Books to Film

The Dressmaker

Some of our most popular titles have been made into films.  Mr Green seems to be the likely choice of author if one wishes to read the book before seeing the film.  Although, something is generally lost in translation – don’t you think?

This week, we displayed The Dressmaker, screening now at Cairns cinemas and starring Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving and a whole cast of well-known Australian actors. Upon purchasing a new copy complete with a new “movie” cover, Tilly seemed to be carrying Mrs Robins’ first knee operated Singer Sewing Machines. The antique was still in her loft – so that became the inspiration for the display. We added a dance frock made by Vera Macfarlane in 1929 and Mrs Colgrave’s hat.

dressmaker

New Fiction

Ms Mesner quite enjoyed one of our latest acquisitions. She wrote, “Readers will laugh out loud and sympathise with a heart wrenching story as they enjoy Robin Benway’s, Emmy and Oliver.”  Read more of Ms Mesner’s impressions in her ReadPlus book review.

emmyandoliver

Infowhelming Internet Stats

Since the mid 90’s the internet,  and what we now term the nosphere, in general,  has grown beyond what could be described as exponential. Andrew Churches, an IT advisory teacher from New Zealand, had these examples at his fingertips when defining “infowhelm”  at his recent seminar in Cairns:

  • 4,230yrs of video is uploaded to youtube each year
  • 3,000,000,000 youtube are viewed per day
  • 300,000,000 photos are uploaded to Instagram each day
  • there are 1.2million ‘apple approved’ apps
  • 500,000 people currently hold ‘app jobs’
  • $5,000,000,000 in revenue made selling the add-ons to just one social media game
  • there are now more mobiles on earth than people
  • 90% of all information was created in the last 2 yrs
  • if we attempted to print out the internet, it would span from here to Pluto 13 times

To learn more about Andrew Churches, download his free IT educational resource.  Or visit his website. 

100 Years of Anzacs

NEVER FORGET

We’re getting busier

The past month has only allowed us a smidgen over 2 weeks of school time, during which we had 8,299 visitors and circulated 533 loans. Our Textbook Room circulated 2,032 textbooks during the same period.

CGBF Grant Work Complete

Over the holiday break, all of our fans and lights were replaced, halving our energy footprint into the future. Thank you to Paul Stevens, our local Electrician from TWT Electrics, for working many lonely days to minimize disruption to teaching and learning.

100 Years of Anzac

Australia-wide there is heightened interest in Anzac Day because of the 100th anniversary. Our multimedia display includes digital images,  primary resources, posters, books and the educational Courier-Mail Anzac Coin Collection. Students may use the lectern to scan personal accounts of diggers or quietly reflect on the lounges.

3333

Reader’s Cup

Our small team vying for a place in Smithfield’s district readers’ cup team started reading prior to the holidays and are making good progress. They are meeting once a week, to swap and discuss books and of course, quiz each other in the hope of blitzing this literary quiz competition. The six titles selected for 2015 are: The Rat Catcher’s Daughter by Paula Rushby  (Historical), Night Vision by Ella West (Mystery and suspense), Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks (Adventure) , A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin (Fantasy), The Last 13 – Book 1 by James Phelan (Action), One Minute’s Silence by David Metzenthen (Picture Book).

Cairns Public Library

Research is a large part of secondary school. Locating quality resources is crucial to becoming an expert in your topic -able to formulate a thesis and argue it effectively. The wealth of online resources and databases available through an ordinary membership of the local pubic library, appears to be a well-kept secret.  All our students would benefit from membership and we  would like to urge families to join the  local library, even if you don’t intend to visit the building or borrow print resources.  Without leaving home, students can access dozens of useful databases each brimming with useful information. The same login will enable you to read the world’s newspapers for free every morning and obtain homework help most evenings  between 3pm & 10pm with a qualified tutor.

Search our Information Portal  to scan our printed collection and various databases, which give you the edge. Struggling to complete your assignment?  Brush up on the ISP (Information Search Process)  and affirm that you are mean to feel anxious and vague. That’s the first stage of the Combined ISP.

 

Cairns Anzac Day Services

IMG_0832

Desirable Difficulty

First Lunch Break

We’re back to our usual expectations this term. First break rules are not up for negotiation. We expect only homework, research or reading at first break.  Students playing games, hanging out or making noise will not be welcome.

Anzac Day Display

A huge thankyou to the RSL for lending us their military memorabilia displays for the week,  so we could commemorate our most popular national day.

