1 December 2017

Newsletter Articles

Message from the Principal

As the 2017 schooling year comes to a close, I’d like to congratulate all our wonderful Shailer Park State High School staff and students on a strong finish. Maintaining a learning-focussed momentum right up to the last day can be very difficult, but I believe our students and staff have managed to persist until the final lessons of the year professionally and diligently. This positions us perfectly for a fantastic beginning to 2018, where I’m certain we will continue to achieve excellence.

With our Year 12s moving on to further study or employment in the wider community, the rest of our student cohorts have begun to ease into their new roles, one year level up. I myself am certainly looking forward to continuing on in my role as Acting Principal next year and am excited about seeing through some of the wonderful plans and projects anticipated for 2018 along with continuing to implement established ones.

As a vibrant and innovative school, revisiting and tightening up plans and policies which work well is an integral part of maintaining a culture of excellence. To that end, next year we will continue to strengthen our RED-P agenda, with a refocussing for both students and staff on the finer details of the plan. As we have reflected on the targets we set this year with our community; it’s a great reminder of the high expectations Shailer Park State High School has of both its staff and students.

Plans for 2018 are also in the pipeline, with our Independent Public School council meeting in mid-November providing some interesting discussion on the direction of our school. Shailer Park SHS is incredibly fortunate to be a part of the IPS scheme: we can directly tailor the educational journey and outcomes of our students, ensuring we are giving them the absolute best opportunities to realise their own big plans and bold ambitions.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge all of our Shailer Park staff and students for their hard work not only since the start of Term 4 when I joined this fantastic team, but from the very beginning of the year. As I have come to know all those educating and learning at this wonderful school, I have realised how special this community really is. Shailer Park SHS, its students and staff shine so brightly in this part of the South East because of their unrelenting pursuit of excellence. The high expectations, big plans and bold ambitions every person in this school rises to meet and often exceeds is a testament to the dedication and passion of all those at Shailer Park SHS. Well done to you all!

To all our students, staff and the wider community, have a safe and happy festive season and enjoy the holidays: I look forward to seeing everyone rested and revitalised in January 2018!

Senior Schooling

Career Information

Our website has career information and opportunities for students. This information is useful for school leavers and students aspiring for traineeship opportunities alike.

and

Release of Queensland Certificate of Education results, Senior Education Profiles, Overall Positions and Field Positions – Year 12

Students’ individual QCS Test grades will be released prior to senior certification in December.

Queensland Core Skills Test results will be available in student learning accounts from 15 November. Students will be able to access their individual QCS Test grade — from A to E — in their learning account on the Student Connect website:

Students are reminded to activate their account ahead of time.

Students’ QCS Test grades will be confirmed on the Senior Statement they receive as part of their Senior Education Profile sent to them in December.

Queensland Core Skills –– Year 11

We will be starting their Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test course in earnest in 2018. They will start in Term 1 with clear goals and focus on skills and attributes required for the test, and in strengthening learning in their subjects. Students wishing to write the QCS exam will be expected to attend school sessions on Wednesday and Thursdays, and also Tuesday afternoons from 3.00pm – 4.00pm.

Halogen Leadership Conference

This term the 2017 Student Leaders (Junior and Senior) attend the Halogen Leadership Conference: Imagination with Head of Year, Mr Culverwell. Information about the company and events can be found at the link below:

Students heard from young Australians who have achieved success in their fields: sports, charity, entertainment and leadership. The overall message of the day was to be authentic, to be resilient, and to keep trying no matter how many times they have failed.

The Leaders of 2018 were inspired by the day and excited to be coming up with ideas for next year. We congratulate these students on their excellent engagement, participation and behaviour.

A growth mindset, and keeping resilience and effort in our minds is something all of our community can learn about. Websites such as the two links below, are great reading and a wonderful place to start.

and

Australian Institute of Physics

Congratulations to two of our graduating students who received a very prestigious award in the pursuit of excellence in Physics this term.

Jay and Makayla received a grade of Very High Achievement above the fourth band in their studies in Physics.

They are recognised by the Australian Institute of Physics for their hard work and tremendous achievement.

A message from the Deputy Principal Junior Secondary (years 7, 8 and 9)

Orientation Days

On Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 November we welcomed 250+ year 6 students to our school for their Orientation Days. These days aimed to allow the students to meet their class mates and teachers for next year and understand the expectations of Shailer Park State High School. Students were given the opportunity to participate in organised sport activities at lunch times as well as sign up for a myriad of C.A.S.T activities (Clubs, Activities, Societies and Tutorials).

