16 June 2017

Newsletter Articles

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

As we approach the end of Semester One it’s a good time to reflect on what our students and staff have achieved over the past six months. Scrolling back through our Facebook page is a fantastic way to get an overall picture of the leaps and bounds this school is making towards becoming not just a place of learning, but one of positivity and strength.

Students are participating in a wide range of events and experiences, from classical music concerts to scientific Olympiads to traineeships and across Queensland (and the world!) in sporting events and representative teams. Even our teachers are being presented with national teaching awards thanks to their dedication and innovation. As a principal, being able to point at the particular achievements of our staff and students is tremendous and allows me to say to those outside our gates looking in with keen interest, “Here: look at what we can do and how impressively we are doing it!” I’d like to extend my congratulations to all our high achievers this semester, both student and staff alike, who are not only proving they can accomplish great things but are doing Shailer Park SHS proud.

Whilst these achievements make us look good on the outside, it’s what’s happening on the inside of our campus which fills me with the greatest sense of delight. Our students have settled in well to the Shailer Park SHS routine and procedures, looking ready to learn and participate the moment they walk through our gates. There is a feeling of respect for our school and self-respect for themselves amongst our students. You can see it in their participation in on site events like Harmony Day or the construction of new seating and shade structures by the students themselves. I witnessed it in the way our Year 7 and 9 students tackled NAPLAN with maturity and seriousness. Even one of the most important politicians in our country, Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison, remarked upon the insightful nature and level-headedness of our students when he spoke with the Year 12 Legal Studies class this term.

Even today as I write this, I walked around our school with a group of parents who are interested in sending their children to Shailer Park SHS, not because it’s in their catchment area, but because this is their preferred choice. They were impressed not only with how immaculate the campus looked, the quality of our programs and the teaching of them, but with the polite and engaged nature of our students.

The idea that this school is where lessons are the ‘boring stuff’ getting in the way of seeing friends at break times is falling away. Instead, it’s being replaced with the sense that Shailer Park SHS is a place of opportunity; where achieving their individual goals in a safe and respectful campus is not just a hope or lofty dream, but an attainable target.

I am very excited to see what we can achieve in Semester Two: it should be an absolute cracker if the last six months are anything to go by.

SENIOR SCHOOLING

Term Assessment Calendars, Exam Block and Tutorial Timetables

Exam Block for Years 10, 11 and 12 is in Week 10 from June 20th – 23rd. All students have now received their exam timetables, which are up on the school website.

A reminder to parents that Term Assessment Calendars and Tutorial Timetables are distributed to students each term. All of this information, including Exam Blocks, can also be found on our website:

Students should be working in a focussed manner on assessment and projects, and studying regularly to ensure they achieve the best possible outcome. To maximise their learning, students in senior subjects should be studying approximately 30 minutes for each subject they have at school per day.

Students are reminded that Attendance at school is key to success – especially at this time of term when assessment preparation is happening. Being on time and in class every day is the greatest indicator of success. We encourage parents and carers to support their students in being at school every day, and to bring a note to explain absences when attendance is not possible.

Upcoming Careers and Employment Events for the Calendar

TSXPO

July 15th and 16th 2017

The TSXPO is Australia's largest tertiary studies expo and the ideal event for all senior school students, parents and career seekers. With exhibits from every Queensland University, as well as those from interstate and overseas, visitors can gain a comprehensive insight into the institutions and programs that best suit them. TSXPO gives access to over 250 qualified representatives in one location!

TSXPO also features representatives from TAFE, Defence Force, Private Education Colleges, student support services, as well as a significant number of graduate employers and government agencies recruiting for graduate placements.

QCS – Sessions and Online Access

We continue to work to support Year 12 students in their learning in QCS preparation. This term our focus is on Short Response and Writing Tasks.

Tuesday afternoon sessions are every week this term. All students doing QCS are reminded to come to the library at 3.15 – 4.15 on Tuesdays. If students cannot make Tuesday afternoon classes they should request resources from me to catch up and be accessing online resources from Schoology.

QTAC information

All Year 12 students have been presented with the Queensland Tertiary Applications Centre information this week. We encourage students to have their goals clear – so start researching now – regarding their applications for TAFE and university study. More to come on this in Term 3.

NEXUS NEWS

NEXUS in Action!

Our Year 8 NEXUS class was out and about at Skinners Park collecting soil samples this week.

