28 April 2017 Volume 19 Number 4

PRINCIPAL

News from the Principal

Welcome back to Term 2 and I trust all members of the Centenary Community enjoyed a relaxing break and are ready for the challenges of Term 2. We face a busy commencement to the term with plenty of events filling the school calendar.

The sudden closure of the school at the end of Term 1 has forced a number of end of term events to be pushed into the current term.

By the time you receive this newsletter the parent teacher nights would have been completed. I hope that the forum gave you a good understanding of how your child is progressing. Your child’s education is a partnership between home and school and good quality dialogue is essential between the two. I encourage all parents/carers to follow up with any concerns or questions you may have regarding your child’s education with staff through email, telephone call or a further interview.

Staff Appointments:

We welcome Brandon Long (DLD) and Sue McDonald (English/EALD) to the Centenary SHS Staff.

NAPLAN

The school is fine tuning its preparation for the NAPLAN tests which are set for May 9-12. Although the content of the testing is a reflection of the Australian curriculum, students generally need greater exposure to the regimen of writing under exam conditions. With the mooted changes to Senior Assessment, students will be required to undertake more external testing in their schooling.

Students in Years 7 and 9 have recently undertaken practice tasks which have provided some specific information on individual and cohort strengths and weaknesses. Feedback from this testing will be invaluable in maximising student performance.

At a state level, Numeracy and Reading have again been identified as areas targeted for improvement. Traditionally our Numeracy results have been very strong using the proportion of students above National Minimum Standard as a barometer. Our challenge in the Numeracy domain is to continue to improve the proportion of students performing in the top bands.

A number of our Year 7 students have been working on an online numeracy program designed to improve capacity.

In respect to reading comprehension initial data indicates that our students are competent in recalling information from texts but are challenged with making inferential meaning. Our focus across the curriculum has been to identify cues.

Writing remains as the targeted improvement area for Centenary SHS in 2017. We have implemented a range of strategies across subject areas over the last 18 months in order to improve performance in this area.

School Survey

We recently surveyed Years 7 and 11 parents/carers in order to receive feedback on both the respective transition of both cohorts as well as general school practice. The parent/carer response of 69 and 57 respectively has given us quality information in respect to what has worked and what demands further attention or revision. Responses overall were affirming of school practice.

In Year 7 strong support was given for the school’s expectations in regards to behaviour, transition program and range of learning experiences. Areas that still received a favourable response but were not as strongly affirmed were the role of Year 11 mentors in the support of Year 7 students, the amount of homework set and the variety of co-curricular activities.

In Year 11 strong support was given to the school’s expectations in respect to behaviour and uniform and the quality of the transition program. Priority areas of challenge identified were the variety of co-curricular activities and understanding of OP, QCE and Vocational Education.

Rotary Support

Centenary SHS is most fortunate to have the support of Jindalee Rotary who have funded the weekly Chappie breakfasts for several years. Their support allows the school to provide an important community service that supports the wellbeing of all Centenary SHS students.

Student Achievement

Congratulations to our newly appointed Year 7 leaders. The selection process took place toward the end of Term 1 which provided the school with a period of time to better get to know our entry cohort students. The leadership role is an affirmation of the regard in which the selected students are held by staff and students and carries the significant responsibility of representing the views of our 256 students in Year 7 and leading this cohort in our continual improvement agenda. Our Year 7 leaders for 2017 are:

Juan Vargas
Aidan Plapp
Sienna Pritchard
Jayde Radonova

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

BUSINESS SERVICES MANAGER

News from the Business Services Manager

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 (2017) 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.

Student Cards

In the last newsletter we advised that Student cards (Confidential Information Sheet) would be posted to parents/carers. After reviewing our processes the decision has been made not to post these sheets due to confidential information on these documents. Our preferred option now is for parents/carers to email any changes to the school at admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au. 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.

Charmaine Macaulay
Email: cmaca5@eq.edu.au

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION

School Improvement and Innovation

Curiosity

Curiosity is an important ingredient in ‘learning that sticks’. Teachers are constantly looking out for ways to identify gaps in students’ knowledge, errors in their assumptions or to expose students to novel ideas; some of the ‘states of curiosity’1. But what impact does this have on learning?

Researchers assessed the level of curiosity of individuals generated by a set of trivia questions before scanning their brains while they were shown these questions and waited for the answers. During the wait time, they were shown images of random faces. Not only did participants better retain the answers to questions they were most curious about but they were also better at recalling the unrelated information (the faces they were shown)2. Curiosity activated the reward and memory centres in the brain.

Students are constantly challenged to be curious at Centenary SHS – what makes your student curious?

References

1Oudeyer, PY Gottlieb, J Lopes, M 2016, ‘Intrinsic motivation, curiosity and learning: theory and applications in educational technologies’, Progress in Brain Research, Vol 229, 227-284

2Gruber, MJ Gelman, BD Ranganath, C 2014, ‘States of curiosity modulate hippocampus dependent learning via the dopaminergic circuit’, Neuron, Vol 84:2, 486-496

Anna Petrie, School Improvement and Innovation HOD
Email: anpet0@eq.edu.au

GUIDANCE

News from the Guidance Officers

The Importance of Honest Reflection

“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.”