Shuffle Up Week

In Week 10 of this term students will be participating in Shuffle up week. Students will be exposed to classwork at the next grade level. There are also a number of other special activities occurring during Week 10. See below for a schedule of these events:

Reminders for 2018:

• Year 7 and 12 students start school on Monday 22 January
• All other grades (7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) return on Tuesday 23 January
• All students are encouraged to arrive at school by 8.30am (first bell goes at 8.45am)
• All year 7’s and 8’s are to gather in the Junior Secondary area between G, S and N Block before school
• All students must wear their formal uniform and black leather lace up shoes with white socks on their first day
• The school day finishes at 3:00pm
• Please purchase all stationery from the list included in your pack and bring to school each day according to your students timetable
• All students must bring a water bottle and hat with them to school every day
• All students are expected to attend school a minimum of 95% - if your child will be absent or late for any reason, you must call the school absence line on 3451 2766
• Parents will be invoiced for school fees by week 3 – payments or payment plans must be finalised by the end of Term 1

Farewell from me

On a personal note, I am sad to say that I am leaving Shailer Park State High School and will taking up the position of Gold Coast Secondary Principal Alliance Deputy Principal for 2018. I have loved meeting and working with your children and am incredibly proud of the effort and outcomes they have achieved for themselves. Shailer Park SHS is a great school with talented and caring teachers servicing a wonderful community. Have a safe and happy holiday and I look forward to tracking the success of Shailer Park students long into the future.

Vocational Education

Tafe at School

2018 TAFE at School Enrolments are filling up fast! Some courses are already full.

Vocational Students wishing to do a TAFE course in 2018, contact Annette Lee the ILO at school ASAP. TAFE Enrolments close on 2nd February 2018. Traffic Light eligibility criteria apply: 90% attendance, passing subjects, 1 or less behaviour incidents and school fees paid or payment plan in place.

Careers already in motion!

Careers

Huge congratulations to our Year 12 school leavers, James and Shaun, who this week were both successful in securing employment with Langs Building Supplies as Junior Estimators in Langs Estimating Department. James and Shaun set themselves up well in their senior years of schooling by undertaking a Certificate III in Engineering (Technical ) – CAD. Along with a great work ethic, the course provided transferrable skills to go into the world of estimating. We wish them both every success for the journey ahead.”

2017 School Leaver Opportunities

Sheetmetal Apprentice –

Ormeau - 2 x positions

Apprentice required for stainless steel and sheet metal manufacturing company.

The apprentice will generally be involved in the production, manufacture and repair of a wide range of light metal products using thin, flat sheets of metal. Apprentices involved in this type of work would work in an enclosed & well equipped workshop, use specialist measuring equipment and a range of hand tools.

Must have genuine interest to work in the Metal Industry. Be punctual, positive and quick learning attitude. Must have drivers licence and an Australian Citizen/Resident.

Ensure an up to date resume is attached with your application.

To apply; All applicants please apply via MEGT Online Jobs Board using the below link

Warehouse Traineeship –

Cert III Warehousing – Archerfield - 1 x positions

As a Warehousing Trainee your duties and responsibilities will include: communicate with colleagues and clients; stock control and management; organise resources and equipment; assisting with sales in the shop front; coordinating and making deliveries in a work vehicle; operate a forklift (The opportunity to gain your forklift licence if you don't already have one.)

Must be Reliable and honest with a friendly personality, organised, willing attitude and a proven great work ethic, Good communication and computer (Microsoft) skills, Mechanically minded and looking to build a career • Drivers Licence is a must • The Successful candidate will be required to undergo a drug and alcohol screen and Driver history check.

How to Apply: Ensure an up to date resume is attached with your application.

To apply; All applicants please apply via MEGT Online Jobs Board using the below link

NEXUS Academy

On the 28th of November the year 8 NEXUS students travelled to Toohey Forest Environmental Centre to apply their knowledge of energy. Students discussed the implications and solutions to reduce the impact of non-renewable resources.

Throughout the day investigations where conducted to identify and contrast the efficiency of house hold appliances, windmill designs and alternative energy sources.

International Studies

Our International Department is finishing strong after many wonderful experiences throughout 2017!

