19 June 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents,

I can remember my Senior High School years like they were yesterday. In fact, they were the best years of my life.

I remember my friends, the good times and the unrepeatable events, like the Senior Formal. I also, believe it or not, remember the learning. I had some great teachers. My history teacher, in particular, really grabbed our imagination and could make something from the past seem so alive and vibrant.

I remember that I had no idea what I was going to do next year, let alone when I was a “grown up.” In this way, it’s good that things have changed. At Coolum High, we have put a lot of effort into helping guide our senior students. The ‘Hello World’ excursions to Universities, TAFE colleges and other venues are giving students insight into the possibilities that await them. I hope they’re dreaming about things!

To help this process, we have two excellent Guidance Officers – Liz Mortimer and Pamela Hulsman. I would strongly encourage all our students to make a time with one of these two amazing professionals and consider their future and make a plan. How exciting! I can’t think of anything more exciting than being a senior of 2019. The whole world awaits!

I would also urge students not to waste their immediate post-school years. These are prime time for setting up a life. Get qualified, travel a little, expand your horizons and meet new people. There’s a big, exciting world out there for our young people – let’s encourage them to go for it!

Troy Ascott
Principal

Deputy Principal – Senior Secondary Year 10

Excellence in everything we do

Thank you to all of the families who attended the Year 10 SET Planning information evening two weeks ago. Academic benchmark information has been published to all parents in Year 10 via email. Students will receive a copy in their CVP lessons on Wednesday 19 June. It is important to take the time to review Semester 1 academic achievement against the 2020 subject benchmarks for Year 10 students, reflect on current effort and routines to inform any required changes for Semester 2.

Students wishing to make a subject change for Semester 2 need to see Mr Sean Sweeney, Head of Department Senior Schooling, and complete a subject change form by 3pm Monday 22 July 2019.

At this stage of the year students should only consider a subject change if absolutely necessary. Students must consider the implications of a subject change, particularly around meeting subject benchmarks before SET plan interviews if the subject they are changing into is one they wish to study in 2020/21. Students are encouraged to have the conversation with Mr Sweeney before embarking on a change process.

Key Dates for your calendar:

• 2020 Subject Information books for Year 10 students published in Week 10, Term 2
• Subject Expo, Wednesday 7 August, 3:30 onwards in the school Hall (Information for all students selecting subjects for 2020 with a focus on the senior phase of learning).
• August 14-15 SET Planning Interviews, Brahminy Kite Room

As previously published some key information for Year 10 parents around SET planning and pathways is included below for your reference.

What is a QCE?

Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) remains as Queensland’s Senior Secondary qualification. QCE requirements include:

Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) is a rank order from 99.95-0.00 that will determine higher education offers for students seeking placement in a University course.

ATAR replaces the Overall Position (OP) system from 2020.

Senior Education Training (SET) Planning is a process that supports students in choosing subjects towards a program of learning in the senior phase of education. On 14-15 August 2019, students are required to attend an interview, with a parent, to select subjects for 2020.

Prior to this interview, students will be required to complete the SET Planning and Career module on One School and have filtered subject choice through the list subject benchmarks to ensure appropriate choices agreed to in the interview.

It is important for students and parents to be aware that academic results are reviewed consistently throughout Year 10. At the end of 2019 all Year 10 student results will be reviewed and ratified against the student’s SET plan to ensure pre-requisites have been met and, if required, relevant changes are made prior to commencement of the 2020 academic year.

Fees Information: 2020

Prior to your child’s SET plan interview:

• 2019 Student Resource fees need to be paid in full ($300.00)

At the SET plan interview:

• We require a 50% deposit for all fee paying elective and certificate subjects paid on the day of the SET plan interview
• If the deposit is not paid at the time of your interview your child will not be enrolled into the subject for 2020
• The remaining 25% of additional fees due Term 3 Week 7 with final payment due Term 3 Week 9, this includes payment plans
• 2020 Student resource fee to be paid in full (Week 6 Term 4 2019)
• Payment Plans (BPoint and Centrepay) 50% deposit is required at the SET plan appointment with the remainder of the payment will be due through your payment plan and paid in full by Term 3 Week 9
• Payment Options available on the day are Cash, Eftpos and Credit Card
• Deposits will be refunded if the student does not commence the certificate course or elective subject in 2020

If you have any questions regarding fees, please contact Business Manager Nolly Griffiths on 5471 5333.