Leonardo da Vinci

Before we embark in earnest on a new term, we need to reflect on the year so far. Focusing on self-reflection is a critical element in making positive change. Many of you have formulated and are working toward a set of academic and personal goals. This is a great START in your quest to improve yourself, but change requires more: you must have an awareness of the distance between where you are now and where you want to be. Many goals are never achieved because people do not take the time to reflect on their progress along the way. If you are not actively taking time to assess the discrepancy between your goal and your current behaviour, your chances of success are low. How can you ensure you achieve your goals if you’re not self-aware enough to know whether you’re on the right path?

The right kind of Reflection

There are two main, almost opposing mistakes that people make when engaging in self-reflection: being overly critical and being overly defensive. Those who are overly critical of themselves tend to focus only on their shortcomings, become overwhelmed at the magnitude of the perceived obstacles to overcome, doubt their ability to meet challenges, and instead decide that any meaningful change is out of their reach. This form of negative self-talk is likely to cause a person to become paralysed or disengaged, rather than inspired and tenacious. On the other hand, those who are quick to defend and justify their behaviour run the risk of stagnating simply because they won’t take ownership of their part in their progress to date. When you convince yourself that you’re doing everything you can in the circumstances, there is really no room or direction for improvement. By absolving yourself of accountability, you are also missing out on the opportunity to actively change your trajectory. Overall, it is important to find a happy medium between blaming yourself and refusing to take responsibility, and that happy medium is honest self-reflection.

The how-to of Reflection

Let’s use academic progress as an example to illustrate how to self-reflect. Models of reflection are generally cyclical, and most feature three stages – do, reflect, plan. In this case, term one was the do: you have attended class, compiled notes, and completed assessment for each subject. Now it’s time to reflect on your experience this term, so that you can plan for improvement next term. The importance of honest, constructive reflection cannot be overemphasised.

Some useful reflection questions include:

What happened?
What strategies did I rely on this term?
What was the outcome?
What was I thinking and feeling throughout term?
What challenged me, and did I successfully overcome that challenge?
When was I most successful, and why?
What have I learnt about the way I think, learn and act?
Can I take any lessons from others around me (peers, older students, teachers, parents)?

The next step in the process is to plan what you will do next. It is important that you identify how you will approach your studies in future. It is really useful at this stage to write down your key learning points, the changes you intend to implement, and any other actions you need to take forward. Writing down your plans makes them more concrete, and makes you more accountable. It is also really helpful after this term (your next round of doing) to have your plan handy so you can reflect upon and improve it.

As you move forward this term, please remember that ANY serious goal you have deserves the time and respect of honest reflection. As my old friend John Dewey once said, “We don’t learn from experience; we learn from reflecting on experience.”

CHAPLAIN

News from the Chaplain

Food for Thought

Every day brings opportunities to experience and enjoy a productive life, but many people let their lives just slip by, accomplishing little. These are the people who often complain of boredom and disappointment with life, but they are often too lazy to take the time to investigate ways of improving their current situation.

What about you? Are you making the most of each day or are you unhappy and just wishing that things were different? If there are things in your life that you know you could change for the better, stop wishing and start considering your options.

If you need a bit of advice to help you, please understand that you are never alone. There are many wonderful organisations, such as UnitingCare Community, who can help you with relationship or financial advice. Here within our school community, we have Guidance Counsellors and other support staff, including myself who are available to you.

Don’t waste one more day. Start making the effort to live life to the full.

A message from Chappy Bernie

Ten Ways Schools Can Reduce Anxiety - Andrew Fuller

The biggest barrier to doing well at school for most students is not their attitude, intelligence or motivation; it is their levels of anxiety. Recent research by Resilient Youth Australia has found that 25% of girls and 21% of boys feel anxious and under strain. These levels shoot up to 69% of girls and 36% of boys by Year 12.

These levels of anxiety are accompanied by sleep and concentration problems, memory difficulties and distractibility. Not to mention a lessening of the joy of learning.

Develop security and safety

Our sense of belonging and attachment is the foundation stone of resilience. Schools are an essential element of belonging.

Identify the fringe dwelling students who no one really knows and devise strategies to link with them.

We need to support teachers to create vibrant stimulating classrooms that are comfortable, safe and where a caring friendly adult is clearly in charge. Now that we have the research on optimal classrooms, we can no longer be content with barren, visually dull spaces that are anonymous and unowned by anyone.

Great schools nurture great souls

Education is about much more than just the marks. You can be good at passing the test but be bad at life.

If we allow the international rat race of PISA results and national testing programs to narrow our focus we will have collateral damage. The cost will come in a lessening of imagination, courage, character and empowerment.

The result on one specific test is transitory. The attitude people take toward learning has lifelong consequences.

Mistakes are opportunities for growth

Shame causes low motivation. It is better, some students reason, to opt out than to endure humiliation.

Classrooms should be more about questions and less about answers. Many people say they learn more from their failures than their successes. Use guestimation games, quizzes, puzzles, mazes, mysteries, forensic clues and problem solving games to build a have-ago mindset. Ask students to give you a wrong answer and to tell you one reason they think it might be wrong.

Mindfulness is presence

Mindfulness is about being aware and being present. Now! Create rituals where everyone can stop and bring their energies and their awareness into the present.

To get great outcomes we need to lessen anxiety. We can achieve this by focusing less on the results and more on awareness and commitment.

