Resource Centre Blog

SSHS 5 Min Play Competition

Last week we launched a state-wide short play competition in the Learning Place, Studio key S818115759, which closes on July 12. Visit the competition site for all details and some tips.  Entries should be 5 mins or less in duration and be inspired by our theme – Time.  The best plays will be shortlisted and two winners chosen for performance at our  Spotlight evenings in October. Mario Calanna pharmacies have added additional incentive in the form of sponsorship of ipad minis for the winning playwrights.

Book Week Books 

The CBC Shortlisted books have been announced. Check out which “Older Reader” titles. We focus on the Young Adult literature but you can scan all the shortlisted books in all categories on the CBC site. 

The Qld Museum display boxes are of varying interest. Amphibians and Multi cultural hats were colourful in the past fortnight but our new displays are generating more interest. If you’re curious about “Simple Machines” or in looking at actual specimens of Antarctic Wildlife, we will have them on display until the 21^st May.

Speaking of popular, our penchant for innovation and downright quirkiness is evident in our new lunchtime activity.  With the weather cooling down, groups of students have been known to concentrate their spacial attention  by working together on our 1000 piece jigsaw, Uluru Sunset by Sarina.

Book Donation

A big thank you to Ms Hall for donating dozens of novels, particularly contemporary fantasy novels. We shall relish reading them!  Did you know that Game of Thrones is officially the most downloaded mini-series in the world? Such is the appeal of the fantasy genre. We have a wide selection of  fiction genres  – many of the new titles reviewed in our Red Hot Reading newsletter so you can sample them before you borrow them.

READER’S CUP

The team representing us in Mareeba this year on June 7th is: Ben Weller, Megan McDowell, Josh Pellach and Brogan Lynton.  The team are reading furiously and hope to take us higher up the ladder than ever before with their understanding of the 6 district novels. The booklist for this year includes:

• Red by Libby Gleeson
• The Whisperer by Fiona McIntosh
• Keeper by Mal Peet
• The Girl Who Owned a City (Graphic novel) by Dan Jolley
• On Two Feet and Wings by Abbas Kazerooni
• Hammering Iron by L S Lawrence  +Teacher’s Notes

 We wish them luck in the competition. Mareeba SHS went on to win the State title last year, so they are in for some very tough competition.

ID Cards

Phew, we’re a little behind with renewing our ID cards but everyone should have collected them from T & R and be using them now.  Notice the increased functionality of the magnetic strip. Now you can associate your login and password with the card and release your print jobs from the colour printer, scan and photocopy. Keep your ID card with you because mistakes are often made when “keying in” characters on a keyboard or LCD screen.  If you need assistance with printing, photocopying, scanning, computer glitches, passwords as well as information problems- the library staff are here to assist you.

Learning Portals

Learning portals are multifunctional too. This blog is a learning portal. Our 24/7 catalogue is a learning portal as are our Library pages on the school website.  Our library catalogue has many functions now. You do not only search for school resources. Every time you search for a subject, author or title,  you are one click away from actioning a federated search of JCU, TAFE, The National Library, Curriculum Corporation, Google Safe Search and The Learning Place – and this is simultaneous and automatic. If you haven’t tried our Library catalogue for searching the Internet more successfully, give it a go!  These library portals link you to many directories and tools like our School Diigo Library  and our Clickview Online Library.  Please see library if you can’t remember our student username and password.

Build your own learning portal of sites and resources depending upon your passions and interests.  Subscribe to lists and RSS Feeds for the latest information. If the world’s energy problems worry you, Scientific American has a very interesting article this week about how the world could be powered without fossil fuels.  My own interests have pushed me some useful library articles this week about ereaders encouraging reading  and how the brain adapts to reading in the digital age. These are my interests, you must develop a learning portal to take you easily to yours – we can share deep web directories, online magazines and specialized search engines to tap into our separate needs for information.  For instance if you’re into films, documentaries and mini-series, ATOM has a fantastic collection of free ebooks and learning guides onsite and in itunes for many Australian films like Sapphires or Ten Canoes.

BLOG CLUB

WANTED: Blog writers  for our club and if you can’t make it Thursday after school, arrange an appointment any time with Mrs Robins to start your very own blog. Face-to-face membership isn’t necessary once you are set up. You can maintain your blog remotely. You don’t have to blog every week.  This is not a simulation – join up and share your skills and talents with the entire world.

 Free Screen Capture Software

Jing is a great free screen capturing program you can download for free.  You can capture stills and create narrated film tutorials of your desktop, or part of it, with one click. Jing will allow you to save as a movie file or link online. Teachers will find it particularly useful.  Download it now and share your knowledge with others.  Note - Jing has a time limit of 5 mins duration.

