We are delighted to share our latest message from our Deputy Principal. As we embrace the enriching tradition of Book Week, Mr Taylor reflects on the profound impact that reading can have on our lives. In his message, he highlights the many benefits of immersing ourselves in great books—from fostering creativity in young minds to offering solace and inspiration in challenging times. Whether enjoying a story with family or finding quiet moments for personal reflection, reading opens doors to new worlds and deepens our understanding of the world we live in. Most importantly, he reminds us of the ultimate source of wisdom found in the Bible, encouraging us all to seek God’s guidance through the pages of His Word.
From our Deputy Principal
National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology and King's always participates in this annual initiative as a way to explore the incredibly complex and interesting world God has created through the lens of science. This year’s theme was 'Species Survival - More than just sustainability', which highlighted the importance of science in helping species thrive in an ever-changing world. This year, our STEM ambassadors helped the Science Department celebrate National Science Week with a home-grown science show called What Really Matters. Liquid nitrogen, dry ice, hydrogen and helium were some of the substances used to teach scientific principles. The show was enjoyed by an excited Year 3 cohort as well as high school students over two lunchtime sessions. Our Year 7 students also enjoyed an incursion from the Wild Rangers team to celebrate this year’s science week theme. The presenter brought a range of animals to King's to inspire and educate students regarding the plight of native wildlife. Students were provided a range of simple measures they can take to be good stewards of God’s creation and protect important species. Our library also supported Science Week with book displays and collaborations with the High School Science Department. Each day throughout the week, Mr Holman from the High School Science Department presented amazing science experiments for our Year 4 - 6 students in the library.
King’s places a high value on art and our broader involvement in the creative industries. We recognise that artistic expression is a divine gift and believe in nurturing creativity as a means of exploring and sharing the beauty of God’s creation. As a school, we encourage our students and teachers to actively participate in the arts industry beyond King’s, as it helps develop talent and empowers our artists to be positive influencers, spreading Christian values that reflect love, compassion, and beauty. This year, one of the ways we are doing this is by participating in the Swell Sculpture Festival. Please support our artists by visiting the festival on Currumbin foreshore between 6-15 September and look out for King’s ‘Golden Rush’ submission. Our entry is a representation of a nostalgic Gold Coast, in an artwork that contrasts the small suburban past with the technologically advanced, culturally dynamic, and sustainable communities of the future. While nostalgia may evoke grief for past generations, the piece urges viewers to find positive opportunities in the unfamiliar yet promising future of development and progress.
On Thursday, 15 August, a group of King’s Year 10 student leaders enjoyed a Leadership Day at Bond University. The event was led by three dynamic instructors - Mick, Luke, and Pip - who offered the young leaders a transformative experience designed to deepen their understanding of leadership. Sancia Stephen participated in the event and she described the experience: ‘The Leadership Day was a fantastic opportunity to learn leadership concepts in a meaningful way. The instructors guided us through each session, regularly challenging us with thought-provoking questions that helped us dive deeper into what it truly means to be a leader,’ she said. ‘The sessions were more than just lectures; they included interactive activities that pushed us to think critically about leadership, communication, and teamwork.’ Didier Liddell, another participant, highlighted the variety of activities that filled the day. From competitive games that tested the students' values and leadership skills to a seminar with four Bond University students, the experience was both challenging and enlightening. ‘One way in which these skills were tested was by playing competitive games, which later revealed that not many of the values the students had proposed were upheld,’ he said. 'Overall, the Leadership Day was an invaluable opportunity to better understand leadership and how we can apply it to guide our school towards a brighter future.'
The day culminated in a performance where the students were asked to represent their school values; an activity that provided a powerful lesson in leading by example. Participating in events like this one is just one of the many ways King's helps equip our students with the skills to become successful leaders for tomorrow's generation.