Relaxation and Focusing Methods

Make sure staff know and use relaxation and focusing methods. These include guided relaxation, brain gym, breathing exercises, creative problem solving, yoga, drama games, visualisation, art, sport, chanting and body mathematics. Relaxation and focusing methods are not always passive or quiet. Exercise, sports, and rhythmic activities energise and focus brains.

Resilience based coaching

Use the increased presence of mind and focus to empower students to develop skills through resilience based coaching. In resilience based coaching everyone in a school staff, Parents/Carers, students are asked to take on an area to improve upon each term. One of the mottos we use is, “Here everyone gets smart”.

The process is to have each person select an area to focus on and rate their current level on a ten point scale (10 = totally awesome to 1 = dreadfully incompetent). They are then asked to describe what it would look like if they were two points further up that scale. What would be happening differently?

They are then asked to focus on noticing when that happens. That’s it. They aren't asked to work at it, develop improvement plans or have additional coaching to make gains in that area. Just notice it when it occurs.

Instead of focusing on the outcomes and results, direct your attention to what you need to do each day in order to get the results.

Our energy follows our attention. If you can, review progress each term and then either select a new area to focus on or continue working on the current skill. Resilience based coaching reinforces the idea that schools are learning communities where everyone can get better at things.

Think long and hard before you introduce open learning areas

Open learning areas work well in some settings but can be factories for anxiety in others. Sixteen percent of students will have hearing problems to the extent that they will be unable to hear in an open learning area. Creative, independent thinking is often harder in noisy distracting circumstances.

Students who have traumatic backgrounds, have been bullied at schools, have family difficulties or are new arrivals to the country often report higher levels of anxiety in open learning settings.

When you are anxious, your levels of cortisol and adrenaline increase, blood is shifted away from your brain and you are focused on survival rather than learning.

Use apps

There are some wonderful apps that can be used to help schools implement relaxation and focusing programs. At the time of writing two of my favourites are Brainwaves and Buddify.

Teach kids about how their brains work

When students and their parents/carers learn about how their brain works they have a choice. Learning about what drives anxiety and how to shift your gears down is useful information. Also, learning that you can’t believe all of your thoughts and some of your feelings are pretty shifty too, helps people to start thinking about their thinking rather than just being a victim of the latest idea that flies into their heads.

Anxiety is a sign of an overloaded brain. It is toxic to creativity and memory. Learning the signs of stress and knowing what to do to come back to a state of relaxed focus is a skill everyone needs.

We all need good refreshing sleep to learn well. It is a revelation to some people that if you start your day either by denying yourself some fuel or by having a few energy drinks and a bowl of chips you might feel like something has crawled into your head and died there by midmorning.

Put the fun back into learning

Let’s make happiness the key goal of schools. Happiness is the antidote to anxiety. Little kids move, play, explore and question. Then they are told to sit down and do some hard work called learning.

When we put the playfulness back into learning, motivation and engagement increase and performance improves dramatically.

When students are encouraged to take risks, play, create and learn, neuroplasticity increases. If we combine this with good sleep, nutrition and enough physical movement, learning outcomes soar.

Copyright Andrew Fuller www.andrewfuller.com.au

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

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Report

Welcome to Term Two. We have a number of sporting competitions and district finals day this term so I look forward to continually being able to share the results of our individual and team successes.

District Cross-Country

The school Cross Country Team will be competing at the District Cross Country carnival to be held at Limestone Park on Thursday 4 May. Students have received their permission forms and payment and forms are due back to school by Friday 28 April. We have set a goal to win the Percentage Trophy again this year. This can only be accomplished if we fill our school team. Good luck to all of the students competing.

West Akuna Cross Country

The West Akuna Cross Country is being held on the 4 May. This carnival is for the 12 year age group students only. Students who make the team will be given permission forms and information.

Years 7 and 8/9 sports day

The second gala day for summer was held on 21 April. Centenary SHS had an extremely successful two days with students enjoying themselves and getting involved. We won 4 premierships and they will now proceed to the Met Finals.

Centenary SHS fielded all Tennis Teams for the Gala Day, which is the first time in the school’s history that all teams were full. Students had a great day with a number of matches won, developing their skills, making new friends and getting to play at the top Tennis Centre in Queensland. Results wise, the Year 9 Boys lead the way finishing runners up, the Year 9 Girls finished fourth. The Year 7 Boys finished third with the Year 7 Girls in fourth place. Well done to all players!

Coming up on 21 June is the first winter gala day. This day provides competition for Years 7 and 8/9 teams in Volleyball, Tennis, Netball, Basketball, Rugby League/Union and Soccer. Students will be able to trial for a team over the first four weeks of Term 2. I encourage all students to listen to the notices daily so they do not miss the trials for their team sport.

The summer district premier teams who will be moving on to Metropolitan Finals are: Year 7 Girls Softball, Year 7 Boys Basketball, Years 8 & 9 Boys Basketball, Year 7 Boys Volleyball, Year 10 Boys Cricket, Year 10 Boys Volleyball and Open Boys Touch Football. Good luck to all of the teams competing and I look forward to announcing results in the next edition.