Farewell Gabriel Garcia Marquez

one hundred

Read his BBC Obituary. We have some of his titles in Fiction, including the 1982 nobel prize winner’s most famous novel, “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, acclaimed by many to be one of the greatest novels of the Twentieth Century.

Study or Explict Learning?

We’ve renamed  our study tips tab in our information portal to debunk some of our long-held beliefs about studying.  For eons we’ve believed  that we’ll remember what we learn by re-reading, making notes, highlighting etc.  More recent research suggests that we learn best by interacting with the material via “desirable difficulty”.  This is best achieved in a study group, being quizzed or quizzing someone else etc.  By struggling to search memories for the answer, the difficulty can create lasting learning.  That’s why the difficulty is called desirable – because knowledge acquired in this manner lasts the test of time.

To summarize: Study in small chunks every week – do not cram right before a test  – Test or Quiz yourself using a quiz generator   –  Online Quiz Creator  –  Register for Class Marker – Socrative

Form a Study Group to discuss the work and quiz each other verbally  – Today’s Meet  – Backchat on twitter or another forum tool. Discuss information during the lesson or afterwards in forums to be interacting with the information and with others. Try using technology to help you:  Padlet – Today’s Meet – Chatzy – Socrative

Book Week Shortlist

The Children’s Book Week shortlist has been announced. …And the Older Reader’s Novels are:

2014 shortlist

Dreaming

Dream is the theme for June during The National Year of Reading. Our Reader’s Cup team dreamed of showing well in the field at the regionals on Friday June 8th and didn’t disappoint.  Kate Brunger, Charlotte Davey, Maddi Barclay and Lani Seaton (L-R) placed firmly in the middle of the field after reading 6 awesome novels all term. All the team read as many of the books as they could, with each person electing to be an expert in at least 2 books, which included: Wonderstruck, The Emerald Atlas, First Light, War Horse, The Apothecary and the crime novel, A Pocketful of Eyes.  All enjoyed  competing in this annual literary trivia competition hosted by Malanda State High – who this year, were the overall winners heading off to the State final. Our 2012 Reader’s Cup team braved the low temperatures and are pictured below waiting to do battle.

Today the 11th marks the day when 9 authors write a book together online over 24hours, ready for publishing online the next day. Visit the futureofthebook.com.au to download it and sample this innovative project.  Throughout 2011, if:book Australia commissioned essays from ten Australian writers on the future of writing and reading in a future tilted towards the digital.

If you’re into history and music, browse this youtube channel where music lovers have written songs and performed video clips about great moments or characters  in history.

If you haven’t checked out our 24/7 library catalogue yet, make sure you browse the Quick Links while you are at it. All SSHS students should be aware of the benefits of belonging to the Cairns Public Library. If you are a member and you are studying any grade up to and including TAFE, you are able to chat to a qualified tutor in any subject every weekday between 4-8pm. The Cairns Library website links to edatabases like Trove, where you can search for information from archives such as the Australian Women’s Weekly since 1933! Register for a QPL account, using your library card, and access full text journal articles for free – all from the public library website. You don’t have to physically go to the library after joining, if you don’t want to. It is free to join.

Just Books

 

Jayme Reddacliff 

Celebrity Reader  27/02/12

I’m Jayme Reddacliff and I love reading in my room or any place that is away from people.

I am currently reading Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Embrace, by Jessica Shirvington. 

I really like the way that J.K Rowling writes and I really like Richelle Mead’s books.  

I would love to meet P.C. Cast and her daughter, Kristen Cast,  to ask where they keep getting ideas for their series from, because the series keeps the same plot but in each novel there are new surprises for each. Each novel makes the whole story better.

I keep my books on shelves in my room. It’s like a mini library.  When I go on a holiday I would want to take the new Mortal Instruments book with me as well as the sequel to Embrace

I bought my father the latest Eragon book, Inheritance by Christopher Paolini 

My three most memorable reads were:

1. The House Of Night series

2. The Harry Potter Series

3. The Vampire Academy Series 

I grew up being read all different  childrens’  books, but when I was about 5 my father started reading the Harry Potter Series to me. They would have to be my most memorable books. I would love to see the Mortal Instruments turned into a set of films, but I have no idea who I would want to star in each spot.

AND THE 2011 ANIMATED SHORT FILM OSCAR GOES TO…

 

 NEW BOOKS – some covers are linked to reviews.

Read the review   Read review    Read review
Read review   Read review Read review
Read review Read review Read review
Read review Read review Read review
Read review Read review Read review