5 March 2020 Volume 22 Number 2

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

PRINCIPAL

News from the Principal

School resourcing is usually based upon student enrolment on Day 8 of the school year. This year the coronavirus restrictions forced a delay to Day 13 for the submission of enrolment data. Our return saw 1672 students enrolled at Centenary, which represents an increase of approximately 150 students on last year. Year level breakdowns are as follows.

The Year 7 enrolment represents the school’s largest ever cohort.

Minor changes will be made to the school timetable over the balance of the term to accommodate additional teaching staff.

Facilities

There is plenty of activity across the school in respect to facility development. Currently work is being completed on the additional classroom air conditioning. Work is also underway on expanding the existing car parking within the school. We remain hopeful that work will commence shortly on the refurbishment of the outdoor court area and the resource centre.

The new Senior Learning Building is fully operational and proving to be a popular precinct for our Senior Students.

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 six 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 habits. Students will generally function at a higher level when they have set sleep and wake up times. The beginning of the school year is the optimum time to establish good routines to support learning.

The demands of the New QCE Curriculum in the Senior School will place strong demands on student recall. Success in this system will be largely dependent on effective study skills developed through the adherence to 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 positively to the school community. We can look forward to a productive year with the quality of student leaders across the school. 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 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 2020:

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

P&C Involvement

Again I urge parents to contribute to the school community through involvement in the school’s P&C. It would be great to see good numbers at the AGM on Wednesday 18 March.

Student Success

Great to see the strong start to sport 2020 with 21 Swimmers selected in the Northern District Swimming Team to compete in the Regional Meet.

Congratulations also to school captain Amy Lightbody on her Lions ‘Youth of the Year’ District Public Speaking Competition win.

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

Congratulations to all our school leaders and student forum representatives for 2020.

On Monday 17 February we formalised the appointment of all school leaders in a ceremony attended by special guests, dignitaries and members of our school community.

As a school we also acknowledged the academic achievements of our 2019 students who received an OP 1-5 and invited them to join the ceremony and attend a special morning tea with key staff and parents.

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 the Parent Teacher Night which will occur in Week 2 of Term 2, Wednesday 29 April. Interim reports will be completed and e-mailed for all students by the end of this term, which will allow parents an opportunity to meet and connect with teachers to discuss their student’s results and progress. The better the relationship between student, teacher and parent, the greater the chance of success. As always, parents are most welcome to contact teachers or other support staff directly at any point if there are any concerns or issues.

Behaviour Management

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

A reminder also that students are not permitted to leave the school grounds unless an authorised leave passed 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.

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

Curriculum Charges

Last week Invoices for the 2020 Curriculum Charges have been processed and emailed to parents/carers. To allow parents/carers to budget and/or enter into payment plans, these invoices 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.

Third Party Website 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
• 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.

Clearance Forms

All students should have returned the Clearance Forms for 2019. If you child has not could please encourage them to as soon as possible. As this process ensures that resources borrowed from the school are returned and accounted for. These items may include textbooks, library books, musical instruments and other equipment that will be required in 2020.

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

STUDENT LEADERSHIP COORDINATOR

News from the Student Leadership Coordinator

Although just weeks into the term, the members of the student forum have already demonstrated their ability to initiate, communicate and collaborate. Working in conjunction with staff, suppliers and each other, the leadership team successfully ran the annual Valentine’s Day fundraiser, with the addition of a ‘Wall of Hearts’ at the resource centre to promote positivity and well-being. Over 270 roses were sold, along with sweets and serenades, with a large portion of the profits to be donated to ‘Heartkids’. The event ran smoothly and was a great opportunity for everybody to connect and enjoy the novelty of eating chocolate in the morning, all while supporting an important cause. With several more events in the near future, such as Clean up Australia Day and Multicultural Day, 2020 is shaping up to be a great year not just for the Forum, but for the whole school community.

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

LEARNING ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR

News from Learning Assistance

At Centenary State High School we have a dedicated Learning Assistance Team that supports students on their journey to achieving success in an inclusive learning environment. Learning Assistance is for students that are needing extra support due to low literacy and numeracy levels and students with a diagnosed disorder or systemically failing. We focus on supporting the needs of any student who requires extra assistance to reach their potential. This involves enhancing learning experiences in partnership with classroom teachers and thus providing practical support to teachers, as well as to students and parents.

Learning Assistance offers a lunchtime program called D.I.A.L. which stands for Drop In And Learn, this is available every lunch break in GS13. It is intended to assist students with their homework, assignments and unfinished classwork. By accommodating the individual needs of each student, the Learning Assistance Team works extremely hard to assist students with reaching their own potential and building on their unique qualities.

