Category Archives: Inspirational

NaNoWriMo Guest Speaker

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NaNoWriMo Update

The writer’s group are all over half way towards our goal of writing novels this month.  Four of our six novelists were available to host the Municipal Liaison for North Queensland, Ms Tash Grace, from CQU.  As an accomplished writer, Tash was very helpful in sharing her own involvement with NaNoWriMo and a good many writing tips.  We completed a quick word sprint and Tash gave us  feedback. It wasn’t easy to describe fire without using any colour adjectives to do that – but the challenge honed our ability to use our other senses – and our imagination!

We were fascinated by one of her take-home messages:

Research – If your scene is set in a Japanese temple and you haven’t been in one, research what is likely to be there.  You may not be able to use your eyes, but you can use your mind’s eye.  An even better way to immerse yourself in the context of your novel is via direct research/experiences.  Why not take up pastimes that will make you knowledgeable? Tash has learned both archery, firearms and the ancient art of building chain mail in order to suspend disbelief in her writing. Knowing more will help with writing descriptions that transport the reader into the character’s world. Google Earth is another recommended tool.

Lastly, it was reassuring to know that the main purpose of this annual novel writing challenge throughout November,  is quantity.  We are already succeeding in developing the discipline and the grit to write a significant story. We are learning that our characters grow on the page, waiting for us to return day after day.  Not having written such long stories before, on more than one occasion we were enlightened to find the characters have not run away because we are so well acquainted.

After November 30th, we will rest.  But for a writer, this first draft will be only the start of the challenge – we will have to spend many months editing and polishing our novels. NaNoWriMo can assist us with these stages of the process too.

We really appreciated the stickers and pens that made us feel like real authors, connected to a global community of writers. Thank you very sincerely Ms Grace,  for driving out to Smithfield on your day off  to spend time with us. We look forward to participating again next year and to inviting you back for a Young Writers Program write-in.

 

Giving and Gratitude

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THANK YOU KARIN & WALTER ZITZELSPERGER

Feeling grateful is a form of savouring and being mindful of all your blessings – human, natural and man-made. Try it?  Take a mindful walk between classes and both savour and be thankful for the breeze, the gardens, the sunlight and blue skies and the people you pass just for a few minutes. You’ll be amazed at how your mood will be lifted by the time you get to your next class. (Walters, L. The Strength Switch, 2017)

On the other hand, showing kindness to others gives a big boost to our own well-being. We should savour it too by recounting how they were lifted by our thoughtfulness.  Equally, tell friends, family, teachers that you’re grateful for them and direct your attention to letting them know that you appreciate the gifts and services they have given you.  Seniors will be reflecting on this now as they exit school one final time and begin the rest of their lives.  It could be as simple as a comment or post-it note?

We were recently in receipt of a kindness – a donation of a prized book collection.  I asked Karin Zitzelsperger if I could take her photo to acknowledge that she and her husband Walter decided to donate their Classics collection to Smithfield SHS Resource Centre.  We hope it makes Karin and Walter feel expansive to know that we will find a very good home for the Complete Works of Charles Dickens and the other items.  We are planning to gentrify our Fiction section early next year.  The Zitzelsperger’s Dickens collection will have pride of place in our new Classics section.  We do hold a good many classic novels but Karin and Walter’s gift will give that section a real boost.  Other sections planned include: Adventure, Suspense, Biography, Humour  etc.  You heard it first here, but call in first thing next year to check we have ‘made good’ on this promised rennovation.

Karin Zitzelsperger donates her Charles Dickens collection.

NANOWRIMO HAS BEGUN

On the subject of gratitude. A big thank you to Senior, Eryn, who is taking time to mentor our writer’s group through a very challenging initiative – the writing of a novel in just ONE month.  The grit, motivation and organization required is our biggest challenge.  Participants can still sign up these first few days in November but should try to make the Wednesday meetings for support and boosts to your word count. One day down – 2% finished my novel draft.  How about you?

