7 December 2017 Volume 19 Number 12

PRINCIPAL

News from the Principal

The Retrospective

As the 2017 school year nears its end, it is timely to reflect upon the successes and challenges of the last 12 months. Centenary SHS has been committed to a very real improvement agenda with the priority of improving the quality of learning and schooling experience for each and every student in the school. Significant milestones include:

• Continued strong Year 12 outcome data with our 2016 Year 12 Cohort achieving 100% QCE and 79.5% OP 1-15.
• Continued outstanding NAPLAN numeracy outcomes with a school record of 44% of students in Year 7 achieving in the upper Two Bands
• Winning the Brisbane West Track and Field for the third year in row
• Winning the West Brisbane Sports District Interschool Championship
• Two outstanding productions in Legally Blonde and Alice in Wonderland
• A highly successful school Open Day in June
• Winning the Kokoda Challenge in our first effort
• A successful School Review
• A student group currently enjoying a challenge experience in Vietnam
• Past student success: 2010 School Dux Ellen Cliff being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and Centenary SHS receiving the Prince Albert Cup as a result.

I take this opportunity to thank all members of the Centenary SHS community for their support throughout the year. I also wish to acknowledge the contributions of parents/carers who have directly involved themselves in the life of the school – whether it be volunteering in the canteen, participating in the P&C, transporting students to events, supporting the Arts program or coaching a sporting team … thank you – our school is stronger for your efforts.

Graduating Year 12 Cohort

The signature events for the Year 12 Cohort held in their last week of school formed a fitting tribute to the group. One of the pleasures of teaching is to witness the growth and maturing of students across their secondary education. The final weeks of the school year for our Seniors passed smoothly. A stand out feature of the 2017 graduates was their ability to have fun but respect their school and others at the same time. We wish them well for life post Centenary SHS.

Staffing

Congratulations are extended to Juanita Oberle who has been appointed as a permanent Guidance Officer to Centenary SHS.

On behalf of the Centenary Community I thank our leaving staff for their contributions to our school.

2018 Plans

We are currently working on our 2018 strategic plans with Writing for Learning, Systematic Curriculum Development and Delivery and 21st Century Skills having been identified as whole school priorities. These areas will receive significant focus and resourcing as we endeavour to improve student learning in 2018.

Next year’s Year 10 Cohort will, from 2019, be the inaugural cohort in the new system of Senior School curriculum and assessment. Changes have been made to our Year 10 program to prepare students for this impending change.

Year 12s will begin the school year with mentoring interviews. This is a key intervention strategy in ensuring our 2018 Seniors are on track to achieve in their final year of schooling and to maximise their post school options.

On behalf of the Centenary SHS staff - may you and your family enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday.

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

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Newsletter Articles

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

News from the Deputy Principals

Semester 2 Reports

All Semester 2 report cards are now complete and final checking is taking place. Report cards are scheduled to be emailed by the end of this term. It is important that all contact details are correct, especially your email address, so that you receive this valuable feedback about your son/daughter’s progress. Please contact the office staff to update any details that may have changed.

Christmas Holidays

With the year coming to an end, it is a good time to reflect on your highlights and lowlights of the past year. Upon reflection you can then set yourself new targets and ambitions for next year. Once you have done this, please take the time to relax and enjoy your holiday break and come back to school in 2018 refreshed and fully charged to have your best year yet.

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

INTERNATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL LINKS BOOMING AT CENTENARY SHS

2017 has been a great year for our International programs with record numbers of International students choosing Centenary SHS for their full-time studies, innovative Study Tours and for our students venturing out and forging their own global pathways.

We now have 46 EQI students studying across our year levels and will have 48 students to start 2018 - even EQI students entering Year 7 alongside all our new entries.

Our first Science based Study Tour from Jinai Joshi Girls High School in Japan, took place in March this year. They were so impressed with studying Science alongside our students they have booked to return in 2018. The Science faculty then received a grant from our international funding to buy science equipment, in recognition of the efforts of our teachers. This 2017 tour took place alongside two other study tours from Japan and China, the Chinese tour being an extended tour of 7 weeks. Over the course of the year our wonderful Homestay Coordinator, Maria Chadburn, organised 77 homestay placements!

For these efforts, but also recognising Centenary SHS’s high quality work over the years with Study Tours, our International Study Tours team was recognised by Education Queensland International alongside only about a dozen schools out of several hundred, with an Excellence Award.

Our next International Study Tour will be a trip to China at Easter 2019 – our usual pattern of September tours every two years is being altered due to the difficulties of travelling during the Chinese National Day holidays. What is very pleasing this year is to see individual students, all from Year 10, venturing overseas, having planned their own experiences, related to their language studies. One such student is Aleece Macaulay, who studies Japanese. She sought out programs where students from all over the world studied in Japan for 5 weeks, 4 of these weeks in a Japanese high school. Please see her story below. Two other Year 10 students have also been studying overseas – Monserrat Shimizu is studying in Japan and Samantha McKay in currently studying in Germany on a four month program and will return at the end of the January holidays. Both Aleece and Samantha have enjoyed living with homestay families and forging strong relationships that will last for many years.

One of our Centenary SHS homestay families has in past years welcomed our international students into their family – now they have had the chance to meet the Italian family of an ex-student whilst travelling in Italy.

There are many programs that your student might like to follow up to take part in the enrichment of living with families and attending school overseas. Please read the following International articles for more details on the above experiences.

