3 February 2017 Volume 18 Number 1

Date Claimers

Friday 3 Feb - Years 7-9 School Photographs Day 1 of 2
Monday 6 Feb – Wednesday 8 Feb - Year 7 Camp
Tuesday 7 Feb – Year 10-12 School Photographs Day 2 of 2
Monday 13 Feb – Student Investiture Ceremony 12.10pm
Tuesday 14 Feb – Parent Tour 9-10.30am
Wednesday 15 Feb – P&C Meeting – Resource Centre 7pm
Thursday 16 Feb – Parent Tour 9-10.30am
Monday 20 Feb – Year 10 to 11 Transition talks to students
Tuesday 28 Feb – Parent Tour 9-10.30am
Tuesday 28 Feb – Years 10 to 11 Transition talks to parents CPAC 6pm
Thursday 2 Mar – Parent Tour 9-10.30am
Thursday 2Mar – Friday 3 Mar – Year 11 Geography Camp

News from the Principal

Welcome to the Centenary SHS 2017 school year. I trust that all members of our community have enjoyed a great holiday and are looking forward to a successful school year at Centenary. A key theme of my first day speech to students was that of the value of engaging in the full life of the school … students who avail themselves to co curricula opportunities generally connect strongly to the school and experience academic success.

It is critical that students establish good work routines from Day 1. Such routines if adhered to will reduce stress and workload later in the term.

Given the new year is a time of forward thinking and goal setting, it is timely to revisit our school’s vision of Quality Learning Quality Futures. Centenary SHS has a clear focus on learning and it is this focus that will provide our students with limitless opportunities in the future. This vision is supported through the daily enactment of our values:

Respect and Integrity
Aspiration and Achievement
Resilience and Commitment
Innovation and Creativity
Collaboration and Community

We are committed to fostering a rich school experience for our students. Although outstanding academic outcomes are at the core of our business at Centenary we are focused on providing a holistic education providing quality opportunities for students across a range of spheres and a supportive and safe learning environment in which students learn to interact positively with each other, problem solve and develop skills for life.

I take this opportunity to extend a special welcome to our new parents and caregivers and encourage you to be actively involved in your child’s secondary education. Centenary SHS was opened as a result of a sustained community voice … it is important that this voice remains strong within the school. I believe wholeheartedly that strong community involvement is a key determinant to successful schooling. Please regularly view the school’s website and Facebook site as an active member of our community.

New Staff

I take this opportunity to welcome the following staff to our school:

2016 Year 12 Outcomes

Our Year 12 performed strongly in their school exit outcomes… a testament to both quality teaching and student effort. Highlights include

• 79% of students achieving an OP of 1-15
• 49.5% of students achieving an OP of 1-10
• Three OP 1 students [Alex Gu, Zoya Sarapa, Jade Wilson]
• 100% of students achieving the QCE upon school exit

CLASS and Timetable Changes

Whilst we attempt to minimise class and timetable changes for students it is inevitable that they will occur. A number of variables inform these changes including enrolment growth and the need to create equitable class sizes within the current industrial framework as well as staff absence and the availability of specialist replacements. The current school timetable is in draft mode pending the Day 8 Return which will determine school resourcing including teacher allocation. We will endeavour to minimise the changes to timetables at this juncture.

Volunteer Support

Canteen volunteering and P and C involvement are both pragmatic ways in which to support Centenary SHS. I urge parents and caregivers to give of their time where possible.

My thanks to the parents who supported both the uniform sales and canteen over the last few weeks.

Best wishes for the 2017 Centenary School Year

John Brew, Principal
Email: admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au

To read newsletter in full view, please click on the “Newsletter Print Version” button on the top left-hand corner of the screen.

Newsletter Articles

News from the Deputy Principals

Behaviour Management

At Centenary SHS we have 3 global expectations with regard to behaviour. We expect students to:

Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be A Learner

Our whole school behaviour management practices are aligned to these three expectations. Students will notice that teachers will constantly refer to these expectations, known as the three B’s, when addressing any behaviour concerns.

Being respectful is about treating others in the same way as you would like to be treated. Respect is quite often received if it is given, so it always pays to be respectful to others. Having respect for teachers and your environment is important for learning.

A responsible student is a student who takes responsibility for their learning in class. We understand that teachers have a very big influence on the learning outcomes of students but at the end of the day, students need to take responsibility for their learning. This relates directly to being prepared for every class, keeping up to date with assessment, putting in the effort with study and generally being well organised in class.

Being a ‘Learner’ ensures that students are focussed on the core business of learning while at school. We understand that school life can sometimes involve distractions but students need to be aware that their primary focus, while at school, is about learning and doing the best that they can with their school work.

Good behaviour basically comes down to common sense, having the fortitude to do what is right and having the ability to follow directions and instructions.

In alignment with our school behaviour management processes we also have a Reward System which acknowledges those students who consistently behave well at school (and this is definitely the majority of students at Centenary). Students who demonstrate our school values and expectations are acknowledged with a merit point by their teachers. These merit points are recorded on our school data base and are collated as HG totals. At the end of each term the HG class in each year level which has the highest number of merit points is awarded a suitable group prize.

Year 7 – School Immunisation program

In 2017, the Brisbane City Council is providing free vaccinations for all Year 7 students, on March 2, June 8 and November 15 as part of Queensland Health’s annual School Immunisation Program. All Year 7 students are being offered free vaccinations as recommended on the National Immunisation Program to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV) and diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough).

Only students with a signed and completed consent card, indicating ‘Yes to Vaccination’ will be vaccinated. If you would like your child to be vaccinated, please fill in the consent card and return it to the school within one week. If you do not wish your child to be vaccinated, or your child has already been vaccinated with the offered vaccines, please complete the ‘No to Vaccination’ section on the consent card and return the consent card to the school within one week.

New laws require the school principal to disclose student and parent information for eligible Year 7 students to the school immunisation provider if requested. This information will enable the school immunisation provider to determine those who have and have not consented, and directly follow up with parents of students who have not returned a consent card. This direct follow-up ensures all parents are offered the opportunity for their child to participate in this important school health program. It may also assist you in making decisions about your child’s immunisation needs. Parents who have indicated ‘No to Vaccination’ will not be followed up by the provider.

School immunisation providers will be bound to comply with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). This Act stipulates the requirements for the secure collection, use, storage and disposal of personal information to be followed by school health program providers.

The vaccinations will be conducted by a team of authorised registered nurses and/or a medical practitioner. A consent pack will be given to your child to bring home. Please read the information booklet carefully, sign the consent card and return the consent card to the school no later than Wednesday 8th February.

Parents are encouraged to ensure their children have breakfast on the morning of vaccination.

For more information about diseases, vaccines or School Immunisation Program, visit

Or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

School Photographs

On Friday 3 February, Year 7, 8 & 9 students will have their school photographs taken for 2017. The second round of photographs for Year 10, 11 & 12 will take place on Tuesday 7 February. All students must have their photographs taken, as the image is used for their student ID card. Parents also have the option to purchase photography packs. Students will have received their order forms during Home Group classes in week 1.

Students are expected to be dressed in full school formal uniform. Please refer to the student diary for a copy of the dress code expectations.

Please note that students are to return order forms with payment directly to the photography company staff at the time their school photograph is taken. No forms or payments are to be directed to the office staff.