Emma Clarke
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary Year 10

Deputy Principal - Senior Secondary

Senior Block Exams

This week our Year 12 cohort have been completing assessment and exams in an external block exam period. Year 12 students have been given an exam timetable and students are only required to attend school when they have their allocated exam. The master exam timetable has been placed in student services building so that students can refer to it.

Attendance

It is extremely important that all senior students attend school right up to the last day of term to ensure they have completed all of the required assessment tasks for their subjects. Year 11 students have started new units of work and teachers will be teaching this new work right up to the end of Week 10. If a student is sick on the day of an exam they must follow the assessment policy and notify the school of the absence and provide a medical certificate on their return to school. A suitable time to complete the assessment piece will be negotiated with the student.

QCS practice test

On Monday and Tuesday Week 10 the Year 12 OP students will complete their last Queensland core skills practice test (QCS) in preparation for the real test in Term 3. The QCS test is used in the calculation of their overall position (OP). Students and staff have been working extremely hard in preparation for the QCS test and from our early practice marks expect our best ever QCS results.

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 a range of challenges. For us, the challenge is ensuring they get all the required resources they need to learn, to succeed, and 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 and end of year Graduation with cap and gown.

Year 10 SET Planning

On August 14 & 15 the Year 10 SET Planning process will take place for subject selection. Please note that we will require a 50% payment on the day of the subject fee selection and without this 50% payment, your child will not be enrolled into the subject. You will also be required to have paid IN FULL the 2019 SRS fee of $300 before we will accept enrolment into that subject.

The remaining 25% due in Term 3, Week 7 and the final 25% is due Term 3, Week 9 of 2019. If you have not made full payment by this time, your child will be moved out of that subject and enrolled into a non-fee paying subject. We will take 50% payment at the time of subject selection sign-off so that your child does not miss out on their chosen pathway.

Please note that the 2020 SRS fee of $300 is due by Week 6, Term 4 2019. If we do not receive the 2020 SRS fee by this date, your child will not be enrolled in the subject and a non-fee paying subject will be their option.

Nolly Griffiths
Business Manager

Year 12 News

The class of 2019 have had an excellent start to their final year of schooling. With an attendance level consistently close to 95% they have demonstrated care, respect, and excellence in all levels of their schooling. The students have been involved in exam week and are handling the pressures with their usual class.

This semester will culminate in the annual Midwinter’s Ball at Ramada Surf Air. This is a lovely, coming of age occasion enriched with suits, ball gowns, hairdos, flash cars, and all things glamourous. As a school, we are very proud to host this auspicious event. It’s our way of telling the students we are cheering for them, and as teachers, it gives us no greater pleasure than to see the students transform from children into responsible adults. In my role as HOY, I am reminded every day of the care the teachers have for your children and we look forward to joining with you as parents to celebrate them.

Jeanette Samson
Head of Year 12

Senior Debating

Our Senior Debating team held a practice debate preparation day at school on Wednesday 5th June. Three members of our Senior Debating team (Callum White, Tyler Mohr and Sarina Petersen), practised preparing for the topic “That transgender athletes should be able to compete in their new gender”. The team also engaged in some rigorous discussion about this contemporary issue, to form their own views on the topic.

Round 1 of the Sunshine Coast Schools Debating Tournament takes place on Wednesday, 24th July, so our teams are focusing hard on updating their knowledge of current affairs in preparation.

Tutorials – Term 2

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.

Industry Reference Group (IRG) Success

On Wednesday 12 June, we hosted our Term 2 Industry Reference Group dinner in collaboration with Coolum Business and Tourism. Our IRG aims to create mutually beneficial partnerships between the school, local businesses and other community organisations.

A big thank you to our hospitality department and the staff and students who played a huge role in providing the catering for this event.

Through our partnerships, we are able to continually improve the programs and opportunities provided at Coolum High. Thank you to Rivers First Aid who have recently donated a range of medical supplies to assist our health courses as we continue to expand subjects in this area and provide students with industry standard training experiences.