Our NEXUS studiers are researching how to improve the soil quality for the near-by farms. These results will be viewed and presented to the University of Queensland for the Wonders of Science program.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

TAFE 2017 Mid Year Intake

TAFE Brisbane Mid Year courses are open for enrolment until 10th July 2017, for Senior vocational students (Traffic Light Eligibility System applies – see below).

Students in Year 12 can only select a course with a 1 Semester duration.

Click on the link below to see what’s on offer.

SPSHS Traffic Light System

Want to do a School Based Traineeship / Apprenticeship, TAFE Course, Work Experience or an External Training Course while you are at SPSHS?

You’ll need a “GO” through our Traffic Light Eligibility System.

The system has four main criteria: Attendance, Behaviour, School Fees and Passing Subjects. If any of these criteria are not met, you may be ineligible to undertake extra-curricular activities.

There is a 2nd Chance. A period of time will be given to adjust criteria into the Amber or Green Zone.

Year 10 Head of Year Message

The Year 10 students have completed their Harrison Assessment Tool questionnaire and are in the process of discussing these results. If they have had their interview, please take the time to discuss the results with them by looking at the printed information and also the possible jobs by logging onto the site with them. This, together with our excursion to the Careers Expo last week, is equipping students with a wealth of knowledge regarding suitable options in terms of their future plans. All of this is preliminary to our SET Planning process that will occur in term three.

A final reminder that all forms and payments for our Kokoda day out on the last day of term must be in by Friday 16th June. We are looking forward to this event.

Guidance

How can I help my child make informative and appropriate subject selections for their Senior Years of Schooling?

The current workplaces and workplaces of the future want skilled workers. Students will need to continue on with their education beyond post-secondary schooling. The Education landscape is changing rapidly and whilst that can at times be confusing and daunting it does open up many new pathways for our students.

We are currently working with our Year 10 students to assist them in doing the Harrison Career Assessment. As part of this process we are meeting one–on-one with each Year 10 student to go through the Harrison Reports. Students are given a copy of the printed report and receive an email which contains a link to the online information regarding their questionnaire results. This report will provide you with a perfect starting point to have conversation with your son/daughter around career pathways and subject choices for their senior years of schooling.

There is a wealth of information available to assist with career planning. Talk to them about the report and what strengths you see in them. Below is a list of some useful websites to gather some information

• My Future http://myfuture.edu.au a career education site with a lot of helpful information
• Job Apprenticeship Central http://www.apprenticeshipcentral.com.au/
• Job Outlook www.joboutlook.gov.au will give information about employment prospects
• Australian Apprenticeship & Trainee Information Service http://www.aatinfo.com.au/Home
• Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) www.qtac.edu.au

Australian Apprenticeship Pathways is a helpful website which focuses on the Apprenticeship pathways. It also has an excellent section which has some Math and English test samples which will show students what level of literacy and numeracy is needed in the various apprenticeships. (In order to navigate your way to this section, click on the Career Resource tab towards the top of the page.)

Some points to consider before I select my subjects:

• Apprenticeships now recommend/require a higher level of Maths and Science
• Be aware of any school pre-requisites for the Year 11 & 12 subjects – Be aware that your year 10 Semester One results count and impact on the choices you can make
• Check out the pre-requisites that TAFE/Universities/Private Providers have for their various courses
• There are multiple pathways to reach your career goal
• Choose subjects that you enjoy
• Choose subjects that you are good at

There are also a number of free Apps which provide excellent information. CareerMe is an example of one.

CareerMe is a free app for all Apple and Android smartphones and tablets to help young people plan career paths and find job opportunities.

The CareerMe app, (previously known as Career Hunter) provides up-to-date occupational information allowing young people to make tangible links from school to the world of work and highlights the industries where skills are most needed. CareerMe app allows job seekers of all ages to have employment information at their fingertips anywhere, anytime with its creators stating it is the first career exploration app of its kind on the market. CareerMe collates information on different industries and occupations including job descriptions, training requirements, training locations and available jobs.

If you require some more information or assistance please feel free to contact me.

University/TAFE OPEN DAYS for Year 10, 11 & 12 Students

It is now the time of year when tertiary institutions start to host their Open Days. Soon you will see them advertising on TV and radio. I would strongly encourage students to go along to these days to see what is on offer. There are prizes to be won and there are university students and lecturers on hand who can pass on very specific and useful information about the courses on offer. The TAFE open day and the TSXPO offer a wide range of information about vocational pathways for students.

