Newsletter

Final Term 1 Message from our Deputy Principal

This final message for the term from Mr Taylor reflects on the incredible start to the year we have had at King's, and some of the significant experiences our students have enjoyed so far. He also reminds us of the importance of Easter as we finish the term reflecting on the love and sacrifice of our saviour, Jesus Christ.

2024 College Easter Services

As a Christian community, Easter holds a special place in our heart. We reflected on the significant message of Easter by holding services throughout Week 10. Our dedicated Chaplaincy team led an engaging Easter production for our different age groups that aligned to our 2024 theme the Cross and Crown. They shared a powerful and personal reminder about the significance of the cross that Jesus bore and the crown of thorns that he wore. In Jesus’ final moments on earth, amidst his excruciating pain, he had the power to call armies of angels to take him off the cross, yet he remained there, not held by the nails but by his great love for us. By enduring the crown of thorns, Jesus hands every person the crown of life and the invitation to follow Him. His unconditional love for us means that this gift is freely given and not forced upon us. Our Easter services were life-changing and as we move beyond the 2024 Easter season, our Christian community continues to carry the message of hope and our faith in Jesus that comes from His finished work on the cross. We wish everyone a blessed Easter break and encourage you all to reflect on the message of God’s grace, love and peace.

Easter Fest's Spectacular Success

Our third annual Easter Fest was a remarkable success, thanks to the unwavering support of King's staff, students, and families. Our 2024 theme centred around the Cross and Crown, and throughout this event, we celebrated Jesus, and what His Cross and Crown mean for each of us. The lively atmosphere filled our campus and the rain didn't deter crowds or dampen spirits as our King's Table forecourt, Prep Centre, and Primary building overflowed with families. Inside the auditorium, our audience was treated to a captivating display of performing arts from our talented King's student musicians, choralists, and their dedicated tutors, whose efforts culminated in a delightful program of polished performances. The Primary Art room also buzzed with creativity and energy, hosting a range of art activities and the Easter Hunt. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our King's families for joining us in celebrating Jesus this Easter, and for making our community event so much fun!

Year 8's Lakeside Camp

"Our fabulous Year 8 camp took place during Week 8 of Term 1. We loaded the buses on a sunny day and ventured down to Lennox Head. Lake Ainsworth was an incredible place to hold our camp. With various activities, friendship-building challenges, and many opportunities to get to know our teachers better, the Year 8 camp of 2024 was a huge success.

Some of my favourite camp activities include the ‘team initiative’ challenges. This was a particularly difficult (but fun) teamwork activity. Some of these challenges include having to race across long platoons and the winner won points for their House. Another spectacular activity was the stand-up paddle boarding. One of the hardest challenges was to do a headstand on the paddle board. Some of us (including me) may have stacked it pretty badly on the challenges though! Another highlight of this amazing camp would have to be the devotions and House challenges. These happened during both evenings and included very fun activities, where Houses could win points (full credit to Finney for winning on the scoreboard!). Devotions were held by our incredible chaplaincy team, with praise and worship, great sermons, and an overall good time. Another activity that I particularly enjoyed was the karaoke competition. It was such fun to see everyone having a go and enjoying themselves. On behalf of Year 8, I want to thank the teachers and chaplaincy team for such a wonderful time!"

- By Rose Kozina, Year 8 student

Prep - Year 2's Fun Run 2024

Our youngest King's kids were super excited for their Prep - Year 2 Fun Run, which marked their first 2024 Sports Carnival day. Dressed in their vibrant House colours, our eager athletes warmed up for their races before running around the mini cross-country track and fun obstacle course. They crossed the finish line with sweaty and determined faces surrounded by the enthusiastic echo of cheering parents and peers. Our brave Noah's Ark Pre Prep students also joined the festivities for their first taste of a King's Sports Carnival. They smiled all the way down the short course as they were spurred along by our Year 6 Captains. Congratulations to our Pre Prep - Year 2 community for making this such a memorable Carnival!

Finney Finishes First

The collective efforts of our speedy Finney students saw our great boundless House collect 325 points to be named the House Champions for this event, followed closely by Tyndale with 308 points, Newton with 220 and Rayleigh with 214. Well done Finny House!

