12th October 2017 Volume 19 Number 10

News from the Principal

Welcome back to Term 4 to all members of the Centenary SHS community. I trust that all our students have had a relaxing break and are ready for the challenges of Term 4. The Year 12s in particular have a busy schedule over the next few weeks with final assessment before the signature events around graduation. It is essential that our seniors maintain their focus on their studies and continue to strive to improve in their results as there is still time to make a difference in their academic outcomes.

I look forward to meeting many of you in the number of community events we are hosting over the next few weeks.

In respect to Term 4 Staffing, we welcome back Alison Spencer. Her primary role for the term will be working with Years 11 and 12 students towards QCE attainment.

Lachie Gibbs has been appointed Acting HOD HPE replacing Steve Mills.

We also have Carla Clarke replacing Karen Hoschke-Mills in Home Economics for the term.

Additionally for the first two weeks we have Amanda Doyle replacing Alison Williams and Sid Mines replacing Russ Greaves.

School Review

In Week 8 of Term 3 the school undertook its Quadrennial Review. The process involved four experienced Education Department personnel reviewing school programs and engaging in interviews across all stakeholder groups over four days. The final report is very affirming in respect to the programs and practices implemented over the last four years and supplies a blueprint for future direction. The full Executive Summary is on the school’s website.

Key Findings were:

Students and staff members have a strong sense of belonging and students, staff members and parents/carers speak highly of the school.

The school leaders are committed to building the professional capacity of staff members consistent with the school’s EIA.

The school has an explicit, coherent, sequenced, whole-school curriculum plan for curriculum delivery across Year 7 to Year 12. The plan makes clear what teachers should teach and students should learn.

The school leadership team recognises that highly effective teaching is the key to improving student learning throughout the school.

There is a strong belief by staff members that every student can learn successfully. This belief is underpinned by the school mission of “Empowering our students for individual success.”

The school has determined the use of digital technologies as a school priority.

There are some strong marketing structures across the school.

School leaders and individual teachers seek ways to enhance student learning and wellbeing by partnering.

Review Recommendations:

Develop Quality Assurance (QA) processes to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of programs toward progressing the school improvement agenda.

Develop the capacity of the senior leadership team in providing quality feedback regarding teaching and learning.

Further develop the capacity of teachers to enable the consistent use of differentiated classroom learning experiences.

Develop and implement short and long-term plans to enhance the integration of digital technology and pedagogies.

Leverage the existing marketing strategies to highlight the school’s significant academic achievements and learning opportunities.

Facility Upgrades

Air conditioning has been installed in a further 16 classrooms across the school over the Spring Vacation. We appreciate very much the contributions of the P&C toward this project.

Sun Safety

With the warmer weather it is timely to remind our families of our Sun Safety policy. All students on the oval and court area must wear a sun safe hat. In HPE classes, students are expected to wear a hat but in the circumstances where it is not practical due to the nature of the physical activity, sunscreen must be applied.

Student Success

Congratulations to the following students who participated in the Queensland Conservatorium of Music State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP).

Kimmi Holmes - Voice
Ethan Smith - Clarinet
Harry Lipscombe - Alto Saxophone
Lachlan Crawley - Tenor Saxophone
Humphrey Munn - Cello

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

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Newsletter Articles

News from the Deputy Principals

Semester 2 Interim Reports

By now all students in Years 7 to 12 should have received their Semester 2 Interim reports via e-mail. This report provides students and parents/carers with a progress update which reflects their academic result, effort and behaviour for their subjects for Term 3. These reports were e-mailed to all parents/carers at the end of Week 1 in Term 4. If you did not receive a report please contact the school to arrange a copy. Please also check to make sure that your contact details, especially your e-mail address, are up to date so that you do not miss out on this important information. If any contact details have changed can you please inform the office staff.

Presentation Evening – Thursday 26 October, 2017

All parents/carers are cordially invited to attend our annual Presentation Evening on Thursday 26 October, 2017, at 7.00pm in the Sport Centre. This important night on our school calendar allows us to recognise the fantastic work and achievements of our students across a broad range of areas. All students who are receiving awards will be notified beforehand, except for our special, major award winners which will be revealed on the night. We would love for you to join us on this special occasion and hope to see you there.

Matt McDonald, Deputy Principal (Year 12)
Email: mmcdo156@eq.edu.au

Adam Richter, Deputy Principal (Years 10, 11, ATSI & International)
Email: arich60@eq.edu.au

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

Kelsey Oakes, Deputy Principal (Years 8, 9 & EALD)
Email: koake10@eq.edu.au

News from the Business Manager

Clearance Forms

This week all Year 12s were issued with the “2017 Clearance Form”. Students are required to complete this form and return it to the office by the due dates listed below. This process ensures that resources borrowed from the school are returned and accounted for. These items may include textbooks, library books, musical instruments and other equipment that will be required in 2018.

This checklist also gives parents/carers the opportunity to update personal details, explain any outstanding absences and finalise any outstanding fees that may be on the system.

Please note: Year 10s and Year 11s will receive their forms at the end of October.

The following important deadlines are outlined for Years 10, 11 & 12 students.

*Due dates can be extended if items are required for assessment.

NOTE FORMAL ATTENDANCE: A condition for attendance to the FORMAL and/or MYSTERY TOUR is the return of the completed 2017 Clearance Form.

Years 7, 8 and 9 Clearance Forms will be issued in early November.

