28 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal's Report

Dear Parents,

With so many changes occurring within and around our campus, it is sometimes important to sit back and look at the ‘big picture’ of what we are trying to achieve here at Coolum State High School. Change for the sake of changing is never a great idea, but when there is an end goal or a greater vision in mind for a community, that change, hard work and drawing on resilience to get the job done is at times inevitable.

There is a magnificent quote from the World War II British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who upon visiting America in 1943, remarked on the incredible transformation and energies that nation was expending in its preparation for war against Germany and Japan. He states, in reference to America’s step up into the ranks of the world’s powers, that: “The price of greatness is responsibility.” Whilst for some parents, the link between world leaders, war and the educational and adolescent linked struggles of their children might be a bit of a stretch, there are deep correlations in the setting of a goal and the achievement of it.

Every student attending Coolum SHS must have a goal or vision for what their intention might be as a functional member of our community once they have graduated. It is fine for our young people to “have no idea” what they want to do when they leave Coolum SHS, but a plan for either employment, further education or training helps ensure students find a pathway in life that matches their talents and abilities. Every teacher and staff member at our school is committed to helping your child in making this plan, in ensuring they are receiving the best education and the right skills to achieve their goals. We are striving for excellence and indeed greatness for our students, but with this greatness comes responsibility.

Already our students have begun to take on the responsibility of being a great Coolum SHS student, through wearing their uniforms neatly and with pride, whilst understanding and adapting to the high expectations of behaviour established within our school. The foundations and expectations have been set: now it is time for these students to set their own goals and visions for the future, and begin to put into action the steps needed to attain them. For most, this means studying hard, attending class consistently, sticking with a subject or training despite its difficulty and believing in that end goal. Again from Churchill, it is the belief that we must “Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”

For some of our students, even the odd one in Year 12 who are mere months away from being released into the ‘real world’, graduation, employment, university or beyond seems an interminable way off. But they aren’t. Preparation, commitment and hard work are what is needed right now from every Coolum SHS student for them to successfully realise their obvious potential and achieve excellence.  

If your child does not have a clear idea of what they would like to achieve by the end of the year or after graduation, now is a crucial time to have these kinds of conversations with them. What do they need to achieve this year to move forward in 2019, whether it be gaining entry into a more difficult Maths class, writing an essay, gaining an apprenticeship, Certificate training, or acceptance into a university course or employment in tourism or an office? What are the kinds of responsibilities and preparations they need to be taking now to ensure those goals come to fruition?

If you would like to find out more on how Coolum SHS can help realise your child’s ambitions, come along to the next Principal’s Tour of our school. You can access the next dates via our Facebook page, which is also a fantastic place to see how our past and present students are achieving greatness!

Last week, I attended our first P&C Meeting for year and was able to acknowledge the efforts of these hard-working volunteers who work for the benefit of all our students. Our P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) is coming up on Monday 19 March at 6pm. At this meeting, all P&C Executive positions including President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer will become vacant and nominations are accepted and voting takes place. If you would like to join our P&C, including taking up one of these Executive positions in support of our school, we would love to see you at the meeting. More information can be found in the P&C section of our newsletter.

Introducing our Leadership Team

I am very proud to be able to announce that we now have our full complement of Deputy Principals to introduce to our community:

Mr Lee Merrett worked as a tradesperson before training as a teacher. Lee has risen rapidly through the ranks and comes to us from Moranbah SHS where he was working as a Deputy Principal. Lee’s portfolio includes responsibility for Year 11 and 12 students, and guiding them towards their post-school destinations.

Ms Wendy McDermott has had a distinguished career in education and has worked for many years as Head of Department (English) at Mountain Creek State High School. Wendy has experienced great success with literacy and English, and has a deep understanding of education and the ways students learn. Wendy’s portfolio includes overseeing our Year 9 and 10 students.

Mr Terry Proctor has worked at Coolum High for a number of years and is widely respected throughout the school and the community. Terry has previously worked as a Deputy Principal at Biloela SHS and this year is leading a review of Junior Secondary education. Terry is responsible for Year 7 and 8 students, and oversees students’ transitions from primary to secondary education.

Mr Tim Robinson comes to us from Meridan State College where he has had a distinguished career, including as an Acting Deputy Principal. Tim has had a wide and varied career, both inside and outside education, and brings the benefit of this experience. Tim is responsible for developing a ‘Guaranteed and Viable’ Curriculum, implementing the ‘Reading-to-Learn’ program and establishing our Academy programs.

Troy Ascott
Principal

Deputy Principal - Junior Secondary

Our Vision: That students have the confidence, desire and belief to succeed through strong foundations in literacy and numeracy.