Meet our Amazing Learning Assistance Team:-

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

LITERACY COORDINATOR

News from our Literacy Coordinator

I’d love to start the year by sharing a gift that can help parents and students with homework time. As our students enter their drafting times in the term, you might be looking for ways to support them at home with their writing. We have added vocabulary lists to both our Junior and Senior diaries. When students are drafting at home, remind them to have their vocabulary lists from the diary open in front of them. Page 24A in the Junior, and 35-36 in the Senior, provide a range of words that will be useful to improving the quality of their writing. In addition, the Junior has a very useful editing checklist that students can use to fix their work independently of their teacher, and the Senior has sentence starters targeting different Thinking skills and a template for Cornell notes – a great tool for revision. Remember, if your child is writing or drafting at home – diaries out!

We continue our great work with Write That Essay resources to support students improve their sentence structures and paragraph organisation; most staff have been trained in this wonderful teaching resource, and all new staff will be trained by the end of Term 1. We continue to have wonderful Writing Mentors and Coaches to support teachers in our school to teach writing – Jennifer Elliot and myself have long been a part of this team, and we welcome Belinda Cox and Felicity Barker (fresh back from working with Write That Essay for 3 terms!) to our keen team.

If you have any questions about how to support your child with Writing, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Danielle Ringrose, Literacy Coordinator
Email: dring3@eq.edu.au

CATSIES COORDINATOR

News from our CATSIES Coordinator

Centenary SHS is very excited to announce that we are now offering the Deadly Choices program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It is a very well known and supported program that focuses on providing information and inspiration to live healthy lives and make “deadly” choices. We have a mixed year level group participating this term on Mondays. We will have another mixed year level group running next term for students who have missed out this time around. They will also be offering health checks, so keep an eye out for permission forms.

We have Aunty Rose Page (Mulunjali Elder of Beaudesert) supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on Mondays and Tuesdays. Students are offered some drop-in sessions to catch up with Aunty Rose on Mondays, and are able to participate in a range of cultural activities at PM break on Mondays. Look out for information in the notices, and appointment cards in HG. Get involved!

Angela Duncombe, CATSIES Coordinator
Email: adunc62@eq.edu.au

INCLUSIVE PRACTICES

News from Inclusive Practices

2020 is off to a flying start for our senior SSI students. Our goal for this year is to embrace the ‘paddock to plate’ philosophy and produce sustainable and organic produce. While the rain dampened some spirits, we revelled in it as it meant that weeding and cleaning up our gardens was made a whole lot easier with the soft ground. Another focus of ours is to grow an orchard containing edible native fruit trees. With thanks to Terry, we were able to recycle some garden bed edging and create this garden. The students have also taken the opportunity to research the growing seasons of various vegetables and they have worked out a plan for the year to ensure we get maximum yield from our gardens. We hope to have our raised garden beds ready in the next couple of weeks for so we can plant our first crop.

Students weeding the fruit orchard

Yours in gardening, Ms Perry

Diana Huber, Head of Inclusive Practices
Email: dhube1@eq.edu.au

GUIDANCE

News from the Guidance Officers

Time Management = Priorities + Planning - Myths

A significant number of students have made appointments with me lately for support with managing their time more effectively. Although I very much welcome these appointments, I also thought it might be useful to run through with you the general advice that I give to these young people. The first step is to dispel some of the more prevalent myths around time management.

Myths

• Good time management is about getting more things done. Actually it is about getting the important things done to a high standard in a timely manner.
• I am studying for hours every day already, so I can’t do any more: What you can do is look at how productive you are, and what strategies you could try to yield more out of the same amount of – or possibly less – time.
• I work best under pressure. This is simply an excuse for putting yourself under pressure, and does not address the need to clarify task requirements; the importance of timely feedback from teachers; the value of reflection and revision time; and the detrimental impact of stress on performance.
• Other people seem to have a lot more time to get things done than I do. Before you go searching these ‘other people’ for time-turners (a la Hermione in Harry Potter), take a moment to consider your study habits. It is far more likely that the people you are comparing yourself to simply have good planning and follow-through practices.

Time management isn’t an instinct, or a gift we receive on our 13 birthday: it is a set of skills that must be learned! People who recognise the benefits of managing their commitments effectively from an early age might look like they are sailing through their secondary schooling without a care in the world, in the same way that experienced drivers rarely have to white-knuckle the steering wheel or slam on the brakes. It is all a matter of developing the skills and then putting them into practice.

Prioritise

Think about all of the activities you have on your to-do list, and try to triage them by importance and urgency. It is important to be clear about your main focus, so that you can decide which activities to prioritise, and which ones to delay (read a great book) or even delete (take my 124 food pic for the week). Once you know what is important to you, look at what is most urgent, and work your way through your list in order.

