28 October 2021
Volume 23 Number 7

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

PRINCIPAL

News from the Principal

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Centenary SHS Community

Term 4 has arrived and this newsletter has been scheduled to arrive after the Presentation Events last week.

We have commenced this term by positioning our students to finish their academic year in the best possible position. Our Year 12 students have commenced their External Exams for their General Subjects. They have been well supported by subject teachers who are holding ongoing tutorials in the lead up to their individual EAs. These tutorials have been scheduled at a variety of times during the week, online or on a weekend, depending upon the individual subject. Our teachers have gone above and beyond to support our students to finish their academic year strongly. Our VET students are completing their vocational certificates, and students completing Applied Subjects are concluding their assessment. During these busy weeks, Year 12 students have exclusive access to the Resource Centre which has been dedicated to Year 12 tutorials and providing a quiet study space for students to focus and prepare for their exams.

Celebrating Excellence

Last week we held our three excellence events, commencing with the Senior Awards Presentation Event and Junior Awards Presentation Event and culminating with our Major Awards Evening on Friday October 22nd. Our ceremonies held at school celebrated student individual outcomes across the domains of Academic Excellence (Platinum, Gold and Silver), Sporting Excellence, and Cultural and Arts Excellence. It was inspiring for our entire student cohort to see the large number of students who were receiving awards for individual excellent performance and engagement.

Our Major Awards Evening was the venue for acknowledging our special awards including the pinnacle academic, cultural and sporting achievements as well as our special awards sponsored generously by our community. This newsletter will showcase the truly excellent outcomes our students have achieved with photos from our ceremonies. Our pinnacle individual student academic achievement - the 2021 Centenary SHS Dux - will be announced and presented at the commencement of the 2022 academic year, when final data from external exams has been formalised by the QCAA.

In keeping with our Centenary SHS tradition, our Major Awards Ceremony was also an opportunity to acknowledge a staff or community member who has contributed widely to the school, our students and our wider community. This year the Centenary SHS community celebrated the contribution of our P&C President, Ms Sarah McDermott, for her ongoing and tireless support for our students. Congratulations, Sarah.

Leadership Excellence

Our 2021 School Captains and Vice Captains have headed into their external exams with the same commitment and enthusiasm with which they have undertaken their leadership duties and challenges over the past year. I would like to thank and acknowledge the work of Ronin, Annika, James and Nam-Chi who have been exceptional role models for our community and represented our school, students and staff with true passion.

Over the past two weeks, I have had the privilege of meeting with the students who were applicants for school leadership positions in 2022. We have a serious depth of leadership talent and all of our applicants acquitted themselves very well. The leadership selection is a challenging process which includes a written application, a speech delivered to peers and staff, student vote, staff vote and a final interview with the selection panel. It was a pleasure to see our outgoing school leaders announce our 2022 incoming leadership team at our Senior Presentation Event. Congratulations to 2022 School Captains, Evan and Ebony and incoming Vice Captains, Juan and Matthew. I look forward to working with them in 2022 as we continue to advance Centenary SHS.

Moving forward I wish every student the very best as they end the term positioning themselves well to maximise their achievement in 2021. I thank the teachers and staff for their ongoing commitment to our students and thank our parents and caregivers for their support for their learner and our school.

Kind regards
Jo Hughes, 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

Centenary SHS students have achieved incredible success during 2021!

This year we celebrated the academic, cultural, sporting and community service achievements of our students over three separate Presentation Events.

Wednesday October 20th – Senior and Junior School Presentation Events

At both the Senior and Junior Presentation Events, students in all year levels received awards based on their academic results, participation in sports and cultural activities and service to the community. Parents/caregivers were invited to attend and see their students receive their awards. Our Arts Department showcased student talent through performances by the Stage Band, String Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Choir.

Those students who topped their senior subjects were awarded certificates by Faculty HODs and were acknowledged individually.

Every student had an individual photograph taken by our media students in our photo booth and these will be sent home to parents/caregivers in the coming weeks.

Friday October 22nd – Major Awards Event

This year, our Major Awards Evening was hosted at the Indooroopilly Golf Club. This event was by invitation only and attended by major award winners, parents/caregivers, members of the Senior Leadership Team, including the Year 12 Coordinator. The event was also attended by members of the Centenary SHS P&C, principals and deputy principals from our CLASS network and our community partners, many of which sponsored key awards.

The achievements of students winning major awards were acknowledged individually and each student was photographed with a presenter from the event. The evening was well-received by parents/caregivers and the community and allowed our most outstanding student achievements to be acknowledged at a special event.

2021 Major Awardees

NAPLAN Online School Readiness Test

On Thursday October 7th, the Year 8 cohort participated in the School Readiness Test for NAPLAN as we prepare for this national testing to occur online at Centenary SHS from 2022. The students are to be congratulated for their approach to the new test type. They were highly engaged, and it was pleasing to see so many students who have difficulty with writing produce some lengthy scripts. Thank you to parents and caregivers for ensuring that your student onboarded the NAPLAN Lockdown Browser prior to the day – it certainly made the testing day run a lot more smoothly!

