31 August 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

This term has seen a number of successes for the students and staff of Beerwah State High. Congratulations must go to the members of the Beerwah State High School Concert Band who combined with the Coolum State High School Wind Symphony and were awarded GOLD at the Victorian Schools Music Festival!! A fantastic achievement!!! Congratulations must also go to our two great instrumental music teachers Ms Clare Deady and Mr Nathan Hill whose efforts and expertise contributed to this wonderful success.

Our Athletics students continued the tradition of high level performances at the recent Coastal District athletics carnival. Whilst, we were unable to match the vast numbers of Chancellor in the total points, we were again successful in being presented with the Average Points trophy (based on school population). From this carnival, 17 students have been selected to participate in the Regional Carnival in September.

We wish all our representatives the best of luck at that carnival. Thanks must also go to our coaches who supported our students in training and at the carnival.

The school was recently recognised as a Regional “Lighthouse School” for Classroom Profiling. This involves teachers being observed on a regular basis around their classroom management. Data for these observations are discussed at an individual and whole school level to develop strategies to increase the effectiveness of teacher instruction. In recent profiling sweeps over 95% of teaching staff participated in the profiling activity.

An important measure that the Department of Education uses to gauge school performance is the A-E data in a number of key subjects namely English, Mathematics and Science in Year 7 -10. The target that the Department has is that 80% of students will achieve an A, B or C standard. The results from Semester 1 (ie end of June) saw the students achieve that target in 10 of the 12 areas measured with success in all subjects in Years 7 -9. This is the first time our academic data has reached these targets in the past 3 years.

As a parent there are a number of ways that you can support the school in achieving its goals. A focus this year has been to increase our students’ exposure to and participation in “Writing” based activities. As a parent please ask your child to see there exercise books to see evidence of their work particularly in subjects like English, the Humanities and Science.

Can I take the opportunity to thank all parents who have met or are meeting their financial obligations to the school. Unfortunately, there is still a significant amount that is outstanding this year and even some from past years. We understand that there may be circumstances where families are finding it difficult to meet their payments. Please contact the school to discuss what options may be available.

We are a Positive Behaviour for Learning school and each fortnight a topic for discussion is “LISTEN TO and FOLLOW TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS. This positive behaviour is based on the school values of RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITTY and SAFETY. Our current PBL focus of “Showing respect when speaking with teachers and other students”. We ask that families follow up this topic when having conversations at home.

Glen Robinson
Principal

Senior School News

Senior students, particularly those in Year 12, are coming to a very stressful time with major assessments due in the next few weeks. It is important that students are staying on top of their workload and checking their assessment schedules for when rough drafts are due. That way they can get the important feedback so that their submitted assessment piece is the best it can be. It is also very important that all senior students are adhering to assessment deadlines and managing their time so that work is not left until the last minute. This adds unnecessary anxiety and stress at a time which is already quite stressful for some. Remember if there is a valid reason, students are able to apply for an assignment extension provided this it is asked for at least 48 hours prior to the due date. If students are stressed remember to ask for help from the Heads of Year, Mrs Sharp and Mr Cavanagh; Deputy Principal Ms Hayden and the Guidance Officer Ms Runge. We are here to help.

2018 Early School Leavers Survey

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual state wide survey of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who in 2017 left school without obtaining Year 12 certification. The Early School Leavers survey is a short, confidential survey that collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving school.

Between August and September, students who left school early in 2017 can expect to receive an invitation to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office to complete the survey. Please encourage them to take part.

For more information, visit the link below or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

Future Pathways

Term 3
School based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs)

The end of Semester 1 SATs report from the Department was recently received and over the past few weeks I have spent some time seeking updates and feedback from the employers and registered training organisations on all our school based trainees and apprentices. It has been great to hear some fantastic reports on the progress of our students as they continue to display excellent work ethic and complete their duties to a consistently high standard. Students are also progressing with their qualifications, some through hard copy work booklets, others on line and others having regular meetings with their trainers at school. These students are modelling our school expectations of trainees and apprentices by committing to their traineeships and balancing school with paid work, study and other commitments.

