6 February 2020 Volume 22 Number 1

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

PRINCIPAL

News from the Principal

Welcome to the Centenary SHS 2020 school year. I trust that all members of the Centenary SHS community have enjoyed the opportunity to relax over the Christmas and New Year period and are looking forward to the challenges of the new school year. I especially welcome new parents and caregivers to Centenary SHS and I encourage you to be actively involved in your child’s secondary education. Strong community involvement is a key characteristic of highly successful schools. Please regularly view the school’s correspondence, website and Facebook site, to be informed on school events.

I especially urge parents and caregivers to be part of the school’s P&C. Given the canteen is now outsourced and we do not run a school fete, revenue raising is not a significant responsibility of the P&C. The parent voice is valued and essential to sound school decision making.

At Centenary, we are committed to fostering a rich school experience for our students. Although outstanding academic outcomes are at the core of our business. This focus sits within a holistic approach to education, where we provide high quality opportunities for students across a range of endeavours in a safe and supportive learning environment. This delivery is underpinned by our school values:

Aspiration
Commitment
Community

I encourage parents to take an active interest in your child’s learning. It is important that students adopt strong work routines such as dedicated time in the afternoon/night for school work. Such routines, if adhered to, will reduce stress and workload later in the term.

Year 7 Cohort

On Tuesday, I met our 315 Year 7 students and delivered three simple messages:

1. Operate from a mindset of respect to others and you are likely to minimise behaviour issues.
2. Get involved in the life of the school and you are likely to enjoy school more.
3. Be curious with a thirst for learning and you are more likely to do well in your studies.

These simple messages apply to all students.

New Staff

I take this opportunity to welcome the following staff to Centenary SHS.

We also welcome back the following staff from leave in 2019:

Admin Responsibilities

Deputy Principal responsibility for Year Levels for 2020 will be as follows:

2019 Year 12 Outcomes

Congratulations to our Senior Cohort of 2019 on their end of year academic achievements.

Particularly pleasing were our top end results with over 23% of our OP eligible students achieving an OP between 1 and 5. We are particularly proud of our two OP1 Students Ishaann Cheema and Samuel Muharem.

CLASS and Timetable Changes

Whilst we attempt to minimise class and timetable changes for students it is inevitable that they will occur. A number of variables inform these changes including enrolment, growth, and the need to create equitable class sizes within the current industrial framework, as well as staff absence and the availability of specialist replacements. The current school timetable is in draft mode pending the “Day 8 Return” which will determine school resourcing including teacher allocation. We will endeavour to minimise the changes to timetables at this juncture.

Ear Phones and Accessories

Ear phones, plugs etc. are not part of the school uniform. Students are not to walk around the school with these accessories. We are experiencing increasing issues with students not hearing teacher instructions whilst “plugged in”. The line in the sand here is that if they are visible they may be confiscated.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up

Parents should not be driving into the school for student drop off and pick ups. The car parks are congested at the best of times and for the safety of all, we need to reduce traffic in these areas. At present, we still have construction work around the new build and consequently we are experiencing additional traffic at the Curragundi St entry. Please follow the road rules in respect to street parking. In particular, incorrect parking on Curragundi Rd is creating a hazard for pedestrians and cars leaving the school.

We have a number of welcome events in the first few weeks of the school year and I look forward to meeting many of you at them. I urge parents to attend the information nights in the next few weeks- particularly in the Senior School we are faced with a changing landscape and it will make a difference if parents have an understanding of the structures and pressures of the new system.

Best wishes for the 2020 Centenary School Year

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

News from the Year 7 and 8 Deputy Principal

I would like to officially welcome all of the year 7 students for 2020 and their families to Centenary State High School. I would like to welcome back all year 8 students who have transitioned from the year 7 precinct and are now attending classes in many different areas throughout the school.

As a school, we strive to support students to achieve their personal best whilst encouraging growth and fulfilment academically and personally through both curricular and extra-curricular endeavours.