Year 7 Camp

Well done to our Year 7 students who were on camp from 26-28 February at Noosa North Shore.  It was great to spend some time on camp and see the fun and challenging activities that students did.  Even though there was a bit of wet weather, the students definitely still made the most of the activities, with the mountain biking proving to be the most ‘wet n wild’ activity.  Thanks to Mrs Tracy Ford who did great work in organising this camp, and also to the staff who attended to make this a great experience for the students. 

Literacy and Numeracy

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing occurs in Term 2 this year. Over 15-17 May, Year 7 and 9 students undertake five short tests in Numeracy, Reading, Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation.

The results of these tests give schools very important information about how to continue to develop these essential skills as students prepare for senior secondary.

It is important to note that Queensland’s New Senior system (which commences for students beginning Year 11 in 2019) places a significant emphasis on external testing as a high stakes measure of performance at the end of Year 12.

Whilst NAPLAN testing is not high stakes for Years 7 and 9, it does provide students another opportunity to experience this type of testing which will be a large part of their senior subjects in the future.

For more information about NAPLAN please visit the link below- students and parents can even try a few questions together.

Year 7 Hats

Thanks to the P&C for their kind donation of bucket hats to our new Year 7 cohort. These reversible hats show both the school colours and the students’ house colours. It is great to see so many students wearing them – they look great. The P&C are strong supporters of our school.

Terry Proctor
Deputy Principal Junior Secondary

Deputy Principal - Middle Secondary

I am very excited to introduce myself after my appointment to the position of Acting Deputy Principal at Coolum State High School. Walking through the gardens on my first day, I felt a real sense of pride to be working in my local community and to see the smiling faces of students I have known for many years.

I have been working in Education Queensland for 24 years, teaching in rural Queensland for some of that time, and here on the Sunshine Coast for the last 20 years. My previous position was as Head of Department English at Mountain Creek State High School.

Thank you to staff and students for their very warm welcome over the last weeks. Part of my role in the school will be to work with our Student Services Hub and Indigenous Student Advocacy group to continue their strong work around student wellbeing. I am also excited to be involved with our International Student Program, which will host an international tour in March. I am already thoroughly enjoying the Coolum SHS environment, and look forward to working with the students, staff and Leadership Team to pursue our school’s new directions.

Wendy McDermott
Acting Deputy Principal Middle Secondary

Deputy Principal - Senior Secondary

On Monday, the senior leaders and senior students were inducted at our 2018 Investiture Ceremony. It was fantastic to see such a strong representation from the community, parents, staff and most importantly, allowed the students to witness and be a part of this important public recognition of their leadership.

Special mention goes to our senior music students for a stirring rendition of the national anthem and musical performance. Key note speaker, and former Coolum SHS student, Lucy Bloomfield, delivered an inspiring speech that no doubt left all students with ambitious thoughts and dreams about their future. It was a credit to our Year 12 cohort for the way they wore their formal uniform proudly and presented themselves on stage when receiving their badges. This event has again showcased the leadership shown by our senior students and the respect they have for Coolum SHS and the wider community. Well done year 12.

Lee Merrett
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary

Business Services News

Thank you to the families that have returned the Student Resource Scheme (SRS) form for 2018. If you have not received one please visit the school website to download one and return as soon as possible. The SRS funds go directly to classroom resources and helps us provide quality teaching and learning items for your child’s learning. Parent SRS participation is very important for your child and to the school, and we appreciate the ongoing support we have from the parent community for this scheme.

It’s also very important that you have made full payment towards fee-paying subjects. If you have not made full payment or entered into a payment arrangement with me, your child may be withdrawn and placed into a non-fee paying subject. This process is in place this week so you may be contacted to discuss your child’s options. Please contact me if you have any concerns.

We don’t want your child to miss out, so please do not hesitate to discuss your financial options with me. I remind you that BPOINT is now available for direct debits into the school bank account. Please call the Administration Office to find out how to set this up. It’s very easy to do and takes only a couple of minutes to set up. I encourage all families to take up this new option.

Before a student can be considered for participation in an optional school activity, a parent is expected to have:

• fully paid all outstanding fees or
• paid the Student Resource Scheme and other outstanding fees up to and including the term in which the school activity takes place or
• made regular on-going payments towards these fees, as previously arranged with the Principal or Business Manager
• been exempted by the Principal from paying all or part of these fees

Nolly Griffiths
Business Manager

P&C

Our P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) is coming up on Monday 19 March at 6pm following our general meeting. At this meeting, all P&C Executive positions which are President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer will become vacant and nominations are accepted and voted in. If you would like to join our P&C including taking up one of these Executive positions in support of the school, we would love to see you at the meeting. We’re planning on a very exciting calendar of events and fundraising that will support many areas of the school, in what promises to be an exciting year in the life of Coolum State High School.

