15 September 2017

Newsletter Articles

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

As many of you will have heard, I’m leaving Shailer Park State High School at the end of this term. I have been appointed Principal at Coolum Beach State High School, my acceptance of which has been very bittersweet. On the one hand, it will bring me closer to my family. But on the other, I’ll be leaving behind a school whose students have restored my faith in the youth of this country and whose community carries a quiet and unassuming strength.

When I arrived at SPSHS, the physical appearance of the campus buildings and and grounds gave a fairly poor impression. I feared that every change and request I made would be met with overt resistance, that education may not be valued and that the students may not be responsive to a message about having “big plans and bold ambitions.” How wrong I was.

It became apparent very quickly that the students of Shailer Park SHS are quite simply, wonderful. They are inspiring, clever, ambitious and respectful. They are without doubt the most delightful young people I have ever had the pleasure of being involved with and because of this, I know they will continue on the productive and successful path they have stepped on to. Three years ago our team set out an aspirational road for them to follow and they have risen to the occasion, surpassing the expectations of so many along the way. Shailer Park SHS students have much to be proud of: the willingness to take on a new way of doing, their determination to see tasks and goals through and the incredible achievements they have already made have set them apart as an admirable group of young men and women.

Standing behind these students is a community whose strength and resilience is also tremendous. I’d like to thank all the parents and community members who have been so welcoming of me and supportive of the changes to Shailer Park’s way of being. By displaying your encouragement of the school and your children, you are also fostering the importance and power of self-belief in these students. They are unambiguously capable of remarkable achievements and will go on accomplishing them with the support of this wonderful community.

It is clear that Shailer Park SHS will continue to thrive in the future. The NEXUS Academy is gaining more and more support as the students involved are challenged both academically and personally. This program is not only elevating the kinds of educational experiences students are involved in, but is widening their horizons beyond school itself. It is yet another way in which Shailer Park SHS is helping students to believe in themselves, their abilities and the possibilities open to them.

Promise College should continue to build pipelines for success, delivering its aim of giving each participating student a guaranteed pathway into employment or further study with the ongoing support of the School Council and P&C.

I’d like to thank again the Shailer Park SHS community. I would like to thank every staff member who has worked so diligently towards achieving our goals. I would like to thank every parent and community member who has helped to empower the school in its quest to achieve great things. And, in particular, I would like to congratulate our students for their resilient and generous spirit, their personality and all of their achievements.

You have given me an invaluable experience and have set the bar high for the kinds of positive attributes I will look for in students, teachers and staff in future.

Good bye and good luck!

Fast Food

Unfortunately, we have been dealing with a few issues recently where students have had fast food brought to them at school during the breaks. This is unacceptable! Our Deputy Principals have spoken to students about this on assembly.

All parents are advised that this is not accepted within the school and that students engaging in this behaviour will face consequences. Our Tuckshop sells a wonderful selection of food and is the appropriate place to purchase school lunches.

We are looking forward to seeing all our students use the Tuckshop as the only venue from which to purchase school lunches.

Executive Leadership Team

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

Congratulations to all of our Junior Secondary students for the significant efforts that have been put into finishing their Term 3 assessment. It is always so heartening to be in classrooms seeing students taking their learning so seriously and putting in their very best effort. I’m certain that this term’s report cards will show even further improvements on last Semesters astounding achievements.

Last week we were fortunate enough to have staff members from Education Queensland Media Branch attend our school to speak to our students about ‘enhancing their digital identity’. Some of the suggestions were as follows:

• Google yourself – check your name and online usernames to make sure you’re happy with what is out there. If you find any negative content, delete it or report to the website where it is hosted.
• Privacy overhaul – Stay on top of your privacy settings, social media platforms change these frequently. Set accounts to ‘private’ or ‘friends only’ to limit who sees your stuff. The less people who see it, the less chance there is for something to go wrong.
• Un-tag yourself- Have you been tagged in an embarrassing photo or video? Ask the person to delete it. If they won’t, report the post and un-tag yourself. Never share or tag photos and videos of others without their permission.
• Unfriend/ unfollow – Have you added a ‘random’? If you don’t know and trust them in your real world, delete or block them. Don’t be fooled by fake profiles or mutual friend suggestions. Unfriend your randoms today!
• Make positive choices – Stay in control of your online world. If you make poor choices while on social media and online games there may be social or legal consequences. Remember, anything can be screen captured so NOTHING IS PRIVATE ON THE INTERNET. Keep your online interactions positive, useful and true.
• Build your brand – What you say in a post could affect your future. Use the power of social media to brand yourself and connect to professional networks. Share your achievements, talents and passions online. Your social media accounts should portray you in a positive way.

