1 March 2018 Volume 20 Number 2

PRINCIPAL

News from the Principal

School resourcing is based upon student enrolment on Day 8 of the school year. Our Day 8 return saw 1491 students enrolled at Centenary SHS which represents an increase of approximately 30 students on last year. Year level breakdowns are as follows:

Minor changes have been made to the school timetable over the last few weeks to balance class sizes.

The Importance of Routines

Our school pedagogical improvement is based upon the Marzano Art and Science of Teaching Model. The Centenary SHS teaching staff has been using Marzano’s Framework as the core of our professional development delivery for four years. A key component of the ASOT Framework is the use of effective routines in our classroom environment. Research has shown that strong routines support clear expectations enabling students to engage optimally in classroom learning.

Routine is important in maximising learning outside of school. It is important that students have a regular daily study time and a set place to complete this study in the household. The notion of routine can also be extended into sleep. Students will generally function at a higher level when they have set sleep and wake up times. The beginning of the school year is an excellent time to establish good routines to support learning.

Student Leadership Investiture

The school enjoyed its first signature event of the year a fortnight ago with the Investiture Leadership Ceremony. As always it was reassuring to witness so many students prepared to give back to the school community over 2018. We can look forward to a productive year with the quality of student leaders across the school. More importantly we are developing students who will contribute strongly to their respective communities in the future. In particular I wish our School Captains well for the challenges ahead.

School Priorities

This week we submit our Annual Implementation Plan to region. The plan outlines our priorities for the year as we commit to continually improve our service provision and the education experience of our students. Our priorities for 2018 are:

Systematic Curriculum Development and Delivery
Writing for Learning
Twenty First Century Skills
Inclusive Classrooms

Cars in the School Grounds

Parents/Carers should not be driving into the school grounds unless it is an emergent situation. Parents/Carers dropping off and picking up students from the Curragundi Road entry are posing a risk to students. Please drop off and collect students from the streets adjacent to the school.

Student Success

Great to see so many students getting involved in the co-curricular life of the school. With our first cluster sports days of the year coming up students are training hard.

Our Kokoda walkers have commenced their preparation for this year’s event with a number of after school and weekend training walks.

We wish our regional swimmers well for their upcoming competition.

Congratulations to school captain Josh Hansberry on his recent win in the District Lions Youth of the Year Quest. We wish Josh well as he proceeds to the regional competition.

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

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

Newsletter Articles

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

News from the Deputy Principals

Subject Selections

The deadline for subject changes has now passed and classes should now be settled. Students should now be focused on the upcoming assessment periods which will form the basis of the Term 1 interim reports. If students are having difficulty with any aspect of their subject, they should consult their classroom teacher in the first instance.

Parent Teacher Nights

Some forward planning for the Parent Teacher Nights which will occur in Weeks 1 and 2 of Term 2. With interim reports to be completed and e-mailed for all students by the end of this term, the following dates have been set aside for Parent Teacher Nights:

• Thursday, 19 April 2018
• Monday, 23 April 2018

These nights are a great opportunity to discuss your son/daughter’s progress in their subjects and connect with their teachers. As always, parents/carers are most welcome to contact teachers or other support staff directly at any point if there are any concerns or issues.

Behaviour Management

Students are reminded that they are accountable for their behaviour while travelling to and from school. While they are wearing the school uniform they are representatives of our school community and as such, appropriate conduct is expected of all students. This pertains mainly to travelling on public transport and the manners and courtesy displayed to bus drivers and members of the public.

A reminder also that students are not permitted to leave the school grounds unless an authorised leave pass has been arranged through the administration office. Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds during break times to access local shops or private houses. Parents/Carers can contact the school or write a permission note to give students permission to leave the school grounds.

Writing to Learn

Improving student writing is a key focus of our school’s strategic improvement agenda in 2018. During our professional development days at the start of the school year, we launched our ‘Writing to Learn’ strategy which consists of three main goals:

1. To build the capability of teachers to provide quality writing instruction through the content of the Australian Curriculum informed by research and evidence based practices
2. Provide students with additional focused teaching workshops targeting key writing skills
3. Provide opportunities for students to practise responding to ‘on demand’ writing tasks in test conditions including in an online environment

Additionally a significant number of teaching staff have participated in a series of professional development workshops, with Professor Ian Hunter from ‘Write that Essay’. In these workshops, teachers learnt a range of strategies related to the teaching of sentence styles and the craft of composition.

These workshops were excellent and our teachers have already started to utilise these strategies in their lessons. Later in the year, teachers will engage in further workshops and coaching to explore strategies to promote effective essay writing.

Bus timetable update – S61 Service

Changes to the S61 Bus service
Now running 20 min EARLIER in the MORNINGS
Commencing Monday, 12 February 2018

To address the late arrival of this service to school in the mornings, the timing of this service has been moved forward to now depart ALL BUS STOPS TWENTY (20) MINUTES earlier. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Southern Cross Transit on 3812 2520 and they will endeavour to assist you wherever possible.

