7 March 2019 Volume 21 Number 2

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

PRINCIPAL

News from the Principal

School resourcing is based upon student enrolment on Day 8 of the school year. Our Day 8 return saw 1526 students enrolled at Centenary which represents an increase of approximately 40 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 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.

The demands of the new SATE Curriculum in the Senior School will place strong demands on student recall. Success in this system will be largely dependent on effective study skills underpinned by strong routines.

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 contribute to the school community. 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 actively engage and contribute to their respective communities in the future. In particular I wish our School Captains well for the challenges ahead.

School Captains

Junior School Captains

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:

• Curriculum Alignment and Delivery with a focus on Differentiation and Moderation
• Writing for Learning
• Teaching for Thinking
• eLearning

Student Behaviour in the Community

The school has the mandate to apply consequences to students who through their behaviour in the community, bring the school into disrepute. I am concerned with complaints I have recently received regarding Centenary SHS Students at the Mt Ommaney shops. I ask that parents discuss with their students their responsibilities in the broader community.

Cars in the School Grounds

Parents should not be driving into the school grounds unless it is an emergent situation. Parents dropping off and picking up students from the Curragundi Road entry are posing a risk to students. The dangers here are acerbated with the traffic associated with the new build. 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 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 David Dau on being awarded District Lions Youth of the Year. We wish David 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.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

News from the Deputy Principals

Subject Selections

All students should now have settled on their subject selections for this year. This is particularly important for Year 11 students who have started their two year journey through the new Senior Phase of learning. 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 Night

Some forward planning for our first Parent Teacher Night for 2019. This year we are moving from two Parent Teacher Nights to one over an extended period of time for that day. This will be from 1pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday 1st May, 2019. With interim reports to be completed and e-mailed for all students by the end of this term, it presents as a great opportunity to discuss your son/daughter’s progress in their subjects and connect with their teachers. As always, parents are most welcome to contact teachers or other support staff directly at any point if there are any concerns or issues.

Student Attendance

A reminder 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 can contact the school or write a permission note to give students permission to leave the school grounds.

2019 Student Leader Investiture Ceremony

As a school we recently acknowledged our 2019 Student Leaders from Years 8-12, and our Year 7 Academic and Music Scholarship awardees. This special ceremony was attended by Ms Jess Pugh MP, State Member from Mt Ommaney, Mr David Harris, President of the P&C, and Ms Nicole Blenkins, Chair for the Performing Arts Sub-Committee of the P&C. In addition, the school acknowledged the academic success of our 2018 Year 12 students who received an OP 1-5. It was wonderful to welcome them back to the school and hear what University courses these young people have entered into!

All of the 2019 Student Leaders were presented with badges and certificates. Leaders were recognised in a number of different roles across the school. Congratulations to the following Student Leaders for 2019:

Additionally congratulations to our Year 7 Scholarship recipients:

Matt McDonald, Deputy Principal (Years 9 & 12)
Email: mmcdo156@eq.edu.au

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

Kristin Lynch, Deputy Principal (Year 8, ATSI & EALD)
Email: klync54@eq.edu.au

Angela McKay, Deputy Principal (Year 7)
Email: amcka18@eq.edu.au

BUSINESS MANAGER

News from the Business Manager

Curriculum Charges

Last 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. 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: 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 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

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching and Learning

Teaching for Thinking

Thinking is the ultimate 21st century skill. Our students need to be both capable and flexible thinkers to keep pace with changing societal demands. As educators, we need to equip our students with a suite of discipline specific and transferable critical and creative thinking skills that they can continue to develop. For us to be successful, students shouldn’t just be able to name the kind of thinking they are doing; they should also be able to describe the steps involved in the process. When they can do this, they can hone their skills with further practice independently.

Teaching thinking is not a new concept, it is already part of our practice however in 2019 we are shining the spotlight on thinking; taking a reflective approach, examining our current practice and looking for opportunities to make small improvements. Our teachers are keen thinkers and this was evident in the contention generated in our last professional learning session when posed with the question below from the 2017 QCS test. Many different responses were discussed and justified. What do you think the answer is?