AUDIO BOOKS

With resources all needing to come back for stocktake before the Christmas holidays, we’re encouraging students to ease off on borrowing them by the end of November.  You can read our eBooks and participate in our free trial of AudioBooks by using your Smartphone, Table or Computer to borrow and read from our online Wheelers Website.  Download ePlatform today for your phone or tablet and let us know if you need help.

DISPLAYS

Horror stories have been moving since we whipped up a quick Halloween display. Scary stories will definitely become a new fiction section next year.  Marsupial Lion from the Queensland museum has also been on the floor for the past 2 weeks.

 

International Women’s Day Mar 8

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DID YOU KNOW?

Globally, women earn 24% less than men. Yet women re-invest 90% of their income back into the household. On average, women in developing countries spend 3 hours more each day on unpaid work than their partners. In the developed world, women devote  2 hours per day more than men, to unpaid tasks.

Celebrate International Women’s Day in the eLearning Room on Wednesday March 8th, 2017.  We welcome two very interesting professional women to inspire us. Dr Shaneen Fantin and Ms Belinda Allwood from POD. Bring your lunch but refreshments will be available.

Why not attempt our IWD wordsearch on our display?  Vivo points for participation!


Noreen Wilcox Award Winner 2015

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Noreen Wilcox Award for Excellence in Education

This year,  the Noreen Wilcox Award went to our own HOD Teaching & Learning, Ms Edita Sliskovic. The Australian College of Educators’ website states: “Noreen’s efforts to enhance the opportunities for students through the refinement of teaching practice were a constant focus of Noreen’s life. An exemplary model, Noreen demanded and achieved a high standard from those around her.”  Remind you of anyone?  That’s why we’re very proud of Ms Sliskovic – because these same descriptors apply to her own character, teaching and mentoring practices. I’m sure all her  past Philosophy and History students agree.

 

eslis1

End of Year Stocktake

Checking in all school resources is important for many reasons. Of course we want to ensure that we have enough textbooks and library books for everyone in 2016.  But we also need to sight resources so that we can repair them, purchase additional copies if necessary and plan for the coming year. Lastly, we need to reconcile our holdings with our database so that we are not wasting time looking for resources, which cannot be found.  We are asking for the cooperation of students and parents in returning any and all school resources to the Library and Textbook promptly. Our emails and messages have been more urgent than ever, simply because with the inclusion of Yr 7, we have hundreds of extra students to supply with resources in 2016.

All Year 12 resources were due to be handed back Nov 16. Year 11’s and 10’s have until Nov 23rd and Yrs 7-9 can have resources until Dec 4, at the very latest.  Your cooperation in returning textbooks and library books, will save labour both in the library and the office. Please  return your loans BEFORE we spend time sending bills.

Are you a 21st Century Global Citizen?

Whether you are a student, parent, employer or teacher, scroll down this checklist of  12 collaboration skills to see whether you have what it takes to work together to get things done.

collaboration-tips

26 Questions Every Student Should Be Able To Answer

Also from the Global Digital Citizen website is another interesting list taken originally from an article by Terry Heick. What are the 26 Questions that every student should be able to answer at the beginning of the year? You won’t necessarily be able to respond to all of them off the top of your head, but learning and collaborating to learn will be more directed if you can answer a selection of these questions. Start with these:

1. What do I need to know about you?

2. What do you need from me more than anything else?

5. What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever done?

12. Are you a picky reader? What are your strengths as a reader?

13. What is your personal philosophy?

19. Where does your inner drive come from?

20. Who are your heroes or role models?

22. What are you good at that nobody knows?

23. What do teachers sometimes misunderstand about you as a learner?

Read the whole list here…

Brain Training

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Improve your Brain

Our international students managed to squeeze in another puzzle before their departure at the end of Term 3 – aptly a Bon Voyage puzzle. Puzzles are good for brain training, spacial recognition etc. and everyone can put in a few pieces on their way past.  Try it?