If you have trouble working out what to do first (because EVERYTHING is important and urgent) try the Idea Sandbox Prioritizer (also available as an app).

This site allows you to write a list of things to do (I suggest writing in the task and its deadline), then compares just two items on the list at a time, asking you to “click on the item that is more important” until it can present you with a list of priorities based on your responses. This can help give you direction when you’re too stressed to think through your priorities. That way if you run out of time, at least you know you have made your effort count.

Planning

If you are going to manage your time effectively, you need a plan. Actually, you need two, and one for each assignment. Sound complicated? Let me break it down for you.

Compile a weekly time frame:

Complete a weekly time frame starting from when you wake up through to when you go to bed, Monday to Sunday. Every Sunday night fill in your following week’s commitments (use the list above as a guide). You should be allocating a reasonable number of hours EVERY week to study plus extra time for set homework. When assignments are due and it is exam week/s, you will need to allocate more study hours. NOTE: You need to allocate one or two hours for emergencies (an extra shift at work, extra session of training). And remember, happy people are successful people, so you need to make sure that you have a balance in your life EVERY week – time for study, family, friends, yourself and work (if appropriate).

Plan your assignments:

Break every assignment down into the steps you need to successfully complete it. That is:

• Analyse the question
• Talk to others about what they think the question is asking you to do
• Check with your teacher to be sure you are on the right track
• Dot point key issues you need to address or cover in the assignment
• Check these with your teacher
• Do your research on each of the dot points
• Arrange the dot points into a logical sequence that will answer the question
• Write your first draft
• Ask your teacher to read it through and provide any suggestions
• Re-work your assignment to include any changes
• Ask someone to proof read your assignment (you cannot proof read your own work!)
• Print your assignment
• Hand well-crafted and completed assignment in on the due by date

Compile your term/semester plan:

Your weekly plan will support your term/semester plan.

• Don’t just put your due in dates on your term/semester plan – this tells you when your assignments are due and nothing about how to get them completed.
• Every assignment you have planned (above steps) you need to put it on your semester time plan so you know when you are going to complete each step (HINT: work backwards … start from due on this date, print on this date, proof read on this date, rework assignment on this date, etc. Then you will see what date you need to START each assignment).
• When you are putting together your weekly time management play you need to refer to your term/semester plan to know what has to be completed in any specific week … the two plans work together … they support each other.

So now you know how to manage your time, all that is left to do is put your prioritising and planning into action. I can help with developing follow-through as well…but that is a topic for another edition of the newsletter!

Acknowledgement: Options Career Information: The How-To of Time Management

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.

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

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Director Report

Swimming

33 Swimmers represented Centenary SHS at the Northern Eagles District Trials. These trial are to select students for the upcoming Met West Championships that will be held on Wednesday 26 February. 22 CSHS students were selected for the District squad, which is a huge achievement and one of Centenary’s best results in recent times. Six of these successful students are from our new Year 7 cohort.

Northern Eagles is one of the toughest districts in Brisbane and it is a credit to all students who competed at this level. Special congratulations to those who earned selection for the squad!

Northern Districts Sports Trials

A reminder that all information regarding district trials from 10-19yrs is advertised through the student notices. Dates are also on the sports calendar that has been emailed home. Students must collect paperwork from Mrs Nasalio if they wish to attend trials. Majority of the trials are held in Term 1 and Term 2 so if your child specialises in a sport and would like the opportunity to represent their District, Met West, QLD and even Australia then this is the pathway they must take. We have a large number of students that have been selected to represent Northern at the Regional Trials. Congratulations to the following students:

Met West Selection

Congratulations to Matthew Osborne for being selected onto the 15 – 19 Years Boys Met West Cricket team to compete later in the year at the State Championships.

Year 7, 8 and 9 Summer Sports Gala Day

Our first gala day for 2020 will be this term Week 10 - Tuesday 31 March. The five schools that we compete against are Corinda SHS, Kenmore SHS, Yeronga SHS, QASMT and Indooroopilly SHS. It is a one day competition from 8am to 4.30pm.

Students have been trialling and training for a number of different sports available this Gala day - consisting of basketball, touch football, boys’ volleyball and girls’ tennis. Information letters including the permission forms will be going home in Week 8 (18/03/20) and permission forms and payment must be returned by Week 9 (27/03/20).

Year 10 & Open Summer Sports Gala Day

The Year 10 & Open Summer Sports Gala Day is held in Term 2, Week 1 – 23 April 2020. Centenary will be participating in the sports of Touch Football, Tennis, Badminton, Girls Basketball and Boys Volleyball and Cricket.

