news from the principal - centenary state high school · upcoming events such as the school’s...

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1 Moolanda Street Jindalee QLD 4074 Subscribe: Subscribe: http://centenaryshs.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe Email: Email: [email protected] Phone: Phone: 07 3373 4555 Fax: Fax: 07 3373 4500 17th August 2017 Volume 19 Number 8 17th August 2017 Volume 19 Number 8 News from the Principal From the Principal The school has enjoyed a busy first 5 weeks of the Semester with plenty of student activity and achievement across a range of curricular and co-curricular pursuits. It is rewarding to witness so many students pursuing opportunities across the school and in the process connecting to the school community and developing their capabilities. Upcoming events such as the school’s production of Legally Blonde and the Science Extravaganza will provide further opportunities for students. An absolute stand out achievement in recent weeks was the school winning the Kokoda Challenge out of a field of 160 schools. The challenge consisted of trekking 52km in challenging conditions in the Gold Coast hinterland. Congratulations to all students and staff who participated and in particular the winning team of: Julie Callaghan – Year 9 Matthew Osborne – Year 9 Ross Shepherd – Year 9 Felicity Cradick – Year 10 and their leader Dr Deb McIntyre. Thanks to all parents/carers who attended the Parent Teacher Interviews in Week 2. These nights are powerful forums in facilitating strong parent/carer school partnerships in respect to student wellbeing and academic progress. I trust you found the dialogue useful and you feel confident in working with the school to maximise the achievement of your child. Please follow up with staff, through telephone or email, if you have further questions or concerns. On a similar note I extend my thanks to all the Year 10 Families who attended the recent Senior Enrolment Parent/Carer Information night. Good subject selection in the Senior Phase is a key factor in maximising student achievement. Senior Phase pathways can be complex and are certainly dynamic. It is essential that all stakeholders have an understanding of pathway opportunities and requirements. The 2018 Year 11 Cohort will be the last group of students to complete their schooling under the current Overall Position system. There will be a number of information sessions over the rest of the term focussed on Year level transitions. NAPLAN The NAPLAN testing program is one measure of school performance. It is particularly useful in gauging the specific areas of strength and weakness in individual students. Highlights include a school record of 44.3% of students in Year 7 achieving in the Upper 2 Bands of Numeracy as well as generally strong performance against National Means in both Years 7 and 9. Writing remains our weakest performance area in both Year Levels. The school will interrogate this data further to: District Athletics Congratulations to our Track and Field team who won the Brisbane West District for the 3rd consecutive year. Centenary Identify students for further support. Identify the high quality teaching practices that are contributing to these outstanding results. Review discretionary funding to best support improvement.

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Page 1: News from the Principal - Centenary State High School · Upcoming events such as the school’s production of Legally Blonde and the Science Extravaganza will provide ... Congratulations

1 Moolanda StreetJindalee QLD 4074Subscribe:Subscribe: http://centenaryshs.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email:Email: [email protected]:Phone: 07 3373 4555

Fax:Fax: 07 3373 4500

17th August 2017 Volume 19 Number 817th August 2017 Volume 19 Number 8

News from the Principal

From the Principal

The school has enjoyed a busy first 5 weeksof the Semester with plenty of studentactivity and achievement across a range ofcurricular and co-curricular pursuits. It isrewarding to witness so many studentspursuing opportunities across the school

and in the process connecting to the school community anddeveloping their capabilities.

Upcoming events such as the school’s production of LegallyBlonde and the Science Extravaganza will provide furtheropportunities for students.

An absolute stand out achievement in recent weeks was theschool winning the Kokoda Challenge out of a field of 160schools. The challenge consisted of trekking 52km inchallenging conditions in the Gold Coast hinterland.Congratulations to all students and staff who participated andin particular the winning team of:

Julie Callaghan – Year 9Matthew Osborne – Year 9Ross Shepherd – Year 9Felicity Cradick – Year 10and their leader Dr Deb McIntyre.

Thanks to all parents/carers who attended the Parent TeacherInterviews in Week 2. These nights are powerful forums infacilitating strong parent/carer school partnerships in respectto student wellbeing and academic progress. I trust you foundthe dialogue useful and you feel confident in working with theschool to maximise the achievement of your child. Please follow

up with staff, through telephone or email, if you have furtherquestions or concerns.

On a similar note I extend my thanks to all the Year 10 Familieswho attended the recent Senior Enrolment Parent/CarerInformation night. Good subject selection in the Senior Phase isa key factor in maximising student achievement. Senior Phasepathways can be complex and are certainly dynamic. It isessential that all stakeholders have an understanding ofpathway opportunities and requirements. The 2018 Year 11Cohort will be the last group of students to complete theirschooling under the current Overall Position system.

There will be a number of information sessions over the rest ofthe term focussed on Year level transitions.

NAPLAN

The NAPLAN testing program is one measure of schoolperformance. It is particularly useful in gauging the specificareas of strength and weakness in individual students.Highlights include a school record of 44.3% of students in Year7 achieving in the Upper 2 Bands of Numeracy as well asgenerally strong performance against National Means in bothYears 7 and 9. Writing remains our weakest performance areain both Year Levels.

The school will interrogate this data further to:

District Athletics

Congratulations to our Track and Field team who won theBrisbane West District for the 3rd consecutive year. Centenary

• Identify students for further support.

• Identify the high quality teaching practices that arecontributing to these outstanding results.

• Review discretionary funding to best supportimprovement.

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Page 2: News from the Principal - Centenary State High School · Upcoming events such as the school’s production of Legally Blonde and the Science Extravaganza will provide ... Congratulations

SHS won the Boys and Percentage Trophies as well as beingcrowned Champion School.

Congratulations to all staff and students involved. Yourpersistence, diligence and enthusiasm has been rewarded.

Air Conditioning of Class Rooms

The school’s facility plan for this year includes installing moreair conditioning across the school. We are most appreciativeof the support provided by the P&C in this endeavour. Pleaseconsider contributing to the P&C’s Air Conditioning funds asa means of providing very pragmatic support of your child’slearning.

Students and Cars

As the year progresses we are witnessing an increasing numberof senior students driving to school. Whilst we appreciate theconvenience of car travel for many families there is anoverwhelming need for drivers to accept the responsibilities andschool requirements of student driving.

Please discuss these responsibilities with your children.

In respect to driving behaviour I stress again that the MoolandaSt round about is not a drop off zone. The local police havespoken to me regarding community complaints in this respect.

John Brew, PrincipalEmail: [email protected]

To read newsletter in full view, please click on the“Newsletter Print Version” button on the top

right-hand corner of the screen.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

News from the Deputy Principals

Year 10 SET Plan Process and Subject Selections

All Year 10 students have now completed their initial subjectsurvey which will determine how the subjects are aligned fornext year. We are now in the process of developing thesesubject lines for Year 11. This process will be finalised bythe end of Week 6 and Year 10 students will then be ableto access their secure OneSchool site to complete their finalsubject selections. Subject selections will be open until Friday25th August to allow final adjustments to be made at theSET Plan meetings scheduled for Thursday 24th August. AllYear 10 students and parents/carers will receive informationabout the SET Planning day and instructions on how to booktheir interview appointment through the PTO booking systemon our school website. Please assist your son or daughterover the next couple of weeks with this process of selecting a

pathway and subjects for their senior schooling. If you have anyquestions, please contact the school to discuss further.

Presentation Evening – Thursday 26th October 2017

An early reminder that our Presentation Evening is scheduledfor Thursday 26th October at 7pm in the Sport Centre. Thisis our major awards night at which we acknowledge theachievements of students across a wide range of areas atCentenary SHS. Invitations to parents/carers of award winnerswill be sent closer to the event. There are a number of awardcategories that also allow students to self-nominate. These willbe advertised to students at school and we would encourageall students to nominate for any of these applicable awards.

A reminder that QParents is now available to allparents/carers

QParents was launched last year for the Year 9 students and isnow available for all parents/carers of every year level to access.Invitations have previously been sent to all parents/carers withinformation on how to register. Please follow the guidelines andcontact the school if you have any difficulties.

The QParents web and mobile application provides a moreconvenient, easier way for parents/carers of Queensland stateschool students to interact with their child’s school. Parents/Carers will have secure, online access to their child’s studentinformation, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tabletor computer.

QParents allows parents/carers to connect instantly with theirchild’s school to access and manage their child’s studentinformation, including:

QParents will assist both staff and parents/carers in sharing andresponding to information in an efficient and effective way. Itwon’t replace the traditional ways you communicate with ourschool, but it will provide another way to communicate with us.