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

International Study Tour Award

On Wednesday, 8 November 2017, The Education Queensland International (EQI) Study Tours and Professional Visits team held an EQI Study Tours Certificate Presentation Ceremony for Outstanding School Staff. EQI acknowledge staff that went above and beyond to deliver high quality study tour programs at their school. Only a small number of the many schools who receive International Study Tour groups each year, were recognised in this manner.

Congratulations to Centenary State High School Study Tour team, Sallyann Griffith, Kelsey Oakes and Maria Chadburn, who were invited to receive a Certificate of Recognition for their outstanding commitment and dedication to the preparation and delivery of Study Tour program throughout 2017.

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

International Exchange Student Program Experiences

My experience as an Exchange Student
By Aleece Macaulay, Year 10

Amazing! Amazing is the word I would use to describe my experience as a student in an international exchange student program.

I decided that I wanted to experience school life in Japan after meeting a student on exchange currently at our school. I wanted to experience life not as a tourist, but as a local. Doing this allowed me to experience things that a normal tourist wouldn’t. This included going to school and living as an average person in Japan would. I also saw parts of Japan that I would not have seen had I visited on holidays.

Earlier this year there was an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to live and study in Japan in an “Intensive Study Program”. It was a long process with many rounds, applications and interviews. In the end it was worth it, I was one of only four students in Australia to be offered a position in this program.

The greatest experience I had was attending school and just talking to all the students. Every day after school, the baseball team would always say konnichiwa to me as I left and the Grade 12s would talk to me in the hallway. It was great!

I experienced many firsts while in Japan, one being karaoke. Karaoke was so much fun I really wish karaoke was as popular in Australia as it is in Japan. I wore a traditional kimono and really enjoyed all the authentic Japanese dishes. Overall as a person I have grown in confidence and my ambitions and goals in life are much clearer.

Living with my host family was an amazing experience. As soon as I arrived I didn’t feel like a stranger at all. They welcomed me into their family as if I was their own.

I learnt so many things from going on this program. My language skills significantly improved, which was my aim for applying. I gained first-hand experience of the Japanese culture, but it was the relationships that I formed that made it most worthwhile. I bonded with many of my classmates and my host family and I am in constant contact with them. I also made many new friends that were involved with the exchange program. I now have friends all over the globe!

This experience is easily the best thing I’ve ever done and I wanted to stay longer. I was on exchange for 5 weeks and I was very sad to be leaving so early. I can say that I will 100% go back to Japan (hopefully on exchange again after Year 12) and meet all my friends and my host family again.

Study Abroad in Japan
By Monserrat Shimizu

For three months, I have been studying abroad in Japan. My experience here has taken me out of my cultural and linguistic comfort zones. I was exposed to a variety of differences such as the people, cuisine, culture, school life and the everyday traditions of Japan. Studying at a new school was a great learning experience for me. My first day of school, I was extremely nervous but the students were very welcoming, even though the language barrier made it difficult to communicate at first. The months went by much faster than I had expected but I know that I have made many new friends and an amazing experience here in this unique country. Studying abroad has allowed me to gain a sense of independence and a new love for studying languages and to see other countries in the world.

Studying in Germany
By Samantha McKay

Currently, I am lucky enough to be on a student exchange in Germany for 5 months. I really wanted to do an exchange to learn another language and about another culture whilst making new friends and family. I organized this through ‘Student Exchange Australia New Zealand’ (SEANZ) and was also lucky enough to be partially funded through a SEANZ scholarship. I am living in a big village near Cologne and attend the school ‘Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium’. The school life here is different, but I am loving it. Here are a few differences I have found: School is all in one building, your classes can go from 8-3:30 (depending on your timetable), no substitute teachers (so we just go home for the lesson), there a lot more compulsory subjects, most people ride their bike to/from school, no uniform and the list can go on. It’s been really interesting to see how another school system works, and learn about another culture as well as making connections with people from around the world.

Homestay Host Parent Experience

Our Homestay experience
By Nicky & Garry Page, Host Parents

Garry and I have been hosting international students over many years, mainly students and teachers on short term study groups. After having Sofia Otto, a girl from Germany, for 9 months in 2015, we decided that we would like to welcome another long term student to our home. In 2016 Garry and I were asked if we would host a girl from Italy for 6 months. We naturally said yes and so Beatrice Alpo, Bea for short, arrived to our home on 8 July 2016.

Bea was from Pineroio Turin, Italy and has an older sister. Bea had not been to Australia before and was excited to see what Brisbane had to offer.

It did not take too long for Bea to settle into our family life and to try her hand at cooking under her father’s instructions. He was always on hand via Skype to ensure that she made the pizza dough correctly and more. Thinking that there was a secret recipe to getting pasta just perfect I asked Bea how long she cooked pasta for. To my surprise she read the box and said 11 minutes before turning on a timer and precisely timing the process! Oh why had I never thought to read the instructions?

During her time we had some wonderful experiences including whale watching, a day walking the streets in Sydney to see all the sights, Toowoomba, Ballina and Byron Bay a must do. The main thing we seemed to do a lot of was laugh.

When Bea returned to her home we had promised her that we would visit, as one does never actually thinking you ever will. Well we were fortunate enough to have a free four day time frame as we travelled from Russia to the Balkans so a trip was planned and we ventured to the little village of Pineroio Turin. As we left the airport we were welcomed by a beaming Bea and it was as if time vanished. We were bundled into the car with her very excited Dad driving and travelled to her family’s home. Arriving at Bea’s home was like being met by old friends as a lavish Italian lunch was ready for us along with beautiful red wine. That night they invited a group of 20+ friends to meet us and partied on until 2am. The days flew as we experienced amazing Italian hospitality and saw many wonderful sights.

