19 September 2025

Executive Principal News

“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.” -  Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)

As we head into our evenings of celebration and look towards 2026, I have been busy interviewing potential leaders and Captains for our wonderful College.  One of the key points in our discussions with these enthusiastic students has been the importance of friendships and belonging at Stretton.  A recurring theme has been the importance of both finding a friend and being a friend.

Research shows that relationships are the heart of wellbeing and learning, and when we get friendships right in schools, children flourish! In the book ‘Fight Right’ by John and Julie Gottman, they identify two types of conflicts:  solvable and perpetual. Their research revealed that 69% of conflicts are perpetual – rifts that arise from differences in personality, values and beliefs…conflicts that simply come from being different people!

At Stretton, we believe that school is more than just a place of learning – it’s a community where our children develop the relationships and skills that will guide them well into the future beyond their years of schooling.  Friendships combined with a sense of belonging play a vital role in a student’s sense of wellbeing, confidence and academic success.

For our students P-12, friendships can provide a source of joy support and confidence.  They also provide opportunities for students to learn important life lessons about empathy, trust and kindness.  Positive friendships can help students feel safe to bounce back from setbacks.

However, there are always challenges with friendships and children.  Disagreements, misunderstandings and shifting friendship groups are all part of growing up. Ups and downs are normal and sometimes tricky to manage.  We try to frame these challenges as valuable learning opportunities which can help children develop skills in communication, problem solving and forgiveness.  We try to guide our students to recognise that healthy friendships are built on respect, honesty and care for one another.

Students have an innate need to belong to a peer group, and this becomes increasingly important as they grow.  Being part of a group helps them feel connected, supported and valued. However, at the same time, we want our students to feel comfortable with who they are, and to know that true belonging never requires them to change their values or identity simply to ‘fit in’. There are certainly many ‘friendship skills’ which can be taught to children including encouraging our children to stand up for themselves and identify if conflict between friends is ‘mean on purpose’ or just a blip in the friendship. Maybe one day, we will see a Friendship Skills curriculum?

We are a community of belonging and recognize that every child in our College deserves to feel that they belong to the Stretton family of learners.  When students feel connected not only to their peers, but also to their teachers and the wider school environment, they are more engaged and confident in their learning.

At Stretton, we encourage our students to think carefully about the kind of friends they want to have – and the kind of friend they want to be.  Together with our parents and caregivers, we can support children in developing healthy, respectful and enduring relationships that allow them to thrive both in school and beyond.

Until next time,
Jan Maresca
Executive Principal

Illaweena Campus Principal News

In my newsletter articles, I regularly write about students and their screentime habits. With students about to head into school holidays it is fair to say that screentime usage will be on the increase. I encourage all students to dial down their screentime connection and dial up their personal connection with friends or activities that take them away from a rectangular device. The importance of student connections cannot be overstated. Here are 6 practical digital detox tips for students to consider over the holidays.

1. Designate Tech-Free Times:Consider setting specific hours where all digital devices are off-limits. This could be during meals, the first hour after waking up, or the last hour before bed.
2. Create Tech-Free Zones: Establish certain areas in the house, like the dining room or bedrooms, as digital device-free zones. This helps create physical spaces for relaxation and family time without the distraction of screens.
3. Engage in Non-Digital Activities:Replace screen time with engaging activities like crafting, exploring the outdoors, or reading a good book. These activities not only fill the digital void but can also become new and engaging activities.
4. Prioritise In-Person Interactions:Engage in regular face-to-face conversations and interactions. Holidays are a perfect time for reconnecting with family and friends in a more personal way.
5. Mindful Use of Technology:When you do use digital devices, do it with purpose. Avoid mindless scrolling (social media) and instead, use technology meaningfully.
6. Temporary Unsubscribing:Consider muting notifications or temporarily unsubscribing from social media and emails. This reduces the temptation to constantly check your phone.

I wish our school community a great holiday period and look forward to a fantastic term 4. As our families know, term 4 is a busy time with Night of Stars and Night of Champions. It is also an incredibly important time for our Year 12 students as they engage in their external assessments, before we celebrate this cohort with their final assembly and graduation.