Given the treatment of the composition’s elements, what is the most appropriate title for this artwork?

1. Building Australia
2. Harbour Life
3. Gateway to the City
4. Bridging Worlds

Anna Petrie, Teaching & Learning HOD
Email: anpet0@eq.edu.au

GUIDANCE

News from the Guidance Officers

School refusal

The term “school refusal” is used to describe the type of absences when a child is too emotionally distressed to attend school and usually the cause of this upset is fear associated with aspects of their schooling. For some parents, school refusal is an ongoing battle and the aim of this article is provide parents with tips on how to prevent school refusal from escalating.

1. Only allow your child to stay home when they are genuinely sick.
2. Avoid being the “enabler” and remove any reinforcing factors that make staying at home pleasurable. For example, do not take them shopping or to a café on non-genuine sick days.
3. Take the internet cable, game console and iPad to work with you.
4. Create boundaries around gaming and internet use. Promote “sleep hygiene” by asking your child not to take technology into the bedroom with them after sleep time. This will ensure they wake up on time and can arrive on time for school.
5. Book non-urgent appointments such as hairdressing appointments and dental check-ups during out of school hours, weekends or holidays.
6. Part time work should not exceed 12 hours a week. If their employer is expecting in excess of this, it would be worth researching your child’s rights.
7. Stomach aches and headaches can be a sign of anxiety. Take the time to discuss with your child their fears and concerns, so that you can distinguish what is a medical issue and what is a symptom of fear.
8. If your child struggles with the academic aspects of schooling, encourage them to become active in school sporting teams and events. Pursuits where students show off their strengths are opportunities to build self-esteem.
9. Be proactive and inform the school about bullying incidents. If we do not know, practical measures, such as a change of seating plan, cannot be taken.
10. If you suspect mental health issues, promptly take your child to your G.P to discuss a mental health plan. Under a mental health plan, six appointments with a psychologist are free under the Medicare rebate.

Lastly, alert the school that you are having difficulties so that we can help you. We may not be able to drag your child out the house and to school but we can certainly advise and encourage you from the sidelines. The longer a child stays away from school the harder it is for them to return. Be proactive and attend to signs of school refusal promptly before it becomes your daily battle.

Further clarification about school refusal can be found in the following link:

https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/school-refusal

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

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

CHAPLAIN

News from the Chaplain

Food for Thought

Friends – The people you spend most of your time with will have quite a marked effect on the way you live and act as you will find yourself adopting a lot of their habits and hobbies.

Peer pressure is often referred to as being a bad thing, but that’s not always the case.

If you choose peers whose ways are good, then they will probably influence you to behave in the right way. On the other hand if you choose friends who are constantly getting themselves in some sort of strife, then it won’t be long before you find yourself being led into doing things you don’t really want to do.

Remember, it’s your choice. Think of the characteristics that you like most in people and then look for friends who display those characteristics.

A message from Chappy Bernie

The Eleven Skills and Attitudes That Can Increase Resilience

Which resilience skills and attitudes do you use?

Over the last few months, we have discussed these skills and attitudes in some detail. I thought in this blog post I would list the 11 we have been discussing and briefly define each one. As you continue to follow this blog, you may wish to refer back to this list.

We know that individuals handle adversity in many different ways and that the different approaches and strategies that they make use of have been learned and shaped by the culture, society and family systems that they grew up in and of which they are a part. But some common skills and attitudes emerge.