Matt McDonald, Deputy Principal (Year 11)
Email: mmcdo156@eq.edu.au

Adam Richter, Deputy Principal (Years 9, 12 & 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 10, ATSI & EALD)
Email: koake10@eq.edu.au

BUSINESS MANAGER

News from the Business Manager

Curriculum Charges

This week, invoices for Curriculum Charges were processed and emailed to parents/carers. To allow parents/carers to budget and enter payment plans, accounts are not required to be finalised until 31 July.

Curriculum Charges are an additional charge for some specific areas of study which require extra, intensive resourcing. These can occur across core subject areas and extra-curricular subjects like STEP and HG. These charges cover activities and resources outside of the Student Resource Scheme.

An overview of all fees and charges can be located on our website below. These documents provide a detailed explanation (by subject) of Curriculum Charges and Student Resource Scheme fees and what the school provides for each of these charges.

All Curriculum Charges are reviewed each year by the school finance committee which then makes recommendations to the P&C for endorsement.

As invoices are processed, you may have received multiple emails from the school. To save time and confusion, we recommend you ignore all invoices and wait for your statement to be emailed.

Statements will be emailed each term with a due date of 31 July.

Please note that some subjects are only timetabled each term or semester. For these subjects, invoices will be generated as required with an email advising parents/carers of the fee. For invoices generated after the due date a 30 day account will operate.

For more detailed information please contact the individual Head of Department or Business Manager by emailing admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

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 if your student becomes 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 go to our school website below: 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.

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 last year. An early bird discount of $20 was applicable, if paid prior to 28 January 2018. These invoices have a finalisation date of 31 July 2018, for those who did 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.

Changes to the Payment of Excursion

This year excursion/camps/activities will no longer be included in payment plans. These are a user pay activity and will need to be paid in full prior to attending the event.

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

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION

News from the School Improvement and Innovation HOD

Critical Thinking

All As are Cs and all Bs are Cs.

Are all As Bs? Arriving at an answer to this question involves the kind of reasoning that students participating in the BSDE Critical Thinking courses are developing. Two groups of students from Years 7 and 9 are participating in this program; expanding their capacity to critique and then construct arguments that are robust and defensible. This kind of critical thinking is useful across a wide range of subjects and students will be exploring a number of logical fallacies across the course and develop strategies to avoid using these fallacies in constructing their own arguments. A list of these fallacies can be viewed via the below website:

If you were wondering about the answer – try substituting A with teenagers, B with emus and C with two-legged creatures.

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

STUDENT LEADERSHIP COORDINATOR

News from the Student Leadership Coordinator

Last week, we officially introduced the student leaders, from Years 8-12, to the school community in our Student Investiture Ceremony. Although the weather tipped past 35 degrees, I was amazed by the professionalism upheld by the students as they led the event.

As well as the student investiture ceremony, the Student Forum held their first fundraiser of the year – raising money for the Heart Kids charity through the celebration of Valentine’s Day. Student leaders worked collaboratively with the community to order over 600 roses, and boxes of chocolates and lollipops, as well as setting up an ordering process with the school office for students to place their orders for the day. As well as this, students were able to purchase serenades for their friends and favourite teachers, which had to be coordinated with student performers before the day. Valentine’s Day was a huge success for the leaders – I was extremely proud of their efforts in their first event of the year and we were able to raise a profit for the Heart Kids Foundation.

Our next project coming up is Harmony Day – always an exciting and humbling event in our school community. This event will be coordinated by our Junior School Captains, which will be an amazing experience for these leaders!

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

GUIDANCE

News from the Guidance Officers

What’s New in Student Services?

"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." - Robert C. Gallagher

We have moved!

We are very excited about our new Student Services Hub behind the Administration building, which brings the whole team together in one convenient location. Student Services is home to Juanita Oberle (Guidance Officer Years 10-12; Monday-Friday), Janet Ingram (Guidance Officer Years 7-9; Monday to Thursday), Bernie McMullen (Chaplain; Monday afternoon, Wednesday-Friday), Kirsten Anstey (School-Based Youth Health Nurse; Monday and alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays), and Skye Leo (Youth Support Coordinator, Thursdays). Appointments can still be made by calling or attending the school office, or by emailing the staff member directly.

New nurse

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to Kirsten Anstey, our new School Based Youth Health Nurse. Kirsten has been working as SBYHN part-time for many years, has worked in the position in State High Schools in this region, West Morton and the Gold Coast, and comes to us from Milpera State High School. Kirsten is really pleased to be taking on this role and is looking forward to becoming part of our community.

Options Career Information Bulletin – parent/carer access

As you may already be aware, Centenary SHS subscribes to the Options Career Information Bulletin, a fortnightly publication that provides current, timely and informative career information to Queensland schools, students and parents/carers. This is a fantastic resource that contains a wealth of information on career exploration, post-school opportunities and career pathways, career events around the state, updates from universities, competitions and scholarships, plus much more.

For the first time, options is now offering parents/carers and students the opportunity to access the bulletin, career dates and other great resources straight from the website. To access the fortnightly newsletter and other great resources, use the following link and access code:

LINK:

ACCESS CODE: cent2018

It is well worth a look!