The activities that all year 7 and 8 students engaged in on Tuesday 28th of January were designed by teachers to encourage personal growth and development.

First day for year 7 2020

The day started with a year level assembly in which our Year 7 coordinator – Karyn Abraham and Assistant Coordinator, Jo Moon welcomed our newest Centenary State High School Students. Our Principal, Mr Brew addressed all year 7 students encouraging them to get involved and take advantage of the opportunities for participation in a variety of extra-curricular school activities.

The program for the first day of year 7

The program for the year 7’s first day including getting to know you activities and instructions for break times.

Year 7 students were supported throughout the day by our student mentors and their home group (HG) teachers. Students were instructed in how to interpret the timetable and how to effectively use their diary. Student mentors guided our newest Centenary students around the school providing a tour of the key buildings and staff they will need to locate or access throughout the year.

Students were instructed on school wide and classroom expectations and the learning and behaviour statement. HG teachers also informed students about School Policies and Procedures including the School network and how to use it. All of the information sessions were supported by fun games and activities that put students at ease and made everyone feel they belonged.

First Day for Year 8, 2020

Our year 8’s started the day with their first year level assembly held in the upper shelter and were welcomed by their Year level Co-ordinator, Elizabeth Long.

Ms Long welcomed the year 8’s and introduced the year 8 HG teachers. Students were sorted into their new Home Groups. Whilst with their Home Group teachers, the year 8’s engaged in specifically designed ice breaker activities – getting to know their home group class.

Homegroup teachers engaged students in activities designed to identify their character strengths and become familiar with the attributes of Positive Education. All year 8’s wrote a letter to their future self in which they explained how they felt on their first day of year 8 and what they hoped to achieve by the end of school.

Students engaged in numerous team-building activities and participated in discussions regarding school expectations and goal setting. All year 8 students also participated in a tour of year 8 classrooms as they may not have accessed certain areas of the school during year 7.

Photographs

Year 7-9 students are having their photographs taken tomorrow, 7th of February. We look forward to seeing them looking their best in formal uniforms. Year 10-12 students are having their photographs taken next Friday, 14th of February. Photograph order envelopes have been handed out; spare envelopes can be collected from Administration. Orders can be placed online at msp.com.au using the shoot key or by cash payment brought on photo day and given to our photographers.

Immunisations

Year 7 students will be having the first of their immunisation program on Tuesday 10th of March.

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

Adam Richter, Deputy Principal (Year 12 & International)
Email: arich60@eq.edu.au

Deb McIntyre, Deputy Principal (Years 7 & 8, ATSI & EALD)
Email: dmcin49@eq.edu.au

Anna Petrie, Deputy Principal (Years 9 & 10)
Email: apetr0@eq.edu.au

Kelsey Oakes, Deputy Principal (Strategic Projects)
Email: koake10@eq.edu.au

BUSINESS MANAGER

News from the Business Manager

2019 Clearance Forms

At the end of last year, all year level students were issued with the “2019 Clearance Form”. Students were required to complete this form and return it to the office by the due dates last year. This process ensures that resources borrowed from the school are returned and accounted for. This checklist also gives parents/carers the opportunity to update personal details, explain any outstanding absences and finalise any outstanding fees that may be on the system.

The following attachments to the Clearance Form were also to be returned signed –

• Student Resource Scheme (SRS) 2020 Participation Agreement Form. The agreement allows parents/carers to participate in the SRS for the whole of the student’s enrolment at Centenary SHS. Parents only need to complete a new participation agreement if they change their mind about participating.
• Third Party Website Consent Form. This consent form allows parents/carers to give permission for the registration and use of the listed sited used by your students.

If your student has not completed and returned these forms please arrange for these to be presented by the end of the week. This will ensure that you student has the necessary resources to start the new year.