Next we hope that Bea and her parents will travel to visit us next year and maybe, like us, you never think it will happen until it does.

BUSINESS MANAGER

News from Business Manager

School Watch 131 788

Centenary SHS’s last day of the school year will be Friday, 8 December. Please report any suspicious activity to School Watch on 131 788 during the vacation break. School resumes on Monday, 22 January 2017.

Clearance Forms

This checklist has been given to all students. This is a process that ensures all books and equipment are returned to the Resource Centre before the end of the year. All outstanding fees should be finalised and absentee notes handed in to the office. Each section is to be completed and signed by the appropriate officer then returned to the office on completion.

Student Resource Scheme

A Student Resource Scheme 2018 Agreement Form was issued to students with clearance forms. This form can also be downloaded from our website.

Parents/Carers are asked to complete the agreement by ticking “YES” and signing this form as an indication of their continued participation in the scheme. The fee covers the cost of resources outside of textbooks.

Parents/Carers who do not wish to participate in this scheme must complete the agreement form by ticking “NO” on the form. Parents/Carers who do not wish to participate in this scheme should make arrangements with the class teachers to obtain a list of materials and resources which will be necessary to complete the work of that particular class. Notification in writing should also be given to the Business Manager so that accounts can be adjusted. If not participating in the scheme, each student is required to:

• Pay a fee to offset the cost of those resources and services related to your child’s education other than textbooks
• Supply their own copy of required individual novels, dictionaries, atlases, etc.
• Supply their own copy of textbooks used within classes as class sets
• Supply their own resources where practicable
• Obtain a list of all materials and resources from their class teacher

Please see the Parent Handbook on our website for more information.

State School Consent

A State School Consent From was issued to students in Year 9 with their clearance forms. This form has recently been updated to include the school’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter profiles. It is school policy to only use first names on any social media site. This form can also be downloaded from our website.

It is not compulsory for you to provide consent. If you decide not to provide consent, this will not adversely affect academic achievement, or any relationships with teachers or the school.

Parent/Carer Contact Details

Parent/Carer contact details are very important to us. 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.

Our process for sending home report cards and other correspondence is now by email. By keeping your email address current we can keep you updated and informed.

If you have moved or are moving house, changed jobs, emails or mobile phone numbers, please inform the school office via email to admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

If you wish to receive the school newsletter, please log on to our school website and click the Newsletter tab to subscribe, or go directly to the link below. You will need to complete and submit the ‘subscribe’ form on the website.

Payment of Accounts over the Vacation Break

The office has closed for ‘over the counter’ payments and will re-open on Tuesday, 16 January 2018. Should you wish to make payments during the closed period, please make these payments via BPoint or QParents. The BPoint option is accessed through an internet web link 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.

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 have been issued to all currently enrolled students returning in 2018. An early bird discount of $20 is applicable, if paid prior to Sunday, 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 contact the school by email at admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

Parent/Carer Experiencing Financial Difficulties

A parent/carer wishing to participate in the Student Resource Scheme and experiencing financial hardship is encouraged to contact the Business Manager to discuss how their financial obligations can be met throughout the school year, or to negotiate alternative arrangements that may be available to accommodate their individual circumstances. All discussions will be held in the strictest confidence.

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

LEARNING ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR

Learning Assistance Report

The end of the year is fast approaching, only a few days to go! The Learning Assistance Department (LAD) has been a hive of activity as far as exams and assignments were concerned. LAD teachers and aides were busy assisting students with any remaining subject work and began to structure the organisation of support for next year. Already!!! We fully believe in our motto “Accommodate + Assistance = Achievement”.

It has been a pleasure working with you and your student this year and we look forward to collaborating with you again next year in helping your child.

If you have any questions or queries as to what can be offered and arranged for your student, please don’t hesitate to email or call Diana Huber on 3373 4569 or dhube1@eq.edu.au. On a side note, any documentation that you may have, letters from doctors, psychologists, etc., needs to be forwarded to the school. This will ensure that the school is able to provide the assistance that your student requires. We look forward to working with parents/carers, staff and students again next year.

Bring on a fantastic 2018!

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

DIVERSE LEARNING DEPARTMENT

News from the Diverse Learning Department

Shout out to Bunnings at Oxley

The sensory garden outside the GS building has been a labour of love for Jenny Coull and a number of students from the DLD. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support from Rob (Bunnings Oxley). Rob donated his time and expertise, offering many ideas about how to improve the soil quality, worm farming and symbiotic garden design. Bunnings kindly donated a worm farm as well as many bags of compost, soil enhancer and mulch.

Deborah McIntyre, HOSES
Email: dmcin49@eq.edu.au

CHAPLAIN

News from the Chaplain

Food for Thought

How would you finish the following sentence?

Teenagers nowadays …

Some people might choose words such as these:

‘are out of control’, ‘are disrespectful and rude’ or ‘are violent and abusive’.

Let me assure you that though these comments might fit a small percentage of teenagers, they definitely do not apply to the vast majority.

A much larger percentage of our young people work hard at school, are busy on weekends with sports and/or other hobbies, and once old enough, are also busy with part-time jobs.

Please take the time to look for the good in each of our young ones and encourage them in their efforts.

Teenagers nowadays are all individuals who, with the nurturing effect of guidance, love and support, will very likely turn into wonderful young adults.

A message from Chappy Bernie

Hi, I am Bernie McMullen, the Chaplain at Centenary State High School. I have been a chaplain at this school for the last eight years, and it has been a fantastic journey with many wonderful people.

