1 September 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

There are so many reasons that, every day, I am grateful to be living in this amazing community. From the spectacular beaches, to the many family-owned local businesses who work tirelessly for the community, and the brilliant coffee shops. We are incredibly fortunate and this is brought home even more so when watching horrendous situations playing out across the world. Even with a snap COVID lockdown thrown in, we cannot forget how incredibly lucky to be living in this paradise.

As things return to normal after the coronavirus layoff, it has been wonderful to see students returning to school looking amazing in their uniforms; the sounds of the regular school day returning, Teachers have missed their students and are delighted to have them back. The world of school is slowly but surely getting back to what we all know.

With this in mind, I thank all of our parents and students who pulled together with their teachers, and the school as a whole, during lockdown.

As has been communicated recently, planning is underway for our 37th annual Celebration of Excellence on Wednesday 15 September and with this planning, it come to light the amazing achievements of so many of our students. Our Year 7 students have outdone themselves with a massive 59 students achieving a Gold Award. Not to be outdone, Year 8 students have absolutely excelled with 71 students achieving Gold, Year 9 – 51, Year 10 – 36, and 32 Year 11 students have achieved Gold. Our Year 12 students have done themselves proud with an extraordinary 44 students achieving a Gold Award in their final year of high school. I could not prouder of all of our students who strive to do their personal best, our teachers who work tirelessly, and our parent community who support their children in every way possible.

With only three weeks left of Term 3, and as school gets back to normal, it has reminded me of the value of school and, within that, the value of attendance at school. I can’t say how much education means to me, nor how much value I place, personally, on attendance at school. I know from watching what happens, year in and year out, that there can be no doubt that the students who attend school the most are invariably the ones who achieve to their highest potential. They are also more likely to become involved in the richness of school life, in things like music, sport, drama and the other clubs and societies that make school life fun and enjoyable.

Let’s set our sights not on good school attendance, but on great school attendance. Let’s aim to set the benchmark on school attendance so that our students, Coolum State High students, have the best possible chance of success.

Troy Ascott
Principal

Deputy Principal - Junior Secondary Year 7

Homework Centre

Coolum State High School will be one of 120 state school sites to commence a Homework Centre in Week 2 of Term 4. Covid restrictions prevented us from launching earlier this term.

This is a Palaszczuk Government initiative and a great support opportunity for busy families. Our Homework Centre will run in conjunction, but separate, to our very successful tutorial program that has been operational in our school for many years. Our regular tutorial program and the Homework Centre will both utilise different areas of our library. They will both be facilitated on Wednesdays (Weeks 2 to 8) from 3.00pm to 4.00pm.

Students in the Homework Centre will be supervised in small groups whilst they complete homework activities and assignments. The Homework Centre is capped at 48 students who can register and attend. There are still a number of places available. Please complete the registration form via the following link - Homework Centre Registration Form.

Places will be allocated on a first in basis. Please return the completed registration form no later than 3.00pm on Wednesday 8 September 2021 by emailing HomeworkCentre@coolumshs.eq.edu.au.

How will the Homework Centre run differently to our tutorial program?

• The tutorial program assists students with their current learning. Our staff volunteer their time to support students' learning and answer questions in relation to the curriculum area of need.
• The Homework Centre will allow students to be supervised by other staff members whilst they complete any independent homework or assignment.

Healthy food and snacks will be provided to all students who attend the Homework Centre or the tutorial program.

If you have any queries about the registration form or the Homework Centre operations, please contact Deputy Principal, Anthony Swan, by emailing HomeworkCentre@coolumshs.eq.edu.au

Vaping Issues

Vaping is a major issue for teenagers in all communities and is recognised as a major concern in many countries. Colum SHS has a very firm stance regarding vaping and though we are successfully messaging the students about the risks and concerns. This is an issue that needs to be discussed at home. I have listed some information below that may be of assistance when having this conversation at home. The information is provided from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia.

It’s never too late to start talking with your teen about the risks of vaping. As teens age, they make more decisions on their own and face greater temptation and peer pressure. Though it may not seem like it, teens really do hear your concerns. It’s important you help them understand what e-cigarettes and other vaping products are, and why they shouldn’t use them.

Teens and young adults vape for many reasons, including peer pressure and wanting to fit in with friends. They may also be curious about all the different flavoured vaping liquids available to them. Companies that produce vaping liquids create appealing flavours, such as apple pie or vanilla, to attract teens and get them hooked on their product. Vaping is also much more discreet than smoking traditional cigarettes. Vapes and e-cigarettes are small and can be easily mistaken for a USB drive, allowing teens and young adults to use them more unnoticeably, even at home.

