15 May 2023

Newsletter Articles

A message from our Principal

Crossing the line of opportunity is not a one-off affair. The line does not simply disappear once an achievement has been made, like graduation or the completion of a Certificate. Each and every day carries with it a new chance at bringing Big Plans and Bold Ambitions to life.

As such, it is with great delight and more than a little sadness that I announce I have accepted an opportunity at Education House (the Department of Education’s Central Office), commencing May 1st until the end of 2023. I am looking forward to the prospect of working at a state-wide level and know that this learning experience will support both my own and others’ school leadership in the future.

The last five and a half years at Shailer Park SHS have been incredible; I have genuinely and thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this wonderful community. I am proud that Shailer Park SHS is recognised as a high performing campus with Big Plans and Bold Ambitions which support our graduates to be equipped with the skills and dispositions to embrace the future. Being a principal is an incredible privilege and I treasure the time I have had in getting to know students, parents and members of our school community who are dedicated to our shared goal: developing Future Ready Learners.

I know the insights I have gleaned as a principal here will support me in leading the state-wide work I am now tasked with.

The Shailer Park SHS community has shown me great support and respect during my time, and I trust that you will continue to support the school leadership. To provide continuity of leadership, I have appointed Deputy Principal, Kerri Sheppard as Acting Principal whilst an external recruitment process is conducted. As part of the recruitment process, your P&C President will represent the community by being a member of the recruitment panel. The appointed principal will be announced as soon as possible and will continue until end of 2023. In the interim, I am confident that the strong foundations and direction of our school will continue and that you can expect the same support and service you have always received.

Last week we facilitated our Anzac Day ceremony and were privileged to have veteran Stan Pauley joined us to share his compelling story.

He spoke of setting our sights on those Big Plans and Bold Ambitions and putting in our best effort each and every day to show daily appreciation and respect for the freedom we enjoy.

I may no longer be on campus, but that line of opportunity will always be there for every single member of the Shailer Park SHS community, and Term 2 is no different! We encourage you all to continue to take advantage of opportunities, and partner with us to enhance your child’s wellbeing and learning.

The Shailer Park SHS community is strong, and I know you will continue to strive for and achieve those Big Plans and Bold Ambitions.

Calendar

Please access our school calendar for upcoming events and CAST activities.

A message from our Junior Schooling Deputy Principal

I have recently read some interesting research about Generation Alpha, the first generation fully born in the 21st century. This research discusses how the technology and the context in which Generation Alpha is growing up may be shaping them differently from previous generations.

This research predicts that Generation Alpha will work in more jobs than other generations. They will have more careers and move through more education. They will need to be lifelong learners.

It is pleasing to see how neatly these skills and competencies are encapsulated within the 4Rs – Relational, Reflective, Resourceful and Resilient – of Shailer Park SHS. Our deliberate focus on wellbeing, positive relationships and building connections within our school community will also support all students to grow these transferable competencies at a critically important time.

Tracking Student Progress

As we start another busy school term, there are many important events we have planned. The first of these events was our Parent-Teacher Connect Evening This was a wonderful opportunity for all parents/carers to meet with their child’s classroom teachers to review and discuss their most recent report cards – Term 1 Progress Reports. It was lovely to see so many families at this event.

Over the next few weeks, all Year 7, 8 & 9 students will be given a copy of their latest TrackEd Profile with Term 1 results during a LIFT or UPLIFT lesson. These TrackEd Profiles are a very useful reflection tool each student can use to review their current progress and to identify their next goals. Our teachers will teach students how to read the different sets of data in these TrackEd Profiles and provide examples of student-focussed goals that they can use. This process is a particularly important opportunity for students to become reflective learners.

Year 7 Camp – Week 8 Term 2

We are very excited to provide all Year 7 students a 3-day experience called the 2023 Year 7 Camp program. This 2023 Year 7 Camp program is designed to build personal confidence and team building, ignite creativity, engage problem-solving strategies, stimulate a sense of adventure, encourage social interaction and to promote independence.

2024 ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN!

Enrolment Packs for 2024 are now available from our Administration Building and our school website .