More information about QParents can be found at the linkbelow. This link contains an extensive question and answersection with plenty of detailed information.

https://tinyurl.com/p2omrnr

School Opinion Survey

The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys opened forresponses from 31 July and will remain open until 25 August2017. All families, school staff and a random sample of studentshave been invited to participate. We encourage you to take thisopportunity to have your say about what this school does well,and how this school can improve.

• All student drivers need to register their car at theoffice.

• Other students are not to travel with student driversunless parent/carer permission is received in writingat the office.

• Students are to park in the lower car park and not inthe streets adjoining the school.

• Road rules are to be followed at all times.

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the abilityto notify the school of an absence

• Academic report cards

• Class timetables

• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, andmaking payments online

• Viewing and updating personal student details,including medical conditions and address

• Enrolment details

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If you haven’t received any survey access details or requireassistance, please contact the school on 3373 4555 or emailMrs Kelsey Oakes on [email protected].

We would like to thank those families who have already takenthe time to contribute to the survey. Your feedback isappreciated and will help inform the improvement agenda of ourschool for 2018 and beyond.

Matt McDonald, Deputy Principal (Year 12)Email: [email protected]

Adam Richter, Deputy Principal (Years 10, 11, ATSI &International)Email: [email protected]

Angela McKay, A/Deputy Principal (Years 7, 8 &International & Exchange)Email: [email protected]

Kelsey Oakes, Deputy Principal (Years 8, 9 & EALD)Email: [email protected]

BUSINESS MANAGER

News from the Business Manager

Changes to the way we invoice for 2018

After consultation with our school administration and CentenarySHS P&C, the following changes have been endorsed.

For all students enrolled into 2018, there will be changes tothe way we invoice parents/carers for the Student ResourceScheme and Curriculum Charges.

For Curriculum Charges, invoices will be raised in February witha due date of 31 July of that same year.

Payment plans will be accepted and may continue as is thecurrent practice.

There will be no changes to excursion and extra-curricularinvoicing. These will continue to be raised and paid as needed.

For any more information, please contact the school on 33734555 or email [email protected].

How to make a payment

Payments can be made over the counter by cash or EFTPOS(Debit Card, MasterCard or Visa) or by BPOINT or QParents.BPOINT and QParents options allow parents/carers the

convenience of making payments from home and alleviatesthe need to pay over the counter transactions in person. Formore information about QParents, please refer to the school’swebsite.

BPOINT Option

BPOINT is an online payment system and is the preferredpayment method for the Department.

This option is accessed through an internet weblink whichappears on all invoices and statements. This link can alsobe located in the Quicklinks section of our school’s websitehomepage. You will need the Customer Reference Number(CRN) which is printed on the bottom of your invoice/statementbefore payment can be processed.

http://www.bpoint.com.au/payments/dete

When accessing the BPOINT weblink on individual invoices allrelevant information will prepopulate. Parents/Carers will onlybe required to enter their credit or debit card details.

INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE (IVR) BPOINT is alsoavailable by dialling the 1300 number provided on individualinvoices. This option will only accept credit cards.

ELECTRONIC DIRECT DEBIT REGISTRATION (eDDR) BPOINTis the approved payment plan option. To set up a paymentplan parents/carers will be required to firstly contact the schooloffice.

For more information on BPOINT please refer to the school’swebsite.

PHONE OR COUNTER payments - Options

Payments can be made at the school office, Monday to Fridaybetween 8.00am and 4.00pm. Payment options include creditand debit cards (EFTPOS), cheque and cash. Money orders arealso accepted.

For payments over the phone, call the school on 3373 4555,Monday to Friday between 8.00am and 4.00pm and we willtransfer you to the IVR BPOINT 1300 dedicated phone number.Only VISA or MasterCard can be used for this process. From2018 schools are no longer able to accept credit cardpayments over the phone.

Enrolment Procedure

Centenary State High School has an approved enrolmentmanagement plan. This plan clearly outlines the Centenarysuburbs as the catchment area. This includes the suburbsof Jindalee, Mt Ommaney, Middle Park, Westlake, Riverhills,Sumner, Sinnamon Park and sections of Darra and SeventeenMile Rocks. Students who reside within these suburbs haveautomatic enrolment eligibility. A map with the precise boundaryof the catchment area can be accessed from the enrolmentsection of the school’s website.

http://centenaryshs.eq.edu.au/

Prospective students who reside outside of the catchment maysubmit an Application for Enrolment Consideration Out ofCatchment (available on the school’s website) to the Principal.Proof of residence will be required upon enrolment for allApplications for Enrolment Consideration Out of Catchment.

• All new enrolments for 2018 will be invoiced andrequired to pay $230 on enrolment (this includes anearly bird discount of $20). Payment plans can bearranged and will need to be finalised before the startof the school year.

• For all students currently enrolled, the process haspreviously been to invoice in November for thefollowing year with payments due by 31 October.This will change for next year. For 2018 the $250SRS invoices will be issued in August this year withan early bird discount of $20 being applied if paid by28 January of the following year. Invoices will have afinalisation date of 31 July for those who don’t wishto pay before the discount date.

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Exceptions to the local residency requirement include:

Requests for enrolment should be directed to the school’sAdministration front office. Parents/Carers are requested tobring appropriate documentation to any interview such asrecent School Reports, proof of residence and passport andvisa details for overseas students.

If your student is ceasing enrolment at Centenary State HighSchool, parents/carers are required to notify the school inwriting and to complete a Departure Form. Please ensure allschool resources are returned to the school and all financescompleted.

YEAR 7

Year 7 students from local primary schools (Jindalee, JamboreeHeights, Middle Park, Darra, Good News Lutheran andDarra-Jindalee Catholic) are guaranteed enrolment intoCentenary State High School if they live in the catchment areaand they have the correct documentation (enrolmentapplication, birth certificate or passport, proof of residentialaddress and two current school reports/NAPLAN results).Those students attending Good News Lutheran andDarra-Jindalee Catholic who live in the catchment area will alsoneed to attend an interview.

Students who attend one of the above schools, but do not livein the catchment area, will need to complete an Applicationfor Enrolment Consideration Out of Catchment. They will needto provide the correct documentation (enrolment application,birth certificate or passport, proof of residential address andtwo current school reports/NAPLAN results). Interviews will berequired and the Principal has the final decision.

Students who do not attend one of the above schools, anddo not live in the catchment area, will need to complete anApplication for Enrolment Consideration Out of Catchment.They will need to provide the correct documentation (enrolmentapplication, birth certificate or passport, proof of residentialaddress and two current school reports/NAPLAN results).Interviews will be required and the Principal has the finaldecision.

YEARs 8-12

Please contact the school by phoning on 3373 4555 or visitingthe school office (Monday to Friday) to discuss your application.

Lost Property

Students should check the school office for any property theybelieve they have lost. If property is marked with the student’sname, every effort will be made to return the property to thestudent as soon as possible. Parents/Carers are most welcometo visit the school and check the lost property section for itemsthat their student may have lost.

Items of school uniform which remain unclaimed after onemonth will be placed in the “spare uniform” collection keptat the school for emergency situations or will be sent to theschool uniform shop for sale as ‘second-hand’ uniforms. Otherunclaimed items will be donated to charities.

Charmaine Macaulay, Business ManagerEmail: [email protected]

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ANDINNOVATION

News from the School Improvement andInnovation HOD

In the Zone

Have you ever been so engrossed in an activity that you havetotally lost track of time; felt challenged but simultaneouslyassured that, right now, you could meet any challenge thrownat you? Psychologists call this feeling ‘flow’ but its morecolloquial name is being ‘in the zone’. It is a feeling that leadsto deep satisfaction and enjoyment and, unsurprisingly, it is theoptimal state for learning.