There is a common misconception that vaping is completely harmless. The truth is, vaping is not safe, especially for teens and young adults. Research shows that 66 percent of teens think their vaping instrument only contains flavoured liquid. What many don’t understand is that these liquids may also contain toxic substances such as formaldehyde, diacetyl, and acrolein. Inhaling these chemicals can significantly harm their lungs. Many vaping liquids also contain nicotine, which can be very addictive for teens and young adults, and can seriously impact their brain development. Exposure to nicotine at a young age can make it easier for teens to get hooked on vaping and using other tobacco products. Research has also discovered that individuals who vape are more likely to go on to use marijuana or smoke traditional cigarettes compared to their non [1] vaping peers.

Recognizing signs of vaping can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for. One of the most telling signs that your teen may be vaping is the presence of vaping equipment among his or her belongings. Vaping equipment includes e-cigarettes, flavoured liquid bottles, and small pods or cartridges that can contain THC oil. It’s important to know that e-cigarettes come in many different shapes and sizes, and may not resemble a tobacco product. Many often resemble a pen or flash drive that can be plugged into a laptop to charge. Other signs include, but are not limited to:

• A faint scent of flavouring in your house that you can’t locate or identify;
• An increase in your teen’s thirst level;
• A rise in the number and frequency of nosebleeds your teen experiences.

Most of the websites and online resources that are available on the topic of e-cigarettes and vaping provide some basic information for parents. There are also many online articles, opinion pieces and blogs that examine the issue. Detailed below is a number that may be beneficial.

Get Your Head Out Of The Cloud

A campaign from the American Lung Foundation that aims to educate parents about the prevalence of teen vaping and equip them to talk to their kids about it. One of the best features of this site is the Conversation Guide. This provides some really useful tips and suggestions that may assist parents in having a conversation around vaping.

Talking About Vaping With Young People: This is one of the few Australian fact sheets available and has been written by the ADF. It’s just a simple one-pager about how best to have a conversation around vaping (or any drug for that matter) and it also provides a link to some basic information on vaping products.

Talking With Your Teen About Vaping: A downloadable fact sheet from Health Canada that provides basic information about vaping for parents, emphasising that before you talk to your teen you should know the facts.

E-cigarettes and Youth: What Parents Need to Know: A really basic information sheet for parents on vaping developed by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Talking With Your Teen About Vaping: Keeping Your Kids Safe: A simple two-pager that provides some basic information about vaping and then suggestions on how to talk to your teens about the issue.

How To Talk To Your Kids About Vaping: A simple and useful fact sheet from the American Lung Foundation that provides some basic information and then useful conversation starters for parents when dealing with vaping.

Anthony Swan
Deputy Principal Junior Secondary

Deputy Principal - Junior Secondary Years 8 & 9

Our students in Years 7-9 regularly engage in an activity in English that we refer to as Writing on Demand as part of our strategy to improve writing.

This has involved giving students a stimulus on which to write response in either a persuasive or a narrative genre. Each fortnight, I have the privilege, along with our administration team, of reading samples of the writing produced. The standard of the writing is outstanding!

Through this regular approach to engaging students in writing, not only have students been writing more, the cohesion and use of vocabulary is significantly improving. This is great work to celebrate from our students and teachers.

Nicola Worthington
Deputy Principal Junior Secondary

Deputy Principal – Senior Secondary Years 10 & 11

Attendance

We continue to chase improvement at Coolum State High School and one unrelenting area of focus is student attendance. Attendance at school keeps students up to date with their learning and assessment requirements, builds relationships with teachers, and gives students regular and supportive contact with their peers.

As the successful transition into a positive career is one of the goals of a secondary education, it is absolutely necessary that students attend school each and every day.

Positive attendance and academic results can set students up for great success in the senior years. As the schoolwork becomes more difficult, coming to school every day is vital to ensure students have the best chances of success.

I encourage any parents of Year 10 or 11 students to contact myself as Deputy Principal, the Heads of Year 10 and 11 (Linda Pilkington and Patti Williams), or our Guidance Officers if your child is having any issues in relation to their attendance at school every day.

Year 11, 2022

I would like to thank all families for their attendance and engagement in the recent Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan meetings. During these days, we managed to have more than 220 interviews with families to discuss the future pathways of their children as they approach Year 11.

I am confident that our current Year 10 students are well placed to be successful in the senior school and continue the growing tradition of academic and vocational excellence at Coolum High.

