31 March 2017 Volume 19 Number 3

News from the Principal

From the Principal

Our students have experienced a busy end to term with assessment in most subjects. Hopefully most of our students have worked steadily over the term and were well prepared for the demands of the final few weeks. As we near the end of term it is timely to reflect upon the successes and challenges of the last 10 weeks. I trust that our students have enjoyed school to date and have taken every opportunity to be involved in the extra-curricular life of the school.

School Priorities

The school has five key improvement priorities in 2017:

1. Systematic Curriculum Development and Delivery – this is very much influenced by the evolving P-10 Australian Curriculum and the need to prepare our students for the new Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance system being implemented in 2019.
2. Writing for Learning – continuing the focus from 2016 as our writing outcomes, as measured by NAPLAN, lag behind the other performance areas.
3. Pedagogy for Innovation and Engagement – Digital Technology. Digital expertise is an essential skill in the 21st Century and a powerful learning tool.
4. Pedagogy for Innovation and Engagement – Thinking. In a world where content knowledge is readily accessible to most, the ability to apply a raft of thinking skills to problem solve and create is essential.
5. Student Wellbeing - happy students are more likely to maximise their learning. What structures and behaviours do to we need to embed to ensure that all students feel safe, are connected to the school and can engage in learning?

Reporting and Parent-Teacher Interviews

Term 1 Reports will be sent by email on Friday 31st March. Electronic communication is the school’s preferred means of communication. Please ensure that your email address is current for school records.

In respect to the Term 1 Interim Reports, some subject areas, particularly in the Senior School, will be based on limited or on summative assessment. Nonetheless, it is important that academic progress be reported to parents/carers in a timely fashion. If issues around performance and application can be addressed early enough students will have an increased likelihood of enjoying success over the rest of the semester.

Term 1 Data is particularly important in identifying students who are experiencing difficulty in their course selection in the Senior School.

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Thursday 20th April and Monday 24th April, 3.30-7.30pm.

P&C News

I take this opportunity to thank the parents/carers who work tirelessly to support and improve our school through the P&C. This support is invaluable and I encourage all parents/carers to consider what contribution they can make to the school.

Congratulations to the following individuals who have been elected as office bearers for the 2017 school year.

I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of Helen Shogren who steps down from the President’s role after over three years in the position and over six years on the P&C. Helen has worked tirelessly to improve our school service and her support of various stakeholder groups across the community is much valued.

I urge parents/carers to play an active role in the school through P&C involvement.

Road Safety

Please be conscious of road rules and student safety in the streets adjoining the school, e.g. roundabouts are not drop off zones. In particular, please use the allocated parking areas adjacent to the school. Unless students are injured they should not require dropping off in the school grounds.

Student Achievement

Congratulations to all our students who have achieved a level of excellence in a school activity over the term.

In particular the eight Centenary SHS Students who have been selected in a Met West representative team to date:

We have won 5 District Premierships to date and are well on track to eclipse the 8 we won in total in 2016. Successful teams are:

Year 7 Girls Softball
Year 10 Girls Basketball
Year 10 Boys Volleyball
Open Boys Touch Football
Year 10 Boys Cricket

Congratulations to Kayla Waller who has also just made the 2017 Australian Girls Softball Friendship Series Squad!

Well done to Lachlan Crawley in Year 12 who has been selected in the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra.

Congratulations to Lauren Hooper in Year 12 who has been successful in her audition for a position in the Creative Generation Symphony Orchestra.

Best wishes for a safe and relaxing two week Easter break.

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

Mid Semester 1 Interim Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews

All Mid-Semester 1 Interim Reports will be e-mailed to parents/carers by the end of Week 10, Term 1. These reports provide a guide to how students are progressing at this stage. It is a good opportunity for parents/carers to check the progress of their children and to organise a time to meet with their children’s teachers at the Parent-Teacher Interview evening.

We will be using the PTO system which is accessible through our school website for parents/carers to make an interview time. The PTO booking system will be open for parents/carers over the school holidays and information has been sent previously about how to use this system. This information is also located on our school website in the Quicklinks section on the home page. We would encourage all parents/carers to take the opportunity to meet the teachers as research clearly shows that students learning and outcomes are enhanced when there is a joint effort between teachers, parents/carers and students. The Parent-Teacher Interview Nights are on Thursday 20th April and Monday 24th April from 3.30-7.30pm.

Email Communication

As e-mail communication has become so vital, can you please ensure your contact details are up to date and if your e-mail address changes can you please notify the school administration. Also it is important to ensure that your e-mail system does not treat e-mails from the school as junk or spam as this can prevent important information from reaching you. To ensure that this does not happen, can you please add the following e-mail address to your list of safe senders: OneSchool.application@dete.qld.gov.au

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It has been an everyday part of the school calendar since 2008.

NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy. The content that is assessed in NAPLAN is aligned with the Australian Curriculum. The assessments will be undertaken nationwide, on May 9 – 11, 2017.

Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the test formats by engaging students in a practice session on Friday 31st March 2017. The purpose of the practice is to give students the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the nature of the assessment tasks and to allow students the chance to reflect on their own time management skills. Furthermore students and teachers will engage with feedback that will allow them to inform future literacy and numeracy skill development.

Parents/Carers can help prepare their child for NAPLAN by reassuring them that NAPLAN tests are one valuable part of the school program, and reminding them on the day to try their best and bring all necessary equipment. It is important that students try their very best on these assessments in order to provide the school with useful information to inform teaching and learning and future skill development at both the cohort and individual student level. Parents/Carers can learn more about NAPLAN by reading the parent/carer information sheet at:

Parents/Carers wanting more information about NAPLAN are also invited to contact their relevant year level Deputy Principal: Year 7 – Mrs Sallyann Griffith and Year 9 – Mrs Kelsey Oakes.

News from the Business Services Manager

Student Cards

Student cards (Confidential Information Sheet) with details relevant to your student will be mailed home this week. Updating these sheets and returning them to the school office, noting any changes, ensures that all parent/carer contact details are correct. Up-to-date and current school records enable us to send you messages, contact you when your student is ill or if there is an issue that needs resolving.

If you have moved house, changed employment, emails or mobile phone numbers, please contact the school by email to admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au or a note to the school office.

Changes to the way we invoice for 2018

After consultation with our school administration and Centenary SHS P&C, the following changes have been endorsed.

For all students enrolled into 2018, there will be changes to the way we invoice parents/carers for the Student Resource Scheme and Curriculum Charges.

• All new enrolments for 2018 will be invoiced and required to pay $230 on enrolment (this includes an early bird discount of $20). Payment plans can be arranged and will need to be finalised before the start of the school year.
• For all students currently enrolled, the process has previously been to invoice in November for the following year with payments due by 31st October. This will change for next year. For 2018 the $250 SRS invoices will be issued in August this year with an early bird discount of $20 being applied if paid by 28th January of the following year. Invoices will have a finalisation date of 31st July for those who don’t wish to pay before the discount date.

For Curriculum Charges, invoices will be raised in February with a due date of 31st July of that same year.

Payment plans will be accepted and may continue as is the current practice.

There will be no changes to excursion and extra-curricular invoicing. These will continue to be raised and paid as needed.

For any more information, please contact the school on 3373 4555 or email admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

Charmaine Macaulay
Email: cmaca5@eq.edu.au

News from Diverse Learning Department

On the 15th of March, a selection of Years 7-9 students from the Pathways to Success program embarked on an excursion to Fig Tree Pocket’s Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. The students, who are studying the ASDAN, Sensibility and Vision Australia programs, spent a very full day exploring our local community.

Along with a fantastic group of teachers, the students used buses and taxis to travel to and from the venue. Once at Lone Pine, the students were treated to a discovery session led by a knowledgeable host, Kayla. There we got to meet Footloose the rainbow lorikeet, Squirtle the freshwater turtle and all got to pat the cutest female koala! After stopping for a quick lunch break we were back to it, feeding the kangaroos and exploring the various exhibits. Who knew there was so much to explore in our own backyard!

But don’t just take my word for it – have a read of what the students had to say!

”I loved going to Lone Pine because it was fun to learn about, feed, and touch the animals with my friends.” – Antoine (Year 7)

“I liked feeding the kangaroos, and it was interesting to learn that a platypus has a different bone mouth than other animals. My favourite part was seeing the eagle up close, also the owl.” – Xander (Year 8)

“The thing I liked about Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was feeding the kangaroos. I found the platypus and the snakes interesting, but getting the taxi was the most difficult part because it kept us waiting!” – Brendan (Year 9)

“The thing that I liked the best was being able to feed and pat the kangaroos. The talk that Kayla did was very interesting.”- Sylvie (Year 7)

Deborah McIntyre
Email: dmcin49@eq.edu.au

News from the Guidance Officers

Helping Young People Learn to Manage Anger

Children’s angry behaviour is often difficult to deal with because it stirs up feelings of anger and annoyance in others. It can also frustrate parents/carers when anger is used to push them away.

Everyone feels angry at times. Parents/Carers can help children learn how to cope with anger in positive ways by teaching them to be aware of feelings, to find appropriate ways to express them, and to identify and solve the problems or frustrations that lead to angry feelings.

Learning skills for understanding and dealing with anger will make it easier for children to solve problems, get help when needed and be more relaxed around others.

How Parents/Carers Can Help

Be aware of feelings

Children need to learn that having angry feelings is normal and okay, but that reacting aggressively towards others when you’re angry is not. Adults can help children become aware of feeling annoyed, frustrated, angry or furious by naming feelings. Learning to say, “I’m feeling angry” or “I’m really frustrated,” gives children a way to separate feeling angry from how they react.

Time to talk

Talking to your child about what has put him/her in an angry mood will help him/her see that feelings have causes and that solutions can be found. Once you find out what he/she was angry about you can help him/her think up better ways to handle the problem. This kind of conversation doesn’t work while he/she is really angry. Sometimes it must wait until later.