The 2024 Gold Coast Eisteddfod season has now concluded and students from our variety of Instrumental Music ensembles have enjoyed the valuable opportunity to gain experience and confidence in performing publicly. This year, our College received the best results than any other year across the board and we are very proud of our students and tutors for their hard work and incredible success.
Congratulations to our final ensembles for these results in the last days of the Gold Coast Eisteddfod season this year:
Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University’s State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) is an educational program for music students that extends their pursuit of musical excellence. SHEP is now a firmly established aspect of music learning in Queensland, bringing together young people from all over the State to share their passion for making music. In partnership with schools across Queensland, SHEP connects the finest young musicians with a team of eminent international and national conductors in pursuit of musical excellence. SHEP programs are held at the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith's South Bank Campus and includes the Australian Honours Ensemble Program (AHEP), SHEP Queensland (State-wide), SHEP South East QLD, SHEP Brisbane and SHEP Primary. Under the expert tutelage of eminent international and national conductors, the intensive weekend program began on a Friday afternoon and launched immediately into the first rehearsal. By Sunday, students had practised, polished and perfected a repertoire of pieces ready to perform for family members on the stage of the Queensland Conservatorium.
Congratulations to the following students who were selected to attend SHEP South East QLD:
Angela Kaplun (Cello), Sybelle Chang (Clarinet), Joshua Ong (Clarinet), Elijah Tarr (Flute), Emilia Wruck (Saxophone), Oscar Griffiths (Trombone), Woo Joo Ki (Violin), Bella Li (Cello), Chessis Lau (Violin), Alana Lim (Violin) and Alinchaya Ucharatna (Violin)
Emilia Wruck, tenor saxophone player, was part of the Sapphire Wind Ensemble and shared her experience of attending SHEP:
Our volleyball teams delivered exceptional performances at the QLD Senior Schools Cup, with our Year 12 Boys team leading the charge in the Honours Division. The boys powered through the tournament, going undefeated into the semi-final. Unfortunately, their momentum was halted after team player, Jerome, suffered a broken wrist, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Grand Final. Despite this setback, the team showed incredible resilience, securing the bronze medal. We extend our best wishes to Jerome for a speedy recovery.
In addition to the Year 12 Boys’ success, our Year 11 teams also made us proud. The Year 11 Boys took home the bronze medal in Division 1, while the Year 11 Girls shone brightly, capturing gold in Division 2. These achievements are a testament to the hard work and dedication of all our volleyball players. Congratulations to all the teams on their outstanding efforts and well-deserved medals!
Earlier this year, both our Vicki Wilson Shield team (Years 7-9) and Vicki Wilson Cup team (Years 10-12) successfully qualified for the final series, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown from 9-10 August. For the Shield team, the challenge was not just to compete but to defend their title as reigning champions. After an action-packed Day One, both teams finished the pool rounds at the top of the ladder. On Day Two, our Senior Cup Team faced a tough knockout round against Somerset College, narrowly losing 24-28. However, our Junior Shield Team was just hitting their stride. They triumphed over Mountain Creek 23-15 in the Quarter Final, then powered through the Semi-Final against St Rita’s College with a 31-18 victory. This set the stage for an epic Grand Final against Moreton Bay College, where our team delivered an outstanding performance, securing the shield for the second year in a row with a decisive 27-15 win. Congratulations to both teams on their incredible achievements!
We are excited to announce the launch of our new Pathway to the First XV rugby program, a pilot initiative designed to build a stronger, more resilient rugby team for the future. If successful, this program will serve as a model to be rolled out across all sporting areas. The program is focused on two main objectives: cultivating a strong team culture and building our players' physical capacity. We recognise that physical transformation is a key building block for success in upcoming seasons. Research shows that athletes who meet their strength benchmarks not only achieve high-level sport faster but also maintain their performance for longer periods. Term 3 presents a prime opportunity for this development in between the end of the rugby season and the beginning of the pre-season training. The Pathway to the First XV program is a comprehensive 7-week initiative that includes pre- and post-fitness testing to track progress. The weekly schedule is designed to maximise development, incorporating gym sessions, field training and education sessions on key topics like nutrition, recovery and training principles.