Statements

Statements will been generated and emailed (or posted) this week. All fees relating to the 2017 calendar year are due by 31 October, unless you have entered into a payment plan. Please note that these statements include the 2018 Student Resource Scheme. The 2018 fees do not require payment until next year.

If your family is experiencing financial difficulties, please contact the school office to make alternative payment arrangements.

How to make a payment

Payments can be made over the counter by cash or EFTPOS (Debit Card, MasterCard or Visa), by BPOINT or QParents. BPOINT and QParents options allow parents/carers the convenience of making payments from home and alleviates the need to pay over the counter transactions in person. For more information about QParents, please refer to the school’s website.

BPOINT Option

BPOINT is an online payment system and is the preferred payment method for the Department.

This option is accessed through an internet weblink at the link below which appears on all invoices and statements. This link can also be located in the Quicklinks section of our school’s website homepage. You will need the Customer Reference Number (CRN) which is printed on the bottom of your invoice/statement before payment can be processed.

When accessing the BPOINT weblink on individual invoices all relevant information will prepopulate. Parents/Carers will only be required to enter their credit or debit card details.

INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR) BPOINT is also available by dialling the 1300 number provided on individual invoices. This option will only accept credit cards.

ELECTRONIC DIRECT DEBIT REGISTRATION (eDDR) BPOINT is the approved payment plan option. To set up a payment plan parents/carers will be required to contact the school office first.

For more information on BPOINT please refer to the school’s website.

PHONE OR COUNTER payments Options

Payments can be made at the school office, Monday to Friday between 8.00am and 4.00pm. Payment options include credit and debit cards (EFTPOS), cheque and cash. Money orders are also accepted.

For payments over the phone, call the school on 3373 4555, Monday to Friday between 8.00am and 4.00pm and we will transfer you to the IVR BPOINT 1300 dedicated phone number. Only VISA or MasterCard can be used for this process. From 2018 schools are no longer able to accept credit card payments over the phone.

Changes to the way we invoice for 2018

As previously advised there are changes in the way we invoice parents/carers for 2018. In line with these changes, invoices for the Student Resource Scheme were issued this week to all currently enrolled students returning in 2018. An early bird discount of $20 is applicable, if paid prior to 28 January 2018. These invoices now have a finalisation date of 31 July 2018, for those who do not wish to pay before the discount date.

For more information about the Student Resource Scheme and all other related fees please refer to our website or by contacting the school by email at admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

Lost Property

Students should check the school office for any property they believe they have lost. If property is marked with the student’s name, every effort will be made to return the property to the student as soon as possible. Parents/Carers are most welcome to visit the school and check the lost property section for items that their student may have lost.

Items of school uniform which remain unclaimed after one month will be placed in the “spare uniform” collection kept at the school for emergency situations or will be sent to the school uniform shop for sale as ‘second-hand’ uniforms. Other unclaimed items will be donated to charities.

Charmaine Macaulay, Business Manager
Email: cmaca5@eq.edu.au

News from Learning Assistance

Welcome to Term 4, as the end of the year fast approaches. Learning Assistance was kept very busy assisting students and teachers with exams and assessments in the lead up to the end of Term 3. With all that behind us and before the next round comes, we would like parents/carers to send in any documentation they may have for their student in order to support provisions that may be made for them on their student needs basis. Documentation could be in the form of a letter from a Health Professional such as a GP, specialist doctor, psychologist, occupational therapist and speech pathologist. With this documentation we are able to give students assistance through a range of things. These provisions may be separate supervision/support in exams/assignments, extra time, use of computer or assistive technology, prompting, withdrawal into a smaller class, layering of the language and differentiation. Learning Assistance also runs a lunchtime session every day that any student can attend to obtain help to start or complete any assessments and homework. This is available at both AM and PM breaks daily. For any student that may require or need a little more assistance we also have afterschool tutoring available. A couple of new Learning Assistance Teacher Aides who have joined us recently are Miss Grace Mansfield and Miss Jess Cuskelly.

Please email or call if you have any questions or concerns regarding this information. We look forward to seeing your student and assisting wherever we are able to.

Diana Huber, Learning Assistance Coordinator
Email: dhube1@eq.edu.au

New Zealand Ski Trip 2018

Centenary SHS will be offering the opportunity for current students in Years 9, 10 and 11 to travel to Queenstown, New Zealand in the 2018 June/July School Holidays to Ski or Snowboard.

There will be a Parent Information Session in the coming weeks with deposits due soon after.

The trip will include:

• Return flights Brisbane to Queenstown
• Departure and security taxes ex-Australia and New Zealand
• All coach travel as required
• Accommodation in town – 7 Nights 4 star Accommodation (Copthorne Resort or similar)
• Cooked buffet breakfast daily and dinner at a variety of Queenstown Restaurants
• Gondola to Skyline Restaurant for buffet dinner
• Kiwi Haka Show – Maori cultural experience
• 5 days skiing/snowboarding with daily lessons, lift tickets and hire of skis/snowboard and helmet
• Optional Jet Boating and Luge

To be added to the mailing list, please email Mr Haines on rhain0@eq.edu.au.

Richard Haines, Ski Trip Coordinator
Email: rhain0@eq.edu.au

News from the Guidance Officers

Focus on Mental Health

Mental Health Week is on from 8 to 14 October this year with World Mental Health Day on 10 October, so this seems like an opportune time to visit some strategies for maintaining positive mental health. The World Health Organisation defines mental health as “a state of wellbeing in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Stressors and other risk factors can erode mental health, but equally protective factors can enhance it. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Headspace’s tips for maintaining good mental health.