One of our highly successful students is Trent McLellan who is a Year 12 school based carpentry apprentice. Trent attends blocks of work release at the end of each term and during school holidays and reports from his trainer is that he progressing very well with his theory being on track and he maintains a good log book. The skills and experience Trent is gaining on the work site are extremely valuable. Feedback from the employer is that he would love to have more apprentices like Trent. Congratulations Trent – it is great to see you achieving excellent results and we wish you well as you continue on your pathway to become a full time apprentice after graduation.

The excerpt below is from a recent Landsborough Pines Caravan Park newsletter and is another example of how many employers value and appreciate their school based trainees and apprentices.

Congratulations to the following students who have responded to advertised vacancies or sought their own opportunities, completed work experience trials and successfully secured positions:

Kynan Brown – Cert III Retail, Domino’s Pizza
Bodhey Green – Cert II Engineering Production, Azacs Constructions

Metro North Hospital & Health

Two Year 10 students have successfully submitted applications and have been interviewed for 2019 traineeship positions in health. Regardless of the outcomes, the opportunity of applying, preparing and attending an interview has been invaluable experience for these students.

Current Vacancies:

August vacancies school based traineeships for current Year 10 or 11 through Look Now Training

Cert III Business – Caloundra (welding fabrication business)
Cert III Hospitality – Maroochydore, Buddina, Birtinya and Mooloolaba (cafes and takeaways)
Cert III Business – Warana (print shop)
Cert II Horticulture – Beerwah (plant nursery)
Indigenous traineeships Year 10 students through MEGT closing 31/8/18
Cert III Business – Caloundra, Maroochydore, Buderim and Kawana (Banking sector)

WORK EXPERIENCE

Well done to the number of students who have participated in work experience over the past 6 weeks. It is great to see so many students seeing the value of completing work trials where they can gain valuable experience and can showcase their talents, skills and employability to potential employers. The most sought after attribute of employers is a willing and positive attitude.

CERTIFICATE COURSES

Dual Salon Assistant/Retail Cosmetics

Our salon trainees having been enjoying their practical days hosted by Vicky and the team at Beerwah Hair and Beauty. They are continuing to practice and develop their salon basin skills, blow drying and styling techniques and over the next few weeks will have competencies assessed through observation. The retail makeup practical components will commence soon and students will be required to carry out beauty services on each other and a selected model as part of their assessment.

The opportunity to include such a large portion of practical activity in this year’s course is proving to be both highly enjoyable and extremely valuable to students. They are progressing well through the theory modules and are showing great commitment to completing late term 3/early term 4.

Current Year 10 and 11 students who may be considering participating in the Dual SHB20216 Certificate II Salon Assistant / SHB20116 Certificate II Retail Cosmetics course in 2019 are encouraged to register their interest with Ms Skerman. The course runs one day a week (on a senior flexible learning day) over 20-22 weeks with our trainee salon assistants gaining the foundation skills of hairdressing science and retail cosmetics. This is an adult learning environment where external trainers come on campus to deliver theory and practical components. Topics include:

• drying hair to shape
• products and services
• greeting and preparing clients
• shampoo and basin services
• maintaining tools and equipment
• make up
• financial transactions

Sunshine Coast Technical Trade Training Centre

News from the TTC is that the focus for term 3 is for students to work hard to finalise their course work and finish their work experience hours. Students should complete 80 hours of structured workplace learning which always proves to be a valuable experience. Each trade is working toward the final project of the year, a plastered, painted and tiled individual room with functional lights and plumbing.

Cert I Construction student, Bohdey Green has completed his SWL hours and as mentioned above has secured a school based engineering traineeship. His employer has commented that during a work trial and on commencing work, what impressed him with Bohdey was the fact that he already had some valuable skills, knew how to use some tools and was able to be set a task and get it done. The employer has rightly contributed this to Bohdey’s experiences and learning at the TTC and his participation in Engineering Skills here at Beerwah High.

Rob at the Trade Training Centre helping out Bohdey with his project

The first information evening for 2019 enrolments at the trade training centre took place on Thursday August 16, 2018. This was an opportunity to see the centre first hand, meet and speak face to face with trainers and to learn more about the courses on offer in 2019. A number of student EOIs have already been submitted and these students can expect to receive their information pack in the coming weeks.