Information letters including the permission forms will be going home in Week 8 (18/03/20) and permission forms and payment must be returned by Week 10 (1/04/20).

I would like thank all of our coaches for their hard work in training the teams and wish all our Senior and Junior Gala Day participants the best of luck for their games.

Cross Country Training

The annual Cross Country carnival will be taking place on Wednesday 11 March. This year, we are embracing a Positive Education program within the school that promotes optimal wellbeing within the school community. Physical activity is a key strategy for enhancing wellbeing, and as such, all students from Years 7 to 12 will participate in the Cross Country event. This is an opportunity for students to compete, contribute to their school house, socialise, and participate in organised physical activity with their peers. A range of team spirit activities will supplement the event for students to participate in when they are not racing. An information letter was emailed to all parents on Saturday 22 February with the details of the event. We are looking forward to seeing students getting involved with their school community.

Training will occur three mornings a week from 7.45am to 8.30am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Monday training session will be in the gym as a strength and conditioning session, Wednesday and Friday will be on the oval. Please be aware that even if it is raining training will still go ahead in the school gym. Students are welcome to attend any of these three sessions and are not required to notify staff of their attendance in advance. Simply meet the teacher taking the session outside of Staffroom 4. This running program is suitable for all ages and fitness levels and we encourage students to take this opportunity.

Reporting Results

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

Yours in sport,

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

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

JUNIOR SECONDARY

Junior Secondary News

We have welcomed our largest cohort in CSHS history this year – 314 Year 7s commenced their secondary schooling adventure last month. Eager to explore the Centenary landscape, many have ventured past the JS Block and nabbed their own slice of the school for their downtime in between active learning in the classroom.

With a focus on ‘Positive Education’ in 2020, our Junior School HG program has been revamped. Unit 1 in Year 7 English has also had a make-over, with the theme of “Tolerance” being at the forefront. Tolerance plays an overarching role in navigating a world that can challenge their values and character. If you’re a Year 7 parent, have a discussion about what tolerance means to them. English students brainstormed marginalised groups within society (see the image generated by the students in 7C) to devise a comprehensive list of people facing intolerance, ahead of their narrative task.

The Junior School acknowledges our students each week, with “Student of the Week” certificates. Each week, teachers nominate students from their junior classes who have stood out for a particular reason. We congratulate all our recipients and hope the certificates are shared at home.

Congratulations to our recently inducted Year 8 and 9 Leaders and Junior School Captains. Our Year 7s are in the process of nominating for Leadership. The 7s are also gearing up for camp towards the end of term. Please ensure documents are returned swiftly, with the payment amount, to secure your student’s place. It’s an exciting program and a great opportunity to solidify friendships and meet new people.

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

FACULTIES

APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

Applied Technology Staffing

The staff have remained the same as at the end of 2019. Peter Winn remains on leave until further notice. Shanti Reddy has been timetabled with one class, with the prospect of increasing the load, should her health permit.

Stationery Requirements

Stationery requirement lists were published and distributed late 2019. 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.

Senior Assessment Tertiary Entrance (SATE)

Year 12 Food and Nutrition and Design students will submit their first piece of summative assessment in Term 1, Week 6. A reminder, students in each subject will be presented with four pieces of assessment this year, three designed by Applied Technology staff and the final piece by members of the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). The collective results from the four pieces of summative assessment will contribute to the calculation of the student’s Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). I ask that students appreciate the importance of performing well in each of the four assessment tasks, commencing with the first scheduled for Week 6.

Home Economics (in summary)

Year 7/ 8

In Week 5 our Year 7 and 8 Applied Technology students will complete either, their Home Economics textiles or cooking course. The Home Economics Faculty would like to acknowledge the growth students have made in such a short time; congratulations are in order.

Year 9

In Home Economics the Year 9 students have been using the design process to build a gourmet burger, suitable for a healthy meal choice. 21 Century Skills have been incorporated into the process, through the students’ use of an interactive program.

Year 10

The new course, Introduction to Senior Food and Nutrition, which replaces Curious Science, focuses on the Science behind food and therefore, lays a foundation for students wishing to choose Food and Nutrition in Years 11 and 12.

Year 11 Hospitality Practices

Senior Hospitality Practices students have recently participated in a barista course.

The students experienced operating a commercial coffee machine as a mandatory component of the Hospitality course. The service of Brent Deller, from First Batch Coffee, was secured and Crystal Moore provided training in the company’s Barista Basics course. It is anticipated, students will now have a knowledge and understanding of how to safely operate and maintain the coffee machine, extract coffee, blend milk and make a variety of different styles of coffee, including the art of latte. Additionally, the Home Economics staff intend to provide students with opportunities to showcase their barista skills throughout the year.