Student Wellbeing Ambassadors

The Student Services Team (SST) is looking for students who would be interested in becoming Student Wellbeing Ambassadors for 2018. This is a new student role at Centenary SHS, and we are looking for some interested and enthusiastic students who would be happy to:

• Share their ideas with the SST about how to increase resilience and positive mental health in the Centenary SHS school community
• Road test suggested youth mental health apps and review them on year level assemblies
• Participate in the planning and help to promote Student Services events e.g. RU Okay day

If your child would like more information please tell them to come and visit the Student Services Team in their new hub behind the main school administration building, where they can request an Expression of Interest form. Successful Student Wellbeing ambassadors will receive training, support, and guidance from the Student Services Team.

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

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

SKI TRIP

Ski Trip 2018 – Snowy Mountains

With the NZ trip not getting the numbers, we are looking to embark on an Australian trip instead. Participants will ski or snowboard at Perisher and likely stay in Jindabyne. Being domestic, it will be a somewhat less expensive option than overseas.

Inclusions:

• Luxury coach travel to the venue
• National Park fees
• Ski Hire (Snowboarding may have a surcharge)
• Group lessons each day
• Full mountain lift pass
• Helmets
• Multi accommodation
• Insurance
• Breakfasts and Dinners at the venue

The costings will be based on a minimum 20 students and on the basis of some quotes received thus far, the projected cost will be in the range of $1650-$1795. Please note that if numbers are significantly higher than 20, the cost will be reduced.

The trip will be open to current students in Years 10-12 and a detailed information pack will be released shortly.

Maybe we will see some future Winter Olympians!

If you would like to be on the mailing list for information, please email rhain0@eq.edu.au.

Students who were on the NZ list will automatically be added to this list.

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

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Director Report

Swimming

A lot has been happening in the pool over the first five weeks of the school year! We have participated in our very first Northern District Swimming Trial which proved a huge success. Congratulations to the following students who qualified to compete at the District Trial:

Cody Bergmans
Rykent Bezuidenhout
Yvette Bezuidenhout
Felicity Cradick
Peter Cradick
Matthew Cradick
Ky Knight
Jake Knight
Bethany Morrison
Caitlin Ng
Leticia Ng
Zoe Oram
Jackson Owen
Dannielle Parkinson

The students participated against 27 schools that are now in our District and did an amazing job. Seven of these students have gone on to qualify to compete at the Regional Trials on Wednesday 21 February at Sleeman Aquatic Centre. Congratulations to Felicity Cradick, Peter Cradick, Sean Kendrick, Jake Knight, Caitlin Ng, Leticia Ng and Jackson Owen. If the students are successful on Wednesday they will then proceed through to represent Met West at the State Championships.

Northern District Sports Trials

A reminder that all information regarding district trials from 10-19 years is on the sports noticeboard. Closer to trial dates I also publish in the daily student notices. Dates are also on the sports calendar that is on the school website. Students must collect paperwork from Mrs Nasalio if they wish to attend trials. The majority of the trials are held in Term 1 and Term 2 so if your child specialises in a sport and would like the opportunity to represent their District, Met West, QLD and even Australia then this is the pathway they must take. This is our first year competing against other Northern schools in order to earn a spot on a District team for sport and so far Centenary SHS has been leading the way. We have a large number of students who have been selected to represent Northern District at the District Trials. Congratulations to the following students:

15 – 19 Years Boys Cricket

Matthew Osborne
Henry Taylor
Zac Jones

13 – 19 Years Girls Softball

Sydney Waller
Brylie Waller

12 – 14 Years Boys Baseball

Isaac Scherer
James King

16 – 18 Years Boys Touch Football

Jake Knight
Chicago Subritzky
Isaac Masoe
Ben Tang
James Kiata

16 – 18 Years Girls Touch Football

Alexis Hamilton
Gracie Nugent
Kataraina Bennett
Felicity Cradick
Katie Siertsema

17 – 19 Years Boys Football

Ben Tang
Harvey King
Michael Melvin
Ivan Izaguirre
Ziyad Benmebarek
Adam Amin
Maxime Jaccard
Aaryn Khanna

Met West Selection

Congratulations to Brylie Waller for being selected onto the 13 – 19 years Girls Met West Softball team to compete later in the year at the State Championships.

Matthew Osborne has also been selected to represent Met West at the 15 – 19 years Boys Cricket team to compete at the State Championships.

YEARS 7, 8 & 9 Summer Sports Gala Day

Wednesday 28 March will be our first gala day for our new Sports Association. The schools that we compete against are still Corinda SHS, Kenmore SHS, Yeronga SHS and Indooroopilly SHS. It is now a one day competition from 8am to 4:30pm. Students have been trialling for a team and teams have been training hard during AM break and during STEP on a Wednesday afternoon. Students will be competing in Basketball, Volleyball and Touch Football. Good luck to all teams.

YEAR 10 & OPEN Summer Sports Gala Day

On Friday 27 March in Term 2 our school will be involved in the Year 10 & Open Summer Sports Gala Day. There are six schools in our new Sports Association and they are Centenary SHS, Corinda SHS, Kenmore SHS, Yeronga SHS, Indooroopilly SHS and the QASMT. Our school has entered teams in Touch Football, Volleyball, Cricket and Basketball. I would like to wish all the students good luck in their games and thank you to the coaches for all your hard work in training your teams. I will have a detailed report and the results in Term 2.