A number of students are excelling at their pastimes and hobbies - not just at school work. Don’t forget to check our Library counter year-round to see if any of our SSHS students featured in the local newspapers. Tash is pictured above with a place ribbon from last weekend’s triathalon. We have stars amongst us and we don’t even know about it!

Our reader’s cup team has been selected and is gearing up to start reading over the Easter break and throughout term 2:Ben Weller, Megan McDowall, Brogan Lynton, Joshua Pelach and Tal Pelach.

We are still looking for Bloggers who want to join our Blog Club. This is a virtual club – once you are set up, you needn’t visit the library to see Mrs Robins unless you are having trouble. I am available on Thursday afternoons after school but all your posts can be written and approved remotely.  So if you have a talent or passion, why not showcase your expertise on the WWW?  Allysha Sordelli has created a Blog about Gothic Literature and it features her own original stories and reviews of published novels. Why not create a blog theme that highlights your interest?  A wonderful novel about the reach of blogs is on our shelf: The Gospel According to Larry, by Janet Tashjian. It’s about a youth who shares his views about globalization, commercialization and materialism with the world under the pseudonym of Larry.  Larry seems much older than Josh and even his love interest has a crush on Larry, never realizing Josh’s true identity.

It’s all about having a go. Each time you take a risk, another opportunity opens up for you. Pretty soon, opportunities are knocking on your door and you no longer have to look for them. But why are we afraid to take a risk?  Here’s a brilliant quote by Marianne Williamson that offers one explanation:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

These books may be the most popular books in the world, but the number of influential books is growing as the humble book is very much alive and as ebooks become more accessible.

Lately we’ve been talking a lot about the “Deep Web”. We know that a Google Search just skims the surface – the tip of the iceberg.  Below the surface is a vast noosphere of information, stored in the databases of expert directories or academic institutions.  Lots of it is free. Some of it you have to buy. But usually there is a good mixture. When we speak of Creative Commons and the Academic Commons, we know that all documents are shared freely by academics and students.  Using our SSHS Diigo Library  we can find lots of open access, free, directories and deep web databases in those lists.

Favourites are: http://highwire.stanford.edu/, http://www.openpdf.com  and our own Online Library Catalogue.  But there are more sites popping up every week.  Bookboon.com is a new site with free textbooks.  Speakmagazines.com  is a free magazine download site.  Both sites ask you supply your email and you should be wary of subscribing to spam emails.

So Dive into Books! Try to get in the habit - before you go to sleep, waiting at the bus stop, waiting for others to catch up in class. Reading narratives, stories, literature or even popular fiction, is the best preparation for unseen tests like NAPLAN and Core Skills. These guys may not be diving into books, but they were certainly diving into the pool at the swimming carnival last Friday.  These guys are our age champions. Being an “all-rounder” and playing a team sport will help you to thrive mentally and physically.

The library’s first lunch time activities for 2013 were in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  About ten risk-takes took part in Speed dating with a Book and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We spent 2 mins getting to know our dates before the alarm sounded and we moved to the next table to start the process all over again. Prizes for good evaluations were awarded. Congratulations to our best speed-daters: Harrison Seal Yr 8, Claire McGarrie Yr 9, Mikayla Radlof Yr 11 and Mani Norris Yr 11.

Responses were very positive: “Shadow Girl“ was just peaceful to read – Very funny – “Siggy & Amber“ was Awesome – It looked funny – I reckon this is awesome – It was interesting – “Unlocked” was weird, it has guns – “Headgames” was interesting, people can relate to it -  Nick & Norah sounds amazing, I think it’s my type of book – “Another Fine Mess” was funny and interesting – “Unlocked” had an interesting beginning, it was great - “Conspiracy 365″  was action-packed.  More than one book went home on a date with new borrowers and a good time was had by all.  Let’s have one every term?

30 “all time greatest” romance films were highlighted on our LCD screen for students to guess. Congratulations to India Hopkinson and Julia Denman,  Yr 11 for guessing more than anybody else.

Valentine’s Day Movie(s)

‘The Paperman’ and ‘Adelaide’ were all we had time for. Most moviegoers prefered the annimation. So if you want to watch some creative and original short films, just go to Short of the Week and search for films in various categories.

Quiditch  in Cairns

Matthew Morris is the organizer of the newest Quiditch team in the Australian Quiditch Association.  The Cairns United Quiditch Club (CUQC)  is looking for members. If you would like to join, contact CUQC.  JCU inaugurated the sport here in Cairns with the CUQC recently becoming the second team in the area. Matthew is pictured below  in the player’s jersey and holding a book about Harry Potter, which provided the inspiration for the Muggle version of the sport. Of course this version must be played on the ground and therefore the rules have been modified. Contact champions@northqueenslandquidditch.com  for more information.

