18 August 2017

Newsletter Articles

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

The tail end of Term 3 is traditionally a time of great energy and seriousness for our students. Assessment timelines are tight, extra-curricular competitions are coming to a head and during the last week of August, our Year 12s sit down to one of the most anticipated exam blocks of their schooling career: the Queensland Core Skills Test. Not every student studying in their final year chooses to sit the QCS Test, yet it heralds the pinnacle of Year 12 assessment and upon completion, the first glimmer of what possibilities await beyond Shailer Park State High School.

What possibilities are there? Have they been assured a place at a university or TAFE? Is there a trainee or apprenticeship organised? Have they the certificates they need to obtain employment in hospitality, trades or tourism, for example? For many students working their way through assessments in the middle of Term 3, January 2018 and the answer to these questions seems an impossibly long way off. But they don’t have to be. With the development of Promise College, Shailer Park SHS has an innovative and ambitious plan to answer the question of where and what your child will be doing post-school before they even leave.

Late last month Shailer Park State High School was presented with a cheque of $10,000 by the Mayor of Logan as a contribution to the Promise Project, a group of educational, business and government groups working together to ensure the realisation of our Promise College. It is an excellent indicator of the community backing we have for this bold initiative and should signify to all parents that we are completely steadfast in our commitment to making this innovative and ambitious plan work. We have not only committed ourselves to changing the way our school does business; we have committed ourselves to guaranteeing a pipeline of success for every student participating in the Promise College.

As a parent, I worry and wonder how my children will find their place in society. Will they thrive and take advantage of the opportunities presented to them, entering their chosen workforce and finding not only success, but enjoyment and fulfilment? Like most parents, I’ve made them a promise to do the best I can to ensure they have the skills to make this a reality. But as a Principal, I must make that fundamental promise not just to three boys, but to hundreds of students. I have. My staff have. And I invite you to make that promise too.

Promise College assures your child a bright, successful future through a formidable partnership between Shailer Park SHS and yourself. As a parent, your role in this partnership includes adhering to certain conditions for you and your child:

• 92+% Attendance
• Parents attending 3 major events per year
• Attendance at ALL Parent-Teacher interviews

In return Shailer Park SHS will build your child a pipeline of guaranteed success to Universities, TAFE Colleges and Employers. Our dedicated and unrelenting staff will achieve this through:

• Using their detailed knowledge to support students find and maintain the right pathway
• Accessing pipelines and networks of success
• Regular communication with parents
• A deep understanding of your child’s unique identity and ambitions
• Detailed study and career planning

In many cases, students are unaware of the opportunities available to them beyond school and paralysed by what they see as their own limitations. The Shailer Park SHS Promise College vows to change all of that.

An information night to be announced shortly will give further insight into why participating in Promise College is an essential step in securing your child a bright future. I urge each and every parent to attend.

Lastly, good luck to those Year 12s participating in the QCS Test at the end of August: I know you will apply yourselves with the same seriousness and maturity you use to approach all of your studies.

IPS School Council

Shailer Park High’s transition to becoming an Independent Public School (IPS) is a very exciting one.

As part of becoming an IPS, Shailer Park High will this year form a School Council. The School Council is a strategic body that is committed to the ongoing growth and success of the school. Forming a School Council allows us to make connections with people and organisations that can assist in growing the school’s future and creating opportunities for students.

The P&C President and the school’s Principal set the framework for the formation of the School Council. At Shailer Park High, the School Council will consist of:

• The School Principal (automatic member)
• The P&C President (automatic member)
• 2 Parent Representatives
• 2 Staff Representatives
• 2 Student Representatives (these students must come from Years 10, 11 or 12)
• 2 Appointed Members (these members are appointed by the School Council)

The parent, staff and student representatives are decided through free and fair elections and anyone who fits the criteria of each of these groups may apply. With regards to the staff representatives, one must be from the teaching staff and the other from the school’s non-teaching staff.

The process for electing the school’s parent representatives is now open. Any parent who wishes to nominate for the role of parent representative on the school council must contact the P&C President by 4pm, 29 August, by emailing the following address:

pandc@shaiparkshs.eq.edu.au

The P&C President will then provide nominees with information regarding eligibility for election.

A special meeting will be held on October 3, at 6pm, to vote for a parent representative. All parents are welcome to attend this meeting.