Children often find it easier to talk in informal situations where they feel less pressure. Find a relaxed time to talk to children about feelings. Asking, “What makes you angry?” can be a good way of starting a conversation about anger.

Find alternatives

Getting children to think through a difficult situation helps them develop problem solving skills. Asking, “Is that what you wanted to happen?” or “What else could you have tried?” encourages children’s helpful thinking. Thinking of alternative solutions helps children plan different ways of reacting next time. Be sure to praise their efforts.

Have ways to calm down

When emotions are strong, it is easy to act without thinking. Encourage your child to take control and allow time for the emotions to subside. Walking away, using a quiet spot to think or doing something else like riding a bike or listening to music, are all activities that can assist in reducing strong emotions.

‘Cool Down’ Steps to Teach Children

1. Recognise that you are angry

• Notice the body signals that mean you’re angry, such as getting hot, heart racing, tense muscles, etc.
• Give a number from 1 to 10 to show how angry you are
• Remember it is hard to manage anger and your thinking when you are at your angriest, so work to cool down

2. Cool your body down

• Breathe slowly. Count to ten or to 100 as you breathe, making sure you slow the counting as you go
• Take time-out in a quiet place
• Go for a walk, do something physical, challenging and/or repetitive
• Draw/write how you feel

3. Use coping self-talk

• “It’s okay. I can handle this. I need to calm myself so I can think straight.”

4. Try to solve the problem

• Talk to someone who is a good listener
• Sort out what the problem is, what are the options, which one shall is worth trying, try it then review. Plan what to do next time

News from the Chaplain

Food for Thought

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.

A message from Chappy Bernie

Every year, over 1,500 SU QLD volunteers run nearly a hundred camps across the state. Our camps provide 5,000 children and teenagers with a fun-filled, positive, time away from home. SU QLD's camps are held primarily during holiday breaks for both primary and secondary school students.

SU QLD provides a quality holiday program, meeting the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of each participant. Oh, and they're awesome fun too!

An SU QLD camp is a chance to splash-out while tubing behind a speedboat, learn computer programming, hang out at the beach, or express yourself through dance or art. You'll make friends, feast on great food, and laugh a lot! And all of this is made possible by amazing, accredited volunteer leaders who have paid their own way to join you on camp!

Every camp sets aside a time for faith discussions, where participants have a chance to explore the Christian faith and ponder the bigger questions about life.

Interested? Find a camp and check out the details on:

Get in quick and we promise you the time of your life!

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

Sports Report

Year 10 and Open Gala Day

What an amazing start to the year! A grand total of 4 Premierships were won at the Year 10 and Open Gala Day! We also had many teams make the final and finish 2nd overall. For the first time in 5 years the Open Boy’s Cricket Team made the District Final. This is a huge accomplishment and the hard work is definitely paying off. Thank you to all of the coaches and students that attended the extra training sessions! Our goal of being the Champion School at the end of 2017 is definitely off to a great start!

Congratulations to our Top Crocs this week. They are the District Premiership Teams!

Open Boys Touch Football
Year 10 Boys Volleyball
Year 10 Girls Basketball
Year 10 Boys Cricket

Good luck in Met Finals in Term 2 and keep training hard!

Junior Gala Day

Day 1 of the Junior Gala Day was a huge success! It is not often that students are given an opportunity to play a game of tennis on Pat Rafter Arena. The students’ behaviour, sportsmanship, uniform and just overall manners was of the highest standard.

Overall every team played well and Day 2 should prove very interesting as the schools compete for the District Premiership. Training is continuing as we prepare for Friday 21st April.

A special congratulations to Mr Webber who worked hard with the Year 7 Softball girls and as a result they won the District Premiership! They will now compete in the Metropolitan Finals in Term 2.

Many students from Centenary SHS have been attending District Trials and Regional Trials in order to be selected in the Met West team. Thank you to all of the parents/carers who have been involved in this process and have been transporting students to and from the trials. Due to the commitment of both parents/carers and students, Centenary SHS has had eight students make a Met West team so far this year. Congratulations to the following students:

Tupou Ahome’e for making the Met West Open Boys Rugby Union team
Bianca Gibson for making the Met West Open Girls Netball team
Seth Lawrence for making the Met West Open Boys Touch Football team
Jorden Rangihuna for making the Met West Open Boys Touch Football team
Jackie Brown for making the Met West Girls AFL team
Alexis Hamilton for making the Met West Girls AFL team
Gracie Nugent for making the Met West Girls AFL team
Kayla Waller for making the Met West Open Girls Softball team

This is an amazing accomplishment and we wish them all the best of luck at the State Championships.