1. Being connected to others. Relationships that can provide support and caring are one of the primary factors in resilience. Having a number of these relationships, both within and outside of the family, that offer love, encouragement and reassurance can build and support resilience, e.g., developing new friendships.
2. Being flexible. By definition it is a key component of resilience and one of the primary factors in emotional adjustment and maturity. This requires that an individual be flexible in his thinking and his actions, e.g., trying something new.
3. Being able to make realistic plans and take action to carry them out. Being able to see what is, rather than what you would like is a part of this skill. Being proactive rather than reactive, assertive rather than aggressive or passive are all components of this skill, e.g., taking a Red Cross course in CPR and First Aid.
4. Being able to communicate well with others and problem-solve both individually and with others. This includes basic communication, listening and problem-solving skills, e.g., working as a team member within your community.
5. Being able to manage strong feelings. This requires being able to take action without being impulsive and responding out of emotion and being able to put emotions to the side when clear thinking and action are required. Being able to use thinking as a way of managing one's emotions is a key component of this skill, e.g., when you're angry or hurt, thinking before acting.
6. Being self-confident. Having a positive self-image is critical if a person is to be able to confront and manage fear and anxiety in his/her life, e.g., helping someone else.
7. Being able to find purpose and meaning. Being able to make sense out of what is happening and to find meaning in it is critical if one is to be able to manage the feelings that are aroused in a crisis. Spiritual and religious practices are often a component of this factor, e.g., acting on your values.
8. Being able to see the big picture. This factor is often closely aligned with #7 and #5. Optimists in general are better able to see the bigger picture than pessimists. They are more likely to see good and bad events occurring in their life being temporary rather than permanent. This, too, will pass. They are also more likely to see events having a specific impact on certain areas of their life rather than having a pervasive impact on their entire life or their future. And last of all, they are less likely to blame themselves or someone else for the hard times. Optimists avoid the blame game, e.g., hold yourself and others accountable without the emotional dose of blame.
9. Being able to appreciate and use humor appropriately. Whether humor is "sick" or "dark" often depends on the setting. Laughter may have healing powers, e.g., if you're not feeling well; watch a funny movie.
10. Being able to take care of yourself, e.g., diet, exercise, financial "health," etc. First responders and health care professionals are often major offenders in this area. We often assume that the rules do not apply to us, but they do, e.g., make a SMART Plan for exercise. (See link to SMART Plan)
11. Being able to care for others physically and emotionally. Occupations and volunteer activities that involve caring for others can often build resilience, e.g., volunteer in a shelter or a food bank.

(From "Duct Tape Isn't Enough": Survival Skills for the 21st Century. Module I, pages 4 and 5)

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

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Director Report

Cross Country

Cross Country was held yesterday 6th March (Due to the timing of the newsletter results will be listed in the next edition). The first 6 runners will go through to represent Centenary SHS at the Northern District Trials. Cross Country training has commenced and is running until the end of term. Training is on Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings from 7.45am until 8.30am. It does not matter what your level of fitness is, just come along and join in.

Gala Day

Teams have now nearly been finalised and training has commenced. Grade 9 boys and girls touch football is still desperate for players. If you would like to enjoy a day of sport please see Mrs Nasalio to nominate. If you are in Year 8 and missed out on a gala day and would like to participate in the Year 9 touch teams please see Mrs Nasalio as well.

Year 10 and open teams. Forms go out to all teams this week for the upcoming gala day. Please ensure you pay on time and return your forms to the office.

Swimming and Top Croc

Centenary SHS HPE department awards a Top Croc every fortnight on assembly. This award goes to a team, a student or a group of students that have achieved a personal best in their chosen sport.

Last week students from Centenary SHS went to the Northern District Swimming Trials. Congratulations to the following students that qualified to represent Northern District at the upcoming Regional Trials and have also been awarded this weeks Top Croc.

Ashley Barnett
Alex Byrne
Felicity Cradick
Julianne Cradick
Kya Horridge
Sean Kendrick
Neve Longmire
Leticia Ng
Jackson Owen
Charlotte Roberts

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

JUNIOR SECONDARY

Junior Secondary News

As a new addition to the CSHS team, it’s been an absolute pleasure to join the community and oversee our Junior School. The 2019 school year commenced with an incredible start – from the amazing Year 10 mentors assisting our 7s transition into high school, to our 8s and 9s taking pride in their appearance and studies. Our students are looking superb, with the majority adhering to the school’s uniform code, as evidenced in the Student Diary – two plain earrings or sleepers per ear, nails neutral in colour, & all hair accessories (in hair, not on the wrist) are to be in school colours only. Any piercings should be covered and necklaces out of sight. Your support has been invaluable in ensuring their presentation is impeccable.