Have a great holiday, take care of yourself and I look forward to seeing you all in Term 4.

JUNIOR SECONDARY

It is been a really busy time for our Junior Secondary students as they busily prepare for exams and hand in their assessments for Term 3. It has been really encouraging to see the preparation, determination and resilience that our students have displayed in meeting their learning goals. We have a fantastic team who take immense pride in the outcomes of our students and anticipate even better results for Term 3.

Year 9 TAFE Visit:

On Monday 4th September our Year 9 cohort had the opportunity to participate in a TAFE Careers Day. Students were given an opportunity to explore the ‘Discover My Future’ program which provides students with all relevant facts involved in their dreams jobs. Students were also given information regarding different course options available at TAFE and the careers that they could lead to. A special thanks goes to Mrs Wendy Snigg, Miss Morgan Lewis, Miss Anita Winkeler, Mr Jarrod Baker and Mrs Annette Lee for their assistance with the day.

Year 7 and 8 Careers Day

On Wednesday 13th September our Year 7 and 8 students participated in a Careers Day to get them thinking about the many different career pathways available to them. We also had the pleasure of having the Australian Defence Forces come out and present some information to our Year 7, 8 and 9 cohort about the many careers that are available for anyone interested in the Defence Forces. Because of the advancement of technology and constant societal change, chances are that many of our Year 7 and 8 students will be working in jobs which quite possibly do not exist yet, Mrs Wendy Snigg (Guidance Officer) discussed the relevant skills that employers will be looking for and the need to keep your options open with subject selections in Years 9-12. A huge thankyou to the Junior Secondary staff for delivering the program to the Year 7 and 8 students as well as Mrs Wendy Snigg and Annette Lee.

Subject Selections (Year 7 and 8)

These will be happening early in Term 4. Students will have the opportunity to listen to each Head of Department from each curriculum area and will then be filling out a subject form which needs to be signed by parents prior to processing. Students will be encouraged to hand forms in as early as possible to ensure they get their priority elective subject. Please direct any questions to myself on 3451 2777 or jkenn170@eq.edu.au.

Enjoy the well-earned break and I look forward to seeing everyone back ready to go in Term 4

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Officeworks – Positions Vacant

Officeworks at Loganholme have positions available for the back-to-school period (October to January). They are looking for expressions of interests from students from 15 years of age and up.

If you are interested you can email your resume to ytang-hauk@officeworks.com.au or walk into the store to submit your resume and have a quick chat with Yvonne Tang-Hauk, Store Business Manager.

If selected, you will need to be available for a group interview session on Friday 29.09.17 from 2 pm to 4pm.

Year 12s - Apprenticeships with Cummins now open

Applications are now open for Cummins apprenticeships in the following:

Exciting Fee Free Training opportunity for Year 12 graduates - QHHS International Hotel School Certificate III in Hospitality Program

This is a Fee Free program for 2017 Year 12 graduates making it a fantastic opportunity for students.

The program is 13 weeks duration and students will undertake Vocational Placement at one or more 5 Star Resorts on the Gold Coast.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in Speed Career initiatives with HR teams from the QHHS partners (noted on the attached flyer) and there is a high percentage of employment outcomes for students.

If you have any further questions, please contact Sam via Sam.Wakeham@tafe.qld.edu.au or 0478 855 994.

Year 10 Head of Year Message

A selected number of our Year 10 students have now begun their partnership with the Australian Business and Community Network.

We have proudly been working with them for many years now and the benefits of this partnership continue. Students work in small groups that each have two mentors that will work with them to consider a range of options as to what the future might hold for them. The mentors are from Ernst and Young, an advisory company that are situated in Brisbane City.