A staff election for School Council representatives will also be held. The school must elect one teaching and one non-teaching representative for the council. Staff wishing to nominate are to contact the appointed Returning Officer (Annette Lee) by 4pm, 29 August, with a vote to be held at the staff meeting on October 3.

A process for electing student representatives to the council will be run early next year.

We look forward to assisting the school in its exciting transition to becoming an Independent Public School.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SECONDARY (Years 7, 8 and 9)

School Opinion Survey

Your opinion matters to us. In the next few days you will receive a School Opinion Survey sheet in the mail. On the sheet is a code for you to complete your online survey. Each year the Department of State Schools, surveys students, staff and parents on all aspects of schooling. The aim of the survey is to identify which aspects of school life our school is excelling in and which areas we can improve in. We urge all parents to complete the survey (which will take a maximum of 10 mins to complete).

Uniform

Students look fantastic in their uniforms. Please continue to ensure that your student wears:

• Black leather lace up shoes every day
• Plain white socks (visible over shoes) with no badging (eg: Nike ticks or Adidas symbols)
• Formal uniform must be worn every Monday
• Sports uniform must be worn on the day they have PE practical class
• All other days students can choose to wear either formal or sports uniform, however there is to be no mixing and matching of the uniform
• Minimal jewellery (as per diary only) – under no circumstances will any student have any facial piercings

Attendance: Make Every Moment Count

It is important that your student attends school every day. I would like to commend the year 7 students for reaching and maintaining the schools goal attendance rate over 92%. It is essential that your child attends school every day. Research proves that there is a direct link between attending school and improved academic success and social adjustment.

At Shailer Park State High School, the school day begins at 8.45am. It is important to instil the value of punctuality in your student. Please ensure your student is at school by at least 8.30am to ensure their learning can begin at 8.45am (as per student diary). If your student is late or absent it is ESSENTIAL that you contact the school by phone on 3451 2766.

We look forward to working together with families to ensure that every student can get access to the best education. You may think that being just a little bit late or having just a few days off every now and then doesn’t make that much difference – but it really does (see the tables below). If you are having trouble getting your child to school consistently on time, please contact the school for assistance.

Sharyn Angel
Deputy Principal – Junior Secondary

SENIOR SECONDARY

Term Assessment Calendars and Tutorial Timetables

Students in Year 12 will have their exam block in Week 9. Students in Extension classes in Year 10, and all Year 11 students will have their exam block in Week 10. It is a busy term for students, and I would like to take this opportunity to remind them to eat a balanced diet, and get approximately 8 hours sleep each night. Healthy habits like these ensures the best opportunities for your child’s day in terms of learning, attention and behaviour.

A reminder to parents that Term Assessment Calendars are distributed to students each term. This information, including Tutorial Timetables, can also be found on our website:

Year 12 – Tertiary Applications Opening Soon

All year 12 students are reminded that QTAC applications are opening soon. This application process is for students wanting to study all post-secondary (Cert III and above) and tertiary level courses (Diploma and above). The QTAC website really is a valuable resource to investigate all kinds of study options for next year.

There is an abundance of information about upcoming key dates, courses and common application questions on the site.

We encourage all students to familiarise themselves with the website – QTAC Application processes begin in August and we will be working with students to ensure they are informed about the application process during the term.

QCS – Year 12

QCS is being held on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of August this year for all of our OP eligible Year 12 students.

Tuesday – Morning – Writing Task (2hrs)
Tuesday – Afternoon – Multiple Choice 1 (1 hr 30mins)

Wednesday – Morning – Short Response (2hrs)
Wednesday – Afternoon – Multiple Choice 2 (1 hr 30mins)

We wish all of our students good luck for their tests – they are working hard, and will be rewarded!

A reminder to all year 12 QCS students that sessions run on Tuesday afternoon each week this term.

Upcoming Career and Study Information Sessions (for ALL Senior Students)

JMC Open Day

(Animation, game development, film and television, audio, music, entertainment management.)

Saturday 2 September - Brisbane (South Bank)

UQ Open Days

Sunday 6 August (St Lucia Campus) and Sun 20 August (Gatton Campus)

TAFE Qld

No particular Open Day

Call 13 72 48

JUNIOR SECONDARY

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Key focuses which are delivered daily to students in the Junior Secondary School:

When we are at school, we are: Safe, Respectful and Responsible

When considering my actions towards others

• Is my action kind?
• Is my action fair?