Brad Stewart
Illaweena Campus Principal

Year 8 Deputy Principal News

Nurturing Minds, Supporting Passions

As we reach the end of another enriching term, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been a vibrant and rewarding period for our Year 8 cohort. It is a privilege to walk alongside our students as they continue to grow, not only academically, but personally and socially as well. Year 8 is a crucial time in the secondary journey — a time where students begin to more deeply explore their identity, their interests, and the world around them. As part of this exploration, our Term 3 Connect Ed Program has culminated in elective subject selections for our students as they head into Year 9 in 2026.

At Stretton, our focus is to ensure every student feels seen, supported, and inspired to thrive. Whether it’s in the classroom, on the sporting field, through the arts, or in their friendships and wellbeing, we strive to create an environment that encourages curiosity, confidence, and compassion. We know that learning is most powerful when students feel connected and safe to flourish as their whole selves.

One of our students in Year 8 has been following her passion for dancing and has some extraordinary achievements to celebrate this year. Our very talented Momo Xu’s commitment and dedication to ballet has been nothing short of inspiring. This year, Momo was awarded a prestigious Sydney Eisteddfod Junior Ballet Scholarship, and in July, graced the stage of the Sydney Opera House as part of the Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Gala. Her talent and hard work have also earned her short-term scholarships to both The Australian Ballet School and The Houston Ballet Academy in the USA. We wish Momo the very best of luck as she competes again in Sydney this week!

Stories like Momo’s remind us of the power of passion and the vital role of the arts and extracurriculars in our students’ education. These pursuits nurture creativity, resilience, and empathy — qualities our world needs now more than ever.

As we head into the holiday break, I wish all of our families a safe, restful, and joyful time together. May it be an opportunity to reconnect, recharge, and return ready for a fresh and exciting Term 4 ahead.

Sasha McDonald
Deputy Principal – Year 8

Gowan Principal News

PLANNING FOR 2026

With the end of the 2025 school year coming to an end in 10 school weeks, we have now started our planning for 2026. All future enrolments for the new school year should be submitted as soon as possible. If you have a young child who was born between 1 July 2020 - 30 June 2021, they are eligible for Prep in 2026. Please see our school website for enrolment information and forms to be emailed to enrolments@strettonsc.eq.edu.au. I would like to remind all families to advise administration if you will not be returning to Stretton in 2026 to ensure we are able to have our resourcing and structures in place for all students in the coming year.

Next term, staff will begin working on class structures for 2026. As always, we invite parents to write an email outlining information that you may need to share. Please remember that you cannot request individual teachers. Requests are to be focussed on learning and social needs that you wish to be taken into consideration. Requests made in previous years will not be revisited unless they are submitted again this year. Parent requests are due by Tuesday 7 October 2025 to allow time for classes to be compiled for 2026.

All requests must be in writing and submitted by the due date to Gowan Campus Principal – Judy Rose-Cooper - jrose44@eq.edu.au

Healthy Friendships & Shared Interests

Last week on Gowan, we celebrated Character Counts Week shining a collective light on our shared character strengths and how these support us to lead a happy and healthy life. Insights into our personal and shared character strengths support us to form healthy friendships. This is a topic that we reflect on regularly at school as we support and enable our students to make empowered and informed decisions when forming friendships with others. How can we ensure we are being a good friend within our established friendship groups and towards possible future friends? How do we recognise a good friend compared to a friend who may not always make kind choices? How to we help a friend when they need it, including seeking the help of a trusted adult?

Supporting children with friendships as they develop is part and parcel of being a parent or teacher. The importance of open communication between home and school is vital in assisting our children and students to navigate the inevitable bumps in the road as they learn what makes a good friend and how to be a good friend themselves. On our School TV site, Doctor Michael Carr-Gregg states:

“The ability to obtain, maintain and retain friendships is, according to all the childhood psychologists in the whole wide world, the greatest predictor of wellbeing. Having a rich repertoire of friends is a true indicator of whether your child is travelling ok.”

This statement is supported by a number of useful resources designed for parents as they assist their children with friendships inside and outside of school:

As a College, we recognise that for our students to make ‘a rich repertoire of friends’, they need opportunities to interact with others outside of their immediate class and year level. This is one of the reasons we established our Gowan Lunch Clubs many years ago and continue to offer these to this day. These clubs provide a variety of interesting activities and opportunities for like-minded staff and students to come together to have fun and form friendships with others that they wouldn’t normally get to learn with.