Cross Country Training

The Centenary SHS Cross Country will be held in Week 10 on Tuesday 27 March from Lesson 3 to Lesson 4. Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 must compete in either the Championship race or the fun run. Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 must nominate if they wish to compete or they will remain in class.

The Centenary SHS HPE department would like to offer students an opportunity to participate in a training program that we have written. Training will occur two mornings a week from 7:30am to 8:15am on Mondays and Fridays as well as an afternoon session on Wednesdays from 3:15pm to 4:15pm. Students are to meet the teacher running the training session on the school oval.

Please be aware that even if it is raining, training will still go ahead but will be moved into the school gym. Students are welcome to attend any of these three sessions and are not required to notify staff of their attendance in advance.

Students will be running on the school grounds as well as on the footpath on Moolanda Street. This running program is suitable for all ages and fitness levels and we encourage students to take this opportunity.

House Captains

House Captains for 2018 have now received their badges and their House Captain shirt. The House Captains will be running lunchtime competitions and helping raise house spirit in the school. Congratulations to the following students:

Yallambee – Patrick Nguyen
Yallambee – Kirstyn Hagger
Curragundi – James Kiata
Curragundi – Alyssa Kearney
Jarup – Michael Melvin
Jarup – Natasha Phanouvong
Moolanda – Benson Chin
Moolanda – Alexis Hamilton

Ten Pin Bowling

This year Centenary SHS is hoping to get their first ever ten pin bowling team together to enter the inter school team challenge. We are looking for boys and girls who can play Ten Pin. You don’t have to be perfect, just no bumpers! The interschool challenge is on 12 August at a venue to be advised. Jamie Robinson from Year 11 is a big Ten Pin Bowler and will be representing, not only his local club but also, Queensland in many tournaments around Australia this year. He will be able to coach you and help you to get very good. He will be the team captain. If you are interested please see Mrs Nasalio for further information.

Reporting Results

To enable me to report on student results and to keep accurate records for sports awards, I need to know how participants went in their competitions. Students can see me in Staffroom 4 or results can be emailed to: tnasa1@eq.edu.au.

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

CULTURAL DIRECTOR

Cultural Director Report

Instrumental Music Program

The Instrumental Music Program is back in full swing now with all of our ensembles and lessons up and running with renewed zeal and enthusiasm. Parents/Carers with any questions regarding the program are free to email me any time at mwatk16@eq.edu.au.

Absences from Lessons and Ensembles

Just a reminder to our current families, and a notice for our new parents/carers, to please contact your instrumental teacher, or myself, should you be unable to make a rehearsal or music lesson. We understand that there are genuine reasons why people are unable to attend, but we just ask that any absences be explained. If you are away all day from school because of sickness and you contact the school, you do not need to contact me as well, I will see the information on our system. If you have an unexplained absence, an email will be sent home and to the student’s email.

An Explained Absence is when:

• A student is genuinely sick and not at school for all of the day, or the part of the day, when their lesson/rehearsal occurs
• A student is not at school for another reason for all of the day, or the part of the day, when their lesson/rehearsal occurs (e.g. family event, funeral, etc.)
• A student is out of school on an excursion, sporting event or other approved school activity
• A student is late or does not come to a morning rehearsal for genuine reasons and comes to see their teacher or Mr Watkins afterward to offer an explanation (e.g. missed the bus, traffic, car troubles, etc.)
• A student sees their teacher or Mr Watkins to tell them that they need to stay in class for this lesson because they have assessment
• A student forgets to come out of class to go to their lesson but comes to see the teacher or Mr Watkins afterwards and explains the situation to the teacher’s satisfaction

An Unexplained Absence is when:

• A student misses a rehearsal and does not come and see their ensemble teacher or Mr Watkins to offer an explanation or apology
• A student does not come out of class for their instrumental lesson and does not come and see their teacher or Mr Watkins before or after the lesson to explain
• A student forgets to come out of class to go to their lesson but comes to see the teacher afterward and does not explain the situation to the teacher’s satisfaction

We in the instrumental and choral program believe that our department is about much more than simply playing music, but is about the encouragement and development of thoughtful, responsible and respectful young men and women who will mature into productive and successful members of our society. The instrumental and choral teachers in our school are professionals who deserve to be treated as such, and we only ask that they receive the courtesy and respect that they merit. The vast majority of the students are excellent and are always doing the right thing, and I thank them and you as their parents/carers for your commitment and dedication.

Music Camps

Junior Music camp is coming up in Week 8 of Term 1, and Senior Music Camp in Week 1 of Term 2. Invoices, letters and permission forms have been sent out, so please get them in as soon as possible. The details are:

Arts Sub-Committee

The Arts Sub-Committee of the P&C held its first meeting for the year last week. At the meeting a new chair for the committee was elected in Niki Blenkins, as Sarah Towner is stepping down after many years of wonderful service. Julie Beal is again acting as treasurer; however, we are still looking for someone to take on the role of secretary. If you are interested please contact myself, or come along to the next meeting in CPAC on 14 March at 7.00pm.