Get informed

Understanding more about what you’re going through is an important first step. Information to help you make good decisions about relationships, school, finances and seeking help is available in a number of ways. Read pamphlets, articles or fact sheets, listen to podcasts, talk to others or watch videos about others who have had similar experiences, read trusted websites for information, or ask a trusted adult for advice.

Eat well

Eating well doesn’t only reduce the risk of physical health problems, like heart disease and diabetes, but it can also help with your sleeping patterns, energy levels, and your general health and wellbeing. You might have noticed that your mood can affect your appetite and food intake. A good balanced diet with less of the bad things (e.g. junk food and lots of sugars) and more of the good things (e.g. vegies, fruit, whole grains and plenty of water) will make sure you have all of the vitamins and minerals to help your body and brain function well.

Sleep well

Getting a good night’s sleep helps you feel energised, focused and motivated. Adolescence is a time when a number of changes to the “body clock” impact on sleeping patterns and you are more likely to have problems with sleep. Developing a sleeping routine can help you sleep much better. To do this try to wake up around the same time each day, get out of bed when you wake up, and go to bed around the same time each night. Avoiding caffeine after lunchtime, having a quiet, dark and uncluttered bedroom and shutting down your phone, laptop and other electronic devices before bed can also help you get a good night’s sleep.

Physical activity

Physical activity is important for everyone’s health and wellbeing. If you’re feeling down or finding things are difficult, physical activity may be the last thing you feel like doing. But even small activities like walking around the block can help relieve stress and frustration, provide a good distraction from your thoughts, help you concentrate and can help you look and feel better. Find a physical activity that you enjoy (e.g. swimming, playing sports with friends or cycling) and make a plan to do it regularly.

Reduce harmful effects of alcohol and drug use

Some people make the mistake of thinking that taking drugs and/or alcohol can help get them through tough times. While it may help people to cope temporarily, drugs and alcohol are one of the leading causes of harm to Australian young people and can contribute to, or trigger, mental health problems over time. Being responsible and reducing your use can improve your health and wellbeing.

Set realistic goals

Setting realistic goals can help you to work toward a healthy headspace. Small, realistic goals can be a great way to work toward feeling well – everyone has to start somewhere. Work toward eating well, getting more active, sleeping better and also think about working toward long-term life goals. Setting and achieving realistic goals can be incredibly motivating and can help build self-confidence.

Change your self-talk

Self-talk is the way that you talk to yourself, that voice inside your head. It can be positive (e.g. “I can make it through this exam”) or negative (e.g. “I’m never going to be able to pass this subject”). There are a number of things you can do to change the direction of your self-talk. First, listen to your inner voice – is your self-talk helping you or reinforcing bad feelings? Next, try to replace your negative thoughts with more realistic ones. Try to look for a more rational spin on your situation or think of strategies to tackle your problems, rather than giving up hope. By working on your self-talk the more you’ll feel confident and in control of yourself.

Relax

There are many ways to relax and different relaxation techniques to use to overcome stress. Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and relaxing specific groups of muscles from your feet all the way to your head, while focussing on your feelings of tension and relaxation. You could also try breathing techniques, such as deep breathing or focussed breathing (breathing in through the nose and as you breathe out say a positive statement to yourself like ‘relax’ or ‘calm down’). Place a hand over your diaphragm to make sure you’re breathing slowly – you should feel your hand move if you’re doing it right. Focus on breathing in slowly for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 2 seconds and breathing out slowly for 6 seconds.

Be socially active and get involved

Social relationships are really important to your general wellbeing. It is okay to take time out for yourself but friends can provide support when you’re having a tough time. Spending time with friends is also really important for keeping and building on existing friendships. Getting involved with volunteer work, hobbies, clubs or committees, or sports can help you feel connected to your wider community while also meeting new people. If you’re not feeling up to going out, even a phone call, email, text message or Facebook message can help us feel connected to friends and family.

Practice conflict resolution

Having a hard time with friends or family is difficult for most people. Talking through the issues in a calm and thoughtful way is the best approach. Avoid getting personal, be willing to compromise and listen to their perspective.

Help and be kind to others

Do something to help someone else. Acts of kindness help other people but also make you feel good. Give a compliment, offer to help someone out or volunteer either on a once off project or an ongoing basis and allow yourself to feel good for making someone else feel good.

Develop assertiveness skills

Being assertive means standing up for your own rights; valuing yourself and valuing others’ opinions without letting them dominate you. This can help build your self-esteem and self-respect. Being assertive is not the same as being aggressive. Remember to always listen, be prepared to compromise and be respectful of the other person’s opinion, while still being confident, calm and knowing what you want.

Seek help

A problem can sometimes be too hard to solve alone, even with support from friends and family. Be honest with yourself about when you may need support and get professional help. You can see your general practitioner (GP), make an appointment to chat to someone at your local headspace centre or visit the link below. Finding help might feel scary at the start but it gets easier over time. Getting support can help you to keep on track with school, study or work, and in your personal and family relationships. The sooner you get help the sooner things can begin to improve for you.