In Term 4 on Gowan we have the following Lunch Clubs or opportunities on offer each week:

These and the above clubs would not be possible without the many teachers and teacher aides who so willingly plan, resource and run these clubs sharing their many talents and passions with our students.

Each first break to support our youngest students to form and maintain quality friendships, our wonderful Year 6 students volunteer their play breaks to support and assist our Preps to show their Stretton SPIRIT while interacting and playing safely and respectfully with each other. They support our Preps to follow the rules of the playground, share equipment, manage disagreements appropriately and seek assistance from the duty teacher if needed. We are very grateful to have these helpers who often form lasting friendships with our Preppies. 

Should you ever have worries about your child’s friendships at school, please ensure you seek our assistance by first communicating with your child’s class teacher. Our class teachers will then seek further assistance from our sector Deputy Principals as is necessary. The majority of friendship concerns can be dealt with efficiently and effectively at a class level with timely and open communication between home and school. We are always happy to help ensure our students maintain an enthusiastic desire to come to school each and every day.

Judy Rose-Cooper
Gowan Campus Principal

Year 6 Deputy Principal News

Understanding Democracy

Understanding how our Australian government works is an important part of developing informed, active and engaged citizens who can participate in a democratic society. This term, our Year 6 students have been engaging in a Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) unit called, Understanding Democracy.

In this unit, students have been investigating how government decisions shape everyday issues in our community. In groups, they showed teamwork, creativity and critical thinking as they researched a local or state issue and developed a proposal for a solution. Each class then demonstrated the democratic process to vote on their preferred proposal. Last week, these groups presented their ideas to our local councillor, Emily Kim. This project not only gave our students a real-world experience of democracy in action, but also highlighted their leadership, courage and commitment to making a positive difference. Emily was very impressed and is looking forward to sharing our students’ ideas with parliament in the future.

Earlier this term, students visited Parliament House in either Canberra or Brisbane. These experiences gave them the chance to see how bills are introduced, debated and passed. Over the last couple of weeks, students have built on this learning by holding mock cabinet meetings, where they stepped into the roles of government, opposition and independents to debate and vote on bills. This helped them understand how parliament works and why it is important to listen to different perspectives.

Through these valuable learning experiences, our Year 6 have students gained a deep understanding of how decisions are made in Australia, why laws matter and what it means to take an active role as a citizen. They have also developed important skills in critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving and respectful discussion that will support them both in school and beyond.

Emma Webber
Deputy Principal – Years 6

Year 4-5 Deputy Principal News

Celebrating Yousef’s Taekwondo Success!

We are proud to congratulate Yousef on his outstanding achievement at the Australian Taekwondo QLD State Selection Competition, where he won a Gold Medal last month. Thanks to this incredible performance, Yousef has now been selected to compete at the Australian National Championships, which will take place from 3–5 October 2025 in Adelaide, South Australia. This is a fantastic accomplishment, and we wish Yousef the very best as he represents both his club and our school community on the national stage.

Year 5 Leadership Day

Our Year 5 students are currently learning about leadership in both English and Humanities and Social Sciences. They are writing campaigns later this term, promoting themselves as future leaders by providing examples of where they have displayed not only the Stretton Spirit as well as leadership qualities. During Week 4, students participated in a series of challenges that tested their skills in problem solving, initiative, responsibility and teamwork. Students had to work together to help a blindfolded team member through an obstacle course, show initiative and creativity when making an egg carrying device, be responsible for a set role when making a paper chair and find a way to get themselves through a piece of A4 paper! Students who demonstrated these qualities to a high level scored themselves a certificate. Students will be able to include their reflections from Leadership Day in their campaign speeches.

Lauren Highman
Deputy Principal- Year 4/5

Year 2-3 Deputy Principal News

Sharing Our Learning Journey

The final week of term is always one where we acknowledge growth and celebrate student learning. This week I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting classrooms and hearing about the gains that students have made and the topics or ideas that have sparked their interest. We value the partnership between home and school and are looking forward to opening our classrooms in the coming weeks to share with families. The children have planned with their teachers how and when they would like to do this. We look forward to welcoming families into classrooms as per the timetable below.