Earlier this year, 60 King’s students across Years 7- 9 participated in two mathematics competitions run by The Australian Maths Trust which extend and recognise mathematical understanding for primary and secondary students. On Thursday, 22 August, we acknowledged our students who received a Distinction or Credit award for these competitions. The first competition, Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF), is the largest of its kind in the world, with more than six million participants each year.
Congratulations to these students who received a Distinction award having achieved results in the top 15% of Australian participants:
| Luka Hart Yin Huang | Cindy Xie Woo Joo Ki |
Congratulations to these students who received a Credit award, having achieved results in the top 50% of Australian participants:
| Vian Cai Hudson Gill Samuel Aarons Joshua Ong Josh Lloyd Vince Lopez Lucas Schuetze Sybelle Chang | Ayden Harris Ben Lloyd Frederick Na Bella Zhong Thomas Beakley Elias Giovas Rayden Tiong |
The second competition was The Computational and Algorithmic Thinking (CAT) competition. CAT gives students the opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills through algorithmic thinking and incorporates ‘three-stage tasks’ where students develop informal algorithms and apply them to test data of increasing size or complexity.
Congratulations to these students who received a Distinction award having achieved results in the top 15% of Australian participants:
| Joshua Ong Sybelle Chang Luka Hart Yin Huang | Benjamin Lloyd Thomas Beakley Woo Joo Ki Micah Young |
Congratulations to these students who received a Credit award, having achieved results in the top 50% of Australian participants:
| Vian Cai Grace Giovas Pieter Jacobs Lucas Schuetze | Keyun Ren Bryan Yang Bella Zhong Rayden Tiong |
Hands-on learning (HOL) is a cornerstone of our King's Trade Training Centre (KTTC) program, providing the Year 10 and 11 students with practical skills beyond the classroom. The goal of ‘Hands-on learning’ is for the students to gain experience in different areas of the local and wider community by contributing ‘hands-on’. There are a variety of activities that students have been participating in, which has ranged from training at Bunnings, working with people in the NDIS, learning to cook, making barista-style coffee, helping with King's APS coaching, Early learning support in Noah's Ark and getting involved with King's Primary students in specialist areas. Students have enjoyed doing a different activity each week and thrived in this environment as it has helped them display empathy and caring for others.
We look forward to welcoming our amazing fathers to King's on Thursday, 29 August, for our Primary Father's Day celebration afternoon. We are planning a fun event filled with interactive outdoor games and activities for our Prep - Year 6 dads.
King's P&F are pleased to invite our community of parents and friends to a night of glamour at the Oscars-inspired 2024 King's Ball on Saturday, 12 October. View the flyer for more information and purchase your tickets via the button below... tickets are selling fast so don't miss out on this exciting event!
Our annual Film & TV FOCUS Awards will be held on Thursday, 5 September at 6pm in the High School FLS (follow the signs). Each year, this special event celebrates the work of our Film Television and New Media Students. This year's special guest speaker is award-winning documentary maker, Jude Kalman, from Little Drum Pictures. Jude has produced many amazing documentaries, including one for Channel 9 on Trishelle Sayuuni from 100% Hope. Come along and support our students and enjoy a fabulous evening!
You can also support our students by following @kingscollegeart on Instagram.
We're collecting unused coloured pencils for Rescue Mission Thailand. Please drop these off at any of King's reception offices by Wednesday, 4 September, and help us made a difference for children in need.
Did you know that King's Reedy Creek has a dedicated Instagram account that showcases the many exciting aspects of our school life? We also have pages for our art and sports departments and our central College page: @kings_christian_college. We'd love you to follow us to support our students and see what's happening behind the scenes at King's Reedy Creek @Kings_reedycreek