The program was successfully launched last week here at school and all students got to meet their mentors, share some information about themselves and introduce them to the facilities of our school. Over the next six weeks we will embark on four trips into the city to work through a number of activities that will offer all students guidance and awaken them to possible opportunities. From past experience I know that the students will gain not only valuable knowledge and experience, but certainly enjoy the views over the Brisbane River from the 53rd floor of their Eagle Street offices!

I am looking forward to sharing this wonderful experience with them all.

Guidance

Education is the key to keeping our kids safe on the internet.

Bullying and Cyber – bullying is an issue that all schools are dealing with. Adolescence can be a very turbulent time. It is a time when young people’s emotions are heightened and the desire to belong and fit in with a group is extremely strong. Coinciding with this is the fact that the adolescent brain is not fully developed which means they do not have impulse control and the ability to think things through. For this reason many young people will respond and interact inappropriately at times.

Young people need assistance and guidance to help them manage their emotions and actions. Parents can feel that managing this in the cyber-world is overwhelming. However, it is crucial that the school and parent work together to assist young people in managing their internet use. Earlier this year Brett Lee (internationally renowned authority on Internet Safety) delivered key messages to staff, students and parents. I thought it may be timely to re-visit some of the great advice he gave us.

Parents have to take control and not believe the catch cry from young people that bad behaviour is just what happens on the internet. The internet space is no different from the ‘real world’ and the same rules apply. There are certain laws and expectations on how we behave in the ‘real world’ and this is the same for the Internet. In the eyes of the law in Queensland you are an adult at 17 years of age. Children 10 years and over can be arrested for cyber-bullying.

Brett continually repeated these key points about the internet:

• The internet creates the illusion that it is private and it is NOT PRIVATE. It is the most public space you can be in.
• The internet creates the illusion that you can be anonymous and YOU CANNOT
• The internet creates the illusion that you are not in the ‘real world’ but you MOST DEFINITELY ARE
• The internet is permanent so no matter what various sites say, everything stays on the internet, it cannot be deleted.

The most important tip he gave to parents was to have a rule that all devices (phone, tablets, computers, etc.) are locked away overnight so there is no access. By doing this you can reduce the potential risk of harm to your child by 32%. For more information on how to keep your family safe please check out the following websites:

Michael Carr-Gregg a leading Adolescent Psychologist has passed on similar messages in his talks, books and articles on Cyber Safety. Carr-Gregg says that “Parents need to find their digital spine. Just because your children are pestering you, and because everybody else is on it, doesn’t mean you can’t stand your ground.”

How to Find Your Digital Spine

• Do not sign students up to sites if they are not the correct age
• A condition of having a phone or other device should be that you will have access to it; know their passwords and regularly check what is on it
• Phones and other digital devices should not be accessible to young people once they are heading off to bed. All devices including your own, should be collected and put in an area out of access
• Model good digital habits yourself. (One should be able to survive without constantly looking at technology)
• Talk to your son/daughter about what they are doing online and actively engage with them on their sites. Show a genuine interest in what they are doing online.
• Ignorance of the Cyber world is no excuse. Access information from reputable websites to seek out help and advice about the latest internet trends.
• Use Parental Controls
• Know what sites they visit

Both Michael Carr-Gregg and Brett Lee believe that educating our children about the online world and how to be safe while using technology is crucial for all young people. Parents have a key role in educating their children about Internet Safety. Please remember that even if you have made the decision that your child does not have a phone, Facebook account or any other social media access does not guarantee that your child will not be able to access it. All children need to be informed and educated about the internet. The following websites will assist you as parents in finding out more information about these issues.

The following websites will be helpful:

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Our Volleyball Players Bring Home Gold for the Gold Coast

Congratulations on an outstanding effort by our Volleyball members who played for the Gold Coast at the Queensland Volleyball Championships.

The Queensland Championships were held at the Carrara Stadium on 18-20 August.