Across the morning, the students undertook two tests. The first was a writing test where they were asked to write a narrative in response to a range of stimulus provided. The second test was an Omnibus test, which is a combination of reading, conventions of language and numeracy questions. The numeracy component required the students to manipulate online tools such as a calculator, protractor and ruler. The vast majority of students handled this very well.

The purpose of SRT is to support schools in transitioning to NAPLAN testing online. It is a requirement for schools that have not previously administered in online testing to participate in SRT training. The SRT assists principals to gather important information about their school’s technical readiness and the preparations they might need to be ready for NAPLAN testing online. From that end, the test was successful as we were able to have the entire cohort online during the test time and the rest of the school could operate as usual. The SRT also provided us with valuable learning around how to improve our administration of the test and ensure we are all fully ready for the real tests next year. Just a reminder that no student results were collected from the test.

Deborah McIntyre, Deputy Principal (Inclusion, ATSI/EALD)
Email: dmcin49@eq.edu.au

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

Adam Richter, Deputy Principal (Year 8, International)
Email: arich60@eq.edu.au

Belinda Walker, Deputy Principal (Year 9)
Email: bwalk53@eq.edu.au

Anna Petrie, Deputy Principal (Year 10)
Email: anpet0@eq.edu.au

Angela Raven, Deputy Principal (Years 11 & 12)
Email: arave7@eq.edu.au

BUSINESS MANAGER

News from the Business Manager

Clearance Forms

Recently, all Year 12 students were issued with their 2021 Clearance Form. Students are required to complete this form and return it to the office by the due dates listed below. 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 2022.

This checklist also gives parents/caregivers the opportunity to update personal details, explain any outstanding absences and finalise any outstanding fees that may be on the system.

Please note: Year 10 and Year 11 students will be issued forms by the end of October.

*Due dates can be extended if items are required for assessment.

NOTE FORMAL ATTENDANCE: A condition for attendance to the FORMAL and/or MYSTERY TOUR is the return of the completed 2021 Clearance Form.

Years 7, 8 and 9 Clearance Forms will be issued in early November, if not earlier.

Office Closure Times for Counter Payments

The office will be closed for over-the-counter payments from Friday November 26th, 2021 and will re-open Tuesday January 18th, 2022. In the closure period, invoices can be paid by the BPOINT option.

Statements

Thank you to the families who have paid 2021 school fees. Your payments are greatly appreciated and go directly to enhancing the learning of your student/s.

For those families who have not yet paid, a debtor statement for school fees will be processed, and parents/caregivers will receive these either by email or by post shortly. This statement is an overview of previous single invoices that have already been forwarded.

Please note that no action is required for a credit adjustment. This will appear as a negative amount on a statement. If you have not received a statement this indicates that there are no outstanding fees.

Parents/Caregivers Experiencing Financial Difficulties

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

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

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching and Learning

Thinking routines have been a continuing and growing part of our Teaching for Thinking here at Centenary SHS, with students using a range of thinking routines across different subjects. The strength of these thinking routines is that they can be used by students in any subject, at any age – I’m sure there are some routines your learners are familiar with from their classes.

In Year 9 Visual Art, students collaborate in groups of 4 or 5 to complete the Thinking Routine – ‘Peeling the Fruit’ to analyse the Pop Art painting ‘Whaam!’ by Roy Lichtenstein.

‘Peeling the Fruit’ develops student understanding of a complex topic, and in Visual Art, assists students to describe, analyse, interpret and evaluate the artwork together. Assisting students to ‘peel back’, this routine guides the discussion about the artwork while making connections and exploring visual language. Have a look below at how Year 9 students have analysed, interpreted and evaluated Lichtenstein’s pop art piece.

Annalyse Wilson, Teaching & Learning HOD
Email: axwil28@eq.edu.au

INCLUSIVE PRACTICES

News from Inclusive Practices

Last Thursday, thirty-three of our future Year 7 students who require additional support for transition to high school came to Centenary SHS for their first of four transition days. The students came from our feeder primary schools: Middle Park, Jindalee, Darra and Jamboree Heights, as well as other schools such as Forest Lake, Richlands East, Augusta and Good News Lutheran. This four-day program, held over four weeks, helps ease these new students through what can be a huge transition from primary to secondary schooling. The program gives them several ‘taster’ lessons in areas such as HPE, Manual Arts and Drama, as well as introducing students to OneNote – the main platform used at Centenary SHS for student learning. The layout of the school, the timetable and the school diary are also introduced to students during this time.

These days are invaluable for both students and teaching staff to establish a rapport, facilitating a smooth transition to the start of the 2022 school year.

We wish these future Centenary SHS students all the best and warmly welcome them to our school!

Deborah McIntyre, Deputy Principal (Inclusion, ATSI/EALD)
Email: dmcin49@eq.edu.au

CHAPLAIN

News from the Chaplain

Food for Thought

Mistakes – some of these are of no real consequence, such as forgetting to put sugar in someone’s coffee, but other mistakes can have far reaching results. Wrong actions taken can leave some people with feelings of great shame and embarrassment that can last for years.

What about you? Do you have big regrets that are weighing you down? If you do, please consider the following:

Your past errors do not define who you are now. If you determine that you will learn from your mistakes, those lessons learnt will be the things that shape you into a wiser, more mature and reliable individual.

You are not a fool because you made a mistake – everybody makes mistakes. You are only a fool if you don’t learn from your past errors.

Admit and acknowledge what you have done wrong and make any adjustments to your behaviour that may be necessary to ensure that those wrongs are not repeated. You will then be free to let go of the past and move forward to a brighter future.

Why We Should Embrace Mistakes in School

If students can see the beauty in spilled milk, research suggests they’ll learn better.

By Amy L. Eva

When my daughter was a toddler, I regularly spilled milk in front of her during meal time. “Oops, oh well, no big deal, let’s clean it up!” I would say in my high-pitched, goofy mum voice.

Before she could speak, I sensed that she was wired for perfectionism (something very familiar to me), so I attempted to normalize day-to-day mistakes and to show her how easy it was to bounce back from them.

We’re in the thick of the spilled-milk journey right now – learning to accept and embrace mistakes on a larger scale. Now that she is 13 years old, I am all the more sensitised to how she responds to mistakes at school, in particular – and how they enhance or detract from her learning.

For many teens, perceived faults loom large as their self-consciousness grows. Theorist David Elkind’s classic description of an adolescent’s sense of an “imaginary audience” may not be so imaginary these days. Kids are watching each other closely both in school and online – judging, comparing, and evaluating – while mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are on the rise. Our performance-based school culture may not be helping, but there is an alternative – and it involves guiding our students to embrace the very failures they’re trying to avoid. Mistakes help us to learn.

Focus on errors; don’t ignore them: Only a few studies can shed light on how teachers respond to mistakes in the classroom. One famous study of mathematics classrooms in a variety of countries revealed a marked difference between the instructional strategies in Japan versus the United States.

Videotapes showed that American teachers focused on the correct procedures for solving problems – primarily ignoring errors and praising students for correct answers only. Japanese teachers, on the other hand, rarely praised their students and asked them to solve problems on their own. Then, they led discussions of common errors as students explored a variety of pathways to both correct and incorrect solutions.

Because Japanese students outperform U.S. students in mathematics, it’s worth taking note of this contrast. Japanese teachers seem to be embracing the learning struggle by acknowledging mistakes rather than ignoring them.

Real learning isn’t usually easy. Teaching methods that centre on errors may make learning more challenging but can also be more motivating – potentially enhancing metacognition (the ability to think about your thinking) and self-efficacy (a belief in your capability to accomplish a task).

Fail first, then learn: In another study, researchers in Singapore identified the value of “productive failure” in learning. They separated seventh grade mathematics students into a “direct instruction” group and a “productive failure” group.

In the direct instruction group, students learned to solve complex math problems with the teacher helping them along the way. In the productive failure group, however, students struggled and failed at solving problems until the teacher stepped in to help them analyse their failed attempts and find the correct solution.

As a result, the productive failure group outscored the direct instruction group on both simpler and more complex problems during a final test. Further, groups of students who demonstrated multiple approaches to solving problems were also more successful than those who did not.

In addition to understanding the different ways you might err, it seems helpful to actually make errors in the first place.

Be confident and be wrong: If productive failure appears to enhance learning, so does overconfidence. Multiple studies suggest that the more confident you are in the wrong answer, the more likely you will remember the right answer after you are corrected. In one study, students answered questions on a quiz and rated their confidence level in each of their answers. Then they were given feedback on their incorrect answers. Researchers discovered that students were more likely to correct their initial errors during a final test if they had been highly confident in them.

Why did this happen? Researchers speculate that students focus more attention on corrective feedback when they are both confident and wrong (and perhaps surprised by their error). They also claim that when a learner expresses confidence in wrong answers, the learner’s second guess may often be the correct answer. When corrected, some students claimed that “they knew it all along.”

Bottom line: If we embrace and even study errors in our classrooms, students may actually learn more. However, there is a glaring caveat here: This only works if students have the emotional resilience to respond to mistakes adaptively and flexibly.

Helping students respond to perceived failure

When children worry that they are making too many mistakes or possibly failing at something, the emotional fallout can be difficult to manage. According to UC Berkeley professor Martin Covington, the fear of failure is directly linked to self-worth, or the belief that you are valuable as a person. Covington found that students will put themselves through unbelievable psychological machinations in order to avoid failure and maintain the sense that they are worthy.

In a study of fourth to sixth graders, researchers analysed students’ emotional responses when they made mistakes and identified three distinct styles. The “distance and displace” style (withdrawing and blaming someone else) and the “minimise and move” style (moving on and looking beyond the mistake) reflected patterns of avoidance. However, students who had the “regret and repair” style (featuring some guilt, normalizing of the situation, and self-care) engaged in less self-blame, participated more actively in problem solving with their peers, and earned greater respect from teachers.

Here lies the larger challenge: How can we help kids to accept their errors and failures, particularly in school, so that they might translate this skill to the real world?

Adjust the learning context: “Let’s try this another way.” In the same study of fourth to sixth graders’ mistakes, emotions, and coping strategies, researchers suggested that the context for learning may be important. Students may find it more emotionally challenging to work in a small group when they’re having difficulty, and may be better served by working privately. So consider providing options to kids who may need a little space to flounder.

