2 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome back to a new school year, in particular all the new families to Beerwah State High School.

I am happy to report that over the summer vacation the results of our 2017 seniors were particularly pleasing. The highlight of these results were the OP 1 achieved by William Harvey and the OP2’s for Riley Jaenke and Rani Davis. As a result William has been offered a position at the University of Queensland studying a Bachelor of Science and Majoring in Physics. Riley will be studying a Bachelor of Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Rani is taking a gap year and then hoping to become a Pilot in the Air Force.

The year 12 cohort was able to maintain the high level of results with results between OP 1- 15 achieving a slight increase to 82% which is above the state average. Our QCE achievement also maintained a very high result with over 96% of year 12’s achieving the required standard.

Certificate courses and flexible pathways continue to be a main avenue for senior students. In 2017, 163 students achieving a Certificate 1, 144 achieving Certificate II’s and 35 achieving Certificate III’s.

We wish all our Year 12 students the best in their future endeavours.

NEW TEACHING STAFF

We have a significant number of new teaching staff joining us at Beerwah SHS this year. They include:

Mr Iljiaz Memedovski ( Head of Department - Communication), Mr James Cochran ( Head of Department – Science), Mr Gavin Savage ( Head of Special Education), Ms Kass Ellis ( Master Teacher), Ms Emma Leisegang ( Science/ PE), Mr Tom Hauritz ( Eng / Technology), Ms Michelle Peters (Dance / Humanities), Ms Kylie Daniels ( English/ Humanities), Ms Megan Power ( Maths/ Science), Mr Elliott Cowan( English/ Humanities), Mr David Cooper ( Maths/ Science),Mr DeVries (Student Services).

We welcome them and I am sure they will enjoy their time at Beerwah SHS.

UNIFORM

With the new formal uniform now available, adherence to the full dress code is now expected. A reminder to all families that students will be expected to wear their formal uniform on Mondays and days when their year level parade takes place. Year level parades are listed below

Wednesday – Year 8 and Year 12
Thursday - Year 7 and Year 10
Friday – Year 9 and Year 11

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AGENDA

2018 will see a continuation of the 2016/17 key priorities.

In the area of Literacy, students will continue to improve their reading comprehension through the use of “Eagle and Wolf” and through strategies from the Tactical Reading program.

Across the state of Queensland and in fact Nationally, Writing will become a major focus for all schools, particularly in Year 9. Research shows that there is a significant link between Reading and writing – the more a student reads, the greater the likelihood that their writing will be improved. Therefore we strongly recommend that all parents encourage their children to read on a daily basis.

Numeracy

Whilst the results for Numeracy in 2017 were good we are still looking for improvement. A focus on number facts in Junior Secondary will be the main target area, particularly for our Mathematics faculty. The other key strategy in the area of Numeracy will be to embed “Inquiry Warm-Ups” as part of Jnr Maths program to improve problem solving strategies.

Student Management

There are a number of key target areas within this area of improvement. The first being attendance. Our target for attendance in 2017 was 90% however our attendance rate was 88.7% indicating that on average every student had at least one day off per fortnight.

This year, parents will be contacted regularly if their child’s attendance falls below this target, particularly in Year 11 and 12 where the students are in the COMPULSORY PARTICIPATION phase of their education.

There will also be a significant change in the way behaviour is managed within the school. There will no longer be a “rethink room”. Students disrupting the learning of others will be sent to the office where they will be allocated to a “Buddy Class”. Parents will be notified by text and the student will receive a detention that must be completed at the next lunch break. We will also be operating a REBOOT room which will serve as an internal suspension room and a reflection room for those students returning from an external suspension.

Glen Robinson
Principal

Year 7 Day of awesome

Year 7 students have had a great start at Beerwah SHS with a focus on staff and students getting to know each other, building positive relationships and setting the tone for meeting expectations for 2018.

The first week culminated in a ‘Day of Awesome’. Students rotated though a group of activities that focused on developing the following:

1. Conquering the ‘I am dumb myth” - learning about GRIT and the power of perseverance – “I can’t do it YET but if I keep trying and and ask for help I will get it eventually”
2. Team building skills - working together in teams to build a bridge and support everyone to get across the bridge safely
3. Looking at the quadrants of engagement and looking at strategies to move through the 4 zones of Survival, Trying, Learning and Mastery -
4. Students had to a look at how we have to ‘feed’ our 3 brains – the Wild, the Emotional and the Smart brain in order to have balance and be better able to self - regulate our own behaviours by using Centering activities to focus on making better choices.
5. Building resiliency – knowing that throughout our lives we will all encounter speedbumps and roadblocks and working on strategies and setting goals for academic and personal success.
6. Student Services focus - All about me and creating positive friendships and appropriate boundaries.