Our teaching focus for this semester is engagement and weare reflecting on and sharing strategies that enhance studentengagement in learning; strategies that help students to movecloser to this perfect state of flow. I asked a number of our Year7 students if they had ever experienced being ‘in the zone’,what it felt like and what they were doing at the time. Theseconversations collectively bore out a near textbook descriptionof flow1. Every student had experienced the feeling at somepoint. This is what they described:

I sometimes get in the zone when auditioning for a performancerole. The thought of how I would feel if I got the part helps meget ready for the audition and then I just do my thing. Zoe

I feel in the zone sometimes when I am playing the trumpet andam reaching the high notes. You have to concentrate on yourtechnique to get your lips in the right position and you have toblow hard. Sometimes that happens automatically. Cole

When I am doing realistic drawings, I have to focus on makingsure everything is in the right place and I am determined to getall the details. Smiah-Bree

I get in the zone when I am reading as I really like learning newthings. I can also get in the zone when playing the trumpet, butonly if I am doing it for leisure and not because I have to. Arthur

I can get in the zone when I am doing maths – only hard mathsthough. Donald

These responses allude to the challenges of achieving flow inthe classroom2. Activities must be at exactly the right level ofdifficulty and be aligned with students’ interests and passions.What is also clear is that students have to work hard to get‘in the zone’ but the feeling of flow rewards this hard work. Allstudents agreed that it felt pretty good.

1 Kazdin, AE (ed), 2000, ‘Flow’, Encyclopedia of Psychology,Vol 3, American Psychological Association

• Enrolment in Centenary State High School’s DiverseLearning Department which caters for students withVision Impairment or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.Placements are coordinated by EducationQueensland.

• Other special circumstances which are outlined in theCentenary State High School EnrolmentManagement Plan, available on the school’s website.

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2 Shernoff, DJ Csikszentmihalyi, M Schneider, B Shernoff, ES2003, ‘Student engagement in high school classrooms from theperspective of flow theory‘, School Psychology Quarterly, Vol18:2, pp158-176.

Kokoda Challenge - Student Article

On Saturday the 15th of July, 20 Centenary State High Schoolstudents and 5 teachers embarked on a journey through theGold Coast Hinterlands. Our teams began a gruelling 52km trekthrough mud, rain, hills and other challenges that we couldn’tdream of encountering before this Challenge. This is Kokoda.

We had all put in lots of training, walking up tough hills everyweek, as well as doing long distance cardio training in our owntime. However, it is not until you make it to the challenge thatyou realise the biggest hurdle is not just physical. You beginwalking or running; believing you can do it physically, but thenthe driving rain sets in and you are climbing a hill that with everystep you lose ground as you slip down, wearing shorts and at-shirt, with little to keep the rain and the cold away. Now thejourney has become seriously mental. Fitness is important butis only part of what gets you across the line; you need to bementally strong to compete in and complete this challenge. Allof this adds to the feeling of immense pride when you cross thefinish line.

All Centenary SHS teams attempted a very, very difficultchallenge. Centenary SHS had 4 teams cross the finish line,with one of our teams winning the event against over 100 otherteams.

The Kokoda challenges is incredibly tough, but when we crossthe line, the euphoria is heartfelt for your personal efforts butalso for your team. The Australian soldiers that carved theKokoda trail in PNG didn’t have this luxury. They fought withthe uncertainty of any positive ending. After completing thischallenge, I found it difficult to comprehend how they did whatthey did to protect our country. Therefore, we walk, to geta taste of what they felt and to continue to look after whatthey aimed to protect, by raising money for the Kokoda YouthFoundation. Centenary State High School raised $3109.

Well done Centenary SHS! Lest we Forget.

Miranda CallumYear 10

Anna Petrie, School Improvement and InnovationHODEmail: [email protected]

STUDENT LEADERSHIP COORDINATOR

News from the Student Leadership Coordinator

Wow, Week 6 already! This term, we have been working towardthe Annual RSPCA Cupcake Day, led by our Year 12 Captain,Darly Ngwe. Darly, along with the entire student leadershipforum, has been working toward this day since Week 8 ofTerm Two, and we have had an overwhelming response fromstudents and staff, who volunteered to bake or assist ourleaders on Monday.

We have also managed to strengthen our already-strongrelationship with the P&C Committee, with two of our SeniorLeaders, Nathan and Will, attending their meetings. It has beena very positive experience so far, as we increase therelationships between our school and the wider community.

Looking forward, our next project will celebrate two very worthyitems on our calendar – RUOK Day and Multicultural Week. Theforum is hard at work to prepare for the occasion, and it is goingto be a positive experience for the students at Centenary SHS.

As our senior leaders wind up their high school experience, wewill start to see our leaders in Years 7-11 take the reins andcontinue the high expectation set by our 2017 Senior Leaders,Darly Ngwe, Nathan Merry, Isabel Nguyen and Will Chandler,who have worked tirelessly in their goal to enhance the overallSpirit of Centenary State High School. Our future is very bright.

Claire Tuton, Student Leadership CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

CATSIES COORDINATOR

News from our CATSIES Coordinator

This term Centenary SHS is very pleased to be offering theUHELP program once again for our 30 Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander students. The United Health Education LearningProgram (UHELP) program was developed by the IndigenousUnit of Headspace Inala and Queensland Health and isdelivered over five sessions in a culturally appropriate way toan all-boys group and an all-girls group. Facilitators Jonathon,Tess and Tara have developed a wonderful rapport and aredelivering information designed to help students develop andmaintain high levels of social and emotional wellbeing. Withinformation sessions, physical activity and of course deliciousand healthy food, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderstudents have the opportunity to work as a group, support oneanother and develop leadership skills.

Angela Duncombe, CATSIES CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

DIVERSE LEARNING DEPARTMENT

News from the Diverse Learning Department

Woolworths Earn & Learn Program

This year the Centenary State High School DLD areparticipating in the Woolworths Earn & Learn program whichstarted on 26 July, 2017.

When you shop at Woolworths, please collect your earn andlearn stickers and place them in the box in the DLD or in themain office. The DLD will then be able to redeem these stickersfor some much needed resources.

Futsal Competition

On Tuesday 1 August we hosted the inaugural DLD futsaltournament against Kenmore State High School.

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Mr Brew presented each of the players with their jersey. Bothschools had two teams and played 3 games before a grandfinal and a 3rd place final.

Centenary A 2 vs Kenmore B 0

R. Muller

L. Radonova

Centenary B 1 vs Kenmore A 5

Round 1 Results

A. Moore

Centenary A 3 vs Kenmore A 6

I. Noyce 2

L. Radonova

Centenary B 5 vs Kenmore B 1

E. Meakin

B. Pham

Round 2 Results

B. Innes 3

Centenary A 1 vs Centenary B 3

L. Radonova A. Moore

B. Pham

B. Innes

Round 3 Results

Kenmore A 1 vs Kenmore B 2

Centenary A 2 vs Kenmore B 2

R. Muller

3rd Place Final

L. Radonova

Centenary B 2 vs Kenmore A 4Grand Final

A. Moore 2

All the players were given ribbons for participation and AntoineMoore won the Centenary SHS Player of the Day. Manycongratulations to Kenmore A for winning the cup and thanksto Mr Pepper and Mr Freeland for coaching the team, and theDLD staff for providing a great lunch! We look forward to seeingKenmore SHS again in October for the Touch gala!

Deborah McIntyre, HOSESEmail: [email protected]

GUIDANCE

News from the Guidance Officers

Dealing with Stress

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose onethought over another.” William James

What is Stress?

Stress is an inevitable part of life. It is the body’s naturalresponse to emergency situations, and involves raisedbreathing, heart rate and blood pressure, increased productionof chemicals such as adrenalin, tensed muscles, perspiration,and a ‘fuel injection’ of glucose into your blood stream. Thisreaction can be positive, keeping us ready and alert to dealwith urgent, dangerous situations. Unfortunately stress can alsobe triggered by thoughts about our environment, so we canbecome stressed when we deal with difficult andtime-pressured - but not outright dangerous – situations. Stressbecomes negative when a person faces continuous challengesthat are regular and don’t let up.

What Causes Stress?

Stress can be caused by a range of factors, and is experienceddifferently by each individual. What is stressful for one personmay not be for another; the important thing is to work outwhat is bothering you so that you can start to work on it.School can be a major source of stress, with many studentsworrying about doing well for themselves; meeting their own,the school’s and family expectations; competition with siblingsor friends; or feeling overwhelmed by their workload or thebalance they have to strike between competing responsibilities.There may also be issues at home or with friends contributingto the stress a person is feeling. It is important when dealingwith someone who is stressed to respect their perspective,rather than judge by your own tolerance for or reaction to lifestressors. Each person is managing their own situation and thethoughts and feelings they have as a result, and it is not helpfulto hear that you should be able to handle things better.

How Do You Know You Are Stressed?