Upcoming Dates

May

3rd - 1st round of Met Finals
4th - West Akuna District Cross Country and West Brisbane Cross Country
10th - 2nd round of Met Finals
17th - 3rd round of Met Finals
24th - 4th Round of Met Finals

June

1st - Regional Cross Country
6th - School Field Athletics Day
21st - Day 1 Junior Gala Day (Winter Season)
23rd - School Track Athletics Day

Reporting Results

To enable me to report on student results and to keep accurate records for sports awards, I need to know how participants went in their competitions. I encourage all students and parents/carers to advise me of their results immediately after they have competed.

Students can see me in Staffroom 4 or results can be emailed to: tnasa1@eq.edu.au.

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

STEP

News from STEP

Possums no longer a problem!

A group of students are endeavouring to make life a little more comfortable for our local possum population by making possum boxes in STEP this trimester. This is yet another example of the great opportunities students get in our STEP program at Centenary SHS.

A dedicated group of junior students who are passionate about wildlife have joined with Mr Tobin in learning how to construct a possum box. They want to contribute in preserving native wildlife within their respective neighbourhood. In the project, they refer to a plan endorsed by the National Parks and Wildlife Authority and have been using their skills to construct the boxes during STEP time. Students will then be able to take the boxes and mount them in a tree around their home. Possums are very quick to find these new homes and it is likely that the box will become occupied within 2 nights of it being placed in a tree. This helps to prevent possums from trying to find homes in garden sheds, pergolas or even the house roof area.

This project teaches our students many skills that involve multiple curriculum areas such as Mathematics, Arts, Science and Technology. During the design phase, students need to consider how to allow possums access to the living compartment; how to prevent premature deterioration of the wooden box and most importantly to avoid unwanted inhabitants such as snakes. In order to construct this wooden box, they are required to perform accurate mathematical calculations, interpret information from their plan, competently use different tools and machinery and to assemble their project. These young students perform a high level of workplace safety. Every Wednesday afternoon they are actively engaged with their work; they are not only able to work independently but also work as a team.

By the end of this trimester, each student will produce a possum box that will hopefully accommodate a family of both adult and young possums. These students certainly will bring this wooden box home with a smile!

Sin Woon Thoo, STEP Coordinator
Email: sthoo2@eq.edu.au

CULTURAL DIRECTOR

Cultural News

Welcome back to Term 2. We have a very busy term ahead with some major events coming up.

ANZAC Day

The Symphonic Band conducted by Fiona Harvey was involved in two ANZAC ceremonies in the second week back. Firstly there was the school event on Monday 24th April, and the Mt Ommaney community event on ANZAC Day itself. The band performed with distinction and gravitas at both of the events and I thank them for the wonderful ambassadors that they are for the school. I would also like to specifically mention and thank our soloists who performed at a number of the local ceremonies as well as our own, Andrew Haigh, Lauren Hooper, Grace Franklin and Alex Knowles who all performed brilliantly. Thank you again to our helpful parents/carers and their trailers for getting the gear down to Mt Ommaney for the community service. And last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the incredibly hard work of Fiona Harvey in preparing the Symphonic Band to perform so well. Your commitment and dedication is unsurpassed and we are very fortunate to have such a great teacher at our school.

Legally Blonde

The full rehearsals for Legally Blonde the Musical begin in week five of this term, but plenty has been happening already getting prepared for the show. Auditions were held in the last week of Term 1 for lead performers, giving us a very strong and talented group of students to work with. Congratulations to all of the students given lead roles, in particular the role of Elle Woods, and Nathan Merry as Emmett Forrest. Performances will be in August.

Junior Camp

Junior music camp for Concert Band and String Ensemble is occurring in week three up at QCCC Mapleton. We look forward to some great music making with our young ensembles.

Choir

The school choir have a number of events coming up this month. There is the overnight choir camp to Brookfield on May 18/19 in preparation for Creative Generation Voices. Our performance day for CGV is on Monday 22 May at Springfield Lakes State School. The choir has also been registered for an event on 29 July called “You’re the Voice”. This event is part of the Queensland Music Festival to encourage Australians to unite their voices and turn the tide on domestic violence. The project will bring together thousands of singers from community, school and professional choirs as well as individuals from across the country to join forces in a monumental musical event which will culminate in a moving mass rendition of John Farnham’s powerful anthem. The “You’re The Voice” finale concert will commence at 5pm when more than 2,000 choralists, led by Choral Director Dr Jonathon Welch, will sing for change with QMF Artistic Director Katie Noonan and other star talent in the South Bank Piazza.

Gala Concert

Our major instrumental event for the year is the all groups Gala Concert being held at Ipswich Civic Centre on Sunday 28 May at 2pm. Tickets will go on sale in week three of this term with adults $15 and primary aged children $10. We look forward to seeing you all at this wonderful event.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the various events throughout this term.

Date Claimers

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

FACULTIES

APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

News from Applied Technology

Parent Teacher Consultations

On behalf of the Applied Technology staff, I extend my gratitude to those parents/carers who met with their child’s respective teacher, to discuss progress in the various subjects. The meetings enable teachers and parents/carers to review the student’s term one achievements and consider improvement strategies for Term 2. For parents/carers who were unable to attend either of the two evenings, you are encouraged to contact your child’s teacher directly to discuss how your son/daughter might satisfy their potential during Term 2.

