Subcommittees

Cairns

Far North Queensland SLAQ Subcommittee

Contacts:

President: Sally Firth, Isabella SS

Secretary: Gabrielle Anthony, Smithfield SHS

Treasurer: Anne Kippin, White Rock SS

 

State Councillor (Coastal): Liz Jorgensen, Hambledon SS

State Councillor (Tablelands, Cape and Torres): Kim Kirkman, Yungaburra SS

 

Subcommittee Update -- SLAQ Meeting 15 May 2010Members of FNG Group

Members gathered at a Tablelands, Cape and Torres branch venue recently for our term 2 meeting. Treasurer Anne Kippin shared the ongoing saga with the change of our account name from Peninsula to FNQ.  All is resolved now with the new committee as signatories. Discussion came out of reports from SLAQ and ASLA happenings – the federal inquiry, Councillors and Presidents Day, draft ASLA constitution and the ACARA draft curriculum. As well we caught up on progress with local ‘Building the Education Revolution’ libraries and shared photographs of completed facilities.

Another item for discussion was met with a surprising, but nonetheless pleasing, positive and enthusiastic response – what a team!  This was the request from SLAQ executive for subcommittees to consider hosting the 2012 SLAQ biennial conference. The motion carried was that FNQ was interested, IFF (ie if and only if) no other centre was interested and willing to put up their hand. Initial excitement within our group led to some preliminary planning getting underway – brainstorming possible venues in Cairns, and a recommendation that the date be at the end of the term 2 vacation period that year. We will liaise with executive re the ‘go ahead’. If confirmed, we will gather data and conference guidelines from previous years to help inform decision-making. In 2012 it will be twenty years since Cairns last held a SLAQ conference. The SLAQ’92  event , ‘Gone Troppo: Literacy and the Environment’ was conducted  by a group of interested teacher-librarians. A significant outcome was the formation of the Peninsula subcommittee, now FNQ. FNQ SLAQ is now represented by two regional councillors covering the Coastal area, and Tablelands, Cape and Torres.   We hope you are ready for a winter escape to sunshine, reef and rainforest (global warming and global financial crisis permitting). ‘

The group finalised plans for the iPod Touch workshop in the afternoon before closing the meeting and travelling the short distance to the Tolga Woodworks for a delicious lunch that had been pre-ordered.  The showroom’s wood and silver crafts and various art pieces enticed a browse, and even some shopping.

Many thanks to Jean Partridge, Head of Curriculum and teacher-librarian at Tolga State School for hosting the meeting and afternoon professional development session.

Liz Jorgensen
Regional Councillor FNQ - Coastal SLAQ

Last updated 12 June 2010