Common mental health symptoms of stress include:

• Feeling angry or irritable

• Feeling anxious

• Being moody and easily frustrated

• Regularly feeling like crying

• Having low self-esteem or lacking confidence

• Feeling restless, distracted, lacking concentration

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Common physical symptoms of stress include:

What Can You Do About It?

Acknowledgement: Youth Beyond Blue Dealing with Stress factsheet,available from www.youthbeyondblue.com

Juanita Oberle, Guidance OfficerEmail: [email protected]

Janet Ingram, Guidance OfficerEmail: [email protected]

CHAPLAIN

News from the Chaplain

Food for Thought

Earlier in the year I heard a speaker talking about the yearahead. The audience were challenged to consider giving uptwo things in their lives that may be having a negative effect onthem.

This made me think of a couple of things that almost all of usare guilty of doing – complaining and arguing. If you think thatthis doesn’t apply to you, try to get through just one whole daywithout saying something negative either to someone or aboutsomeone. You’ll be amazed at how hard that is.

If someone or something is upsetting you, make the decision tonot keep talking about the issue – without fuel the fires of angerwill subside.

Why not give it a try and give up – complaining and arguing.

A message from Chappy Bernie

Positive Self Talk

Self-talk can have a really great impact on your self-esteemand confidence. There is positive and negative self-talk andthey both have an impact on how you feel. There are a fewways you can develop better self-talk including just listening towhat you’re saying to yourself each day. It’s worth practicingself-talk, as feeling good about yourself is worth the effort.

This can help with…

• Feeling sick in the stomach

• Constipation or diarrhoea

• Stomach aches/headaches

• Problems sleeping/constant fatigue

• Sweating profusely

• Muscle cramps/twitches

• Eating too much or too little

• Sort out relationship issues – if you are stressedabout a relationship in your life, whether it is with apartner, friends, teachers, parents/carers or otherimportant people in your life, it is important to workthings out. It may help to talk the situation throughwith someone outside the situation: a trusted friend/family member, your HG teacher, Year Co, or amember of the Student Services team (GuidanceOfficer, Chaplain, School-Based Youth Health Nurse,Youth Support Coordinator).

• Take time out – it may seem like a good idea to sitand analyse the things that are stressing you out, butat a certain point, that just becomes stressful in itself.Take some time to do something distracting,preferably something you enjoy: go out with friends,listen to music, watch a movie, get some exercise,read a book.

• Keep things balanced – try to make sure you havea manageable balance of work and things you enjoyin your day. You may have to learn to say ‘no’ moreoften, so that you don’t take on too many things andstress yourself out.

• Get organised – Manage your time so thathomework and assignments are not left until the lastminute, and so that the time you do spend studyingis efficient and productive. The Guidance Officer canhelp with strategies to sort this out.

• Get active – try to do some exercise every day, evenif it’s just walking to the train station. This will help toreduce the tension in your muscles and your mind.

• Relaxation exercises – exercises that slow yourbreathing and relax your muscles can do wonders foryour stress level. Slow, deep breathing is a handyshort term strategy for coping when your stresspeaks. Deliberately relaxing your muscles can helpwith aches and pains, fatigue, headaches, breathingdifficulties, and trouble sleeping. See the GuidanceOfficer or School-Based Youth Health Nurse for helpwith perfecting these strategies.

• Seek help – there are a range of people andorganisations out there to help. If you don’t feelcomfortable talking to family, friends, or school staff,please reach out to a community service such asKids Help Line (1800 55 1800); beyondblue(www.youthbeyondblue.com); headspace(www.headspace.org.au); Reach Out

(www.reachout.com).Don’t wait until you are in a state of distress to seekhelp. Talk to a trusted adult if this article rang anyalarm bells for you. Stress is a normal part of dailylife, but we can all develop good strategies, based onour own contexts, to stop it being counter-productiveand harmful.

• Use your devices: there are lots of great websitesand apps available to help you gain control of youremotions when you are feeling stressed out andoverwhelmed. My favourites are Smiling Mind andRelax Melodies (both free), but there are LOTS moreout there, so feel free to explore. If you don’t have thetime, Reach Out has reviewed a few on its website:

• feeling better about yourself

• boosting your confidence

• building your self-esteem

• making friends

• feeling in control

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Self-talk is basically your inner voice, the voice in your mindwhich says things that you don’t necessarily say out loud. Oftenself-talk happens without you even realising it and can be asubtle running commentary going on in the background of yourmind. But what you say in your mind can determine a lot of howyou feel about who you are.

So what is positive and negative self-talk?

Positive self-talk is the stuff that makes you feel good aboutyourself and the things that are going on in your life. It is likehaving an optimistic voice in your head that always looks on thebright side.

Example – “These clothes look pretty awesome on me”, “I cantotally make it through this exam”, “I don’t feel great right nowbut things could be worse!”

Negative self-talk is the stuff that makes you feel pretty badabout yourself and things that are going on. It can put a downeron anything, whether it is good or bad.

Example - “I look stupid in these clothes”, “Everyone thinksI’m an idiot”, “Everything is rubbish and nothing is going to getbetter.”

Negative self-talk is particularly bad as it brings you down all thetime. It can impact on recovery from mental health difficultiesand tends to make people pretty miserable. But being positiveall the time isn’t achievable either, and isn’t helpful all the time.So how can you make your self-talk work for you?

Better self-talk

There are three things you can do that can help with changingthe direction of your self-talk.

1. Listen to what you’re saying to yourself - we don’talways consciously take note of that we’re saying inour minds. The first step in improving your self-talk isto actually notice what your inner voice is saying. Takesome time each day to listen, and even write down, whatyou’re thinking.

2. Monitor your self-talk - Is your self-talk more positiveor negative? Start questioning your self-talk asking thingslike:

3. Change your self-talk - Easier said than done, butdefinitely worth working on. Try by countering yournegative thoughts with positive ones. For example, if youthink “I’ll never be able to do this”, ask yourself “Is thereanything I can do that will help me be able to do this?”Avoid speaking in finite language and try and look forthings that might add a better spin to a tough situation.

Why should I practice?

The more you work on improving your self-talk the better youwill get. It’s kind of like practicing an instrument or going tosports training, it won’t be easy to start with but will get betterwith time.

It might not seem like much, but self-talk is a really importantpart of our self-esteem and confidence. By working on gettingmore positive self-talk, you’re more likely to get things done andfeel more in control of stuff that’s going on in your life.

What can I do now?

Work on ways of building your self-confidence

Find out more about body image and how it affects yourself-talk

Start questioning your self-talk by noticing what you’re sayingabout yourself

If you want more information, please feel free to contact me byemail or on Phone: 07 33734531.

Bernie McMullen, ChaplainEmail: [email protected]

SCHOOL NURSE

News from the School Nurse

Spread the facts, not the flu

Queensland Health is urging Queenslandersto get serious about protecting themselves,their loved ones and anyone else they comeinto contact with, against the flu.

Influenza is not the same as a common coldand can sometimes lead to serious complications. Symptomsoften include high fever, chills, sweating, extreme tiredness,muscle aches and pains and an unproductive cough.

The ‘Spread the facts, not the flu’ campaignreminds Queenslanders to:

The flu is highly contagious and primarily spreads when aninfected person coughs or sneezes.

The droplets containing the virus are expelled rapidly and cantravel one to two meters.

The droplets then settle onto surfaces, such as telephones anddoor knobs, and can be passed from hands to the nose, mouthor eyes.

• Is there actual evidence for what I’m thinking?

• What would I say if a friend were in a similarsituation?

• Is there a more positive way of looking at this?

• Am I keeping everything in perspective?

• Can I do anything to change what I’m feeling badabout?

• Get vaccinated – vaccination eachyear is the best protection against flu.

• Stay home when you are sick andavoid spreading the flu.

• Wash your hands thoroughly – it takes at least 15seconds to wash your hands properly.

• Limit the spread of germs by using a tissue orcoughing/sneezing into your elbow.

• Dispose of used tissues as the flu virus can liveoutside the human body for a number of hours.

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People with influenza can be infectious to others from 24 hoursbefore they display symptoms, until a week after the start ofsymptoms.

The good news is you can help protect yourself and others bygetting vaccinated and practicing good hygiene.

The Flu vaccine

Stopping the flu starts with you!

Dyanne Moxham, School Based Youth Health NurseEmail: [email protected]

SPORTS DIRECTOR

Sports Report

Centenary SHS has achieved outstanding success in sportin 2017. Records have been broken, history has been madeand district premierships have been won. The hard work anddedication of our students at Centenary SHS has paid off.Centenary SHS staff’s commitment and dedication to thesporting program and the students is outstanding and is verymuch appreciated.