Cross Country

Centenary SHS Annual Cross Country was run yesterday, Wednesday 29th March. Congratulations to all of the students that participated in either the fun run or the championship race. The students that placed in the top eight have now qualified to represent Centenary SHS at the District Cross Country due to be held on the 4th May. Students need to return the permission form and money to the office after the school holidays. Centenary SHS has set a goal to win the % trophy again and in order to make this happen we need to fill every spot. We need every runner that finished in the top 8 to support the school and attend training sessions and to compete in the District Cross Country. Every runner counts! Every point counts!

Training will continue after the holidays on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7.30am. All students are welcome to come along and get involved.

Results from the school Cross Country will be published in the next newsletter.

Kayla Waller

Kayla Waller is a Year 12 student at our school who recently had an article in the local paper about her sporting success. She has just recently been selected in the 2017 Australian Girls Friendship Series Squad and has been invited to participate in the 2017 Softball Australia International Friendship Series to be held at Redlands Softball Complex in Brisbane, Qld. The series will take place from 3rd July – 7th July 2017. Congratulations Kayla!

Upcoming Events

APRIL

21 Years 7,8,9 District Day 2

MAY

3 Round 1 Metropolitan Finals
4 District Cross Country and West Akuna Cross Country (12 year olds)

Yours in sport

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

Cultural News

Senior Instrumental Music Camp

The first of two Instrumental Music Camps occurred from March 13-15 with our senior music ensembles. Even though we were in the Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Mapletown, the weather was surprisingly hot and muggy. The camp was an extremely busy time, particularly for the teachers, with rehearsals and tutorials across the three days for our Symphonic Band, String Orchestra, Stage Band, Chamber Strings and Percussion Ensemble. It was great having all of our instrumental and choral staff at the camp with Mr Lougheed, Mrs Harvey, Mr Hoey and Mrs Dedini all in attendance. We were also lucky to have our head of department, Mrs Sleeman, up for a visit. We also are very thankful for Mrs Manche stepping in at the last moment on Thursday to take over for me. The work ethic of the students was outstanding, and barely a whisper of complaint was heard. We also had a lot of fun in the down time with swimming, the always hotly contested trivia contest, and an 80’s Disco! Looking forward to the Junior Instrumental Music camp in May.

Creative Generation Voices

Creative Generation Voices is the new name for Choral Fanfare. It is basically the same event, with the addition of a state final at the end of the festival. Both our choir and vocal ensemble will be competing in this event. Dates have not been finalised as yet, but we should be performing either on the Monday or Wednesday of Week 6, Term 2. More information is to come.

Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde continues to move along well with full on rehearsals set to start mid next term. Auditions for lead roles will be held on Wednesday of Week 10, Term 1, after school in CPAC.

Ipswich Civic Centre Gala

A reminder again to ‘save the date’ of Sunday 28th May when we will be holding a gala concert at the Ipswich Civic Centre. All Instrumental and Choral groups will be performing at this wonderful event. Information on tickets will be released early in Term 2.

Until next time,

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

News from the Student Leadership Coordinator

Last week, we celebrated one of the most important days on our calendar – Harmony Day. Students raised money by holding an ‘Orange Themed’ Free Dress Day to support some of our senior students, who will be embarking on a Charity tour throughout Vietnam to build much needed resources for impoverished communities. The day was a huge success, and as we move forward into Term 2, the Student Leadership Forum is excited to continue their successful ventures. We also welcome the new Year 7 Student Leaders, who will join us in Term 2.

Claire Tuton, Student Leadership Coordinator
Email: ctuto3@eq.edu.au

Senior Schooling News

Year 12 Processes for Thursday 30th & Friday 31st March

Students in Year 12 undertaking an OP or Selection Rank pathway will undertake an alternative program in the final week of Term 1.

Those undertaking the QCS Test in August this Year will be involved in our QCS Practice activities. All sessions will be conducted in the upper level of the Humanities block. Students have been advised by letter and email to bring necessary equipment that include materials from QCS classes and a scientific calculator. As students are sitting practice tests on both days, the lunch arrangements will be different. We also suggest they bring a water bottle.

Students undertaking other pathways will participate in a program designed to enhance career knowledge and workforce literacies. This will include an excursion to USQ Springfield to hear about alternative tertiary entrance pathways. They will also visit Brisbane TAFE at Southbank. A bus will take students to both locations. Please remind your student to return their Activity Consent form to Mr Homer or email a scanned permission form. Other details, including the wearing of full school uniform, bus departure and arrival times, etc., are available from the letter sent home with students.

QCS Test – Special Provisions

Students sitting the QCS test who require ‘Special Provisions’, i.e. special arrangements like additional rest breaks, A3-sized test materials, use of a computer, alternative seating arrangements, etc., need to apply through the school before Friday 19th May. Students will be asked to consider if this applies to them and if so, consult with the Guidance Officer. If students have an emergency situation nearer the testing dates, for example an extended medical situation, they need to approach the school with medical documentation to allow for late special arrangements or exemption.

This link featured below, has general information about the types of special provision available, the application through schools process, and links to the 2017 Special Provision Handbook: Queensland Core Skills Test. If you have further questions, please email the Guidance Officer for Years 10-12, Juanita Oberle, at jober13@eq.edu.au.