Colour Explosion Fun Run

Thank you to all our families for their efforts in contributing to the total of $28,756.94 being raised for our recent Colour Run. Events like this do not happen by themselves, we were lucky to have many community volunteers from our P&C, parent community, Helping Hands and Calamvale Police to spread the fun and colour. An extra special thank you must go to our amazing teachers Mr Dudley, Mrs Rowe, Mrs Rowston, Miss Carroll, Mrs Gray, Mr Humphrey’s, Mrs Macpherson, Mrs Painter and Mrs Campbell for their bravery in being slimed alongside me throughout the day!

Our P&C have organised some wonderful prizes for classes and students who were our highest fundraisers.

Highest fundraising students – Oliver Prep E and Lincoln 5I

Class Parties for our highest fundraising classes are awarded to:

Ice cream party reward – Prep E and 5I

Pizza party reward – 1F and 5F

Bec Solomon
Deputy Principal – Years 2 and 3

Prep/Year 1 Deputy Principal News

Visible Learning in Prep/1

A bump it up wall is a visible display that supports our students understanding of the curriculum expectations and their individual learning goals and have them written for them in student-friendly language.

Some of the questions we ask our students include:

1. What are you learning? OR What is your learning goal?
2. How are you doing?
3. How do you know?
4. How can you improve?

Our teachers help our students develop the thinking skills required to become evaluators of their own work. It also shows students that:

1. Getting feedback from the teacher or their peers and using the feedback is an important part of the learning process,
2. Improvement is possible,
3. Work can always get better,
4. They look for ways to improve and never settle for the first attempt.

Next term our Prep and Year 1 classes will host open classrooms to showcase thinking and learning. Stay tuned for these dates – and in the meantime, ask your child, ‘What is your learning goal?’

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

On Thursday, 4th September, our Prep students had a fantastic afternoon celebrating Father’s Day with their dads and special figures! The smiles were endless as everyone joined in a range of exciting activities, including shaving dad at our Barber Parlour, pool noodle games, a Dad Vs Me challenge, building paper airplanes, kite making and flying, and much more!

It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to spend time with their loved ones, sharing laughs, special treats, and make special memories together. A huge thank you to all the families who came along and helped make this day so memorable!

Terra-Lee Peters
Deputy Principal – Prep & Year 1

Year 7 Dean News

Cyber Safety Education – Student & Parent Sessions

Protecting children in their digital worlds is an ever-evolving task for Australian families. To support both students and parents, Stretton State College has partnered with ySafe, Australia’s leading provider of online safety education.

During the day on Wednesday 8 October, our Year 7, 8 and 9 students will participate in age-appropriate workshops covering all sorts of cyber-topics, such as communicating safely online and the impacts of AI.

 In the evening, parents and carers of all year levels are invited to a Cyber Safety Information Session designed to equip families with tools and strategies for managing the digital world at home.

Topics include:

• Practical tips for online safety
• Guidance on social media and gaming
• Recommendations for healthy screen time
• A step-by-step guide for creating a cyber-safe home

If you’ve ever found it difficult to get your kids off devices and into bed, had concerns about the games they play, or worried about the amount of time they spend online, this workshop is for you.

Wednesday 8 October

5:30–6:30pm

Stretton State College - PAC

*Please note, the evening event is not suitable for students or children to attend.

Jayne Richardson
Acting Dean of Students – Year 7

A Message to Year 7 students

Rest, Reflect, and Reset – A message from a Year 11 Student

As we reach the end of another busy term, I wanted to take a moment to share a few thoughts with you all. It’s hard to believe you're nearing the end of your first year of high school!

The holidays are a great chance to rest and spend time with your family and friends. Whether it’s going to the shops, watching a movie, or just hanging out — these moments matter.

It’s also a perfect time for a bit of reflection. What went well this term? What was challenging? What would you like to do differently next term? You don’t need all the answers now — just take a moment to think about where you are and where you want to be.

When you return, you’ll be stepping into your final term of Year 7. That’s a big deal! Set yourself a few simple goals — maybe it's getting more organised, creating a study plan or making new friends. Small steps lead to big change.

Here are my 3 hot tips for a strong Term 4:

1. Start fresh – Clean out your bag (Don’t forget your lunchbox!), your room and your study area.
2. Ask questions – Never be afraid to speak up or ask for help. That’s how we grow.
3. Celebrate progress – Big or small, notice your wins and be proud of them.

Enjoy your break — you’ve earned it!