Interhouse Lunchtime Sporting Competition

House Captains are working together to help promote physicalactivity and to engage students during breaks. Last Friday weheld our first interhouse sporting competition with the Years 7and 8 cohorts in basketball. The first day was a huge successdue to the large number of students that came along tocompete or to cheer on their house. Yallambee defeated Jarupin the Grand Final but it was a very close game. Every Tuesdayand Friday during AM breaks different sports and year levels willbe offered an opportunity to compete or to just come along andsupport their peers and house groups. The winning house willbe earning points towards the 2017 House of the Year that willbe presented at Sports Awards in Term 4.

Junior District Days

On Tuesday 8 August the second gala day was held for thejunior students. I am extremely proud of our student’sbehaviour, uniform and sportsmanship both on and off thefield. Centenary SHS won three District Premierships.Congratulations to U/15 Boys Rugby Union (coached by MrLocke), U/15 Boys Rugby League (coached by Mr Locke) andthe Year 7 Girls Volleyball (coached by Mr Gibbs) teams thatwill now go through to compete in the Metropolitan Finals.Many teams played in the Grand Final and finished runnersup. A special thank you must go to the coaching staff as theyhave given up their own personal time to train the students.Thank you to all of the parents/carers who supported the sportsprogram by having our students in 100% uniform, fees paid andpermission forms returned on time.

West Akuna Athletics Carnival

Students that are U/12 are given an opportunity to competeat the West Akuna Athletics Carnival at ANZ Stadium.Congratulations to the following students who competed at thisCarnival:

Abbey BrownMatthew CradickJessica EbzeryGrethe GloyBayden GoodwinFreya-Grace Ginn-HellmuthStephen HooperVJ IonaEvan LongmireJesse MataroriaKiya Willoughby

Congratulations to Abbey Brown who will be representing WestAkuna at the Regional Trials on August 14 and 15.

• There is no live virus in the injectable flu vaccine, so itcannot cause influenza. Each year’s flu vaccinecontains killed versions of influenza strains chosen asthe most current.

• The vaccine takes about two weeks to start workingfully and won’t protect you against every cough, coldor other virus.

• It cannot prevent cases of the common cold or other“flu-like” viruses, or new virulent flu strains.

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District Athletics Carnival

Centenary SHS continued its dominance of the West BrisbaneDistrict Track and Field competition by being crownedChampion School, Boys Champions, and Percentage Shieldwinners!

This is a "threepeat" of Championships for the school (2015,2016 and 2017) and is testament to the hard work anddedication of a large number of squad members, HPE staff, andguest coaches.

Whilst the final margin was a narrow 85 points (2700 to 2615),it shows the importance of quality training, and focus onachieving set goals. The mantras of ‘every session counts’, and‘every point counts' was proven by the results of the team.There was fantastic team spirit and enthusiasm which helpedspur competitors to do their best. Even with injuries ruling outthree Age Champions, others stepped up and gave their all.

Across over 40 training sessions since the middle of Term 2,over 1000 hours of individual student training were completed.

Centenary SHS has had a very successful year with 42 studentsqualifying for the Regional Athletics Trials to be held in Week 6.These students are competing for a position on the Met Westteam.

Apart from Regionals, Centenary SHS will be entering a numberof teams in the Queensland Athletics 'All Schools' Competition.

Special mention also to our high performance guest coacheswho have given their time to assist our athletes: Hannah Joye(Australian Representative 2014 Commonwealth Games), TraeWilliams (Australian Men’s 100m Champion and WorldChampionships Representative 2017), Alexandra Roberts(Australian Junior Javelin Champion and 3rd place, YouthCommonwealth Games), and Grayson Jenkins (QueenslandRepresentative, Cross Country and Athletics).

Representative News

Congratulations to Uma Nayar (Year 12) who recentlyrepresented Malaysia in the Ladies Federation Cup Tennis.Federation Cup is the highest level of National teamrepresentation available. Uma travelled to Tajikistan to competeagainst other Asian Group nations in a number of rounds. Umahas also been selected in the Malaysian Senior Ladies team forthe upcoming South East Asian Games. Well done Uma!

Sports Awards

The sports awards for 2017 will be held in Term 4. Studentswho have achieved a gold or silver medal in sport will berecognised on this night for their sporting achievements. InWeeks 9 and 10 of this term students will need to check theHPE noticeboard to confirm if they achieved a silver or gold andthat all their achievements are listed.

Tamara Nasalio, Sports DirectorEmail: [email protected]

STEP

News from STEP

Fashion and Fabric is a new STEP activity we offered inTrimester 2. Ms Ace has led a group of students in recyclingold jeans or scraps of fabrics they found from home. At thebeginning of the sewing project, our young students had tolearn how to use the embroidery machine and hone their needlework skills. They were certainly nervous at first but slowlygained confidence in using the equipment. Students have reallyembraced the sustainability aspect of the activity and havedemonstrated their creativity by designing their ownpersonalised pencil case or toiletry bag. These students arepatiently putting their fabric together with needles and threadeach Wednesday afternoon.

Once again, our Trimester 2 STEP program has flown byquickly this term and will soon conclude on 30 August.Students will receive an information letter detailing our activitiesfor the new trimester via email.

Sin Woon Thoo, STEP CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

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CULTURAL DIRECTOR

Cultural News

Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde is almost here!!!

Tickets are available at the school office for Friday 25 August at7pm, Saturday 26 August at 3pm and 7pm.

Come and see what 150 of our talented students have beenworking so hard to put together for the past three months.

You’re the Voice

On Saturday 29 July members of the choir went to the SouthBank Piazza along with 2000 other singers to perform in theYou’re the Voice event as part of the Queensland MusicFestival. It was a fantastic day with rehearsals in the morningwith Dr Jonathan Welch, and a magnificent concert in theevening featuring Katie Noonan, Kate Ceberano and IsaiahFirebrand. The finale of the concert featured our choir in themass chorus performing the Australian classic You’re the Voicewith none other than Whispering Jack himself, John Farnham.The event was to raise awareness for domestic violence, andI am sure the students will remember this for the rest of theirlives.

Christmas in July

Congratulations to the Swingers who did a rousingperformance at the Salvation Army Aged Care Facility for theirChristmas in July Ball. The residents had a wonderful timelistening and dancing to some classic music. Thank you to MrsHarvey for organising, Mr Hoey for playing, and our parent/carerhelpers for transport.

Instrumental Music Lessons and EnsembleRehearsals

Given that we are moving into a very busy time for assessment,it is timely to remind students about instrumental and chorallesson and ensemble commitments.

It is a requirement of the Education Department for all studentswho enrol in the Instrumental Music Program to engage in aminimum of two sessions per week: one ensemble and onegroup lesson. Of course, there are legitimate times whenstudents do not attend rehearsals or lessons, the mostcommon being illness, but the expectation is that at all othertimes the best efforts to attend are made. Out of respect andcourtesy toward the teachers, we ask that you contact themor myself to advise of any absences. Below is a list of someacceptable and unacceptable practices when it comes tomissing lessons and rehearsals.

You Should:

You Should Not:

Upcoming Performances

Please check the date claimer below for upcomingperformances

TERM WEEK DAY DATE DESCRIPTION GROUPS

INVOLVED

3 6 Tuesday 15 August ASSEMBLY STAGE BAND

3 6 Thursday 17 August SINNAMONVILLAGE/

YOUNG CARECONCERT 3

FLUTEENSEMBLE

3 6 Friday 18 August SENIOR’SMORNING TEAPRESENTED BYTARNYA SMITH

LIQUORICEALL SORTS/SWINGERS

3 7 Fri-Sat 25/26August

LEGALLYBLONDE THE

MUSICAL

MUSICALCAST AND

CREW

3 8 Saturday 2September

DEMENTIAAWARENESS

EVENT ATCENTENARY

HUB

LIQUORICEALL SORTS

3 9 Friday 8September

MUSICEXTENSIONCONCERT

YEAR 12MUSIC

EXTENSION(MUX)

3 10 Monday 11September

ASSEMBLY STRINGENSEMBLE

• Come to all instrumental lessons unless you have anactual assessment task happening in class (e.g. anexam)

• Come to your allocated time as per the timetable

• Arrive at all rehearsals on time ready to practice

• Miss lessons for classes other than those doingassessment

• Change the time that you go to your lesson. Thetimetable is arranged on a rotational basis tominimise disruption to your classes and you only evermiss half a lesson. Generally you will miss no morethan three half lessons per term out of 30 full lessons

