Thriving Minds at Concordia - Academy Learning Junior and Senior Conferences
In line with our strong commitment to providing high-quality educational opportunities that stretch and challenge our students, Concordia recently hosted a series of learning days with international gifted education specialist Julie Arliss, direct from the UK. This is the 13th year Concordia has hosted these events.
Across three days—a Junior Student Conference, a Senior Student Conference and a Teacher Gifted Symposium for educators from across South Australia—more than 90 Concordia students engaged in a rich program of lectures, workshops and debates alongside a few hundred students from other schools. A highlight included a live lecture streamed from Oxford University by Dr Chris O’Neill—an Oxford-based polymathic thinker, psychologist, psychotherapist and educator whose work spans psychology, philosophy, resilience and wellbeing, drawing on 40 years of experience working with young people and educators.
The Junior program (Years 7–9) moved impressively between astrophysics, philosophy of mind and ethics; the origins of the universe; the nature of the soul; moral luck; and a formal debate on whether patriotism is a virtue.
The Senior program (Years 10–12) moved into epistemology, neuroscience, ethics and public policy. Students considered mystical experiences and the limits of empirical evidence, tackled an Oxbridge-style problem about when rules may legitimately be broken, explored music's effects on the brain, debated free will and moral responsibility, and finished by examining Australia's approach to young people and social media. Should social media be controlled through prohibition, or through education and trust?
Through lectures, discussion and debate, students were challenged to question assumptions, consider competing perspectives and defend their ideas with reason and evidence. It was an exciting celebration of intellectual curiosity, and a reminder that sometimes the most valuable learning begins not with an answer, but with a great question.
State Final Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award
The Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award is a national competition that aims to enhance students’ communication skills while encouraging an appreciation of the ideals of Legacy: voluntary service, social justice, care and compassion, personal sacrifice and mateship. Legacy is a unique Australian voluntary not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the families of Australian Defence Force veterans who have served in war, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, and who have died or become incapacitated during or following their service.
The organisation currently cares for more than 2,000 people throughout South Australia. Year 10 student Sophia (10LTRA) and Year 9 student Benjamin (9JEGA) represented Concordia with distinction during the preliminary round of the competition, both advancing to the State Final.
On Friday 21 August, Sophia and Benjamin were each awarded trophies as two of just eight South Australian finalists competing at the Legacy House State Final. They impressed and inspired the audience not only through the high quality of their delivery, but also through the thoughtfulness, sincerity and depth of their speech content. Congratulations to Sophia and Benjamin on this outstanding achievement and for representing Concordia with such confidence and distinction.
26 Book Challenge
It’s Book Week—the perfect time to check in at the library and update your ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ 26 Book Challenge Symphony of Stories collector cards keyring!
This year’s challenge will conclude in Week 5 of Term 4, so there is still time to keep reading and collecting. Will you be able to collect all 26 letters of the alphabet, each representing a different reading challenge category?
Competition Time
This week sees the formal launch of our annual Year 7/8 Interschool Fantasy Map and Writing Competition. The top five entries from Years 7 and 8 will be submitted for judging with a chance to win great prizes. Students will receive an email with all the information they need to get started. Judging will take place in Term 4, so there is plenty of time to dream, design and create, and to let imaginations run wild. Contact me via email if you would like to take part.
Emma Rieger
Enrichment and Extended Learning