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

ELEARNING

Successful start to our school-wide ‘One Device per Student’ initiative

As most parents would be aware, 2020 is the first year where every student will experience a “One Device per Student” learning environment. This is an exciting change for the school, and one that will allow a range of improvements to learning.

A huge thanks to all parents and carers who have supported this transition. We have seen very good take-up of the Bring You Own Device (BYOD) scheme, with over 90% of all students in the school set up and ready to go so far.

We will continue to work with parents and students in order to reach our target of 100% take-up this year. To make this possible, we have expanded and streamlined our Equity and Daily Loan device scheme to ensure every student has the opportunity to benefit from better use of technology for their learning. Parents wanting to know more about BYOD, Daily Loans and the Equity scheme are encouraged to view the ‘Computer and Internet’ page on our website or contact ict.support@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au

Caring for devices

Caring for their expensive digital devices is a big responsibility for students. Parents and carers can help by reminding students of best practices, for example:

• Transport your device in a protective case
• Store the device in its case when not in use
• Bring the device charged. Charging in the classroom can lead to tripping on power cords and the device being pulled off the desk
• Keep the device away from food and drinks
• Avoid carrying other items (E.g. charger) in the case with the device. These items can put pressure on the screen causing it to crack
• If not using the device for part of the day, utilise the lockers around the school. See the office about getting a locker
• Keep your hands off other student’s property. Assume every student has expensive technology in their bag. Don’t risk being accountable for damage caused to somebody else’s device
• Seek out help and advice from the ICT Helpdesk in the library as soon as a problem is noticed

I appreciate your assistance in working with us and your child to take care of their technology. When students have working computers, it allows our teachers to do so much more in the classroom

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

SCIENCE

The start of the 2020 academic would appear to be distant as we make our way into the second half of Term 1. Most students appear to have settled into routine, as we get closer to assessments. This year we will focus more strongly on our bookwork policy. Parents/Carers are strongly encouraged to monitor your student’s workbooks. There is strong empirical evidence to suggest that good bookwork in the form of regular and consistent note taking and daily reflections correlate with strong results in supervised assessments. Central to the bookwork policy is developing writing stamina. Writing stamina will affect students’ outcomes in the new SATE external examination system.

We welcome the following staff to the Science faculty: Cameron Smeal, Rachael Ames, Dipak Mistry and Kaz Rimmington and wish them well in their involvement in all things Centenary SHS.

2019 celebrations

The Science Faculty would like to congratulate all of our OP 1 – 5 students, most of whom had taken one or more science subjects. Special recognition goes to Ishaan Cheema and Sam Muharem, both students achieved strong VH grades in their respective science subjects.

We ended the year strong with our STEM engagements. The following are highlights of student achievements as individuals or in groups

Physics Olympiad

Dru Callaghan was selected to attend a conference in Adelaide on account of finishing in the top 10 achievers at the national level

NYSF

Following Ishaan Cheema’s success in being selected to represent Queensland in Canberra at the end of 2018, we are proud of Isabelle Lightbody’s similar success in 2019. We hope the 2020 cohort of Year 11 students will continue this tradition.

Heron Island Expedition

In Week 9 of Term 4, a group of students joined students from Corinda SHS and students from South Australia on an expedition of Heron Island. The aims of the activity were to provide students with an opportunity to gain valuable insight into research skills that are utilised in ecological and broader scientific contexts. Students participated in the collection of field data that included two projects over the course of the week. They also conducted observations of the Northern and Southern reefs and used collected data to complete a transect that depicts the ongoing health of the ecosystem. During the week, students participated in snorkelling at various dive sites around the island as well as having the opportunity to view an array of amazing wildlife species, including turtles nesting on the beaches at night. The following is a report by James Callum and Annika Melkersson on the group’s experiences.

The Heron Island Biological Camp, was one to remember. The exposure to real life scenarios as to where biology can take you, was to say the least, inspiring. From a scientific perspective, our experience with experimental methods and basic biology were enhanced and reinforced. This trip definitely applies all the classroom-learnt skills which we have studied for so long. Whilst using prior learning we were also provided with hints into senior biology e.g. utilising transects and presenting research correctly and academically. In addition to these practices, life-long memories and photos to laugh over will also be a part of the great collection we take away from this trip. From meeting new people to snorkelling with turtles and other marine life, these will remain a spirited part of the continuation in our schooling careers.