It has been an honour to be part of these young people lives, walking with them in the highs and lows of their school journey. It has been a Privilege to work with the most professional team of people in this education environment. Each sharing and providing guidance to each of the students.

I have been reflecting on the past year and looking with excitement on the new incoming year. There have been many wonderful events that I am proud to be part of at Centenary State High school. I have enjoyed the challenge of having a Junior school at Centenary SHS, the Years 7 to 9. All are different and I have enjoyed working with all year levels.

I have discovered there are many different people who go that little bit further to help the students at this school. This is shown from the Senior Leadership team who guide the ship, to the fantastic, caring and supportive teachers. There is also the great Support staff as well as the janitor, the groundsman and the cleaners whose work is to provide a good caring supportive environment for the students and parents/carers of Centenary State High School.

At this time of Christmas, I hope everybody will relax and enjoy the festive season. We are all allowed to relax and share the celebration with the ones we love. I take this opportunity to wish all the Centenary State High School community a Very Holy Christmas and a safe Happy New Year. I am looking forward to an exciting year in 2018.

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

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Report

We are now drawing to a close after a very successful sporting year in 2017. We have an extremely busy start to the year in 2018 and I would like to ensure that parents/carers are aware of important sporting dates as well as the restructure of sport.

I understand that students specialise in sports and would like to attend District/Regional/State trials so I want to ensure that no one misses trialling for their sport. If your student would like to trial for any of the sports listed in the calendar below, they must follow the following procedures:

1. Listen to the notices and constantly check the HPE noticeboard for trial notices
2. See Mrs Nasalio in Staffroom 4 and attend a trial at school
3. If successful at the school trial the student will be given a permission form and information letter about the District Trial
4. Bring the signed forms back to Mrs Nasalio to receive the school stamp and to be nominated
5. You will only be nominated to attend the trial once Mrs Nasalio has nominated you and stamped the paperwork

Restructure

2018 will see big changes to the sporting program at Centenary SHS. Changes have been made to the current interschool sport model as well as to the representative pathway.

Interschool sport is now known as the West Brisbane Secondary Schools Sport Association and will consist of Gala Days. The six schools that have competed in the Gala Days in the past will continue to do so in 2018. The schools are Centenary SHS, Kenmore SHS, Corinda SHS, Yeronga SHS, Indooroopilly SHS and the QASMT. The Gala Days have also undergone a structural change, in order to maximise sporting participation. The Junior Gala Days will consist of Years 7, 8 and 9 and each year level will compete separately (e.g.: Year 7 team, Year 8 team, etc.). The Senior Gala Day will consist of Years 10, 11 and 12. The Year 10 cohort will compete as a separate year level and the Years 11 and 12 will be a combination of both year levels. The Gala Day structure has changed and is outlined below:

Junior Gala Day – Summer (1 day)
Junior Gala Day – Winter (1 day)
Junior Gala Day – Spring (1 day)
Junior Gala Day – Social (1 day)
Senior Gala Day – Summer (1 day – extended hours)
Senior Gala Day – Winter (1 day – extended hours)

The premiership team from the Gala Day competition will then go on to compete at the Metropolitan Finals. The Metropolitan Finals structure is yet to be confirmed for 2018.

The Met West Secondary School has restructured the districts in our region for the representative pathway only. Instead of 16 executive schools it has been reduced to 5 Districts. I have attached a copy of the 5 District model structure. Please note that Centenary SHS is in the Northern Eagles District.

For most schools in the MWSS region, the restructure of districts in the region will not affect the way schools participate in the representative school sport program. For the majority of schools in the region, they will participate with the same schools they have in the past with the inclusion of some new schools from the old district structure. The regional school sport trial process for students will still occur with district teams attending regional trials for selection in MWSS teams to participate at Queensland School Sport State Championships. One of the biggest changes that will occur is in the 13-19 years age group where all schools, regardless of what sector of education they belong to, will attend district trials together. They no longer will be separated as state and non-state school districts. This is the exact same model that has been used successfully in the 10-12 years age group for the representative school sport program for many years. Please note that students who would like to trial for a Northern District Team must trial at school first and be of a certain standard in order to be attend the trial. This is not a participation pathway, it is a representative pathway.

Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics are now considered the Big 3. They will now be conducted under the Northern Eagles District. Please note that these events are no longer carnivals, but they will now become trials in order to gain selection into the Regional team. This pathway is not a participation pathway, but a competitive pathway and therefore students must meet qualifying standards in order to attend the trial. The Northern Eagles District team will be selected from this trial and will go on to compete at the Regional trial. Swimming is early in Term 1 and students will have to meet qualifying swimming times in order to be nominated to attend the trial. Times will need to be verified from club meets or taken from the school carnival that was held in Term 4 in 2017.

Please contact me if you have any questions. The HPE staff look forward to working with your child in the 2018 sporting program.

Swimming Carnival 2017

In 2017 there was a swimming carnival in Week 10 for students in Years 7, 8 and 9. The carnival focused on students competing in three strokes and plenty of novelty events. This was a chance for the students to showcase their swimming ability and was a nice way to end the school year.

We are holding trials for students who would like to attend the Northern District Swimming Trials and do not have a registered swim time with a club.

Trial Information

Date: Tuesday, 30 January (Week 2)
Venue: Jindalee Pool
Time: 3.00pm to 4.30pm

The events that we are trialling for are:

• 50m Freestyle, Breaststroke, Backstroke and Butterfly (Years 8, 9 and 10 students registered their swimming times in 2017 for three strokes, therefore they only need to trial for Butterfly)
• 200m Individual medley – trials only if required
• 200m freestyle (Girls) and 400m Freestyle (Boys) Open age events

Students who meet qualifying standards will then go on to compete at the Northern District Trials.