Throughout our first month of school, it has been sensational to witness so many of our JS students getting involved in a wide range of activities here at school – Homework Hub, sporting teams, instrumental music, choir, and the list goes on. Many more opportunities are forthcoming for students to “Get Involved!” – Mr Brew’s 2019 mantra.

I have the distinct pleasure to work with an enthusiastic team of Year Level Coordinators – Karyn Abraham (Year 7), Claire Tuton (Year 8) and Kate George (Year 9). These people are the port of call to liaise with staff members, support their HG teachers, students and parents of their relevant year level.

Karyn Abraham has been instrumental in kicking off a magnificent Year 7 transition program, assisted by our dedicated Year 10 mentors and our students have masterfully adopted “the Centenary Way” – “Be Responsible. Be Respectful. Be a Learner”. The 7s have had their “Meet the Teacher” evening, complete with vital information about the CSHS processes. We are well and truly underway planning for our Camp in Week 10, and our Stay at School Program.

Thank you to the Year 7 carers for your support and patience as we have been getting our youngest students connected to the school system with their devices. On Thursday 14th February we had a Technology Day, instructing students in a range of key programs and protocols. 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. A phone reminder will assist them learning to charge (and then pack!) their devices daily.

Claire Tuton has been a valuable asset to the Year 8s, as they branched out across the school’s expansive campus and into multiple classrooms with 6 or 7 different teachers and devising a rich HG Program.

Kate George is working hard with our Year 9 students to remind them they are role-models for our JS 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 and considering their career pathways.

Please ensure the school is aware of all absences, via the absence line. It is the student’s responsibility to see their teachers and obtain any work missed.

Don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher/s with any concerns. A list of the majority of staff email addresses is printed in the back of the Student Diary.

Brock Germain, HOD Junior Secondary
Email: bgerm1@eq.edu.au

FACULTIES

APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

ITD Staffing

Rob Brown has joined the ITD staff for Term 1. Rob is usually assigned to the Brisbane Youth Education Training Centre (BYETC), formerly the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre, which as you can appreciate, is significantly different to a traditional school such as Centenary State High School. Rob will spend the term with us to reacquaint himself with the issues, policy and practices associated with mainstream education. Rob will return to the BYETC for the commencement of Term 2.

Stationery Requirements

Stationery requirement lists were published and distributed late 2018. It informs families what stationery items need to be supplied for each of their child’s respective subjects. Applied Technology teachers have informed me that a considerable number of 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.

Consent Forms

Students enrolled in Applied Technology practical subjects have been issued with a consent form, requiring a parent’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 assigned theory tasks.

Occupational Health and Safety Requirements

Students enrolled in practical subjects are required to comply with occupational health and safety regulation. 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.

Preschool furniture

Last year, the senior Furnishing Skills students were approached by the deputy principal of Jamboree Heights State School and asked if they would be interested in constructing some outdoor furniture for the preschool students. A design was proposed and a prototype constructed for testing. A number of preschool students visited the workshop and literally sat on the prototype to ensure that dimensions were suitable for the students. A few alterations were required, prior to the commencement of production.

Six outdoors settings were constructed and painted, ready for use by the pre-schoolers.

Year 11 Hospitality Practices

The Year 11 Hospitality Practices students are participating in a barista course.

The students will experience operating a commercial coffee machine as a mandatory component of the Hospitality course. The service of Brent Deller, from First Batch Coffee, has been secured and he will provide his company’s Barista Basics course. It is anticipated students will learn how to safely operate and maintain the coffee machine, grind coffee, froth milk and making a variety of different styles of coffee. Additionally, the Home Economics staff intend to provide students with opportunities to showcase their barista skills throughout the year.

Students who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate acknowledging that they have completed the Barista Basics course.

Year 8 Applied Technology Assessment.

