Principal's Blog – Week 7, Term 1
Looking Ahead
The coming weeks bring further opportunities for reflection and connection. The term moves quickly, but it is these moments, large and small, people make it meaningful.
NAPLAN
This week marked the beginning of NAPLAN testing. As always, the focus has been on maintaining a calm and organised environment so students can approach the assessments with confidence.
A sincere thank you to our Leadership, teaching and support staff and IT support team, who did an outstanding job assisting with troubleshooting and technical support throughout the sessions.
Outreach Programs
Beyond our campus, our Outreach Programs continue to inspire the next generation of curious minds.
The impact is always clear. Students arrive curious. They leave inspired.
Programs such as Ascend, Young Einstein's and STEM Scholars invite younger students to engage with advanced STEM learning while experiencing the Academy community. These initiatives allow highly capable students to explore challenging ideas, collaborate with like-minded peers, and develop confidence in their thinking and creativity.
The STEM Scholars Program, for example, enables nominated primary students to participate in academically rigorous workshops that deepen their reasoning and communication skills while exploring real-world STEM challenges.
Meanwhile, programs such as Young Einstein nurture exceptional students through project-based learning and mentoring opportunities with older Academy students.
Together, these programs reflect the spirit of the Academy, curiosity shared, learning extended, and opportunity opened to those ready to explore.
Festival of Creativity
Across the Arts, preparations are steadily building for the Festival of Creativity which will take place on Friday 20 March. Rehearsals are underway, ideas are taking shape, something special is on the horizon.
Students are working across music, performance, visual arts, and design to craft experiences that showcase both imagination and technical skill. Over the coming days we will begin sharing small glimpses, teasers of what is to come as the festival approaches.
It promises to be a celebration not only of talent, but of the courage to create.
Community Moments
My Principal's Class Visits provided the opportunity to step into classrooms across the school and see learning in action. It is always a privilege to observe the depth of thinking, curiosity and collaboration that our students bring to their work.
We also welcomed UQ Motorsport, offering students a fascinating insight into engineering, design and the innovation that drives high-performance motorsport. For our students it was a powerful example of how classroom learning connects directly with industry and real-world problem solving.
This week's Pi Day celebrations, marked by Thursday's Pi Day, brought a lighter moment to the calendar. Mathematics, it seems, pairs remarkably well with pie.
Meanwhile, our student vs teacher basketball battle brought great energy and good-natured rivalry to the courts. Sport, like the Arts and STEM, remains an important part of the balance that shapes the Academy experience.![]()
Year 12 Career Mentor Breakfast
A highlight of the week was the Year 12 Careers Mentor Breakfast, expertly organised by our Guidance Officer Katrina Judge. The event brought together our amazing students and an outstanding group of guest speakers who generously shared their time and experience.
Our sincere thanks to the following professionals who joined us:
- Emeritus Professor Paul Strooper Computer Science, University of Queensland
- Dr Suzie Ma GP, Eatons Hill Medical Centre / University of Queensland
- Professor Peter Cabot Pharmacy, University of Queensland
- Mr Beer Opatsuwan Energy Queensland
- Ms Jennifer Sullivan Molecular Virology Research
- Dr Terese Milford Electrical Engineering, Energy Queensland
- Dr Marloes Dekker Nitert Medical Research, University of Queensland
- Mr Satyam Thakur Civil Engineering
- Ms Myla Ruttan Law, Brisbane Hospital Facilities
- Professor Tom Stace Quantum Computing, University of Queensland
- Dr Andre Pekerti International Business, University of Queensland
- Mrs Aurelia Noran Mechanical Engineering / Proteeum Consulting
- Ms Natalie Evans Occupational Therapy
- Ms Rebecca Bellamy Law / Tribunal Member
- Mrs Jo-Joe Tesiram Nursing / Rheumatology Clinical Nurse Consultant
- Ms Ellie Brieschke Accounting & Finance
- Ms Brooke Wadsworth Physiotherapy
- Dr Tamsin Terry Life Sciences Commercialisation, UniQuest
- Dr Andrea Stimming Psychiatry
- Professor Rick Bigwood Law
- Mr Rakesh Mehta Chemical Engineering
- Mr Martin Boshoff International Water Resources, AECOM
- Dr Helen Pennington Biochemistry / Australian Centre for Ecogenomics
- Ms Stephanie Wyeth Urban Planning, University of Queensland
- Professor Ryan Ko Cyber Security, University of Queensland
- Mr Steve Pitchers Civil Engineering / Shell
- Mr Greg Hollett Mining Engineering
- Dr Silvia Micheli Architecture, University of Queensland
- Lachlan Molan Clinical Psychology
- Holly Smallbone Clinical Psychology
- Dr Nagaraj Gundarpi Psychiatry, RBWH / Prince Charles Hospital
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Opportunities like this give students the chance to hear directly from professionals, ask thoughtful questions, and begin imagining the pathways that may lie ahead.
Looking Ahead
With Harmony Week approaching, we are given an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of cultures, languages and perspectives that shape our community here at QASMT.
Preparations have also begun for our ANZAC Day Commemoration, an important time to pause and honour those who have served and sacrificed. Our students always approach these commemorations with respect and thoughtful reflection.
And in the background, the Festival of Creativity excitement continues to build.
As always, thank you to our staff, students and families for the care, commitment and energy you bring to the Academy each day.
Warm regards,
Kath Kayrooz
Principal
Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology