15 November 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents,

Our Senior Graduation Ceremony, held on Tuesday evening, was an outstanding success. Held at Calvary Church, Tanawha, the graduation ceremony was the first time Coolum High students have worn academic gowns and mortarboards to celebrate the achievement of graduating from high school – and, I can report, they looked amazing! The ceremony was reverent, fun, happy, celebratory and a fitting tribute to our senior students. If you haven’t already, check out the photos of some of our graduates on Facebook – they just look fantastic. All of the students who spoke, including our incoming school captains Keeley Duggan and Jacob Cassidy, spoke beautifully. Valedictorian, Tia Jones, was truly inspiring and shared the deep appreciation she has for Coolum High and all the staff and community members who have supported her journey, and the journey of her peers. This wonderful event encapsulated Coolum’s community spirit, and we appreciated the support of our P&C Association, School Council (including a touching speech from School Council Chair, Greg Swadling), parents and a vast gathering of grandparents, aunties, uncles and friends. In all, more than 1200 people were in attendance to help farewell our Year 12s. Tomorrow, we have our traditional ‘Clap-out’ as the final rite of passage before our seniors are ready to take on the world. To our senior students, farewell and good luck!

In casting forward to the school year in 2019, I would like over the coming weeks to discuss a few things which have come to mind in creating the pre-conditions of excellence that we want for every student. At the risk of being controversial, one of these is the taking of holidays during school time. The Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 states that each parent must ensure their child attends every school day except for a genuine reason such as illness. Our law makers have set rules to ensure students are at school each and every day based on everything that is known about attendance and a student’s success. Each year, 12 weeks is set aside for school holidays. We know that any break in the planned sequence of learning affects students’ achievement and, in subjects like Maths, can mean that they miss an essential skill they will need to solve more complex equations. We are so passionate about education that we want our students here every day to help ensure their success. I would ask that all parents please plan 2019 family holidays for the allocated school holiday periods. Unfortunately, in 2019 our teachers, most of whom are responsible for 150+ students and work extremely hard, will not be able to provide work for students whose families choose to take holidays during the school term.

Also, in casting forward, I would remind all students and parents that, beginning in 2019, senior students will be required to wear their tie with the formal uniform and students will no longer be able to have facial piercings. The better presentation of our students is opening more and more doors for them in the business and professional communities and is something that has the full support of our P&C Association. We are looking forward to improving and enhancing the standards of our school each and every year.

As our Year 12s leave our school, I would like to personally thank Mr Greg Swadling for his many years of service to our P&C Association and our School Council. Greg has helped to make our school a better place due to his many years of dedication. Thanks Greg and best wishes for the next phase of your life!

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.

Extra help is here!

As we head ever-closer to the end-of-year assessment period I remind all students and families of the opportunities to attend tutorials here at school. There are no prior arrangements needed – students are welcome to just show up! I strongly encourage students to attend our excellent Wednesday afternoon tutorials (3-4pm) or our catch-up club that runs before school (Monday-Thursday) at 8am. Here students can get extra help from staff to support them to achieve their personal excellence.

Colour Run success

I would like to thank our P&C for their work in organising the recent Colour Run at our school. It was a great event with many parents and staff also helping out. I would like to congratulate the Year 7s and 8s for their great participation in this fundraiser. They were very enthusiastic and had a great time.

 

Terry Proctor
Deputy Principal Junior Secondary

Deputy Principal – Middle Secondary

Excellence in everything we do

I was delighted to be on stage last week at Awards Night to congratulate students from years 9 and 10 on their achievements. As we move into the final weeks of the school year it is vital that as a school community we maintain the same high standards to ensure a positive and productive end to the academic year.

Students can be planning for success by making sure they have all of their assessment requirements planned out with draft and due dates. They can also make sure they have set aside time every day to work on homework and assessment tasks. Consistency is the key for improvement. Leaving work to the last minute is a recipe for poor performance and often increased levels of anxiety.

