College Production

The College production continues to build increasing momentum as we move closer to opening night. Performances will be held at the centre in Beaudesert. Why not book some tickets for your family and come along to what promises to be an exciting night of comedic entertainment.

Primary Student Led Conferences

Our Primary students and teachers have been involved in Student Led Conferences this week. These are a signature element of the IB PYP as they build student agency.

Student-led conferences empower students to take ownership of their learning and enhance communication between students, parents, and teachers. These conferences build confidence, foster self-reflection, and strengthen the teacher-student relationship. Implementing student-led conferences involves preparation, student reflection, and ongoing support.

Student-led conferences are revolutionising the traditional parent-teacher conference model. These conferences foster independence, self-reflection, and stronger connections between students, parents, and teachers by empowering students to take the lead.

A student-led conference is a meeting in which students present their academic progress to their parents or guardians, with minimal teacher guidance. Unlike traditional conferences that are teacher-led, these meetings put students in the driver’s seat. They share their achievements, areas for improvement, and personal goals, giving them ownership of their learning journey.

STEAM Building Update

The building is really starting to look amazing. This week brings external stair construction, finalisation of steel fixing and commencement of the construction of the roof. When we return from holidays there will be even more exciting news to share about the project.

Dormitory Conversion Project Update

Demolition is complete on the top floor with second floor work continuing, structural work, electrical and plumbing rough in works are continuing. There will be further progress made over the holiday period, and I will update families in my welcome back letter.

Upcoming Legislation Regarding Education and Care Services (Childcare and OSHC)-PCYC Text

From 1 September 2025, new legislation under the Education and Care Services National Regulations has come into effect. These laws apply to all services across Australia, and we are required to follow them.

As part of these changes, the use of personal devices (such as smart watches, mobile phones, and tablets) is no longer permitted to be used by educators while they are working directly with children. Educators will instead use PCYC service-issued phones only for all work related communication. The only exception will be where an individual has an approved medical exemption.

In addition, children are not permitted to use personal devices in service. This means mobile phones, tablets, smart watches, or other devices capable of taking images, videos, or connecting online cannot be used during their time in the Fun Squad.

We kindly ask for your support in helping us meet these requirements:

Please avoid having personal phones visible when entering or collecting your child, as the legislation applies to any person in the licensed space, including visitors.
Ensure you use our Fun Squad service phone numbers for all contact with educators during service times.

We understand these changes may feel like an adjustment, but they are now a legislated requirement and must be followed. By working together, we can maintain a safe and compliant environment for all children in our services.

PCYC Christmas Closure

All Fun Squad teams will be taking a short break over the Christmas period, with services closed for two weeks. PCYC’s last day of operation for 2025 will be Friday, 19 December, and they’ll reopen on Monday, 5 January 2026.

This two-week closure is a new initiative for PCYC, introduced as part of their commitment to supporting the wellbeing of their team. Their staff work tirelessly throughout the year to deliver high-quality, engaging programs for children, and this short pause offers them a valuable opportunity to rest and reconnect.

Staffing Updates

We thank Mrs Danielle Sim for covering Mrs Ogoti’s classes whilst she was on Long Service Leave this term. Thank you also to Mr Lawrence Gratton who did a sterling job as Acting Head of Year whilst Mrs Ogoti was on leave. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Ogoti back for Term 4, and hope that she has enjoyed her Long Service Leave.

Mrs Lee-Perkins will commence her Maternity Leave during the holiday period, and we wish her all the best for the safe arrival of her new baby in the coming weeks. We are still recruiting for a Design teacher, with specialists in this area proving to be difficult to source.

Mrs Grace Dwyer will take over as Acting Head of Years 9 and 10 for Term 4 2025 and we wish her every success in this acting role.

Mrs Mackenzie returns to her Year 3 class in Term 4 following her Long Service Leave and we hope that she has enjoyed her chance to refresh during this period of leave. Thank you to Mrs Ceris Bowtell for looking after Mrs Mackenzie’s class whilst she was on leave.

P and F Cookie Drop

Last Monday our P and F members conducted a cookie drop activity with our students. I would like to thank the P and F for their generosity.

Kingfisher Cup Sport

Our students represented Hills in an exemplary manner last week at Kingfisher Cup. Our rugby league teams played particularly well with our senior team only losing one match and our juniors demonstrating an incredible level of improvement.