Snorkelling sessions were major opportunities to improve and broaden our analysis skills. Being a different environment, innovation in collecting data was essential. Whether one captures video, photographs or simply tallies quantities and samples - there was plenty of opportunity to improve on scientific abilities. Staying at the UQ research station, the amount of University students was sometimes overwhelming. By simply observing their study habits and schedules, the intensity of their exams rubbed off, and made a ‘holiday’ engaging for everyone. Ultimately this experience has been one to NEVER forget, and on behalf of all the Centenary students participating in it, we would like to thank everyone involved in the collaboration and development of this expedition.

Additionally to this trip, the research task required us to formulate a research question regarding a topic of interest, as well as share collected knowledge with others. For example, population density of certain aquatic species tended to be quite popular. Furthermore, other projects included population density and living/migration habits of native birds on the island as well as the relationship between leaf characteristics to abiotic conditions on the island. This task enabled us to utilise the research equipment such as lux metres, Pasco data loggers and sea lanterns. As independent learners, we devised a research question, hypothesis, aim and methodology. Once completed we conducted and corroborated our findings. From there, research was displayed aesthetically to the rest of the group, and all processes were described. By presenting data in this way, we were exposed to new ways to present information in a descriptive manner. The innovation of other student’s ideas showed many varying ways in which one could go about the process. It also built confidence in public speaking skills.

Despite the daily wrestling with wetsuits and getting sick of each other after being up from 3:30am, this trip has been hugely beneficial and a positive experience. We all hope to come again next year.

ConocoPhillips Science Week Experience

The ConocoPhillips Science Experience is a fun 3 or 4 days of science activities for Year 9 and 10 students in the last week of holidays in January, 2020. The program is designed to provide students who have an interest in science with an opportunity to engage in a wide range of fascinating science activities under the guidance of scientists who love their work. Participants perform experiments in the laboratories, meet and hear senior lecturers, attend site visits and walk around and experience what it is like to be on campus of a university. The program also provides information about further studies in science, technology and engineering. The pictures below provide a snapshot of some of the activities.

We would like acknowledge Centenary Rotary’s part sponsorship of the following students:

Thank to Wendy Hepple for her planning and coordination of both Heron Island Expedition and the ConocoPhillips Science Week Experience

2020 news

Coming back to 2020, the Science Faculty will continue to offer opportunities for students to participate in STEM and other science related activities.

STEM Horizons Program

Students in the eXcel Maths/Science program in Years 7 and 9 were given the opportunity to nominate for the above program. The program allows for THREE students in each of the grades.

The program for high achieving Year 9 students is the perfect opportunity to further enhance their knowledge and extend science learning beyond the classroom. During the course of a school semester, students will complete 4 days of specialist activities at a range of locations including Griffith University and the waters of Moreton Bay. Activities are designed to be ‘hands on’ and provide opportunities to actively engage in higher order thinking and problem solving. Links to authentic ‘real world’ science further enhance engagement and connection with possible future careers. Students will be working in small groups alongside peers from other schools with similar demonstrated interests and abilities in STEM subjects.

Likewise, Year 7 students will complete 4 days of specialist activities at a range of locations including the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Griffith University and the waters of Moreton.

The students that have been selected to participate in the program are:

UQ Science Ambassador Program

The objective of the program is to offer high achieving students the opportunity to champion science and raise the profile of science at the school by developing and delivering events, holding National Science Week activities, and encouraging other senior science students to share their experiences with students in all years.

We would like to congratulate the following Year 11 students who have been selected to represent the school:

Recently, a letter identifying the competitions that will be conducted throughout the year was emailed to all students and parents/carers. The following are Science competitions:

Please encourage your students to participate in the above competitions. Irrespective of the outcome, participation in competitions help to raise the profile of students. We are one of a select number of schools that participate in the Science and Engineering challenge. In 2019, our students narrowly missed the first position. Mr Angeles is keen to start preparations for the competition early. There are 30 places only available. Students in Years 9 & 10 who have a keen interest in STEM should see Mr Angeles in the JS staffroom as soon as possible.

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

THE ARTS

It’s hard to believe that half of term one is already gone! In my visits to the Arts classrooms, it is evident that the vast majority of students are engaging with the curriculum, learning new content and taking advantage of the teacher expertise to refine their skills in preparation for assessment. It is vital that students come prepared for every lesson, and this year, that includes having their own device. The Arts faculty is using OneNote as the primary means for delivering lesson materials and without a device, students risk falling behind and not being prepared for their assessment. Please ensure that your child comes prepared not only with their device, but with a fully charged device for every lesson.

Student News

It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the 2020 Arts Captains. These eight young men and women are tasked with the responsibility of marketing the Arts faculty here at school, encouraging inclusiveness, and as Mr Brew often says, encouraging students to ‘get involved’. They have started the year in tremendous fashion, assisting with the many sign up events at the start of the year, and have a number of great ideas to get students involved in The Arts in 2020.