2020 Fee - Student Resource Scheme

The parent/carer contribution for 2020 has been set at $280 for Year 7 students and $300 for all other year levels. The scheme enhances and maximises student learning and provides a cost effective alternative to parents/carers for the use of curriculum textbooks/e-books, resources, consumables and other essential materials for students use. The scheme is endorsed by the P&C Association and is approved by the

Third Party Consent Form

The use of web based educational resources has risen steadily over the last decade and are increasingly being used by teachers across Queensland to improve student learning outcomes.

Our school and teachers make decisions about the best technology to meet the needs of our students. Sometimes it is beneficial for students to utilise services provided by third party web based providers.

Centenary State High School wishes to utilise the third party web based service providers listed below to aid students learning. For your student to use the service, the teacher will need to register them as a user. Registering with these providers requires student personal information to be disclosed to the provider of the service. In the case of the services outlined below, they are private companies that are hosted onshore in Australia and/or outside of Australia. Outside of Australia means that data that is entered to register for these sites will be stored on servers that are not based in Australia and therefore are not bound by Queensland’s privacy laws.

Registration may include disclosing the following information about your student:

• Student Name,
• Student ID,
• Age,
• Year group,
• Class Teacher and
• Student email

We need your permission for the registration and use of these sites by your student.

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

Before you complete this consent form, it is important that you understand the reasons that these websites collect this information, what will be done with it, who else may have access to it and where the data is stored. This information can be found in the hyperlinks below referring to each website’s terms and conditions and/or privacy policy.

Please read these and ensure that you understand the implications of using this service before giving your consent.

If you have any queries around the storage of student’s information, please feel free to contact the school administration on 3373 4555 or at admin@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au.

Statements

Statements will been generated and emailed (or posted) this week. All fees relating to the 2019 calendar year were due on 31 July, unless you have entered into a payment plan. Please note that these statements will not include the 2020 Student Resource Scheme. The 2020 fees will be generated and emailed shortly.

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

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

STUDENT LEADERSHIP COORDINATOR

News from the Student Leadership Coordinator

Before the school term had even begun, our student leaders were demonstrating their commitment to their leadership role and the school community by volunteering their time to assist the P&C in the uniform shop. The students assisted parents in the try-on area, by ushering them around the school, and by picking uniform items from shelves as needed.

This term, the Student Forum will coordinate and lead some exciting new initiatives and key events. The first major event, taking place in week 3, is Valentine’s Day. The Forum will organise a variety of gifts such as roses, chocolates, poems and musical serenades which will be available for student purchase. The Valentine’s Day gifts will be personally delivered to HG’s on Friday, 14th of February. Money raised will be donated to the ‘Heart Kids’ organisation, who raise funds to support the fight against one of the leading causes of death in infants in Australia, congenital heart disease.

Positive Education is an exciting approach that employs positive psychology principles to enhance wellbeing and resilience in students. Each week, students at Centenary will engage with a particular aspect of positive psychology. The student leaders from each year level are very excited to be tasked with the responsibility of developing and running short activities / segments during the weekly year-level assemblies. It is a great opportunity for students to engage with their lives in a positive way.

Although the term will be busy, the Student Forum are looking forward to embracing their roles as school leaders. All Forum event information can be found on the newly-updated noticeboard outside the library.

Carly Manche, Student Leadership Coordinator
Email: ceman4@eq.edu.au

GUIDANCE

News from the Guidance Officers

Introducing the Team in the Wellbeing Hub

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was right when he said: “Life wasn’t meant to be easy.” At Centenary State High School, we understand that young people can arrive at school with issues which may temporarily impact their learning. Our wellbeing staff are here to talk to students, offer other perspectives and provide support to remove educational barriers so they may get on with the business of learning and shaping their futures. Please take a moment to peruse the list of our wellbeing staff available at Centenary, so you and your child can access appropriate support when and if the need arises. Please call the office on 3373 4555 to make an appointment with any member of the team.

Guidance Officers

Guidance Officers are experienced teachers who have unique expertise to work in schools and help all students in the areas of academic achievement, social, personal and career development.