Expressions of interest for 2019 courses are still open to current Year 10 and 11 students and are available from Ms Skerman. First round of applications close Friday September 21, 2018 and interviews will be conducted mid-late October.

The TTC expectations of applicants includes:

• strong and keen interest in industry
• commitment to meeting structured workplace learning requirements
• self-motivation and ability to work independently
• ability to demonstrate maturity and a positive work ethic

YEAR 10 SET PLAN FOLLOW UP

Students who indicated interest in particular courses or pathways including the Trade Training Centre, Distance Education, Certificate IV Justice Studies, TAFE at School or other programs should see Ms Skerman as soon as possible to follow up on important information relating to expressions of interest and applications.

Helen Skerman
Industry Liaison Officer

Academic & Cultural Cup

Monthly Riddle

Winter has almost defrosted so it’s time to move forward into the last part of Term 3 with a Spring in our step. As per usual the first 20 correct answers will be awarded 8 Vivo points, 2 Academic & Cultural Cup points and an entry into the monthly tuckshop voucher draw. Good luck!

Email your answer through to academiccup@beerwahshs.eq.edu.au

Answer to last month’s riddle – Tour De France!

Why is the letter A like a flower?

Beerwah High 2018 Spelling Bee Tennis Tournament

‘Mirroring the real action of Wimbeldon 2018, old champions and favourites battled hard – but surprises were plentiful with many new faces claiming year level champion crowns on our very own centre court (MU06)!’

The fourth annual Beerwah State High School Spelling Bee Tennis Championships were a huge success in what has become one of several new highlights in the school’s yearly calendar. More than 25% of the student body accepted the challenge this year, setting a huge record for participation in this exciting event; once again highlighting the flourishing academic culture which is in the midst of a very exciting renaissance.

A group of Year 10 students work feverishly on a ‘Power Shot’ using a ‘Team Play’ card

Students at Beerwah State High are very fortunate to have the opportunity to play in an alternative take on the more traditionally-styled spelling bee. Emphasis is placed on fun and friendly competition, rather than the usual spelling bee stress of striving for perfection individually where one mistake can spell disaster. In our revolutionary competition, a misspelled word merely drops one point in a tennis rally. Students battle in teams of four, spelling their way through the best of three-game tennis matches in a knockout tournament until the eventual champions of each grade are crowned. Some closely- fought matches can last up to ninety minutes.

These Year 9 Grand Finalists had no idea spelling could be so much fun

Tactics play a large part in each game, with teams agonising over the appropriate time to use their tactical cards. The speller can use a ‘team play’ card which allows teammates to assist the speller with a troublesome word. A ‘reserve’ card provides the speller with an alternative word at the same difficulty level and a ‘count-me-in’ card advises the speller of the number of letters within the word. These cards must be used sparingly and strategically.

The beginning of each tournament had the chair referees questioning the quality of their hearing with the excitement and thrill of competition resulting in a very boisterous and enthusiastic centre court. It was amazing to observe so many students taking absolute delight in spelling words to stay alive in the rally. The tournament was a heart-warming display of fair play, complete engagement and all-round sportsmanship. The collage of groans, giggles, laughter, screams of delight, excited banter and roars of success were testament to the shift in culture that is widely evident at Beerwah High. There are exciting times ahead for the lucky students who are embracing opportunities -that may be slightly outside their comfort zones - leading to unexpected enjoyment and memorable experiences.

Senior teams begin the battle on the four courts of MU06

BSHS 2018 Senior Spelling Bee Grand Champions BSHS

2018 Year 10 Spelling Bee Grand Champions

BSHS 2018 Year 9 Spelling Bee Grand Champions

BSHS 2018 Year 8 Spelling Bee Grand Champions

BSHS 2018 Year 7 Spelling Bee Grand Champions

Peter Voight
Teacher Aide

HPE Update

Athletics Carnival

Beerwah State High School recently held its annual Athletics Carnival after being washed out last term. There were some outstandingly talented students giving their best as they threw, ran and jumped their way to victory. The Colour Run was also very popular with students being saturated in iridescent powder from head to toe. 130 Beerwah students made up the team to compete at the Coastal District Athletics Championships on August 10 and 13.

