Getting down to business for Marsden students and teachers

Welcome back students and teachers.

an-nyeong-ha-se-yo  ‘hello’

As Principal, my focus is continuing to create ‘great’ classrooms where students and teachers collaboratively engage in learning.

It is what we bring to the classroom that is so special. We are a unique and special school that thrives in the richness of our students and teachers. Our teachers are focussed on “rigour, relevance and real life”. This has never been so prevalent in our technology rich environment where conversations, collaboration and communication is paramount to the experience of learning. In this months newsletter, you will read about our policy for accessing ‘edmodo’ ( a web 2.0 tool for collaborating in classrooms),  the adventures of our Work studies students to Queensland to assist flood victims, the successes of our Year 9 students with their new netbooks (laptops), dressing like serious students (school ties and black leather shoes are what we expect from our students), improvements in communication between school & home and finally a little snippet from my Principals cultural tour to Korea during the holidays “meo-si-sseo-yo”, it was cool and awesome .

Proud of our Work Studies ventures to help the Flood Victims in Queensland.

I am very proud of the efforts by a group of students, teachers and volunteers who travelled to Queensland to help the flood victims. The students were  from  Yr 9, Yr 10  and  Yr 11. Their story will be published later in the newsletter.  Special thanks to Wayne Lloyd, Marilee Campbell and the other adults who made the trek, Ulric Steiner  Glenn Lofts and  Bruce Davidson and John Baulderstone. The adults mentored the boys and led by example working very hard each day to help the farmers, not to mention driving 2 mini buses about 15 hours each way to Ficks Crossing near Kingaroy.
The idea ‘think global, act local’ is never been truer in the impact of this project.  After the experience of travelling interstate to help the flood victims, the boys  have returned to school, standing taller, looking wiser and feeling proud. They experienced the ‘spirit’ of the Australian Bush and the fulfilment of helping others in a time of need. Helping the farmers was an exceptional, long reaching experience for both the boys and the ‘ficks crossing’ farmers. It was an intense, physically demanding and challenging experience which brought about a new found resilience for all involved.  Our school motto (Marsden High)  ‘learning for life’ is typified in this project, providing our students with the opportunity to develop skills for life.

Sean “scholarship winner and represents Marsden at rowing championships!

Sean Madeley is one of the first Junior recipients to be awarded the QL Deloitte Scholarship. The Scholarship  provides talented athletes with assistance to pursue educational and career opportunities whilst maintaining an elite level of training. Sean competed in the Combined High School Championships in April which was an opportunity for Sean to compete against some of the States top athletes from around NSW and gauge his improvement after a year of very hard work and training. We congratulate Sean on his scholarship and his selection to compete in the NSW  championships.

Learning Focus on “Writing” for all students and teachers at Marsden

For this year, students at Marsden will be focussing on improving their writing ideas and skills. Writing and reading are fundamental to success at school and teachers are taking time to engage our students in all the facets of writing and building ways to improve students skills in writing. Such tools as blogging, blogED, creative and persuasive writing, scaffolding and chunking are some of the approaches that will be taken up  in the classroom. Students have excellent ideas, however it is the skills and tools that our teachers will focus on to improve the writing of all students. I have a particular interest in “blogging” as a writing tool to express learning and ideas.  https://deniselofts.wordpress.com

Year 12  Getting into the HSC Business and taking the step up in responsibility.