If you would like to make a nomination, please complete the attached form and bring it along to the meeting. Nominations can also be made during the meeting.

The form is also available via our website

P&C Executive

Lions Youth of the Year

The annual Lions Youth of the Year Public Speaking Evening was held recently. The competition is designed to encourage, foster and develop leadership, in conjunction with other citizenship qualities in students, who will shortly enter fields of employment or higher education. Seven Year 12 students participated in interviews prior to the evening, followed by a series of impromptu questions on the night. They delivered excellent speeches which had the judges working hard to decide on a final outcome.

Speakers and their topics included:
Georgia-Rae Amhaz (Culture and beauty)
Ky Swadling (Film making)
Paige Fallu (Musical theatre)
Josie Jenkins (Global warming)
Tia Jones (Violence against women)
Kara Petersen (Follow your own passion/live life your own way)
Nathan Breheny (Being proud of who you are)

The speeches were all heartfelt and powerful. After some deliberation by a panel of three judges, Ky Swadling was announced as the winner of the Public Speaking section.  Both Ky and Tia were the overall winners of the Youth of the Year. Tia will go forward to represent the Lioness Club and Ky was selected to represent the Lions Club at the Zone competition, to be held on the 3rd March at the Lions Club at Pomona. 

Congratulations to all speakers for showcasing the leadership and citizenship qualities which the Lions Club members and judges were looking for.

Mooting Mania!

A “moot” is a simulated Court hearing which imitates the procedures followed in real Courts.

Four of our Year 11 Legal Studies students:- Sarina Petersen, Sunny Shaw, Axel Smith-Spalding and Christian Townsend, are keen to get mooting in the up-and-coming competition.

The students have registered to form Coolum State High School’s first ever mooting team in the USC Sunshine Coast Mooting Competition. Next week, the students will receive a legal problem, and prepare a written submission in response to their issue. They will then need to use their oral presentation skills to present arguments before a judge or judges in a conversational style discussion. Round 1 will take place in April and Round 2 will take place in May, so keep a look out for more information about mooting venues and competition details!

Colette Webber
Teacher

Mathematics

We are now halfway through Term 1 and students are either already engaged in assessment or working towards it. Parents are encouraged to contact teachers directly with questions about their child’s progress so far and for suggestions on what they can being doing at home to support learning.

Year 7 students will soon be embarking on their contribution to the ‘Water Unit’ and looking at the maths behind running a fundraising barbeque.

Year 8s will be exploring concepts related to percentage and money (eg GST and profit), while Year 9s are continuing the theme of ratios and introductions to linear equations. Year 10 students will explore probability and students in the Year 10 Short Course in Numeracy will be looking at mathematics in sports.

Last week I spoke with Year 11 students regarding their start to the year and how they have adapted to the increased expectations moving up from Year 10. Parents of Year 11 students can help by ensuring study routines exist at home as a significant proportion of the cohort have identified as needing to improve in this area. Year 12 students have settled in well and it is encouraging to see a significant proportion of senior students attending weekly tutorials.

It is pleasing to see such a large representation of students seeking help with furthering their understanding of mathematics at weekly tutorials. Mathematics is by far the most represented subject area. Persistence is key, and these students are showing exemplary use of it!

PAT Testing

Year 8 and 9 students will all be PAT (Progressive Achievement Test) tested for mathematics in the coming weeks. This online test forms a key part of identifying the needs of each cohort and allows teachers to monitor growth over terms (and the junior years). Parents are always welcome to see the progress of their child. Please contact your child’s teacher directly to find out their PAT results.

Dean Hose
Head of Mathematics

Science

This week I want to talk about assessment in Year 7, 8 and 9 Science. Generally, we summatively (counts towards their marks) assess students in Years 7-9 twice per term. Assessments can range from practical investigations and reports, Field study reports, exams, research projects, multimodals and/or hands on investigations.

Year 7 students are currently investigating “Water”, more precisely water purification/filtration techniques with a goal of designing an apparatus which filters dirty water to a relatively clean state and removing other materials via various techniques.

Year 7 students undertaking filtration experiments

Year 8 students are investigating our local geological formations and writing a report based upon the field study classroom presentations they have/will undertake a field study south of Point Perry (NB due to mother nature, the first groups study had to be cancelled due to hazardous waves).

Mr Jock McCabe – Year 8 Rock Tour (Local Geological Formation)

Year 9 students are using theoretical skills relating to electrical circuitry to construct a circuit based on a house design to connect three bulbs in parallel and can be individually turned on and off. Students also had to use multimeters to measure voltage and current.

Year 9 Students Corey Pocock, Izzy Beacham and Joey Bucknall with their house circuits

If you have any questions relating to your student’s assessments, please contact your child’s teacher.