GOLD COAST GIRLS UNDER 18 – Undefeated, (pictured below)

NUMBER 3 – ISABELLA TRINH
NUMBER 4 – NYAH TAURIMA
NUMBER 10 – KRISTELLE THOMSON
NUMBER 12 – JAYDE ADAMS

All players did their Club proud, with personal bests and improvements in their State rankings

Above, Jayde Adams shows her spectacular style in setting

Above, Isabella Trinh displays her powerful digs when receiving

Below the team are victorious and can celebrate with a resounding cheer

In the photo below YEAR 10 student Sam Fairbrother (back row fourth from left) was another outstanding player over the completion. Sam represented the Gold Coast in UNDER 16 BOYS. He was setter and instrumental in taking the win from the Dragons Volleyball Club Brisbane. Sam also played in the U/18 Gold Coast Boys Team and they won the Gold. What a champion! Well Done Sam!!!.

FIRST SET

BRISBANE 27 – GOLD COAST 25

SECOND SET

BRISBANE 22 – GOLD COAST 25

FINAL SET

BRISBANE 15 – GOLD COAST 17

Below is Sam wearing his number three jersey with pride (front row, first left) holding the gold trophy with a winning smile.

Special Mention

Special mention must go to NORMAN PAPALAUA-PATI (pictured here) for refereeing at a high level completion and receiving an upgraded accreditation in his refereeing. Norman refereed the Open Women’s Bronze medal as well as a Gold Medal match. This will also greatly assist in the training of our school teams.

Well Done Norman!

Acknowledgement and Thank you!

In addition to before and after school training sessions these students travel down to the coast every Thursday evening and complete another very intensive two hour session.

The driving force of this team no doubt comes from long training sessions, however there are three beautiful members who have been with this team from its inception who I would like to give special mention to.

Mrs Wynita Adams (Jayde’s mother)
Mrs Kelly Taurima (Nyah’s mother) and
Mrs Cathie Timms (Jayde’s grandmother)

These ladies never miss a game, even if it happens to be interstate!! No matter how early or late games and duties are on, these ladies are there supporting the team. They arrive with smiles and a lot of encouragement, not to forget the eski packed with homemade treats, lollies and fruit for the entire team – even for the boys. When games are at separate venues these ladies pack up their cars and take the girls to support the boys teams and after taking photos, hand out specially baked treats (Wynita’s spider cookies are not only scrumptious but are in high demand! ), giving hugs and support they travel back so their girls can get ready for their own games.

They all work so tirelessly behind the scenes organising fund raising activities such as the trivia, movie night and chocolate drive. Our teams are all so grateful for their efforts and we cannot thank you enough. Their love for their children and grandchildren shone brightly all trhough the three days and I was so proud to have been part of their “extended family”.

So at our next competition, if you see a gorgeous black Harley, it is Jadye’s father, Bevan riding in to rev up support for his daughter and her teammates! Then friends and family all take position in the stands calling out support and cheering on the girls to victory! Just listen for the “GO SHAILER” from the stands and you will meet these wonderful parents and friends.

Above our winning girls!

All of our students demonstrated exceptional leadership and this in turn serves to encourage the younger students to participate in such carnivals, and be committed to high achievement in the volleyball sporting excellence programme, which supports them in becoming professional athletes.

Shelli Dunbabin
Volleyball Coach

International at SPSHS

It's been a very busy term for all things International at SPSHS! Our students were very fortunate to have many exciting cultural experiences this term, including meeting students from both Hong Kong and Japan who were visiting on study tours. The students gained valuable insight into different cultures and some wonderful friendships were made in the process.

Japan Club was invited to perform at the Kimberley Park State School's 'Bunkasai' or 'Cultural Festival'. A team of singers performed Frozen's 'Let it go' in Japanese in the beautiful new Japanese garden at KPSS. The club is pumped to be involved in this event again next year!

More recently, on Friday in Week 8, students attended the first ever 'Japanese Movie Night' at Event Cinemas at the Hyperdome for a private screening of 'Kimi no Na' or 'Your Name'. This film won multiple international awards and the students were raving about how much they enjoyed it.

Overall, it's been a fantastic term and we are looking forward to more exciting adventures in Term 4 (after a well-deserved rest!) Stay tuned for more SPSHS International updates.

