Throughout the year students are provided with opportunities to build on their existing skills and challenge themselves by participating in a range of extra-curricular competitions and programs.
Newspapers in Education (NIE)
In an effort to help connect students with their local, national and global community, the Townsville Bulletin's NIE Program supplies newspapers to classrooms throughout the region. Students are encouraged to submit articles, stories, reviews, photographs and letters to the editor for inclusion in the paper. Hermit Park State School has taken the title of School with the Most Published articles in the NIE program since 2005.
International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS)
This independent skills-based assessment, with a competitive element, is offered nation-wide to both primary and secondary students. Subject areas offered are: Computer Skills, English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Writing. Each year our students are given the opportunity to participate in ICAS and gain valuable experience in exam-like conditions and challenge themselves to some pretty tricky problems.
Optiminds
Each year Hermit Park State School enters five or more teams into The Opti-MINDS Challenge. The Opti-MINDS Creative Sustainability Challenge is an inclusive team challenge which EMPOWERS participants to THINK, CREATE & COMMUNICATE. Opti-MINDS is a creative problem solving event for teams of participants from Preschool to Adult within 4 divisions. It is run by Opti-MINDS Incorporated on a non-profit basis. They are required to solve demanding, open-ended Challenges from one of the following categories:
Language Literature | Media Communication | Science Engineering | Social Sciences
It is an opportunity for students with a passion for learning & problem solving to showcase their skills & talents in an exciting, vibrant & public way.
Opti-MINDS provides for the demand for sophisticated, educational & motivational opportunities. The rapidly increasing & widespread involvement of thousands of participants throughout Queensland & internationally, demonstrates that Opti-MINDS is not only a valuable & worthwhile investment in the education of our citizens, but is also an integral part of our collective future.
The Opti-MINDS process mirrors what successful businesses practise.