Stella Peters 11J

QParent Reporting Information

QParent Absence Notification Information

Due to the ongoing technical issues between One School and our nominated Attendance program, QParent Absence notifications will not be available for the remainder of 2025.

We are working closely with technicians to try to resolve the issue, and we will notify families if there are any changes.

Please continue to use the following platforms for notifying the College of your child/s absences, late arrivals or early leave requests:

Preferred notification is:

• SMS for each individual student: 0429 396 836
• Please DO NOT text any attachments as our system does not accept photos or certificates and the text will be rejected

If texting is not possible, please notify by:

• Email: absence@strettonsc.eq.edu.au
• Important: Please email all medical certificates or other documentation to this email address.

Thank you for your understanding.

Melissa Wakerley-Palmer
Data Management and Analysis Officer

Illaweena Writer’s Camp

Writers Camp 2025

An immense gratitude is extended once again to: Mrs Seed (Head of Department - English) for organising another wonderful Writers Camp for students of Stretton State College; to the dedicated teachers - Ms Cavallaro, Mr Thomson, Ms Holmes, Mrs Sarah Johnson - who gave their time to arrange and/or facilitate engaging activities that support students with their creative writing journey; the Numinbah Education Centre team for providing new and exciting activities to support student engagement; and to Executive Principal Mrs Maresca and Illaweena Principal Mr Stewart for once again welcoming the enviable opportunity for students to find joy in learning and writing in one of South East Queensland’s most stunning locations.

Writers Camp Monday, 25 August: Day 1

Upon arrival Monday afternoon, students took to the water to canoe a small sunny spot on Hinze Dam. One lucky group of students reported the magic of being accompanied by an inquisitive sea eagle that shadowed them, soaring gracefully above their canoes as they paddled. It was a special moment for students, many of whom have never been canoeing nor seen a sea eagle in all its majesty and, it offered a beautifully inspiring moment for writing and a reminder as to why it’s imperative we protect our natural habitats.

Back at camp that afternoon, students were busy in a rotation of writing activities.

Ms Holmes led students to create a ‘Junk Journal’, crafting a decorative representation of important places or moments of their camp experience so far, many writing about Murry Turtle, a popular resident of the campground. Mr Thomson guided students through a ‘Tree Whispering’ activity whereby students described the sanctuary of the Numinbah Forest around them with a particular focus on tone and mood. Ms Cavallaro introduced students a ‘Haibun’ - a three-part prose piece accompanied by a haiku, which was first decorated with leaf rubbings and later formed part of their ‘Healing Hands’ mural, an outline of their arms to mirror the ghostly gums that rise from the water.

In the evening, students were excited to worm their way in the dark, by torch light, through the Australian World Heritage site of an ancient Gondwana Rainforest towards Natural Arch, also known as Natural Bridge. They spied trapdoor spiders, and heard the clicking call of tiny bent-wing bats and the immense roar and force of the waterfall cascading through into the cave. They learned about the symbiotic relationships between a myriad of trees and natural features of the landscape, such as the strangler figs, gympie-gympie stringing tree, and of lianas that stretch from branch to branch, forming highways for small critters. They also learned about protective measures of this delicate environment, the importance of this land’s beauty for recreation and tourism and, culturally, its significance to the custodians of this land, the Yugambeh people.

By far, the most mesmerising feature of this evening’s venture into the forest was to be greeted by a spectacular showcase of sapphire-green bioluminescent lights along the embankments and in the cave under Natural Bridge. Never, in any visit, have the students on Writers Camp witnessed such an abundance of glittering glow worms sparking in the dark as there was on Monday. Almost every embankment was adorned with clusters upon clusters of the constellation of lights. It was the perfect inspiration for writing on Day Two.

Day 2 – Tuesday, 26 August

After rising early with the kookaburras to write about their nocturnal adventure to the glow worm cave, students then journeyed into Numinbah Valley. Along the trek to the Twin Falls, students were given opportunities to sit at the base of waterfalls or bubbling streams, among the towering palms, and along the ridges of the clifftop or the secluded forest cave to write of the beauty and grandeur of their surroundings. It’s the quietest classroom, interrupted not by human voice but the chirping of insects, haunting squawks of native birds and the falls, ever roaring.

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Back at camp and more writing activities followed before setting off to toast marshmallows and write by the campfire, where camp principal Khalindi spoke of the origin story of the Numinbah Valley, its mountains, valleys and connection to its people. As students devoured their sticky gooey blobs of joy, a small flock of king parrots flew overhead in strident greeting to welcome the campers.