Congratulations to our 2024 Fun Run Winners

Primary Easter Art Competition Winners 2024

As part of this year's Easter Fest celebrations, primary students were invited to submit works of art for our Easter Fest Art Competition. It was wonderful to receive so many creative and high-quality submissions and to see an exciting variety of interpretations of the 'Cross and Crown' theme. Our judging panel took time to carefully study each piece, before selecting this year's winners for each of the categories. Well done to all of our incredible young artists and congratulations to our 2024 winners who received a voucher for art supplies:

Year 6's Swim with the 'Sharks'

King's Year 6 students have been putting their entrepreneurial skills to the test this term as part of their topic on business and sustainability. They have enjoyed discovering more about organisations and the way they provide important solutions in our communities. The cohort were tasked with considering a business issue, challenge or event and working in small groups to create a new sustainable product or service of their choice. The students developed a business case to commercialise their product and then honed their presentation skills to share their idea with the class. The top proposal from each class was chosen to present at the Shark Tank event in the auditorium on Wednesday, 27 March. The Year 6 students watched as their peers pitched their ideas to three 'sharks,' who asked challenging questions to test the students' proposals. Despite the pressure, every student presented their ideas confidently and clearly to the judges. During the culminating event, other teams set up presentation stations around the auditorium to showcase their ideas to the guests.

Congratulations to our 2024 finalists:

6A - Charlotte Condon, Victoria Wang and Suzana Lopez
6B - Layla Cannone and Sophie Blackburne
6C - Miles Neatnica, Mason Bogatie and Joe Lister
6D - Eliana Richards
6E - Kyra Mansell
6F - Eliyah Brownsey and Hunter Mann

Congratulations to Eliana Richards for her winning and very innovative product called Pampered Pets. Special thanks to our 2024 sharks Mr Mcdonald, Mr Taylor, and Mr Wilson, whose business expertise was invaluable in giving helpful feedback and deciding this year's winners. At King's, we provide experiences like these to equip our next generation of business leaders with a more savvy and sustainable mindset. Well done Year 6 on an incredible term of work!

Parent Ambassador's Welcome Event

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On Tuesday, 19 March, we hosted a number of our Parent Ambassadors for a special event to welcome them to the 2024 program. Mrs Anna Payne, Head of Primary, gave a warm introduction and shared how much we appreciate their voluntary contribution to our Primary School community. "Your dedication as ambassadors really shows how much you care about King's and how keen you are to help bring parents together. We appreciate all you do in supporting our school, our teachers and our families so that together we can foster a friendly and supportive school community."

This special event was an invaluable opportunity for our Parent Ambassadors to connect with one another and our King's Primary leadership team. We also took the opportunity to receive their feedback for the College can enhance our communications for parents and students alike. Our Parent Ambassadors play such an important role in our school and it was an honour to show our appreciation to them on Tuesday.

KTTC's Connection Building Camp

This year’s highly anticipated KTTC camp was held at Alexandra Headland and was a huge success, leaving a lasting impact on our students. This year was the first time Years 10,11 and 12 all went on camp together, which brought students across year levels closer together. The camp was carefully planned to ensure the activities were fun and engaging across all year levels, and it was great to see so much student participation and enthusiasm. Some of the favourite activities included Go-Karting, 10-pin bowling and an ‘Op shop formal’ building camaraderie and connection. Evening Chapel times were also exceptional, and students enjoyed hearing from a special guest speaker on the first night who set a great ‘tone’ for the camp and led to excellent engagement from students across the three days.

One of the standout aspects of the three-day experience was the cohesion between staff and students. Our 2024 KTTC Camp left an enduring impression, strengthened connections and created memories that will continue to resonate throughout the year. We thank everyone who contributed to the success of this extraordinary camp and look forward to more positive experiences and continued growth as we embark on future KTTC endeavours.