Students will be identified in most cases by their legal name as entered in the Department’s OneSchool system at time of enrolment. Families are invited to make any specific requests regarding the use of preferred names for their school photograph and ID card to Deputy Principal, Mrs Kelsey Oakes (koake10@eq.edu.au).

A message from the Year 9 Deputy Principal

It is a great pleasure to be working at Centenary State High School is 2017. I would like to extend my many thanks to the staff, students and parents for your warm welcome to the school. I look forward to meeting many more of you over the coming weeks.

Already I have enjoyed visiting some classrooms and chatting with students in the playground. I have been extremely impressed with the lovely manners of the students I have encountered and the enthusiastic nature of the students I have observed in class. I was particularly impressed with the attitude and effort of the Year 7, 8 and 9 students during the House war cry and tug of war battles during week 1. Well done teams.

In 2017 I will be working specifically with the Year 9 cohort. I invite parents to contact me if you ever wish to discuss any matters regarding your Year 9 student. I look forward to getting to know the Year 9 cohort and collaborating with staff and parents to support these students to have a fantastic final year of Junior Secondary.

WEP Student Exchange Programs

Here, at WEP Australia, our new year’s resolution is to inspire Australia’s iGeneration to open their minds to the world beyond our borders.

World Education Program (WEP) Australia, is a non-for-profit student exchange organisation. With us, high schoolers can live the life of an Italian teenager, improve their French, discover small-town USA and learn and discover the world with short term, semester and year student exchange programs to 25 countries.

Applications Now Open

Applications are now open for programs departing in August. Many of our August exchanges will have students returning home in January 2018, ready to start the new school year.

What will your 2017 memories be? With a WEP student exchange they could include visiting NYC, Paris or Rome. Request an info pack at:

Information Sessions Near You

In 2017 WEP will be holding information session/s near your school. These sessions are the perfect starting point on every students exchange journey.

Your nearest session is at: Fulton Trotter Lounge, 129 Leichardt St, Spring Hill 22 February - 7pm

Scholarships and Specials

We are now accepting applications for our ‘Lets Get Thinking Scholarship’. 2016 was a big year for this planet of ours, so this year we’re asking students to get their thinking caps on and create an out-of-the-box video exploring their place in the world.

Applications close at midnight on March 27.

Sallyann Griffith, Deputy Principal (Years 7, 8 & International & Exchange)
Email: sgrif88@eq.edu.au

Administration of Medication

If your child requires staff to administer medication at school, please contact the school office in the first instance to discuss your child’s requirements. Please note, school staff will only administer medication that has been prescribed by a qualified health practitioner (eg, doctor or dentist), is in its original container and has an attached pharmacy label.

Communication with the School

• notify the school if the student requires medication during school or school-based activities (including camps and excursions) by completing the Administration of medication record sheet (routine/short-term medication)

• notify the school in writing of any requests and/or guidelines provided by the students' prescribing health practitioner concerning medication administration
• consult with the school to develop an Emergency Health Plan if emergency medication is required for the student
• notify the school in writing (with an accompanying letter from the prescribing health practitioner) when changes occur to the students' routine or emergency medication
• notify the school in advance (in writing) if medication is being transported with the student for purposes other than administration at school (respite, shared parental arrangements)
• advise school in writing and collect medication when it is no longer required at school.

Communication with Health Practitioners and Pharmacists

• where possible ask the prescribing health practitioner if the required medication is available in a form which minimises or eliminates the need to administer medication at school
• discuss the option with the dispensing pharmacist to supply the medication in a multi-dose pack with clear administration directions (particularly when multiple medications are prescribed)
• obtain written advice from the prescribing health practitioner if the dose is to be varied in response to specific criteria (e.g. blood glucose level, behaviour).

Supplying Medication and Written Advice

• provide the medication in person or via a delegated adult in a safe manner to the school and in the original container (rather than send medication with the student if possible) with the medical authority attached
• provide an Action Plan for Anaphylaxis or Asthma completed by the student’s medical practitioner when medication is prescribed to manage emergency health conditions/situations for these health conditions
• ensure the medication supply has not expired and is adequate for the agreed time period, and replenished as required (school may notify).

Charmaine Macaulay
Email: cmaca5@eq.edu.au

News from our CATSIES Coordinator

Centenary SHS would like to publicly acknowledge that three of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have been successful in receiving QATSIF scholarships for 2017 and 2018: two students going into year 11 and one student going into year 12. Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF) provides scholarships to students who meet the eligibility criteria to support their attainment of a QCE. Congratulations to our students.

Angela Duncombe, CATSIES Coordinator
Email: adunc62@eq.edu.au

News from the Guidance Officers

From the Guidance Officers

Hello! Our names are Janet Ingram and Juanita Oberle, and we are the new faces of guidance at Centenary State High School. We feel extremely privileged to be here to support your students, and hope to form strong, productive relationships with many of you throughout 2017. Janet will service the Year 7, 8, and 9 cohorts, and Juanita will work with the Year 10, 11, and 12 students.

Guidance Officers are experienced teachers who have unique expertise to work in schools and help all students in the areas of academic achievement, social, personal and career development. We can be contacted through the school office.

In future we will write separate contributions with year level specific information, but for this edition please take the time to read and consider this reminder about the importance of self-care. Good self-care practices introduced at the beginning of the year put you in a good position to combat the stress of assessment when it hits.

The Importance of Self-Care

Looking after yourself, or self-care, is important in helping you stay at the top of your physical, emotional and mental and wellbeing. “Self-care” refers to our ability as human beings to function effectively in the world while meeting the multiple challenges of daily life with a sense of energy, vitality, and confidence. Self-care is initiated and maintained by us as individuals, it requires our active engagement. Self-care helps keep you healthy (or manage existing conditions) and recharges you after a period of stress.

Myths about Self-Care

Self-care is not an “emergency response plan” to be activated when stress becomes overwhelming. Instead, healthy self-care is an intentional way of living by which our values, attitudes, and actions are integrated into our day-to-day routines. The need for “emergency care” should be an exception to usual practice.

Self-care is not about acting selfishly. Instead, healthy self-care is about taking care of the personal resources we have got, so that we can continue using them into the future. It is unrealistic to expect to be able to effectively take care of others and do good in the world if we ourselves are depleted and worn out.

Self-care is not about doing more, or adding more tasks to an already overflowing “to do” list. Instead, healthy self-care is as much about “letting go” as it is about taking action. It has to do with taking time to be a human being. It is about letting go of meaningless activities, unhealthy behaviours, and detrimental attitudes such as worry, guilt, and being judgmental.

Why is Self-Care Important?

There are a lot of reasons why self-care is important, but here are a few main reasons:

It keeps you healthy. Self-care does help you stay healthy! Physical stuff like exercise can be a great form of self-care for different reasons. It keeps you strong, burns off nervous energy or just gives you some time to forget your responsibilities or things that stress you out. Self-care doesn’t have to just be physical either, taking time out of your day to do something you enjoy like game or read a book is also a great way to distract your mind and body from things that could be stressing you out.

It helps you ‘recharge’. Some people use self-care as a way to unwind and de-stress after a long day or week. Taking a bubble bath, meditating or even taking a nap can help people catch up on rest and ‘un-plug’ themselves from the outside world for a little while.