Welcome back. You’ll notice some changes already but we have more surprises to come. No. 1 is our first installation. Look up and you’ll see it. Why do we have glass raindrops in the atrium ceiling? 2013 is the UN International Year  of Water Cooperation. We’d like some feedback from everyone, particularly our Art students - what mark would you give us for this assignment?  What would you have done differently?

 You’ll notice all new sled based research chairs and gas lift computer chairs. New desks in all 3 main classroom areas are still coming, so we’re not finished yet. Checking out your books and laptops, changing passwords and seeking information or assistance will be more pleasant now we’ve a new circulation desk too. We have a huge new colour printer R45 but you’ll still be able to print black and white to R42.  Just make sure the printer you choose starts with “O” for O Block, i.e. your Library.

New Books

We already have some great new titles, all of which are reviewed on our RED HOT READS page.  We must give a rousing three cheers to Cassie Kosky for donating her entire collection of Lord of the Rings and Twilight coffee table books. These Movie Companions and Visual Guides to the feature films are really very valuable in their own right. We have many fans at Smithfield and I know they won’t be on the shelf for long.

Julie & Andrew Matthews from Seashell Publishers have kindly donated multiple copies of their latest book, “Stop the Bullying”.  Whether you’re a student, parent or teacher, this book has some good advice for you.

Cairns Library

Of course many students are card-carrying members of the Cairns Public Library. Borrowing books, audiobooks and DVD’s for free is cheaper than buying them or renting them. But there are a few other advantages. With your library card, and a pin (just ask at the counter) you can use the internet for free for an hour at the Smithfield branch located at our back door.  Edatabases like Ancestry.com can be accessed in the Smithfield Branch Library on any public internet terminal.  But using your library card, you can register for a QPL Account and have access to many free Edatabases even at home. e.g.  The Library Press, which is a directory of most of the world’s newspapers online.  Most Learning Academy students have their QPL account – it’s easy to register. If you have trouble, just see Mrs Robins in the library to show you how.

We’re planning a big ‘makeover’ for 2013. New tables, chairs and ottomans are long overdue and will make a big difference to our facility. Our much anticipated makeover is only possible through the generosity of the Community Gambling Benefit Fund. Watch this space for further makeover news in the new year.

Schoolies Week

Our Year 12′s have graduated and we wish them well. We’re going to miss all our Seniors and their constant requests for laptops and print credit – NOT.  Seriously, all the best in the future guys from all of us in the Library and Text Book Hire store. For those who haven’t jumped straight into work, and are engaging in celebrations, we urge you to take care.  The NSW Government have published quite a good safety guide.

Cyberbulling

 Ok mums and dads, while we’re on the safety kick, here’s a really good resource for Parents about preventing and responding to cyberbullying.  It’s available for download in many formats even MP3.  This paper outlines definitions and statistics related to cyberbullying, differences between cyberbullying and offline bullying, and parents’ roles and involvement in preventing and responding to cyberbullying incidents. The aim of the paper is to inform practitioners and other professionals of ways to help parents clarify their roles, and provide them with the tools to help their teenage children engage in responsible online behaviour. 

Lastly, congratulations to Michael Kitto for taking out our competition that came with the Qld Museum’s Dinosaur display. Michael should have more light on his laptop keyboard now for doing homework!

Horror Movies

Congratulations to our resident horror movie aficianado Tyson Beable for winning our interactive Halloween Horror Film Quiz. Runner up was Ashley Smith. Nice to see students in all grades participating and taking a risk. It paid off for two seniors.  There were a couple of tricky classic titles that stumped everyone.  Here are the answers in order: Alien, An American Werewolf in London , Twilight, The Shining, Blair Witch Project, Bride of Frankenstein, True Blood, Dexter, The Ring, Chucky, dracula, The Exorcist, The Birds, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, Gremlins, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Let Me In, The Silence of the Lambs, House of 1000 Corpses, Scream, It, Saw, Rosemary’s Baby, Nightmare on Elm Street, Nosferatu, The Lost Boys, Psycho, Leprechaun.

Wellbeing Award

Sometimes you don’t have to put your hand up to win, you just have to be a competent, helpful, nice person and the Gods will smile on you. For instance, Judy Andersen was nominated by peers and scored the School Wellbeing Award. Judy is pictured below receiving the award from Caz Dagleish. It is important to note that our library cleaners Colleen and Mike are also very competent and the cobwebs pictured are actually part of our Halloween display!  Which brings me to my next point – things are rarely what they seem.  So if you stand around waiting for the Gods to smile on you, then you are missing out on lots of opportunities – look for them and “Have a go”.

Reading Olympics Winners Breakfast

8E were really appreciative of their cooked breakfast, largely made possible by Smithfield McDonalds. Students enjoyed juice and Milo to help them wash down 25 bacon and egg muffins. Thank you to McDonalds for sponsoring our Term 3 reading Olympics and for being a source of employment for Smithfield students. The No 1 Reader for the Reading Olympics was Ben Weller and both Ben and McDonalds were given a certificate of appreciation. At the breakfast,  Ms Harris & Ms Robins were pictured with 8E, who brought their own “thank you” to present to library staff.