Northern District Swimming Trials

The Northern District Swimming Trials will be held on Friday, 9 February 2018 at St Peters Lutheran College. Students who would like to attend the District Trials must achieve a qualifying time that is set by the District. The qualifying times will be published in Week 1 2018. Times must be verified through the school trials or through a club meet.

School trials will be held on Tuesday, 30 January 2018 at the Jindalee Pool from 3pm to 4.30pm. Students will pay $5.50 at the gate. Students who would like to attend the time trial need to see Mrs Nasalio in Week 1 to collect permission forms.

To nominate for Trials

1. Collect a nomination form from Mrs Nasalio in Staffroom 4
2. Complete the nomination form
3. Return it to Mrs Nasalio by 3pm Thursday, 25 January 2018 to Staffroom 4

Calendar

I have included a copy of the calendar for 2018 below. Please be aware that this calendar could change and it is the responsibility of students to listen to the notices and check the HPE noticeboard.

Please feel free to contact me via email – tnasa1@eq.edu.au if you have any questions regarding the new sporting structure. Have a fantastic Christmas and enjoy time with your families.

See you all in 2018.

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

STEP

News from STEP

Our STEP 2017 program has marked the end of the year and another yet to begin. Our school provides vast opportunities for students to participate in a wide range of targeted curricular or extra-curricular activities.

Let’s celebrate! I would like to share some of the amazing results from our STEP activities. Despite some wet and stormy afternoons, the Centenary Down Under cycling team has accumulated about 200km. The Bin Mural team has completed more paintings so there are now bins with cool paintings around our school sport centre, lower shelter and canteen areas - our school grounds are certainly looking beautiful. For our ‘Let There Be Light’ ITD activity, students wired an electrical circuit containing coloured LEDs into a block of timber, the LEDs lit an image engraved into acrylic which produced an awesome light effect.

Christmas is around the corner! Our students and teachers are feeling festive too. The cooking classes made ginger bread men and decorated them using various decorating tools and ingredients. Furthermore I was amazed at the creativeness demonstrated by students in making their beautiful dream catchers with recycled fabric in the Fashion and Fabric class. It was also fantastic to witness the students’ ability in constructing their lolly dispenser in the workshop.

A group of junior students took part in the PNG Project for their STEP activity. This project involved the planning and promotion for the collection of donations from the school community to the schools of Lihir Island in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The project has been a great challenge and the students have been able to collect hundreds of boxes of books! Hopefully the PNG Project will continue to be a success in the years to come. The Car Washing for Charity team has successfully raised about $190 for Farm Animal Rescue Dayboro.

The STEP program is a platform for our dedicated staff to share their passion and interests outside the curriculum classroom. It is wonderful to see such fruitful achievements and congratulations to everyone.

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

CULTURAL DIRECTOR

Cultural News

Goodbye 2017

So we come to the end of another big school year. Again, we had a very productive and successful year in the cultural program at Centenary SHS. There were the big-ticket items including camps, galas and musicals. However, I would like to make mention of the community performances that we participated in throughout the year.

As a department, I am always most proud of what we do as part of the community. Once a term we take a musical group up to Sinnamon Village Aged Care and Youngcare to perform. This year our clarinets, flutes, strings and choir have visited and performed for the very grateful residents at both facilities. The Centenary Swingers played for the investiture ceremony and at the Christmas in July ball at the Cairns Centre, Salvation Army, Chapel Hill. The Liquorice Allsorts Clarinet group played at an event to raise awareness for dementia, and the chamber strings performed at the Year 12 formal and junior investiture ceremony. As usual, our Symphonic Band played for both the school ANZAC service and the community event, with Andrew Haigh playing the Last Post at both. We also had Alex Knowles help with the Last Post at a number of our primary schools. There were a range of performers who entertained out visiting international guests throughout the year, and the choir took part in the massed choir event “You’re the Voice” to raise awareness of domestic violence. Then, just last week, our Years 8 and 9 Performance Plus class performed Alice in Wonderland for the entire Mount Ommaney Special School cohort. I could not have been prouder!!!

In the area of Visual Arts, the foyer of CPAC was a constant source of wonder and imagination with the rotating displays of student artwork for all staff, students and visitors to see. Likewise, our media students were on hand to document many of the school events with still photography and video.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making a wider community a little brighter through the power of music!

Hello 2018

This time of year does not just mean looking back, but looking ahead to next year. Therefore, here is a preview of some of the exciting things happening next year.

• Whole school production of The Addams Family
• All the Instrumental groups performing in Fanfare
• An Instrumental and Choral Music Gala at the Ipswich Civic Centre
• Junior production of Beauty and the Beast
• A revamped, exciting (and cheaper!) Cultural Dinner!

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and a safe and happy holiday (I think we all have earned it!).

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

FACULTIES

HUMANITIES/LOTE

China Trip Easter 2019

Centenary SHS is planning a trip to China in Easter 2019. Over the 10 days we will be visiting some of the most significant cultural historical sites in China such as Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. At this point we anticipate that the trip will cost approximately $3500. The trip will have a language learning component as well as a cultural component. It is therefore not necessary for students to be enrolled in a Chinese language class in 2019 to be part of the trip. For those students who are in a language class the experience of interacting with people in these exciting locations will greatly accelerate their Chinese language acquisition. If you would like to express interest in your student going to China in 2019 please write to Mr Adrian Skerritt, asker6@eq.edu.au.