Coffee Kings

Parents/Carers who attended the recent parent teacher consultations may have purchased a freshly brewed coffee from a couple of the school’s barista students.

My gratitude is extended to Emma Love, Ella Holroyd and Jarryd Matthews who operated the coffee machine to provide parents/carers and staff with deliciously hot “real” coffee. As the evening progressed, so too, did the consumption of coffee.

Junior Class Swap

A number of Year 7 classes have been timetabled to commence a five week block of either Home Economics or Industrial Technology and Design (ITD). This is part of the Year 7 curriculum which provides students with an opportunity to experience all aspects of the Applied Technology discipline. Students will swap with their peers after the next five week period to experience the alternative Technology unit.

Students in APT08A, B, C, D or E have swapped at the beginning of Term 2, to experience an alternative Applied Technology unit. Essentially, those students enrolled in Home Economics in Term 1 have swapped to complete a term of ITD and vice versa. One group of Home Economics students elected to continue with a second term of Home Economics with Ms Ace.

Parents/Carers of these students can expect to receive a consent form soon, to be signed and returned. Your attention to this authorisation is appreciated.

Design Challenge

Mr Leppens’ Year 9 ITD classes are presently working through a design challenge task requiring students to design, build and fly a model plane, using 3mm thick foam board as construction material. Students are supplied with a 12 volt motor, a set of wheels and a propeller. Students will create and present ideas using the CAD programme Inventor and will then produce components on the laser cutter. Once the plane has been assembled, it will be connected to a “Power Anchor” to test its ability to fly. Some adjustments may be required to improve the plane’s performance. I invite you to google “Power Anchor” to view the basic concept of the design challenge. We look forward to the development of some innovative aircraft.

Vocational Education and Training Assistance

In previous years, the school offered Certificate I in Furnishings prior to it being rendered obsolete by the VET regulator. However, as an accountability requirement, the school needs to access a tradesperson within the furnishing industry, to validate the programme and its assessment pieces. Essentially, the reviewer needs to confirm whether the content taught and assessed was of an industry standard. If you would like to assist, please register your interest with the ITD department - (Ph. 3373 4507). Only one reviewer is required and I suspect you might need to devote a couple of hours to the task. The staff are happy to clarify any concerns, so any assistance would be genuinely appreciated.

Michael Tobin, Applied Technology HOD
Email: mtobi6@eq.edu.au

HUMANITIES/LOTE

News from Humanities

Welcome back after the Easter Break. We stand before another busy term. Academic reports have been sent and Parent Teacher interviews are already over by the time you read this. Term 2 began as always with ANZAC Day Commemorations in Week 2. This was timely, as we closed Term 1 with a Year 10 History exam on WWII and Year 9s are now beginning a study of WWI, in which we focus strongly on the role ANZACS played at Gallipoli and its enduring mythos.

A number of extra-curricular opportunities for students are regularly offered by the Humanities and Language Faculties. Recently, the annual Linguistics Olympiad was held in which four teams successfully took part for the ninth year running. Every year for the last 10 years, we have also participated in the Australian Geography Competition. This year’s competition was held on Wednesday April 26th. It is run by the Royal Geographical Society of QLD and is sponsored by a six Australian universities. All participants will receive a certificate, with the highest-achieving students being offered a chance to represent Australia at the International Geography Competition, on an all-expenses paid trip overseas later in the year. It was a multiple choice, competition held at three levels:

• Junior: 13 Years & under ( Questions 1-30)
• Intermediate : 14 Years and over (Questions 1- 40)
• Senior: 16 Years and over (Questions 16 – 50)

Many thanks to Claire Law, who assisted me in the running of the competition this year. Many students will also take part in the annual History Competition in the coming weeks.

Students will be in assessment mode early in Term 2, as we change over to new units in many year levels. We appreciate the role parents/carers play in encouraging students to manage their study time effectively whether they are preparing for assessment or completing homework tasks. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns regarding their progress. The most efficient method is usually an email; the email addresses of all staff can be found at the back of the student diary and on the school’s website.

I would also like to thank Humanities staff and the ADMIN team for supporting me in my role as acting HOD in Adrian Skerritt’s absence in Weeks 1 & 2.

Deb Mansini, Humanities/LOTE A/HOD
Email: dmans17@eq.edu.au

SCIENCE

Science Report

Welcome to the new term. This term will be as eventful and busy as Term 1. It is worth reflecting on the past term and celebrating students’ involvement and achievements in a number of opportunities:

Year 11 Science in Practice WH&S Excursion

Students visited the Mount Crosby Water Treatment Facility as part of their Science in Practice curriculum requirements on 17th March.

The aim of the activity was to provide students with an opportunity to experience a workplace in which scientific techniques are routinely used and to give them a chance to understand the importance of workplace health and safety processes and procedures. Additionally, students gained an understanding of the processes that SEQ Water undertakes to ensure the provision of clean water and adequate supply to greater Brisbane from the Wivenhoe Dam catchment.

World Science Festival

Cool Jobs

10 students were selected from the Year 8 EXCEL class to be involved in a World Science Festival event called Cool Jobs. Cool Jobs brought students face-to-face with amazing scientists doing amazing jobs. They learnt what it takes to do some of the coolest jobs on earth and how these people inspire the world to learn and get excited about science.