Students were required to design a recipe for a health muffin and justify the ingredients used. The accompanying photographs are representative of some of the wonderful, delicious and healthy options.

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

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

A very big start to an amazing year within the faculty! I would like to welcome Tristan Hart, Ryan Linneman and James Whittle to our team.

What’s new:

• Year 7 BCE (term subject) will be building with microbits (utilizing STEAM skills) and then will be set a further challenge to count down a rocket into orbit …. Am sure there are going to be many discussions around this outside of school!
• Year 8’s (term subject) will either be studying Business (with a focus on entrepreneurship) or Digital Technologies (algorithms and Lego Mindstorms)
• Year 9’s are designing and developing with Arduino and considering the social and ethical implications of driverless cars.
• Year 10’s are being introduced to possible senior subjects – Digital Solutions (focus on programming) and Business/Accounting (term focus on each area)

This year we will be continuing our quality pathways in our senior school through our partnership with Barrington College for the delivery of Certificate III Business and the Diploma of Business. We also celebrate that the 41 students who studied the Diploma of Business here at school last year, attained that qualification and enjoyed a cap and gown graduation in October last year.

We are also very excited to be teaching the new Accounting, Business, Digital Solutions and Information Communication and Technology subjects in Year 11, and enacting all the thorough planning and resource preparation my teams put into place last year.

I look forward to updating you through the year!

Janelle Kerridge, Business Technology HOD
Email: jkerr172@eq.edu.au

ELEARNING

Year 7 Tech day a big success

In Week 3, all Year 7 students took part in Tech Day. eLearning is an important part of being at Centenary, and Tech day was an opportunity for our newest students to learn the skills and processes they need to use technology in class.

Topics covered included:

• Connecting to our BYOD network
• Accessing OneNote Class Notebooks
• Reading and writing email
• Accessing digital textbooks
• Managing files and backing up
• Device care

Feedback from students is that this made them feel more confident when using technology in class.

Year 11 subjects embracing technology

The beginning of the new senior system has been a unique opportunity to incorporate technology and improve the way our older students access their education.

Through OneNote and digital textbooks, all Year 11 students now have a wealth of information readily available to them. This will be particularly important as they prepare for upcoming assessment pieces.

A reminder that there is an expectation that every Year 11 student has a working digital device each school day. All Year 11 classes have now been given the opportunity to connect to the school network. Further support will be offered throughout the day in the library to support this transition to digital learning.

James Whittle, eLearning HOD
Email: jwhit732@eq.edu.au

HUMANITIES/LOTE

Spanish Language Assistant

This semester we are very fortunate to welcome Margarita Salom to our school. Margarita – her home is the island of Majorca - is an experienced language teacher as well as being an exceptional teacher of gymnastics. She will be working with our Spanish language teachers and helping out with some HPE classes. Here she provides a description of her background and role.

My name is Marga Salom and I`m from a little island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea called Mallorca (in Spain).

I’m participating in the teaching of Centenary’s Spanish language program as a language assistant, with Year 7 and 8 in 2019, between January until June of 2019. It’s exciting see how students are learning my first language as beginners using songs, games and fun activities! I think it is fantastic to learn new languages, know other cultures, and points of view in life.

I love travelling around the world! I have visited different parts of Australia like the Great Ocean Road, the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, Tasmania and the amazing Uluru, which is my favourite place in the continent.

Apart from teaching Spanish, I`m taking part in some PE lessons because I love sports. Here I can learn how to play touch, something completely new for me that will be interesting to show to my students in Spain when I am back.

Marga Salom

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

SCIENCE

SATE

2019 has got off to a busy start especially for Year 11 students who are the first group to engage with the new SATE system. Within the Science Faculty students will be completing one of the following disciplines – Biology, Chemistry, Physics and/or Psychology. Across all the disciplines students will complete a Data test which is a new format of assessment and scheduled as follows:

STUDENT SUCCESS

During the summer recess two students spent a week in Canberra involved in exclusive science programs at the Australian National University (ANU).