Encourage persistence: “Keep trying. Don’t give up!” A 2017 study demonstrates that when adults model persistence in working toward a goal, infants as young as 15 months tend to mimic that behaviour. Persistence can be learned. As teachers, we have a lot of power to influence our students’ efforts by sharing our own vulnerability and identifying our own self-conscious emotions, our stops and starts during problem solving, and our commitment to keep going. Students who engaged in the “regret and repair” style of coping still felt guilt when they made mistakes, but they continued to engage and keep trying—while also being gentle with themselves.

Model self-compassion: “Be kind to yourself when you’re confused; it’s okay.” If we model and normalise the ups and downs of learning with our students, we can also share the power of self-compassion. They can learn to think: “This is tough, and I don’t get it. I’m not alone here; other people get confused just like me, and I’m going to cut myself some slack; it’s okay to not know the answer right now. I can be kind to myself and know that I will find my way through this challenge.”

Build positive relationships with students: “I see your strengths, and I believe in you.” This is particularly important for students who are failure-avoidant. Students are motivated to try their best when teachers they feel attached to value academic tasks. Studies have also shown the inverse to be true—that students are less motivated when faced with teachers who they feel don’t care about them.

Focus on resilience: “Even though this is tough, you will find your way.” When researchers reviewed over 38 studies of resilience in response to failure, errors, or mistakes, they found that more resilient individuals had higher self-esteem, lower levels of perfectionism, and a more positive way of explaining past events (e.g., I failed the test, but I can study harder next time). However, having high academic self-worth and practicing emotional suppression in the face of mistakes were not linked to resilience.

If teachers can help their students focus on skills and strategies that enhance resilience, students will learn to cope better, recover more quickly, or at least start heading in that direction. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that American teachers and students tend to avoid talking about mistakes at school. However, there are good reasons to rethink our approach to mistakes so that we can help our students to ultimately benefit—both academically and emotionally. It’s okay to “mess up” and spill the milk. There is even beauty in vulnerability. It gives us space to find our strength.

Taken from:

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

SCHOOL NURSE

News from the School Nurse

Free parenting program helps Queensland children navigate anxiety and fear

Fear-Less Triple P Online – a free parenting program for Queensland parents of children aged 6-14 years old – is offering timely mental health support by helping parents teach their children how to manage problematic anxiety effectively. Queensland parents can register for free Fear-Less Triple P Online at www.triplep-parenting.net.

Kirsten Anstey, School Nurse
Email: nurse.centenary@health.qld.gov.au

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Director Report

Interschool Sport

After the 6 competitive Gala Days that Centenary SHS have competed in this year, Centenary SHS has been announced the West Brisbane District Champion school! This is an outstanding achievement for the school and especially for all competing students and coaches. All year, all competing Centenary SHS teams were consistently competitive, hard-working and showed great sportsmanship. It is credit to their hard work for this achievement.

At the Spring Junior Gala Day Week 10 last term, teams competed in the sports of badminton, AFL and ultimate disc. All and the premiership winning teams for this competition were:

• Year 7 Boys Ultimate Disc
• Year 7 Girls Badminton
• Year 8 Girls Ultimate Disc
• Year 8 Boys Ultimate Disc
• Year 9 Boys Ultimate Disc
• Year 9 Girls Ultimate Disc
• Year 9 Boys AFL
• Year 9 Girls AFL
• Year 9 Boys Badminton

The social Gala Day is in Week 9 – Thursday December 2nd. We are excited to have this last carnival to wrap up a significant year of sport.

Sports Awards

The Sports Awards is a special time to celebrate the success Centenary SHS students have had throughout the year. 2021 has been another incredible year on the sporting field for the students and staff at Centenary SHS. Students excelled both on and off the field with not only their sporting skills but also with outstanding behaviour and sportsmanship. Students at Centenary SHS are given so many opportunities, not only within our school sporting program, but also through District, Regional and All School Championships.

In 2021, Centenary SHS:

• Won 26 West Brisbane Premierships
• West Brisbane 2021 Champion School
• 135 Northern District Representatives
• 29 Met West Representatives
• 14 teams went through to Met West finals
• 4 teams progressed through to either the semi-finals or the grand final rounds of Met West finals

Participation pathways in:

• QLD All Schools Touch Football
• Super Seven Netball Series
• Vicki Wilson Netball Championships
• SEQ Futsal Tournament
• Senior School Cup Volleyball Championship
• QLD All Schools Athletics

It is a huge achievement in order to earn a sports award. Students that have qualified for a silver or a gold award were presented with both their certificates and badges at the ceremony. The final list of award recipients is listed below:

Gold Recipients

Silver Recipients

QLD All Schools Touch Football

Four teams competed at the QLD All Schools Touch Football Championship. Our school has been competing at this event for 7 years and not once have we made the final series. This is extremely hard to do. It is the largest championship in the world with 500 schools competing. You have to finish first in your pool or they take a certain number of next best seconds. Both our U15 girls and U15 boys finished 2nd. This is HUGE! The girls did not qualify due to for and against (tries scored and tries scored against your team) but they won 5 out of 6 and only lost to one school. That school won the whole Championship. U15 boys MADE IT THROUGH!

The morning of the final, the U15 boys team arrived early and we had some very nervous but eager-to-play boys. They had to play Ignatius Park (known for their skills and have had success in the past). It was a brilliant 25 minutes of touch football. Centenary SHS went down 2-0 very quickly but we managed to lift the boys’ heads and we hit back to draw the game 2-2. The boys were playing with everything they had and were digging deep after already competing for two days in the heat. The field was surrounded by parents, caregivers and students cheering on our boys. We managed to score again but then they hit back to make it 3-3. They were attacking our line in the final seconds but we defended hard to force a DROP-OFF. The crowd was growing larger. This was their moment. 4 on 4 drop-off for two minutes started. Unfortunately, we went over but could not convert the try. With no score after 2 minutes, we dropped another player for 3 v 3. It is now sudden death and next try wins. The boys were subbing and working hard and in the fight. We got a break away and we had the overlap but the pass was forward. We defended again. This was by far one of the longest drop-offs I have ever witnessed. We went over from half another two times but could not convert. Centenary SHS definitely had opportunities to take the win and we looked strong but Ignatius Park threw an outstanding long ball and got the overlap and scored. Our boys were by now literally laying face first in the dirt, devastated. There were a lot of tears but we are so proud. Proud of the training, commitment, effort and sheer heart those boys demonstrated on the field. We got through to the finals for the first time and we were in the fight for the whole game.

Our Open Boys and Open Girls had a tougher time. The girls managed to get two wins and played outstandingly. The Open Boys (mainly Year 12 students) played their final All Schools and have memories that will last a lifetime.

Our students demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship both on and off the field and we could not be prouder.

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

Matalena Daniells, West Brisbane Sports Director
Email: mxdan5@eq.edu.au

STEP

News from STEP

GREEN TEAM’s drink container collection exceeds 10,000!

The GREEN TEAM exceeded the 10,000 containers collected mark in August and is now over 13,000! Every single one of these containers will be recycled through the Containers for Change Sumner Road Depot with whom we partner in this project. Centenary SHS tops the state by having over 75% of drink containers sold by the canteen recycled – a great effort. Well done GREEN TEAM, students and teachers!

Centenary SHS has received over $800 in return and has begun spending the money on the project that the school community voted as most worthy – ‘student seating made from recycled timber’. Driven by Adrian Homer, the Manual Arts team have already built a beautiful picnic table and seating which is now being used by students. More to come this term. Thank you Adrian!

A recent audit showed that 60% of blue bins contained some contamination (low-level) and 45% of red bins still contain a few cans and juice boxes, so we can still do better. The GREEN TEAM’s goal is to encourage all students to place every drink container in the blue bin in order to lift our % collected to 85% in Term 4.

The GREEN TEAM also hoses out the heavy clear plastic bin liners to ensure multiple uses.

Our efficient, fortnightly collection system is sometimes not perfect; however, we are always making incremental improvements. Generally, this task is nearly always fully completed in the 1 hour allocated during STEP, thanks to the GREEN TEAM.

This project contributes to the school’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint.

Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey

On the 9th and 10th of September, six Year 10 students and one Year 9 student participated on their practice Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is an internationally recognised program for young people, building their skills to equip them for life. By creating opportunities for young people to develop skills, get physically active, give service and experience adventure, the award can play a critical role in their development. The 7 students worked hard on the lead up to the camp, learning about nutrition, navigation, packing and camp skills. On the camp itself, they hiked 22km on the first day to enjoy spectacular, mountainous views of the Australian bush. After spending the night cooking on small stoves and sleeping in tents, their second day included walking in rainforest and crossing various challenging creeks. The group will participate in their qualifying camp with 4 other Bronze Duke of Edinburgh awardees in November.

Kathryn Ellwood, STEP Coordinator
Email: kellw0@eq.edu.au

SENIOR SCHOOLING

Senior Schooling News

Year 10 Work Experience

In Week 10 of Term 3, our Year 10 cohort participated in Work Experience. Thank you to the 167 businesses and organisations that took on our 232 Year 10 students during this time. Overall, students reported that they had a fantastic time, with some students obtaining a paid position at their work placement upon completion of this work experience.

Students who remained at school also participated in a wide variety of activities, including working with administration and ground staff on school related projects. Considerable work was completed in our school gardens with students eager to support our school community.

Year 11 and Year 12 Exams

It promises to be a big term for our Year 11 and Year 12 students. Our Year 11 students completed a Block Exam in Week 2, consisting of 18 general exams and 4 VET classes. Congratulations to all students who took part in these exams. Year 11 will now begin work on Unit 3 of their curriculum classes, with some subjects having their first piece of assessment due at the end of the year.

Our Year 12 External Exam Block began on Friday October 22nd. This will continue on for our students until Monday November 15th. During this time, Centenary SHS students will sit 40 separate exam papers for 32 different subjects. A copy of the EA timetable has been emailed home to all students and parents/caregivers. Students have been working hard in preparing for these upcoming exams by completing work in their curriculum classes, participating in Mock Blocks and tutorial sessions as well as using ATOMI. Good luck to all students who are completing assessment during this time.

ATOMI

All of our Year 11 and Year 12 general subject students have access to ATOMI – an online learning platform with resources for our general subjects. ATOMI is a key resource in preparing for the upcoming end of year exams and works by covering key concepts in short videos and then assessing student understanding. This enables students to access additional support and resources beyond the classroom. We continue to encourage all of our Year 11 and Year 12 students to use this resource in preparation for their exams.