Investiture Ceremony

February 12 saw the investiture of Years 8-12 Student Leaders for 2018 held on assembly. The Flute Ensemble ably provided the National Anthem and the performance item of “Swingin’ Safari” and is to be congratulated for their performance. The ceremony also saw the Arts Captains and scholarship winners presented with their certificates and badges, as well as the other leadership positions across the school. I was thrilled to see so many of the general leadership positions filled by students who are also very active in the Arts.

Until next time,

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

JUNIOR SECONDARY

Junior Secondary News

Welcome to the 2018 school year in the Junior School! What a busy start to first term it has been for all year levels.

Over the past five weeks, it has been pleasing to see so many of our Junior School students getting involved in a wide range of activities here at school – homework hub, sporting teams, instrumental music, choir, and the list goes on. There is a lot more to come throughout the year!

I am delighted to again be working with a very dedicated and enthusiastic team of Year Level Coordinators – Karyn Abraham (Year 7), Kate George (Year 8) and Matt Redman (Year 9). These amazing staff members support their HG teachers, students and parents/carers of their relevant year levels.

Karyn Abraham has done a sensational job in supporting the Year 7 students with their transition to high school, and coordinated the recent camp at Tallebudgera for 250 students. This was quite a task, particularly given that the camp was in Week 3. Thankfully the weather was not too hot during that week, and the students enjoyed three days of outdoor activities, where they developed team building skills, got to know one another, and met personal challenges. The photos below show some of the activities they participated in. For those students who attended the Stay at School Camp, they also enjoyed a range of team building and get to know you activities. One of the most popular challenges was pitching tents in the school grounds! Thank you to all the staff involved in making both camps such a success!

Thank you to the Year 7 parents/carers for your support and patience as we have been getting our youngest students connected to the school system with their devices. It is important that your child brings their device to school, fully charged, every day. They will be used increasingly during lessons, particularly with the text books being accessed on-line. Our Year 7 teachers have been undertaking professional development over the past couple of weeks, to learn how to enhance student learning through the use of ICTs.

Kate George has been doing a great job in supporting the Year 8 students as they have made the change from having just three or four teachers and classrooms last year, to now having six or seven different teachers, and classrooms located across our spacious campus. The majority have settled into the new school year very well and are enjoying their range of subjects. Remember, if you are concerned about your child’s well-being, please get in contact their HG teacher. Any concerns around learning should be addressed to the curriculum teacher.

Matt Redman is working hard with our Year 9 students to guide them and reinforce that they are now the leaders of the Junior School. They are role-models for our younger students. This is a very important year for them, as they consolidate their learnings before moving on to their senior phase of learning next year.

For all students, mid-term and end of term assessment will soon be upon them. That requires being focussed and organised. By now, you should have received an email from each of your child’s teachers, informing you of the courses your child is taking and what assessment will occur. We encourage a strong partnership between school and home, and regular communication is important. Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher/s with any concerns. A list of staff email addresses is printed in the back of the Student Diary and is available on the school’s website below.

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

FACULTIES

APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

ITD Staffing

I can confirm that Mark Bartholomew has resigned, effective January 2018. Mark will spend the initial phase of his retirement recouperating from significant heart surgery. Dan Patch has accepted an interim six month contract to fill the vacancy created by Mark’s departure.

Mark leaves the Department of Education after a career exceeding thirty years.

Stationery Requirements

Stationery requirement lists were published and distributed in late 2017. The lists inform families what stationery items need to be supplied for each of their child’s respective subjects. Applied Technology teachers have informed me that many students are yet to arrive to their classes with the necessary items. I would appreciate this matter being resolved. Should you require an additional stationery list, please contact me or go to the school’s website for Junior School lists or Senior School lists.

Consent Forms

Students enrolled in Applied Technology practical subjects have been issued with a consent form, requiring a parent/carer’s signature. The returned form indicates to your child’s respective teacher, that you are aware of the inherent risks associated with such subjects and permit your son/daughter to continue with the subject. Unfortunately, a significant number of consent forms remain outstanding. Please attend to this promptly. Students who have yet to return their consent form are withdrawn from the workshop and/or kitchen and are assigned theory tasks.

Occupational Health and Safety Requirements

Students enrolled in practical subjects are required to comply with occupational health and safety regulations. Applied Technology staff request students wear appropriate footwear in either a workshop or kitchen and avoid wearing loose clothing.

Students can easily comply. Simply:

• Wear their leather school shoes
• Wear supplied aprons, with the bow tied to the back
• Leave headphone/ear piece leads in their bags

Failure to comply, may result in your child being withdrawn from the workshop and/or kitchen.

Certificate II in Engineering Pathways

Year 11 students have been informed of the theoretical commitment required for this semester.

Students need to complete a minimum of 4 units per week.

We emphasise with students the importance of honouring this commitment to avoid the catastrophic compounding effect when work is not completed by the required date. Essentially, if a Year 11 student fails to complete their four theory units one week, will they find it any easier to complete 8 units the following week?

In addition to the theory units, students are required to submit at least one entry to the electronic profile. The entry needs to be complemented by at least 4 photographs of the project they are presently constructing.

