28 March 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents,

Over the past few weeks Mr Merrett and I have been conducting an interview process with each of our Year 12s in regards to, amongst other things, their ambitions for the future. We asked some pertinent questions about their hopes for life post-school and whether or how the plan they have in place at the moment is going to help get them there. Whether their future was locked down tight or they had some options down divergent paths, one thing became abundantly clear as the interviews wore on: we have a fantastic group of young adults here at Coolum High!

This is a great bunch of kids with incredibly bright futures. They care about their community and want to participate in it, they are enrolled in a fantastic school and are surrounded by supportive and dedicated staff. They are ready to embrace that bright future and as teachers, parents and community members, we need to be ready to support them in doing so.

In many subject areas, assessment items are due and for some of our Seniors, the jump up into the next level of their schooling especially in Term 1 can be daunting, if not downright overwhelming. I would at this time ask that parents and students remain focussed on their plan and that end of year goal, remembering that the completion of each assessment to the very best of their abilities brings them one step closer to success and that post-school ambition.

I’m reminded of that brilliant quote of Muhammad Ali’s, the greatest boxer the world has ever seen, who seemed to dance into the ring with unbridled natural talent and strength. He said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life champion.” Whilst I would hope that our Seniors don’t see being at school as really ‘suffering’, I would hope that they can see the long term pay off for hard work now!

Troy Ascott
Principal

Deputy Principal – Senior Secondary Year 10

Excellence in everything we do

Further to my recent newsletter article, Mr Patrick Walden has been in contact with TAFE Queensland around the Year 10 Trade Taster Program. This program allows eligible Year 10 students to try out a trade without needing to commit to a full qualification or apprenticeship. Students get to see if a trade is the right option for them, or test out a potential career path that they’re considering following in the future. Electrical, Engineering, Furniture Making, Plumbing will be featured in the program.

Applications for this program opened on Tuesday 26 March. The program will run in Term 2 for 9 weeks on either a Tuesday or Friday at Nambour TAFE depending on the group they are assigned.

This program is subsidised by the Queensland Government and is offered at no cost. This program does not exhaust a student’s VETiS funding entitlement.

To submit an application for the Year 10 Trade Taster Program, students will need to go to the link below and enter the application code of TQEC19TT2 from 26 March.

Students will then be required to complete and submit an online application form.

Students will require their USI number at time of application. If your student does not yet have a USI, they will need to go to the link below and apply for one.

Students will also be required to provide contact details including:

• Email address (student and parent)
• Mobile phone number (student and parent)
• Postal Address

Please note: We are expecting a high level of interest in this program and a large number of applications. Applications will be dealt with based on when they are received.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Patrick Walden (Head of Department – Vocational Studies) pwald9@eq.edu.au or 5471 5321.

Emma Clarke
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary Year 10

Deputy Principal - Senior Secondary

With the end of term rapidly approaching, it is important that students attend school each and every day as there is still significant learning experiences and events for senior students’ right up to and including the last day of term. With the substantial changes to Year 11 curriculum this year, teachers will maximising their time and will be teaching new content up to the last day of term. Our Year 12 OP students will complete the QCS practice test Monday and Tuesday and hello world excursion on Thursday.

The senior schooling team has been developing a long term plan for ATAR eligible students that are currently completing the CVP course on Wednesday mornings. This course is extremely important to safe guarding students Queensland Certificate of Education QCE. Those students that have demonstrated success in Unit 1 across all of their studies will be moved into an ATAR preparation course mid-year to focus on cognitive skills and the skills associated with the new syllabuses.

Report cards are currently going through a checking process and will be emailed home on the last day of term. If you wish to receive a hard copy of the report you can contact the office or for those on Q parents simply print the report card from there. Parent teacher interviews will be occurring Wednesday 8 May from 3:30pm to 6:30pm in the smart futures building with more detailed information being sent to parents in the coming days.

Finally we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Easter break.