Any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at school on 54715333 or by email polse3@eq.edu.au.

Paul Olsen
Head of Department – Science

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Our Industry Reference Group seeks to maintain and expand mutually beneficial relationships between the school, industry and the community to provide rich, relevant and rewarding learning opportunities for all stakeholders. If you are involved in a business within our local community or know someone who would be beneficial to our Industry Reference Group, I would love to hear from you. Through having strong community partnerships, we can support students to move into a progressive pathway of further education, training or employment.

School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeship Opportunities (SATs)

Under a SAT arrangement, a senior school student is released from school time to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship in their chosen field. Current opportunities are shown below:

Current Vacancies

BSB30115 Certificate III Business – Retail Outlet, Maroochydore
SIT30616 Certificate III Hospitality – Goodness Gracious Café, Yandina
SIT30616 Certificate III Hospitality – Aromas, Noosa
SIT30616 Certificate III Hospitality – Gloria Jeans, Tewantin
SIT30616 Certificate III Hospitality - Pitchfork Restaurant, Peregian
SIT30616 Certificate III Hospitality - Pizza Capers, Noosa Junction
SIT30616 Certificate III Hospitality - Sumo Salad, Maroochydore
Warehousing Operations – Reece Plumbing, Coolum Beach

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

BSB20115 Certificate II Business – ANZ Sunshine Plaza, Maroochydore

Uniting Care, various locations – Qualifications available in Business Administration, Community Services, Customer Service, Health Services, Food Services and Individual Support (Aged Care, Disabilities and Home and Community Care) fields.

Please contact me at pwald9@eq.edu.au or 5471 5333, to discuss matters relating to Vocational Education and Training within the school.

Patrick Walden
Head of Department - Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Health & Physical Education News

District Swimming

Last Wednesday, 29 students took part in the District Swimming trials held at the Nambour Aquatic Centre. Overall, Coolum SHS finished in 4th place narrowly missing out on a podium finish. A stellar effort from all involved.

The team:

Kye Atkinson, Kalara Harley, Oliver Sweetman, Isaac Waddell, Cooper Waring, Kara Petersen, Harrison Renzulli, Nelz Hall, Jazman Evans, Sophie Armstrong-Wearne, Louise Thomas, Chloe Irvine, Isaac Ruscoe, Jena Filmer, Ava Filmer, Patty Miller, Joshua Cunnington, Jack Conroy, Makaeli Adler, Hailee O’Sullivan, Jemima Bainbridge, Beau Pattison, Zander McRae, Nye Florence, Claudia Sharpley, Fyn Sharpley, Ziah Harvey, Maria Wynne and Jakob O’Sullivan.

Some of the swimmers who took part in the District Trials on Valentine’s Day.

A number of standout performances saw 6 students gaining selection into the North District team to attend the regional trials. Coolum High also had two swimmers receiving age champion on the day and two students receiving runner up.

Age Champions
Hailee O’Sullivan – 12 years Girls
Jacob O’Sullivan – 13 years Boys
Runners-Up
Fyn Sharpley – 15 Years Girls
Joshua Cunnington – 16 Years Boys

Hailee and Jacob also were successful in breaking records on the day. Hailee breaking both the 50m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke records, with Jacob breaking the 50m Freestyle record in their respective ages.

A huge thank you also to go out to Mr Money for convening the carnival and Martin Cox, Sonny Riseley, Doykota Sayer, Dylan O’Sullivan, Kelly Pocock, Hunter McAllister, Adam Goodwin as well as, Mr Barrow and Ms Goodacre for the help with the smooth running of the carnival.

District and Regional Nominations:

Nominations are now open for the following District and Regional Trials.

Regional: 12 Years Boys and Girls Hockey

If your child would like to nominate/trial for any of the above events, they may see me in the HPE staffroom during break times. These opportunities will also be advertised in Student Notices.

Students (13-19 years) will be given paperwork which will include:

• a Trial Notice,
• Permission Form, and
• Project Consent.

Students (12 years) will be given paperwork which will include:

• A Trial Notice / Permission Form (District Level)
• A Trial Notice, Permission Form and Project Consent (Regional level)

Nomination process: (13-19 years and Regional Trials)

1. Students to collect paperwork from me
2. Parents/carers to complete and sign paperwork
3. Students return the paperwork to me for signature
4. Paperwork will be returned to student to take to Trials
5. NO PAPERWORK = NO TRIAL
6. The student’s nomination will be emailed to the Carnival Convener and District Secretary.
7. Student makes own way to trial with paperwork.

Nomination process: (12 years)

1. Students collect paperwork from me
2. Parents/carers to complete and sign paperwork
3. Students return the paperwork to me for signature
4. Students will then be nominated for the Trial.

Christina Fiducioso
Health & Physical Education Teacher