Juanita Oberle (Years 10, 11, 12)
E jober13@eq.edu.au

Janet Ingram (Years 7, 8, 9)
E jingr34@eq.edu.au

School Based Youth Health Nurse: Kirsten Anstey

The School Based Youth Health Nurse is employed by Queensland Health and works with the school community on issues that may affect the health and wellbeing of students, and the school community as a whole.

Chaplain: Bernie McMullen

The Chaplain is employed by Scripture Union and may work with students and parents around social and emotional support; spiritual support; mentoring; community development; educational support; and extracurricular activities.

E bmcmu27@eq.edu.au

Youth Support Coordinator: Dina Shaw

The Youth Support Coordinator is employed by Ipswich Community Youth Service, and works with students in Years 10-12 who may be struggling to stay at school. Students are referred to the YSC by the Deputy Principal or Guidance Officer.

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

In recent weeks, I have been amazed at the generosity of both individuals and organisations in our region who have come together to assist and support people who have been affected by recent natural disasters.

Can you imagine how great it would be to live in this area if we were all looking out for people’s needs at all times, not just in times of turmoil? Today, try opening your eyes to the needs of others around you and whenever you can, offer to help. You will discover that there is a real feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction that comes from knowing that you have made a positive difference to someone’s day.

Consider the idea that – the more you care for others, the more they care for you.

A message from Chappy Bernie

Starting High School

There isn’t much written about the big transition for our kids, preparing them for high school.

Naturally, some of our children will find this big step less daunting than their peers.

For some, high school might already be a familiar place. Perhaps they attend a school that continues through from primary to secondary school. Or maybe they have an older sibling at high school already.

Others, enjoy change. Like others with a novelty-seeking temperament, she relishes change, viewing it as an adventure.

Many other children however, find change to be quite the opposite — unsettling, daunting and downright overwhelming.

Regardless of your child's temperament though, there's a lot of 'newness' to adapt to as your child moves from primary to secondary school.

Here are some tips that might help ease the transition for your soon-to-be high schooler.

Try to build familiarity

If your child's school is yet to host an orientation day, make sure you head along. It will help your child to feel more settled if they're already familiar with the environment.

Meet your child's home room teacher if you can — your child will settle more quickly if they feel safe, confident and able to seek help from their teacher when needed.

Specifically ensure that your child knows which classroom to head to on their first day; where to find the canteen; the toilets; and where to catch the bus or to meet you at the end of the day.

One of the most intimidating changes for new high schoolers is the move from a single teacher in a classroom to multiple teachers, changing timetables and differing classrooms.

Accessing their timetable in advance and taking the opportunity to visit their classrooms ahead of time will hopefully make this change a little less daunting.

If there won't be an opportunity to visit the school before the term starts, does the school have a website you can explore with your child? Can you do a 'virtual tour' of the school? View the staff photo to identify their teacher? Read the Principal's message?

The more you can do to build familiarity, the better.

Meet other students and families

Naturally, the move to high school will feel less daunting for kids who have primary school classmates moving into high school with them.

If that's not the situation for your child, consider how you can arrange a meet up with some of their new classmates ahead of time.

Does your child's new school have a Facebook group you could join to request a catch up? Or can you ask that your details be passed on to any other new families who might be keen on a get-together before the school year begins?

Also, some parents are reluctant to ask their child how they're feeling, for fear of creating anxiety.

Chances are, your child will be feeling a little anxious already and knowing that you're interested and willing to listen will help them feel better, not worse.

Simply ask your child "How are you feeling about starting high school?" and acknowledge whatever feelings they share with you.

Also, the night before school starts, ensure your child has an early bedtime so they're well rested for their first day.

Wake them early so that you can avoid frantically rushing and keep stress levels low.

If your child hasn't been able to make it along to an orientation session, be sure to get your child to school early so that they can locate their classroom, toilets and canteen and introduce themselves to their teacher before the school bell rings.

Allow your child time to adjust

Try not to overschedule your child, at least in term one.

Keep checking in with them, stay present and interested when they talk about their new classmates and ensure there's time in their week for downtime as they adapt to all the newness that high school brings.