Ignite Electives

Over the past 5 Fridays, we have had the opportunity to showcase some of the fantastic programs that Shailer Park SHS has to offer. Over 150 students from Kimberley Park State School participated in the following workshops with our enthusiastic members of staff:

• 3D Printing with Mr Daniel Light
• Ignite Dance with Miss Shae Westerveld and Catherine Flanders (Past School Captain)
• STEM Science with Mr Andrew Pirie

I would like to acknowledge the incredible amount of work that has been put in place to provide these students with opportunities to participate in such vibrant and interesting programs.

Junior Secondary Social Development Programs

Throughout Term 3, some of our Junior Secondary students have had the opportunity to participate in some fantastic programs run by the PCYC and Qld Police service. Below is a list of the these programs and what they entail

• Holla Program – Social Development Program which works with our Maori/Pacifika student group and has a focus on Academic engagement
• Girls United – program to support Junior Secondary girls with regards to Academic engagement and support
• Thin Blue Line – program focussed on supporting Junior Secondary boys academic pursuits

I would like to thank the enormous amount of work which has been put in by members of the PCYC and Logan Police as well as Mrs Elei Faraimo and Mrs Caddie Perilini and the outstanding work which is being produced by our Junior Secondary students in the program.

All the best for the rest of Term 3

A SHAILER HIGH

The Amazing Yevin

Our very own Year 8 Student, Yevin was chosen in the South East Golf Under 19 team, even though he is only 13. In late July, Yevin did the amazing and finished 6th at the State Titles in the Under 19s. 6th as a 13 year-old in an Under 19 state level competition is a remarkable result!!

We extend hearty congratulations to Yevin and celebrate this amazing achievement with him.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Childcare / Early Childhood Education School Based Traineeships

Expressions of Interest are sought from Current Year 10 and 11 Students (Vocational Pathway only)

Students interested in obtaining a Certificate III in Childcare and Early Childhood Education should complete an Expression of Interest to apply for the next intake of school based traineeships.

To be eligible students cannot be doing any other Certificate courses and must meet the Traffic Light System criteria of:

• Attendance 90% and above
• School fees paid / payment plan in place
• Passing subjects
• No behaviour referrals

A meeting with the provider is being held on Wednesday 23rd August 2017 at 9:15am to explain the process and what’s involved with this sought after traineeship.

If you are interested, please see Ms Annette Lee the ILO before Tuesday 22nd August 2017.

Year 10 Head of Year Message

Our Year 10 students recently visited Griffith University Gold Coast Campus. All of the students had a great time and were able to participate in a tour of the campus and a number of activities. This allowed them to appreciate what university can offer them and will in turn help them to make better subject choices for Year 11 and 12.

I am pleased to say that we are completing the last of the Year 10 Set Plan interviews for 2018 subject selection. Thank you to all parents and carers for making the process run smoothly. Both students and parents came to the interviews well prepared and have made appropriate subject selections. It is really pleasing to see that our visit to Griffith University had an impact with many students who are now striving towards attending university.

As always, attendance is a very real concern. Recently, many of you will have received letters that detail your students’ attendance data. Our expectation is for all students to attend at a minimum of 95%. Attendance is directly linked to improved outcomes. Please work with us on making sure your student has the best chance possible of achieving at their very best.

Guidance

So much to do and to think about for our Year 12 students

Term Three can be a stressful time for our Year 12 students. There is the QCS test to prepare for; assessments and assignments; planning their post schooling options and feeling very excited and even a little nervous about coming to the end of their formal schooling. Stress is not all bad, in fact it can be motivating providing it is not too low or too high. The following information gives some ideas around things we can do to help manage those stressful times.

Helpful Tips:

• Eat healthy foods – avoid drinking too much coffee, eating too much fat, or lots of sugars;
• Spend time with people who make your life happier and more enjoyable – family; friends; teachers;
• Exercise – do something you enjoy like walking (with a friend, listening to favourite music, the dog), swimming, riding, yoga etc.;
• Drink water, rather than other stuff – not too much though;
• Have a good night’s sleep;
• Be kind to yourself – do things that you enjoy e.g. a relaxing bath, watch a movie;
• Practise thinking good thoughts such as “I can do it”, “I’ve got this”, “I done all the prep I can, now I’m going to try my best” and avoid bad thoughts;
• The night before or in between, watch comedy shows, seek out humour, and laugh loudly;
• Breathe - it’s ok to take a minute if feeling a little overwhelmed, stop and breathe, nice slow deep breaths in and out.