Leading the team were our Age Champions

The weather gods were on our side providing two fantastic days for the 2018 Coastal District 12-19 Years Athletics Carnival. Congratulations to Beerwah State High School for taking the Overall Percentage Champion School with a very convincing win again this year. Beerwah also had 20 students selected in the District Team to attend the Regional Carnival. The Beerwah Athletics Development (B.A.D.) Squad has been gaining momentum and with a new Long Jump track being installed at the high school later this year, the future looks bright for the already talented students’.

Steve Jeffery
HPE HOD

Debating Update

Beerwah State High School is excited to announce that a number of students participated in the Sunshine Coast Schools Debating Competition. The tournament is open to independent and Education Queensland Schools located in the Sunshine Coast and northern Moreton region. It aims to promote debating as an activity for all students and provide a supportive, fun yet competitive environment. On Monday July 30 students attended an expo at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Here they were introduced to the short prep debating competition and met fellow competitors from across the district. Students went on to compete in four preliminary rounds held at Sunshine Coast Grammar School. It is a true testament to the students’ abilities and dedication that they competed so well against their opposing schools, many of whom had far greater debating experience. All students should be incredibly proud of their performances. They were outstanding ambassadors for our school and displayed great improvement in their debating abilities. Congratulations to all teams!

Junior Division: Jazmin Low; Stella Pulham; Dakota Gibson.
Intermediate Division: Dominiek Rigdon; Jordyn Day; Decklan Dodd; Eamonn Smyth; Maddy Massey.
Senior Division: Natalie Ross; Breanne Howden; Angel Peterson; Jana Newlove.

Julie Moreton
Teacher/Debating Coach

Art Update

Congratulations to Karsha Bennetts and Eli Budd. These talented students had their recent work exhibited at the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art 2018. This exhibition is currently showing at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Jeanie Jordan
Art Teacher

Instrumental Music Update

The members of the Beerwah State High School Concert Band have been working alongside the members of the Coolum State High School Wind Symphony to produce some fantastic results.

The combined ensemble was awarded SECOND place and the Sunshine Coast Junior Eisteddfod and GOLD at the Victorian Schools Music Festival.

Students travelled to Melbourne to take part in the Victorian Schools Music Festival. While in Melbourne, the group also saw the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform, met Dale Barltrop who is the leader of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, visited Skydeck, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Queen Victoria Markets and Melbourne city centre. We even experienced a day of typical Melbourne weather, with rain, hail, freezing wind and then bright sunshine! Throughout the trip the students conducted themselves extremely well and were great ambassadors for Beerwah State High School

If you would like to hear our Concert Band, along with the Stage Band and Coalition Band, please join us at the Beerwah State High School Music Night on Tuesday September 18, at 6.00pm in the Performing Arts Block.

Clare Deady
Instrumental Teacher

Dance Update

Pinnacle Dance Challenge

A massive congratulations to Beerwah Dance Company who recently competed at The Australian Pinnacle Dance Challenge on Saturday August 11. With only half the group and two weeks to re-block and rehearse six routines, these kids came away with OUTSTANDING RESULTS:

First place: Burnitup (Jazz A)
First place: Don’t Panic (Contemporary A)
Second place: Wedding Singer (Musical Theatre)
Second place: In This Shirt (Lyrical)
Second place: Cardi (Hip Hop A) choreographed by ex-student Josh Lammeretz
Honourable Mention: NFL (Hip Hop B)

A huge shout out to one of our students, Mary Lay, who received an individual award from the adjudicators for her excellence in performance and presentation. This was one of two awards out of all the schools competing and Mary should be extremely proud! I know we are!

Finally, to top it all off, BDC was awarded the “Adjudicator’s Award for Overall Secondary Troupe” across all senior sections. This is a fantastic achievement and a great way to finish the Eisteddfod season.

I am extremely proud with how you conducted yourselves on the day and cannot wait to see you shine on stage once more in this year’s Dance Night. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Jess Rossberg
Dance Teacher

‘In the Blink of An Eye’

On Saturday August 4, Beerwah Dance Company dancers performed in Melissa Lanham’s “In the Blink of an Eye” at Lake Kawana Community Centre. This 80-strong youth dance work was performed and partially-devised by school students from Sunshine Coast and Brisbane schools. Students have been working on the project for several weeks and have all developed a deeper understanding of choreographic skills and the work required to develop and perform a full-length dance work. LM Projects works closely with school’s from the coast to ensure that students are given performance and choreographic opportunities beyond what happens at school. All students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and the dance teachers were very proud.