Sydney Cultural Tour

An Expression of Interest has already gone out to students in Years 9 to 12 about a four day Cultural Tour to Sydney in the September holidays. Students will be able to immerse themselves in many arts activities, including going to see two musicals (The Secret Garden and Frozen The Musical), touring the Sydney Opera House, the Powerhouse Museum, and many other attractions. Over 30 students have indicated an interest in attending. If your child wants to attend, but did not return an EOI, please urgently email me to ensure they can be included in the tour preparations.

Student Work

I’d like to take some time to share with you some of the wonderful things happening in classes across the Arts over the last 5 weeks. The quality teaching and learning is clearly evidenced in this great work.

We have had the privilege of an Artist in Residence from La Boite Theatre Company, Sam Valentine, working with both the Year 10 drama class creating real and believable characters for their upcoming assessment and with the Year 8 performance plus students, teaching physical theatre skills.

The Year 11 drama and drama in practice students went to their first live production, The Neighbourhood at La Boite’s Roundhouse Theatre, which was an amazing experience. Students used the words ‘thought-provoking’, ‘emotional’, and ‘life changing’ in their reflections after viewing the play.

This week sees the theatrical release of The Wishmas Tree, an animated film co-produced and written by Ryan Greaves, former Centenary State High School captain and film student! Ryan works at Like a Photon Creative, a Brisbane-based studio. He has two more films in the pipeline: Combat Wombat and Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal.

Year 11 Dance students have had the pleasure of working with RAW Dance Company, teaching the students a modern Hip Hop routine for their upcoming performance assessment. RAW returns next week, this time working with the Year 7 performance plus class, choreographing ‘Revolting Children’ from Matilda, for the Year 7 showcase, to be held in June.

Year 10 Visual Art students are learning about the skills associated with drawing in their first unit, completing self-portraits.

The Year 11 visual art students have attended the Gallery of Modern Art’s new WATER exhibition, as part of their upcoming assessment. They were able to participate in a special Q&A gallery program, asking questions of the gallery’s curator, which was filmed as a part of the QAGOMA education YouTube channel. The artworks viewed at the gallery will form the stimulus for upcoming assessment.

At the same time, the Year 11 and 12 Visual Arts in practice students enjoyed a street art walking tour of Fish Lane. This too, will provide stimulus for their own works created later this term.

Instrumental Music

After 13 years, Mr Mark Watkins is stepping down from the role of Cultural Coordinator. I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge what Mark has contributed to the school in this role, the hundreds of hours of organising events, all for the benefit of the many students who have been and who are at Centenary SHS. I’m sure you will continue to see Mark at the many events we host, just in a different role. Mrs Carly Manche will be taking over the role of Cultural Coordinator for the remainder of 2020.

The first Instrumental Music performance of the year was at the recent Investiture Ceremony, with Mr Matthew Hoey and the String Ensemble having the pleasure of playing at this prestigious event. Despite the stifling hot weather, the students performed a beautiful rendition of Irish Aires – congratulations!

A reminder for parents and carers of children in the instrumental music program, about the music camps coming up - the Junior camp 18-20 March and the senior camp just after the holidays, 20-22 April. Please check the information letter for due dates, including returning permission forms and payment.

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

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 11 Report

Welcome back! The transition from Year 10 to 11 is significant, and comes with a range of challenges for students. High expectations from the school, more demanding subjects, and an increase in student workload all place additional pressure on students. It is vital that students invest the time and effort necessary to keep up with their schooling, and overcome these challenges.

The Home Group program for 2020 has been designed with an emphasis on student support and wellbeing. Given the demands of Year 11, a significant portion of time is being allocated to study sessions and wellbeing activities that seek to reduce school-related stress. Stress will be a consistent challenge for our cohort as they progress through their last two years of schooling, and the Home Group program seeks to equip students with the skills and resources to manage this stress.

Throughout the year, all Year 11 students will spend their weekly STEP time progressing through Senior School transition content, and completing a Certificate II in Workplace Skills. This course will provide students with a range of study and workplace skills, as well as contributing points towards their QCE certificate. Our Senior School HOD, Angela Raven, is running this program with a team of specialist teachers. Please contact Angela if you have questions regarding this program.