As always we expect our students to strive towards improving their attendance percentage by coming to school. Our requirements for effort and behaviour remain unchanged as does our commitment to ensuring all of our students achieve the highest levels of success possible.

We are looking forward to seeing all the wonderful work delivered over the next few weeks.

Emma Clarke
Deputy Principal Middle Secondary

Deputy Principal - Senior Secondary

It was fantastic to see at our annual Coolum SHS Awards Ceremony so many students rewarded for their academic or sporting excellence. The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the 2018 DUX, which was awarded to Amber Dawson. Amber has had an amazing year and this is reward for her hard work and dedication. The 2019 school leaders were announced and presented their leadership blazers at the awards night. The 2019 leaders are as follow:

Year 12 students have now finished their last assessment block and are on the countdown to Friday as they depart to bigger and brighter endeavours. There has been some outstanding academic achievements in Year 12 with two VHA10 awarded, the highest possible mark a students can receive. I will be inviting Year 12 students back in Week 8 to attend a student forum. This forum will allow us to hear from students and the information gained will guide our planning in senior schooling for 2019.

The Year 10 and 11 students will be entering an external exam block period in Week 8. This will require students to only attend school when they have an exam identified on their timetable. The block exam timetables will be communicated to students and parents in Week 7. Year 11 at risk interviews will be held in the last two weeks of school. Students will be identified from their academic performance in 2018 and their progress towards achieving the Queensland Certificate of Education QCE. These at risk interviews are vital for ensuring student success in 2019.

Finally, I would like to wish all of the Year 12 cohort all the very best for the future and hope they have a safe and enjoyable schoolies celebrations.

Lee Merrett
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary

Business Services News

Subject Fees

Shortly we will be invoicing for Student Resource Scheme (SRS) 2019 and for subjects. Your prompt payment would be appreciated. I understand that it is a difficult time for families as we near the end of the year and the festive season approaches. Please contact the office and discuss your financial options with me if you are experiencing any financial hardship.

Certificate Fees

Senior School is a very important time in the life of your student and on-time payment of Student Resource Scheme, subject fees and certificate fees is very important. Without full payment of fees, your students’s place in the certificate or subject may be affected, including removal from that subject if we do not receive payment by the set dates and times. The fees for certificate courses for 2019 are due now, please ensure you make payment. Payment of all other fees are also due, this will ensure that your student is eligible to participate in the end of year activities

Student Resource Scheme 2019

I want to thank all families that have contributed to SRS this year and previous years, your contribution is very much valued by the school and without your participation we would not be able to support our students. Please support the scheme and help Coolum State High School be the best it can be.

Fee payment contributes to the ability of the school to purchase much needed resources for that subject. When it comes to certificate courses, full payment is of utmost significance because without payment your student will not receive their certificate and it could affect their potential to graduate.

We have not increased the SRS for the past three years and once again the school and the P&C have endorsed it to remain at $300.00 for 2019 for all year levels. The 2019 SRS is payable now and is due by the end of Term 2, 2019. Please complete and sign the SRS 2019 form and return it to the school as soon as possible.

QParents is an Education Queensland Portal that allows parents to access their child’s financial invoices/payments, reports, absences/attendance and timetable all in one place. You are also able to make payments directly from this portal for outstanding invoices and is Education Queensland’s preferred method of payment.

Nolly Griffiths
Business Manager

P&C Executive

Lots of sunshine and rainbows!! ( Literally!! )

As the year draws to a close we, as the 2018 P&C Association Executive cannot thank our community enough for the fabulous, positive and supportive way you as parents and students have come on board with our new ideas and initiatives.

The Colour Run was testament to the wonderful, generous people we have in our midst like Dan Purdie member for Ninderry and Jodie Curran, Agent 4573, and the Coolum Fire Brigade, just to name a few! Along with the students and parents who joined in, it made Friday afternoon 2 November one to remember!! Not to forget the dedicated teachers who stayed back to get into the spirit, when after an exhausting week at school, all they probably wanted was to go home and put their feet up! Instead many ran about getting splashed and sprayed in colour or helped out with logistics. You are awesome!