Year 11

Year 11 students should have firmly established productive school and study routines. Those undertaking an OP Pathway should be undertaking at least 15–20 hours a week of study/homework/revision outside of school time. We strongly recommend that part time work be kept to a maximum of no more than 8-10 hours per week. The priority for all students, regardless of pathway, is attaining the best result they can in each subject. Remember, core business for all students is the attainment of the QCE and successful completion of their chosen pathway.

All Year 11 students have been actively working on the Certificate 2 in Skills for Work and Training every Wednesday during STEP. We anticipate that most students will have this qualification completed early next term. Please return the permission to ‘flex-off’ form to Mr Richter in Admin. Students will be notified through the school when this is approved.

Year 10

Thank you to all families who attended the Year 10 Transition Talk on Tuesday 28th February. We have added the information delivered during the talk to the school website. This includes a copy of the Draft Curriculum Guide for 2017, Presentation PowerPoint and QCAA QCE Information Sheet.

Due to changes to our Work Experience Program this year, information regarding the process will not be issued until early in Term 2.

Communication

We endeavour to keep all parents/carers and students up-to-date with events occurring, and opportunities existing in our Senior School. In the past we emailed home a copy of the “Senior Schooling Update” as well as the “Options Career Information” Bulletin every fortnight. Due to parent/carer feedback regarding the volume of emails received in 2016, we will only issue them once every term. However, these publications are added to the school website for your reference. Please refer to them for current information regarding courses, university entry, traineeships, part-time job opportunities, career advice, open days and general information.

For further information please feel free to contact a member of our Senior Schooling Faculty:

• Juanita Oberle (Years 10, 11 & 12 Guidance Officer)
• Angela Raven (Senior Schooling HOD)
• Adrian Homer (Transition Co-ordinator)

Angela Raven, Senior Schooling
Email: arave7@eq.edu.au

Business students mean BUSINESS!

QUT Business School offers high school students the opportunity to compete in a national business case study competition. Students are required to solve a real-world business case faced by real businesses. Representing Centenary SHS are five Year 11 Business Management students:

Josh Hansberry
Holly Wilson
Sandra Tarabay
Lucy McKellar
Callum Preston

The students will compete against other students from across Australia and will develop problem-solving and business skills and find out what it is really like to work in the exciting world of business.

I am thrilled to be mentoring these students in this competition and will keep you posted on their progress.

Berenice Furlong, Senior Business Teacher
Email: bfurl1@eq.edu.au

News from English

Lifting your results:

With Term 1 nearing its end, students in every year level have completed at least one assessment piece and have received results and feedback from their teachers. It is very important that all students consult with their teachers and make goals to improve throughout the year.

Fake news:

We have heard the term “fake news” frequently in the media lately and, whatever our opinion of certain political figures, it is a real thing. The point is, how do we judge when information is real, and when it is fake? In English classes we teach our students to be critical thinkers, and that is the best, and only, real way to combat “fake news”. When we read items in the news and, more particularly, in social media, we should question and analyse what we are reading. We should ask ourselves questions like:

• Why has this been written?
• Who stands to gain?
• How does the author want me (the reader) to respond or react?
• What attitudes, values and beliefs are underpinning this text?
• How are my opinions being manipulated?

We should never just accept what we read: learning how to actively participate in texts helps us to separate the real from the fake – rather than just tweeting about it!

Lions Youth of the Year:

On February 21st, three of our School Leaders; Nathan Merry, Darly Ngwe and William Chandler, participated in the Jindalee Lions Club Youth of the Year Quest final, competing against each other and students from a private school in our district.

The Lions Youth of the Year Quest is judged in two stages: firstly, entrants in the quest are required to attend a private interview with the panel of judges, during which they are judged on their leadership, sporting and/or cultural activities, citizenship and community involvement, academic record, general knowledge and personality. The interviews took place on Saturday 18th February. In the interview the students were asked questions about their involvement in school and the community, along with topics of local, national and international importance.

On the finals evening, students in the quest delivered to the audience a prepared speech of five minutes duration, and two short impromptu speeches. They were given no time to prepare for their impromptu responses, which is an enormously challenging task. The questions asked of the entrants on this occasion were: “You have won 10 million dollars. What are you going to do with it?” and “I have been meaning to tell you…” Our students did a fantastic job, responding to these questions with maturity, intelligence and humour. Their prepared speeches were inspirational and entertaining.

I am extremely proud of our Centenary SHS entrants. Darly took out the public speaking prize on the night. I am delighted to report that Nathan was the overall winner of the first round, and then participated in the second round of the competition on Sunday 12th March, but was narrowly defeated.

I am very excited by the interest that is developing in public speaking here are Centenary SHS, with students signing up for debating in Years 7 and 9, and the Rostrum Voice of Youth competition.

Spelling tip:

Here’s a simple trick for getting “practice” and “practise” right:

Practi ce : a noun (i.e. Person, place or thing ). Use this spelling if you are talking about practice as a ‘thing’. E.g. I have to go to violin practice now.