Inside these Enrolment Packs you will find details regarding the overall enrolment process and specific information about the trial process for our academy programs.

I have recently visited all Year 6 classrooms of our main feeder schools – Shailer Park SS, Kimberley Park SS, Loganholme SS and Carbrook SS - to discuss what they might expect as they move into high school. I always enjoy these classroom visits because the Year 6 students have so many questions and it is a treat to visit their vibrant classrooms. At the end of these visits, interested Year 6 students are given an Enrolment Pack for parents to complete. Please keep an eye out for this Enrolment Pack if your child currently attends one of these primary schools. Thank you to the many families who have already done so.

I wish all of our Year 7, 8 & 9 students all the best for another busy school term ahead of us. Please contact me at your convenience if you have any specific questions or concerns.

With kind regards,

Messages from our Student Services Team

House Report

Our house competition has continued strongly throughout the term. Term 1 ended with our wonderful cross country and colour run. Much fun was had by all with lots of stained blonde hair! In another close one, Francis took home the points for the win.

During Term 1, our Friday Inter House competition was 3 on 3 basketball. What a turnout we got each week! Not only did we have lots of students across all year levels competing and having a go, we also had huge numbers of students involved as spectators. Francis picked up the points for the most participants while Bilin Bilin were awarded the points for the most wins across the term.

Now that it is not so hot, our Term 2 challenge is handball. The numbers are growing each week, but I must report that the fiercest competition seems to be the staff court! It is great to see so many staff joining in and having some fun.

For something a little different every fortnight, the staff come to school on a nominated day dressed in a particular theme. Students can also earn points for their house by filling in a slip with what they believe the theme to be. Competition between the houses for this one has been very close.

Student Leadership

Changes to Student Leadership Structure in 2023/2024

As a student leadership team, our shared vision is to be a voice of the student body to promote positive change, to help students and members of the wider community have big plans and bold ambitions.

Starting from this year, we have shifted the goalposts for our student leadership cycle that will follow a year on leadership commencing at the start of Term 3, 2023 and all the way through until the start of Term 3 2024. The reason behind that change in the cycle, is to reduce the stress and pressures involved with Year 12’s in school captaincy positions and the time of year that they graduate and go into block exams. We know this is a change and more information will follow over the next few weeks to clarify the process. For the current Year 12 School Captains and House Captains, there will be a shadowing opportunity for the new leaders in Term 3. Year Level Representatives and Academy Ambassadors will continue in their roles with opportunities to nominate in the future. While this will be a shift to what are currently familiar with, we have carefully considered this change with the best interests of our school community at heart.

UPP Year 11 Incursion

To prepare for 2024 as a Year 12 student, Unleashing Personal Potential (UPP) held an incursion. The aim of this day is to Empower senior students to be positive leaders and develop the independence to apply to future leadership positions at our school.

Throughout this experience, students realise that they have a unique opportunity to create an inspiring legacy during their senior years. Each student was challenged to make an important contribution to the leadership of the school and recognise that by working together they can unlock their maximum potential! Students had the opportunity to acknowledge the strengths in one another, giving them the confidence to strive for excellence in everything that they do.

Some key takeaways from the program include:

• Empower students with the understanding that leadership is not defined by a badge, but by the actions that create their legacy.
• Motivate students to want to contribute to the leadership of their school.
• Encourage students to explore their passions and strengths and use them to influence others.
• Develop a strong sense of unity between students and explore the theme ‘together has power’.
• Discuss and affirm their strengths, whilst recognising areas of improvement that will unlock their potential as individuals and as a year group.

ANZAC Day Ceremony

Gathering as a community, and united in our remembrance, staff and students commemorated the men and women who have served our nation – observing and upholding ANZAC Day in morning service on the grounds of our school.

Thank you to our Capriccio Strings, Wind Ensemble and choir.

Also, Springwood Tri Service Returned Services League (RSL) Subbranch, whose member Mr Stan Pauley was present with us as well as Member of Parliament, the honourable Mick de Brenni and Logan City Councillor, Miriam Stemp.

Also thanks to members of our student body, Australian Army Cadets, who led us in the ceremony.