It can help you manage health issues. Self-care is sometimes a way of coping with physical or mental health issues. People with mental health issues will use self-care strategies to cope with symptoms that can be overwhelming, and to make sure that they can live their lives as fully as possible.

How Do I Practice Self-Care?

Because self-care is something that should be practiced routinely, it can take a bit of getting used to. Below are a few tips on how to incorporate self-care into your life.

Make time for it. Set aside some time to practice self-care. You might want to set aside a few minutes or hours each day to do something which makes you feel good and relaxed. You might also think about practicing self-care on the weekends or your days off – that way you have all day to practice!

Don’t double-book. If a friend wants you to see them or do something for them during your self-care time, tell them that you are busy, because you are busy looking after yourself!

Learn to switch off. This can be hard, especially if you are used to thinking about your school problems at home, but self-care is the time where you focus only on you! If it’s hard for you, try doing something which diverts your attention, like solving a puzzle or reading a book.

Learn some quick fixes. If you are absolutely frazzled and short on time, learn some strategies which can be done in a few minutes. Breathing exercises and stretching are great as they can be done in a few minutes, practically anywhere!

What Can I Do Now?

Watch this cute clip on the importance of ‘me time’ during exams.

Assess your own self-care. This checklist is designed to start you thinking about what you do to take care of yourself (note that not every strategy will be relevant to every person). It may also give you some ideas about additional strategies to try:

Find some new ways to relax. ReachOut has some great ideas and links to resources for breathing and mindfulness:

News from the Chaplain

Welcome back to Centenary in 2017.

The Chappy’s brekkie club will be running every Wednesday for this first Term. The first Brekkie will be the 10/02/16 it will be at the canteen in front of CPAC. We will begin at 8am and finish at 9.00am. It free! So encourage your student to attend.

A message from Chappy Bernie

Friends – The people you spend most of your time with will have quite a marked effect on the way you live and act as you will find yourself adopting a lot of their habits and hobbies.

Peer pressure is often referred to as being a bad thing, but that’s not always the case.

If you choose peers whose ways are good, then they will probably influence you to behave in the right way. On the other hand if you choose friends who are constantly getting themselves in some sort of strife, then it won’t be long before you find yourself being led into doing things you don’t really want to do.

Remember, it’s your choice. Think of the characteristics that you like most in people and then look for friends who display those characteristics.

10 Tips to Build Resilience in Teens and Young Adults

By American Psychological Association

The ads make it look so easy to be a teen — everyone seems to be laughing, hanging out with friends, wearing exactly the right clothes. But if you’re a young adult, you know that life can be pretty tough sometimes. You may face problems ranging from being bullied to the death of a friend or parent. Why is it that sometimes people can go through really rough times and still bounce back? The difference is that those who bounce back are using the skills of resilience.

The good news is that resilience isn’t something you’re born with or not — the skills of resilience can be learned. Resilience — the ability to adapt well in the face of hard times; disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes or fires; tragedy; threats; or even high stress — is what makes some people seem like they’ve “got bounce” while others don’t.

What are some tips that can help you learn to be resilient? As you use these tips, keep in mind that each person’s journey along the road to resilience will be different — what works for you may not work for your friends.

1. Get Together
   Talk with your friends and, yes, even with your parents. Understand that your parents may have more life experience than you do, even if it seems they never were your age. They may be afraid for you if you’re going through really tough times and it may be harder for them to talk about it than it is for you! Don’t be afraid to express your opinion, even if your parent or friend takes the opposite view. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Get connected to your community, whether it’s as part of a church group or a high school group.
2. Cut Yourself Some Slack
   When something bad happens in your life, the stresses of whatever you’re going through may heighten daily stresses. Your emotions might already be all over the map because of hormones and physical changes; the uncertainty during a tragedy or trauma can make these shifts seem more extreme. Be prepared for this and go a little easy on yourself, and on your friends.
3. Create A Hassle-Free Zone
   Make your room or apartment a “hassle-free zone” – not that you keep everyone out, but home should be a haven free from stress and anxieties. But understand that your parents and siblings may have their own stresses if something serious has just happened in your life and may want to spend a little more time than usual with you.
4. Stick To The Program
   Spending time in high school or on a college campus means more choices; so let home be your constant. During a time of major stress, map out a routine and stick to it. You may be doing all kinds of new things, but don’t forget the routines that give you comfort, whether it’s the things you do before class, going out to lunch, or have a nightly phone call with a friend.
5. Take Care Of Yourself
   Be sure to take of yourself – physically, mentally and spiritually. And get sleep. If you don’t, you may be more grouchy and nervous at a time when you have to stay sharp. There’s a lot going on, and it’s going to be tough to face if you’re falling asleep on your feet.
6. Take Control
   Even in the midst of tragedy, you can move toward goals one small step at a time. During a really hard time, just getting out of bed and going to school may be all you can handle, but even accomplishing that can help. Bad times make us feel out of control – grab some of that control back by taking decisive action.
7. Express Yourself
   Tragedy can bring up a bunch of conflicting emotions, but sometimes, it’s just too hard to talk to someone about what you’re feeling. If talking isn’t working, do something else to capture your emotions like start a journal, or create art.
8. Help Somebody
   Nothing gets your mind off your own problems like solving someone else’s. Try volunteering in your community or at your school, cleaning-up around the house or apartment, or helping a friend with his or her homework.
9. Put Things In Perspective
   The very thing that has you stressed out may be all anyone is talking about now. But eventually, things change and bad times end. If you’re worried about whether you’ve got what it takes to get through this, think back on a time when you faced up to your fears, whether it was asking someone on a date or applying for a job. Learn some relaxation techniques, whether it’s thinking of a particular song in times of stress, or just taking a deep breath to calm down. Think about the important things that have stayed the same, even while the outside world is changing. When you talk about bad times, make sure you talk about good times as well.
10. Turn It Off
    You want to stay informed – you may even have homework that requires you to watch the news. But sometimes, the news, with its focus on the sensational, can add to the feeling that nothing is going right. Try to limit the amount of news you take in, whether it’s from television, newspapers or magazines, or the Internet. Watching a news report once informs you; watching it over and over again just adds to the stress and contributes no new knowledge.

You can learn resilience. But just because you learn resilience doesn’t mean you won’t feel stressed or anxious. You might have times when you aren’t happy – and that’s OK. Resilience is a journey, and each person will take his or her own time along the way. You may benefit from some of the resilience tips above, while some of your friends may benefit from others. The skills of resilience you learn during really bad times will be useful even after the bad times end, and they are good skills to have every day. Resilience can help you be one of the people who’ve “got bounce.”

Article courtesy of the American Psychological Association. Copyright © American Psychological Association. Reprinted here with permission.

Thanks for your support

Bernie McMullen, Chaplain
Email: bmcmu27@eq.edu.au

Sports Director Report

Welcome to a new year of sport at Centenary SHS. My name is Tamara Nasalio and I will be the Sport Director at the school this year. The following will provide some general information about the way sport operates at Centenary SHS for the benefit of new families, and also some information about upcoming events.

Sports Calendar 2017

The Sports Calendar for 2017 can be found on the school website. Carnival dates are listed as well as District and Regional Trial dates. Please download this calendar if your child is interested in trialling for sporting teams.