Acknowledgement: Tips for a Healthy Headspace

Juanita Oberle, Guidance Officer
Email: jober13@eq.edu.au

Janet Ingram, Guidance Officer
Email: jingr34@eq.edu.au

News from the Chaplain

Food for Thought

Earlier in the year I heard a speaker talking about the year ahead. The audience was challenged to consider giving up two things in their lives that may be having a negative effect on them.

This made me think of a couple of things that almost all of us are guilty of doing – complaining and arguing. If you think that this doesn’t apply to you, try to get through just one whole day without saying something negative either to someone or about someone. You’ll be amazed at how hard that is.

If someone or something is upsetting you, make the decision to not keep talking about the issue – without fuel the fires of anger will subside.

Why not give it a try and give up – complaining and arguing.

A message from Chappy Bernie

Ten Hints for Creating Resilient Families

Resilience is the happy knack of being able to bungy jump through life. When the inevitable pitfalls and setbacks of life occur, it is as if you have an elasticised rope around your middle that helps you to bounce back from hard times.

No. 1 - Promote Belonging

The sense of belonging we have is the strongest antidote we know of for self-harm, depression and drug abuse and it’s built on our sense of belonging. Children are most resilient when they have three types of belonging:

1. A sense of being part of a family
2. Having different friendships to belong to
3. Having an adult outside their family who connects with them

No. 2 - Have some mooch time

We live in a world that suffers from attention deficit disorder. We rush children from activity to activity, from lesson to lesson and from one organised event to another. Then we wonder why, when there is a lull, they say “I’m bored”. Be a counter-revolutionary. Find some time each week just to be at home without anything structured happening. Quiet times allow children to develop creativity and ingenuity.

No. 3 - Rediscover some family rituals

Family rituals are string predictors of resilience. It doesn’t matter whether it is the family walk after dinner, the Sunday roast, the Friday night pizza or the Saturday morning clean up, rituals are highly protective. The best rituals often cost nothing. These are the activities you hope that later on your children will reminisce and say “Mum always made sure we did…” or Dad always made sure we did...”

No. 4 - Spontaneity and curiosity

Spontaneity and curiosity are the building blocks of good mental health. You cannot tell someone how to have better mental health and you can't give it to them by getting them to read a book. So the really hard message here is that if you want to raise your children to have mentally healthy lives you are going to have to have a good time yourself. If you want your children to succeed you need to show them that success is worth having.

No. 5 - Love kids for their differences

When families function well people are allowed to be different and to be loved for those differences. We all know that children take on different roles. A father of three said, “It’s as if they have a planning meeting once a year and say ‘you be the good kid, I’ll be the sick kid and the other one can be the trouble-maker’! And then just when you think you’ve got it figured out they change roles again.” Having children who are strongly individual and who have a sense of who they are is a sign of good parenting. The problem may of course be that they will then express their independent spirit in ways that you don't like. The ideal is a mix between someone who preserves their own uniqueness and is able to work with others without becoming dictated to by them. Someone who has their own independent nature but is comfortable enough with themselves to allow inter-dependence.

No. 6 - It is clear who is in charge

Families do not work well as democracies. In fact they seem to work best as benevolent dictatorships in which the parent or parents consult a lot with their children but at the end of the day, the parent has the final say. Some parents fear that if they take charge that they will lose the friendship of their children, but often the reverse is true. In families where parents fail to take their own role seriously, children may feel that to express their independence they need to engage in risk taking behaviour and avoid responsibility. Authoritative parenting allows children to feel safe, have clear boundaries and flourish.

No. 7 - Consistency

Consistency is the ideal. Having parents who agree on rules and standards and who convey the same sorts of messages and value compassion over coercion clearly has the best outcome in terms of children’s wellbeing. It is also important that parents not be open to manipulation and that they work together as a team. Life however is not always so simple and we all know from sad and sour experience that parents cannot always be consistent. Sometimes parents have different value systems or can’t come to a consistent way to handle particular areas. In these situations, a second possibility is for one parent to take charge of a particular area. This is not the most desirable solution but it is better than having parents in conflict over management issues or worse, undermining one another. In single parent families or where parents are separated the same principles apply.

No. 8 - Teach the skills of self-esteem

Families that work well seem to praise one another a lot. Compliments are made, positive efforts are commented on. Optimism is in the air. Even in these families, teenagers still shrug and say, “Yeah Mum” or “Yeah Dad” whenever a compliment is made. Teaching the skills of self-praise is useful. One way of doing this is to ask questions extensively about any achievement or accomplishment. Ask questions like “How did you do that?”, “How come you did so well at that test?”, “What did you do?” and “Have you been doing homework behind my back?”

No. 9 - Know how to argue

Families that work well know how to argue. It seems strange to say this because we all have the sense that families that work well don't have conflicts. The family is really where we learn to resolve disputes fairly. The way that parents teach children to resolve differences of opinion with their brothers and sisters provides the basis for sharing, negotiating and problem solving in the world beyond the family. While differences of opinion should be allowed to be expressed, children also need to learn that they will not be able to win at all cost.

No. 10 - Parents are reliably unpredictable

With young children it is important to provide consistency and predictability. This allows them to feel sure of you. After a while though, a bit of predictability can go a long way. To many children, most parents are about as predictable as a washing machine cycle. It is important to have structure and consistency but it is also useful to act in ways that your children wouldn’t expect. This keeps them interested in learning from you or least wondering what you are up to. Perhaps the most important feature of parents in healthy families is that they realise that all of the above is desirable but not always possible and so they look at how to promote good functioning while not wasting energy on blaming themselves for the times when things don't quite work out as they had planned.