Messages from our Academy Programs

Nexus Academic Academy

STEAM into STEM

In Week 9 of last term, some of our Academic Academy students got to reap the rewards from our team winning the Judge’s Award at last year’s STEAM into STEM competition. The team won a workshop with PowerWells, a company who focuses on providing alternative energy resources for remote communities using recycled materials.

Their mission is to repurpose lithium-ion batteries to give them a second life - providing energy to people without power and diverting toxic waste from landfill.

Students from our Year 9 Academic Academy classes, along with some past NEXUS students who also represented Shailer Park High in the competition, were able to construct 18 Power Wells. These are new prototypes of their devices which are made from recycled items such as lithium battery cells and discarded computer and television screens. The completed products even included our school logo.

Brad from PowerWells has confirmed that “We've been able to install 2 of the PowerWells, one into the Community Centre in the Village and the other in a Medical Centre. We also donated a PowerWell system to Don Bosco in Sumba which is a training School, teaching young people about Renewable Energy. We have left a few more of the LCC PowerWells with our partner organisation Sumba Sustainable Solutions, who will install them in the coming weeks.”

This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to help others while still learning new skills and being exposed to real world solutions.

Rockets with the UQ Aerospace Team

Our Year 8 and 9 NEXUS students got the opportunity to finally launch their rockets with the UQ Aerospace Team at the end of last term.

The students constructed the rockets during previous workshops, however due to technical issues they were unable to launch them last year. The Aerospace team rectified the issue and returned with even bigger and better motors that saw the rockets reach great heights. We look forward to working with the team again in a new workshop with our Year 7 NEXUS students later this year.

Ignite Dance Academy

International Dance Day

In celebration of International Dance Day, we wish to place a ‘spotlight’ on the talented students involved in both Dance Curriculum classes and the Ignite Dance Academy.

As a movement-based artform, we acknowledge dance to be a powerful form of expression, a fun fitness outlet and a creative way for students to learn highly transferable skills.

In our Dance Curriculum classes, students are required to embody the roles of performers, choreographers and audiences, when exploring a diverse range of dance genres. Currently, the Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Dance students are in the process of choreographing their own dances in small groups. This type of task requires students to not only use their acquired technical and expressive dance skills but to also negotiate, problem-solve, communicate, and lead their groups through their independent creative solutions. As you can see in these pictures, the students are off to a great start.

Simultaneously, our Ignite Dance Academy are currently engaging in weekly rehearsals to prepare for multiple performance opportunities and Eisteddfods coming up.

The talented students involved in the Ignite Dance Academy have, once again, commenced their weekly rehearsals and have been working hard to prepare for multiple performance opportunities and Eisteddfods coming up. In Week 1 and 2 of this term, the students collaborated with ex-Broadway performer and choreographer, Leigh-Anne Vizer, to learn a ‘Newsies’ inspired Glee routine. This piece aims to portray the incredible power of teamwork; a key skill that the Ignite Dance Academy members have truly been prioritising this year. We wish to thank Leigh-Anne, from Phluxus2 Dance Collective, https://phluxus2.com/ for her energetic and outstanding choreography that is sure going to leave the audience in awe.

Furthermore, Luca and Ava (two Year 11 Academy members) have spent lunchtimes choreographing and teaching a highly energetic High School Musical inspired dance, which will be competed in the ‘Student Choreography’ sections at multiple eisteddfods. We are looking forward to sharing more about the Ignite Dance Academy in the coming weeks.

In addition to learning more choreography for Eisteddfods, the Ignite Dance Academy students are also preparing to perform their routines for prospective Dance students, from Shailer Park State Primary School, and for their family, friends and teachers at their Pre-Eisteddfod Showcase (see details below).

Messages from Creative Industries

Film, Television and New Media

Earlier this term several of our Year 12, 11 and 10 Film, Television and New Media students were fortunate to attend the Future Filmmakers Conference as part of the Gold Coast Film Festival at Bond University. Students were able to hear from several industry professionals including

• Lincoln Lewis - Festival Ambassador and Actor
• Tfer Newsome - Sound Editor/Re-Recording Mixer - Queensland Screen Sound Guild representative
• Carolina Haggstrom - Script Supervisor/Continuity who has worked on feature films including Thor: Ragnorak and Aquaman
• Jason Baird - Make-Up and Special Effects prosthetics who was recently nominated for an Oscar for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling for feature film Elvis
• Victoria Hetherington – Department Production Manager at Weta FX in New Zealand.