Student Driver Application Forms

We have a number of students who have obtained their licence and are now driving to school. All students who drive to school must return a Student Driver Application Form. These can be obtained from the Admin Building or can be found on the school website here. This register helps the school ensure that only students are parking in our public car park area on Yallambee Road.

Amiee Nolan, Senior Schooling
Email: axnol0@eq.edu.au

FACULTIES

ENGLISH

We have arrived at the External Assessment period which has been eagerly and nervously anticipated by Year 12 students. The English and English as an Additional Language classes sat their EA on Monday October 25th. English & Literature extension students sit their EA on Wednesday November 3rd, while Literature students will sit their exam on Tuesday November 9th. Best wishes to all our senior students.

Students have been thoroughly prepared in their English classes, and I have been impressed by our students’ positive attitude and determination to succeed, as they move towards this final phase of their secondary education.

Congratulations to Ms Lynch, Ms Gummow and Mrs Ringrose who are, again, working for the QCAA as part of the marking pool for the EA.

This year, again, the pandemic has limited the opportunities for students to participate in public speaking. Luckily, the English Speaking Union’s Public Speaking Competition did go ahead, and our students dominated once again, thanks largely to the support and coaching of Ms Long who has worked tirelessly with the students. We had multiple entrants, most of whom made the finals in their respective competitions. Congratulations to Eli who won the Intermediate competition, and Seth who was the runner-up in the Senior competition.

The year, for the first time, our school entered seven students into the Australian Individual Debating and Public Speaking Competition. This is a prestigious, national competition, which was to be held in Canberra over the September holidays. However, COVID lockdowns forced the competition to go online. In spite of the strange, artificial staging of the competition, our students performed very well and learned a great deal. Thanks again to Ms Long for her organisation and coaching over many months for this competition, and also to Mr Levey for his support and assistance with adjudication during the competition.

We are almost at the end of the year. Students in Years 7 to 10 are busily working on their final pieces of assessment and soon teachers will be swallowed up in marking and moderating. Every student in every year level should be putting in their very best effort in order to achieve the best results possible. One final push, and then we can all go on holidays.

Finally, congratulations and farewell to our departing Year 12 students. It has been my pleasure and privilege to work with you this year and to watch you develop into such amazing young adults. I wish you the very best for the future. Learn how to balance work and play as you move into your adult lives. Be active citizens. You have a voice. Use it for good.

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

STUDENT SERVICES

Whether it’s in a school, workplace or society in general, the difference between the most and least ‘successful’ can be stark. But what does it mean to be successful? Does it mean achieving an A+ in every subject? Leaving school with an ATAR of 99.95? Having the best resume or earning the most money? Does it mean being the most popular person in your social circle or having the most followers on Instagram?

Success can come in all shapes and sizes and, in my opinion, many of the issues we face in society are at least partially rooted in placing too much importance on things that we really shouldn’t care so much about. One example would be: the more value society places on being rich, the greater lengths people will be willing to go to in order to amass wealth – even at the cost of our environment, ethical standards or moral compasses.

So, I ask again, what does it mean to be successful? The answer to this question is one that everyone must decide upon for themselves. For me, being successful involves setting goals that make the world a better place and achieving them. It means maintaining a healthy balance of the various aspects of my life (work, family etc.). It involves maintaining a growth mindset so that I am always improving and never remaining stagnant or become arrogant that ‘my way is the right way’. Finally, whilst I think that things like money, academic achievement and popularity often come with success, they are not the things that define success and can sometimes actually be a hindrance.

So, what does success mean to you? Will your school, family, workplace, social group and planet be better if you are successful by your own metrics? What positive changes can you implement in your life to be more successful? In the words of a song by Switchfoot: “This is your life – are you who you want to be?”

Marty Begbie, Student Services HOD
Email: mbegb1@eq.edu.au

THE ARTS

This edition of the newsletter is all about celebrating how fantastic the Arts students at Centenary SHS are! Don’t forget to check out the school Facebook page, where we share many of the stories of what students are up to as they happen. Here’s what our fabulous students and staff have been up to over the last few weeks.

Staff Congratulations

Two of our Arts staff were nominated in the Queensland College of Teachers 2021 TeachX Awards. Whilst they haven’t won the award, it is a significant achievement to be shortlisted for the award, and in our eyes, they are extremely deserving of their shortlist position. Fiona Harvey, our wonderful Instrumental Music teacher was nominated in and shortlisted for the Outstanding Contribution to School Community Award. Vanessa Duschka, our amazing visual art teacher was nominated in and shortlisted for the Excellence in Teaching category. Congratulations to both Fiona and Vanessa and on behalf of the students and school community. Thank you for the opportunities you provide for our students.

School Production – Shrek!

WOW! What a weekend! After four sell-out shows to over 700 audience members, Shrek is finished for 2021. We hope you loved the show as much as we loved putting it on. An enormous and sincere thank you goes to the Centenary Arts Staff for their many, many hours of dedication. The cast, crew and band were outstanding and the shows were a smashing success. Congratulations goes to all of the students involved.