Also remember to keep your own feelings in check. It can be hard for parents who didn't enjoy high school themselves to feel excited and supportive of this transition, yet we need to be.

Children are very good at picking up on our stress. It signals to them that they're heading into a dangerous situation and will worsen any anxiety they might have.

Our children will look to us for confidence and reassurance. Regardless of our own experience of high school, it's important that we view this change as a positive one and be there for our children, cheering them on as their loyal and loving cheer squad.

So here we are, now just days away from high school and my daughter can't wait to meet her teacher, new friends and to finally have a high school locker — she's clearly watching more American high school movies than unicorn shows these days.

Once again, she's feeling "nerve-cited" about this new high school adventure … and I'm here, forever on her team, reminding her that she's got this.

Taken from an article 23/01/2020.

Dr Kaylene Henderson is a medically trained Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and one of Australia's leading parenting experts.

I hope this has been helpful, if you need to talk further in regards to your child at High School, you can contact me though the school or email me on bmcmu27@eq.edu.au

Hope your student has a great year at Centenary State High School.

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

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Director Report

Northern District Sports Director Report

Welcome to a new year of sport at Centenary SHS. My name is Tamara Nasalio and I will be the Northern District Sports Director at the school this year. Matalena Daniells is now the West Brisbane Sports Director. The following will provide some general information about the way sport operates at Centenary SHS for the benefit of new families, and also some information about upcoming events.

Centenary SHS is part of the Northern District for sport. Please be aware that his pathway is a representative pathway and is not a participation pathway.

Sports Calendar 2020

The link for the Sports Calendar for 2020 is at the bottom of this article. Carnival dates are listed as well as District and Regional Trial dates. Please check this calendar if your child is interested in trialling for sporting teams.

Sporting Pathways at Centenary SHS

There are many opportunities for students to become involved in sport here at Centenary SHS. They are:

1. School Carnivals – Centenary SHS runs Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics carnivals annually. During these carnivals, students from all age groups can compete in their houses for points that go toward the Champion House Shield, can compete to become Age Champion and also to gain selection in the school teams to go to district carnivals. To participate in the school carnivals, students will need to act on the information provided to them by the Sports Director and HG teachers prior to each carnival. Centenary SHS has swimming trials, which will be held on Thursday 30th January in order to allow students to register a qualifying time. Further information is below under “upcoming events”.
2. District and Regional Trials – Cluster days provide students with the opportunity to gain selection in district, regional, state, and even national teams, in a wide range of sports. The first step in this process is trials for the Northern District Team. Students will be invited to nominate for a trial and will now need to go through a selection process at Centenary SHS as we are only allowed to send 2 students to the Northern District Trial. The trials for Northern District tend to be after school. If successful, they then go to regional trials where they trial for selection in a Met West Regional team. If selected in the Regional team they can go onto State and National Trials. All common sports are catered for in this pathway, however the age groups are (usually) Open (16 – 19 years), 13 – 15 years and the 10 – 12 years. For upcoming trial dates, students must check the sports notice board and contact the Sport Director to trial first at school and if successful will be given the paperwork in order to attend the Northern District Trial.
3. Specific Sports Squads – Throughout the year there will be a number of sports that the school enters competitions for. These include sports such as Touch Football, Futsal, Netball, AFL, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Volleyball and Soccer. For students to get into these squads, they need to act on information given by the Sports Director and by coaches. Trials will be required for these teams. If selected in these squads, students usually compete outside of school time and there is usually a cost involved. Some of these cater for a wide range of age groups, which sometimes means we can enter teams from all age groups.
4. Inter-school sport (West Brisbane Sports Director – Ms Daniells)

Centenary SHS will be continuing to participate in the West Brisbane Sporting Association competition this year.