Don’t let your son/daughter try to convince you that they have no work to complete at home. There’s always some theory to finish. Ask them to log onto their Blue Dog Training account and show you their progress.

Curriculum restructure

This year, all junior subjects are being developed to reflect the requirements of the Australian Curriculum. The Australian Curriculum introduces different content, and different methods of assessing competence and mastery.

Simultaneously, the senior syllabus is experiencing a substantial review. Some of the existing senior subjects will be withdrawn from availability and replaced with more contemporary alternatives. All new syllabi are to be in readiness for the commencement of 2019.

Year 10 Hospitality

The Year 10 Hospitality class has been involved in creating non-alcoholic beverages this term. These drinks are normally chosen for refreshment purposes, to quench one’s thirst. Non-alcoholic beverages include carbonated drinks, dairy and yoghurt–based beverages, juices, energy drinks, teas and coffees. It was an amazing start to the soaring temperatures experienced by students and staff alike. Beverages included Pina Colada, Rosemary- Infused Watermelon Lemonade, Iced Teas, Milkshakes and fruit based Smoothies.

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

THE ARTS

Welcome back to another exciting year and amazing opportunities for students in the Arts faculty at Centenary State High School! By now, hopefully you have received communication from all of your children’s Arts teachers; introducing themselves and their subject information for the term. You can also access assessment due dates via OneSchool (or by asking your child) to assist them in being prepared for their learning.

At the end of 2017 and the beginning of this year, the Arts faculty staff have been working hard to prepare the curriculum documents for the implementation of the Australian Curriculum. Whilst the Arts have been a core area of study for many years in Queensland schools, we now follow a national document with students working at the same achievement levels across the country. All students in Years 7-10 are now studying content and completing assessment that align with the national curriculum standards. Studying in the Arts is important and teaches many skill sets that other subjects do not offer. As the year progresses, I will continue to share with you why studying the Arts is important for young people today and their future career aspirations.

We have restructured the way the Years 7 and 8 TAR program works from this year so that, over a 2 year course, every student in Years 7 and 8 will get to study across the five disciplines of the Arts – music, art, media and performance (dance/drama). In addition to this, we have our excellence classes in Years 7-9 for students with exceptional abilities or talents in music (Music Plus), dance, drama or music theatre (Performance Plus). Thank you to the students who auditioned at the beginning of the year to fill the last few vacancies in Performance Plus. All of the classes for 2018 are now at capacity and we look forward to the Year 7 showcase as well as the Year 8/9 musical performance (Beauty and the Beast) throughout the year.

All of the extra-curricular activities are now underway, with students and staff in before and after school, working hard and learning new repertoire. During the year, we look forward to sharing with you the many activities we offer our Arts students. I encourage your children to be involved! I’d also like to take the time to recognise the dedicated and committed Arts staff we have here at Centenary SHS - thank you to the staff who devote many hours of their own time for the students to experience wonderful opportunities. This fortnight we wish the Centenary SHS Vocal Ensemble good luck. They have been successful in gaining a call-back audition for Creative Generation Voices, to be held later in the year!

Over the holidays, we were fortunate to receive a monetary donation which we have put toward the purchase of a new piano. We would like to acknowledge and thank sincerely Mr Rod Passos and his son Arthur for their very kind gesture and we are sure the many students who will benefit from using this instrument are also very thankful.

The first meeting of the Arts sub-committee of the P&C was held this week and thank you to the new parents/carers who have joined us this year. We are looking for office bearers (in particular a secretary), so if you were unable to make the meeting, you can certainly attend the next meeting which will be on Wednesday March 14 at 7pm. Please get in touch if you’d like more details.

I had the pleasure of formally congratulating the eight Year 12 students chosen as Arts Captains and School Leaders last week at the Investiture Ceremony. We are looking forward to a great 2018 with these fine young adults leading the way for our faculty across the school.

L-R: Riley, Anh-Thi, Isabelle, Jenna, Holly, Emma, Kyle (Zac absent)

Our first major event of the year is the debut of the Centenary SHS Alumni Concert. We’d love you to join us for the concert, which is a celebration of what Centenary SHS students have been doing in their time post-school. There is a fabulous list of performances on the night (see below) and we are looking forward to a brilliant evening of entertainment. There will be a canteen available for you to purchase some food and drinks, so bring your family and make a night of it! Much cheaper parking than driving to QPAC and we promise the entertainment will be just as fantastic! Tickets will be available at the door, or you can pre-purchase by using the following link:

Performances include…

“Skyfall” performed by The Alumni Stage Band with vocalists Tash McDonald, Lizzie Brown & Gracie Williams

“If I Ain’t Got You” performed by Amy Reynolds and Alex Van den Broek

“Nocturne Opus 9 No 1” by Chopin performed by Zoya Sarapa

“Anywhere” performed by Amy Margetts (Moore), Keren Byrne & Zoe Fox

“Jungle” performed by Allie Lagos & Matt Westwood

“How Deep the Father’s Love” performed by Ami Love, Jemima Moore, Sarah Olsen & Alana Witherington

“I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” performed by Jade Wilson, Ami Love, Sarah Olsen & Zoya Sarapa

“Get Away Jordan” performed by the Alumni Choir

“1612” performed by Alex Van den Broek, Zoya Sarapa, Dylan Kidd & Jemima Moore

“Bouree” performed by Tara McDonald, Gabby Crammond, Liam Harvey

Finally for this edition, the value of Arts and Culture is something that is talked about at many levels in society. Arts and Culture give us joy, make us healthier, let us reflect and help us empathise. The Arts bring many benefits to our society, our culture, our education and our economy. The following image is the research-based evidence of the value of Arts to people and society and is shared from the Arts Council England and makes for some interesting reading.