Smiling Mind is a great website which provides a lot of strategies and information about managing stress.

Year 9 Students to Visit University of Queensland

On Thursday 14 September all Year 9 students will participate in an excursion to the University of Queensland. Students will be able to see the campus and participate in various faculty activities. This will give students the opportunity to experience what it is like to be on a university campus and to see what universities are offering. This will be a great follow up activity after the Year 9 students participate in the Discover My Future – Exploring Pathways sessions which will be provided by TAFE Queensland here at school on September 4.It will help to inform them about the options that are available prior to making their Year 10 subject choices.

The excursion is FREE and students will be provided with a morning tea and a light lunch. The aim of the day is to give students the opportunity to see and experience some of what happens in a university. Regardless of the students future pathway all students are encouraged to take part in this day. The world of work is rapidly changing and whilst we do not necessarily know about the future jobs that will be on offer we do know that all of our students will need to be continually updating their skills to meet the needs and demands of future jobs.

Permission notes will be issued to students this week and they must be signed and returned to the main office by Wednesday September 6.

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

STATE VOLLEYBALL SUCCESS!!!!

It was the 2017 Queensland Senior Schools Cup Volleyball Tournament. This tournament is the main State Tournament for Volleyball each year, where schools from all over Queensland compete at the highest level for the ultimate prestige of being named State Champions.

Shailer Park sent 3 senior teams to this event and are very proud that after 2 days all 3 teams had won their way into the Semi Finals. With a finish of a Gold Medal with the Year 11 Girls, 2nd place in Open Boys Honours, and a 4th in the Year 11 Boys Divisions we are extremely proud of our 3 team's results.

Our Volleyball Excellence Academy was only introduced 3 years ago, and in the past 12 months our students / players have really stepped up their performance level and results, matching it with the best teams and schools in Queensland who have been running Volleyball Excellence Programs running for 30 years.

"Our Shailer Park Volleyball Students are training and working so hard at the moment they are making our school extremely proud. They are excelling in all areas from Sport, to Academic, to Leadership. This Program is offering our students the opportunity to play Volleyball at the highest level as well as achieve in all other areas of life."

We will also be sending 4 Shailer Park Volleyball Teams down to Melbourne in early December for the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup to compete against the best schools from all around our country. This is very exciting, but it means that our program and training schedule will be very busy in the next few months.

Our actual results from the weekend include;

• Year 11 Girls Div 1 - Gold Medal (beat Redbank SHS in the final 2-0) with Jayde Adams receiving the honour of being named MVP of the tournament. These girls had an amazing tournament and played some fantastic volleyball. They are just a lovely bunch of girls who are so dedicated to their training and their team. They really deserve this honour and result.

• U/20 Open Boys Honours (highest division in Queensland) our boys won the Bronze Medal 3-0 vs Aldridge, however due to their being an international team in our State Tournament (New Zealand Regional Team) our boys finished 2nd overall in Queensland. This was the first time that our school has entered this Open Honours division as our program has only been running for 3 years and their physical performance and results are now matching it with the best schools in the state that have had Volleyball Excellence Programs running for 30 years.

• •Year 11 Boys Div 1 - 4th place. This team was made up of 4 x year 11's, 1 x year 10, and 2 x year 9's. An awesome effort!

Congratulations to all the students and coaches of these teams. What an amazing effort!

Our Players included:

Angela King
Volleyball Academy Coach

Sporting Success Continues with Futsal Scoring the Goals!

On Thursday 10th August, I had the pleasure of accompanying the Year 7, 8 and 9 Futsal students to Ormeau Woods SHS. Not only did these students perform on the field of play, their behaviour, attitude and effort was outstanding.

The Year 7 team ran out winners 13-nil and the Year 8 team also kept the opposition scoreless with a 6-nil victory.