Some of these experiences include students meeting and buddying with many students from Japan, Hong Kong and China, performing in Japanese on assemblies and performing at the Kimberley Park Primary School's Bunkasai in their brand new Japanese garden, seeing a Japanese Anime at Event Cinemas, hosting Daisy Hill State School students for a cultural immersion session between Year 6 and Year 9/10 students and having a Sushi Party where students had to order their Sushi from the teacher in Japanese and use chopsticks!

To finish of the term and the year, we also hosted our first annual Japanese speaking contest and all of the contestants were impressive. Contestants had to discuss the concept of "The Future". In first place, Kathleen Huggins wowed the panel of judges (3 Japanese teachers), with her fluency, delivery and engaging content. Congratulations to Kathleen for her efforts and to all of the contestants for entering a very challenging competition.

Lastly, for our final Japan Club session this year, the students engaged in a fun chopstick game where some candy was consumed, new skills acquired and lots of laughs enjoyed by all! Wishing all students a fantastic break and looking forward to more adventures in 2018!

Year Ten News

I would like to congratulate all the Year 10 students on a wonderful year. There have been some challenges along the way but I do believe that we have all managed to navigate our way to success. We have been able to celebrate some wonderful achievements both as a group and individually. At the start of this year, this group of students were relatively unknown to me but I have managed to learn at least a little about everyone, and certainly quite a lot more about others! We are now looking forward to what the next two years will bring. I am looking forward to what should be exciting times ahead. I thank all parents and carers for your ongoing support in working as a partnership to achieve the best outcomes for our students. I would like to wish you all a very happy holiday season and I look forward to working with you once again in 2018.

Creative Industries

As the year winds down, students sit their exams, complete their assignments, teachers complete their marking and reports are compiled and as the Summer Vacation draws closer teachers plan for 2018 partly by reviewing 2017. This year our faculty offered students the opportunity to extend their learning experiences in the Instrumental Music Program, Dance Squads, Vocal Group, Drama Club and Craft Club. It has been a hectic but rewarding year. I wish to thank all the dedicated teachers involved, for so freely giving up their time to Ignite, Inspire and Foster our students’ individuality.

We are sad to farewell Ms Hall who has, for the last two years, run Drama Club on Friday afternoons. We wish her the very best and thank her for creating the passion and inspiration in drama students to develop their ability in creating characters and telling the most compelling stories in their dramatic form. Ms Hall has helped many students towards developing their confidence and promoting their ability to “speak up”.

Art and Media

Year Eight Art

Please enjoy our second course of delicious cupcakes created by our Year 8 Visual Art Students.

Year 8 students have been sent “Cup Cake Crazy” as the Lino Prints, Ceramics and Paintings may indicate.

Year Ten Art

Year 10 students were challenged to translate an aspect of one of Salvador Dali’s paintings into a Ceramic piece and extend it into the realm of “Surrealism” by adding to it. In their paintings these students worked to express the theme of “Dislocation”.

Year Eleven Art

The Year 11 students have finished the year strongly in their Reflection unit. They were required to create a Body of Work that reflected upon the characteristics of a significant person. The students have certainly responded with some very strong pieces.

Year Twelve Art

Examples of Semester 2 work from Arts in Practice students (Year 12).

Drama

In Year 8 Drama we have been very busy making masks for our plays. In Greek theatre masks are known for their highly emotional expressions, the most iconic being the tragedy and comedy masks that are often used as symbols of the theatre.

It’s quite easy to make your own Greek theatre mask from materials like paper plates, cardstock, paper mâché or plaster.

Fabulous finished masks worn by our very own aspiring actors.

C.A.S.T: Clubs, Academics, Societies and Tutorials

At Shailer Park State High School we have a vast array of extra curricula activities for students to participate in. These activities are offered before school, at lunch times and after school. The activities allow students to develop 21st Century skills:

• Connectedness: C.A.S.T activities give students a place where they can catch up with friends, build respectful relationships with teachers and meet like-minded individuals in a safe and structured environment
• Collaboration: C.A.S.T activities allow students to work with others, share new knowledge and solve problems in groups.
• Creativity: C.A.S.T activities give students the time and space to let their creative juices flow so that when they are stuck with something they have never seen before they choose to ‘think’ rather than just ‘remember’.