Annual Cultural Dinner

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place, we had to cancel our celebratory evening. We did come together to celebrate in a scaled-down manner at AM break to present our special awards. This year, thanks to the Rowland Family, we had two awards to present: The Spirit of the Arts and the heART award. Both of these awards are for students who epitomise the Arts – they live and breathe Arts. The Spirit Award has always been presented to a Year 12 student, and the new award to a student in Year 7 – 11. This year, the award winners are:

Spirit of the Arts Award: Bethany

The heART Award: William

The scaled-down Cultural Dinner also provided us with an opportunity to say thank you and farewell the Year 12 Arts students, for their many years of contributions. We will certainly miss them!

Finally, we were bowled over by both the quantity and quality of the applicants for Arts Captains for next year. The Arts in 2022 is certainly in great hands! As announced at the Cultural Dinner, the 2022 Arts Captains are: Zoe, Abbey, Ella, Michael, Mason, Paris, Keith and Matthew. Congratulations to this wonderful group of students!

Centenary’s Got Talent

In what has become an annual tradition, the Arts Captains host Centenary’s Got Talent each year, asking the school to present their finest talents to an enthusiastic audience. We had 3 full days of heats, with everything from singing to dancing to stand-up comedy. Our five fabulous finalists competed in the grand final and it certainly was an outstanding display of talent! Over 300 staff and students were on hand to congratulate our winner – Year 11 vocalist Ella! Thank you to the captains for their organisation of the event and congratulations to all of our winners. Thank you also goes to the P&C for their generous prize donations.

Student Success

The school recently held the annual Presentation Day events, where students are presented with awards recognising their achievements across the year. In the Arts, there are three categories where students can receive awards – Cultural Awards, Excellence in Arts Awards and the Year 11 and Year 12 Subject Awards (for students who achieve the highest result in each subject). A huge congratulations from the Arts Faculty goes to our award winners this year – well done! The instrumental music performances – symphonic band, stage band, string orchestra and choir were absolutely impressive at these events – well done to all of the students and staff!

Subject Awards

Cultural Awards

Excellence in Arts Awards

Student Success

Congratulations to our Year 12 students who have now completed their internal assessments for the year! We have the results confirmed for all Arts subjects after the third task was completed and an impressive number of students continue to achieve at 100%. This is an outstanding achievement by the students, and also to the teachers of those students – well done! Now that students have completed all of their internal assessment, we can also announce that there are six students who will enter their final exams on 75/75 (100%), and all six of those students are studying Film, Television and New Media: Paige, Imani, Amelia, Leticia, Ashleigh and Jayd – your results are outstanding and we are very proud of your achievements. Students who study applied subjects are assessed differently to those in the general courses, but nevertheless, to be awarded an A standard in all three dimensions is an impressive result, and two students have achieved this – in Dance in Practice, Lena; and in Visual Art in Practice, Jayd. Congratulations to all of these Year 12 students on their results.

Classroom News

During the last week of Term 3, Centenary local author Julie Miller presented a workshop to students in the Year 11 Visual Art and Year 11 Visual Art in Practice classes. Julie showcased some of her published works, and shared her story of becoming an author, and working alongside illustrators. Julie also encouraged students to enter an illustration competition for the new book she has written – ‘Remember our First Responders’. One of our Visual Art and Visual Art in Practice students, Damien, has created an amazing illustration and entered it into the competition. Winning illustrations will be published in Julie’s new book, and have a chance at winning a book illustration mentorship with Hawkeye Publishing. Good luck Damien!

Year 11 Visual Art student Mason designed the artwork for the school R-U-OK postcard for our school-based nurse. He selected pastel colours to communicate a calming and serene mood, whilst the speech bubble emphasises the importance of talking to friends and asking for support when needed. An impressive and skilful digital art design Mason. Well done!

Years 7, 8 and 9 Performance Plus students are currently preparing for their end of year showcases. The Year 7 class is currently working with Demi from RAW Dance Company, teaching the choreography for ‘Stick it to the Man’ from the broadway musical ‘School of Rock’. Crazy hair, head banging and rock music galore – the students are having a rockin’ time in class right now! The Year 8 class are devising acts around the theme of ‘We’re All In This Together’. For their final performance, in their year of a drama specialisation, they will include scenes from Mean Girls, Annie and Legally Blonde. The finale, choreographed by the students (led by Charlotte) will be from High School Musical. The Year 9 class is almost ready to present their culminating performance in Performance Plus – think genies, flying carpets and magic lamps – Aladdin! Following on from a fantastic choreography term with Rachel from RAW Dance Company, the students are super excited to perform this show for family and friends. Show dates and times are Friday November 12th and Saturday November 13th, both commencing at 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale for $10, with children 5 and under free. To book your ticket, please use this link.

Year 12 Film, Television and New Media student and Arts Captain Winston entered his IA3 film, titled ‘Black Heart’ into the Ipswich Film Festival for Youth. Whilst not a winner, Winston’s film ‘Black Heart’ is outstanding, earning him a mark of 35/35 for his assessment. Winston says his film is a ‘take on a classic action film, with high suspense and tension’. Check it out here.

Extra-Curricular News

Students in STEP in Years 7 to 10 were able to choose a photography elective last term. They learnt about different compositions and techniques and were able to choose their own subjects to photograph. Here are some of their amazing images!