The trick: practice contains the word “ice”, which is also a noun (thing).

Practi se : a verb (i.e. being, thinking, doing ). Use this spelling if you are talking about practise as a ‘doing’ word. E.g. I have to practise if I want to improve.

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

News from the Arts

The Arts buildings have been a hive of activity over the last few weeks with students preparing and submitting assessment across all classes. We look forward to sharing with you the results of your child’s assessment on the upcoming reports and discussing this with you at Parent-Teacher interviews early in Term 2. As well as busy classrooms, we have had many classes going on excursions and putting their daily learning into real life experiences outside of the classroom.

The first of the major excursions for The Arts faculty has been the recent Senior Instrumental Music camp. You can read more about this event in the Cultural Director’s section of this newsletter, but I’d like to share with you why events like camps are so important. When it comes to practice, it is a systematic and highly structured activity. It takes very specific practice to reach an elite level of performance, using higher order cognition skills (including analysing). Psychologist Dr Ericsson has undertaken research in the area of expert performance and the basis for his research is the ‘10,000 hour rule’. This rule suggests that it requires at least 10 years and or 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve an expert level of performance in any given domain, and in the case of musicians, more like 15-25 years in order to attain an elite international level. Attending Senior Instrumental Music camp has put our students at least 12-14 hours closer to achieving that expert level of performance. Only 9,988 or so to go! May I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the effort and time commitments of the Centenary SHS Arts staff in providing this activity for the students – Mr Watkins, Mrs Manche, Mr Lougheed, Mrs Harvey, Mrs Dedini and Mr Hoey.

The Years 7 and 8 Music Plus classes and the Year 9 Music class have also been transferring their classroom knowledge into a live theatre experience, by viewing the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. The vibrancy, timbre and dynamic range of a full orchestra cannot be replicated even by the most technically advanced audio system and to see a live orchestra in a proper concert hall is a rewarding experience. The opportunity to watch a performance by a professional orchestra was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the students.

‘Years 7-9 Music students on excursion to see the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’

Back in the classroom, this week I’d like to talk about CCE’s – common curriculum elements. CCE’s are a set of 49 testable generic skills identified in the Queensland Senior Curriculum that students are examined on via the QCS test. An analysis of the CCE’s identified that of the 49 skills, no less than 41 of these are explicitly taught in the Senior Arts Curriculum offered here at Centenary SHS – Visual Art, Dance, Drama, Film Television and New Media, Music and Music Extension. You can find more information about these skills on this website:

Our Year 8 artists have been working hard in class on creating expressive self-portrait creations. Warm and cool colours were used to capture the mood of the individual. You can see some of the artworks below.

‘Year 8 self-portrait artworks’

Centenary Stars!

This week I’d like to acknowledge two very talented students from the Arts faculty.

Year 12 student, Lachlan Crawley, is travelling to the USA over the holidays as a member of the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra. He is representing Brisbane, Queensland and Australia at the New York International Music Festival. He will be on stage at Carnegie Hall, which is renowned as having one of the best acoustics in the world and it is a highlight of every musician’s life to be able to perform there. Congratulations Lachlan!

Year 12 student, Lauren Hooper, has been successful in her audition for the Creative Generation Symphony Orchestra. CGEN is Queensland’s largest youth performing arts event, providing opportunities for students to work with and learn from professional artists. This annual event has launched the professional careers of many students who have gone on to star in theatre, television and musical productions. You can buy tickets to the event via Ticketek. Congratulations Lauren!

There have been some kind donations of resources to the school Arts faculty this month, and we thank the community for thinking of the students. We assure you that they will be put to good use!

Centenary’s Got Talent

Nominations are now open for the annual Centenary’s Got Talent event held in Term 2. The school captains are taking student details at PM lunch every day until the holidays in the CPAC foyer. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to show the school community your amazing skills!

Past Students Success

Celebrating the success of our past students is important because it reminds us that a quality education is a major contributor towards success after school. I’d like to feature some of the very talented students who studied in the Arts at Centenary SHS and what they’ve been up to in their time since school.

Lachlan Kidd graduated in 2008 and has since completed a Bachelor of Music Production at QUT. He works at Brisbane Marketing as an event supervisor and at Brisbane Sound Group as a lighting/audio technician. He is still an active musician, writing, recording, producing and playing in a number of bands.

His brother Dylan, graduated in 2012 and completed a Diploma of Jazz in 2013 at JMI and is currently working toward a Bachelor of Engineering (Software Engineering) at UQ. He is the president of the UQ Big Band committee, playing jazz guitar and last year performed at Carnegie Hall, Disneyland and jazz clubs in New York.

These two former students are certainly appreciative of the launching pad the Centenary SHS Arts faculty offered them and we wish them well in their future careers.

Visual Arts

Finally this week, an article about why studying Visual Arts is important, from our Visual Arts ambassadors Emma and Shana.

