ICAS 2025 UPDATE

The following ICAS competitions are on offer:

·         Writing - 4th Aug  

·         English - 11^th Aug

·         Science - 18^th Aug

·         Spelling Bee - 22^nd Aug

·         Mathematics - 27^th Aug

Important Messages:

• The competitions are held before school in A block – Year 6 classrooms.
• Arrival to school is 7:40 sharp.
• Do not arrive early at the classroom or wait earlier in the hallways.
• If you miss a competition they are not made up, you can contact ICAS for a refund.
• Students require their iPads, fully charged
• Writing and Spelling Bee require a lock down browser – see link to install https://www.icasassessments.com/support-locked-down-browser/

Parent Payment System

What is the Parent Payment System? 

The Parent Payment System is a way for parents to purchase ICAS directly from ICAS, rather than schools taking payment. It works in the following way:

Parents log in using the following code, select the ICAS subjects you want, and pay ICAS directly.

NB: there will be a strict enrolment cut-off date SUNDAY July 20^th (end of Term 3 week 1) due to organisation and planning. No exceptions.

ICAS test dates

Parent Code:   WCV353

Parent Page Link:  https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/WCV353

Featuring YEAR 4

In our latest writing unit, students have been hard at work crafting detailed explanation texts about their imaginative "cracking contraptions." Alongside this in Term 1, they’ve also been sharing their thoughts and opinions on their favourite poems, developing both their speaking and listen skills.

In term 1, Year 4 analysed poetry. As part of those studies, students had an opportunity to create some of their own. This is an incredibly touching piece written by one of our very talented year 4 students. This is followed by the explanation texts.

Mother

Your arms were always open

When I needed a hug

Your heart understood

When I needed a friend

Your gentle eyes were stern

When I needed a lesson

Your love and strength has guided

And gave me wings to fly

You were everything to me

But now you are free

Your hard work everyday inspired me

And set an example

From hugs to a coffee mug

I couldn’t thank you more…

        By MG   4L

THE ACCOLADE WINNING, JUICE MAKER 2000 (or A.W.J.M. 2000)

by Maryam 4ML

Wallace is a smart but lazy man who is even lazier in the hot summer sun. When he tries to squeeze orange juice in the boiling heat, it gets squirted in poor gromit's eye. As a result, Wallace invented the A.W.J.M. 2000. This amazing contraption will help Wallace with his need of cold, refreshing, orange juice in the hot weather. The A.W.J M. 2000 is designed for people like Wallace to relax with a cup of refreshing juice. This contraption has weird objects to help wallace with his every day needs. It includes catapulting sugar, a super bouncy trampoline, a flying lid and straw, and a trusty orange squeezer. All of these random items are compulsory for the A.W.J.M. 2000. This cunning contraption consists of a series of wonderful stages that are carefully sequenced and amazingly accurate.

Firstly, hardworking Gromit squeezes the fresh oranges on a reliable orange squeezer and pours quickly down a plastic, blue funnel. Next, the juice pours quickly into a transparent plastic cup balanced carefully on a see-saw. Consequently, the blue-stained cup is now heavier than the ball on the other side and using gravity, it gradually starts going down. After that, the mini catapult, loaded with sugar, is pushed down by the see-saw and the tablespoon of sugar is catapulted in the air and lands in the cup. When that phase happens, useful Gromit the see-saw with his right hand and the sharp ended see-saw cuts the sky blue string tied to a lid and straw. The cup and straw falls and bounces on the trampoline with such force it flies back up, the lid closes securely on the cup, and makes it fall on the highly bouncy trampoline. Finally, the cup flies in the air and using gravity, it lands on the table next to the stripy red and yellow chair.

All these stages prove the A.W.J.M. 2000 to be one-of-a-kind. The A.W.J.M. 2000 is a much needed contraption to help people like Wallace with their every day tasks. Due to the series of stages, it helps save lives from the hot sun by making fresh orange juice for them. This outstanding contraption is a life saver for Wallace.

The Washing-up Train 3000

By Henry 4S

Wallace is a wise but lazy man so he had to improvise. This extremely high tech, well designed contraption is the perfect machine for Wallace. The amazing machine cleans, wraps and seals

dishes in boxes and transparent bubble wrap packaging to make them feel brand new. Its name… The Washing-up Train 3000!

This limited-edition machine includes a supersonic conveyor belt, run by an electric motor.

It also includes a high tech infrared scanner, fully automated twin robotic arms, a full miniature car wash, a separate track and boxing and wrapping station, and a hard steel frying pan and spring, a flipper and sticker gun.

Wallace pushes his filthy plate onto a supersonic conveyor belt which carries his plate and silver cutlery through a supercharged infrared scanner which scans what type of dish it is. Next, the dishes are positioned by two twin mechanical arms to go through the miniature car wash. Once clean, the plates are sorted onto a different track to be wrapped in bubble wrap and gently placed in boxes. Finally, the boxed plates rejoin the other track to be flipped into an open drawer by a steel frying pan and spring while having a sticker shot on it.

In conclusion, The Washing-up Train 3000 is a much needed high-tech contraption that makes your daily life a little bit easier. It uses high tech but simple mechanical mechanisms to get the job done faster and easier.

THE FOOD MAKER and WASHER 2000

By Cecilia   4S

Wallace is an exceedingly lazy man who finds it insufferable to get out of his big comfortable chair to get food. The Food Maker and Washer 2000 was invented so Wallace does not have to get out of his chair. The food gets delivered to him and the plates get cleaned efficiently without Wallace having to do a thing.

This amazing state-of-the-art contraption helps lazy people like Wallace to easily use this if they want food, but don’t want to get out of their chair. Its features include black conveyer belts, a cooking place with shiny robotic arms with a sponge, a burning place and a freezing place, buttons with sensors with clean water, and finally drones which have four high tech arms.

This cunning contraption consists of different series of stages to make it work.

Firstly, Wallace presses a button that is connected to his chair to select what amazing food he wants. Then, that triggers a leaver so both machines have a different speed conveyer belt. Therefore, they both go into a station. The food maker goes into a cooking station, and the dish washer goes into another station with a robotic arm with a big sponge in its hand. They then go onto a slower conveyer belt. After that, they both go into they last station. The Food Maker either goes into the burning hot place or the freezing cold place, depending on the food. The dish washer goes into a station with sensors with clean water that washes off all the bubbles off the plate. They both go onto their last conveyer belt. Then, the plate is sparkly clean and the Food Maker despises delicious food that is ready to eat. Lastly, high tech drone with four arms grabs the food and gives it to Wallace. Once Wallace is done, the other drone picks up the plate and puts it in the Washer before returning into the kitchen cupboard.

In conclusion, the Food Maker and Washer 2000 is a needed contraction for people like Wallace. It uses all the high tech features so everything is ready for Wallace to have his meals and his dishes cleaned all without needing to get up from his comfortable chair.

Kind Regards 
Anita Heinrich
Deputy Principal
ahein8@eq.edu.au