Day 3 – Wednesday, 27 August

Though thoughts this morning were of packing and cleaning and visiting Murry turtle one last time, Khalindi invited students to participate in a special mandala activity where, using a selection of natural items of various colours, colours textures and shapes, students were asked to create a representation of their time at camp. The final creations were meaningful insights into their deep thinking and inspired creativity, and hopefully their writing reflects the meaning they poured into their wonderful creations.

Our last, and by far our noisiest activity, was the ‘Battle of the Bird Song’. In their cabin groups, students were to create battle raps or slam poems to battle each cabin to prove why their bird/cabin is Numinbah’s greatest. Let’s just say, it was a cut-throat, calamitous, creative end to what has been a fabulous camp. 

Thank you to staff, parents, and students for another successful camp,

Rosa Cavallaro
Illaweena English Department

Science Celebrations

Term 3 Science Recap

As Term 3 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the many achievements of the Science Department, and there are quite a few!

This year marked Stretton’s very first attempt at the Science Olympiad, with twelve students proudly competing in Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. Congratulations to our participants: Austin Roanne, Jayden Lee, Navneel Singh, Omar Farooq, Harnoop Gill, Annabelle Ryan, Millin George, Khadeeja Azhiyikkal, Mansukh Kaur, Aneeta Alias, Yousuf Kassim, and Amy Hong.

Next, we celebrated Science Week, which was a huge success thanks to the collaborative design and delivery led by our Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors. Students were inspired by a wide range of hands-on workshops, including becoming a disease detective in Patient Zero, exploring innovative materials in Fantastic Plastics, and creating rainbows in a jar with Rainbow Density Columns. Other highlights included Microscopic Worlds, building a working telephone, exploring lunar phases with Oreo Moon Cycles, and decoding secrets with DNA and invisible ink.

Students also tested their problem-solving skills through exciting challenges and competitions. From building sky-high Marshmallow Towers and designing safe Mars Lander Drops to inventing their own planets, the creativity was endless. The adrenaline peaked with Rocket Races, where students put their designs to the ultimate test.

To add even more excitement, spectacular science demonstrations wowed audiences throughout the week. From the visual magic of Chladni Plates and the fiery brilliance of the Flame of Prometheus to the explosive fun of Bottle Rockets and the wonder of Giant Bubbles, these demonstrations left everyone inspired.

Meanwhile, our Year 5 students had the opportunity to attend the Gowan Science Fair, guided by our Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors. They enjoyed activities such as giant bubbles, Oobleck, catapult chaos, marshmallow towers, and the always-popular Elephant’s Toothpaste.

Another highlight of the term was celebrating Lareshka Pillay, who received the prestigious Peter Doherty Award for Excellence in STEM. This honour recognises her outstanding dedication, leadership, and passion for science and innovation. As a Stretton Science Ambassador (2024) and our 2025 Senior Wellbeing Prefect, Lareshka is a remarkable role model. Alongside her academic excellence, with multiple subject awards, the ADF Future Innovators Award, and Platinum Learning Excellence Awards from 2021–2024, she has been an active advocate for STEM. Through her involvement in coding, robotics, data science, UQSA, and Girls Who Code, she has raised the profile of STEM within our college community. Her leadership in events such as National Science Week and the Gowan Science Festival highlights her passion for making science exciting and accessible for all. Congratulations, Lareshka, your achievements are an inspiration to us all!

Term 3 also featured our annual collaboration with the Year 6 Gowan students through the Year 6 Science Alliance. Each Wednesday afternoon, the students visited the Illaweena campus to take part in curriculum-based lessons in our science laboratories. They had the chance to explore and create exciting experiments such as jelly worms, casein plastic, and many more. A big thank you once again to our Year 11 UQ Science Ambassadors, whose support and guidance helped make these sessions a success for our younger learners.

Finally, this term saw the launch of the very first Lighthouse Extravaganza! On September 4th, students from Years 4–9 in the Lighthouse program proudly showcased their Wonder of Science projects. Each student presented and explained the experiments they had completed in class, while those heading to Regionals later this year also had the chance to perform their Wonder of Science presentations for parents and staff. It was a fantastic afternoon filled with energy and enthusiasm. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our students.