Lots of media coverage made sure the word was out that this is an event worth supporting. We are confident that in 2019, it will be bigger and better, as we build the annual momentum for an event that is all about crazy fun, community and well…….COLOUR!! In a technology focussed world, good old fashioned fresh air, an obstacle course and a bit of water brought out lots of smiles, cheekiness and competitiveness (and Mr Ascott in a pair of shorts, NO TIE NO SUIT!! That’s one for the books!)

Thank you for supporting our endeavours and as always remember that we do this for our school that nurtures our students, our children – the awesome young people who colour our world .

Monica Kutt
Vice President

SCIENCE AT COOLUM SHS

On Tuesday 30 October, Ms Halahan and I had the pleasure of attending the Year 9 STEM Young Scholars program with approximately 30 of our top Science/Maths students.

The ‘Global Innovators Challenge’ module aims to:

• Encourage students to develop skills in the process of inquiry, literature research, experimental investigation and critical thinking
• Inspire and challenge students to extend their learning in science
• Facilitate collaborative learning
• Promote a critical and action-based approach to problem solving and design thinking
• Encourage a global citizenship approach with students, considering vital questions about global challenges
• Provide opportunities to gain advice and tips from ‘real’ experts in the field
• Promote collaboration between USC and Coolum State High School.

The concept of the Global Innovators Challenge was developed by Engineers without Borders, and has been adapted from a University level project to suit Year 9 Science students.

In the first part of the day, students took part in a series of STEM-based hands-on activities, including;

• How diseases are spread
• The Virtual Reality Lab – Wow
• Microcredit (See Kiva.org)
• The ‘Cave’ – 3D experience.

These activities relate directly to the issues faced by people in the developing community of Bambui, Cameroon (West Africa). The day culminated in a strategic planning session where students took on the roles of various STEM professionals, charged with the responsibility of coming up with solutions to Bambui’s issues using STEM. For further information related to this program click on the link:

Student Comments:

‘Great Day’, ‘Just wow’, ‘The Virtual reality lab was amazing’, ‘Can we have these (VR) at school’ (24 Million dollar’s worth of equipment).

Finally a big thanks to the students who were fully involved in all the activities for the entire day and to Mr McCabe for all of his hard work in organising the day, thanks.

Paul Olsen
Science Head of Department

Wind Symphony Academy News

As part of the recent "Big Band Bash" concert the brass students from Coolum State School, Peregian Springs State School and Coolum High School came together with brass consultant Mr Greg Aitken for intensive workshops. Mr Aitken worked on producing more sound from the instruments and the result was outstanding. Coolum has been very lucky to benefit from the professionalism and expertise that Greg has been able to provide this year and we look forward to continuing to develop brass music in our local community.

The "Big Band Bash" concert was a huge success with over 130 students performing in 5 different wind bands during the evening. It is encouraging to see our instrumental music students so well supported by the community and rewarding to hear the amazing growth in each group.

Sharelle Guest
Wind Symphony teacher

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

CURRENT APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINEESHIP VACANCIES

***FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE SPEAK TO A STAFF MEMBER AT THE VET OFFICE***

School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeship (SATs) Vacancies

Under a SAT arrangement, a senior school student is released from school time to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship in their chosen field. For further information, please speak to a staff member at the VET office.

Certificate 111 Business Administration, Diggerman, Coolum Beach
Certificate 11 Kitchen Operations/Chef, Barefoot Bar and Grill, Noosaville
Certificate 111 Hospitality, Coolum SHS Canteen, Coolum
Certificate 111 Hospitality (various roles), Aussie World, Sippy Downs
Café – Front of House (Customer service, taking orders, cleaning tables, coffees, cash handling)
Café – Back of House (Food prep, clean kitchen and equipment, work under pressure)
Wait and Bar Staff (will need RSA, prepare drinks, maintain bar, customer service, cash handling)

Full Time Apprenticeship Vacancies

These opportunities are not school based. They would suit those looking to leave school as a priority and transition into the workforce.