Michelle Peters
Dance Teacher

STEM Update

On Tuesday July 17, 10 Beerwah State High School students participated in the Maths Modelling Challenge held at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Students formed small teams and were given a mathematical problem to solve. Each group then presented their solution to the other groups.

Max, Harley and Callum modelled a rule to optimise the position of a place kick on a rugby field.

Nick, Samson, Mitchell and Cooper used network analysis to create house plans.

Natalie, Deacon and Michael modelled the petrol consumption of private transport each day in Brisbane

Natalie, Deacon and Mitchell won their category against ten other schools. They progressed to the final round and presented their poster to an audience of 200 students and university staff. For their winning efforts, they each won a $50 Myer Gift Voucher.

Our students had a great time and represented the school well displaying excellent conduct and behaviour.

Daniel Leftwich
Teacher/Numeracy Coach

Legal Studies

The Year 12 Legal Studies class recently visited the Supreme Court Library. It was a timely visit as they are starting their independent research study. They gained some valuable tips and gained temporary access to a number of publications that will help them with this assessment.

After working in the library, the students were able to sit in on a number of court sessions. Many were lucky to see the empanelling of a jury which resulted in much discussion about the challenging of potential jurors in court trials.

The students presented the school beautifully and are now well-positioned to tackle their next assessment.

Sharlene Ballard
Legal Studies Teacher

7K Update

7K has been doing wonderful things in Humanities and English. We have been learning new things, discovering interesting information about Ancient China and using new writing techniques.

This term, in Humanities, we are studying Ancient China, focusing on the time period of when Emperor Qin ruled. We have been learning about the roles of women, how they were disrespected and had to obey very strict rules. These rules included; Women had to cook the five grains, heat the wine, care for the family and do what they told were told to do. 7K have also been learning about the social classes and their roles. Our in depth learning has been about Emperor Qin and how he changed Ancient China. We have expanded our knowledge and learnt so much about the history of Ancient China.

In English we are learning about Ned Kelly and his family’s history. We have read ‘Black Snake’ and watched documentaries based on the history of the characters. We have written a diary entry, based on different people on the time. We are going to write a persuasive text about Ned Kelly to persuade an audience if he is a villain, victim or hero. There is much debate in the class about this topic. Ms Burchall has taught us a lot about this topic.

It has been great to learn all of this amazing history, about the reign of Emperor Qin, the ruthless tyrant who changed Ancient China for the better, and of Ned Kelly, the man who we are yet to decide if he was a villain, victim or hero.

We also enjoyed dressing up for Book Week. Ms Burchall came as the “Wicked Witch of the West” from the novel The Wizard of Oz.

Samantha Burchall
7K Teacher

P & C Update

Fresh Changes in the Canteen

We recently welcomed new Co-Convenor Aleisha Norcott to the team! We are very excited to have Aleisha join Marie and Trudy, and you may have already noticed some changes and new food items. We will also be introducing new casual Julie-Anne Johnston and look forward to her joining the team.

New items will be introduced and trialled weekly, so let the team know what you think! Also, if you have any ideas on new menu items that we could offer, please let us know by putting your suggestion in our suggestion box, found at the canteen.

We will also be introducing fresh-baked goods to add some variety – again, if you would like specific items offered, please let us know through the suggestion box.

Along with all these changes, we will also be increasing the price of some items. We will let you know when an updated menu is available.

Volunteers

The P&C is a great way to meet people and contribute to our school community. We are looking for volunteers, particularly in our canteen on Friday mornings. We will happily supply you with a morning tea including a fresh coffee or tea. If you feel shy coming alone, feel free to bring a friend! Our canteen team is very friendly and will welcome you with open arms.

Loose Change for the Farmers

We will have donation tins at the canteen for those wanting to put their loose change towards the farmers’ drought appeal.

Chocolate Drive

Don’t forget that our chocolate drive is running until the end of term. We have had some great support so far and we are looking forward to presenting the Giant Toblerone to the best fundraiser! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so all help is appreciated.