Copyright Andrew Fuller www.anderfuller.com.au 2014

Andrew’s books Tricky Kids, Life: A Guide, Tricky Teens.

Have a good Week

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

News from the School Nurse

Keeping our children and young people safe online

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner provides some reliable and relevant resources on keeping ourselves as parents/carers well informed and our children and young people safe and responsible so that their experiences online are positive and enjoyable.

A key part of enabling this focus is to educate and prevent harmful online behaviour from occurring in the first place. As parents/carers you know your young person better than anyone and have the best opportunity to help educate them so they can explore safely.

“Too much time online”

Often our young people seem to be engaged in more than one task at a time, downloading and listening to music while studying and chatting with friends online (and in some cases, as in my home, watching television at the same time!). The number of hours our young people spend online can vary significantly. There is no guideline for the ‘right’ amount of time however if their online activity appears to impact negatively on their behaviour or wellbeing, or that of the family, it may be time to discuss expectations and establish time limits.

Our young people’s brains are UNDER CONSTRUCTION which makes them extra vulnerable to the potential risks of BEING ONLINE……

WHAT CAN I DO?

• The longer you wait to address the issue, the more difficult it will be to overcome. If you see a problem emerging, act right away.
• Talk to your young person about the concerns you have and monitor what games, apps and devices are brought or used by your child.
• You may like to install a program on the device which can be adjusted to limit the amount of time an internet connection will be available on that device.
• Consider implementing family agreements about the amount of time your young person spends online. A similar approach can be used to limit access to devices.

If your young person seems particularly anxious or irritable, or you notice them seeming isolated from friends or activities, there may be an underlying mental health issue. Talk to your school supports, GP or one of the services listed below. Be aware of any unwanted online contact including sexting, and/or social networking issues such as cyberbullying which may be causing concern.

Resources include practical, action focussed advice, videos, games, support and research based information free of charge.

No one single parental control tools is 100% effective. Nothing can replace your parental influence as good role models around the use of multiple connected devices; setting boundaries, understanding (or trying) devices our young people use and talking to them about the importance of staying safe online and establishing and maintaining trust and a certain degree of privacy. TRICKY!

School:

Family internet use contracts and useful apps to monitor use and timeframes:

HELP:

Dy Moxham
Monday and Friday
3373 4555
Dyanne Moxham, School Based Youth Health Nurse
Email: admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au

Sports Report

Awards Night

Thursday 26 October is the school’s annual Presentation Night, which includes Sports Awards presentations. Students have been asked to check the sports noticeboard to confirm their sporting involvement throughout 2017. Students that have qualified for a Silver or a Gold Award will be presented with these on Awards Night. The final list of successful students has been posted on the noticeboard this week and notes will be sent home. If you have any questions please contact Tamara Nasalio in Staffroom 4.

AllSchools Touch Football

Students from Years 7 to 12 competed in the QLD AllSchools Touch Football Championship from Tuesday 3 October to Sunday 8 October. This is the first year that Centenary SHS entered two teams, U/15 and Open Boys team. This Championship is the largest in the world with over 500 teams competing over 5 days. Centenary SHS touch team has been training extremely hard throughout the year and the hard work, commitment and dedication paid off on Day 1. Both teams improved every game and right through to the end of the Championship, their improvement continued.

This opportunity allowed the students to see the best schools compete and to play against them. Day 1 proved amazing and the U/15 team went through undefeated with three impressive wins. They are proving to be a strong team but I am impressed with their sportsmanship, hard work and that they gave every game 110%. The Open Boys had a great start to their 2017 campaign with a huge win in Game 1. Unfortunately we did then have two loses in the afternoon but they were close games and the boys did not give up and kept their heads up. This determination and commitment demonstrated by both teams made me extremely proud to be their coach. A big thank you must go to Mr Richter who attended a training session in the holidays and also attended the QLD AllSchools Championship to help coach both teams. Both teams play every Friday night at Whites Hill in the junior boys BMTA competition and will only continue to improve.

Results and photos will be posted in the next newsletter.

Swimming Carnival

In Week 10 on Tuesday 5 December students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be going to the Jindalee Pool for a mini swimming carnival. The focus of the day is for the students to compete in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, relays and many novelty events. An information letter and permission form was sent home in Week 2 and must be returned to HG teachers ASAP.

All Schools Track and Field

On 9 and 10 September a number of students competed in the Queensland Athletics South Queensland Finals. This competition had the majority of the GPS and AIC schools represented as well as some other top Athletic schools so, as a consequence, it was a very high quality meet. Centenary SHS students acquitted themselves extremely well coming away with a number of places as well as many personal bests. Centenary SHS was the only State High School competing in this event.

What was also very pleasing was that our squad had a number of students who competed well in higher age groups as part of the competition, which holds us in good stead for the coming years as the students further develop. It was great to see the camaraderie amongst our team and the spirit shown against tough opposition. Some of our team members met Olympic Decathlete Cedric Dubler, who was on hand to watch the proceedings.

Richard Haines - Track and Field Co-ordinator

Richard Haines is the driving force behind Centenary State High School’s Athletics program and the success that the school and the students have achieved over the past three years is due to his hard work and commitment. It is not a rare sight to see Mr Haines on the oval before school at 7.30am and then again at AM break and then again after school until 4.30pm. He gives 100% to our students and as a result, Centenary SHS has 8 students competing at the State Athletics Trials in Week 2. Thank you to Mr Webber, Mr Greaves, Mr Redman and Ms Chamberlain for your efforts in coaching the students as well, but it is Mr Haines that is always there encouraging the students and is the constant in the training of our students. Thank you Mr Haines from the HPE staff and from the Centenary SHS community!