Ishaann Cheema (Year 12) was selected from amongst a large number of candidates who participated in a rigorous selection process to represent Queensland in the NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM. He was one of 200 successful candidates across Australia. The program provided valuable experience in STEM. Some of the highlights were:

1. An address by Australia’s Chief Scientists – Alan Finkel
2. Keynote presentation by Scientists and professors from industry and universities
3. A video conference with CERN – European organisation for Nuclear Research
4. The opportunity to nominate for international programs either this year or post university graduation

Diana Tawil (Year 11) was selected to be part of Curious Minds – Girls in STEM. This is a 6 month program that combines 2 camps. The next camp will be in July. The camps explore all aspects of STEM through guest lectures, interactive and practical experiment sessions and field trips.

STAFF SUCCESS

Ms Martina Sellars and Ms Elizabeth Long gave up a part of their summer recess in January of this year to attend a Summer Camp for Science teachers. Both staff members had the benefit of engaging with highly acclaimed Scientists in STEM fields and engaging in new and exciting scientific explorations and discoveries. Additionally, they got to develop networks with other science teachers across Queensland. They are excited and shared novel and interesting approaches to engaging students in science.

SCIENCE WORTH CONSIDERING

2019 is the Year of the Periodic Table! There are will be a number of opportunities to engage with exciting science. The World Science Festival is again being hosted by Brisbane this year from the 20-24th March. Please find information via the link below. This is also where you can purchase tickets. There are always interesting and fascinating activities to see and do with your child.

Griffith University along with Latitude Group Travel are bringing NASA to Brisbane for a 5-day school holiday, space and STEM program. The program gives students in Years 7-10 an opportunity to hear from and meet an astronaut from NASA as well as work on a group project that has the potential to be sent to the International Space Station!

Please see a copy of the program below for your perusal. Places are limited.

For more details please go to the link below:

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Tui Adams from Griffith University on

+61 7 555 28342 or email t.adams@griffith.edu.au.

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

THE ARTS

Investiture Ceremony

February 18th saw the investiture of school student leaders for 2019 held on assembly. The String Orchestra directed by Mr Hoey provided the National Anthem and a performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and are to be congratulated. The ceremony also saw the Arts Captains presented with their certificates and badges, as well as the Year 7 Instrumental Music Scholarship recipients. It was thrilling to see so many of the general leadership positions filled by students who are also very active in the arts.

Arts Captains 2019: Angela Ngo, Sam Muharem, Ella Loney, Duncan Towner, Mahalia Jeffrey-Davies, Lara McGahan, Mollie Taylor (Leighton Frank absent)

Year 12 student and Arts Captain, Lara McGahan spent much of her holidays performing with the Ballet Theatre of Queensland in their production of The Sleeping Beauty at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex. Lara danced the role of Carabosse (the ballet equivalent of Maleficent). Ballet Theatre of Queensland is Queensland’s premier youth ballet company, providing professionally staged performance opportunities for talented Queensland dancers.

Year 12 Music Extension students have been mentoring Year 8 music students this Term. Jonah has been teaching students how to play the guitar, whilst Natesha has been recording piano tutorials to show students how to play the class repertoire. There is research that indicates that peer tutoring ‘can be an intellectually rewarding experience for both the student tutor and tutee, and that they can perform better on higher order conceptual understanding scales than other students’. It is also reported that ‘students find the lesson more interesting, easy to follow and enjoyable’. (from a case study published on https://ro.ecu.edu.au)

Instrumental and Choral Music Program

The year is off to a flying start with the Instrumental Music Program. All of our ensembles are up and running again with renewed zeal and enthusiasm. Parents 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, to please contact your instrumental, choral 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 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.

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 afterwards to offer an apology and 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 of assessment occurring on that day

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

Participation in the instrumental and choral program is much more than simply playing music. It is also about the 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 for your commitment and dedication.

Gala Concert

The Instrumental and Choral Music Gala Concert is now booked in for Wednesday 12th June at the Riverlife Bapist Church. This will be a wonderful evening featuring all of our instrumental and choral ensembles.