Sporting Pathways at Centenary SHS

There are many opportunities for students to become involved in sport here at Centenary SHS. They are:

School Carnivals - Centenary SHS runs Cross Country and Athletics carnivals annually. During these carnivals, students from all age groups can compete in their houses for points that go toward the Champion House Shield, can compete to become Age Champion and also to gain selection in the school teams to go to district carnivals. To participate in the school carnivals, students will need to act on the information provided to them by the Sports Director and HG teachers prior to each carnival. Centenary SHS has swimming trials which was held on the 31 January in order to select the district swimming team. Further information is below under “upcoming events”.

District and Regional Trials – Cluster days provide students with the opportunity to gain selection in district, regional, state, and even national teams, in a wide range of sports. The first step in this process is trials for the West Brisbane District Team. Students will be invited to attend trials after school to try and gain selection in the district team. If successful, they then go to regional trials where they trial for selection in a Met West Regional team. If selected in the Regional team they can go onto State and National Trials. All common sports are catered for in this pathway, however the age groups are (usually) Open (16 – 19 years), 13 – 15 years and the 10 – 12 years. For upcoming trial dates, students must check the sports notice board and contact the Sport Director to collect the appropriate paperwork and to be nominated for the trial.

Specific Sports Squads – Throughout the year there will be a number of sports that the school enters competitions for. These include sports such as Touch Football, Futsal, Netball, AFL, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Volleyball and Soccer. For students to get into these squads, they need to act on information given by the Sports Director and by coaches. Trials will be required for these teams. If selected in these squads, students usually compete outside of school time and there is usually a cost involved. Some of these cater for a wide range of age groups, which sometimes means we can enter teams from all age groups.

Inter-school sport

Centenary SHS will be continuing to participate in the West Brisbane District Interschool sport competition this year.

The structure consists of 6 District Sports Finals Days that will occur across terms 1, 2 and 3. Each school will send teams to compete in whole day carnivals in a range of sports, across all year levels. There will be;

• Two Yr7 and 8/9 Summer day
• Two Yr7 and 8/9 Winter day
• One Yr10 and Open Summer days, and (dependent on team entries)
• One Yr10 and Open Winter days. (dependent on team entries)

The sports we will participate in are; Touch, Volleyball, Softball, Cricket, Basketball, Netball, Soccer, Rugby League, Tennis, Baseball and AFL. Most of these sports will have both boys and girls teams at each year level of competition. Students from all year levels will have the opportunity to be part of one of these sporting teams.

The purpose of this competition is to provide quality sporting games between schools in the district. As a result all schools are making a commitment to fill as many of the sports as they can with well prepared and well-presented teams. To enhance the quality of the competition the conveners of each sport will be sourcing qualified referees and suitable first aid personnel. Some of the sports will be played at school venues whilst others will use quality community facilities (such as Tennis at the Tennis Centre).

Teams will compete for the title of District Premiers in each sport and then the premier teams will progress onto the Metropolitan Finals series against other winning schools from across Brisbane.

At Centenary we are committed to developing strong teams to compete in this new competition. Sign-ons and trials for the teams will be conducted early in term 1 and then training will commence on a weekly basis thereafter. Students who are selected into a Centenary team are expected to commit to the team and attend all training sessions. Students will be advised of the sign-ons and trials at the start of the term. If selected into a team, they will be advised of training times.

As a result of this, students at Centenary SHS will have the opportunity to become part of a sporting team that competes in a quality competition against our local schools, on a regular basis. I encourage students to embrace this exciting opportunity and to try out for a team this year.

These pathways exist in an attempt to provide a wide range of sporting options for those students interested in sport. If you would like further information about any of these, please contact me at school.

Upcoming Events

Swimming Trials - Centenary SHS Swimming trials were held on Tuesday 31 January. The trials were held solely to select a team to compete at the District Swimming Carnival and also at West Akuna.

Our aim with school swimming this year is to create a very strong school swimming team that will be competitive at the District Carnivals. To do this we intend to fill every event at the district carnivals with the required 2 Centenary swimmers. In order to determine who the 2 Centenary representatives will be in each event in each age group, we will be holding swimming ‘try outs’. We therefore encourage all serious swimmers to try out for the school swimming team.

District and Regional Swimming - Nominated students will have the opportunity to attend the District Swimming Carnival. This year the students turning 12 will attend the West Akuna Swimming Carnival (Friday 10 February) and 13years up will attend the West Brisbane Carnival (Thursday 16th February). Swimmers who are nominated for the school team to compete at the District Carnival will attempt to become the district champion school. To attend the Regional Carnival (Wednesday 22nd February) students will need to nominate and meet certain qualifying times. Nominations will need to include verifiable times from school or district carnivals, or club level. Nomination packs will be available to students closer to the date of the carnival. Please note therefore, that a placing in a race at the district carnival no longer automatically qualifies students for the Regional carnival – the only way students can attend that carnival is by following the nomination process.

Dates to know:

10th February: West Akuna Swim Carnival
16th February: West Brisbane District Swim Carnival
22nd February: Regional Swim Carnival

Please check the calendar for all trial dates.
Greater Brisbane Junior Tennis Association (GBJT)

GBJT is a parent run, volunteer community tennis club and has provided school aged children organised tennis fixtures on a Saturday afternoon for over 50 years.

‘Greater Brisbane Junior Tennis (GBJT) offers juniors up to and including year 12 tennis fixtures on a Saturday afternoon at the Queensland Tennis Centre and the University of Queensland during school terms. For more information, please visit our web site at the link below, or phone Mrs Peta Davis, Secretary on 3374 0516.’

Should you or your tennis co-ordinators have any questions we would welcome enquiries. Full details of GBJT can also be found at our web site at

Please contact me if you would like to discuss any issues in relation to sport.

Tamara Nasalio, Sports Director
Email: tnasa1@eq.edu.au

News from STEP

Welcome to 2017 STEP. STEP runs every Wednesday in lesson 4, for all students in all year levels. The purpose of STEP is to;

Provide opportunities for all students to participate in meaningful activities that provide personal enrichment through targeted curricular and extra-curricular activities to Achieve identified outcomes.

We offer a variety of targeted curricular and extra-curricular activities to our students over 3 trimesters of the school year. Yr7, 11 and 12 will participate in specific programs during trimester 1, however years 8, 9 and 10 will have the opportunity to select the activities that they want to do. They will do this through a ‘Sign on’ process at an assembly in the Sports Centre.

The STEP sign-on assembly for Yr. 8, 9 and 10 students occurs at the beginning of lesson 4, Wednesday of week 2. At that assembly students will have the opportunity to sign on to an activity. So that the students, and parents, are aware of what activities are available to sign on to, we will be emailing the student information letter to all students and parents. This letter will list all activities offered for the first trimester and will be emailed on Monday of week 2. Students will be required to access this letter from their EQ email account. If email accounts are not working this information letter is also available from the school front desk.

Once students have chosen an activity they will remain in that activity until the trimester end. The expectations on student behaviour during STEP class are the same as their academic classes. This includes good behaviour, active participation and promptness in their activities. We trust our students will enjoy the opportunity to engage with an activity for trimester 1 STEP.