Lee Merrett
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary Year 11 & 12

Business Services News

This is such an important time in your child’s schooling life. The senior years of high school come with it a range of challenges. For us, the challenge is ensuring they get all the required resources they need to learn, to succeed, to graduate! A lot of these resources are needed for certificate courses and fee paying subjects. We can’t provide the resources they need without the payment of fees for Student Resource Scheme and subject fees. NOW is the time to finalise all your fees, especially the Year 12 students as this will have an impact on their ability to participate in special events such as the Mid Winter’s Ball.

If you missed my article in the general newsletter last fortnight about my ‘bees and honey’ metaphor, I have printed it again below. It was very encouraging to receive many positive comments from parents about this metaphor. It’s great to see the Coolum High community is supportive of what we are trying to achieve at this school. Thank you!

Bees and Honey

Bear with me as I talk in metaphors! Bees need honey to thrive and prosper. The Honey provides the necessary energy through its vitamins and sugars and without this, bees cannot be effective. Bees are very proactive and so they need a lot of honey to help sustain their energy and be efficient.

I would now like to talk about our Student Resource Scheme (SRS) in terms of honey and bees. It’s different, I know, but I’d ask you to stay with me.

Our SRS fee is like honey. Our students are the bees. To make our bees efficient, they need the honey in the form of text books, resources, pens, markers, worksheets, photocopying and so much more. The bees need this honey to have energy to learn, develop and succeed at school. Without the honey, the bees aren’t as effective at their primary goal - learning. They need the flow of honey to perform at their best. There are schools that have plenty of honey and with it they can do a lot for their bees. With more honey, there is a greater ability for the bees to have the required resources to succeed.

Why is SRS so important, what does it matter?

So using the metaphor of honey to bees, that is why the Student Resource Scheme is so important to our students. We can purchase teaching and learning resources for our students to use so they can thrive. With your support of the scheme and payment of the SRS fee, it means we can do what we need to for your child.

This is why I am so committed about asking you to support the scheme. If we want our students to have a more level playing field in education, then supporting and paying the $300 per year fee is a sure way of getting there.

Please return your SRS form and tick YES to the scheme. It means the world to our students and our school community.

Nolly Griffiths
Business Manager

Senior School News

Getting your head around ATAR

Students graduating Year 12 in 2020 will be the first in Queensland to exit under the new QCE system and those eligible will be the first to receive an ATAR instead of an OP. For parents, what does all of this mean?

The ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) is an Australia-wide scaling to assist with the placement of Year 12 students into university courses they apply for, based on merit. Those with the best ATAR get the first offers to the courses they apply for. Some courses are popular and therefore competition for entry must be based on rewarding the students with the best ATAR. One of the reasons Queensland has adopted the ATAR system is to bring it into line with other states. From 2020, all Australian states will use the ATAR ranking system meaning that it will be easier for students to apply for course in other states.

The ATAR is a number between 0.00 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05. A student with an ATAR of 99.95 is effectively ranked in the top 0.05 percent of students in the state. Keep in mind that university courses may not require ranks this high for entry and students on lower ranks will still have the opportunity to apply for and recieve offers to many university courses. It is also worth considering that there are alternative pathways to university, either directly from school or through applications later in life. University is an option that almost all students have access to throughout their lives if they choose it. While the ATAR entry direct from school is usually the simplest and most certain, it is not the only way for students to get to university.

Students and parents should not focus too much on aiming for a particular ATAR because there are many factors that are beyond their control. The focus instead should be on the student gaining the skills required in the subject and achieving as highly as possible in their assessment tasks. These are the things that the student can directly control. The ATAR they recieve will be the ATAR they deserve, based on their performance in their subjects

Tutorials

Tutorials – Homework Club

Tutorials – Term 1

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

At Coolum High, we are committed to every student transitioning into further education, training or employment. Our vocational programs play a huge role in making this achievable and offer a range of pathways that see every student succeeding.

Recently, one of our Year 12 Students Lorinna has been nominated in the school-based traineeship category of the 2019 Queensland Training Awards. The awards recognise individuals who strive for and have achieved success, best practice and innovation in vocational education and training (VET). Good Luck Lorinna!

Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways - Year 10 and 11

This year, all students in Year 10 and 11 are undertaking a Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways. This course is designed to provide opportunities for the development of key employability skills. Students are currently engaged in professional resume and cover letter writing to prepare for a Mock Interview with an external industry representative in Week 3 Term 2 (Wednesday 8 May).

If you have relevant industry experience and would like to volunteer to conduct some mock interviews with our Year 10 and 11 students on 8 May, please contact me to register your interest and obtain further information.

Hello World Excursion – Sunshine Coast TAFE Campuses

Next Thursday 4 April, our Year 11 students who are not completing an ATAR pathway will visit both Nambour and Mooloolaba TAFE campuses to discover first-hand the range of courses and post-school options available to them as part of our “Hello World” experience days. Please ensure that permission forms are returned as soon as possible.

Year 10 Work Experience Placement Update

Year 10 students will be participating in a compulsory work experience placement in Term 2 from Monday 13 – Friday 17 May (Week 4). Students are required to approach employers to secure their own placement. It is vital that completed Work Experience Agreements are returned to the school as soon as possible for processing.

Year 10 TAFE Trade Taster Program

As per earlier communication to the Year 10 cohort, applications for the TAFE Trade Taster Program for Year 10 students to participate in a new-format “Trade Taster” program. Students get the opportunity to see if a trade is the right option for them or test out a potential career path that they’re considering following in the future. Electrical, Engineering, Furniture Making and Plumbing will be featured in the program.

Applications for this program opened on Tuesday 26 March at 9.00am. The program will run in Term 2 for 9 weeks on either a Tuesday or Friday at Nambour TAFE depending on the group they are assigned.

To submit an application for the Year 10 Trade Taster Program, students will need to go to the link below and enter the application code of TQEC19TT2

Defence Force Work Experience Program

Defence is committed to providing a national work experience program designed to:

• demonstrate the wide variety of interesting careers available within Defence;
• ease the transition of students into the workplace; and
• contribute to the development of the skills of young people.
• Please Note: The Defence Work Experience Program offers unpaid work experience for students residing in Australia.

See the exciting work experience placements that are on offer.

Full details can be found online via the link below:

Griffith University Research Project – Year 10, 11 and 12

Griffith University are seeking your views on what influences student decisions about undertaking studies in Vocational Education and Training (VET) when they leave school. Coolum State High School is a partner in this research project.

As such, all Year 10, 11 and 12 students, regardless of their pathway have been invited to participate in a short survey to support this research project in Term 2.

Parent consent is required for participation. All students have been given a form which they are required to return to the school as soon as possible. By participating, students have the chance to win one of four $25 gift cards!

A copy of the form and further information can be downloaded below.

Importantly, the findings from the project should lead to better choices and outcomes for students in their post-school transitions.

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 in DBA.

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.

By completing a Vocational Pathways Expression of Interest (EOI) form students will be registered to receive further information and support.

Please contact me on pwald9@eq.edu.au or 5471 5321 to discuss matters relating to Vocational Education and Training at Coolum State High School.

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

University of the Sunshine Coast News

IS YOUR CHILD NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT?

When your child is thinking about university, it's natural to have questions about their plans. But research has shown that a growing number of students are leaving school feeling unsure or overwhelmed.

Deciding what to do after you finish school is a big decision, and it’s natural for young people to be stressed – especially if they keep getting asked the same questions over and over, like “What are you doing next year?” You may have recently seen some of USC’s ads on TV or online that put a humorous spin on this very question, showing that both parents and students can often feel overwhelmed with making plans for the year ahead.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to stop asking and start helping your child find answers. If your child is worried about university or is not sure what to study, you can encourage them to jump online and talk with a USC student who understands through our ‘Talk with USC’ chat.

USC’s live chat connects your child with real university students who’ve been in their shoes and can help them think about their future plans.

Your child can chat or find out more at the link below:

Dates for your Diary