Secondary Insights
As we navigate through Term 1 in Secondary at Hills College, I am excited to share highlights from our recent Year 8 to 11 Camps, and extend a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful Parents and Friends (P&F) at Hills College for their unwavering support.
Our students in Year 8, Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11, recently embarked on the much-anticipated annual camps, where experiential learning programs were designed to foster resilience, teamwork and leadership. Over the three days, our students were engaged in a variety of activities, each crafted to push their boundaries and enhance their personal growth. Year 12 also embraced some activity both at the College and away from the College during the first three days of this week.
Over the coming weeks, we hope the transformation we witnessed in our students will continue to be the start of their growth journey. They returned with not just newfound skills and confidence, but also with stories of perseverance, camaraderie and self-discovery. Such experiences are invaluable; they teach lessons that extend far beyond the confines of a classroom, preparing our young learners for the complexities of the world with grace and adaptability.
In the next edition of our Hills Times, more anecdotal comments from students will be available as well as accompanying photos.
Further to this and in the backdrop of these enriching student experiences is the incredible work of our P & F Association. This dedicated group of parents and friends of the school has been instrumental in not just supporting events but also in fostering a sense of community and belonging among our students and their families.
Through fundraising, event organization, and countless volunteer hours, our P & F Association has contributed significantly to the enrichment of our school's culture and the enhancement of our educational programs. Their efforts have provided essential resources, supported extracurricular opportunities, and helped create an environment where every student can thrive. The new Secondary seating is an example of their support for our students in this wonderful community. A heartfelt thank you to our P and F.
If there is anything you want to know about Secondary, please do not hesitate to call reception for a meeting or just email me for a response to your questions.
Mrs Julie-Anne Skelton
Head of Secondary
julie-anne.skelton@hills.qld.edu.au
Teaching and Learning - Digital Technologies
In this edition of the Hills Times, we feature some of the wonderful work being undertaken by our teachers and learners in Technologies. The Technologies learning area comprises the subjects of Design and Technologies, as well as Digital Technologies. In these subjects, students apply Design Thinking and Computational Thinking process to explore and address real-world problems. The students undertake a range of learning experiences to build their understanding and practical skills to become critical and creative problem-solvers.
In Digital Technologies, students build 21st Century skills in problem solving and computational thinking.
Our Year 7 students are engaged in a cross-curricular unit called Digital Creators. Students are taking on the role of a digital content creator, building a website in HTML and CSS to showcase images, graphics and videos they are creating in Media Arts.
The exciting field of game development is the perfect subject for our Year 8 students to learn real-world skills in coding with Javascript. The students are creating games involving complex sprite movements and animations, whilst developing their understanding of computational thinking and conditional logic.
The online world is rich with interactive content that is powered by Javascript. Our Year 9 and 10 learners are taking on the role of interactive content creators to develop websites that engage the user through the use of interactive elements. The students are building websites that are designed to educate for fellow students, or to align with their future career aspirations.
Senior ICT students have the opportunity to build knowledge and skills that can be m88 sports bettingapplied in the real world of the ICT industry. Our Year 11s are flexing their technical and creative powers as they undertake a layout and publishing unit, in which they are learning about industry standard hardware and software processes.
Year 12 students are focusing on educating our young mathematicians, by planning and producing a web-based probability and statistics game. This task requires the students to understand the needs of their user, design effective algorithms, and develop workable code to test and refine their digital solution.
Technologies Co-Curricular: Robotics
In 2024, secondary students have been offered an additional option for Activities – Robotics, utilising Lego EV3. This activity is designed to be project-orientated, building not only STEM skills but also developing collaborative teamwork and problem-solving. The students are engaged in constructing a robotic vehicle, then coding it to perform specific tasks, such as follow a designated path, pick up and place items and to independently navigate around obstacles.
The College STEM Ambassadors have assisted in preparing materials, developing tracks and supporting students when working with their robots. Interested students will be provided with the opportunity to compete against other schools at the RoboCup Junior event held in June. We also look forward to engaging students in further robotics competitions and co-curricular activities across 2024.
Mr Christopher Borg
Head of Faculty- Technologies
Teaching and Learning - Design Technologies
This learning outcome enabled the students to acquire and demonstrate food preparation skills by preparing and cooking pizza toast. These skills included weighing, measuring, grating, slicing, spreading, and using a hot oven. Students were encouraged to consider design factors, like, economically sourcing ingredients and minimising wastage, reducing costs without compromising flavour, and calculating the nutritional value of the product.
Ms Rachel Carter
Design and Technologies Teacher
In Design Technology students across different grades are immersed in diverse and impactful projects.
Year 7 students are currently undertaking a Food Specialisation unit, learning about safe and sustainable food production, as well as building valuable skills in food preparation and cooking. This term’s assessment task has the students exploring the nutritional and practical aspects of planning and making their own unique pizza creation.
Year 8 are tackling the challenge of sustainable food packaging, experimenting with eco-friendly materials and designs.
Year 9 are deeply engaged in understanding the environmental consequences of the meat industry, prompting thoughtful reflections on personal choices and ecological footprints.
Year 10 are honing their baking skills, delving into the precision and experimentation of culinary arts.
Meanwhile, our Year 11 and 12s are navigating their senior Design syllabus, applying accumulated knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems. This comprehensive approach not only nurtures creative thinking and problem-solving but also instils a sense of responsibility and passion for innovation in our students, preparing them for the broader design landscape.
Mr Christopher Borg
Head of Faculty- Technologies
STEAM Ambassadors - STEM run activity with Year 3s - Grape Molecules
Marking this as a weekly occurrence, our STEM team sponsored another activity centered on food science and nutrition for the Year 3 unit “How the World works” on 21 February. This particular experiment utilised grapes and toothpicks for an activity called Grape Molecules to teach the students basic chemistry, more specifically the chemical formula and structure of water, in an engaging and interactive manner.
The children were particularly eager during this activity, enthusiastically creating more complex molecules and compounds after completing the structure of water, which led to an unplanned, yet successful, race between the groups of students for who could build the best structure. Overall, this simple activity was received extremely well and promoted science in an enjoyable way, encouraging love for STEM in our primary students.
Hollie Zavattaro
Hills STEM Ambassador and Reporter
Under the direction of
Mr Chris Schultz
Head of Faculty- Science
Swimming Carnival- House Winner
The winning house for this year's Secondary Swimming Carnival is Uluru.
Thank you Mr Borg for this great photo.
Secondary Seating
On behalf of our Secondary students at Hills College, we are so appreciative of the new tables for our students to use during their breaks as well as their learning sessions.
m88 sports bettingHaving a wonderful P & F at our College is certainly something I appreciate in my role at Hills College.
Mrs Julie-Anne Skelton
Head of Secondary