Sin Woo Thoon, STEP Coordinator
Email: sthoo2@eq.edu.au

Cultural News

Welcome

Welcome back to a new school year, and a big welcome to all of our new students both in year 7 or starting in other grades. 2017 is shaping up as another exciting and productive year for the Cultural program at Centenary. At the end of last year we said goodbye to another group of senior students, who we thank for their contribution to the program and wish them all the best with their future endeavours.

New Head of Department

I would like to welcome and introduce you all to our new Head of Department Ms Angela Sleeman. Angela has vast experience as a music teacher and arts manager with Education Queensland. I am thrilled to welcome Angela into our arts at Centenary community, and know that she will be a tremendous asset to the school.

Teachers

Our instrumental and choral teaching team remains the same for 2017 with Fiona Harvey, Damon Lougheed, Madison Dedini, Matthew Hoey and Alex Van den Broek all back for another year.

Major Events

Some of the major events occurring this year include:

• Senior Instrumental Music Camp in Week 8 of Term 1
• Junior Instrumental Music Camp in Week 3 of Term 2
• Choral Fanfare
• Instrumental and Choral Music Gala on 28 May at the Ipswich Civic Centre
• Legally Blonde The Musical

Please see the complete current date claimer below.

Contact

Should you have any queries around extra-curricular arts matters, please feel free to contact me. My preferred method of contact is email (address below), or I can also be contacted by calling the main school number.

Centenary State High School Cultural Date Claimer 2017

Mark Watkins, Cultural Director
Email: mwatk16@eq.edu.au

Junior Secondary News

Welcome everybody to the 2017 school year in the Junior School! A special welcome to our new Year 7 students and parents/guardians, as well as the newly enrolled students in Years 8 and 9 and their parents/guardians! We are sure you will settle into Centenary SHS very quickly.

The majority of students got off to a very smooth start to the year thanks to the great work of the Home Group teachers and the Year Level Coordinators – Mrs Debra Mansini (Yr 9), Mr Matt Redman (Yr 8) and Mrs Abraham (Yr 7). Their extensive planning ensured the new students felt at ease and the returning students settled back into their learning environment. They also ensured that there were some fun activities during the week!

The first week of school saw a different focus for each of the different cohorts. For the Year 7s, time was spent on getting to know each other, and learning about life at High School. Our Year 8 students spent time getting to know their new HG teacher and class as well as their new curriculum teachers. For the Year 9s, the focus was on reflecting on 2016 and setting goals for 2017.

Thank you for the great start you have provided for your child for the school year – particularly around uniform. Centenary SHS is a 100% full school uniform school. The students looked great in their formal uniforms (and sports when required) throughout the first week. It was pleasing to see that there were very few uniform detentions issued. Most of the detentions were issued around shoes, socks and jewellery. If you need any clarification around uniform, please refer to the Junior Student Diary (p124). Any student who is unable to comply with the school’s uniform code at any time must report to a Deputy Principal before school with a note from home explaining why. They will then be issued with a uniform pass for the day.

At Centenary we highly value communication between school and home. Your child’s teachers should make contact with you (if not already, then) in the next week. I strongly encourage you to keep this channel of communication open and correspond with the teachers, particularly the HG teacher who plays an important role in supporting your student. It is always better to make contact sooner rather than later regarding any issues with your child’s well-being or learning. The earlier we are aware of an issue, the quicker we can work with you to ensure the best for your child.

The highlight of Week 1 for many was definitely Wednesday Lesson 4 when an Inter-House Competition was held for the entire Junior School. With approximately 250 students per cohort, the Sports Centre was filled with a lot of noise, excitement and House spirit! It was wonderful to see the students from across the Junior School come together in their Houses and vie against one another in tug-o-war and war-cry competitions. The Junior School Captains, Amy Lightbody, Dru Callaghan, Imogen Crawley and Samuel Berkeley displayed true leadership skills as they encouraged the junior students in inter-house rivalry. The photos below show the fierce determination by some students in these competitions! A special thanks to the Year Level Coordinators who planned this fun activity, particularly Mr Redman who emceed and facilitated all of the activities with the assistance of the Junior School Captains.

If Week 1 is any indication, 2017 is shaping up to be an awesome year in the Junior School!

Angela McKay, Junior Secondary
Email: amcka18@eq.edu.au

News from the Student Leadership Coordinator

My name is Claire Tuton and I am Centenary’s Student Leadership Coordinator for 2017. This is a new role for the school and I am excited to work with the Student Leadership team, in conjunction with support staff, administration and Year Level Coordinators, in coordinating Leadership initiatives this year.

Each term, we will lead at least one major project, as well as other smaller projects that align with the Wheel of Wellbeing structure. Throughout these projects, I will take on a supportive role and I will guide the leadership team through the process of carrying out each project.

I am extremely excited to work with this group of remarkable young adults, as well as the Year Level Coordinators, Support Staff and Administration, on what will be a fantastic year for Centenary State High School.

Claire Tuton, Student Leadership Coordinator
Email: Ctuto3@eq.edu.au

News from English

Welcome to a new year at Centenary state High School, especially to our new students in Year 7 and others who have come to us from other schools. This is a great place to be.

I want to congratulate our recently departed Year 12 students and express my pride in their outstanding achievements and success in their chosen pathways.

The English staff has been putting a great deal of effort into planning and preparing for your students as we continue to refine and improve our delivery of the Australian Curriculum in Years 7 – 10. We aim to support all students in their learning and will work with your children to develop and extend their confidence and ability in both written and spoken English skills. We are very excited that we have been accepted to be a trial school for the Year 11 External English Exam which will take place in May.

The English Department Assessment Calendar will soon become available on One School and I encourage all parents and carers to become familiar with the due dates for assessment. In addition, I will soon email all families a copy of your child’s English semester overview which gives an outline of what your child will study this semester, along with details about assessment dates. Your child will also have a hard copy of this document. These documents will help your student to develop time management skills and good study habits.

One great study habit that we require of all students in the need to draft assessment responses so that teachers can provide meaningful feedback. Please refer to the English Department Drafting Policy below and please contact me if you have any questions.

It is important to all of us in the English Department that our students are enjoying their learning. If you have questions, concerns or your child is experiencing difficulty, please feel free to contact me or the classroom teacher, the Year Level Coordinator or a Guidance Officer. We are happy to support students and to address problems early.

I would like to welcome our new members of staff to the English Faculty: Elizabeth Long, Dylan Levey, Kate George, Jackie Croker, Leah Perry and Sue Cheney.

We are looking forward to a happy, exciting and successful 2017.

English Faculty Drafting Policy

A draft is a body of evidence that is provided by students in response to an assessment task. In English, students may be required to:

• Present a response that is nearly good enough to submit
• Submit a written outline about their approach to the assessment
• Discuss their approach with their teacher or their peers

Purpose of the draft

The purpose of reviewing students’ drafts is to provide feedback so students can make improvements to the response and develop their editing skills.

Drafting is a consultation process, not a marking process. Drafting feedback should ask the student to reflect on strategies they might use to refine and improve their work to meet the valued features in the task-specific standards.