Our netball teams also played well and demonstrated superb sportsmanship over the 2 days. Thanks to the staff who supported the teams and to the large number of parents who were present to cheer our students on.

Thank you to P and F Vice President Clayton Loveridge who coached our rugby league teams with great skill and passion. We really appreciated Clayton’s generosity and expertise as a coach.

I would also like to thank the P and F for supplying the Kingfisher Cup uniforms for the students. We appreciate the P and F ‘s support of the Kingfisher Cup.

Staff vs Students Sport

We finished the term with the Year 6 students challenging the staff to a game of touch football. The match was played with great spirit.

The Year 12 students challenged the staff to netball and this a very hard-fought match as well. Staff vs students sport is a wonderful community activity.

Year 11 and 12 Colour Fun

The Year 11 and 12 students got involved in a colour fun activity on Thursday afternoon. In what resembled a medieval melee the students took the chance to let their hair down. Thanks to Mrs Parer for organising this activity.

Happy Holidays

I would like to wish all our staff, students and families a wonderful holiday break and I am looking forward to welcoming our students back for an exciting fourth term. Please keep our international students in your thoughts as they travel home to far flung destinations to spend time with their families.

Thanks for your support as we continue to build our futures together here at Hills.

Upcoming Calendar Events

Term 4 Week 1

Monday 6 October
King’s Birthday Public Holiday

Tuesday 7 October
Student Free Day

Wednesday 8 October
Term 4 commences

Term 4 Week 2

Tuesday 14 October
Secondary Parent Teacher Interviews

Wednesday 15 October
College Production Rehearsals

Thursday 16 October
Year 12 Camp Day 3

Friday 17 October
College Production

Saturday 18 October
College Production

As we come to the end of Term 3, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for the journey our students, staff, and families have shared over the past ten weeks. This term has been alive with opportunities for growth, discovery, and celebration across all areas of College life. From the adventure and teamwork of the Year 4 and 5 Camps, to the development of leadership skills, student-led learning, and the creativity displayed in sports and the arts, Term 3 has been a vibrant chapter in our Hills story.

One of the standout highlights was undoubtedly the Year 6 Exhibition. Our students shone as they shared their learning journeys with the broader community. Their courage to step beyond their comfort zones, their thoughtful preparation, and their belief in themselves were inspiring. It was a joy to see them embrace challenge with such confidence and to witness the pride they took in their achievements. Congratulations, Year 6 — you were truly phenomenal.

I also extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated staff and supportive families for your contributions to another successful term. Together, we create the conditions for our students to thrive, and I am continually inspired by the partnership we share in shaping their learning journey.

I would like to sincerely thank Mrs Ceris Bowtell for looking after 3B while Mrs Paula McKenzie enjoyed her well-deserved long service leave. She has done a stellar job maintaining continuity, ensuring that critical curriculum and wellbeing aspects were covered, and providing a positive and nurturing experience for the students during this time.

As we move into the holiday break, I wish each of you rest, joy, and time well spent with loved ones. I look forward to welcoming our students back on Tuesday, 8 October, ready for another term filled with possibility, growth, and success.

Kind regards,
Mr Matt Noel
Head of Primary

matt.noel@hills.qld.edu.au

In the spotlight with Prep B

As Term 3 progresses, Prep B has been busily engaging in a variety of exciting, hands-on learning experiences. Our young learners have been immersing themselves in new concepts, developing essential skills and enjoying the wonderful outdoor learning spaces our school has to offer.

Maths: Our focus has been on understanding and working with teen numbers. The students have been exploring these numbers through a range of hands-on activities and interactive lessons. They have been counting, ordering and representing numbers in different ways, which has helped them gain a solid grasp of this important concept. The students have also been identifying and creating various patterns using objects, colours, shapes and movement.

English: Every day, Prep B are becoming more confident readers and writers. With daily reviews and tasks, they are enhancing their ability to express their thoughts and ideas on paper. They have been working on forming letters correctly, reading with fluency, constructing simple sentences and sharing their success with enthusiasm. The progress made in just a few terms has been nothing short of amazing!

UOI: Our Unit of Inquiry has centered around “Where we are in place and time.” With our central idea being, 'Family histories and celebrations shape our identity', the students have been exploring the concept of time and place, understanding how their own personal histories have shaped them into the amazing person they are today. This inquiry has been helping students connect their classroom experiences with the world around them.