Certificate II Kitchen Operations

Held in the Coastal Cookery Trade Training Centre located at Maroochydore SHS and delivered in partnership with TAFE Queensland. Students attend one day a week and have the opportunity to participate in a range on and off-site functions. This certificate focuses on back-of-house skills in food preparation and cookery. For further information, please speak to a staff member at the VET office.

Certificate II Plumbing & Certificate I Construction

WynMET (RTO #0677) are excited to be offering a Certificate II in Plumbing and a Certificate 1 in Construction, funded by the Queensland Government under the VETiS (VET in Schools) initiative. This course offers graduates the opportunity to gain credit for competencies towards relevant Apprenticeships. Commitment is one day per week for approximately 30 week’s course duration (One school year).

This certificate will be offered at Maroochydore and Noosa locations. Pending interest levels, the school would consider a bus to support students to travel to and from the training facility. In addition, should we have a strong number of enrolments there is a possibility of having this course delivered at Coolum State High School. Please see the VET Office for an enrolment form or to ask any questions.

Year 12 Post-school options

The Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, North Coast Region has developed a simple resource that aims to assist school leavers by providing information on post-school pathway options.

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

International Students Program

This term there are a few special highlights for the International Student Program. Congratulations to the eight international students in Years 10-12, that received academic awards at the recent School Awards Night. Well done Esperanza (Chile), Louise (Germany), Leo (Luxembourg), Miriam (Austria), Camilla (Italy), Giulia (Italy – Year 11), Julius (Germany), and Giulia (Italy – Yr 12).

We are very excited to see Giulia De Luca (Italian student) graduating from Year 12 this year. Congratulations to Giulia for achieving very high academic results. We wish you all the best in your return to Italy and your career in the medical field.

The Fraser Island day excursion on the 2 November, was a fantastic opportunity for the students to experience a truly unique national treasure. The thirteen students were thrilled with the chance to swim in Lake MacKenzie, visit Central Station and complete a rainforest walk. They were even greeted upon arrival on the Island by a family of dingoes (viewed at a safe distance, of course!).

The ISP Program offers our students, families and community an opportunity for cultural exchange with students from other countries and developing global connections and friendships. Of course, we also have the privilege of showing off our wonderful part of the world.

Our Homestay families are really excited to host the international students and walk them through their journey of living the Australian way of life. For more information regarding the homestay experience, please contact Ms Terri Shine on 5471 5303 or 0418 185 809, or email tshin0@eq.edu.au

Sport News

The 2018 Junior and Senior Sports Men and Women were announced at the recent Coolum State High School Awards Night. The Health & Physical Education Department would like to acknowledge the efforts of these students and highlight their sporting achievements that gained them their respective crowns. To receive the Sportsperson of the Year Award, a points system is used to award students at each level of representation, including school, district, regional, state and national levels.

The Junior Secondary Sports Women Category looked to have a clear candidate early on in the year, as the year progressed a couple of challengers starting to make progress in the points tally. The top three candidates in this category were Kobi Higgins, Emily Gallagher and Charlee Lawson all of whom represented the Sunshine Coast Region at the State Championships in their chosen sports this year. When all the figures were added there was one athlete that stood out, not only for her performance as an athlete, but also as her performance and dedication in the field of refereeing. The Junior Secondary sports person of the year is Charlee Lawson.

Charlee represented the school and district in athletics as well as the school in the 1500m and 3000m events. Key achievements came for Charlee in the Cross Country events, where Charlee achieved age champion at both the district and regional carnivals in 2018. In addition to her on field feats, Charlee was also selected to referee at the Football State Championships for both 10-12 years and 13-16 years and was one of only two Queensland referees to be select to officiate the National Titles held in Sydney.

In the Junior Secondary Male Category there were two stand out performers. Taij Roberts (Yr 7) and Cian Mallon (Yr 9). It was an extremely close race with both boys representing, and chosen to represent the Sunshine Coast in 2 very different sports, a gallant effort from both boys! There could only be one winner, and the winner of the night was Cian Mallon.