Senior Leaders

It has been great to see a number of Year 11 students stepping forward and striving to be school leaders in 2022.

I would like to thank Miss Williams (Head of Year 11) for her dedicated work in preparing these students for this process.

I wish every candidate the very best in this process and am excited to see them announced to the school community at our annual Celebration of Excellence evening.

Terry Proctor
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary

Deputy Principal – Senior Secondary Year 12

It’s go time

Our Year 12 students have been feeling the intensity of school life recently with the unfortunate timing of a lock down and the completion of their third internal assessment task, along with keeping up to date with their certificate courses and Applied subject course work. Students, and parents, should be very pleased with the results that have been reported.

Your child is able to view their projected QCE credits and their academic results in the ‘My QCE’ site. QCE credits are only awarded to students when they have satisfactorily met the course requirements. Students have activated their accounts and are able to view this information. It is important that students use a personal email address, not their school EQ email, otherwise they will not be able to access and print their Queensland Certificate of Education or access their final results after their final day of schooling.

We understand that this time in your child’s life can be both exciting and daunting as they are about to venture into their next chapter of life. Please talk with your child about balancing the demands of school, study and work with some physical activity and ways to take ‘time out’. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Head of Year (Lee Francey), Head of Department Senior School (Sean Sweeney), your child’s teachers, the Year 12 Guidance Officer (Liz Mortimer), or myself.

QTAC interviews and ‘Next Steps’ interviews

Our very experienced Guidance Officers, Liz Mortimer and Pamela Hulsman have been meeting with Year 12 students over the course of the past few weeks, conducting the ‘Next Steps’ interview to set up post-school pathways for all Year 12 students. Some students may have their pathway decided in one interview, but others may have multiple in order to establish where to once finishing school. Your child’s destination is very important to us and we aim to support students every step of the way. If you have questions about university courses, early entry courses, or other pathway related questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Guidance Officers who will be able to assist you.

Mock Exam Block

All Year 12 students will receive an exam schedule early Week 7 which outlines dates and times for the next exam block.

Students are expected to attend their scheduled exams, as well as any other subjects identified on their individualised timetable. For example, students will be emailed if they are expected to attend catch up sessions for Applied or Certificate subjects. The results from these mock exams will be used in the calculation to acknowledge the ‘Subject Awards’ at Graduation, where the highest achieving student in each subject is presented. This is also an opportunity for students to experience the intensity of the external exam block which is happening in Term 4.

Due to the change of the Brisbane EKKA public holiday, the QCAA have moved two exams, Health and Music. This means the External Exam Block will now begin on Friday 22 October, not Monday 25 October as originally published. We will communicate more information to parents soon however students can already access their External Exam dates in the corridor of the Wandama Building and plan their study schedule.

Celebration of Excellence

We are excited to celebrate the hard work and excellent outcomes our all students at our annual Celebration of Excellence, but this year I am particularly proud of the outstanding results of our students. In 2021 we have 14 students in the cohort who are on a perfect GPA! Our Year 12 group is also the highest percentage group in the school receiving Gold or Silver awards, with 38.82% of students receiving an award.

This year we are introducing the Wandama Award to the highest achieving student at that point in the year, based on their academic results in IA1, 2 and 3. The school has chosen to present the traditional Dux Award in 2022, after ATAR scores have been finalised. These results are released to students late December.

We can’t wait to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our students, with their attendance expected at rehearsal and the evening ceremony on Wednesday 15 September. The ‘save the date’ has been published to parents and students for some time; if you need assistance in contacting employers to ensure your child is able to attend, please do not hesitate to email or call the school.

The little things

I would like to reiterate the importance of maintaining our standards until the end. Our senior school team has communicated that our year level needs to hold their high standards including:

• Be on time – our school day begins at 8:30am. We all know that with the increased number of students, this had led to an increase in traffic. Students who drive to school are to factor this in to their morning to ensure they are arriving on time.
• Uniform – including full black shoes and white socks (above the ankle). A tie is expected to be worn at all times.
• Facial piercings are not part of our school uniform – clear piercings can be worn in their place however facial studs etc are not permitted. Jewellery is also to be ‘small, singular and discreet’.
• Formal skirts – as a senior student, the Junior skorts are not permitted to be worn by Year 10-12 students. Skirts are to be worn at an appropriate length – if your child’s skirt does not adhere to this standard they may be asked to change into a skirt provided by the school. Boys are also expected to wear the formal shirts, except when engaging in HPE faculty subjects.