Pioneers of Science

10 students across the Years 9 & 10 EXCEL classes were selected to attend the Pioneers of Science Program within the World Science Festival. The students were fortunate to hear from Queensland’s very own World renowned Pioneer of the Cervical Cancer vaccine Gardasil, Professor Ian Frazer. Samantha McKay was selected to present one of the questions directed to Professor Frazer.

QUT STEM High School Research Internship Program

Selma Sadek was one of the students who grabbed the opportunity to apply for the above program when it was brought to the attention of Year 12 Science students. Selma was one of 24 students who was successful among a field of 150 Queensland students who applied to be a part of the above program. This is what Selma had to say:

“Almost 14.5 million people were diagnosed with some form of cancer, a disease caused by the uncontrolled division of abnormal/mutated cells, in 2014 alone. However, thanks to cancer research, advances in surgical practices, radiation therapy, drug development and treatment methods in the past decade, it has allowed us to increase cancer survival rates by 13%!

In the first week of the Term 1 holidays, I was able to obtain first-hand experience in the field of cancer research and work with a team of esteemed researchers at the Translational Research Institute, Princess Alexandra Hospital as a part of the STEM High School Research Internship Program by QUT. I found out about this opportunity through an email from Mr. Moodley, the Science Faculty HOD, in early Term 1 inviting us to consider applying for one of the limited 24 places in this program. The application process mainly consisted of obtaining a letter of recommendation from a teacher, submitting previous report cards and filling out a statement of purpose form comprising of answers to five questions about personal achievements and future ambitions.

During my time at the internship, not only did I learn about DNA damage and how it can lead to cancer, but also got the chance to conduct my own experiment. With guidance from my supervising researcher, I prepared a melanoma (a type of skin cancer) tissue culture and irradiated it with UVB rays, which create breakages in the cells’ DNA strands, to then study how the cells repair themselves. I was introduced to a lot of advanced apparatus such as micropipettes and live cell imaging systems as well as laboratory techniques including gel electrophoresis and immunofluorescence. As high achieving as the scientists were, they were also very friendly and down-to-earth and made the experience as fun as it was educational.

This has been quite a valuable experience that has given me a deeper insight into the world of medical research and the important role it plays in our society. I strongly encourage other students to constantly have an eye open for opportunities to pursue what they love and to get involved in the many programs and events provided and promoted by our school whether that be in science or any other subject that they enjoy. Not only has this helped me with making decisions regarding my future career choices, it will also help me with future applications to help me pursue my passion towards science.”

Selma conducting tests on cancer cells at the TRI laboratory.

Staff success

We are pleased to announce and congratulate Patrick Griffin on his success in securing a study scholarship to Switzerland through CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research). His success is a vindication of the tremendous effort Patrick puts into interrogating the science curriculum and his practice for positive student outcomes both at the junior and senior level.

We begin Term 2 on a positive note as well by recognising the students who were successful in their application to be part of the School’s UQ Science Ambassadors team. They are:

Caity McMahon
Sam Wallace
Holly Wilson
Jessica Tse
Jack Machan
Majurran Vimalan

These students will be tasked with promoting and raising the profile of science at our school and in the wider community.

Once again this term our students will be presented with opportunities to explore science outside the classroom as well as demonstrate their enthusiasm for and expertise in science through their participation in science competitions.

Excursions and competitions

Allen Moodley, Science HOD
Email: amood23@eq.edu.au

THE ARTS

News from The Arts

Welcome to Term 2! Term 1 was a blur of excitement as students settled into new classes, met their teachers and started learning; and ended with assessment, deadlines and cyclonic winds! We start Term 2 rested and ready for a busy term. The key events in the Arts faculty this term include two showcase events: the Instrumental Music Gala and the Year 7 Performance Plus and Music Plus Showcase. We look forward to your attendance at these events as we celebrate the work of our many talented students.

Congratulations to the students who have been successful in their recent auditions for lead roles in the upcoming school musical, Legally Blonde: Lauren Hooper, Nathan Merry, Ethan Smith, Allie Lagos, Grace Williams, Brendan Ham, Nina Sarapa, Ashleigh Vandermaat and Lucy McKellar. Mark the dates for the musical in your diaries now – August 25 & 26.

Term 1 Reports

It has been very pleasing to see many students achieving great success on their Term 1 report cards. It is important to note that often in Arts subjects, there are three dimensions to be assessed for each subject and that for the interim reports not all dimensions may have been completed. For students who weren’t happy with the results they achieved, there are opportunities to turn things around by putting in more effort, asking more questions in class or seeking help from their teachers. A snapshot of the student success is below. The graph shows the percentage of students in each class achieving a C standard or better. As you can see, almost every class is over 80%, with a larger number showing 90% or higher. Well done Arts students!