• Skip morning rehearsals to catch up on homeworkand assignments. It is your responsibility to organiseyour workload to fit in with your rehearsals

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TERM WEEK DAY DATE DESCRIPTION GROUPS

INVOLVED

3 10 Thursday 14September

MT OMMANEYSPECIALSCHOOL

SPORTS DAY

YEAR 8/9PEP

4 2 Monday 9 October ASSEMBLY CHOIR

4 2 Friday 13October

STRINGS ANDCHORALSOIREE

STRINGORCHESTRA;

STRINGENSEMBLE;

CHOIR;VOCAL

ENSEMBLE

4 2 Saturday 14October

BANDS SOIREE CONCERTBAND;

SYMPHONICBAND;STAGEBAND;

PERCUSSIONENSEMBLE

4 3 Tuesday 17October

PRIMARYSCHOOL TOUR

SENIORENSEMBLES

4 3 Saturday 21October

JAZZ ON THEHILL

STAGE BAND

4 4 Thursday 26October

PRESENTATIONEVENING

STRINGS/CHOIR/

STAGE BAND- TBC

4 5 Monday 30October

ASSEMBLY YEAR 12MUSICCLASS

4 5 Friday 3November

CULTURALDINNER

ALL

4 6 Monday 6November

YEAR 12 ARTAND FTNM

SHOWCASE

YEAR 12ART/FTNM

4 6 Wednesday 8November

YEAR 12 MUSICSHOWCASE

YEAR 12MUSIC

4 6 Friday 10November

YEAR 12DANCE AND

DRAMASHOWCASE

YEAR 12DANCE/DRAMA

4 7 Wednesday 15November

YEAR 12FORMAL

CHAMBERSTRINGS

4 7 Friday 17November

YEAR 12GRADUATION

CONCERTBAND

4 8 Monday 20November

YEAR 8/9 PEP YEAR 8/9PEP

4 8 Fri-Sat 24-25November

HIGH SCHOOLMUSICAL/ALICE

INWONDERLAND

DOUBLEFEATURE

YEAR 7-10PEP

4 9 Monday 27November

ASSEMBLY –YEAR 9

GRADUATION

CHOIR

4 10 Thursday 7December

SINNAMONVILLAGE/

YOUNG CARECONCERT 4

CHOIR

Mark Watkins, Cultural DirectorEmail: [email protected]

LEARNING ASSISTANCE

News from Learning Assistance

Welcome to Term 3 from Learning Assistance. We welcomedLawrie Midgley to our staff this term, replacing Jacqui Crokerwho is currently enjoying leave in Europe. It is difficult to imaginethat we are already in Week 6 and nearing our midtermassessments and exams. Ask your student if they know MissJade, Miss Chelsea or Miss Sophie. Miss Emma has left todo her Preservice teaching practical over the next 3 weeks,so we also welcome Miss Grace. As you may know already,the Learning Assistance Department is here to assist studentsin many ways such as: in class support; with assessmentsand homework or revision. Centenary State High School DIALprogram is the perfect time for your student to access freetutoring and support in the junior subjects, which is availablebefore school, after school and during lunch breaks.

Support staff run DIAL, Drop In And Learn, from the LearningAssistance Department. If any student, junior or senior, requiresa quiet space with laptop accessibility, assistance withhomework or assessment tasks, they are welcome to drop intoour staffroom in GS04 requesting support or just ‘drop in’ to theDIAL room in GS13.

In Learning Assistance, we believe that Accommodation andAssistance will lead to Achievement. Once the school becomesaware of the particular needs of students concerning learningaccommodations, we may be able to provide support in theclassroom and with assessments. Learning Assistance staffinvestigate student data; medical records supplied by parents/carers, historically low academic records, standardised testing,previous OneSchool documentation, and most importantlyparent/carer contact - requesting support. However, whensuch assistance or accommodations to exam conditions, forexample a scribe or reader, extra time or assistive technology,some form of documentation is required. This may be in theform of Guidance Officer’s cognitive tests, a doctor’s orspecialist’s report, etc., to allow provisions to be prearrangedequitably. In the same way, if your student is not achieving a Cor above, and you would like or need your student to be part ofthe Learning Assistance Program, any documentation you mayhave would be of benefit to understanding more about yourchild’s educational needs, so please do contact us. We lookforward to working with your student in consultation with you astheir parent/carer.

If you require any more information or clarification about howwe may provide support please do not hesitate in calling oremailing to discuss this. We hope you and your student have afantastic Term 3.

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Diana Huber, Learning Assistance CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

News from Applied Technology

Home Economics: Open Day 2017

The Home Economics department, with assistance from QUTstudent teacher Nicole Hiskins, curated a wonderful display ofstudent work comprising of cooking, felting, and coffee making.Students in Years 10, 11, and 12 made lovely lemon myrtlecupcakes for our guests using ground up lemon myrtle leaves,harvested from trees in the school grounds. The yummyshortbread cookies also proved popular. The Home Economicsstaff thank all the parents/carers and families who poppedin and chatted to the students and extend an invitation tocontact the school should further questions require answers.A special expression of gratitude is offered to our fantasticstudent volunteers.

Home Economics Year 8

The Year 8 Home Economics class has been creating someamazing work using colours and various creative sewingtechniques to produce beautiful pillow cases. It has been mostencouraging to observe the students’ confidence evolvethroughout the duration of the textiles unit. Interestingly, thepast five weeks seem to have disappeared too quickly,indicating just how committed the students have been. Their

teacher, Shanti Reddy, has commented: “I can’t wait to seewhat lovely dishes these students will produce during the foodunit of the course.”

Year 6 Transition Day

Year 6 students from Jindalee, Jamboree Heights and MiddlePark State Schools recently spent a day at Centenary SHSto experience a lesson in Home Economics and IndustrialTechnology and Design (ITD). The purpose of the day was tointroduce students to a typical practical lesson in each faculty,to allay any immediate misconceptions or apprehensions aboutApplied Technology.

During the Home Economics lesson, students were required towork in pairs to bake delicious lemon myrtle cupcakes. The taskrequired them to organise their resources, measure ingredients,use equipment correctly and comply with occupational healthand safety requirements.

The satisfaction of eating the end product was obvious and thestudents thoroughly enjoyed their time in the kitchen.

The ITD experience introduced students to the wood workshopand a variety of hand tools, power tools and equipment.Students produced a spinning skill toy after controlling rotatingchucks, spinning abrasive discs, cordless drills and Tenonsaws. The students worked particular well to complete the taskin the allocated 75 minute period.

It was particularly pleasing to see students so engaged andenthusiastic in each of the Applied Technology activities.

Boomerang Bags

The school was recently approached by Ms Kim Thomas,representing Boomerang Bags, seeking some assistance.

Boomerang Bags aims to reduce the consumers’ reliance onplastic shopping bags. Essentially, the organisation relies onvolunteers to source recycled fabric and then producereusable/sustainable shopping bags. The bags are displayedat a conspicuous stand near participating businesses andshoppers are encouraged to use the free bags and return themto the stand at some time in the future.

Mr Homer’s Furnishing Skills class is currently construction anumber of the display/collection stands for Boomerang Bagsbecause “Community and Community Involvement” is a unitwithin the curriculum.

The first Centenary SHS constructed stand was launched onWednesday 9 August outside the Go Vita store, located at theMt Ommaney shopping centre.

The first photograph identifies from left to right, Fiona Provan,Go Vita proprietor; Kim Thomas, Boomerang Bags coordinator;Councillor Matthew Bourke and Adrian Homer, Centenary SHSITD Teacher.

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The second photograph depicts the Boomerang Bag standconstructed by Mr Homer’s Furnishings Skills class.

Carbatec

The ITD faculty was recently gifted a number of pneumaticnail guns and palm sanders from Mr David Beales, AssistantManager, Carbatec, The Home for Woodworking, based atWakeley. The equipment will be used by senior students,providing them with an opportunity to experience theidiosyncrasies and capabilities associated with compressed airtools.

The donation was most unexpected and the ITD staff atCentenary SHS extend our gratitude to Carbatec for itsgenerosity.