Outdoor learning: One of the highlights of this term has been the outdoor learning experiences. Prep B has been taking full advantage of our beautiful surrounds, utilising the amphitheatre space, cafeteria/pond area and yarning circle. These outdoor settings provide a unique and stimulating environment for learning. The students have enjoyed storytelling sessions, nature walks and collaborative activities that foster a deep connection with the natural world.

Term 3 has been a fantastic journey of discovery and growth for Prep B. We are incredibly proud of the progress our students have made and look forward to continuing this exciting learning adventure together.

Keep up the great work, Prep B!

Mrs Weaver and Miss Parer

Awards for Excellence in Art Design 2025

This year’s Qld and Northern Territory Independent Education Union’s annual Art competition saw a very encouraging response from Hills College, and we received 22 entries from both Primary and Secondary students. The theme was ‘Friends’.

We are pleased to announce that Year 4 student Harliv Anand received a Highly Commended Award for her artwork ‘Friends can be anything’. The Awards presentation was held in Brisbane on 3 September. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter this competition. All entrants received a participation certificate. Artworks will be returned by the organisers in Term 4, and we look forward to your participation next year.

Ms Barnard and Dr Pope

Secondary Insights End of Term 3

As we reach the end of Term 3, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated staff for their hard work, professionalism and care for our students throughout the term. Their commitment ensures that our young people are supported in both their academic progress and personal growth.

In the weeks ahead, Term 3 Reports will be published and shared with families. These reports are an important reflection of each student’s progress and provide valuable insights into their learning journey. Early in Term 4, Parent-Teacher Interviews will take place, giving families the chance to connect with teachers, discuss progress and explore strategies for continued growth.

For our Year 12 students, Term 4 marks the beginning of the QCAA External Examinations and the QCAA Senior External Examinations (SEE). This is a significant milestone in their educational journey and we wish them every success as they approach this final stage. Our thanks also go to families for the support, encouragement and structure you have provided at home to help students prepare with confidence.

Finally, thank you to all parents and carers for entrusting us with your child’s education. The partnership between home and school is central to all we do and we value your ongoing support.

I wish all families a safe and restful holiday break and I look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting and important Term 4.

Mrs Julie-Anne Skelton

Head of Secondary

Senior Japanese Excursion

On 9 September, Year 11 and 12 students studying Japanese went on an excursion to Ku-O Japanese in Sunnybank, where there were many traditional Japanese dishes we could choose from. Some of these various dishes were tempura, sashimi and udon. Additionally, there were traditional drinks offered there as well, including matcha. We enjoyed the meals, which many students decided to share so that everyone could try more. After this, we walked around and explored the area, taking photos at the booth next door, before returning back to school on the bus.

Bailey Stringer

Year 11 Student

Mr Scott Whaley

Head of Faculty - Languages and Humanities

Arts Waves Opening Night

The Opening of the 33rd Artwaves Exhibition took place at the Logan Art Gallery on Friday 12 October. It was a very enjoyable evening as we celebrated the success of our students and admired the high standard of artworks in the exhibition.

Congratulations to Isabella Gabriel (Year 7); Addison Field, Chelsea McSevney, Gursakhi Kaur, Kobi Lapwood, Shanaya Mishra, Charli Potter (Year 8); Heidi Osmond, Abbie Kallend (Year 10); Abby-Rose Cox, Malissa Benson, Nicole Pereira (Year 11); Ivy Carter, Sophia Davidson and Kristina Butcher (Year 12)

A special mention to Ivy on having two artworks chosen for the exhibition.

Featuring artworks from high school students from 31 participating schools in Logan and the surrounding areas, this annual event showcases the creative energy of young artists from across the region. The artworks are selected by a panel of local visual arts teachers and gallery staff. 16 artworks were selected from Hills College. This is the highest number of artworks that we have had selected from our school since we first started participating in 2014, which is certainly encouraging!

The exhibition continues until 1 November (Tues to Saturday).

Ms Caroline Barnard

Visual Art Teacher

Teacher Reflection- A wonderful outcome

A Year 10 Student had a failing condition with his HPE theory assessment. Apparently, after the communication email home re a failing condition he was taken to task by his parents about his academic performance. 

He came to see me, very humbly and apologetic, because he didn't understand how he had failed when he'd read other students' work afterward and they passed. We sat together yesterday and went through the task requirements again, the monitoring process that staff had been through, my feedback, his responses and the reasons why they met a failing condition and he was really appreciative and polite. 