Due to the fact that Ormeau were unable to field a Year 9 team, the Shailer Year 9 team played against a talented Year 11 Ormeau team consisting of one state and one national representative. Although the boys were defeated 6-1, the courage and commitment they showed in this game made me a very proud coach.

The boys listed below deserve our congratulations on the way they played and how they represented Shailer Park SHS.

Jayden Primmer, Jordan Anderson, Jesse Campbell, Hayden Donaldson, Kian Campbell, Ethan Madden, Dane Winter Jack Oudney, Josh Marinko, Aiden Kirk, Raff Russell, Alex Foster, Damon Specis, Sebastian Perez, Corey Palmer Ethan Maskell, Nirav Nand, Kyle Woods, Harry Wise, Daenah Wilson, Dean Swatton, David Swatton, Blade Donaldson

I would like to personally thank parent Eric Perez for the amazing job he has done with the teams. Mr Perez gives up his valuable time to coach the teams in the mornings and much of the success the boys have experienced on the playing court is a result of the work of his expert coaching.

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

TICKETS ON SALE from the finance window

Art and Media

Year 8’s

Semester two sees the Year 8’s now able to experience Visual Art. We are working on a unit titled ‘Cupcake Crazy’ and we have started with a drawing. We are learning how to observe details and accurately re-create what we see. Learning how to use different media well is also a challenge. We started with graphite pencils and now we are learning to work with colour. Have a look at the progress so far and stay tuned for the finished drawings as well as other artistic interpretations of the cupcake!

Year 11’s

Year 11 Art are busy working on their paintings expressing their notion of Belief, finished work will be displayed in the next newsletter. The Arts in Practice students are developing a series of ceramic pieces that demonstrate the concept of metamorphosis. They are looking great and hopefully ready to show you in an upcoming publication.

Lean Cluster Week

A very successful “LEAN Cluster” week culminated in the concert in which our High School Ensembles also performed. As there were so many Primary Student participants in both Strings and Concert Ensembles their seating was on the floor with percussion above on the stage. Photographs taken on the night show that all seats in the MPS were taken.

St. Marks

Each year the Shailer Park High Instrumental Symphonic Wind Ensemble and String Ensemble packs up all their students and instruments and transports them of St Marks where they entertain a group of Senior Citizens from a variety of Retirement and Nursing Homes. All age groups represented eagerly look forward to this event and enjoy the exchange between young and old.

Our Timetable

Glen Court
Senior Instrumental Music Teacher

SCHOOL BASED YOUTH NURSE

Queensland Health is urging Queenslanders to get serious about protecting themselves, their loved ones and anyone else they come into contact with against the flu.

Influenza is not the same as a common cold and can sometimes lead to serious complications. Symptoms often include high fever, chills, sweating, extreme tiredness, muscle aches and pains and an unproductive cough

The ‘Spread the facts, not the flu’ campaign reminds Queenslanders to:

• Get vaccinated – vaccination each year is the best protection against flu.
• Stay home when you are sick and avoid spreading the flu.
• Wash your hands thoroughly – it takes at least 15 seconds to wash your hands properly.
• Limit the spread of germs by using a tissue or coughing/sneezing into your elbow.
• Dispose of used tissues as the flu virus can live outside the human body for a number of hours.

The flu is highly contagious and primarily spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

The droplets containing the virus are expelled rapidly and can travel one to two meters.

The droplets then settle onto surfaces, such as telephones and door knobs, and can be passed from hands to the nose, mouth or eyes.

People with influenza can be infectious to others from 24 hours before they display symptoms, until a week after the start of symptoms.

The good news is you can help protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated and practicing good hygiene.

The Flu vaccine

There is no live virus in the injectable flu vaccine, so it cannot cause influenza. Each year’s flu vaccine contains killed versions of influenza strains chosen as the most current.

The vaccine takes about two weeks to start working fully and won’t protect you against every cough, cold or other virus.

It cannot prevent cases of the common cold or other “flu-like” viruses, or new virulent flu strains.

P&C NEWS

Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers program is on again this year and our P&C is collecting stickers on behalf of our school.

In 2015 we were able to use this program to receive new teaching resources for our school.

We have one box at Cornubia Woolworths and one box at Hyperdome Woolworths. There is also a box for stickers in the School administration foyer.

So start shopping and remember to collect the stickers for our school.

Thank you very much for your support.