The structure consists of 6 Gala Days that will occur across terms 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each school in the West Brisbane competition will send teams to compete in all day carnivals in a range of sports, across all year levels. There will be:

• Four Yr7, 8 and 9 Gala Days – Term 1, 2, 3 and 4
• One Yr10 and Open Summer Gala day/s (dependent on team entries)
• One Yr10 and Open Winter Gala day/s (dependent on team entries)

The sports we will participate at the Gala days this year are: Touch Football, Volleyball, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Basketball, Netball, Soccer, Rugby League, Tennis, Badminton and AFL. Most of these sports will have both boys’ and girls’ teams in each year level of competition. Students from all year levels will have the opportunity to be part of one of these sporting teams.

The purpose of this competition is to provide quality sporting games between schools. As a result all schools are making a commitment to fill as many of the sports as they can with well prepared and well-presented teams. To enhance the quality of the competition the conveners of each sport will be sourcing qualified referees and suitable first aid personnel. Some of the sports will be played at school venues whilst others will use quality community facilities.

Teams will compete for the title of District Premiers in each sport and the premier teams for each sport and age group will progress onto the Metropolitan Finals series against other winning schools from across Brisbane.

At Centenary we are committed to developing strong teams to compete in this competition. Sign-ons and trials for the teams will be conducted early in the term and then training will commence on a weekly basis thereafter. Students will be advised of sign-ons and trials. Students who are selected into a Centenary team are expected to commit to the team and attend all training sessions.

As a result of this, students at Centenary SHS will have the opportunity to become part of a sporting team that competes in a quality competition against our local schools, on a regular basis. I encourage students to embrace this exciting opportunity and to try out for a team this year.

These pathways exist in an attempt to provide a wide range of sporting options for those students interested in sport. If you would like further information about any of these, please contact me at school.

Please contact Tamara Nasalio via email tnasa1@eq.edu.au if you would like to discuss any issues in relation to Northern District or Representative sport. If you have questions regarding school sport please contact Matalena Daniells via email mxdan5@eq.edu.au.

Sports Calendar 2020 Link:

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

Matalena Daniels, Sports Director
Email: mxdan5@eq.edu.au

STEP

News from STEP

Centenary State High School is pleased to be able to continue to offer students STEP in term 1, 2020. The ST udent E nrichment P rogram (STEP) is a valuable opportunity for students to get involved in a range of extension, non-academic and sporting activities. In Term 1, students in year 8 and 10 will be able to select an activity to participate in during lesson 4 on Wednesday afternoons. Students in year 7 and 9, will be involved with a compulsory writing program during STEP, but will still be able to select a competitive sport – their training will be in break times, culminating in the end of term Inter School Gala Day. STEP activity choices will be emailed to all parents and students shortly, while sign on will be during lesson 4, Wednesday 5th.

Stephanie Corless, STEP Coordinator
Email: scorl10@eq.edu.au

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

ENGLISH

Welcome to a new year at Centenary state High School, especially to our new students in Year 7 and others who have come to us from other schools. This is a great place to be.

I want to congratulate our recently departed Year 12 students and express my pride in their outstanding achievements and success in their chosen pathways.

The English staff has been putting a great deal of effort into planning and preparing for your students as we continue to refine and improve our delivery of the Australian Curriculum in Years 7 – 10. Also, this year we will guide our seniors towards their first external assessment, about which we are very excited. We aim to support all students in their learning and will work with your children to develop and extend their confidence and ability in both written and spoken English skills.

The English Department Assessment Calendar will soon become available on One School and I encourage all parents and carers to become familiar with the due dates for assessment. In addition, English semester overviews will be published on each student’s class OneNote, providing an outline of the English work which will be studied this semester, along with details about assessment dates. This overview document will help your student to develop time management skills and good study habits.

One great study habit that we require of all students in the need to draft assessment responses so that teachers can provide meaningful feedback. Please refer to the relevant pages of the student diary for information about assessment policy, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

It is important to all of us in the English Department that our students are enjoying their learning. If you have questions, concerns or your child is experiencing difficulty, please feel free to contact me or the classroom teacher, the Year Level Coordinator or a Guidance Officer. We are happy to support students and to address problems early.