It was one of those moments where you could "see the penny drop". He thanked me repeatedly for my time, and was very careful to make sure he never came across as rude or demanding and that he wanted to understand the why of it all. He was very accepting, even though it wasn't necessarily the outcome he was hoping for (a review of his grading) and agreed that next term he could make some different choices before the checkpoints and final submission to ensure that he would submit better quality work. 

All around it was one of the best experiences educationally with a student in that cohort all year - one I hope to be a powerful reminder for the student that staff are truly here to empower students to achieve their best possible outcomes.

Mrs Leah Stone

Head of Faculty- Health and Physical Education

Student Excellence

Subangini Vinayagam has receive a Certificate of Excellence in Physics. Well done Subangini.

Mr Chris Schultz

Head of Faculty - Science

Uniform Reminder

As part of the enrolment process, you will have signed an agreement to support our uniform expectations. These expectations are in place to promote a sense of belonging, equality, and pride in our school community. While we understand that occasional issues may arise, repeated or egregious breaches of the uniform policy are not acceptable.

Our policy clearly states that students may be asked to be collected from school if they are not in correct uniform, particularly in cases of repeated or serious non-compliance. While we always aim to work with families experiencing genuine hardship or extenuating circumstances, we ask that all families make every effort to ensure students attend school in full and correct uniform each day.

We also wish to remind families that forgetting to do laundry should not be used as a repeated reason for being out of uniform. Planning and maintaining a routine around uniform care is essential, and we encourage you to include children in this process to help them develop independence.  Older students should absolutely be able to undertake their own washing, including using the laundry sink, where necessary.

We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations at home. If you are experiencing difficulties in meeting uniform requirements, please contact the school so we can work together to find a solution.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in supporting a positive and respectful school environment.

International Dot Day activities

On Monday 15 September the Art department celebrated 'International Dot Day'. This day is inspired by the children's book 'The Dot' by Peter H. Reynolds - a story about an Art teacher who helps a timid student make a mark by painting a dot. From this first mark, the student grows in confidence and goes on to do wonderful things.

'International Dot Day' evolved when an Art teacher (Terry Shay) read 'The Dot' to his class on 15 September 2009 and started to do activities every year. The day is now recognised around the world with various events organised by schools and libraries.

In the lead up to International Dot Day the Prep and Year 6 students were busy creating dots in the Art room. Their work culminated in a display in the foyer of the Resource Centre.

On International Dot Day, students and staff were encouraged to work on a group painting of dots using analogous colours (colours next to each other on the colour wheel). It was wonderful to see a combination of students from Years 7 to 12 all leaving their mark during the week.

It is hoped that this will become an annual event in the Art department to foster a love of art and encourage self-confidence.

Ms Barnard

Certificate II in Cookery Completed

Congratulations to our Year 10-12 students who recently completed a Certificate II in Cookery here at the College. The students have engaged in both theory and practical components each week since the start of the year and have learnt skills that can be applied to the workplace, future study, their resume, and for their own personal knowledge: along with 4 QCE points! 

Well done to all students and I am very proud of them.

We look forward to offering another Certificate being delivered onsite next year during our Activities program.

Mrs Mandy Comerford

Student Support Coordinator

Farewell Austin!

This term, Prep C welcomed a young international visitor from one of our sister schools in China. Austin participated in classes for the whole term, and it feels like he has been here all year! He has made some firm friends, and his English has also improved during his term-long stay at Hills College.

Good luck Austin! Thank you for visiting our school. We hope you will have happy memories of your time in Prep C.

Thank you to the amazing Prep students for welcoming Austin, and especially to Mrs Tomlinson and Ms Taylor for their incredible kindness to him. Here is a message from Austin's family:

"We just wanted to let you know how deeply touched our whole family is by the care and dedication you and the other two teachers have shown to Austin over the past term. We truly appreciate all the effort you put into supporting him during his very first experience studying overseas. Please extend our heartfelt gratitude once again to Mrs T and Ms Taylor."

Congratulations!

This term, we have two students from Hills Language College who have worked incredibly hard on their English. They will move into mainstream classes in Term 4. SeoYoon will join Year 9, and her brother WooSeok will join Year 10. Congratulations to SeoYoon and WooSeok!

Good luck Pan Pan

These holidays, Year 11 international student Ho Cheung Pang (Pan Pan) travels to Perth to compete in the World Table Tennis Youth Contender tournament. We wish Pan Pan great success!