Teachers may:

• Indicate some textual errors and suggest that the draft requires more careful editing rather than correcting or editing all the textual errors in a draft
• Use their professional discretion to support students in their development of language and literacy skills
• Provide some written feedback, including encouraging and constructive comments

Students may be advised to:

• Consider particular aspects of their response
• Work on their role as writer/speaker to refine their language choices and show more awareness of the audience and purpose
• Give priority to the most important points by rearranging the sequence and structure of ideas

Angela Maguire, English HOD
Email: amagu7@eq.edu.au

News from HPE

The HPE program

Welcome back everyone and a particular warm welcome to all of our new students and parents.

For the benefit of new students and parents, I would like to briefly outline the way the HPE program works at CtSHS. Students in all year levels who study a HPE subject will have three 70 minute lessons each week. Two of these lessons are practical lessons where students participate in active games and sports (commonly called a ‘prac’ lesson) and in the other 1 lesson students are in the classroom learning about Health related issues (commonly called a ‘theory’ lesson). For the practical lessons students are required to change into their full sports uniform. For the theory lesson they wear their formal uniform and bring their HPE notebook or Laptop to class. The HPE teachers will inform the students in their first lesson what days they have these lessons.

We have a very good HPE program where students get the opportunity to learn and play a wide range of sports, and also get to learn about the benefits of leading a healthy and active life. I trust that all students who study HPE in 2017 will enjoy the program and learn from it.

Laptops in HPE

The 9 – 12 HPE curriculum is setup in electronic format via a learning website called ‘EdStudio’ so that all students can get all of the course materials in electronic format, from any internet connection, and they can save them to their laptop. Students are also encouraged to use the program on their laptop called ‘OneNote’ to record all of their class work. Therefore we encourage all students doing HPE in yrs 9 – 12 to bring their laptop to theory classes and use it to aid their learning. Students studying the Certificate in Fitness courses in yrs 11 and 12 will be doing online courses so it is essential that they have a laptop.

Students in yrs7 and 8 have a resource called a ‘Flexibook’ for their theory lessons that contains all of the theory work they do, and space for them to add their own work. Therefore these students don’t use the EdStudio platform however they can still bring laptops to their HPE classes if they like, but it is not essential.

Sun Protection and Sun Safety in HPE

It is the time of year where we will experience some very warm weather. Whilst the HPE teachers take into account the hot weather, we still need to continue to deliver our programs to the students. Many of these programs require the students to be participating outdoors so I am appealing to all parents and HPE students to take a personal and individual and responsible approach to sun safety and the hot weather. This would include students wearing their own hats, bringing their own water bottles and applying either their own sunscreen or the sunscreen supplied by the teacher.

Students in HPE classes, when participating outdoors, are encouraged to wear a hat that covers their face, neck and ears (basically, a broad brim hat!). Students can bring a hat with them from home that they will wear for PE. Any appropriate hat will be accepted by the teachers. If students wish to purchase a broad brim hat in school colors, they are available from the uniform shop.

Students are also expected to apply the sunscreen that is provided by their HPE teacher, for each lesson that they are outdoors.

The HPE teachers when teaching outdoors will give the students rest / drink breaks throughout the lesson and will model sun safe practices by wearing hats and sunscreen themselves. Students are able to bring their own water bottle to class which they can then use any time during the lesson.

We encourage students to take responsibility for their own sun safety by doing these things. It does concern us when students appear to not take any responsibility for their own sun safety by choosing to not wear a hat or apply sunscreen so I would like to encourage all parents and students to take a personal, responsible and sensible approach to sun safety for HPE lessons by doing these things.

Sports Uniform

Parents are reminded that sports uniform is required for practical HPE lessons. Please refer to the student diary for the school uniform code. I can ensure you that all HPE teachers will be enforcing this code. Please assist us by having your children wear the correct sports uniform for practical HPE lessons as it is described in the student diary. If students are unable to wear the correct sports uniform they are required to present a note to the DP before school to obtain a uniform pass for the day.

Sports Shoes

With an increased emphasis being placed on Workplace Health and Safety, I would like to advise parents that suitable, supportive shoes will need to be worn by all students when participating in practical sports activities. Due to the WHS requirements, if a teacher is to determine that the shoes being worn by a student are not safe / supportive enough for the activity, then the student will not be able to participate in that activity and will be given another task to do. I ask all parents and students to ensure that students have a supportive and safe sports shoe for participating in physical activities.

If you have any queries about the HPE program please contact me at school.

Steve Mills, HPE HOD
Email: smill103@eq.edu.au

Mathematical Happenings at Centenary SHS

NAPLAN - Numeracy Testing

One of our major priorities for this year is to ensure that the Year 7 and 9 students are ready for the NAPLAN Numeracy Tests which will take place in May. All students will sit the two practice exams i.e. Calculator and Non-Calculator later this term. After this, their tests will be marked and students will be given feedback on their results to identify problem areas for the students.

To ensure that the students who had some difficulties with the practice exams are better prepared, we will be running optional tutoring sessions before school during the early weeks of Term 2. These sessions will look at specific topics and all students who require extra help will be encouraged to attend.

If you would like more information about NAPLAN, click on the link below, it provides all the information you need.

Please keep in mind that the NAPLAN testing is only one aspect of the school’s assessment and reporting process, and does not replace the more extensive and informed judgements made about your child’s day to day progress by his/her teacher.

More information about the testing will be sent home with students after the Easter Vacation period.

Online Mathematics Programs

The school has purchased Mathletics to allow all students access to the program for 2017. The program continues to be improved by the developers and this year is aimed at assessing students and giving them feedback on the Australian Curriculum outcomes. This will allow students in Year 7 to 10 access questions and tutorials that are relevant to their course of study.

The school continues to purchase the program as I believe that by allowing staff, students and parents to monitor the progress on given topics throughout the year allows for problem areas to be identified before students complete formal testing.

Parents can register an email address with Mathletics through the website below, that will enable student results to be sent directly to them.

The other program that the Mathematics Department is currently trialling is Education Perfect. This program is being trialled for term 1 this year. This trial started in 2016 and was available to the year 7 cohort. The trial this year will be for the current year 8 students and the new year 7 students for 2017.

The above programs will allow students to do remedial work with trouble areas and also allow students to experience extension work or other topics outside their current year level if they choose to do so. The program is web based so it can be accessed here at school and also any outside source that has an Internet connection, such as your home or local library.

If you have any further queries about the program please contact me.

Mathematics Competitions

Students will be receiving a letter in the coming weeks that will list all the National and International Academic competitions that Centenary State High School will be participating in 2017. This is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability against interstate and international students and receive the appropriate recognition from an external organisation. I highly recommend any student to compete in the competitions to receive this recognition of their abilities in their chosen field of studies.

More details about the organisation of the competitions in the next newsletter.

Year 11 Mathematics B External Assessment Trial

Centenary State High School has been selected to be involved in the trial of External Assessment for Mathematics B in 2017. This will involve the year 11 students currently studying Mathematics B to complete the exams in June this year.

A feature of this exam will be the technology active and technology free sections of the exam. Students will be required to be able to use Graphics Calculators to achieve the best results for the exam. The calculator must be a NON-CAS version and some families have this version of calculator with purple and white calculators that were used at the school a few years ago.

To alleviate the cost to families the school will be looking to purchase the required calculators and charge a levy to the students if they wish to use the school calculators. Parents can also purchase the calculators outright from retail outlets if they wish to. A letter explaining the Graphics Calculator will be sent home to parents in week 2.