Three members of our Tech Crew recently worked at the Brookfield State School 150th Anniversary as sound technicians and stage crew. The boys were phenomenal in setting up sound for a large, outdoor space with many complexities and were professional, approachable and calm during the event. We have received rave reviews from the school about the level of support provided and the tech crew have certainly made a name for themselves. Congratulations and thank you to Lachie, Eli and Will.

Instrumental Music News

To start Term 4, groups from the Instrumental and Choral music program visited our feeder primary schools. Our Symphony Band, String Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble and Stage Band entertained hundreds of students and staff at Middle Park SS, Jamboree Heights SS and Jindalee State SS in our annual Primary School Tour. The kids heard a range of music including songs from Duke Ellington, Hall and Oates, Michael Jackson, and even a bit of Blinding Lights and Old Town Road! Thank you to our amazing ensemble directors Mrs Harvey, Mr Hoey, Mr Lougheed and Mr Clifford for preparing the groups to such an amazing and entertaining standard!

Students in the stage band were once again invited to perform at the Jazz on the Hill event, hosted by St Laurence’s College. The stage band opened the evening’s entertainment program and we have received many reports of how outstanding their music performance was – well done stage band!

Finally, an updated version of the 2021 Date Claimer is below. We look forward to seeing you at our next event.

Centenary State High School Cultural Date Claimer 2021

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

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 12 Report

It is hard to believe that the Year 12 cohort of 2021 are about to graduate! The year has been long and testing for our 2021 graduates, as they have navigated the regular challenges of Year 12 with COVID-19 exacerbating already high levels of stress. I am incredibly proud of the maturity and resilience the cohort has demonstrated while overcoming these challenges.

Over the past couple of months, Year 12 students have participated in a range of enriching activities that have helped strengthen their bonds with peers, teachers and other members of the school community. On the last day of Term 3, 120 students participated in the Mission Australia Sleepout, where we raised money and awareness for homelessness by staying at school overnight. The event was a great success, with $2412 raised for Mission Australia’s homelessness initiative. Other school traditions students enjoyed during the first three weeks of Term 4 included a ‘dream job’ free dress day, running the final whole-school assembly, filming the annual formal video and enjoying an afternoon of water-themed fun on their final day of classes.

Students now enter a three-and-a-half-week External Assessment block, where they will complete their last ever school assessment tasks. This will undoubtedly cause stress for a number of our students, but it is our hope that the proximity of their formal, mystery tour and graduation will help to mitigate this stress by providing students with incentive motivation.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents and caregivers that have supported the school throughout their student’s schooling journey. Should you have any questions regarding your student’s remaining schooling weeks, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Matt Redman, Year 12 Coordinator
Email: mredm23@eq.edu.au

P&C

News from our P&C

What a great start to Term 4!

First day back, we saw our instrumental and choral music program visit Middle Park SS, Jamboree Heights SS and Jindalee SS to showcase their talents. Arts captains’ ran another successful Talent Show, which the P&C donated The Athlete’s Foot vouchers to. Touch football kicked off, with amazing results seeing the U15 boys win three games and the U15 girls win two from three. Credit must also go to our amazing debating team. All these events are a credit to the students, teachers and parents/caregivers of the Centenary SHS community – what a great schooling community we are in. The P&C have donated further The Athlete’s Foot vouchers to the school to hand out to hard-working and dedicated students at the end of the year.

There is only one P&C meeting left for 2021. We require nominations for President, Treasurer, Vice President and Secretary. All roles will be fully supported before and after the AGM to allow a stress-free transition.

Please don’t assume “someone else” will do it. We need you!

President Role

The President role includes, but not limited to, represent the P&C at school functions, such as presentation events, grand openings, chair meetings, be familiar with and ensure the P&C adhere to the P&C Constitution, develop plans and goals in collaboration with the Executive Committee and Principal.

Vice President

The Vice President role is to be an understudy to the President, provide support to the Executive Committee and run meetings if the President is unavailable.

Treasurer Role

We are lucky to have a wonderful bookkeeper who prepares the accounts. The Treasurer role includes, but is not limited to, working closely with our bookkeeper, preparing a financial report for each meeting, including an annual Financial Statement and budget for the AGM. The Treasurer also ensures the P&C adheres to the Accounting Manual.

Secretary Role

The Secretary role includes, but is not limited to, all administrative tasks required to operate the P&C, particularly taking minutes of meeting, sending out agenda, maintaining a register of members etc.

If an executive role interests you, please do not hesitate to send us an email at pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au and will we be in touch to discuss further.

To complete an executive nomination form or 2022 membership, please click on the form below and email pandc@centenaryshs.eq.edu.au. P&C Guidelines stipulate that you must be a member for voting purposes. You do not need to be a member to attend meetings, however, you will not be able to vote.

Please help us continue the Entertainment Book Fundraiser, with proceeds going to the Student Welfare fund. There is still plenty of savings to gain from the Entertainment Book. All books are now digital. Should you wish to purchase a book, please visit at the link below.

Our final P&C meeting for the year will be held on Wednesday November 17th, commencing at 7:00pm in the Resource Centre.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

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

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