King's Success at Australian Beach Volleyball Schools' Cup

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Our talented King's athletes clinched a number of medals and top 10 placings at the annual Australian Beach Volleyball Schools Cup in Coolangatta from 22-24 March. Our top volleyballers had qualified for the event after their success at the State event earlier this month, and the gameplay intensified as competitors from across Australia joined in the national round. With mixed weather conditions and fierce competition, King's teams won three medals over the two-day event,

Congratulations to our teams on these great results:

• SILVER: Y12 Boys pairs🥈
• BRONZE: Y11/12 Boys 4s🥉
• BRONZE: Y9/10 Girls 4s🥉
• 6th: Y9/10 Boys 4s
• 4th: Y12 Boys pairs
• 7th: Y12 Boys pairs
• 7th: Y10 Boys pairs

Alumnus' Success in National Rugby League

King's Alumnus, Allira Watson (Class of 2022) competed in the 2024 NRL Women's National Championships, a key selection event into the NRLW, as part of the Queensland Sapphires team. Across the four days of competition on the Gold Coast, the Queensland side remained undefeated. Congratulations Alira!

High School's Spectacular Easter Art Entry

Easter Fest has just been completed and it was a great opportunity to display the artworks of High School and Primary students. High School does not run an art competition, however, we are always open to students producing work in their own time to put in the exhibition. Year 8 student, Angela Kaplun, created this wonderful artwork for display at Easter Fest. Titled 'The Embrace of Redemption,' she created it using wood, wire, Styrofoam and mesh amongst other things. The work is life-sized and demonstrates Angela's high level of resourcefulness and creativity.

Angela's overview of the process of making the work:
"Precision tools were employed to ensure the durability of the richly textured wood, lending it a rustic look. Beginning with a vision of compassion, grace, divine presence, forgiveness, redemption, and unconditional love, the life-size Jesus sculpture took form. Once completed and assembled using mostly the nail gun, the cross was placed, symbolizing the human experience of seeking help and forgiveness. With arms outstretched in supplication, the figure beneath the cross embodies the universal longing for grace and reconciliation."

A brief overview of the meaning:
"Jesus' death, sacrificing Himself to bear the sins of humanity and provide a means of reconciliation between God and humanity is followed by His resurrection from the dead, signifying His victory over sin and death. Through this triumph, Jesus not only conquered death but also offers believers the hope of eternal life, affirming the promise of salvation for all who believe in Him.”

King's Trainee of the Week

Mr Mana's Team Win Annual King's Chess Comp

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The annual Mai Phillips Invitational Chess Championships is a friendly 6-team round-robin tournament that features three King's students and one staff member in each team. Our Sports Coordinator, Mai Phillips, led his team to victory in the 2017 tournament and so the competition was named after him. Each team included a Captain, the highest-rated player (on Board 1), a rated player (Board 2), an unrated or Prep-Year 2 player (Board 3), and a King's staff member (Board 4). The 6-team round-robin championship saw an epic chess battle take place over three lunch breaks, with a pizza party and trophies awarded at the final session. The competition this year was intense with only half a point separating 1st and 2nd in the final teacher vs teacher game. Mr Zimmatore (Spanish teacher) came up against Mr Mana (Rugby Director) in the final points decider but it was team Edmond is Beautiful who clinched the win - congratulations!

1st Place Team: “Edmond is beautiful” (named by Captain Rentaro)

• Board 1: Rentaro Inukai
• Board 2: Edmond Chen
• Board 3: Ari Watson
• Board 4: Mr Mana

2nd place Team: “Junior Magnus Carlsens”

• Board 1: Zach Corser
• Board 2: Nora Chen
• Board 3: Dominic Ngieng
• Board 4: Mr Zimmatore

3rd Place Team: “Ong No!!”

• Board 1: Jason Zhang
• Board 2: Caleb Ong
• Board 3: Isaac Ong
• Board 4: Mr Snowdon

Individual Board winners:

• Board 1: Rentaro Inukai
• Board 2: Nora Chen
• Board 3: Isaac Ong
• Board 4: Mr Temme

Congratulations to all participants and winners!

King's Armed Services Honour Roll 2024

Our college has an Honour Roll of King's alumni who have joined the Australian armed forces since their graduation. The Honour Roll is read out each year during our school ANZAC Day service in April. Please email Simon Reddrop the names of any King's alumni who are not listed on the current roll below, but are serving or have served in the armed forces, so they can be added and acknowledged during our ANZAC Day assembly this term:

King's Honour Roll