“Did you know, of the 1.2 million school students in Australia, 43% of children aged 5 to 14, participate in Visual Art outside school hours as a recreational activity? Visual Art is a vital part of the school curriculum, enabling students to explore creativity, imagination and personal expression of ideas. This extensive program excels individualism through freedom and self-expression in a supportive learning environment. Every individual’s perspectives and opinions are valued and respected in class activities. We are provided with access to a vast range of cultural resources on artists and their methods of work. The acceptance of diversity is just one of the various factors the school prioritises in creating a healthy environment in the arts program and the entire school, now and in the future.

Visual Art teaches an extensive range of skillsets, contributing to other matters in and out of school. The unrecognised time and effort designated towards projects establishes skills of conceptualising, problem solving and enquiry, all of which can be beneficial in everyday life and learning environments. Attributes of, for instance, criticism and observation, prepare students to develop specific skills and qualities that are valuable in employment. In a time where students are discovering their sense of individuality and self-expression, the skills utilised in the Arts program are vital and extremely valuable to students. Visual Art students grow and develop together as individuals, expanding their skillsets and contributing toward an improved society and fitting school environment.”

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

Year 12 Report

This term has flown for Year 12s and I think the seniors are spinning from having nearly finished one term of their final year.

Lunchtime and after school opportunities

The Year 12 Council has been busy planning the year’s events to come. They would like to support Young Care next term in offering some school lunchtime competitions and if possible a Free Dress Day with Student Council members purchasing merchandise to wear for the day. As a school, to be aware and supportive of youths in need who are living in Aged Care facilities local to Centenary SHS is a very worthy cause. In Semester 2 the students would like the school community to hold The Sleep Out and fundraise for this cause. It is run by Mission Australia who then assist people nationwide by combatting homelessness, assisting disadvantaged families and children, addressing mental health issues, fighting substance dependencies, and much more. The student council is also looking at doing simple games in Junior and Senior school. I am very proud of our Year 12 students wanting to serve and support our Centenary Community and have Centenary SHS as a vehicle to do this through. This Year 12 cohort is keen to make a difference.

Jersey update

Those students who ordered 2017 Struddy’s jerseys are waiting patiently for Term 2 to commence, as the jerseys should be available for collection by Week 3-4. When they do arrive they will be handed to students in HG.

Blood Ambassadors

The Red Cross Blood Bus has been booked in for the fifth year in a row for eligible and willing Senior Students, Years 10-12, who wish to donate blood. This date will be in Term 4, in late October. Centenary SHS is proud to be able to continue this tradition and important way to give back to the community. We have 20 student Ambassadors in Year 12 who will be completing their training with Red Cross in Term 2.

Student Achievement

Special note needs to be made about students, Nathan Merry, Darly Ngwe and William Chandler for their effort, time and success in the Lions Club Youth of the Year Quest in public speaking. They all spoke well and presented Centenary State High School in an exemplary manner.

On another note, I would like to also congratulate Lachlan Crawley on his success for being chosen to be part of the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra. The following is an article written by Lachlan on his experience so far:

“The Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra (BRYO) is an audition only, 70 plus, symphonic orchestra for young musicians aged 15-25 years of age. I auditioned to join BRYO in 2015 and have been a member since this time, rehearsing, performing and improving my craft of playing the tenor saxophone. Over this time we have performed for many charity organisations, churches, community events and regional tours, outside of Brisbane.

We will be touring the United States in these coming Easter school holidays, travelling to Los Angeles and New York. In LA, we will visit a local high school and perform and rehearse with them. A concert at the LA Philharmonic Centre also will be a highlight. Obviously some sightseeing will take place too, for example Disneyland.

Travelling to New York, we will perform on two occasions, as part of the New York International Music Festival. Firstly, we will play in an outdoor concert in Central Park and then in Carnegie Hall. BRYO were successful in a pre-Music Festival competition, to win the time and expertise of internationally acclaimed conductor, Carl Britton. Carl has written an original musical score for BRYO, which we will perform in Carnegie Hall. We will somehow squash into our busy schedule local sightseeing like attending a Broadway show, NBA game, Times Square, Hudson River Cruise, the Statue of Liberty and so on.

I must thank the Jindalee Lions Club and Centenary RSL Sub Branch for their financial support to assist me in my tour of the United States. On my return, I look forward to sharing many of my experiences with them, as well as with my fellow Centenary SHS musicians.”

Lachlan Crawley

There are many more students being successful within school and in their hours outside of school. I will be bringing these students names in future articles to highlight our ‘stars’ of Centenary State High School.

Hoppy, Hoppy Easter and stay safe over the Holidays.