Adrian Skerritt, Humanities /LOTE HOD
Email: asker6@eq.edu.au

SCIENCE

Science Report

How quickly another school year has come and gone. Science has had much to celebrate in the way of student engagement and success. The following table presents achievements across the ICAS Science Competition, Big Science Competition and the Australian National Chemistry Quiz (ANCQ). The following two students deserve special mention as they have achieved the highest possible level in a test:

Congratulations on your great achievement!

The Science Faculty is always looking for opportunities to extend students’ engagement in Science. A group of 9 students combined with students from Corinda State High School to undertake a science expedition to Heron Island and immersed themselves in a study of marine life. I would like to acknowledge and thank Ms Jo Moon for taking care of the students who were away from Friday, 24 November to Wednesday, 27 November. Ms Moon had the following to say about the trip.

Heron Island Science Trip

After a big bus trip and a bit of a bumpy ride over on the Heron Catamaran, 21 excited students arrived on Heron Island on Friday afternoon and were shown around the UQ research station. On our very first morning, we awoke early to be greeted by a large loggerhead turtle which had made its way through the UQ research station.

During the 5 days we were there, students undertook research projects of their choosing. The students also had the opportunity to make a graphical representation of a transect of the reef platform on either side of the island.

Students enjoyed a number of sunrise walks and due to the tide times, these also coincided with peak hour for the nesting green turtles so we were treated to many wonderful close encounters with these magnificent creatures. On day two we were invited to the Heron Island resort to a turtle information session where students really impressed the presenter with the number and complexity of the questions they asked. Did you know Heron Island nesting turtles may travel as far as Indonesia between breeding seasons, yet always return to the beach where they hatched to lay their eggs?

Heron Island is surrounded by amazing coral and students certainly made the most of this with at least two snorkelling sessions a day in the surrounding reef and harbour. We really were treated to some incredible sights including getting up close to swimming green turtles, reef sharks, rays and the incredible biodiversity of the reef.

Later in the trip we were treated to two outer reef snorkels, firstly to the ‘Blue pools’ and then to the Heron Bombie via the University of Queensland Research Station boat. Wow, the array of fish and coral was truly spectacular, definitely the highlight of the trip.

The student were also treated to a talk by two of the university scientists about their projects, an explanation of the scientific method used and the nature and findings of their research. It was fascinating to hear the work of these researchers and some of their provisional findings about the future of the Barrier Reef.

The final evening saw students present their research projects and transects. The students had worked hard collecting data and researching to bring it all together. We heard presentations from students on turtle populations and habits, the birds of Heron Island and their nesting habits (funnily enough there are no Herons), coral bleaching, sea cucumbers, symbiotic relationships, the abiotic factors for the coral reef ecosystem, the colours and patterns of the fish found on the reef and the distribution of the different coral types. The standard of these presentations was above and beyond our expectations.

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

THE ARTS

News from the Arts

This is the final newsletter article for 2017 – I can’t believe how fast this year has gone! I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all of the Arts families a very happy Christmas and holiday season. I’d also like to extend my congratulations to the students for their subject results, their commitment to the extra-curricular events and for their outstanding participation in all of the events we have offered as a faculty in 2017.

There have been many highlights this year. The ones that really stand out for me include:

• The choir winning GOLD, the vocal ensemble winning GOLD at Fanfare and the choir going on to the regional finals
• The stage band winning GOLD at the CQ University Jazz Festival in Rockhampton, including two solo awards
• Almost 50 students sat external exams with the Australian Music Examinations Board, which gives them national (and international) recognition in the area of Music Theory. Of those fifty students, 35% of students achieved a score of 95/100 or better and 42% of students achieved a score of 85/100 or better. This is an outstanding result – 72% of students achieving honours or a high distinction. There were also 2 stand out students achieving the magical 100/100!
• Three sold out shows of the school musical Legally Blonde
• Three almost sold out shows and a special performance for Mount Ommaney Special School of the Year 8/9 Performance Plus musical Alice in Wonderland and the Year 10 Performance Plus High School Musical
• A huge audience at the Instrumental Music Gala held at the Ipswich Civic Centre, which featured performances from all of our ensembles – choir, vocal ensemble, concert band, symphonic band, stage band, string orchestra, chamber strings and the percussion ensemble
• The choirs’ involvement in the ‘You’re The Voice’ performance, raising awareness about domestic violence, getting to perform on stage with John Farnham himself!
• The subject results achieved by Year 12 exiting students – in authority subjects, 31% of the students across six subjects achieving an A standard, and less than 4% of students not passing the course (often as a result of a poorly made subject choice in Year 11 and therefore only completing one semester)
• The subject results achieved by Year 11 students – in authority subjects, 29% of students across five subjects achieving an A standard and less than 6% of students not passing their chosen subjects. These results always improve in Year 12 after students have had a full year opportunity to access content, skills and formative assessment. It’s certainly looking positive for 2018!

Performance Plus

The students in Years 8, 9 and 10 Performance Plus, one of the school’s signature excellence programs, showcased their final performance of the year, with four fabulous shows of Alice in Wonderland, as well as three excellent performances of High School Musical. We have received many lovely compliments about the students and the quality of their work. A very special thanks must go to the directors of the shows, Mr Mark Watkins and Mr Mitch Holmes, as well as the many other staff who assisted including Ms Van den Broek, Ms Duschka and Ms Tuton.

Dance Opportunities

RAW Dance Company has had a long association with Centenary SHS’s Arts programs, over 13 years, across all year levels in the school. They have provided many professional workshops for our students to develop their skills in the many genres of dance. In previous years, many of our students have enrolled in their courses as part of their school program and have been able to receive QCE credit points for successful completion of the certificate courses.