Year 12 Hospitality students: Megan Prinsloo, Bree James, Amy Kemp

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

Year 10 Work Trade Taster Program Term 3 in-take

Due to the overwhelming success of the first Trade Taster Program with TAFE, a further in-take will be offered for Term 3. Across a 9-week fee free program, students will have the opportunity to see if a trade is the right option for them or test out a potential career path that they are considering following in the future. Electrical, Engineering, Furniture Making and Plumbing are featured in the program.

Please note: This program is subsidised by the Queensland Government and is offered at no cost. This program is only available to Year 10 students, enrolled in a Queensland high school or enrolled with a registered home schooling provider. This program does not exhaust a student’s VETiS funding entitlement.

How to apply

Applications for the Term 3, 2019 in-take will be open from 9am Thursday 20th June. To apply:

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 TQEC19TT3

Students will then be taken to an application form taking approximately 10 minutes to fill in.

Students will require their USI at time of application. To apply for a USI, students need to go to the link below.

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 in a first come, first served basis, based on the time that the student’s application was submitted.

TAFE at School Courses – Semester 2, 2019 Mid-Year intake (Years 10 and 11).

TAFE are offering a select number of programs across our TAFE campuses for a midyear intake. Please note due to the courses extending into 2020 or beyond the QCE crediting deadline, these are unsuitable for current Year 12s.

Courses now open for applications through the link below. Please use code 'TQEC1902' to access the application form.

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.

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 at the link below.

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

If someone asked you to explain your career plans for the next 1, 3 or even 5 years what would you say? Would you feel overwhelmed by this? This is how some senior school students are feeling as they navigate the journey from school into work or further study.

According to USC education researcher and writer, Dr Shelley Davidow, students are feeling pressured to have a clear plan of their future and hence are leaving school in states of high anxiety.

Dr Davidow says this anxiety can impair academic performance and affect decision-making ability at a critical time in young people’s lives and so is calling on parents, teachers and students to release the pressure value.

What’s the impact?

“Everyone is suffering from what I call ‘finish line syndrome’, whether it’s getting through Year 12 or getting into the program of choice,” said Dr Davidow, who has extensively studied stress and resilience in the classroom.

“We are expecting students to know what they want to do with their lives and there’s this terror of putting your foot wrong, like you must know what you will do at 18 or else you will waste time and money.”

She said it’s pressure like this that is seeing students enter university in states of high anxiety which is, consequently affecting their ability to learn well.

A 2017 study by Mission Australia found one in four Australian teenagers met the criteria for having a serious mental illness, and it was affecting students as young as 10 years old.

“A good percentage of mental health patients are young people with anxiety and it’s induced by enormous expectations they feel they can’t meet and a feeling that they should never fail, a narrative that is being fed by teachers, parents, peers and the media,” Dr Davidow said.

“The thing about being in fight-or-flight mode is you can’t think because your cognition is impaired. During a stress response, blood flows away from your brain toward your limbs, and your body is primed for flight or flight, to escape danger.”

“There’s a cascade of physiological effects as stress hormones flood your system that are designed for short term escape from danger; when this state of being becomes chronic, it impedes healthy cognitive function and affects your overall health in a detrimental way. If you’re in this state when you’re facing an exam or an assessment, you’re going to be worse off.”

How can parents help?

Dr Davidow said teachers and parents should allow school-leavers the space they need to make good decisions in time.

“We need to change the messages we are giving to the next generation,” she said.

“The reality is that young people today will have on average seven careers in their lifetime and have jobs that don’t exist yet so the whole idea of having to decide what you are going to be for the rest of your life when you’re seventeen is a myth. If you come out of school not knowing what you want to do, that is fine.”

“Even if you follow a path after school and down the track you change your mind, that’s okay, too. That’s how the world works now. Very often, you can’t know if you like something until you try it.

“The important thing is that wellbeing comes first — Academic performance will follow. We need to be the opposite of chronically stressed if we want optimum performance in anything. Relaxation, deep breathing, mindfulness all have a significant, measurable impact on our bodies and our capacity to function well.”

Dr Davidow is an international author and educator who has written numerous books including Raising Stress-Proof Kids, Playing with Words and Fail Brilliantly.