RSL Memorial Fund Award

Grants and awards are like competitions. You need to nominate or apply for them, and like a competition, you need to “be in it, to win it”. Although sometimes competitions involve more luck than skill, successful grants require you to demonstrate your skills, knowledge and vision.  We were pleased to learn that Nathan Norris (Yr 12) was the recipient of an individual grant from the RSL, which will help Nathan participate in an international Scouting event in New Zealand in the near future. Achieving is largely a question of motivation, and so life is like entering a competition - having a go, taking a risk and not being afraid to fail. Get into the habit of seizing the day and the opportunities and you may be pleasantly surprised.

It’s nearly Halloween in America and we thought it a good opportunity to get our horror novels out.   Try out hot new reads if horror’s not your thing.  Why not take our interactive horror movie quiz? 

What is Creativity?

Explore this interesting Vimeo Clip at brainpickings.org, there’s more to the creative process than you think. Whatever your creative bent, you can work on being creative. You can get better at it. In this post we’ve  included two great bits of advice for you to nuture your creativity, whatever it is – writing, art, music…

On being Creative

John Cleese has some specific and practical advice on the subject too. Take a few moments to watch these inspiring film clips. You are more creative than you think – like anything you just need to exercise that oh so important “Habit of Mind” – Persistance.

Paralympics

Did you know a Smithfield “old boy” is competing in the Paralympics? Watch out for “Scooter” Patterson“ and cheer him on to win a medal. Mrs Sheppard has designed a special “Go Grant” poster for the library so staff and students will be able to recognize him on the telly. Visit the full swimming schedule online to search for the race day/time.  Look for Grants heats and finals by his swimming classifications for various strokes: 100m Breaststroke SB2, 100m Backstroke S3 and 150m individual medely SM3.  Watch a brief bio of Grant from the ABC.

Reading Olympics

Even though the London Olympics are over, our Reading Olympics is powering along because this term we still have the Paralympics PLUS the theme of bookweek 2012 next week is Champions Read. We’re only half way through with 11G and 8 E neck-in-neck in the top spot ready to claim our cooked breakfast for the whole class. Close behind them are 8A & 8D.  Keep borrowing, reading and returning books!( form teachers loans count too). At this point if everyone in any form class borrowed a book or two, they could take the lead.

Last fortnight’s Olympic competition winner was Ben Weller. Ben won a funky Robot USB for completing our Olympic Flag quiz accurately. Our latest competition is the easiest one yet and we still have neat IT prizes to win.  If you haven’t been into the library to see the actual Olympic Torch used in the Sydney Olympics Torch Relay, you must check it out. While you’re at it, take a look our latest remodelled desk chairs – see if you can find Mrs Andersen’s orange and fuschia creations?

 Senior English students have been analysing classic novels to find out what makes them “classics”.  Many classic novels and playsare to be found at LitCharts.com. These are good study guides and printing them in colour will allow you to recognise themes which are colour-coded in  the chapter summaries. Additional scholarly articles have been sourced from openpdf.com and students are asked to share printed versions by placing them in the vertical file when they are finished using them.

Mrs Bell  Celebrity Reader  25/08/12 

 My favourite place to read is on my banana lounge beside the pool when the weather plays nice. At the time I was interviewed, I was reading “Up High in the Trees’ by Kiara Brinkman.  My favourite authors fall into a couple of categories; those I like for their craft and message – Dickens, Hardy, Tolstoy, Robert Louis Stevenson and George Elliot;  and those I like because reading their work is as good as seeing a good movie -  Maeve Binchey, Jodi Piccoult, Kate Morton and Harlen Coben.

If I happened to meet Charles Dickens, I would be able to believe in resurrection and I think he would also be very impressed by the extent of social reform since the Victorian era.

Most of the books in my house are stored in the study/ spare room. When I holiday I take a light book that won’t use up my baggage allowance. The last book I bought someone was a biography about a navy mine clearance diver who had been attacked by a shark in Sydney harbour. (Good one)  It was for my son who wants to become a Navy mine clearance diver. 

 My most memorable reads are: “To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee, Cloudstreet- Tim Winton, The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini” and  Heidi- Johanna Spyri.  The book I would like to see made into a film is Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon. Set in the time of the Scottish/ English wars. Claire, the main character on honeymoon in the 20th Century, travels back in time. Claire, a strong independent character, could be played by Jennifer Aniston. Russell Crowe should play Frank with his dark brooding looks. He is Clair’s 20th Century husband whose ancestor was a villain in the 18th Century. I’d like to see Johnny Depp as the hero and Claire’s 18th century love interest.

THANKS Mrs Bell !