I would like to welcome our new members of staff to the English Faculty: Susan Stenlake, James Garrard, Lisa Donaghy, Sandi Wright, Chloe Yates, Karen Rimmington and Hannah Young.

As our school continues to grow, we are delighted to begin making use of our handsome new building, the Senior Learning Centre (SL Block). The English faculty staffroom, and my office, are on the first floor.

We are looking forward to a happy, exciting and successful 2020.

Angela Maguire, English HOD
Email: amagu7@eq.edu.au

THE ARTS

Welcome to the 2020 school year! I hope all of the Arts families had a lovely holiday break and that students have returned to school ready for a new year.

Staff News

On the very last day of 2019, Ms Megan Ball took a last minute transfer to The Gap SHS. Ms Ball has worked at Centenary SHS for over 10 years, teaching mainly Drama and Film, Television and New Media. I’d like to acknowledge the contributions Megan has made to the school and to the students in the Arts faculty over so many years and wish her well in her new school.

We would like to welcome Mrs Susan Stenlake to the school and the faculty in 2020, joining with us to teach junior performance.

2019 Celebrations

In the news, we hear regularly about the links between music and the brain, and there is much research that indicates studying music can make you smarter. I’d like to think this is definitely the case here at Centenary! On behalf of the Arts faculty, I’d like to congratulate 2019 graduates, Ishaann Cheema and Sam Muharem on their OP1 results.

Ishaan was a member of the Music class in 2019, achieving a VH 9 for his hard work and talent. Ishaann particularly enjoyed composing music, and created many memorable dub-step/electronic music compositions. He also attended the 2019 Cultural Tour to Melbourne (his first visit to the city) and was immediately put in charge of map reading and tram directions. He excelled in this role and we are very excited that this practice has put in him good stead for his move to Melbourne for university.

Sam was a very important member of the Instrumental Music program and a 2019 arts captain. He was a committed member of the Symphonic Band, Stage Band and Centenary Swingers, performing on the alto saxophone. He took the lead with a couple of the other Arts captains and ran the most successful ‘Centenary’s Got Talent’ event to date! We wish him all the best for his studies at UQ this year and further congratulate him for winning the UQ Vice-Chancellor Scholarship.

These boys have proved that playing music is good for you and that you can achieve outstanding results at the same time.

Congratulations again to 2019 graduates, Lara McGahan and Josh Rosen, who will commence their tertiary music studies at the prestigious Queensland Conservatorium of Music this year.

We are equally as proud of the other students who departed the Instrumental Music program at the end of 2019, with a total of 6 (30%) musicians receiving an OP1-5.

2020 News

Returning to the 2020 school year, parents of students studying in the Arts should soon hear from their child’s teacher via email. This email will give information regarding the subject being studied and provides parents with a link to the teacher. Please take the time to read the email and keep yourselves informed of what will be taking place in your child’s classroom.

Centenary SHS offers students many opportunities to become involved in school life and there are a number of these extra-curricular activities in the Arts faculty. Your child can find out about all of the activities on offer by listening to the morning notices and checking the notice boards in the CPAC foyer. Please ask your child to talk to a member of the Arts faculty in Staffroom 4 if they want to be involved!

The Arts faculty is wonderfully supported by a team of parents in a subcommittee of the P&C. These dedicated parents meet once a month and support the students by raising funds to purchase items such as new uniforms, equipment and travel subsidies. Meetings are less than an hour in duration but there are many ways parents can help – from being on the committee, to donating items as requested, assisting at events by donating time or even just by purchasing items for sale at events. If you’d like to offer your support, we’d be most appreciative of your time and efforts. Please make contact with me (aslee4@eq.edu.au) if you are interested in joining this committee. Alternatively, there is also a Facebook group which you can request to join which will keep you up to date – search on Facebook ‘Centenary State High School Arts Subcommittee’.

Centenary State High School Cultural Date Claimer 2020

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

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 12 Report

My name is Terry Oberg - as previously announced, I will be the Acting Year 12 Coordinator during Term 1. Deb Mansini will return to the position in Term 2.