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

SCIENCE

We are almost at the end of week 6 of term 1. I hope your student(s) have settled into normal routine and working to the schools expectations. Our usual classroom routines and expectations of students are as follows:

• Arrive at their classroom and be ready for the lesson by the second bell for lessons 1, 3 & 4 and within 3 minutes of the bell going for lesson 2.
• The lessons will begin with a warm-up to practice knowledge from previous lesson(s)
• Note Lesson goals and success criteria. Students are expected to articulate the lessons goals during the course of the lesson
• During the lesson students are expected to actively engage with new knowledge, practice and deepen knowledge and use knowledge meaningfully.

Throughout the year, students will be provided with opportunities to engage with Science and STEM activities. Some of these opportunities are outlined below.

STEM Horizons

Three students in each of Year 7 and 9 will be part of the STEM Horizons program. The program is designed for High Achieving students and is an opportunity for them to enhance their knowledge and extend their science learning beyond the classroom. During the course of a semester students will be involved in activities at a range of locations including SPARQ-ed at TRI, Griffith University and the waters of Moreton Bay. Students will be working alongside peers from other school with similar demonstrated interests and abilities in STEM activities. Activities are designed to be hands-on and provide opportunities to actively engage in higher order thinking and problem solving. Links to authentic ‘real world’ science further enhance engagement and connection with possible future careers. The students selected for the above program are:

Year 7

Harrison Catesby
Remy Morris
Alex Byrne

Year 9

Nam Chi Wang
Sebastian Neale
Jade Wong

Pioneers in Science

Students in the Year 9 ECXEL class were given the opportunity to nominate for the Pioneers in Science Program. Five students were successful. The pioneers in science program is part of the World Science Festival to be held at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, South Brisbane on Thursday 22nd March 2018. The students selected to attend are:

Matthew Hinterreiter
Sebastian Neale
Ryan Nguyen
Jessica Tran
Merissa Wong

Great minds inspire greatness. The Pioneers in Science Program gives high school students a rare access to some of the world’s most renowned scientists. This year Students will attend a lecture by the 2005 Australian of the Year Fiona Wood, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in burn care, trauma and scar reconstruction. Professor Wood co-pioneered the world’s first ‘spray on skin’. She is Director of the WA Burns Service of Western Australia and a consultant Plastic Surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital. The intimate gathering allows students to address some of the most important topics in science with Professor Wood, who will share her personal stories, life challenges and career highlights, giving students a chance to imagine what their future in science might be.

SPARQ - ed Immersion

SPARQ-ed (Students Performing Advanced Research Queensland) is a unique educational facility established as a collaboration between The University of Queensland's Diamantina Institute (UQDI) and Queensland's Department of Education (DoE). SPARQ-ed aims to promote excellence and innovation in biological and biomedical education by delivering world class specialist programs to Queensland school students and their teachers. These programs are based on a model that brings together personnel and expertise from the education and scientific research communities. Twice a year, during the April and September school holidays students are given an opportunity to apply to be part of an immersion program. Holly Wilson (current Year 12 student) was successful in being part of the Program in 2017 and had this to say:

“On the 2017 September holidays, I had the opportunity to participate in a week-long immersion with the SPARQ-ed program at the Translational Research Institute (TRI) at the Princess Alexander Hospital. The program revolved around the works of Dr Andrew Brooks and Dr Yash Chhabra and their research on the relationship between the growth hormone receptor and the different pathways that can be taken, affecting the human body (Src Family Kinases). The growth hormone helps control the human body’s growth in many ways, so finding signalling pathways can potentially help us understand various genetic mutations based around growth. Throughout the week a group of approximately 20 high school students including myself were in and out of a lab situated at the TRI completing various scientific methods and aiding the researchers in their PhD experiment. It was a great opportunity to learn scientific techniques and further develop report writing and public speaking skills as the program ended with a speech based around our findings presented to the researchers of the hospital.”

Students who have a strong interest in pursuing science as a career are strongly encouraged to apply for the program at a time that suits them best.

Science Competitions

Throughout the year students will have the opportunity to participate in a number of science competitions. A letter will be emailed soon outlining the different competitions across different subjects. The closing date for all payments is 31 March. Please encourage your students to participate. The science competitions are as follows:

Big Science Competition - 10 May
ICAS Science Competition - 29 May
Australian National Chemistry Quiz - 02 August

All of these competitions are National competitions. Additionally, ICAS Science is also written in some overseas countries as well. Competitions of this nature provide students with opportunities to test their science skills in a competitive situation outside of the normal school assessment.

