Craigslea State High School

Yesterday, Thursday 20 August, our Craigslea science students took part in a range of mentoring activities, experiencing the day as both mentors and mentees.

The day began with our Year 8 Excellence in Science students sharing a series of exciting chemistry experiments with students from Bright Beginnings. Our young visitors were captivated by slime, rainbow wizard’s brew, fireworks in a bottle and even a simulation of rain clouds!

Our Introductory Biology students then became mentors to Years 5 and 6 students from Craigslea State School through the ‘Science of Me’. Students viewed their own cheek and hair cells under a microscope, identified their fingerprint type, measured their resting and exercising heart and breathing rates, tested their reaction times, and even discovered whether their lung capacity could float a simulated hot-air balloon!

In the afternoon, it was our students’ turn to become the mentees, with all Years 7, 8 and 9 Excellence in Science students hearing from scientists and science professionals from our community.

Three of our Year 12 Certificate III in Laboratory Skills students, Laura, Catherine and Naomi, spoke about their current studies and the opportunities they have experienced through the course.

We were also delighted to welcome back Craigslea alumnus, Charlie Gray, from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology, who spoke about his doctoral studies. Charlie was a member of Craigslea’s inaugural Science Excellence class, making it particularly inspiring for our students to hear where his passion for science and further studies have taken him.

Students were also fortunate to hear from Max Harding and Yasuko Koda from the Australian Research Centre for Peptide and Protein Studies, along with Peter Lowe and Blake Connolly, who both work at Craigslea and bring a wealth of experience in medical microbiology and chemistry.

We are incredibly grateful to all of our visiting scientists and speakers for being so generous with their time and for sharing their knowledge, experiences and pathways with our students.

Thank you to everyone involved in making it such a wonderful day of learning, mentoring and scientific discovery! 🔬🧪

📚✏️🐛 Book Week is back at Craigslea! 📚✏️🐛

Week 7 is BOOK-ed with fun activities, including the long-awaited Character Dress-Up Day on Wednesday!

Get competitive with Kahoot, express your creativity with chalk drawing and Write a Book in a Day, and keep your eyes peeled for Where’s Wally? around the school throughout the week.

So, get your costumes ready and join in the fun as we celebrate the wonderful worlds built by words!

📖 Check out the posters above for more details and get READ-y for Book Week!

– Academic Captains

School Prefect, Sophie, has been making the most of some fantastic leadership opportunities through her involvement in the Kedron-Wavell RSL Sub Branch Student Liaison Program.

The program brings together ten student liaisons from five neighbouring schools, with two students representing each school. From this group, Sophie was selected to represent the Student Liaison Program and deliver a speech at the RSL Queensland State Congress to an audience of approximately 500 attendees.

Held at the Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane Showgrounds, on Saturday 20 June, the Congress brought together presidents and representatives from RSL sub-branches across Queensland. Kedron-Wavell RSL Sub Branch was invited to showcase its Student Liaison Program and the valuable connections it creates between young people and the veteran community.

Sophie attended alongside Kedron-Wavell RSL Student Liaison Officer, Greg, and a former student liaison from 2022. Sophie wrote her own section of the presentation and contributed photographs for the accompanying slides. Together, they spoke about the benefits of the program for both participating students and the RSL.

More recently, Sophie joined the Kedron-Wavell RSL Sub Branch for a visit to the Australian Army Flying Museum at Oakey, where students explored aircraft used by the Australian Army throughout history, learnt how they operated and even had the opportunity to sit inside replica aircraft.

Being chosen from the 10 student liaisons across five neighbouring schools to speak before an audience of around 500 people at a statewide RSL conference was a significant leadership opportunity and a wonderful achievement for Sophie.

Congratulations to Sophie on representing Craigslea with confidence and maturity and for embracing the opportunities available through this valuable community program.

🏆 2026 Senior Excellence Awards Announced for Years 10 -12

📧 Award recipients and their families have now been notified via email. Please check your inbox for further information regarding the evening.

We look forward to recognising the outstanding achievements, dedication and efforts of our Years 10, 11 and 12 students at this special event.