I’m excited for these students as they begin the defining year of their schooling. It will be an exciting, stressful, dynamic and demanding time.

As I write, we have just finished Mentoring interviews – a process that has run smoothly and proved invaluable – and we are preparing for the first day of school tomorrow.

Jerseys have now been distributed. We will make a second jersey order later this term, assuming there is sufficient interest. Students will be given the necessary information soon.

Our 2020 Home Group program has been finalised. The cohort will be visited by guests from universities, TAFEs and other tertiary providers and employers. Our Guidance Officers, Police Liaison, School Nurse and other support staff will be involved, as always. ATAR and QCE attainment will be a major focus. However, our intention is that the Home Group program will be less packed than in previous years, with several stress-busting sessions devoted to games and exercise, and study sessions around exam periods. We need to ensure that our young people stay healthy and happy.

Our 2020 School Captains and Forum Representatives were announced last year. We can now announce our Year 12 Council. The Council’s role is to organise events specifically for the Year 12 cohort, like the Formal and other end-of-year celebrations. This year’s Council includes Yvette Bezuidenhout, Sarah Bhagat, Ismahan Elsair, Antonia Emmerson, Emily Gates, Ariana Liao, Zoe McMullen, Katie Nguyen, Alex Oram, Nathan Renger, Jordan Simpson, Tom Surgeoner, Kim Tran and Sally Tran.

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

Terry Oberg, Year 12 Coordinator
Email: tober11@eq.edu.au

Year 10 Report

Welcome back for 2020.

It was great to see the students all return to school wearing their white shirts. For the parents/guardians of our New Year 10 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 Year Level Coordinator for this amazing group of students for the last two years. I am looking forward to continuing to work with them as they continue in their educational journey.

This year is a busy one! The students have already had a taste of what the year is to bring, with an introduction to Senior Schooling talk on day one. The talk was delivered by the Senior School HOD, Angela Raven. This is the first of many talks the students will be having this year, as they plan for the next phase of their education. The students will be undergoing activities during HG lessons to prepare them for their SET Plan interviews (subject selection for year 11 & 12). These interviews will be taking place in term 3.

Another important event happening this year is the annual year 10 camp being held in term 3 (term 3 is going to be a busy one). This will be an amazing opportunity for the students to get out of their comfort zone and further develop some of their life skills. I will be distributing information about the camp towards the end of this term. Stay tuned.

For any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me on kgeor38@eq.edu.au.

Kate George, Year 10 Coordinator
Email: kgeor38@eq.edu.au

VIETNAM TRIP

On December 1st last year, a group of 14 Year 10 & 11 students, accompanied by Mr McKenna, Ms Moon and our Antipodeans leader, Emelia, left for Vietnam on our long-awaited Antipodeans expedition.

After a couple of days in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, the team headed north to Sapa, where we undertook a community project. We stayed in homestays for the few days we worked on concreating the yard of a small primary school. In our downtime, we played with the children, learnt local embroidery and explored the village. Next, we began the trek through the beautiful mountains of Sapa, staying at a different homestay each night. After all our hard work, we were able to relax on an overnight cruise of the beautiful Ha Long Bay, where we kayaked, tried Tai Chi and a bit of karaoke in the evening. We then took an overnight train to Hoi An where we stayed for two days, partaking in a lantern-making class, exploring the night markets and seeing the river lit with colorful lanterns at night. We then headed to our last destination, Ho Chi Minh City, were we stayed for a few days. Here, we visited the War Remnants Museum, Independence Palace and the Central Post Office, went on a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War and did some shopping at the Ben Thanh markets.

Everywhere we went, we were able to experience such a unique culture; friendly people, delicious food, beautiful temples, amazing landscapes and so much more. On this adventure, I believe we all became a lot more independent and developed some great leadership skills as we organised our own accommodation, food and activities for every day. It was an incredibly special experience I’m certain I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Holly McGuigan – Year 11 student