Next year, there are opportunities for students to access these courses during Wednesday Lesson 4 (STEP) and require students to make their own way to the RAW studio located in Moorooka. Please find more information below, and if you have questions, please contact dance teacher Mitch Holmes (mholm58@eq.edu.au).

CUA20113 Certificate II in Dance (Years 8 & 9)

RAW is a fully accredited, nationally registered training organisation (RTO No.41385) committed to providing a supportive and caring learning environment where students are able to define their own artistic voice and realise their potential.

CUA20113 Certificate II in Dance is a 2 year qualification for school aged children in Years 8 & 9. It aims to provide students with the technical and performance skills to begin the process of establishing a career in the dance industry. It enables students to develop the knowledge and skills to participate in a variety of dance routines and leads to further education and training in the performing arts industry.

The course runs from 3pm – 6pm on Wednesdays at RAW’s Warehouse Facility in Moorooka. The classes will run over 40 weeks broken up into 4 terms.

Congratulations

Congratulations goes to Year 9 student Cooper Le Brocq, for his successful audition and entry into the Queensland Youth Orchestra for 2018.

Congratulations goes to Year 9 music students Laura Harris and Alisha Vo, for their completion of the Grade 1 Australian Music Examinations Board theory of music exams and receiving 100/100! The exams formed part of the coursework and assessment in the Year 9 music program this year and these results are outstanding.

Arts Sub-Committee of the P&C

It is with sadness that 2017 sees some of the long term serving members of this committee moving on. I’d like to thank and publicly acknowledge the work of President Sarah Towner, Secretary Bernadette Haigh and committee member Steve Manton for their tireless efforts to improve opportunities for the Arts students of Centenary SHS. With these fabulous parents leaving, there are now vacancies on the committee, and we look forward to meeting some new faces next year.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, see you all in 2018.

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

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Yearbook Report

The 2018 School Yearbook was released on 22 November. It is an interactive electronic document that students can copy from the school intranet. It is designed to work on any computer (PC or Mac), tablet, smartphone and smart TV. This year’s edition clocked in at a record 223 pages!

Please note that the file is too large to email. It will still be available on the intranet next year if your student did not already get a copy.

Around 40 students (mostly from the younger grades) are missing from the Yearbook because the school did not receive “photo permission” consent from their families. If you wish your student to appear in future yearbooks, please contact the office at the start of next year to update your State School Consent photo permission status.

I hope that you enjoy the Yearbook!

Terry Oberg, Yearbook Designer
Email: tober11@eq.edu.au

Year 11 Report

As you have probably heard, our 2018 School Captains have been announced. Big congratulations to Captains Nina Sarapa and Josh Hansberry, and Vice-captains Khalela Romano and Liam Sands!

Additionally, Josh and Khalela have been accepted into Griffith University’s Future Leaders Retreat program. In mid-January they will participate in three days of career, study and leadership mentoring at the University’s Gold Coast campus.

There are plenty of leadership opportunities for other aspirational students. At the start of next year, we will select four Year 12 Student Leaders, who will represent the grade in the whole-school Student Forum. Additionally, we will form the Year 12 Council. The Council’s role is to organise events specifically for the Year 12 cohort, especially in terms of the Formal and other end-of-year celebrations. Students will be informed of the application procedures at the start of the school year.

As students reflect on their Year 11 results, it will be clear in some cases that changes are required in terms of subjects and pathways. The school’s administration team have been conducting interviews with some students and parents/carers over the past two weeks, seeking ways that we can maximise our students’ opportunities for success in Year 12 and beyond.

If you feel that your student would benefit from a change in pathway or subjects, please contact me as soon as possible and I will organise appointments with the relevant personnel for the start of the 2018 school year.

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”

Lord Mayor Recognition

Miranda Callum was appointed to the Lord Mayor Youth Advisory Council (LMYAC) at the beginning of this year and has made a significant contribution to the group. In her position on the Council, she has developed leadership skills and has been involved in shaping the future of Brisbane. Some of the LMYCA initiatives included:

• Providing ideas for the new transport plan for Brisbane
• Suggestions on how Council could embrace the Legacy Program during the 2018 Commonwealth Games
• Participating in volunteering programs in Brisbane such as Homeless Connect and Youth week

Congratulations Miranda, and well done on being such an exceptional ambassador.

Miranda Callum and Lord Mayor Graham Quirk

Thank you …

Year 10 Student Leaders

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Year 10 Student Leaders – Ishaann Cheema, Francesca Hellmuth, David Dau and Mollie Taylor for the amazing job they have performed as the “Voice of Year 10”. These leaders have been extremely valuable as they have organized and conducted Year 10 assemblies and attended Student Forum meetings. I have been so proud of them and the manner in which they have conducted themselves in their leadership role. Thank you to Ishaann, Francesca, David and Mollie – you have been an absolute delight to work with.

Year 10 Student Council

This year the Student Leaders introduced a Year 10 student council to assist with organising Year 10 events. The team consisted of: Melanie Amundsen, Serena Antoniolli, Jadi Bowden, Dylan Coggan, Sophie Findlay, Leighton Frank, Steven Goodwin-Fairhurst, Ella Loney, Aleece Macaulay, Daniella Swart, Duncan Towner and Kayla Wishart. These students were instrumental in planning, organising and leading activities at the Year 10 camp. Thank you team, you were an awesome group to work with and I appreciate your contributions.

HG teachers

The Year 10 HG teachers are truly exceptional people who have provided incredible support and guidance to the students this year. The Year 10s have been extremely busy during HG completing SETPlanning, Work Experience booklets, subject planning, personal development program and pastoral care. Thank you team.