For more information about Open Days please check the following webpage:

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Gold Coast Volleyball Finals

Our kids were fantastic at the recent Gold Coast Volleyball Finals. Shailer Park Sporting Academy sent away 9 teams in total, so approximately 90 students to different venues across the Gold Coast. As you would all expect, they all did us extremely proud!

Our Results consisted of:

• Open Boys Volleyball - Gold
• 9 Boys Volleyball - Gold
• 8 Boys Volleyball - Gold
• 7 Boys Volleyball - 3rd
• Open Girls Volleyball - Runners Up
• 9 Girls Volleyball - 3rd Place
• 8 Girls Volleyball - Gold
• 7 Girls Volleyball 3rd
• 9 Boys Soccer - 4th

The students received many positive comments from teachers from other schools, as well as the convenors running the events. It was our kids who stepped in many times without asking to referee or assist with any jobs throughout the day. Our students were so professional and displayed immaculate behaviour.

Special mention must go to Scott Lennox, Anthony Lee, Michael Culverwell and Shelli Dunbabin for their organisation and amazing support for our Academy and our sporting students.

Come along to the Volleyball Academy's Movie Night fundraiser. All students, siblings and friends welcome to attend. Entry is $5. Sausage sizzle, drinks, chocolates and popcorn available for purchase on the night. All funds raised goes towards to Volleyball Academy Tournament costs. Tickets can be pre-purchased from Miss Angela King, MPS or available on the night!

Year 12 Recreation Students Outstanding at Kimberley

Our Year 12 Recreations Studies Students assisted in the running of the Kimberley Park State School Athletics Carnival Day last Wednesday. They did a fantastic job running the field - throwing and jumping events, plus the track events. They were professional, well-mannered and the way that they presented and conducted themselves throughout the day was a huge asset to our school. We received many emails congratulating them on all of this, please read below the email sent by the Principal of Kimberley Park State School.

Athletic Event Days Coming – Thursday 13th July & Friday 14th July

Our annual Athletics Track and Field event days are coming up next term in the first week of school. On Thursday 13th July, nominated students will be competing in Triple Jump, Discus, Javelin and Shotput on both of our school ovals. On the Friday (14th July), students will be running in the 100, 200 and 400 metres along with our long jump, which will be held on the lower oval.

Shailer Park State High School has a rich history of sport, with former student achievements, some of which include Natalie Dudkowski (Olympics Steeple Chase), Corey Bohan (X games BMX champion), Sef Fa’agase (QLD Reds), and current student Blake Davis being selected in the Australian Futsal team.

We wish all of our students the greatest success over the two days of competition and maybe discovering the next Cathy Freeman or Patrick Johnson!

Parents are encouraged to attend over the course of the two days. A reminder to please sign in at the office first.

Amanda Donaldson
Acting Sports Coordinator.

PBL Focus

Our focus for this term is SAFE. We would like to focus on being safe, especially during lunch times. This includes staying in the in-bounds areas, walking on the designated pathways and participating in lunch time activities. We have a wonderful selection of CAST (clubs, academies, societies and tutorials) activities available for students. These range from sports academies, to chess and robotics, to craft club. A full timetable of CAST activities is available on our school website, and students are encouraged to follow their passions and to develop their extra-curricular activities.

Highlights

Drama Club is working towards a project for Showcase this year. Currently students are creating characters and scenarios that these characters appear in. They will also be working on a scripted piece. We look forward to seeing the final product at Showcase later this year!

Humanities Club is for students who:

• have a passion for all things History and Geography
• have a desire to know how the past impacts on the present and future
• want to meet like-minded people
• want to have fun without the competitions e.g. online and board games, films, and more

"I believe that the more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future." Theodore Roosevelt

In Japan Club, we explore the fun, cultural side of Japan through various activities such as origami/craft, music, anime etc. Students also have the opportunity to go on excursions and devise performances.

Chess Club involves chess coaching and competition preparation with the spectacular Mr Thai.

Craft Club is run every Friday during second lunch. Craft club gives students a chance to participate in coordinated group activities, such as making wearable paper jeweller, or to explore their talents on an individual project, such as painting or sculpture.

Volleyball Academy

The Volleyball Academy is going strong at the moment. The student athletes are training hard either before or after school and in most lunch times, and also modelling exemplary attitude towards behaviour and academic around the school.