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

Year 10 Report – “Gen10 of Centen”

As Term 1 draws to a close it seems like a nice time to stop and reflect on the Year 10s progress thus far in 2017. It has been an extremely busy opening term. Here are some highlights so far:

• We have formed a Year 10 Student Council which has started planning Year 10 activities. The Year 10 student council members are:
• Melanie Amundsen, Serena Antoniolli, Jadi Bowden, Ishaann Cheema, Dylan Coggan, David Dau, Sophie Findlay, Leighton Frank, Steven Goodwin-Fairhurst, Francesca Hellmuth, Ella Loney, Aleece Macaulay, Daniella Swart, Mollie Taylor, Duncan Towner, Kayla Wishart.
• We held very successful student and parent/carer talks to help understand our pathways through Senior Schooling. Students will start hearing subject specific information through our curriculum HOD talks in Term 2.
• The Year 10s have been engaged in Personal Development talks by one of the school Guidance Officers, Juanita Oberle, and School-based Youth Health Nurse, Dyanne Moxham. These sessions have been extremely successful. Thank you to Juanita and Dyanne.

Also this term in HG the Year 10s have been completing their application to obtain a Unique Student Identifier (USI). The USI is created online using private identifying details such as a birth certificate, passport or a Medicare card. Students are required to provide their USI to the school (notify HG teacher or email me). They should also record their USI and keep it handy and in a safe place.

The Year 10s require a USI as they will be completing a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course as part of the HG program. The Australian Government requires all students studying a VET course to have a USI. The USI will allow students to access their enrolment and achievement record for all VET learning online, and no VET records will be lost.

For further details about a USI refer to page 140 of the school diary or visit:

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your son or daughter’s developments at school please don’t hesitate to contact me by phone on 3373 4593 or email on bfurl1@eq.edu.au.

Enjoy your Easter break!

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

Year 8 Report

As Term 1 comes to an end, it seems appropriate to reflect upon some of the major events our Year 8 cohort has been involved in thus far. The term has been packed with enriching experiences that have had our Year 8s actively engaged, both inside and outside the classroom.

The first significant event of the year was an interactive education session presented by High Resolves on Digital Citizenship. This program drew students’ attention to the power of online communities, and the responsibility of every individual to do their part in engaging positively in online spaces. Our students responded very positively to the content and learnt a lot about cybersafety and their role as digital citizens.

In Week 6, our Year 8 cohort was entertained by a lively and educational dramatic performance by Shake’n’Stir Theatre called ‘Oversharer’. This production built upon the theme of cybersafety through a narrative that focused on the online behaviours of several fictitious teenager characters. The Year 8s were on the edge of their seats and flooded the room with laughter throughout much of the performance. While entertaining, the production also delivered several key messages about the impact that unsafe online behaviours can have on individuals, which coincided strongly with our focus for this term.

The next big event for the Year 8s was Clean Up Australia Day. The Years 8 and 9 cohorts were educated on the impact that litter has on our environment and then spent half a lesson together cleaning the school. The students were enthusiastic and highly engaged.

A positive behaviour system has recently been implemented into our school called the Three Bees. This system endeavours to reward students who are meeting the school’s expectations of being respectful, being responsible, and being learners. Students who display these characteristics will be issued with a slip from their teacher that they then must put in the appropriate box in the library. During Assembly on Monday of Week 10, the first rewards were given to the lucky students who had their slips drawn from the box.

Term 1 has been a great success for the Year 8s at Centenary SHS. If you have any questions regarding your child’s welfare at school, please don’t hesitate to contact myself, or your child’s Home Group teacher. Have a safe and enjoyable Easter break!

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

News from our P&C

The P&C AGM was held on Wednesday, 15th March and a new executive was elected. The new executive is:

President: David Harris
Vice-President: Roger Bacon
Secretary: Susan Harris
Treasurer: Jennifer Peters

We would like to thank both Jennifer and Roger, who are new to the P&C, for stepping into these important roles.

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank the outgoing president, Helen Shogren, who stepped down this year after working tirelessly in the P&C for many years and as president for three years. Her contribution to our P&C has been invaluable and has made the association the success it is today. We wish her well for the future and look forward to still seeing her at our monthly meetings.

If you would like to join the P&C and help the school to achieve the best outcomes for our children please feel free to come along to our meetings which are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm in the Resource Centre (Library). You will be most welcome.

David Harris, P&C President Centenary SHS
Email: pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au

News from our Uniform Shop

Sale

Size 8 Poly Cotton Jumpers ONLY
On Sale – Special $50.00
Available while stocks last

No more size 8s will be ordered.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

St Catherine’s soccer club

Winter is coming and so is the soccer season! Limited spaces are still available in our U14/15 and U17/18 teams! Come and join us! Come and play!

Sign up and pay online at the link below. For more information, check out our website below or like and follow our Facebook page.

Centenary Stormers

Centenary Stormers are a family friendly soccer club located at Atthows Park in Darra. We have a range of teams, from U6 to U15s. We are currently looking for 2 more U15 players for our team. These are players who are turning 14 or 15 in 2017. The team is made up of a lovely bunch of boys and girls and coached by a coach with over 25 years’ experience. If you are interested, please contact Belinda Fisher at belinda_lean@yahoo.com.au. Training is on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:30pm – 7pm and games are usually on Sundays. So come down and have a go!!!!