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Art and Media

Visual Arts in Practice

The Year 11s have been working on a ceramic unit exploring the notion of Metamorphosis, the idea of change. Students were asked to take an idea and develop it, showing some form of change, to create a set of four related ceramic pieces. This isn’t as easy as it sounds as they were bound by the constraints of working from a sphere created by using a mould. Each student approached this task in their own individual manner and have certainly produced some interesting pieces.

In a previous edition we gave you a glimpse of our lovely cupcakes in progress. Look how delicious the finished product looks now! Congratulations to students on a fine effort.

Tirraleigh

Year 8 Digital Media Class

The year 8 Digital media class have been busy creating a folio of digital artworks in Photoshop this term. After studying the art movement of surrealism, the class used the surrealist concept of dreams to inspire their artwork. They have produced some fantastic work this term, bring on animation!

Our Timetable

In August the string ensemble were guests of the Qld Youth Orchestra Junior String Ensemble.

The concert, which was held at the Old Qld Museum Building at Bowen Hills, began with our string ensemble conducted by Mrs Di Alley.

They performed 4 pieces and received an amazing applause from the 300 strong audience, which included QYO founder John Curro.

The QYO Junior Strings then performed 4 pieces, conducted by their director, Chen Yang.

The stage was then reset and Chen conducted a combined orchestra of 120 young players, performing Palladio by Karl Jenkins.

This week, our Symphonic Winds have performed on the same stage as guests of the QYO Wind Ensemble, directed by David Law. This event has taken place for the last 3 years.

Mrs Alley and I are very proud of our students. Their playing has gone up to a new level.

Both Strings and Symphonic Winds have been invited to perform with QYO again in 2018.

Thank you to all the parents who supported our students at Bowen Hills over the weekend, 3 of our alumni for performing with our students, music support for paying for the buses and the QYO for making these opportunities available to our students.

Glen Court
Senior Instrumental Music Teacher

A TERM IN REVIEW

2nd August: Symphonic Winds and String Orchestra at St Mark’s Anglican Church

In conjunction with Daisy Hill Primary School String Ensemble, the music program had a day out to perform for the old and retired at St Mark’s. This has been a tradition for several years now and students in our school love going back every year! There is something about this performance that makes it truly special.

The String Ensemble played three pieces, then shuffled to the small but talented Daisy Hill Strings, then we finished off the concert with the big Symphonic Winds. The performance was so good that Symphonic Winds played an encore! We will be going back to St Mark’s next year to perform for this group of people, with perhaps a bigger band!

9th – 11th August: LEAN Cluster Workshop

LEAN Cluster was a great success! Grade 5-6 Music Students from all the feeder primary schools came to Shailer Park High for a big 4-day workshop (2 days for band and 2 days for strings). This big workshop culminated into a big 2-hour concert in the Multipurpose Shelter. The workshop has had its biggest number of participants ever with approximately 150 students across the 2 ensembles! The LEAN Cluster String Orchestra played 4 pieces to get the night started. The Symphonic Winds and String Orchestra were guest ensembles for this event where they played a total of 4 pieces combined. Then the big sounds of the LEAN Cluster Concert Band finished the night with a bang (literally! Also, maybe a scream or two). LEAN Cluster was a huge success this year and we look forward to seeing a huge crowd of primary school students next year!

Thanks to the Regional Coordinators and Mr Glen Court for organizing such a successful event!

7th – 10th September: Instrumental Music Camp

With 64 students at camp, our camps get bigger and bigger! 3 days of intense music workshopping for all ensembles at Shailer Park High (Symphonic Winds, String Orchestra, Jazz Band, Performance Strings and Wind Ensemble). Of course, the students enjoyed themselves. The first night was very relaxed, viewing Finding Nemo! The second night had the Jazz Band seeing themselves at the Shailer Park Primary Market Night whilst the rest enjoyed a musical Newsies. The last night of camp was our annual band camp Games Night. This year the theme was Mr Men and Little Ms. The last day of band camp we hosted our concert which proved to be a great ending to the 11th Annual Band Camp at PGL Kindilin.