Sara Nayar

Congratulations to Sara Nayar (Year 11) who won the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Doubles tournament in Columbo, Sri Lanka as well as finishing runner-up in the Singles event. These great results will no doubt improve her world ranking toward a chance of making the Australian Open Junior Qualifiers in January and direct entry into other high level tournaments.

Sara was part of our best ever Metros Tennis result recently, with our team making the Grand Final. Sara was undefeated in the whole competition.

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

News from STEP

Welcome all to the final term of STEP. We had our sign-on assembly during Week 9 last term. This trimester we have a few new activities such as PNG community project, Let There Be Light and Build A Lolly Dispenser. We also have some old favourites back such as Adventure Hike, Car Wash for Charity, Bin Murals, Golf and The Centenary Tour Down Under for cycling. To date most students have chosen their enrichment or physical activity. For those students who have yet to select their activity, please come and see me.

Students must remember that once they have chosen a STEP activity, they must remain in that activity until the end of the year. Behavioural expectations of students during STEP are the same as those of academic classes and this includes good behaviour, active participation and promptness to activities.

I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight Bin Murals as one of our successful projects in our STEP program. The objective of this project is to raise the environmental awareness and to maintain our beautiful school grounds. Ms Teh and Ms Dushka have worked with a group of students every Wednesday afternoon since the beginning of the year, they have all put a lot of effort into painting the murals on the bins. I am truly having a problem picking the best wheelie bin. These bins are not only decorated with beautiful art work, but also demonstrate the students’ commitment and care for the environment. It is very inspiring!

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

Cultural News

Welcome back to the final term of 2017. A term in which we bid farewell to our Year 12 students, and start making preparations for 2018. We have certainly had a very busy year so far, and Term 4 is not without its challenges. Coming up in the next couple of weeks we have some big events so please take careful note of the date claimer below for details.

SHEP

During the September school holidays we had five students from Centenary SHS take part in the State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) run by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. This program of excellence brings students together from across the state to perform in a range of ensembles with special guest tutors and conductors. The five students who attended were:

Lachlan Crawley (Tenor Saxophone)
Kimmi Holmes (Voice)
Harry Lipscombe (Alto Saxophone)
Humphrey Munn (Cello)
Ethan Smith (Clarinet)

All reports are that the students had a great time, learned plenty, and found it a very valuable experience. Thank you all for your outstanding representation of our school.

Soirees

Our main performance for all groups is happening at the end of Week 2 with our two soiree nights. This is a great opportunity for families to see what our groups have been working on for the second half of the year. On Friday 13 October we will have the Strings and Choirs performing, with our bands taking the stage on Saturday 14 October. Both evenings start at 6pm with gold coin entry. If you cannot make the events please advise your ensemble director of the reason as soon as you are able to.

Cultural Dinner

All students and parents/carers involved in the cultural program are invited to join us at the annual Cultural Dinner on Friday 3 November. Invitations and price will be out in the next couple of weeks.

Brisbane Bands Festival

The Arts Sub Committee run the canteen at the Brisbane Bands festival. It is a major fundraiser for the committee. We will be calling for volunteers to help with the canteen in the next week, so if you can give a couple of hours of your time it would be greatly appreciated.

Embroidery

Students are able to have major events placed onto their Arts shirts with our embroidery program at the end of the year. Information about this will be sent out shortly, along with very specific instructions about how to submit shirts. We are very fortunate to have our embroidering done by the wonderful Danniele Smith, but we have had issues in the last couple of years with the state in which shirts are submitted. Shirts that are not submitted in the correct manner will not be accepted.

Date Claimer 2017 Term 4

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

News from Applied Technology

Junior Subject Change

Years 7 and 8 Applied Technology students will notice a change in their Term 4 timetable.

Students who finished Term 3 studying Home Economics will automatically enrol into Industrial Technology and Design (ITD) and conversely, ITD students will now experience Home Economics.

Year 8 students will remain in their new Applied Technology subject for the remainder of the term, whereas, the Year 7 students will change again after five weeks to another technology subject.

One Year 8 class will present an exception to the above arrangements. Some Term 3 Home Economics students have expressed a desire to participate in an additional term of Home Economics, therefore they will enrol in a Home Economics extension course.

Staffing

A few changes to staffing as Term 4 commences.

Shanti Reddy remains on long service leave for the first two weeks of this term. Louise Duncan will continue to assume Shanti’s timetable.

Karen Hoschke-Mills, with husband Steve, have accepted a flexible relocation to Lockhart River State School, located on the eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula. The vacancy created by Karen’s relocation will be filled by Carla Clarke until the end of this year.

Mark Bartholomew continues to recuperate from heart surgery. Ashli Roberts will continue to teach those classes assigned to Mark.

Certificate II in Engineering Pathways

Tim Newton, the trainer from Blue Dog Training, is currently working closely with the Year 12 Certificate II Engineering Pathways students to improve their prospects of attaining the nationally recognised qualification. Tim is concentrating on scrutinising the evidence that the students have recorded in their respective profiles to ensure that:

1. The evidence exists, both photographic and script
2. Entries are accurate
3. Entries are frequent

Parents/Carers and students will be advised of any concerns.