Rule the Roost

After a protracted process, the Diverse Learning Departmentcan fervently announce the laying of its first batch of eggs. Withthe assistance of John Pitt, Terry O’Brien, Adrian Homer, NicoleDonaldson, Jenny Coull, Jim Felstead and David Freeland, thechicken pen has been built, located and secured within a wirecompound. Though a little hesitant at first, the chooks havebecome accustomed to their new surroundings and haveexpressed their approval with the regular laying of eggs.

Staffing Arrangements

Peter Winn has received approval for one week’s long serviceleave for the week beginning Monday 21 August. He will bereplaced by Ashley Beruldsen.

Shanti Reddy’s long service leave commences Monday 28August, returning Monday 16 October. Her teaching duties willbe shared between Carla Clarke and Louise Duncan.

Mark Bartholomew is currently recovering from major openheart surgery. His contracted replacement, Ashli Roberts willcontinue until at least the end of the school year.

Michael Tobin, Applied Technology HODEmail: [email protected]

HUMANITIES/LOTE

Humanities Report

Geography Excursion – People and Places – StudentArticle

On Thursday 27 July, our Geography class went on anexcursion to the Cultural Centre and West End to investigatea possible inclusion of a light rail network in Brisbane. In orderto determine which proposed area (near the Cultural Centreor Boundary Street, West End) was the most suitable place toimplement the light rail, we had to collect the right data. Thisincluded: labelling and understanding a map of the land uses inboth the areas; a streetscape survey to assess the condition ofthe proposed areas; a traffic survey to see which site is usedmore often by certain methods of transport. We also had towork out a way of evaluating the most effective way to travelaround the area.

It was easy to understand the tasks which we were requiredto do, as we were guided by two very helpful people fromthe Brisbane Urban Environmental Education Centre. It was agreat day to be out and about and we also had the chance tobuy food! This excursion was very informative as we had theopportunity to learn about how important it is to really plan andevaluate a proposal before making a decision.

Meghna Prasad (Year 11)

The Chinese Day of Excellence – Student Articles

Here are 2 student accounts of the recent Chinese Day ofExcellence at Centenary State High School. Chinese languagestudents from surrounding primary schools travelled to ourschool to be a part of our annual Chinese Day of Excellence.The quality of the activities is clear evidence that CentenarySHS delivers one of the best Chinese language programs inBrisbane.

This year’s Chinese Day of Excellence is certainly one toremember. “It’s a fantastic day and a lot of fun” said oneparticipant, Mia. To begin the day we were enlightened withperformances of traditional Chinese culture - the Lion Dance.One of the most exciting parts of the day was learning andtrying traditional tea. During the day we experienced manyactivities including paper cutting, using chopsticks andgrappling with Chinese tongue twisters. Each activity had itsown challenges and we all learnt something new. The ChineseDay of Excellence is so much fun and a great opportunity tolearn more. “I recommend this for students wanting to learnmore about Chinese and have awesome experiences,” saidElenna. “I would love to do this again as it was really enjoyable,”declared Amber. We would also like to thank everyone whoplanned and helped make this day possible.

By Elenna, Amber, Mia (Year 7)

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On 31 July, we took part in “the Chinese Day of Excellence”which is where kids from local Primary Schools come togetherto hold Chinese activities with Year 7 students. I was fortunateenough to attend the Chinese Day of Excellence and had anawesome time doing Chinese activities like the ChopstickChallenge, paper cutting, Tai Chi and watching a Lion Dance.The Chinese Day of Excellence was a fun day and I recommendpeople to study Chinese because you get to do fun things likethe Chinese Day of Excellence, going to Yum Cha and manymore fun things.

Mandeep Gautam (Year 7)

Adrian Skerritt, Humanities /LOTE HODEmail: [email protected]

THE ARTS

News from The Arts

It’s a busy time of the term in the Arts faculty – there isassessment in almost all classes, rehearsals for performancesand musicals, and lots of excursions and events. Parents/Carers can help their child/children by asking them what theyhave on each day, guiding them with their time managementand planning to avoid stressing about assignments at the lastminute and by ensuring they have enough food to eat duringthe day, particularly when they have afterschool commitments.

Our major production this year – the school musical LegallyBlonde is on stage in less than 2 weeks! Tickets are on salenow at the office and are selling like hotcakes – there are onlythree shows so be quick: Friday August 25 at 7pm, SaturdayAugust 26 at 3pm and 7pm.

Have you liked the official school Facebook page? Keep upto date with what’s happening in the school as well as seeingnews about events and activities – search ‘Centenary StateHigh School’. Recent posts from the Arts faculty includepictures from our instrumental music performances, thecreative work of our Visual Arts students, and information aboutthe school musical.

Congratulations!

There are two outstanding news stories this fortnight. Firstly,Year 12 Drama student, Nuufou Sakaria has been awarded afull scholarship to attend the Queensland Theatre Company’sTheatre Residency Week, held over the September schoolholidays. She is one of only 8 recipients of a scholarship andNuufou’s is prestigious because it is all inclusive. This is a lifechanging opportunity for Nuufou, as many students who haveparticipated in this event in the past have gone on to workin the industry after graduating from school. Nuufou receivedextra praise from the panel for her application as she wentto the trouble to include a reference from an industry expertwho had worked with the class earlier in the year as part ofour school partnership with the Queensland Theatre Company.Theatre Residency Week is the longest running theatre programof its kind in Australia, and is a week-long intensive theatrecamp where students develop their acting skills with leadingartists. Previous attendees of the event include Geoffrey Rushand Deborah Mailman. Congratulations Nuufou – have a greatweek!

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Congratulations also go to the Centenary State High SchoolStage Band, who travelled to Rockhampton with the supportof the P&C to participate in the CQUniversity Schools JazzFestival. The stage band was awarded a gold award for theirperformances as well as receiving the award for the mostoutstanding trumpet section. The festival is unique in that itoffers students opportunities to workshop their jazz skills withprofessional jazz educators and musicians from all overAustralia as well as perform in a competition which is judgedagainst criteria rather than against other bands. There were onlytwo bands awarded gold awards over the weekend festival,which is a real testament to the excellence of the CentenarySHS musicians! In addition to those two awards, we had twosuperstar performers acknowledged in the ensemble formastery of their instrument and brilliant performances – theoutstanding trumpet soloist award went to Year 12 studentAndrew Haigh and the outstanding rhythm section player (forbass guitar) went to Year 9 student Cooper Le Brocq. Thestage band also performed at the school assembly on August15. Congratulations to Andrew, Cooper and the Centenary SHSStage Band!

Year 10 GOMA Art Excursion featuring the MARVELExhibition

A group of Year 10 Art students attended this exhibition withgreat anticipation. They familiarised themselves with theirfavourite Marvel characters like Iron Man, Captain America,Thor, Scarlet Witch and were mesmerised with shot sequencesand behind the scenes work that showcases the talent ofdesigners and production teams. There were many interactiveexperiences and Year 10 students immersed themselves in thecomplex world of story-telling, popular culture and cinematichistory. It was an awesome art experience for students andteachers alike.

This is what some students wrote about the exhibition:

“In the Marvel exhibition, the artists and designers haveamazingly transferred passion and imagination to the costumesof superheros and villains. I am especially impressed by thecollection of Thor and Asgard. Overall, I was really surprisedand delighted to see the massive throne and the incrediblybeautiful costumes of the Marvel characters in the movies.” MyTran

“While we were at the Marvel Exhibition I enjoyed reading theinformation about the artworks. My favourite part of the

excursion was walking through the exhibition and watching littlemovies and trying all the hands-on activities. I also liked lookingat the little sketches of each superhero.” Keenan Kramer

“The displays and exhibits in the Marvel Exhibition reallycaptured my imagination. I saw the initial sketches of Ant Manand how the filmmakers superimposed the sketch scene intothe movie and therefore improving the quality of the scene. Thisreally made me appreciate the attention to detail that artists andcostume designers work hard to achieve in order to capture theaudience’s attention.” Jamie Ngo

Awards and Certificates

There are many students who complete assessments in theArts that are outside of the school curriculum, however, did youknow that many of these can contribute toward points for theQCE? The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority(QCAA) has a list of the areas within music, dance and dramaof the awards and certificates that are recognised. For moreinformation, please check out this website:

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-qualifications/qce/recognised-studies/lists-recognised-studies

In addition to this, there are other opportunities for students toreceive recognition for their external assessments. An exampleof this in music is a student who completes Grade 7 or abovepractical with the Australian Music Examinations Board andGrade 3 or above theory can receive an alternative QueenslandTertiary Admission Centre (QTAC) selection rank. Moreinformation can be found at this website (look under ‘otherprofessional qualifications’ or ask to talk to a school guidanceofficer).

http://www.qtac.edu.au/applications/apply-here/documentation

Finally, this interesting article was shared with music teachersat a recent professional development meeting. As teachers, we

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know the benefits of studying music (and more broadly, in theArts) but sometimes our students need more encouragementfrom us to keep going! Music is hard: there’s a new languageand new literacies to learn, there are notes and rhythms andsymbols; before school practice, practice at home, lessons andensembles, and for busy students, sometimes it all just seemstoo much! Here’s an article that supports parents/carers whowant their children to continue learning, even when it seems likeit might be too hard:

https://nafme.org/who-actually-quits-musical-instrument-instruction-children-or-their-parents/

Angela Sleeman, The Arts HODEmail: [email protected]

YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS

Year 11 Report

Semester 2 kicked off with Mentoring interviews for all of ourOP Pathway students. Home Group teachers spent severaldays having individual discussions with their students, reflectingon Semester 1 results and looking to the future. As inevitablyhappens after the first semester of Year 11, a number of subjectand pathway changes have ensued. This will hopefully ensurethat students are now firmly on a pathway that best suits theirskills and ambitions. Mentoring interviews with students onother pathways should be undertaken over the next few weeks.