CU10A – Mr Michelmore and Ms Wolsey
CU10B – Ms Ringrose
JA10A – Ms Kilgour
JA10B – Ms Donaldson
MO10A – Mrs Caruso
YA10A – Ms Lynch
YA10B – Mrs Nicolson

Parents/Carers

I would also like to thank the parents/carers of Year 10s. It has been my absolute pleasure working with you and your child this year.

And finally, Year 10s, I look forward to continuing our journey together into the final two years of high school. Have an awesome holiday.

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

Year 9 Report

‘We’ have finally finished Junior School…the last three years have been incredibly busy, which is why they have probably flown by so quickly. We celebrated on Monday of Week 9 with a special “Moving Up” Assembly. This has become a bit of a tradition here at Centenary SHS and it is always enjoyable to see students’ faces when they see a video of themselves as Year 7s & 8s. I would like to share a list of the key events we have been through together over the last three years… and this in just 1 lesson per week! See how many you can remember!

Week 9 also brings back fond memories each year, as our newest students come for their “Orientation Day”.

Just a while ago it seems, you dropped your Year 6 students off here, leaving them for a day in the capable hands of the Year 7 HG teachers and student mentors... a large group of whom were mentors last Friday for the 2018 Year 7s. An intensive training session, run by Karyn Abraham, the Year 7 coordinator, made sure that they are up to the job. Whilst preparing for the day, I noticed many familiar names amongst the Year 7 cohort, meaning many of you are sending younger siblings here to school. This is a great honour and they will be well looked after in 2018 by the enthusiastic mentors from Years 10 & 11.

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, 2018 is another BIG year, with Leadership Camp, a well-established tradition here at the school, as well as Work Placement (Experience). Preparations for this will begin in Week 1 with a strong focus on preparing students well in advance of their Term 3 commitment. There is much press devoted to future-proofing students for the job market and it seems a long way off, but our young people will be up and out into the wider community sooner than we think. Apart from wellbeing, The Home Group Program plays an important role in preparing them for their future. There will be a number of Parent/Carer information sessions over the course of the year, which I encourage you to attend if possible.

Just another reminder about the need for students to be in White Shirts for Year 10. Payments and orders can be made securely for the (white) shirts online, by using ‘Flexischools’

Congratulations to Kate George, who has this year been the very dedicated HG teacher of Curragundi 9B, on taking on the role of Year 8 Coordinator in 2018. We say goodbye, with some sadness, and I know the class will really miss her. Amy Kitter, of Jarup 9B will be on leave for the year, and we wish her well. I will introduce to you the new HG teachers in due course, but in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or Kelsey Oakes should you need anything.

Please contact me if you have concerns regarding the welfare of your student, or Kelsey Oakes, the Year 9 (into10) DP.

Wishing you a safe and restful Christmas break.

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

Matt Redman, Year 8 Coordinator
Email: mredm23@eq.edu.au

Year 7 Report

As this is the final newsletter for the year I would like to say congratulations and thanks to the Year 7 Junior Leaders –Aidan Plapp, Jayde Radanova, Juan Vargas and Sienna Pritchard. These four captains, have done a fantastic job representing the views of the Year 7s in important decisions and performing official duties as ambassadors of Centenary State High School. Last week, I had the opportunity to take a number of young leaders to the Halogen Leaders Conference, and I simply couldn’t believe what a life changing event this seems to have been for the students and staff involved. The opportunity exists to inspire and empower a generation of young people who demonstrate leadership with or without a ‘badge.’ I was so impressed by the students who represented us at this event.

A number of Year 7 students raised awareness and funds through the MS Swimathon at Jindalee Pool by swimming for an amazing 12 HOURS. I cannot rave enough about Bethany Morrison, Evan, Isaac Walters, Freya-Grace Hellmuth, Kaeling Nairn and Neve (Evan's 10 year old sister!) who organised themselves with no auxiliary help. With Bethany as team captain, they all worked together to ensure all members were registered, requests sent out for sponsorship and that a team roster was organised for swims. They made decorations and props for their team "The Drowning Whales" (they won best decorated team!) and they organised replenishments for the day. They were at the pool before 6am and swam until 6pm, each person swimming for half an hour (30 laps approximately) at a time. The camaraderie and support they gave each other was amazing. When it was tough going in the afternoon, with a very hot day and everyone getting tired, they worked together and came up with a different way of completing the laps so everyone had a good break between laps. The best part was they all said how much fun they were having! The team swam 765 laps of the 50m pool (nearly 40km) and raised a good amount of money for charity! What an incredible effort that these students put in. If you ever wonder how bright our futures are, spend a day at a high school and be inspired by the young people that walk these school grounds.

The last two weeks of term saw students remaining in their current classes completing assessment. Years 7, 8 and 9 students work up until the last day of term, with some classes completing extension activities while others explored elements of the curriculum in more depth than time allowed earlier in the year. During the final week of school we extend learning in a number of curriculum based ways.

I want to wish all of our 2017 Year 7 students the very best as they move up to Year 8 and I welcome Kate George to their team as their new Year Level Coordinator. Kate’s job as YLC will roll with the cohort as they move up to Year 12. I look forward to hearing their success stories in years to come and working with them in various curriculum related capacities. I have loved helping your students transition to high school this year, and working with you all. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season and I will see you all back in the New Year.

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

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Normanby-Centenary J.R.L.F.C Sign On

Certificate III in Pathology Collection and the Certificate III in Health Services Assistance

4074 Stroke Clinic