It is my fourth year now as Year Level Coordinator for this cohort and I am looking forward to another great year with them. Should you have any questions about your child’s schooling, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Matt Redman, Year 11 Coordinator
Email: mredm23@eq.edu.au

Year 9 Report

This week, we officially celebrated our Year 9 Student Leaders and Forum Representatives at our Leadership Investiture ceremony. We watched with pride as our leadership group accepted their badges from Mr Milton Dick, MP Federal Member for Oxley, Ms Rachel Hoppe, representing Ms Jess Pugh, MP State Member for Mount Ommaney, and our illustrious Principal, John Brew. Our Captains and Vice Captains for this year are Ella Knowlton, Brady Peut, Allan Le and Anoria Rankin, and our Forum Representatives are Tyler Goodhew, Claire Ingham, Jacob Li and Holly Lightbody. I wish them all the best in their leadership journey this year, and look forward to working with them in our Year 9 student council this year

Year 9 Captains: Ella Knowlton, Brady Peut, Anoria Rankin and Allan Le

Year 9 Forum Reps: Holly Lightbody, Claire Ingham, Tyler Goodhew and Jacob Li with Year 9 YLC Claire Masters

Our Home Group program will be a bit different this year as we embed Positive Education into our learning to improve the overall mental health and wellbeing of our students. The students have been involved in a range of activities designed to highlight their strengths and ‘flourish’ in their school environment – from identifying and using their character strengths, to building stronger social connections with each other and the wider community. So far, students have been thoroughly enjoying the program.

One of my goals this year is to promote the many opportunities that students have at Centenary. The first opportunity coming our way is the annual Cross Country in Week 7. In the past, our numbers have been pretty abysmal so this year I have laid down a challenge. If we double our number of runners from last year, I will run with them. So please encourage your young person to get involved!

Claire Masters, Year 9 Coordinator
Email: ctuto3@eq.edu.au

P&C

News from our P&C

The P&C’s Annual General Meeting is to be held on Wednesday 18 March 2020. At this meeting, all executive positions become vacant and nominations are accepted for executive positions for the following year.

I would encourage all parents/carers to come along and join the P&C and have your say on a range of issues that have a direct impact on the school and, more particularly, all students.

I would encourage anyone with the appropriate skills to consider standing for any of the executive roles. These are:

• President
• Vice-President (2)
• Secretary
• Treasurer

We also have a very active Performing Arts Sub-Committee which raises funds for equipment and events for our students undertaking studies in this area. We would welcome parent participation in this sub-committee which has its own Chair and Treasurer. These positions also become vacant.

I have been privileged to hold the position of President for the past three years and prior to that, Treasurer and Vice President. I will not be standing this year. Some other positions currently have no nominations.

Below is my report for the February meeting.

President’s Report from David Harris - Wednesday, 19 February 2020

Welcome to our first P&C meeting for 2020 and especially to the new faces here tonight. I trust everyone had a great break.

As usual, January was a busy time for the uniform shop, and we would like to thank the staff for their commitment during this period. I’d especially like to thank the parents and students who volunteered their time to assist us through what is always a chaotic period. The students who attended were extremely helpful and courteous and proved themselves as great ambassadors to the school.

While on the subject of the uniform shop, I advise that there has been a staffing change due to Cheryl Mulcahy’s departure this week. Mel Crowhurst has now assumed that role. I wish Cheryl all the best in her future endeavours.

Metro canteens are now in full swing with an expanded menu of great food at very competitive prices. As previously reported, this is a great partnership with very generous profit-sharing terms which means the school/P&C continue to benefit financially from all sales.

I have met with the operators twice since the beginning of term, once with John Brew, and, to quote them, they “are not happy unless we are happy”. They are very keen to make the partnership a success and are always open to new and constructive ideas and suggestions.

This week, I attended the school’s Leadership Investiture Ceremony. I’d like to congratulate all the leaders in taking up their new roles and wish them the best for their term in office. I’d also like to congratulate all those 2019 Year 12 higher achievers (OP 1 – 5) who received awards on the day.

This is our last General Meeting prior to the AGM which will be held on the 18 March 2020. At that time all executive positions become vacant. Nominations for executive positions can be taken between now and the AGM and I would encourage everyone to consider nominating for one of the roles. With my daughter now in Year 12 and after 3 years as president and prior roles as VP and Treasurer I will not be standing again. I believe we have one nomination for President but need nominations for all other roles to fill gaps. Of course, others can also nominate for President also.

Susan has nomination forms here tonight so please take one. They can be completed and handed back tonight or emailed to the P&C email address.

Current memberships also lapse, and a new membership form needs to be provided at or prior to the AGM. The AGM is the only meeting of the year that memberships can be accepted without actually attending although, I encourage as many as possible to come along as often as you can. It’s a great opportunity to have input into the school and to provide feedback and suggestions to the school decision makers.

Finally, you may recall that we had lodged a grant application for choir risers with the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. Sadly, our application was unsuccessful; however, this does not stop us applying again in the next round which is due for lodgement by midnight on 29 February. If the P&C agrees, I’ll lodge this again.

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