These professionals kindly shared stories of their own career pathways as well as insight into real world aspects of the industry, inspiring our students to consider careers in the currently booming screen industry in Queensland. Students were also able to tour the Bond University film and television studios and explore their facilities including edit suites, sound recording booths and their live broadcast television studio.

Year 9 Media Arts

9 Media Arts students spent their first term learning all about photography; types of photographs, shot sizes, camera angles, and elements of composition. After completing their assessment, which involved taking editorial photographs for magazines, a bit of fun was had with an extension activity where students took some figurines ‘out in the wild’ to explore their surroundings.

Using skills they learned during the term students were able to take some interesting shots with a range of perspectives. Some clever students even forming short photo stories with their figures. It is amazing what creative minds can come up with!

Instrumental Music

On Monday and Tuesday in week 5 we welcome music students from our local primary schools to Shailer Park SHS for the day. These workshops will end with a concert combining our primary school students and high school musicians.

We are so excited to hear the students working together!

The band concert is on Monday 15th of May and the strings concert is on Tuesday the 16th of May, both starting at 3:30pm.

A massive thanks in advance to our instrumental music team Erin, Diane, Luke, Jeff and Bec, for making these huge events happen.

Laura Huxter
Head of Creative Industries.

Messages from Sports and CAST

District Cross Country Representatives

Volleyball

Last term our Grade 8 Volleyball Girls won Gold at the Rivers Gala Championship. This team went on to represent the Pacific District, and play-off against the winner of the Logan District – Woodridge SHS.

They will now go on to the final round where all successful schools in Metropolitan will compete at Nissan Arena in a few weeks time!

CAST

A message from the Business Manager

STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME (SRS) FEES AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR LEVIES

2023

The 2023 School Resource Scheme (SRS) fees include a:

• Junior SRS fee (Years 7-9) of $320 per year.
• Senior SRS fee (Years 10-12) of $360 per year.
• The Senior fee includes either the ATAR pathway or VET Career Ready Programs.
• For students to remain in VET programs, fees must be fully paid, or a payment plan established and maintained.
• The fees provide value to students as the school can source economic pricing for textbooks and consumable resourcing.
• Further information on the SRS inclusions and exclusions can be found on the school website using the link above.

Invoices for the Student Resource Scheme fee and Academy levies have been issued and credits applied. The updated amount owing can be found on the statement issued recently. The link on the invoice will be required to process a BPOINT payment pre-populated with payment information.

PAYMENTS DUE:

Thank you to the families who have finalised their 2023 accounts.

Payment plans are available for those who prefer to make instalment payments. Please email finance@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au to organise a BPOINT plan activation link. One invoice only for the full amount per student per activity will be raised.

BPOINT PAYMENTS

Please note – payments can be made in full or by instalment. Please do not pay more than the invoiced amount. If you are making instalments and wish to check your remaining balance, please email finance@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au or phone the Office on 3451 2777.

For manually processed BPOINT payments, please ensure:

• The 5-digit invoice number is inserted when making BPOINT payments via the statement to avoid processing delays so that funds are correctly applied to your student’s invoice.
• The exact outstanding amount is paid. To avoid overpaying your account, please check the updated balances on statements for the correct amount owing. For a statement re-print, please email finance@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au .

For regular payment plans, please ensure:

• New card details are provided to the office if credit/debit cards are replaced.
• Contact is made with the office following a rejected payment due to funds not being available.

CANTEEN

The Canteen is open each day from Monday to Friday at first break only. Students can check our Daily Specials on the Television screens around the school.

A vending machine with drinks and healthy snacks is also available for contactless EFTPOS and pre-paid debit card purchases only.