If you’ve missed Todd Sampson put brain training to the test as he undergoes a radical brain makeover in a three-part documentary series on the revolutionary new science of brain plasticity, in “Redesign My Brain” on Thursday nights, you can catch up with episodes 1-3 on Iview.

And if you’re interested in training your brain’s reaction time and capabilities, why not sign up for a free Luminosity.com account and play a few brain training games every day?  Another good way to train your brain is by going to www.freerice.com  to answer multiple choice questions about word meanings and many other subject categories.  The good thing about Free Rice is that every time you get a question right, 10 grains of rice is donated to alleviate poverty.
 

And the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature Goes to…

Last week, Canadian short story author and novelist, Alice Munro, became the 13th woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature. Before her name was announced a cheer went up when the audience were told that this year’s recipient would be a woman. One of her recent books, “Too Much Happiness” won the Man Booker Prize in 2009. Follow this link for a brief encounter with our latest Nobel Laureate and one of Canada’s best known writers. Let’s not forget Canadian, Yann Martel, who wrote “The Life of Pi”…who knows with a few more books to his credit he might win the Nobel one day?

Alice

Displays & New Books

Our new Queensland Museum display is called “Our Senses”. Scan for new books in our library by browsing on our Red Hot Reading newsletter.

Digital Citizenship

digital footprints

It is more important than ever that you guard your digital footprint.  This US High School film outlines some of the dangers of emailing, messaging and uploading photos of yourself and others to social media. Henry Sibley High School believe that “Managing Your Digital Footprint” is something you should really work on. Watch some of these stories and learn how to protect your digital reputation  and future prospects.

Persistance – Habit 1

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With only a week left at Smithfield High, our Italian and Austrian exchange students are determined to finish our latest jigsaw puzzle – Impossibles. Now that’s persistance! It has been wonderful to meet them all and work with them and we will miss their friendly smiles.

Jigsaw

LR – Valentin Weissmann, Matilde Bonacchi, Lisa Andreatta, Monica Rapino 

Queens and Jokers

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Reader's Cup Team

Reader’s Cup Team

 Our Reader’s Cup team had a great day June 7th at Malanda High School, competing in  our regional literature trivia competition. Ben Weller, Megan McDowall, Brogan Lynton and Josh Pelach are pictured with their participation certificates, after the competition. St Monica’s won overall and are on their way to the state finals.  SSHS wishes them well and  are in awe of their achievement. 

If you want to see some of the wonderful YA fiction titles we have purchased recently, including the Reader’s Cup titles, check out our reviews on the Red Hot Reads webpage or browse on our new book stand.

Being in the middle of exam block right now, we can appreciate the uplifting signs posted around JCU campus.  Our Year 11 Learning Academy enjoyed a tour of the JCU library and services recently.  The JCU Librarian is pictured showing us what a bound journal looks like. Remember students, any books returned late to the JCU Library are your personal responsibility. Pay your fines when you return your overdue book – better yet, save money and don’t be tardy.

Interactive display.  We’ve enjoyed some interesting Qld museum displays this term – but our current Art display by Year 9’s  is a “first”. It is interactive. Press the button to learn about the theme and materials used.  Last month was a busy one for research as you see – all our frozen loan trolley’s were in use.

Fantasy is the theme of our latest jigsaw puzzle and it is providing slightly different challenges for us. Kings and Queens are the stuff of fantasy but last week one of our staff was actually crowed a Queen – Jayne Johnston is the new 2013 Queen of Yorkey’s Knob. Jayne was seleced  at the annual Festival of the Knob, for her voluntary services to the community during her 20 years as a resident of Yorkey’s Knob. Congratulations Mrs Johnston…aka “Your Majesty”.

 

 

 

 

Don’t be Afraid to Shine

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Tash

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.”

Paralympian Grant “Scooter” Patterson Attended Smithfield High

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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 !