Cian Mallon was selected to represent the Sunshine Coast Region in both 13-15 Australian Rules Football State Championships, where the team took out first place and the title of State Champions, and the Athletics State Championships competing in High Jump. Cian has also participated in Interschool sport, and is an integral member of the School Basketball Academy.

In the Senior Secondary Female category, Ellia Smith has had a stellar career but with Kara Petersen (Yr12) being selected in the National surfing team at the end of last (counting towards this year’s points) it was a close race!

Ellia has represented the school in swimming and Interschool Sport and both the school and the district in, cross country (placing second at the district carnival), athletics, and Surfing carnivals as well as being a member of the Surfing Academy. She was the school age champion for Athletics. Ellia was selected in the Sunshine Coast Regional Team to compete at the State Championships, and progressed through and will compete later in the year for Queensland at the Australian Championships.

The Senior Secondary Male category wasn’t quite as close of a race as last year with injury plaguing one of the favorites earlier in the year. The three front runners were Ezekiel Hawkins (Year 11), Reef O’Dwyer (Year 11) and Calder Shanks (Year 11) who all represented the Sunshine coast at State Carnivals this year. There could be only one winner and this year that title went to Ezekial (Eze) Hawkins.

Eze represented the school at the District Athletics Carnival. He was selected in the Regional Football (soccer) team where he competed at the state championships. From here Eze was selected into the Queensland Team where he captained and was named MVP of the squad. Due to his performance at the National Championships, Eze was also selected to tour as part of the National team in 2019 to the UK and Ireland.

We would like to congratulate each and every award recipient and every student that has participated in Sport this year. There are few activities that can emulate and prepare students for their future working lives but sport exposes our students to a lot of the skills necessary to make them vital members of any future team across a number of disciplines.

Industrial Technology and Design News

On Wednesday evening, Coolum SHS hosted a regional Professional Development (PD) for surrounding Design Technology teachers. The purpose of this PD was to create professional links with both state and private school teachers, discuss resources and units of work and develop new curriculum for students.

The participating teachers were very impressed with our newly refurbished maker space. We discussed the schools new 3D printer and the use of this resource has lifted the energy and the creativity of our students. As we worked through the agenda we discovered new and interesting ideas and concepts that help formed the basis for contextually relevant units of work for our students in year 9 and 10.

Such is the enthusiasm and passion that these teachers have towards our Design and Technology area that we have planned another PD for Wk 7 of this term.

Thanks to our HOD’s Glenn Blair and Claire Lewis for the refreshments and helping get our department ready hosting this educational PD.

General News

CLAW (Coolum Local Animal Warriors)

CLAW SPECIAL GUEST

Last Wednesday we were lucky enough to be joined at our weekly CLAW (Coolum Local Animal Warriors) meeting by Dan Purdie MP. Mr Purdie inducted the members into the group by presenting them with their official CLAW badges and hearing them recite the pledge. It was an honour to have Dan present, especially when he took the pledge and became our newest CLAW ambassador, promising to wear his badge with pride.

Raffle

CLAW (Coolum Local Animal Warriors) are running a raffle this term to support Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast in their quest to fit out an animal ambulance.

Our raffle ticket sellers have also been doing an exceptional job, with hundreds of dollars raised towards the Sunshine Coast Wildlife Rescue ambulance in just a few short weeks. With so many fantastic prizes up for grabs and for such a worthwhile cause, you would be crazy not to buy a ticket! See Jenni, Jen or Jennifer if you are interested, or the school’s administration office. The raffle will be drawn in Week 8 of this term. Thanks for your support!

Below is a list of the prizes on offer.

“CLAW volunteers hard at work - rescuing a baby magpie-lark (also known as a peewee) that had fallen from the nest in our Multi-Purpose building. The young bird is now on its way to be cared for by the amazing people at Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast.”

CLAW (Coolum Local Animal Warriors) are running a raffle this term to support Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast in their quest to fit out an animal ambulance.

Dates for your Diary