Thank you all for your support throughout Term 3. Congratulations on such a successful term and we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!

Gowan Music

CHOIR REHEARSALS – REHEARSAL DAYS

Year 2 Choir

Congratulations to the Year 2 Choir who had their very first performance at assembly on Monday! The students were very excited to perform and sang well, and the audience enjoyed their performance. A special thank you to the 46 students who have “100% attendance” for the term, meaning they have attended every rehearsal when they have been at school! If your child would like to join the Year 2 Choir next term, please contact Mrs Hornagold.

Year 3 Choir

The Year 3 Choir are continuing to rehearse their songs, in preparation for performances in Term 4. Please contact Miss Sandilands if you have any questions.

Year 4 Choir

The Year 4 Choir recently participated in SingFest; a massed choral event held at the Old Museum Building. 200 students from various schools came together to participate in singing workshops during the day, and then perform 6 songs in a concert that afternoon. Our choir represented Stretton very well and received lots of compliments about their behaviour throughout the day, so well done to these students! Please contact Miss Sandilands if you have any questions about the Year 4 Choir.

Senior Choir

The Senior Choir will be performing at Night of Stars, on Tuesday 14 October, starting at 6:30pm. Information has been emailed to families, including how to provide consent. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Hornagold.

Year 6 Graduation Choir

As part of the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony at the end of the year, a special graduation choir of Year 6 students will perform – this is open to any Year 6 students who would like to join the Graduation Choir. Rehearsals will be every Tuesday at 1^st break in the music block. If your child would like to join the choir, please contact Miss Sandilands.

If you have any questions about choir, please contact the relevant choir teacher via email – chorn63@eq.edu.au for Mrs Claire Hornagold, and tsand162@eq.edu.au for Miss Tia Sandilands.

Yours in music,

Mrs Claire Hornagold and Miss Tia Sandilands

2026 Enrolments

Enrolling at our school 

Families wishing to enroll at Stretton State College are required to complete the enrolment application. Families can download, print and complete an enrolment application (PDF) the email back to enrolments@strettonsc.eq.edu.au

Please note, we only accept in catchment enrolments. Our catchment map is located on the following link: https://strettonsc.eq.edu.au/enrolments/catchment-area Siblings who now reside outside of our catchment area will be placed on a waiting list depending on capacity.

We do not accept any shared living applications.

Kelly Mooney
Enrolment Officer

Sports News – Football Academy

SEQ Primary Championship

The Year 6 girls travelled to Aspley State High to represent Met West in the SEQ Primary Championship. The team put in a fantastic performance, showcasing their skill and determination to reach the Grand Final. Unfortunately, they went down 4–2 in a hard-fought match, finishing as runners-up on the day. A brilliant effort and an achievement to be proud of—well done, girls!

Queensland Football Schools League Update

It has been a busy and exciting end to the term for our Illaweena teams competing in the Queensland Football Schools League (QFSL). With wet weather disrupting earlier rounds, the teams faced the challenge of playing four games in just three weeks. Despite the demanding schedule, our players rose to the occasion and delivered outstanding performances.

Across 20 matches against strong rivals—Pacific Pines State High, Chisholm Catholic College, Varsity Lakes, and Ripley Valley—our teams achieved an impressive record of 17 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 defeat.

As a result of these excellent performances, Stretton has qualified four teams for the QFSL Grand Finals in Term 4: the Junior Girls, Intermediate Boys, Senior Girls, and Senior Boys. The Junior Boys remain in contention and will await the results of other schools to determine their qualification.

A special congratulations goes to our Junior Girls and Senior Boys, who were both crowned league premiers—an outstanding achievement!

Douglas Neill
Head Coach – Football

Sports News – Metro Sports 2025 Summary

Metro Sport 2025 Summary

This term, the Illaweena 2025 Metro Sport calendar ended after two fantastic seasons across 7 different sports. Students from Years 7-12 participated in fixtures all over Southeast Queensland, contributing to our most successful Metro Sport campaign ever:

Summer Season

• 7G Futsal Champions
• 7B Touch Football Champions
• 8G Futsal Champions
• 8G Volleyball Champions
• 10G Futsal Champions
• 10G Volleyball Champions
• 10G Touch Football Champions
• Open B Touch Football Champions (5^th championship)
• Open B Futsal Champions

Winter Season

• 7G Rugby League Champions
• 8G Football Champions
• 9B Volleyball Champions
• 9G Rugby League Champions
• 10B Volleyball Champions
• Open B Basketball Champions

Congratulations to all students! Lastly, a massive thank you to all our coaches and to the HPE department for their hard work and support. Without you all, these opportunities and memories wouldn’t be possible!