August 26th and 27th: Queensland Youth Orchestra – Concert at Twilight series

For the first time, Shailer Park State High School String Orchestra was invited to play as a guest ensemble for the Queensland Youth Orchestra Junior String Ensemble (under the direction of Chen Yang).

The night consisted of 4 pieces played by SPSHS SO, then QYO JSE playing 4 pieces and then a stellar 120-piece combined orchestra playing Karl Jenkin’s Palladio. As Mrs Diane Alley (String Orchestra director) said, this experience raised the standard of our string players! The String Orchestra has been invited back to the Old Museum Building for a second time!

For the third time in a row, Mr Glen Court could relive the ‘highlight of his career’. Shailer Park State High School Symphonic Winds was the guest ensemble for the Queensland Youth Orchestra Wind Ensemble yet again. The night culminated in a 120-piece concert band playing 2 great pieces. Mr David Law (one of Mr Court’s ex-students, also the director of QYO WE) commended on our performance and has asked we come back for a fourth time!

This weekend of music making is easily a highlight in the music calendar! To top it all off, John Curro (AM MBE) (Founder and Director of QYO) complimented the soloists on both nights! (Nikhil Deo (Violin), Kathleen Huggins (Oboe), Leila Davies (Flute)). He enjoyed the two nights of music that our school presented and is looking forward to next year.

Nikhil Deo
Instrumental Music Student

SCHOOL BASED YOUTH NURSE

Evidence says that exercise has a positive impact on both your physical and mental health. This September, it is time to take the first step to exercise your mood. There is extensive evidence that shows exercise can be used to treat and even prevent mental illnesses like depression.

Everyone can benefit from exercising their mood. We all have room to build up our resilience and wellbeing. Exercising your mood is about starting at your own level - research shows that even small amounts of exercise are both mentally and physically beneficial.

Now is the time to take the first step to improve your own wellbeing.

Check out the information below and find the best way to Exercise Your Mood.

1. Start at your own level

Everyone starts somewhere and if you are new to exercise, set small goals and build your way up to a bigger goal like 30 minutes of exercise per day.

If you already have a set exercise regime, there is already a first step to something new. Why not try meditation? Our guided meditations can improve relaxation and concentration.

2. Find a time in the day that suits you

You don’t skip brushing your teeth because you’re not in the mood, there’s no reason why exercise should be skipped.

Even on a rainy day, there is plenty you can do inside – like yoga or meditation. One study found that even a single session of mindful exercise (like yoga) can improve mood and reduce stress.

3. Choose activities that you enjoy

Exercise doesn't have to mean going to the gym and lifting weights. Whether you like bush walking, swimming, kite surfing, Pilates or walking the dog, even 10 minutes of physical exercise daily is proven to have a positive impact on both your mental and physical health.

4. Remember to reward yourself for incremental changes

It won’t all happen overnight, just make sure you use this September to take the first step to a better frame of mind.

When you reach a milestone of some sort, even if it is an extra 500m on your daily walk, tell someone who you know will be able to celebrate it with you.

5. Give yourself a break

If you miss one session, one day or one week, don't be too hard on yourself. You can pick back up where you left on and refocus on the goals that you have set for yourself.

6. Take your friends or workmates along for the ride

If you are living with a mental illness, it can be difficult at times to socialise, however, asking a friend or colleague to join you in physical activity is a great way to keep motivated. It gives you the chance to share an experience with someone while keeping your plans accountable to one another.

or

See your Youth Health Nurse.

SBYHN Elaine
Shailer Park SHS- every Monday & Tuesday

SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS

On 29th August the nomination process for staff and parent representatives for the school council closed. Four nominations were received, one for each of the positions available.

As there were the same number of nominations for the required parent and/or staff positions available, the nominees are automatically elected (refer s.86(4) of the Education (General Provisions) Act). Therefore, there is no need for a ballot.

The positions are now declared filled and the successful representatives and their positions are as follows:

These 4 people join the Principal (Mr Troy Ascott) and the P&C President (Mr Kevin Thomas) to form the School Council.

If you would like further information on the School Council please contact either Mr Troy Ascott (Principal) or Mr Kevin Thomas (P&C President)

Annette Lee
SPSHS School Council Returning Officer