Excursions and Events

Senior Visual Art Excursion

“As part of the extensive school curriculum offered to students enrolled at Centenary SHS, both Years 11 and 12 Visual Art students were extended the opportunity to explore the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG). During this outing, students were required to complete activities and essential coursework, specific to each year level, encouraging idea development and progression in assessment and student works. Additionally, the excursion proved to unite classes through enjoyment, together learning the unique ideas and formats expressed through modernism. During the time there, students experienced and observed various art installations and pieces, enhancing students’ observation and individuality. From paintings to sculptures, minds were awakened and inspired. Confronting, yet beautiful, works highlighted an array of visual art elements and principles of design, opening the minds and initiating creative instincts within the classes. It is vital for students to access a firsthand interaction with their studies, blossoming their creativity and interest for the program and their own practises. Skills of analysing and reflecting were required to complete the assigned activities, coming together with students’ own creative and artistic perceptions, thoughts and ideas. This annual excursion is a time of excitement and wonder for students, being one of the most eye-opening and enjoyable visual experiences the school’s program offers.” Emma & Shana, Year 12 Visual Art Ambassadors.

Years 10-12 Music Excursion

The senior music classes visited QPAC this week to see the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. This concert was an outstanding celebration of student musical talent, with two student performances in the program. One performance was by Russian pianist, Alexander Malofeev. At just 13 years of age, he won first prize in an International Piano competition, and students were able to see him, now aged 16, perform a very technical Rachmaninov piano piece. It was certainly inspiring to see someone the same age performing with the orchestra! Some quotes from the students:

“It made me re-think my life choices because of how good the soloists were and I couldn’t believe they could play at that level at our age” Isabella & Jenna

“It was really amazing to see them play rather than just listening” Abbie

“It. Was. Great.” Clayton

“The conductor was captivating and had great interaction with the audience” Jenna

“I’m really disappointed I didn’t go because I missed out on the concert and everybody is talking about it” Liam

“9.5/10” Humphrey

Music Plus

Two of our very talented Year 8 Music Plus students performed in front of the whole Year 8 cohort recently on assembly. The students added an extra level of difficulty to their performance by singing in Spanish! Well done Ricardo and Oscar!

Performance Plus

Students in Years 8 and 9 Performance Plus have completed their first performances of the year, preparing a multimodal presentation on the topic of the musical. This term sees their dance and drama specialisations commencing, with students participating in professional workshops conducted by the Queensland Theatre Company and RAW Dance.

Finally, what is the goal for this term? What are your children trying to achieve in their studies? You can encourage your child and prepare them for success by reminding them of the importance of regular practice. Practising what you learn strengthens your brain pathways and memory. Your brain remembers 90% if you revisit notes within 24 hours; 30% if you wait 3 days and after an month, only 3-4%.

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

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 11 Report

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” To a young child, this can be an exciting question to ponder, ripe with possibilities. To a Year 11 student, a mere eighteen months away from leaving our cosy school grounds for the last time, it might be a rather more terrifying query.

Year 11 Home Groups have been involved in Career Planning activities over recent weeks. As usual, many students have demonstrated a very strong resolve to enter a particular career pathway, while others have somewhat less-defined visions of their futures. It’s always interesting to see our students grappling with the question of what they want to do post-school at a time when it suddenly starts to seem “real”.

On a less existential note, congratulations to Mr Foster’s Home Group, Curragundi 11C, for winning the year’s first HG Challenge. Our wonderful Student Leaders organised a two-pronged contest – a trivia contest followed by a tug-of-war – that pitted friend against friend and teacher against teacher. The winners enjoyed a pizza party.

Apologies to parents/carers who are terrified at the prospect of their offspring getting behind the wheel of a car, but a recent presentation by the RACQ gave our cohort a great overview of how to achieve their automotive dreams. An upcoming presentation from Queensland Emergency Services will offer a more sobering account of the responsibilities of being on the road.

The Semi-Formal is set for Friday, May 26! It will begin with a Fancy Dress parade at school, before students are bussed to the city to board the Kookaburra Queen. Letters will be sent to parents/carers very soon. Expect to see some very colourful photos in the June newsletter!

Terry Oberg, Year 11 Coordinator
Email: tober11@eq.edu.au

Term 2 Home Group Program

Year 9 Report

Term 1 went impossibly fast! Leadership ceremonies, school photos and all the usual routines to begin a new school year are over again until 2018. The annual Clean-up Australia Day in March was again a great success. Many thanks to our Forum leaders Dru, Amy, Imogen, Sam, Victoria, Sarah, Lilly & Tom, who organised and ran this event! Our Year 9 cohort has some very committed and thoughtful young ladies and gentlemen who care about environmental and other community issues. Thanks to the teachers, who encouraged and helped!

“Behind the Scenes”

Reports have been sent and Parent Teacher Interviews already over by the time you read this, but I trust you all enjoyed a restful, and enjoyable Easter term break.

Term 2 is ‘short’ in HG terms, as there are no sessions during the first three weeks, due to two public holidays in Weeks 1 & 3, and our annual ANZAC DAY ceremony Monday of Week 2. The overarching responsibility of the Home Group Program is to foster the social and emotional wellbeing of students. Each term has a theme relating to one aspect of wellbeing, career development or personal development. Term 1 focussed strongly on encouraging a positive start to the academic year and goal-setting. The encouragement of respectful interactions is an essential part of our role in Home Group, so Term 2 is themed “Bringing Back the Friend”. The sessions are designed to provide students with an insight into their own emotions and actions and encourage respectful interactions. In HG sessions from Weeks 5 – 9, under the guidance of our School-based Mental Health Nurse Dyanne Moxham, students will examine and address areas related to relationships. The materials have been tailored to suit the needs of this cohort and are age-specific. The five-week program will also complement aspects of the current Health and Physical Education unit for this term. The resources have been adapted specifically for our Year 9 HG program using QLD & Victorian Department of Education resources. The topics we will be covering over Weeks 5 – 9 include:

• Why be Respectful?
• Emotional Literacy
• Personal Strengths
• Problem Solving

Delivery will be via the usual Monday HG ‘lessons’. As there will be a number of hands-on activities, students need to have an exercise book (as outlined in the booklist) to paste these resources into and to write in when appropriate. These notebooks could also be of interest to students in later years, giving them a ‘timeline’ of their junior secondary years. Could I please ask for your support by encouraging your son or daughter to bring the following equipment to HG lessons? Many thanks.