The C.A.S.T activities for 2018 include:

Next year we will extend our Clubs to include a weekly lunchtime session of “Theatre Sports” and “Developing Drawing Skills”.

Craft Club

Our craft club members meet for a lunch time session weekly. We began with a healthy snack and then quickly get going with our crafting. The classes offered included card making, painting and jewellery making.

We will return in 2018, so if there is anything that might interest you and you would like more details, watch this space. All welcome

Humanities Club

Shailer’s Gardening Guru

MR LlOYD-JONES is affectionately known to our students as Mr Bob

The sun is shining, birds are singing and it’s time for our campus garden beds to come back from the winter weather. Mr Bob has been working very hard helping our green areas get back into shape. The grounds are filled with the beautiful scent of his Gardenia, Red Riding Hood shrubs along with a beautiful new variety of frangipani. Mr Bob has been working tirelessly removing dead, damaged, and diseased branches from our woody plants and trimming all our summer-blooming shrubs such as the beautiful gardenia whose scent drifts into neighbouring classrooms.

Mr Bob is always smiling and not only is he making our campus look marvellous, he is positive person who can see the best in every situation – For Mr Bob ‘the glass is ALWAYS half full’!

School Photos 2018

P&C News

Loyalty Programs to Help Our School

Foodworks Loganholme:

Shop & Save club .Register in store by completing the Shop & save membership application form and nominate Shailer Park High School as your local school. As a shopper you receive one point for every dollar you spend at Foodworks Loganholme and the school receives half a point also. Once these points have accumulated you can redeem prizes from the in-store showcase and so can the school. If you are not a member ask for a form next time you are shopping! If your child previously attended another school in the area please remember to advise Foodworks to update your information.

Amart Sports Loganholme:

Community Kickbacks Program. By joining the Team Amart Loyalty Program, members will receive awesome benefits throughout the year, like member only sales, exclusive competitions and special events. For every member purchase, Amart will assist our school by allocating 5% of that transaction in the form of an in-store credit to be used by the school & the P&C. Simply register in store & nominate Shailer Park High School as your registered organisation.

Ritchie’s IGA Daisy Hill:

Community Benefits Fund (#99436) Ask for a Ritchie’s CB card at the School office. These are pre-set with the Shailer Park High CB number. For every $ you spend, IGA will donate 0.5% to our school. There are also hundreds of weekly specials that have extra discounts for Ritchie’s Community Benefits card holders.

Thank you

Thank you to the Shailer Park community for supporting the P&C Election Day BBQ and 2nd Hand Book Sale held last Saturday. The day was a huge success with over $1000 profit from the BBQ and over $235 from the sale of books. Thank you to those parents that donated drinks and books to sell. Also a big thank you to our hardworking volunteers, Andrew , Kim, Paul, Alexis, Tyler, Annette, Kevin as well as Sue from Rotary all of whom gave up their time to help the P&C raise some funds.

Next Meeting

Our P&C meetings are held at 6pm on the third Tuesday of each month in the main common room in the administration block. Please note that the first P&C meeting next year will be held on Tuesday 20th February, 2018.

On behalf of the P&C Executive we wish all members, teachers and students of the school community a happy and safe festive season. See you all in 2018.

Kind Regards
Kevin Thomas
P&C President

Building Fund

The P&C has established a building fund, allowing members of the school community and general public to donate money to be used for the procurement, construction and maintenance of buildings at Shailer Park State High School. The fund is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) meaning that any donations over $2.00 are tax deductible.

The initial purpose of the fund is to raise money towards fitting air-conditioning to all class rooms in the school. The P&C has already been successful in air-conditioning the main rehearsal area in the Performing Arts complex (P-Block), thanks to the fund raising efforts of the Music Support Group and grant monies provided by the federal government. Now we would like to roll this out across the whole school.

Keeping in mind that this can markedly increase the electricity consumption, and hence cost to the school, the P&C is also investigating ways to reduce the future impact on school budget such as insulation, building design and the installation of solar panels.

Donations held in the Building Fund can also go towards school improvements such as painting and other maintenance of buildings, or new construction as required by the school. The P&C maintains a close relationship with the school executive and will work with them to improve the experience of all students, teachers and staff at Shailer Park State High School.

For more information, or to discuss a donation, please contact the P&C Treasurer Andrew Huggins via email at pandc@shaiparkshs.eq.edu.au.

Andrew Huggins
P&C Treasurer

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