Emma Curnow
Deputy Principal Senior Secondary

Business Services News

Statement of Accounts

Last week we emailed your Statement of Account which details what is outstanding on your child’s account. If you see a negative amount, that means that you are in credit OR we have adjusted your account based on non-attendance at excursion or you have received a refund for whatever reason. It is important that your account is up to date and payments are made in a timely manner, to avoid your child missing out on an activity/excursion. Also, if you have yet to make payment towards the Student Resource Scheme of $300 I urge you to make that payment as soon as possible, with final payment made by preferably end of this term please. All other fees are also due and payable, please make payment through our various payment methods. Please don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss your financial options with me, I am here to support you.

Nolly Griffiths
Business Manager

Junior Secondary

Australian History Competition - 2021

This year Coolum State High School had 111 students participate in the Australian History Competition. This competition is undertaken by tens of thousands of students right across the country, with over 2500 teachers connected to the Australian History Competition’s Facebook community. I am delighted to report that our results were exceptional, with 23 students achieving participation certificates, 31 merit certificates, 33 credit certificates, 19 distinctions and a phenomenal 5 high distinction certificates awarded to year 8 students Lucas Evans, Emily Howe, Flynn Morris-Smith, Cooper Smith and Lachlan Watts.

This was a wonderful effort by Coolum SHS students and clear proof that when it comes to History education, we are right up there with the best in the nation!

Well done everyone,

Mr Van Dorsselaer
Head of Department Japanese & Junior Secondary

High distinction certificate winners: Lachlan Watts, Flynn Morris- Smith, Cooper Smith and Lucas Evans with teacher Alex van Dorsselaer

Year 9 Business Studies

This term the year 9 business students have been learning about the ‘go to market cycle’ of a company. This involves developing an idea, creating the product, marketing the product, selling it and reviewing the results. The students sell the product at lunch times and are able to measure the results through the income their company generates. The final assessment piece is a folio which covers all of the mentioned steps.

Through the initial development phases students come up with numerous ideas of what to create. Over a course of several lessons these get evaluated until students decide on a single tangible product to sell. Due to the target market being other school students (and many teachers) generally the easiest product to sell is a sweet based item. Students this year have developed products such as Rocky Road, Fudge, Hedge Hog slice and Chocolate Bark to name just a few. The students purchase the ingredients to make the product with their group. They learn how to calculate unit pricing through this phase which allows the students to develop a retail pricing strategy which allows them an appropriate amount of gross profit.

The array of marketing the students undertake ranges and is only restricted by the student’s willingness. Word of Mouth through social media is a popular median student use, some create their own social media accounts. This year a group developed a QR code to survey their customer base which was a first.

When the students sell their product, they learn the social skills associated with dealing with customers, presentation of product importance as well as negotiating skills. The students overall term result is not dependent on how much money their group generated but in how well they are able to communicate the business cycle they undertook. This has become a highlight assessment piece for year 9 students and generates a considerable amount of interest in the school ground from students across all year levels. This hands-on real-world example of the business cycle is a primary introduction to senior business (year 10) where students are introduced in much more detail to micro and macro business factors which influence business practices.

Lee Francey
Head of Year 12 and Business Studies Teacher

Year 9 Business students at their stalls

Dates for your Diary

Tutorials – Term 3

Bus Pass Information 2021

Do you need to apply for a school bus pass?

The Queensland Government’s School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS) provides assistance to enable eligible school students to attend education facilities.

There are two types of assistance available to students travelling on bus services to school:

• Distance based assistance
• Safety-net assistance

Apply for STAS online

Did you know that you can now apply online for STAS?

• One form
• Up to five children
• Any device

For more information:

Need help with your application?

Email STASdigital.Helpdesk@tmr.qld.gov.au or call 1300 119 289 for technical assistance with your online application.

FAQs & handy tips to get you started

Once you are familiar with the application process and steps to get you started, you will find the ‘apply now’ button located towards the bottom of the STAS Apply for school transport assistance page.

After you’ve successfully lodged your application online, information will be generated by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to your local CDC office in Kunda Park, Sunshine Coast or Gladstone for processing.

Please note: it is Department of Transport and Main Roads policy that STAS applications for students placed under a Child Protection Order by the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services must be made using the paper application form relevant to the transport assistance. This form can be found once you commence your application online.

Bus Routes

A list of bus routes servicing Coolum State High School can be viewed on this page:

Parents can also contact us by phone 07 847 666 22 or email info.sunshinecoast@cdcbus.com.au