Students are being encouraged to complete GOAL SETTINGexercises in their Student Diaries. They should be setting fivespecific and practical goals at the start of every week. If youare interested, please have a look at page 64 of your student’sdiary. This is an especially important exercise for Seniorstudents as their workloads and associated pressuresinexorably increase.

Our Monday Home Group sessions are taking a break from“Skills for Work and Training” material to shift the focus backonto our students’ physical and emotional wellbeing. OurSchool Nurse, Dy Moxham, and Guidance Officer, JuanitaOberle, have been presenting a variety of sessions that willculminate with a “Curly Questions” panel in Week 7. A group ofexperts will answer a series of questions posed anonymouslyby the cohort. It’s always an eye-opening and worthwhilesession.

Finally, students have been invited to contribute design ideasfor our 2018 Senior Jerseys! The winner will be rewarded withthe honour and glory of having his/her design used on around250 Jerseys.

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

Terry Oberg, Year 11 CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

Year 10 Report – “Gen10 of Centen”

Camp

Awesome camp teachers + Awesome Year 10s = an AwesomeYear 10 camp

We had an absolutely fabulous time at Maranatha OutdoorEducation Centre in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The Year10s participated in a range of challenging activities includinga high ropes course, “Leap of Faith”, “Tower of Tremble”,archery, bushwalking and the challenge trail. The activities weredesigned to encouraged team work, participation andcooperation, decision-making and problem-solving skills andleadership. It was great to get out of the classroom andexperience a different learning environment in a beautifulsetting.

Thank you especially to my support team, my fellow campteachers:

Their dedication, sense of humour, willingness and their rapportwith the Year 10s contributed to such a successful camp.

Also, thank you to the Year 10 Leaders and Student Councilwho planned and organised the night programs. The first nightthe students participated in an activity entitled “The HungerGames”. The students were divided into “districts” and hadto compete as a team to win valuable materials. The nightconcluded with a fashion parade as the “tributes” entered the“arena”. Our Year 10 models owned the catwalk and were thestars of the night – Mark, Henry, Lilian, Imogen, Luke, Noah,Angela, Katie, Noah, Miranda, Ben and Amir. Congratulationsto the Year 10 Leaders and Council on such a successful night.

But special thanks to the Year 10s who attended camp. Theywere all AWESOME. I have heard nothing but positive feedbackabout our Year 10 students.

“Our Year 10 cohort visited Maranatha Recreation Camp in theSunshine Coast Hinterland. We had fun for 3 days climbing,jumping, eating and enjoying ourselves with our friends. It wasawesome. Thanks to the teachers and special thanks to ourawesome YLC Ms Furlong who made the camp so enjoyable.Thank you. Duncan Towner (Year 10 Student Council)

• Camp teachers - Adam Richter, Jo Lynch, DanielleRingrose, Kirsten Caruso, Rachelle Hyndman, DaveFoster, Martin Homan, Jo Moon and David Freeland.

• Thank you also to the School Support Staff whoattended camp – Juanita Oberle (Guidance Officer),Dy Moxham (School Nurse) and Bernie McMullen(Chaplain). Also thank you to Juanita and Dy forpresenting a session on Personal Development to theYear 10s on camp.

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SETplan

SET Plan is on Thursday 24 August, all day. The students havebeen preparing for the day by completing their career planningdocuments. Please continue the conversations at home withyour child about their pathway through the senior school. I lookforward to chatting to parents/carers on the SET plan day.Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questionsprior to the day.

Also, students will require their Unique Student Identification(USI) number for the SET plan day. Most students have alreadyobtained their USI number. Could you please assist your childto obtain their USI, refer to page 140 of the school diary or visitthe USI website.Students then need to provide their USI to theschool (email me).

https://www.usi.gov.au/

Work placement

We have started the process of organising work placementsfor the week 11-15 September 2017. Thank you to AngelaRaven (HOD Senior Schooling) for providing such a valuableprogram for our students and to Jo Cuneen for assisting withthe organisation of placements.

Student achievement

We certainly have some very talented Year 10s. Congratulationsto the following students:

UPDATE from BCC Lord Mayor’s StudentEnvironment Student Ambassadors

On Monday 7 August, we launched a project at our school.The aim of the project was to reduce the amount of litter withinour school, so we decided to have a “Centenary Clean Up”session. We're happy to say that it was a huge success! Oneof our teachers even commented, saying that the school looked‘absolutely sparkling’. We are hoping to continue this project inthe future to help make Centenary SHS a cleaner school.

Aleece Macaulay and Daniella SwartSELN Student Ambassadors

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your son ordaughter’s developments at school please don’t hesitate tocontact me on 3373 4593 or email [email protected].

Berenice Furlong, Year 10 CoordinatorEmail: [email protected]

• Aleece Macaulay has been awarded the Ministry ofEducation, Culture, Science and Technology (MEXT)Scholarship. Aleece was one of only four students inAustralia to receive this scholarship. She will betravelling to Japan later this year funded by the AFS

Intercultural program. Congratulations Aleece, we areso proud of your achievement.

• Lara McGahan danced in the Ballet Theatre ofQueensland’s 80th Anniversary Gala at QPACrecently. She was involved in four items including onewith guest artists from the Australian Ballet.Congratulations Lara on your achievement.

• Grace Price has won a silver medal in her agedivision at the National Karate Championships inSydney recently. Congratulations Grace on yourachievement. On the Year 10 camp, Grace led agroup of students in a warm up session anddemonstrated her kicking abilities. She is certainly avery talented young person.

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NEWS FROM THE P&C

News from our P&C

Centenary SHS 2017 Trivia Night

P&C Approves Major Contributions to SchoolProjects

I am pleased to announce that at the last P&C meeting heldon 9 August 2017 two motions were passed to support ourschool.

Air-Conditioning: The P&C has committed to a contribution of$60,000 toward the school’s air-conditioning project. The fundswill be paid over three years, commencing 2017, at the rate of$20,000 per year.

Funds for this commitment will come from a combination ofyour voluntary contributions and the unceasing hard work of theP&C volunteers.

The total of voluntary contributions received to date is $4,663so, if you have not already contributed, please consider doingso. Contributions are fully tax deductible and you can find thecontribution form at the link below.

https://centenaryshs.eq.edu.au/Ourcommunity/PandC/Pages/PandC.aspx

New Piano: The P&C approved the immediate purchase of anew piano for the Performing Arts faculty at a cost of $5,000.We have also committed to a contribution of $2,500 toward thepurchase of a second piano during 2018.

What else is your P&C doing?

Other projects currently in progress include a new Long-Jumppit and we have started the process of obtaining designs andquotes for the much-needed renovation of our canteen.

Help us to help our students

To continue the work that the P&C does to support our schooland our students we need the support of parents/carers. Ourmembership is quite low and each year we face the retirementof valuable and long-standing members as their children moveon to the workforce and tertiary studies. Please consider joiningthe P&C to ensure its ongoing sustainability. Membership formscan be downloaded from our web page at the link below.

https://centenaryshs.eq.edu.au/Ourcommunity/PandC/Pages/PandC.aspx

David Harris, P&C President Centenary SHSEmail: [email protected]

COMMUNITY NOTICES

WPC Cricket Sign On

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