Go STORM!

Seb Murphy
Stretton Football Academy

Sports News – Volleyball Academy

As we draw close to another action-packed term for Volleyball, we look back on some of the achievements of our athletes here at Stretton. Our primary teams have made it through the finals of the QLD Primary Schools Cup, and this will now be held on the 16^th October. Our 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s boys’ teams successfully made it through to Metro Finals with our Year 9s and 10s both securing the SEQ Metropolitan Trophies. Our Junior boys’ and girls’ teams are deep into their preparation for the upcoming QLD Junior Schools Cup with trial games this week and Junior SVL games in Week 2. The JSC event will be end of Week 3.

In amongst all this, we also held our 2026 Academy trials, which saw unprecedented numbers across the board. A testament to the hard work of coaches and our athletes already in the program. From this point, our focus switches to the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup. This is the premier event in our calendar and brings together teams from all over the country and even some international schools to play Volleyball at the highest school level. We will hopefully be able to move into our new hall in Term 4 with the excitement building for what promises to be an amazing new space for us to train and develop within. Both students and staff look forward to the renewed ability to further develop our players and teams with world class facilities.

Domnic Aguiar
Head Coach – Volleyball

Sponsor Stretton Storm

Bendigo Bank – supporting our sporting stars

As a local business, we believe in giving back to our community and supporting the next generation. That’s why we are thrilled to be a proud sponsor of the Stretton Storm Sports Academy.

Community Bank Logan brings the products and services of Bendigo Bank, one of Australia’s biggest and most trusted banks, into the homes and businesses of the Logan and surrounding areas. Locally owned and operated, our branches are part of a shared value initiative, providing everything you need to bank confidently in branch, online or via app so we can return profit to you and your local community through grants, donations and sponsorships.

We understand getting into a branch during business hours is tough for busy families. We have mobile lenders that can come to you – when and where it suits. They can assist you with home loan applications, business banking, insurance and more.

If you would like to speak with one of our team members regarding your needs, please contact Joni Carnell - Springwood branch, 34 Fitzgerald Ave Springwood Mall, phone - 07 3208 2611.

Thank you for supporting us, so we can continue to support the Stretton Storm Sports Academy teams.

Jayden Best
Director of Sporting Excellence

Community Service NEWS

Our Community Remembers - 2025

On Sunday 31^st August, Stretton State College was one of six high schools involved in a special community service, at the Sunnybank RSL Sub-branch, to remember those brave men and women who served in various conflicts throughout history.

‘Our Community Remembers’ is an annual event that combines various commemoration days of different conflicts, in which Australia played a significant role. It’s important that we come together as a community to remember, thank and honour those who served, not only in combat situations, but also in peace-keeping missions.

This year, the Sunnybank Sub-branch gave the responsibility to student leaders who conducted the entire service, presenting information about the following wars: Battle for Australia (the first raid on Australian soil occurred on 19^th February 1942, when Darwin was attacked); The Korean War in 1950; Malayan Emergency (Australia’s involvement began in 1950); Indonesian Confrontation (1962-1966); The Vietnam War (at its peak Australia deployed more than 7000 men and women); Iraq (1991 Gulf War, known as Operation Desert Storm); Afghanistan (many men and women were deployed numerous times).

The service also remembered Australians of Chinese and Indian Heritage, who served in defence of our nation.

After each school’s reading, the Band of the 1^st Regiment RAA (Royal Australian Army) played tunes associated with the period, or that held special meaning for the troops at the time.

Parineet Kaur and Harnoop Gill, our Year 12 student leaders, represented Stretton College with grace and dignity; they presented and acted as wreath layers for the occasion. As a school community, we should be immensely proud of them.

Our school’s role in such important community events like this, is always an honour, and we look forward to continuing our involvement with the Sunnybank RSL Sub-branch in the future.

Ms Anna Wilkie
EAL/D Teacher (Co-ordinator)

Project update – Illaweena Street Improvements Project

Kids Diwali Celebration 2025

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