By Jasmina Tiainen and Daniel Light

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

This is a fabulous evening which showcases the best bands, singers and other entertainers from Logan High Schools. If we consider some of the amazing talent that has come from our schools e.g. “Savage Garden” and “Sophie Monk” just to name two, the night offers lots of great entertainment.

Support our entrants and purchase tickets at the School Finance Window for $5. Hope to see you all there.

Art and Media

Please enjoy samples of completed artworks from students across Years 7 to 12.

Dance

Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge (BPAC) results

Once again the Ignite Dance Academy shone brightly, dominating the competition and exceeding all expectations at BPAC.

BPAC started for us on Thursday afternoon with the performance of our Junior Musical Theatre and Lyrical Squads. The Junior Musical Theatre Squad performed ‘Friend like Me’ from Aladdin, and placed 3rd in their section on 80 points. The adjudicators commented on the students' skilful storytelling, lovely stage craft and lovely costuming.

Next to perform was the Junior Lyrical Squad, who also placed 3rd in their section, with ‘Castle on a Hill’. They were awarded 80 points and the adjudicators commented on the great use of staging, build of energy into the chorus, and identified a number of great individual performances.

On Friday our Open Musical Theatre Squad placed 2nd, on 87 points, with ‘One Short Day’ from Wicked. The adjudicators said that this performance was absolutely beautiful, commenting on the really awesome use of stage, unison dancing that had ‘WOW’ factor, and the journey they went on as audience members.

Finally, our Open Hip Hop Squad brought the house down, placing 2nd on a huge 90 points. The adjudicator’s commented on the students' commitment to the choreography and skill in the breaking and prop work sections.

I would like to thank all of the students and parents who helped back stage or attended the competition as audience members; your support is always very much appreciated.

Our next eisteddfod is Beenleigh Quota, which will be held at the Logan Entertainment Centre in August. Dates will be advised as soon as they are released.

RAW Dance Company Visit

Recently, RAW Dance company visited our school to conduct a Hip Hop workshop and career talk with our dance and Dance Academy students. After watching a live performance and participating in the workshop, students had the opportunity to sit down and discuss future pathways with the dancers, as well as ask questions about their dance background and career to date. This was an inspiring session which provided detailed information about possible pathways for our dance students to begin now, as students of Shailer Park SHS, and upon graduation.

Instrumental Music

Trivia Night

Last Saturday (10th of June), the Music Support Group held their 2nd Annual Trivia Night. It was great to see the 118 people enjoying the evening. Due to the generosity of a huge group of supporters the front of the stage was covered in fabulous prize packs, which many of the participants took home. Mr Court was his eloquent self and carried the evening, speaking non-stop for the four hours of trivia. We raised more than $2,000 which will go towards getting air-conditioners for room P1 (our rehearsal space), organizing transportation to and from events and providing more opportunities for the music students at SPSHS.

The success of this evening can be attributed to the tireless efforts of the Trivia Committee. Work towards its organisation started last year and proceeded at a frenetic pace until 11 pm. on Saturday Evening with the pack-up and clean-up of the school’s Multi-Purpose Shelter. Thank you so much to the team for their dedication and desire to see our musicians (us) get the best out of our Music Program.

Later in the year (August), the school String Orchestra and Symphonic Winds will be playing as guest ensembles of Queensland Youth Orchestra’s Junior Strings Ensemble and Queensland Youth Orchestra’s Wind Ensemble respectively. Students will also be enjoying our annual Band Camp in September this year, getting ready for the SPSHS Showcase.

Nikhil Deo and Beth Huggins

Students also have the opportunity to join the QYO as per this poster.

While we don’t have a final figure, we know that our profit from the Trivia Night on Saturday will be more than $2000. This is a great result for a fabulous team of hard workers.

Thanks to all those families that generously donated prizes and everyone who was there on the night. Thank you to Jen Dick and the team for the brilliant organisation.

Band Camp Reminder

A big reminder to those students who are planning on going to band camp, but have not as yet returned forms. The deadline is this week and the first payment of $60 is due this Friday. Thank you to those who have already made payments.

Showcase

Showcase this year will be held at the KP Centre on Saturday October 14, with a matinee performance and an evening show. A full day rehearsal will be held at the centre on Friday October 13.

Glen Court

Simone Filippow
Head of Department
Creative Industries