Tafe Queensland News

TAFE Queensland East Coast’s Year 10 Trade Taster Program

Applications opening Thursday 20th June at 09:00am

The Year 10 Trade Taster Program allows eligible high school 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.

Please note: This program is subsidised by the Queensland Government and is offered at no cost. This program is only available to Year 10 students, enrolled in a Queensland high school or enrolled with a registered home schooling provider. This program does not exhaust a student’s VETiS funding entitlement.

How to apply

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 TQEC19TT3

Students will then be taken to an application form taking approximately 10 minutes to fill in.

Students will require their USI at time of application. To apply for a USI, students need to go to the link below.

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 in a first come, first served basis, based on the time that the student’s application was submitted.

What happens next?

Once a student submits an application, an email will be sent to the student and parent’s email from TAFE Queensland East Coast , outlining the Trade Taster groups that are available for selection .

Students will be asked to respond to that email, indicating their attendance day preferences. While we will do our best to allocate a student to their preferred attendance day this may not always be possible.

Once places fill we will keep a waitlist; waitlisted candidates will be informed of their status.

How does it work?

The Year 10 Trade Taster Program delivers training to small groups of up to 14 students, one day per week for up to nine weeks. Throughout the program, students get to try at least three different trade areas as well as having the opportunity to complete their Construction Industry Safety White Card.

Students will complete individual competencies from various programs but will not complete a full certificate or obtain any QCE credits.

Please note: This program is subsidised by the Queensland Government and is offered at no cost. This program is only available to Year 10 students, enrolled in a Queensland high school or enrolled with a registered home schooling provider. This program does not exhaust a student’s VETiS funding entitlement.

Students who missed out last time

Students who missed out last time will be contacted by email to inform them of a new intake. They will however need to reapply through the link below using the instructions in this email.

Additionally any students who have recently submitted an expression of interest will also be contacted.

Locations

TAFE Queensland Bundaberg Campus
TAFE Queensland Hervey Bay Campus
TAFE Queensland Nambour Campus

When is the program running?

Bundaberg Campus

Hervey Bay Campus

Nambour Campus (NOTE: program extends across Terms 3 and 4)

What sort of trades are on offer?

Each group will be a set mix of three or four trades. Students will not be able to pick and choose their trades, but will undertake all trades that are in their assigned group. Full details of the available groups, and the trades within them, will be forwarded to students upon receipt of their application.

Here is an example of what the groups may look like. This is an example only:

A mix of the below trades will be offered at each location :

Electrical, Engineering, Carpentry, Plumbing, Construction

If you have any questions regarding the Year 10 Trade Taster Program, please contact the TAFE at School Team at TAFE Queensland East Coast on 07 5457 1169 or email schools.eastcoast@tafe.qld.edu.au

General News

The Department of Transport and Main Roads are continuing with the free workshops for Supervisors of Learner Drivers in 2019.

I'm sending this email and asking support to promote and advertise the workshops – they are aimed at providing handy tips and information to mums and dads teaching learners to drive.

TMR really appreciates the support from the school community with the advertising of the previous workshops – just over 40% of all participants noted that they found out about the workshop from their local high school, so thank you!

Our next workshop will be held at Maroochydore on Thursday 20 June and we are seeking the support of high schools in the catchment area to promote the workshop. I've attached a copy of the flyer for your use or please use the wording below in the media item.

We would appreciate the continued support from your school to advertise the workshop, please find the details below for your information and attached is an electronic copy of the flyer for your use. To help with our evaluation process it would be terrific if you could let me know if the workshop is promoted in your school.

Warm regards, and thank you in advance of putting the flyer in to your school Newsletter 

Media item:

Are you teaching someone how to drive? Want some advice on how best to prepare your learner and keep them safe on the road?

If you’re interested in learning the important first steps in how to teach your learner driver and ensure they are safe and proficient drivers, book into the next workshop (details provided below) or contact Helenea for more information on 0417 733 906.

Planning for Success: Workshop details (bookings are essential)

Date: Thursday 20 June 2019
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Location: Maroochydore area – venue and address details provided at time of booking
Bookings: To book, contact Helenea from the Road Safety team on 0417 733 906

Dates for your Diary