CO2 Dragsters

This year’s CO2 dragster champion has been declared.

The race between the fastest dragster constructed in Semester 1, courtesy of Jackson Beach-Graham and the equivalent Semester 2 dragster, fabricated by Talyssa Gourley, was run at the final school assembly for Term 3.

There was an interesting contrast between each vehicle. One was long and slender incorporating elements of aerodynamic considerations whilst the other was stout, albeit portly in its appearance.

Students were asked to predict the winner using appearance as the sole criteria to influence their judgement.

Jackson’s wedge shaped dragster was favourite to win, however the race proved surprisingly close.

Despite a late surge from Talyssa’s entry, the Hershey chocolate bar on wheels, Jackson’s dragster crossed the finish line first by a narrow margin. Congratulations Jackson!

Year 10 Hospitality Students

A date claimer re: Year 10 Hospitality students.

The Year 12 graduation morning tea is scheduled for Friday, 17 November. In keeping with past practices, the Year 10 hospitality students will cater for this event.

Students will be advised of preparation times and uniform requirements for the day, in due course. This has proven to be a fantastic opportunity for hospitality students to showcase their skills.

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

News from the Arts Department

I can’t believe it’s already Term 4! The year has gone so fast and in a few short weeks, we will farewell our Year 12s. They are a high achieving group of students, with a snapshot of their end of Term 3 data below. Across the six senior Authority subjects – Dance, Drama, Film, Television & New Media, Music, Music Extension and Visual Art, there are over 100 students with the following results:

Congratulations Year 12s on your effort so far this year, you’ve got one more piece of assessment left, so make sure it’s your best work yet! Parents/Carers, families and friends are invited to celebrate with us as we showcase the final works of our talented Year 12 students. The showcase nights are a culmination of their classroom work over this year and are a lovely way to end their high school Arts subjects.

Monday 6 November - Film and Visual Arts Showcase
Wednesday 8 November - Music Showcase
Friday 10 November - Dance and Drama Showcase

There are many more events to look forward to in the Arts faculty this term, including the upcoming Soiree Instrumental Music concerts and the Years 8-10 Performance Plus musicals, Alice in Wonderland and High School Musical. I also encourage you and your child to attend the Cultural Dinner, where we will be able to celebrate the successes of 2017 and look forward to 2018. More information will come out about these events closer to the dates.

Congratulations!

A number of Centenary SHS students spent part of their September holidays at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, participating in the State Honours Ensemble Program. This well-respected program brings together the finest young musicians, under the tutelage of a team of eminent international and national conductors, in a world-class environment. Its pursuit of excellence defines it as the highest quality performance avenue available to young ensemble-based instrumentalists outside of the Queensland Conservatorium and the Young Conservatorium. Congratulations to Year 12 students Lachlan Crawley and Ethan Smith, Year 11 student Humphrey Munn, Year 9 student Harry Lipscombe and Year 8 student Kimmi Holmes.

The Centenary SHS Arts faculty saw the skills of a Year 7 student during our school musical, as she was flying and twisting through the air in the cheer scenes of Legally Blonde. Year 7 student Jade Woodhead is part of the Junior Level 2 Cheerleading Team travelling to the USA in February 2018 to compete at the NCA Nationals, the largest cheerleading competition in the world. Jade is a key athlete in the Queensland Cheer Elite team, offering stunts and tumbling. As you can imagine, the cost of attending such an event is enormous so, if you are able to support Jade in her international debut, there is a Go Fund Me page at the link below. Centenary SHS wishes Jade all the best!

Where are they now?

This fortnight we celebrated the successes of one of our very own graduated Arts students, who has returned to Centenary SHS after university education to become a member of the teaching faculty.

Alex Van den Broek graduated in 2012 and has since completed a Bachelor of Music at QUT majoring in Performance and Sound Production. Alex is currently our Choral Director and Vocal Tutor here at Centenary SHS (since 2013) and is also Choral Director at QUT. Recently one of the groups Alex mentors and arranges for, QUT Aca-demics competed at the AUSACA Australian A Cappella Championships taking home 1st place in the Open Ensemble Division and awards for Best Comedy Song, Best Contemporary Song and Audience Favourite. They were commended for their engaging performance, high choral standards and outstanding arrangements, most of which Alex wrote for the group. She also teaches voice privately, in addition to working as a freelance arranger, composer and director for various vocal groups and artists across the country. Centenary SHS students are very lucky to have Alex working in the Arts faculty!

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

Year 11 Report

On Monday, 9 October, the Year 11 cohort heard speeches from our nine candidates for the 2018 School Captains positions. Congratulations to our candidates – Liam Parker, Liam Wolter, Liam Sands, Joshua Hansberry, Nina Sarapa, Meghna Prasad, Sam Wallace, Caity McMahon and Khalela Romano – for stepping up and having a go.

This term sees the start of the Year 11 QCS Test Preparation and Transition programs. Every Wednesday afternoon, students who will sit the QCS test in 2018 will participate in training focussed on literacy (written and visual), numeracy, higher-order thinking and other skills. Students who will not be sitting QCS in 2018 will be part of the Transition program. This involves students getting ready for employment and potentially participating in work placements, apprenticeships, traineeships and other opportunities.