Graphic Calculators for Year 12 Students

Other Graphic calculators are now available to be leased through the Library. Year 12 Mathematics C students have first right to obtain a calculator through this scheme. There is a $25 levy that is payable to the office and then the students can take their invoice to the library to obtain their calculator. Students who have previous models of calculators can still use that model.

Once Year 12 Mathematics C students have had a reasonable time to lease the calculators i.e. the end of week 4, other students in Year 12 will be able to access this leasing program. If you wish to purchase the calculator you may do so but this will no longer be through the school as has been the previous practice. The model of calculator we will be using is: TI-nSpire CX CAS.

If you have any further queries about the calculator please contact me.

QCE

Year 12 students are reminded that they must pass at least one semester of a mathematics subject to be eligible to receive a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) at the end of grade 12. Over the coming weeks the students that have been identified from last year will be completing a Numeracy Short Course during Wednesday lesson 4. If your child is new to Centenary and has not passed a semester of Mathematics it is important that they please contact me so that they can attend the Numeracy course to meet the criteria of the QCE.

Homework

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of completing homework and assignments to improve success in mathematics.

Students in the senior school should be completing 2 to 3 hours a week of home study, by this I mean not just set homework but also reviewing the work done during the lesson. Students in years 8 – 10 should be completing 1 – 2 hours of home study a week depending on the year level and the level of mathematics studied.

If you have any queries about what has been discussed in here please feel free to contact me through the school at any time.

Until next time
Yours in mathematics

Darren Teale, Mathematics HOD
Email: dteal4@eq.edu.au

News from The Arts

Welcome to 2017 in the Arts at Centenary State High School. I am excited to have joined your school community and thank the staff and students for their warm welcome. I bring over 10 years of Head of Department experience to Centenary and look forward to working together with parents and families to continue to provide excellent opportunities for students.

I am a passionate teacher of the arts and believe every student should study in the arts faculty for a number of reasons. Arts subjects and students are recognised for their innovative thinking skills; skills required for 21st century work and life. Students develop cognitive abilities and forms of intelligence that complement training in many areas of their lives. The learning and practicing undertaken across arts subjects taps into a students’ creativity and teaches them to think critically and independently. Studying arts teaches students to read powerfully and perceptively, write precisely and speak articulately. If you have the time, watch the Ted Video by Ken Robinson entitled “Do schools kill creativity?” – it is an insightful talk that discusses the importance of nurturing creativity and acknowledging multiple types of intelligence. I look forward to working with the Centenary community to continue the excellent work of the Arts staff in teaching our students the skills of the future. Centenary SHS has a dedicated and professional staff in the Arts faculty who are committed to achieving outstanding academic outcomes for the students in their classes and who also provide a vast array of extra-curricular opportunities for students.

There are a number of events coming up this term and I encourage you to peruse the date claimer included in this newsletter for more information.

News from the Chair of the Art P&C

Welcome back existing families and welcome to new Performance & Arts families. I’m the chair of the Performance & Arts Subcommittee of the P&C. We support The Arts department by primarily fundraising for such things as instrumental scholarships, replacement equipment where needed, helping fund trips, etc. We are a small group but very committed to helping the teachers and students where we can. For anyone who is interested in joining us, our first meeting is on Wednesday 8 February in PA 10 in CPAC.

Sarah Towner, Performance & Arts Subcommittee, CSHS P&C Association

Please contact me if you have any questions or issues in regards to the Arts.

Angela Sleeman, The Arts HOD
Email: aslee4@eq.edu.au

Year 12 Report

A warm welcome back to our future graduates of 2017! We have really hit the ground running and the Year 12s are keen to get stuck into all facets their last year of high school can offer. There are so many opportunities to be involved – in Year 12 Student Council, Red Cross Ambassadors, sports carnivals, lunch time activities, and subject tutorials – and we hope to see all of them seizing as many of them as they can.

Another way for our senior students to distinguish themselves is with their senior jerseys, which students are in the process of finalising payments, so that they may be ordered. When the jerseys arrive, students are reminded they still need to wear the correct shirt underneath their jersey.

The Year 12s started this year in reflection, with students having OP Analyser interviews with their HG teachers. There were many positive conversations occurring and it was pleasing to see many parents sitting in on the interviews as well. Many students walked away with lots of advice and “homework” to do. Students need to start researching courses, universities and OP/selection rank cut-offs – through the university websites, through the QTAC booklets they received last year, attending open days and making appointments with our Guidance Officer. Many students had a general idea of what they wanted to study after graduation but didn’t yet have a clear idea what was on offer in their field of interest. On advice from staff many students promised to commit to using their diaries and planners, and to read beyond just what homework is assigned in their subjects. I urge all parents to get involved in helping to create realistic study plans and asking about what strategies they promised to use.

If your student has not had their OP Analyser or QCE Tracking interview yet, they are continuing at a later time during HG lessons.

Much of Year 12 is spent re-assessing previous successes and failures and working out how to overcome them. And as they begin their final year of high school, we remind students that this year’s core business is attaining their QCE.

As always, if you have any concerns or queries about your child’s progress during 2017, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email at dhube1@eq.edu.au

Diana Huber, Year 12 Coordinator
Email: dhube1@eq.edu.au

Year 10 Report

“Gen10 of Centen”

Welcome back and a warm welcome to our new students and their families. I am pleased and proud to be continuing as the Year level coordinator for this awesome group of young people.

The Year 10s have begun their journey into their Senior pathway. This year is a time for students to develop skills in their chosen subjects in preparation for Year 11 and 12. As part of this process they will be provided with more information regarding the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), OP (Overall Position) and non-OP courses, VET (Vocational Education and Training) certificates and other Senior Pathways. This makes Year 10 a very big year for our students in which maintaining high levels of motivation and focus will be a key to their success.

Congratulations to Ishaann Cheema, David Dau, Francesca Hellmuth and Mollie Taylor who were appointed as Year 10 Student Leaders and will be our representatives at the Student Leaders Forum. In this position they will represent the voice of the Year 10 students and raise and discuss issues that affect our year level. In this role their job will be to create leadership teams who will work on organising various activities for our year.

Date claimers for Year 10 HG program this year:

• Year 10 camp – 26-28 July
• Year 10 SETplan – 24 July
• Year 10 information evening (parents + students) – 1 August
• Year 10 work experience – 11-15 September
• Year 10 exam block – 20-22 November

All the best for a fantastic year. I look forward to working with you to support the educational and personal endeavours of your child. If you would like to discuss any aspect of your son or daughter’s developments at school please don’t hesitate to contact me on 33734593 or email on bfurl1@eq.edu.au.

Warm regards,

Berenice Furlong, Year 10 Coordinator
Email: bfurl1@eq.edu.au

Year 8 News

Welcome to 2017! It is my great pleasure to be the Year 8 Coordinator this year and I will be working to the best of my ability to make sure it is a brilliant one for our year 8 cohort.

The year commenced for our year 8s with an Orientation Day during which they spent some quality time meeting and bonding with their new Home Group (HG) classmates and teachers. There was a tremendous amount of positive energy within the group and the effort and participation from our year 8 students was exceptional. The importance of these bonds cannot be understated, as these HG classes are set to remain unchanged for the remainder of the cohort’s schooling years.

