What Not to Bring

• Phone
• Smartwatch
• Ruler
• Calculator (the Numeracy testing platform has a built-in calculator)
• Pencil case

Nominations Now Open for Cross Country Captains

Our Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) was launched this year, and nominations are now open for the 2024 Cross Country Captaincy Team. We are seeking expressions of interest from students who desire to lead and believe they will be a successful team captain. The Sports Department will review nominations and select one male and one female to be inducted into the ELP. If you think this is for you, we encourage you to read over the nomination process document and submit your nomination to Mrs Leana Joyce, Athletics Coordinator by Tuesday, 20 February.

Counting Down to Easter Fest 2024

We are all set for an incredible Easter Fest event as we prepare to celebrate Easter with our College families and friends. This free, fun-filled community event offers activities for all ages and we look forward to welcoming you to King's for our 2024 Easter Fest celebration on Tuesday, 26 March, from 5pm - 7.30pm.

Easter Fest highlights:

• Student musical performances
• An Easter scavenger hunt
• Food trucks with a range of cuisines
• Student art display
• Art and craft activities
• Fun for the whole family!

Easter Fest Art Competition

We are pleased to announce that our Art Department will be running an Art Competition again for Easter Fest this year. This exciting opportunity allows our students a chance to unlease their creative talents, showcase their artwork to a large audience and have the chance to win some great prizes. This is open to students of all ages.

Categories

• OPEN: Student's choice of content and medium - submitted on A4 size
• THEMED: Create an art piece that represents Easter Fest's Cross and Crown theme.

Please ensure your child's artwork includes their name and class and is submitted to the Art Department for judging before 15 March. Winners will be announced on Compass and all entries will be displayed at Easter Fest 2024.

See the competition flyer for more information.

Join our Private Year Level Facebook Groups

Did you know that our College has a private Facebook group for every year level at King's?

The purpose of these groups is to provide King's parents with a platform to build connection and community with one another. We make every effort to ensure these groups only include current parents, however, they are not closely monitored by King's staff and we rely on the support of our members to ensure that posts are kind and considerate. These Facebook groups are also not intended to replace Compass as our main source of College information and we ask that parents regularly check Compass for important news and information. We also have other groups for secondhand uniform sales, our P&F and extracurricular programs.

If you are new to King's, or yet to join your year level group, follow the link below to find your group link and send a request to join. You must include your name on our parent database, as well as your child's name and class, to help our admin team find your record.