By the time you read this, our students will have voted on their preferred design for the 2018 Year 12 Jerseys. Big thanks to the fifteen very creative students who submitted designs. You will be able to order the Jerseys later this term. Our supplier is Canterbury. The cost should be around $85.

Congratulations to Majuraan Vimalan for winning a place in the University of Queensland’s YOUNG SCHOLAR program. That is a huge achievement!

Thanks as always for your support, and please contact me if you have any issues or would just like to have a chat.

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

Year 10 Report – “Gen10 of Centen”

Welcome back to the last term of Year 10. Term 4 always flies by with speed and intensity. I encourage all Year 10s to continue to be present at school with a positive and engaged work ethic, making the most of every day.

Work placement

I visited many Year 10s during their work placement in Week 10 of last term. I was very impressed by the commitment they showed and the feedback I received from many work places. Students were placed in various industry areas including the defence force, legal office, hospitality, fitness group, retail, radio announcing, zoo keeper, education, veterinary science, trade, health and medical, to name just a few. Thank you to our local businesses and community groups who provided placements for our students. We greatly appreciate your support.

Student achievement

I’m excited to announce a number of Year 10 students have been successful in applying for the University of Queensland Young Achievers Program (UQYAP) for 2018. Congratulations to Ebony Girle, Francesca Hellmuth, Hannah Ly, Angela Ngo, Joseph Nguyen and Delora Tran. The focus of the UQ program is developing educational ambitions of students through mentoring, university experiences and opportunities for personal growth. Well done. I am so proud of all of you.

2018 Subject Selection

Preparations are in full swing for 2018 with Mr Adam Richter (Deputy Principal) working through subject selections to formulate the timetable for 2018.

If you have any concerns or issues regarding your child, please don’t hesitate to email or phone me.

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

Year 9 Report

Term 4 Home Group Program

Term 4 will be well underway by the time you read this. You will have already received the reports for Term 3 which were emailed in Week 1. I spoke to the Year 9s on assembly in Week 1 about the importance of reviewing their grades and organising a time to speak to their classroom teachers about how improvement can best be achieved. (I also noticed how many of these young ladies and gents are now taller than me as they walked past me onto this assembly!) A reminder, by the way, that Presentation Evening, at which academic and other awards are presented, is on Thursday 26 October. It starts at 7pm and is always a thoroughly uplifting and enjoyable occasion.

In 2018, Year 10s will again have a number of important events including their 3-day leadership camp to Maranatha, SET planning and their week-long work experience. To get the most out of these opportunities, the thought process should begin well in advance. Professional career advisors from TAFE Queensland SKILLSTECH have been delivering a number of free workshops encouraging students to think about the various skills they will need to develop in order to succeed in the (not so distant!) future. These workshops will also assist them in making the best possible subject selections for Years 11 & 12. Kelsey Oakes (DP) will no doubt send out reminders well in advance of any Parent Information evenings planned over the coming months.

Year 7 seems a long time ago… This is ‘our’ last term of ‘blue shirts’, with a reminder that white shirts replace the blue shirts for both boys & girls for Years 10 to 12. Just to reiterate information from the P&C that was included in one of my emails last term: “Payments and orders for the white shirts can be made securely online, by using ‘Flexischools’. If shirts are ordered using this method you will receive an email advising when the order is ready to be picked up from the uniform shop. The P&C strongly encourage the purchase of new shirts before the end of the year to avoid the last minute rush in January.”

I would like to say in recognition of last week’s World Teachers’ Day, a huge thanks to all HG teachers for their commitment and thanks also to Louise Duncan and Carla Clarke for looking after Jarup 9B in Shanti’s absence.

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

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

Year 7 Report

Term 4 begins and, with only 10 weeks until the end of the year, the finish line is in sight. It is very important that our Year 7’s continue their high standards in all facets of their schooling.

Our High Resolves team has finished their enactment and reflection phase where they looked to break down gender stereotypes within Centenary SHS. There will be an opportunity for 12 students to attend a leadership conference toward the end of the year and students will be asked to nominate to attend this event at QPAC. The school will pay for the costs of the excursion. Previous guest speakers at this event include Bindi Irwin.

On top of the fantastic curriculum work done at Centenary SHS, our Home Group (HG) program is currently delivering material on futures planning. Hopefully this ground work will help students make smarter choices as they move into Year 8.

Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions regarding any matters relating to our Year 7’s.

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

News from our P&C

Centenary State High School P&C – Update

The past term has been very busy for the P&C and we thought we would give you a quick update on what has happened.

Firstly, a date change for the October meeting. We met on 11 October instead of 18 October as previously advertised.

Achievements this term

• The P&C contributed $20,000 to the school’s air conditioning program. Work on the first classrooms started during the September holidays, with 16 classrooms to be completed this year
• The P&C authorised the commencement of the design for the canteen refurbishment, which we hope will take place during the summer holidays
• The P&C purchased a piano for the Arts Department at a cost of $5,000

• The P&C was also successful in applying for a grant to refurbish the long jump pit – thank you to those who worked on the application
• The Arts subcommittee provided $5000 toward the Rockhampton trip for the Stage Band. The Band won gold, and two individual “bests” were awarded to Andrew Haigh (trumpet) and Cooper Le Broq (Rhythm)
• The Arts subcommittee had a very busy end of term, catering for the students participating in the school musical and the Year 12 music extension night. The subcommittee are working toward purchasing two more pianos for the Arts Department

Next term

Next term promises to be just as busy. A few dates to remember in October:

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