📅 Thursday 3 September 2026
🕕 6.00pm arrival for a 6.30pm start

Pictured below is a guide explaining our Academic Awards, Subject Prize Awards and Striving for Excellence Awards, including how recipients are determined.

We look forward to celebrating our students and their achievements with families on the night. 🏆

💃 Fun Fridays! 🕺

On Friday 14 August, as part of our initiative, our Year 10 House Representatives brought plenty of energy with a Just Dance competition!

Students had the chance to get involved, show off their best moves and enjoy some fun with their friends during the break. Even some of our teachers got involved in the competition, adding to the fun!

A big thank you to our Year 10 House Representatives for organising the activity and helping build school spirit! ✨

🌟 Student Spotlight | Year 8 Mia Makes a Splash at the School Sport Australia Games! 🌟

Congratulations to Year 8 student Mia, who recently represented Queensland in diving at the School Sport Australia Games! 🏊‍♀️💦

After earning her place on the Queensland team through the state selection process facilitated by Diving Queensland, Mia joined school athletes from across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji for five days of high-level competition.

Competing alongside talented divers, including athletes involved in elite development pathways towards Brisbane 2032, Mia embraced every opportunity to challenge herself and gain valuable experience.

Mia had a huge week, competing across several events. She began with team synchronised diving, where teams were randomly selected and made up of divers of different ages and from different states. With just one training session together before competing, Mia and her teammates achieved a fantastic 13th place out of 21 teams.

She also competed in the individual knockout event, completing her first-ever competition dive from the 5m platform, an exciting milestone! In the individual springboard events, Mia continued her strong performances, achieving personal bests across her dives on both the 1m and 3m boards.

On the final day, Mia competed in two more synchronised events, mixed 13–14 and girls 16–18. Partnering with fellow Queensland divers from her club, she even stepped up into the older age group to fill a gap in the 16–18 event. With neither being her regular competition pairing, it was another fantastic opportunity to adapt and challenge herself.

What an incredible five days of competition! Mia represented Queensland with determination and should be extremely proud of everything she achieved.

Congratulations, Mia! 👏💙

Commemorating VP Day

On Saturday, our School Prefect, Sophie, and Ms Scotland attended a VP Day commemorative service, proudly representing Craigslea State High School. They are pictured alongside Mr Ken Roma, President of the Kedron-Wavell RSL Sub-Branch.

VP Day, or Victory in the Pacific Day, commemorates 15 August 1945, when Japan accepted the Allies’ ultimatum to surrender, effectively bringing the Second World War to an end. The announcement sparked celebrations across Australia as news of peace spread throughout the country.

We are proud to have been represented at this important commemoration and to join our local community in remembering the service and sacrifice of those who served.

Lest We Forget. 🇦🇺

Kedron Wavell RSL Sub Branch

📣 P&C Meeting Reminder

Our next Craigslea State High School P&C meeting is coming up this Wednesday, 19 August at 7:00 pm in the School Library.

Parents and caregivers are warmly invited to come along, hear the latest school updates, share ideas and connect with our school community.

Your involvement makes a difference, and we look forward to seeing you there!

📅 Wednesday, 19 August
⏰ 7:00pm
📍 School Library

🌱🧪 Science Week begins next week! 🔬✨

Get ready for a week of fun, hands-on science activities as we celebrate Science Week 2026 – Seeds of Science at Craigslea!

There’s something happening every day during Week 6, including Salty Snowflakes, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream, a Hand-Powered Generator, Seed Bombs and Science Trivia.

Check out the schedule and come along during second break to join in the fun!

We can’t wait to SEE-d you there! 🌱🐝

- 2026 Academic Captains

💃✨ What a day for Craigslea Dance at the QUOTA Beenleigh Dance Eisteddfod!

Our talented dancers recently took to the stage across a range of styles, including student-choreographed pieces, showcasing their hard work, passion, creativity and team spirit in every performance.

We’re incredibly proud of the way our students represented Craigslea, both on and off the stage, supporting and encouraging one another throughout the day.

Congratulations to all of our dancers on a fantastic day of performances and a wonderful eisteddfod experience! 🌟👏