Many of these activities are taken from the reboot program where BSHS teachers encourage students to develop a positive Growth Mindset thereby providing opportunities for all students to develop their willingness and capacity to engage in learning. Our Day of Awesome was a very positive start for our year 7 students.

Welcome to our new Year 7 students

The year has started positively for most of our year 7 students. They are settling in very well, getting on with the business of building positive relationships, making new friends and finding out about expectations at Beerwah SHS and what they need to be focusing on in all of their subjects.

Each month in our newsletter we will have a year 7 focus – highlighting what has been happening for all year 7 students. We will be focusing on news from the individual class groups as well as recognising the fantastic efforts of selected individual students.

Tanya Hayden DP and Stephen Little Year 7 HOY

Senior school news

Welcome back to all of our year 11 and 12 students.

It is very important that all senior students and their parents/caregivers have ensured that they have looked at the end of last year report card to monitor that all students are on track for success.

All of our year 11 students made their subject selections last year at the SET plan interviews and this was in July. It is quite possible that some students may have decided to change their future pathway and if this is so please ensure the subjects that you are enrolled in are the right ones for you and that you are capable of passing these subjects in order to get your QCE.

For year 12 students ensuring you are in subjects you are able to pass is absolutely critical at this stage. If you received a D in any subject at the end of last year you must think long and hard as to whether you are able to pass the subject by putting in greater effort or do you need to make a subject change. Subject changes need to be made a soon as possible to ensure you are in the right subject and not missing out on valuable learning time.

All year 12 students will take part in an Academic Coaching program this year and information relating to this process will be sent to all parents/caregivers. Our goal at Beerwah SHS is to make sure that all students maximize their opportunities for learning - obtain their QCE, complete their Certificate courses/traineeships and get that OP if relevant so that they can be successful and have bright futures ahead of them.

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate graduating year 12 students - William Harvey who achieved an OP1, and Riley Jaenke and Rani Davis who both achieved an OP2. They have done exceptionally well and I am sure will all go on to do great things.

Congratulations to all of our 2017 graduating students and I wish them well in whatever they are doing now they have left Beerwah SHS.

To our current year 12 students the year goes by so quickly so make the kost of this final year at school.

Tanya Hayden
Deputy Principal

BM Update

Thank you to all of the families who have finalised their SRS and Subject Fee payments for 2018. The Student Resource Scheme payment is due to be paid in full by Friday 2nd February. Parents have until Friday 2nd March to finalise any Subject Fee payments.

For those families who are unable to make these payments by the due date, we ask that you please contact our school office to discuss a payment plan. Our cash collection staff will be more than happy to assist you and explain in further detail the direct debit option for parents who wish to enter into a payment plan for their fees for this year. Please be aware that direct deposit payments is a payment method that will no longer be available and has been replaced by BPOINT eDDR (Electronic Direct Debit Registration).

Our cash collection office is currently open between the hours of 8:00am and 12:00pm, Monday to Friday. Payment methods include EFTPOS, cash, cheque, BPOINT (direct debit options for bank account/credit and debit cards as well as weblink and telephone payments for credit and debit cards). You can also use Centrepay to arrange regular deductions from your Centrelink payments. Centrepay is a voluntary payment option available to Centrelink customers. BPOINT options are the preferred methods of payment for the Education Department which will allow you to make payments to the school at anytime. These details are provided at the bottom of each invoice/statement. If you are not currently receiving invoices and statements by email and would like to, please make your request via email to admin@beerwahshs.eq.edu.au

The Student Resource Scheme has allowed students to start the year with the resources they need to succeed in their studies throughout the year.

Angela Croft
Business Manager

BYOD in 2018

Thank you very much to the students and parents who already have joined or re-joined our BYOD Program in 2018.

Just a reminder that students who were part of the program in 2017 need to re-join in 2018 and pay the annual $20 fee. Students re-joining the program do not need to redo the paperwork.

If you have paid and your student is not yet joined to the network please ensure they take the completed paperwork and receipt to the Resource Centre to make a booking to complete the joining process.

Please visit our school website to view the minimum specifications of devices, forms to join the program and the instructions access the free download of MS Office.

We also have some links to some supplier portals for you to view. They have released some new devices and pricing.