Music Camps

Junior Music Camp is coming up very soon in Week 8 of this term. All permission, special diet forms and payment must be in by Friday 10th March. Details and forms for the Senior Music Camp will be out in the next couple of weeks.

Beyond the Big Top

Preliminary rehearsals for our musical ‘Beyond the Big Top’ have begun during STEP time. Full scale rehearsals begin in term two for all students and auditions will be held at the end of term one. More information including audition materials will be released soon.

Centenary State High School Cultural Date Claimer 2019

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

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

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 12 Report

Ready, set DRIVE!

Recently I organised for RACQ to present to the Year 12s. The presentation, titled Driver IQ, aimed to promoted proactive, positive driving behaviours. It also provided simple, actionable strategies for young drives to implement both immediately and throughout their driving journey. The Year 12s explored practical, real-world strategies for dealing with passengers as drivers and discussed the crash triangle.

The presentation was highly engaging and interactive. Students used interactive technology to answer questions to enable real time information that was relevant to our students.

A couple of strategy suggested by RACQ were “HALT” and “Drive like a BOSS”. Here’s what they mean:

Safe travels Year 12s!
If you would like any further information on this program, check out RACQ website in the link below.

Chess Introduction (Year 12 Student Article)

During lunchbreak in the library, a chess introduction was presented by Calum Le-Shek and David Vu, supported by Joe Tran and Sami Cheshm Khoroushan. The presentation was a massive success, with more than 25 students participating in the program! We are hoping more students from grades 7-12 will come along to play chess.

David Vu
Year12 Student

Berenice Furlong, Year 12 Coordinator
Email: bfurl1@eq.edu.au

Year 11 Report

Welcome to 2019!

It was a flying start to the year with an intensive orientation program on the first day, backed up by a number of information sessions on day two.

Angela Raven, the HOD of Senior Schooling arranged 9 presenters from “Elevate” to deliver the first of two sessions to the cohort in their HG classes. The material provided by this company that specialises in preparing students for senior, lends itself to small group delivery. This first session on “ Time Management” was well-received by students and teachers and we look forward to a second session called “ Study Sensei” in Week 6 of Term 2. Parents are invited to access materials designed to assist in supporting solid study habits at home, via Elevate’s website. An email with details for this website, along with an informative PowerPoint was sent home earlier in the term. Thank you for attending the first of a number of parent information evenings on February 11th.

Congratulations to our newly- minted leaders! After a four-step application process, Diana, Amy, Josh & Frankie have been elected as our Forum Leaders for 2019. They join another 16 students, whose applications were successful, to form the Year 11 Council. Our first meeting was Monday of Week 5.

A major initiative this year is the launch of the “Containers for Change” (C4C) recycling program. The Year 11 cohort elected to support the Centenary P&C as their ‘Commitment to Service’ project this year. We were kept busy setting up for the launch which will have been on Monday of Week 6. Each Home Group will monitor their individual “Collection Point” and once enough recyclable waste has been collected, will be contacted to come and collect it and feed back funds to the P&C through this BCC Initiative. The school environment will be, over the longer term, more sustainable through this program, with the additional bonus of P&C funding (from the recycling) to flow back to students.

Once the C4C is up and running smoothly, the council & I will turn our attention to preparing for the Semi-Formal. It will take place on May 24th a Friday evening. Traditionally, students (and teachers!) dress in costume around a theme, voted for by the cohort for this event. A fashion show of sorts is held here at school prior to loading into busses for the evening cruise on the Brisbane River....... more details soon.

Please contact your student’s HG teacher (or me) if you have concerns regarding the welfare of your son or daughter. Our deputy principal for the year is Adam Richter. arich60@eq.edu.au.

• Last Day of Term 1 Friday 5th April
• Day 1 Term 2 Tuesday April 23rd (due to Easter Monday)
• Thursday of Week 1 is ANZAC Day

Debra Mansini, Year 11 Coordinator
Email: dmans17@eq.edu.au

Year 9 Report

Welcome back to 2019. For the parents/guardians of our new Year 9 students, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Kate George and I have the great pleasure of being the 2019 Year 9 Coordinator. I am looking forward to continuing to work with the students as they continue in their educational journey.