Term 1 this year is abundant with enriching experiences for our year 8 cohort. The first significant experience comes during week 3 when students participate in the High Resolves – Digital Citizenship program. This program helps students develop the skills they require to contribute positively to the community as online citizens through the use of information communication technology. Other notable events this term include an Oversharer performance, Clean Up Australia Day, and Harmony Day. There is a lot to get excited about!

The application process for our Year 8 Student Forum Leaders has already commenced and we have had a great flurry of enthusiastic students putting their names forward for leadership positions. The selection process will continue over the next couple of weeks with our four student leaders being finalised during week 3, and announced during week 4 at our school Investiture Ceremony. Best of luck to those students who have taken the initiative to apply.

If you have any questions regarding the HG program or your son or daughter’s development at school, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am looking forward to a positive and productive year with our year 8s!

Kind regards,

Matt Redman, Year 8 Coordinator
Email: Mredm23@eq.edu.au

News from our P&C

Welcome back to a new school year for 2017. A special welcome to all our new families. We would love to see many of you, familiar and new, at our first P&C meeting for the year. This will take place on Wednesday 15th February at 7pm in the Resource Centre. All are most welcome. Our AGM will take place on 15th March at 7pm. By attending meetings you can have more of a say in the education and wellbeing of our children. We meet on the third Wednesday of every month at 7pm in the Resource Centre.

Thank you to those who completed membership forms as part of the enrolment package. These will be tabled at our AGM in March to make your membership official. This is the only meeting in the year where you can become a member without attending the meeting. Outside of this time memberships are taken at the end of each meeting and you need to be present.

All Executive positions will become vacant at our AGM and there are 2 positions currently that have no nominations (Vice President and Secretary). If you wish to nominate for an Executive position, please complete the form below or download one from the website. Please consider this as a way of supporting our school community and your child’s education.

Volunteers are always welcome to help in the canteen and during the busy uniform sale times. Please think about how you can help and be more involved in the life of our school. See our info sheet below for what the P&C do.

Thank you to our small band of volunteers who helped with our uniform sales in the week before school went back in January. We were kept extremely busy for 2 days and, as promised, the queues were long. Fortunately students were able to try on and wait in the air-conditioned comfort of the Resource Centre. Generally speaking, people were very patient whilst waiting for their turn and I thank them for their courtesy. And of course to Cheryl and Jenelle who put in many long hours, thank you.

Our big news over the holidays was the completion of our new uniform shop. This is located at the rear of the canteen and is functioning very well. You can visit us there on any normal uniform shop day Mon – Wed 8am to 11am. Uniforms can also be purchased through our Flexischools online ordering system. 2017 will be all about starting the renovations on our canteen.

Woollen Jumpers – Place Order by 24th February

Following requests from parents for a warmer winter jumper, last year we introduced a Super Soft (without the prickle and itch) wool blend (80% wool, 20% nylon) jumper into our uniform. These look the same as our current poly/cotton jumpers but are made of Australian Merino wool. They are available on a prepaid order only basis as we will not be stocking them in our shop due to the expense of pre-purchasing stock and space to store them securely. The woollen jumper sells for $80. A sample is available to view in the uniform shop. The poly/cotton jumper is also be available from the uniform shop all year round for $70.

Please complete a school uniform order form available on the website or from the uniform shop and submit it along with payment of $80 to the uniform shop or order online through Flexischools. Orders placed before the end of February will be available for collection on the first day back after the Easter holidays. Outside of these times we would have to wait until we have a minimum order of 20 jumpers and then there would be a 6 week turnaround. So get your orders in by 24th February.

FACEBOOK page

The P&C have a Facebook page called Centenary SHS Parent Group. You can do a search in Facebook and it will come up. Please send a request to join and Lucinda or Jenny (our administrators and P&C Executive members) will check that you have a current or future student at the school. It’s a forum where parents of children attending CSHS can seek and share information regarding local school events, daily general information, reminders about events coming up within the school, uniform sales, lost property at school etc. Updates to our Trivia night will be posted here as well. No negative posts at all will be tolerated.

P & C Uniform Shop News

***NEW****FLEXISCHOOLS ONLINE ORDERING FOR UNIFORM SHOP

We now have our Uniform Shop purchases available through our online shop via FLEXISCHOOLS to make it easier for you to order your uniforms. You can simply place your order online for pickup at a nominated date to suit you. This will save waiting in line and provide a convenient shopping option for those who cannot get in to school.

Follow this link to logon if you already have an account and simply add the new school, or for those who don’t have one, you can create a new account.

Details of how to use this system is provided via a link is on the school website.

Secondhand Uniforms

Secondhand uniforms can be donated to the uniform shop or you can advertise what you have to sell or would like to buy on our Facebook page (see details above).

The Athlete’s Foot School Rewards Program

The Athlete’s Foot School Rewards Program will support our P&C with a donation for any pair of shoes bought by a family member from their stores at Indooroopilly and Mt Ommaney. Just mention our school for us to benefit from the $5 donation. This applies to the whole family and across the entire footwear range including school, athletic, work and casual shoes. There are no restrictions and it’s unlimited. So spread the word! We thank them for their generous donation of $425 this year.

The first P&C meeting for the 2016 will be Wednesday 15th February at 7pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Thank you.
Helen Shogren

Attached is a 2016 P&C membership form, a Parent Involvement form and an outline of what the P&C do. Please take time to consider how you can contribute to our school community.

Helen Shogren, P&C President CSHS
Email: pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au

News from our Canteen and Uniform Shop

CANTEEN

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year.

A huge welcome to all our new Grade 7 families and all other new and existing students.

The Canteen serves breakfast in the mornings from 8.00am and has a hot chocolate and coffee machine. Coffee is available to Seniors only. From Week 2, the Canteen will also be serving hot meals cooked in the Canteen. These vary on a daily basis and can include Spaghetti Bolognese, Butter Chicken & Rice, Crispy Sweet & Sour Chicken, Fried Rice, Peanut Chicken Curry & Rice, Country Vegetable Pies, Shepherds Pie and lots more.

Lunches can be ordered and paid for from 8.00am at the Canteen. If this is done, orders can be collected from the door which alleviates time standing in line.

UNIFORM SHOP

As most of you will now know, we have a new Uniform Shop located just behind the Canteen. It has three change rooms and has a lot more space and will have the capacity for two service windows at busy times of the year. We also now offer Flexi School which enables the purchase of uniforms on line and then can be collected on a nominated day. Uniform Shop opening hours are Mon, Tues, Wed 8.00am - 11.00am.

Cheryl Mulcahy
Email: pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Westside Dance YMCA

2017 Sign on date for St Catherine’s Soccer Club

St Cats Soccer sign on!

Registration for 2017 season is officially open! There will be early bird discounts on the fees and training kit for those who register online and pay at the sign on dates. Bring a friend and sign on together!

Sign on will be at Park Village Shopping Centre, Middle Park on the following dates:

Saturday 28th January 8 AM – 3:30 PM
Saturday 4th February 8 AM – 3:30 PM

Players who want to get in early, can go straight to our website and hit the register now link, or go straight to the registration link:

Regards,
Gina McCabe
St Cats Committee Member