Other opportunities for extension are:

Science and Engineering Challenge

This is a whole-day competition, in May, at Canterbury College between year 9/10 students from different high schools. The object of the competition is to have fun while challenging their higher order thinking skills to design and construct a series of devices, and test them against other school teams. The students will construct things like catapults, powered airships, hovercrafts, Mars vehicles and simple bridges.

The Australian National Titration Competition

The competition, in May, test student’s skills at using titration techniques to determine the unknown concentration of Sodium hydroxide and acetic acid. The aim of the competition is to encourage students who enjoy chemistry – especially practical chemistry - and to recognise those students who become proficient. Students in Years 10 -12 are eligible to enter.

STILE

Since the beginning of this year some classes have had the opportunity to use the STILE app, a digital platform, which enhances and supports our efforts at engaging the students in science. Increasingly through this term and then more consistently through the year students will be expected to access the platform to complete science work in a range of ways. Since it is internet based, students can access the platform on any device. The platform consists of high-quality digital lessons designed to make learning science more engaging and relevant than ever before. Every unit of work is based on a recent development of science, bringing real-world relevance to the classroom.

Unfortunately, we have a limited number of laptops available to students at any given time. We would encourage all students currently subscribed to our BOYD contracts to bring their laptops or other permitted device to all science lessons. Additionally, we encourage all students to access the schools BYOD contracts as soon as it becomes financially possible for their Parents or Caregivers.

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

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 9 Report

The start of the 2018 school year has been busy and productive for our Year 9 students. As Year 9s, they are the leaders of the Junior School, and a strong emphasis is being placed on their position as role models to our Years 7 and 8 students.

There are a number of key events across Term 1 to engage the cohort. In Week 7, we will be participating in Clean Up Australia Day at school along with the Years 7, 8 & 10 students. This provides our students the opportunity to demonstrate leadership capacity and support the school community. In Week 10, the Shake & Stir Theatre Company will be entertaining the cohort with a performance entitled ‘Troll’ that will address a number of age-specific social issues in a comical and exciting manner. On top of this, students will have the opportunity in Week 10 to participate in the school Cross Country, and District Gala Day sporting competitions.

I am very excited to be Year Level Coordinator again for this cohort in 2018, and am looking forward to a fantastic year. Should you have any questions regarding your student’s schooling, please get in touch.

Matt Redman, Year 9 Coordinator
Email: mredm23@eq.edu.au

P&C

Canteen News

The Canteen has been very busy with our first Red Day on 16 February, which proved to be very popular.

The Canteen offers, on a regular basis, hot home-cooked meals which are advertised on the daily specials board at the Canteen. A reminder that we always welcome volunteers. No money handling or food preparation required. It is mainly labelling packaging, etc., and helping to restock food and drink during the break, so please give us a ring on 3373 4527 if you could spare an hour or two. This is a good opportunity to meet new people and enjoy a coffee and a chat.

Uniform Shop News

A reminder that the order for jumpers will be placed at the end of February. Those parents/carers who would like a wool jumper for their child are advised that these have to be ordered and pre-paid. Poly-Cotton jumpers will be in stock around late March/early April. We currently have some sizes in the Uniform Shop which are available now.

We thank all parents/carers for their patience during the busy start to the year whilst the queue at times has been quite long.

News from our P&C

The following email was sent to all parents/carers earlier this week. In case you missed it here is it again. If you are not already involved in the P&C this is your chance to become involved and have your say on the many issues that come up during the course of the year. The forms can be found on the P&C section of the school web page or you can email the P&C at pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

“On behalf of the P&C I would like to welcome you to the 2018 school year, and ask that you consider getting involved in your child’s education through the P&C. We do understand everyone leads a busy life, so this year we are asking all families to support our activities by volunteering for just 2 hours during the year.

Alternatively, perhaps you can donate items for raffles we run at various events throughout the year.

You might also like to consider joining our P&C. The objective of the P&C is to support the school to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for our children. Recently, the P&C has supported the air conditioning initiative, purchased new pianos, and provided support services for students.

We achieve this by running the uniform shop and canteen, and fund-raising events such as a Trivia Night.

Most importantly, Involvement in the P&C will give you a way to engage with the people who are educating our children and gain a better understanding of how the school operates – something it is often hard to extract from a teenager at the end of a day.

Our meetings are held at 7pm in the Resource Centre. The dates this term are:

• Wednesday 21 February
• Wednesday 21 March

Please come along and join us at either of these meetings.

Thank you

I’d like to formally thank one of our parents, Rod Passos, who very generously donated $2,500 to the P&C Arts Sub-Committee toward the purchase of a new piano. This donation was made on behalf of his son, Arthur Passos. As a result of this donation we have been able to place an order for a much needed new piano. We expect delivery within the next few days. Thank you Rod and Arthur.

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

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Scorpion Tennis

Bellbowrie “Strikers” Hockey Club

It's Hockey time again! Come and join the Bellbowrie Strikers Hockey team. We're a non-profit community sporting club providing a fun, family friendly environment for players of all skills and ages from juniors who are just learning the game to more competitive mens and womens A grade players and all levels in between.

To find out more and to register, go to our website:

Email: bhc.strikers@gmail.com