We have had a great start to the year. I have been impressed with how the Year 9’s have returned to school and how they have settled back into work. Last week we had the pleasure of seeing the year 9 Captains and Forum Leaders sworn in. An absolutely fantastic group of students, who will represent the school with pride throughout the year. Our Junior School Captains are Alisi –Keti Fangaloka and Cole O’Brien. Our Junior School Vice Captains are Ebony Niethe and James Turner-Fry. Our four forum leaders are Alex Suh, Evan Longmire, Freya-Grace Hellmuth and Olivia Boyd.

The focus for our Home Group lessons this term is Digital Citizenship. The students will be engaging in activities that highlight the importance of cyber safety. The students will gain a stronger understanding of how to be safe while online, the seriousness of what they post online and other important elements of digital citizenship. To build on the learning experiences of this term, the theatre company ‘Shake & Stir’ will be visiting in Week 9 to perform their new show ‘School Daze’, which focuses on the importance of digital citizenship. Students will be receiving more details on this presentation closer to the date.

Also this term, the Year 9’s are in charge of the annual ‘Clean up Australia Day’. The Captains and Student Leaders are already at work preparing and planning.

Looking forward to an exciting Term 1 for the Year 9’s.

Kate George, Year 9 Coordinator
Email: Kgeor38@eq.edu.au

Year 7 Report

I cannot believe that we are already at the half way mark for our first term in High School. It was a pleasure to meet so many of you at the Parent Information Night. The students have done a fantastic job in settling in and transitioning. I encourage all students to participate in at least one extracurricular activity each Semester. This assists in developing a sense of belonging and these experiences are usually some of the fondest that students have when they leave school. We have a myriad of sporting, music, dance and other extra-curricular activities students can involve themselves in and it is important that students take ownership of reading the notices to participate in these events.

In Week 10 we will be attending the Tallebudgera Outdoor Recreation Centre, bordered by the Pacific Ocean and Tallebudgera Creek. The students will rotate through a number of exciting and challenging activities in small groups. Whilst the expression of interest was due Week 4, if you have not returned your note and $50 deposit, please see the staff in the office as soon as possible.

Students who are remaining at school whilst the camp is on will have an incredible experience participating in an amazing range of fun and sensational experiences. I would like to express my thanks to the teachers who created these exciting events for the students!

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

P&C

News from our P&C

The P&C Annual General Meeting is to be held at 7PM on Wednesday 20th March in the Resource Centre (Library). This is an important meeting as all executive positions become vacant and a new executive is elected for the coming year. Unfortunately, a number of committee members are unable to stand for re-election and it is important to the ongoing sustainability of the P&C that all positions are filled.

If you would like to become involved in your P&C please consider coming along. If you would like a nomination form please email the Secretary, Susan Harris, at pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

President’s Report – February 2019

P&C Meeting Wednesday 1/02/2019

Welcome to our first meeting for 2019 which is also the last on the P&C annual calendar. Especially welcome to our new members.

Thank you to all those who attended our special meeting on Monday, 10th December. This meeting enabled us to review the tenders for the long-anticipated canteen upgrade. The outcome from that meeting was that we were able to award the contract to Urban Sector.

Unfortunately, the final departmental approvals were not forthcoming in time for work to commence during the summer holidays; however, this is now set to occur during the Easter break.

Due to the extent of the work to be done it is likely that the canteen will operate a reduced service for a few days before and after the break. This will be done from the CPAC counter with a limited menu. We’ll work closely with Cheryl and Antoinette on what this reduced service might look like.

Our AGM is to be held on March 20th at 7PM. At this time all executive positions are declared vacant and we will be seeking nominations from the membership to fill the roles for the coming year. The executive consists of:

• President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Vice President x 2

A number of the current executive have indicated that they are unable to stand for their current roles in the coming year, so we ask that everyone give some thought to nominating for a position.

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