The school filtering applications will not be applied to the student’s device when they are at home. Some students are concerned that their device will be blocked from certain programs or websites at home however the filtering system only applies on the school network, for the student’s safety.

The school no longer has a laptop fleet as the National Secondary Schools Computer Fund has ceased, and remaining laptops were unserviceable and outdated. Please continue to look at options for your student to access a personalised device to complete their studies.

Get connected today!

Barn Mullins
Acting HOD IT/Teacher Librarian

Netball 2018

Monday night netball will commence on 12 February. This is an elite netball competition against other schools on the Sunshine Coast. Games commence from approximately 4 pm for Year 7/8 players, from 5 pm for Year 9/10 players, and from 6 pm for Year 11/12 players. The latest round for seniors can be between 7 – 8 pm.

The games are played at Maroochydore. There are some car-pooling options, but generally students must be able to find their own way to and from the venue. Costs this year will be $65 which includes game costs, the hire of a netball uniform and training.

There is also an opportunity for students to umpire at this competition. If your student is a badged umpire the association will pay students for umpiring. The association pays above club rates, commensurate with the badge level.

This is a fantastic opportunity for students to be part of a strong netball competition. Permission slips can be collected from Mrs Ballard in Staffroom C. All fees must be up to date to take part in this competition.

Regards
Sharlene Ballard
Head of Year 8

HPE Update

Cheer Cup will be held on Wednesday February 7 students will compete in the first inter-house competition ‘Cheer Cup’. This is a fantastic event which brings students from Year 7 to Year 12 together as they raise the volume to more than 110 decibels. Students are asked to purchase a house coloured shirt for this event and this shirt can be used at all other inter-house carnivals.

House Colours:

Miketeebumulgrai: Navy Blue
Ngungun: Yellow
Tunbubudla: Maroon
Tiberoowucum: Light Blue

Swimming Carnival – Our annual inter-house swimming carnival will take place on Monday February 12. All students are expected to attend all day, support their house and join in the fun. A reminder students will only be signed out to attend medical appointments or for significant other reasons. A program of events will be available on our school website. The district swimming carnival will take place on Monday February 19 and a bus will be provided for this event.

District and Regional Sports Trials – 13-19 year old students trial in the Central District Secondary School Sport and there are two levels of trials. 1) The most popular sports have District Trials first and if selected for the District team they then go onto Regional Trials. All other sports start with Regional Trials. Students wishing to attend sporting trials are to follow the process outlined below:

1. Student expresses interest in attending a Sporting Trial
2. Student meets with Mr Jeffery or Mr Bogatek located in the Student Centre Staffroom
3. Student receives relevant paperwork if they meet the following criteria: Behaviour is of an acceptable standard, all school fees are paid and they are skilled enough to be competitive at the trial.
4. Student takes paperwork home to be signed and returned within a strict time frame (usually the next day).
5. Student or parent makes relevant payment to Cash Collection at school
6. Paperwork returned to Mr Jeffery or Mr Bogatek for approval
7. Student collects approved paperwork and takes it to the trial.

Further information can be found on our school website under the Extra-curricular tab or by using the following email sport@beerwahshs.eq.edu.au

Steve Jeffery
HOD HPE

Alternative Pathways 2018

2018 is shaping up to be another successful and busy year with students engaged in many alternative pathway options including school based traineeships and apprenticeships, Distance Education, Sunshine Coast Technical Trade Training Centre, TAFE courses and other certificate studies.

The Industry Liaison office has relocated to inside the resource centre (next door to the computer tech’s office). Students are welcome to call in before school and at lunch breaks. Information including current vacancies will be displayed on the noticeboards at the end of PA block and on the outside wall between canteen and the resource centre.

School based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs)

SATs give students an opportunity to combine training with working in a real job; gaining QCE points while learning the practical workplace skills and continuing full time school studies while earning a part time wage.

We have trainees in hospitality, retail operations, business, information, digital media and technology, sport and recreation, community pharmacy, dental assisting, early childhood, horticulture and engineering. Trainees complete their qualification over senior, graduating with a certificate II or III> School based apprentices can work in the trade industries such as hairdressing, plumbing, roof plumbing, electro technology, bricklaying, cabinet making, civil construction, automotive electrical technology and painting and decorating. Apprentices complete around 33% of the qualification while at school and then convert to full time apprentices upon graduation.

New SAT opportunities for senior students are advertised via school notices, on year level parades and on the noticeboards. Students are encouraged to also seek their own opportunities by talking with their current employers. See Ms Skerman for details and helpful information. Students wanting to participate in school based arrangements should be willing to effectively balance school, work, qualification study and travel.

2017 GRADUATE SUCCESS

In the last week of school for our 2017 Year 12s, the Group Training Organisation, Community Solutions conducted a number of pre-screening interviews with interested students. This resulted in two students being immediately employed as full time apprentices. It was great to receive an update last week and to hear that Jackson Cutler and Josh Valpreda are both “smashing” their carpentry apprenticeships. Both young men have been placed with an experience host builder who produces top class apprentices and they are both on their way to becoming excellent tradesmen. A third graduate, Josh Valentine will be signed up as soon as he has his licence. It is great to hear success stories such as this, where our young people are on their way to achieving happy and fulfilling futures.

Congratulations to you all!

Current Vacancies:

Certificate III Hospitality – year 11 students are invited to put forward resumes for consideration in a Cert III Hospitality traineeship with the Beerwah Hotel. Duties are all back of house (kitchen) and applicants should have a positive attitude and excellent time management skills. This is an opportunity to start on a future pathway in hospitality or as a chef.

Certificate III Hospitality – year 10 and 11 students are invited to apply for a traineeship position with a Glass House Mountains pizza and pasta café. Duties include customer service, food preparation and general kitchen duties. Resumes to Ms Skerman asap as interviews are ready to take place.

Certificate II Engineering Production – year 10 or 11 students are invited to put forward resumes for consideration in an engineering production. The host employer carries out steel shed and building construction and the position would suit a young person who is hard working, positive and job focussed. This opportunity could lead to a future pathway for the right applicant. Resumes to Ms Skerman followed by pre-screening interviews with Community Solutions.

Certificate III Tourism or Business – two vacancies with local caravan park for mature male or female year 10 or 11 students working in all aspects of the business including maintenance, gardens, housekeeping and office. Great opportunity which combines multiple work skills including interactions with residents and tourists. Resumes to Ms Skerman asap and shortlisted applicants would need to complete three days’ work experience.

Congratulations to the following students who have been successful in securing school based traineeships/apprenticeships:

Krystal Thomas – Cert III Retail, Glass House Country Kitchen
Nick Dwan – Cert III Cabinet Making, Qld Kitchen & Bathroom Distributors, Beerwah
Chloe Smithers – Cert III Hospitality, Frankie J’s Pizza and Pasta, Glass House Mountains
Kayla Smedley – Cert III Hospitality, The Steaming Cup, Landsborough

SUNSHINE COAST TRADE TRAINING CENTRE

2018 will be an exciting year for the six students attending the SCTTTC studying Automotive Servicing, Construction, Plumbing and Aviation Studies. Students will be attending the Centre one day a week and during the course of the program will participate in structured workplace learning where they will gain real trade experience and industry exposure.

Students recently attend an orientation morning and an information session on the SUN programs (Aviation and Built Environment & Design) is scheduled for Wednesday 31st January from 4pm. Contact Ms Skerman or the TTC directly for more information.

Congratulations to 2018 TTC students:

Jake Jeffrey
Jake Yates
Banjo Graham
Tane Cunningham Polson
Bohdey Green
Daniel Kennedy

CERTIFICATE COURSES

The SHB20216 Cert II Salon assistant & SHB20116 Cert II Retail Cosmetics dual course is proposed to run in term 2 and 3 2018. If minimum enrolment is met training will be provided by 2 Study and will take place in the RC on Thursdays over approximately the 20 weeks. This course is for VETiS eligible students and provides 8 QCE points. There is a fee for service option ($500) – please see Ms Skerman for further information. This is a foundation course giving students skills in basic hairdressing tasks, communication techniques and product knowledge. Potential career outcomes include salon assistant, sales person, mark-up artist and a lead into apprenticeships.

Please register your interest with Ms Skerman asap.

Note on funding:

This is a VETiS funded course – that is no cost to eligible students who have not previously accessed VETiS funding through certificate course study such as Hospitality.

EXTERNAL STUDY

Beerwah High supports students who chose to study extra courses externally. In 2018 students have enrolled in courses through TAFE Qld including Cert II Tourism, Cert II in Applied Fashion Design & Technology and Cert III Screen & Media. Cert IV Crime & Justice is available to be studied through Unity College with two senior students to complete their studies this year and two year 11 students newly enrolled. Students are also accessing Distance Education courses including Year 12 Economics and Modern History, Year 11 Physics, Business Communication & Technology, Music and also language studies including Japanese.

Best wishes to these students for a successful and fulfilling year.

Helen Skerman
Industrial Liaison Officer