Students can now add credit to their ID Cards for Canteen purchases. The following payment methods are available for Canteen purchases:

• EFTPOS
• Pre-paid debit cards (purchased from supermarkets and department stores)
• Qkr app (24/7) for pre-paid orders
• ID Cards – refer to the My Student Account instructions below (Canteen only)

The Canteen will be closed on the following dates at the end of each term:

• Term 2 – Friday 23 June
• Term 3 – Friday 15 September

Messages from our Parents and Citizens

The Mother’s Day Raffle was drawn on 10th May. Over $6000 prize pool thanks to our local sponsors.

Congratulations to our winners and Happy Mother’s Day to all.

Free uniform items are available from the P&C room Monday mornings from 8am. Limited range and sizes available.

C10628129 is our Containers for Change id – be sure to use this when cashing in.

Remember to link your Ritchies IGA and The School Locker loyalty cards to SPSHS for community givebacks. Advise The School Locker staff at checkout to link the purchase to SPSHS to ensure all your purchases, including non-uniform items, kickback profits.

Qkr! is the platform used by the P&C and canteen for purchases. Sign up today/

Join us for our next virtual General Meeting: Tuesday 23rd May 6pm
Everyone Welcome!

We run virtual meetings, usually only 30min, to minimise the impact on our busy families. The link is emailed to all members and pending members prior to each meeting.

New memberships are always welcome. We also have openings in our executive. Join us to hear more, say more and do more about student life. Membership forms and the P&C Executive Officer Nomination Form can be found here:

Natasha McVeigh
P&C President

Announcements

Facebook

Please follow us on Facebook to keep up with student successes and reminders.

Partnering with us

Shailer Park State High School values partnering with our community to ‘Lift Aspirations through Big Plans and Bold Ambitions for a Bright Future.’ Collaborating with parents and families of students is essential in strengthening educational outcomes. We respect that parents and families have diverse needs and therefore engagement with families is based on individual circumstances.

Please access our Partnership document on our website for detailed information

If your enquiry relates to the classroom, your first point of call should always be the classroom teacher. You can contact them via email

If your enquiry relates to the playground or is in relation to a pattern across several classes or it is an inquiry relating to behaviour, attendance, uniform or your child’s well-being, your first point of call should always be the Head of House or Case Manager.

If the staff member is unavailable, they will contact you within a reasonable and appropriate time frame (2 business days).

Contact details

There are times when we may need to contact parents and carers. Do we have your most up to date contact details? If not, please contact the school on office@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au so we can update our records. These details include parent/carer’s name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details. Please remember to contact the school if any of these details change.

Closed Circuit Television

Our premises are monitored by closed circuit television (CCTV) for the safety of students, educational resources and facilities. Images are recorded by the Department of Education and may be provided to the Queensland Police Service.

Student Absences

Keeping our students safe is our priority. One important way families can partner to keep our children safe is to notify the school prior to 8:50am if your child will be absent via Text– 0426 305 978 or. studentabsences@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au

These details can also be used if your student will arrive late or needs to depart early.

If your child is away from school and you have not let us know, parents will receive a text message requesting that you respond with a reason for the absence. It is extremely important that you respond to this text message promptly to enable us to follow up any issues.

The safety of students is of paramount importance to us, and we take this responsibility very seriously. If you do not respond to this text message a second text message, email or phone call will be made to you. Thank you for partnering with us so that we know our students are safe.

2023 Year 12 Next Step Survey

All our students who completed Year 12 last year will soon receive an invitation to do the Next Step survey. The short five-minute survey asks graduates about the study and work they have been doing since finishing school. The results from the survey help our school improve our senior programs and prepare students for work and further study.

We ask parents, siblings and friends to encourage our graduates to complete the survey. If their contact details have changed, please assist survey interviewers with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate. Graduates may receive an invitation by mail, email or phone. The survey can be completed online or by phone.

For more information about Next Step, including previous results, visit the link below:

TEEProject Survey

Researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the University of Queensland, are running a survey to understand how teens (12-25 years) feel about environmental issues. One in every 10 young people who take the survey will be randomly chosen to win a $50 gift card. Parental consent is required for young people aged 12-15 years.

Visit the website to learn more:

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