• A small exercise book (48 pages will suffice)
• Pen or pencil for writing
• Glue stick & scissors for the pasting of handouts

I will be on leave for part of this term, so many thanks to Kate George, who will be acting in the role of Year 9 Coordinator in my absence. Term 3 focus will be on teamwork and subject selections for Year 10. In Term 4, students will prepare to be ‘moving up’ into the senior school (!) in 2018 so themes relating to career planning will be added to the program. We will celebrate the transition from Junior to Senior school in Week 9 with a special assembly.

Please contact me if you have concerns regarding the welfare of your student, or Kelsey Oakes, the Year 9 DP.

Year 9 Home Group Teachers

CU09A Sophia JAHAN
CU09B Kate GEORGE
CU09C Siew Lin TEH
JA09A Alison WILLIAMS
JA09B Shanti REDDY
MO09A Amy KITTER
MO09B Peter WINN
YA09A David FREELAND
YA09B Tony NAIDOO

Debra Mansini, Year 9 Coordinator
Email: dmans17@eq.edu.au

Year 7 Report

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope that all families have had a good holiday and that everyone is feeling refreshed and ready for lots of learning and activity through to our mid-year break late in June.

Annual NAPLAN testing will take place in week four of this term. NAPLAN tests provide ‘snap-shot’ information in relation to student performance. Students have been given opportunities in class to practice NAPLAN-style questions so that the format of the tests will be familiar to them. Please reassure your children that NAPLAN is nothing to worry about and is just another school activity.

In our Home Groups, we will be working on the My Friends Youth Skills for Life programme. The programme aims to treat and prevent anxiety, increase emotional resilience and problem solving activities and teach lifelong coping skills to young people to protect them against stress and change throughout life. We also hope to work with our Year 11 Mentors as they have now settled into their senior schooling and are ready to get back into the Year 7 classrooms!

Parent Teacher interviews have taken place over the last two weeks. This was a wonderful opportunity to review your child’s progress with their teacher.

Finally, I am happy to share the experience of a group of Year 7 students who participated in the World Science Festival at the end of last term. A very special thanks to Mr Tony Oliver who organised this event, which was clearly enjoyed by all!

Future BNE Challenge

A group of Year 7 students from Centenary State High School travelled to South Bank for the Future BNE Challenge. Many different schools participated in challenges revolving around ways to secure Brisbane’s future water needs in the context of rising salinity levels and low fossil fuel energy inputs allowable. We started with speeches from some amazing people, like Doctor Karl Kruszelnicki, who told us some interesting things about water, such as the role of algae. Algae is good for water but too much is not good. We had a certain amount of time to complete a few challenges. The challenges started with finding some cards. Each card contained factual evidence and a problem. We then had to brainstorm ways each problem could be solved. For example, we wrote about ways we could filter water, make water and sustainable farming practices featuring native food resources. Then we made diagrams showing this. Soon after that we made an amazing 3D model of the farm. This was the final challenge. Overall, we had a super fun time and learnt more about science. Thanks to Mr. Oliver, our Science teacher, and Centenary State High School Junior Secondary Faculty for paying the challenge entry and taxi costs.

Karyn Abraham, Year 7 Coordinator
Email: kabra21@eq.edu.au

NEWS FROM THE P&C

This year your P&C is embarking on a number of projects that will assist in the educational outcomes as well as general enjoyment of your children within the school.

We help to fill a financial gap between what the State Government provides and what the school needs through several fund-raising activities as well as the operation of our canteen and uniform businesses.

As always, we are a small band of dedicated parents/carers and community members who take a keen interest in our school and the success of its students. All our members work and lead busy lives and would really appreciate the help of more parents/carers to maximise our ability to help all our children.

We don’t ask for big commitments – the old adage “many hands make light work” is never more apt. Just a few hours per year helping in an area that matches your skills will make a huge difference. Some things that come to mind are:

• Marketing/Graphic design to help prepare some of our promotional items
• Event planning for our successful annual Trivia Night which helps finance our student support fund
• Volunteer to assist in the canteen (even once a month or once a term is a great help)
• Attend our regular monthly meetings and participate in some of the decisions that have an impact on the school – only about 1 hour per month
• Some of the projects that we have planned this year include:
• Raising funds to help provide air-conditioning for classrooms
• Urgently needed repairs to the Long-Jump pit on the sports oval
• Upgrading the Canteen facilities to more efficiently provide our children with a wide range of healthy food choices

If you’d like to offer any assistance, no matter how small, for any of the above just drop us an email at pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au. Of course, you would be very welcome to come along to our meetings which are held most months on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm in the Resource Centre.

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