21 August 2017

Newsletter Articles

Executive Principals Report

Dear Parents and Friends

Last week we received our 2017 NAPLAN data and we are currently in the process of analysing and unpacking our data to measure improvements and gains. We are really happy with our year 9 data – particularly as this is the first time we are measuring the 7 – 9 gains. This data is worth celebrating. Our writing data saw an upward movement which is really pleasing and endorses the work we have been doing with our students in reading and writing. Year 7 data was also quite pleasing given the short time we have had the students to really tailor their needs. Our upper two bands data were comparable to national data, and this is an area we would like to continue stretching upward. Overall a pleasing result and this continues to be a significant priority for our improvement agenda. Please see our summary tables below:

Year 10 SET Planning

This week our year 10 students are undertaking their Senior Education and Training plans in preparation for their year 11 and 12 pathways. This is the final piece of their Career Education program that they have been undertaking this year. It was great to see parents in attending these interviews with the students and engaging in the process. It is so important that students are realistic about their academic preferences and that they select a pathway that is going to set them up for success in the future. Students these days have so many options and are able to navigate multiple pathways that are suited to their ability and pace.

Please do not hesitate to contact either Leanne Hixon (Senior Schooling Head of Department), Mark Helmore (Year 10 Coordinator), Tom Bates (Year 10 Deputy Principal) or Annette Priest (Guidance Officer) if you have any concerns or questions.

New Partnership with Mater Health for Certificate III in Health Support Services

Commencing in 2018 Corinda State High School, in partnership with the Mater Education, will be offering a Certificate III in Health Support Services. This will be a full day training program each week for the whole year at the hospital.

Leanne Hixon and I visited the hospital recently and had a tour of the training facilities which included fully functioning training wards modelling real life simulations and their training rooms. This is a very exciting opportunity for our students these credentials will really make our students competitive. We are one of only 5 high schools being provided this opportunity and one of only 2 State High Schools selected for the program.

At this time a limited number of year 12 students will be provided the opportunity to enrol in this amazing highly credible program. A letter is going out to parents inviting them to an information evening in the coming weeks. I encourage the students of year 12, 2018 and their parents to attend and obtain more details on the programs.

There are so many career pathways that would open up in this field with this qualification for students.

Indonesia Bridge Program

Over the past two weeks we have had two Indonesian Teachers visiting our school as part of the Indonesia Bridge Program. Tracey Hall and Jenny Catanzariti have been working with these two teachers, opening up their classrooms and sharing their practice. Together our staff are working with these teachers to develop a shared program for our students to interact with their Indonesian partner school, opening up our classrooms to the world of collaboration. This is a really exciting space to be working in and it presents so many exciting opportunities for our students.

Our students have really enjoyed interacting with our special guests and learning about their schools. In January Tracey Hall and another staff member will be travelling to Indonesia to engage in a school experience with these teachers in the same way and will experience life in an Indonesian school. Corinda is really embracing its Actively Global agenda.

Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal

Coming Events

Open Classrooms – After School Tutoring

Students can get expert help for assignments and assessment, every Monday to Thursday 3 - 4 pm in the air-conditioned comfort of the library. Each day offers a different tutor for each subject area.

Year 7 Parent Information Evening

We are taking enrolments for 2018. Enrolment forms are available from our website or in person from our office. We look forward to receiving these as soon as possible! The closing date for our Gifted and Talented Excellence Programs is 25 August 2017.

Student Services

Parents and Carers

It’s over half way through the school year, your child has just received their report cards. It’s time to “Check In”.

It’s normal for people to sometimes have low moods, poor motivation and trouble with sleeping. It’s not always the sign of a problem, but it’s important to talk with your child. They may find this uncomfortable so remember to stay calm. You may need to raise the topic in a different way or in a different environment to get a response.

Some tips that may help you:

• Acknowledge that opening up about personal thoughts and feelings can be scary
• Talk openly and honestly with them, let them know you are concerned
• Reassure them that you will be there for them, and ask what they need from you
• Suggest some other people that your child could talk to, like family, your GP or other health professionals. You could also suggest a confidential telephone counselling service for young people such as Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or https://www.eheadspace.org.au/ (online chat) or visiting http://www.openminds.org.au/

Karin Rissel Clinical Nurse - School Based Youth Health

QTAC Information for Parents

This term, Year 12 students wanting to pursue further study next year will be meeting with Ms Priest, Senior School Guidance Officer, to discuss their interests and QTAC application. QTAC is Queensland’s tertiary institution application portal for Diploma level and higher qualifications.

Year 12 students were provided with their QTAC books during the last week of term two. They were also provided guidelines to preference courses for their QTAC application. Students then discuss their preferences with Ms Priest prior to submitting their QTAC application.

QTAC has a parent portal where you can access information regarding the process of application as well as topics concerning tertiary study. Click here for more information.

QTAC applications open on 3 August. The aim is to have every student place their application by the end of September to ensure all necessary cut off dates are met. Some scholarship applications close at the end of September as well as applications for some courses, therefore it is pertinent students pursue their QTAC application this term. Students have three free changes after they submit their initial QTAC preferences (review is required when they receive their OP in December). QTAC applications cost $42.00

Stymie

Get Your Techno Power Back!

Are your Kids Safe Online at Home? Rachel Downie, Director of the Stymie website will be presenting important information about your child’s use of technology.

Corinda State High School Stymie Presentation / Program

Date: Tuesday 3 October 2017
Parent Presentation 6pm to 7pm in the Assembly Hall

Having trouble managing technology?

Want to know what they’re really doing?

Rachel will give you tips on how to manage kids’ devices and which apps can potentially create problems in the lives of students and parents everywhere.

See what other parents are saying.

QParents

Have you joined QParents?

Parents will have received an invitation email or letter by now and it’s great to see that so many parents have registered already. If you have not received an invitation, please advise us immediately by emailing info@corindashs.eq.edu.au . Over time, QParents will become an integral part of how we communicate with parents. Get on board to enjoy the ease and convenience that QParents offers.

Year 12

Term 3 is a big term for our year 12’s. Students have had academic coaching interviews and have had the opportunity to speak with the Guidance Officer about their future plans. As well as completing their normal classwork and assessment, they will also take part in the Queensland Core Skills Test (QCS) if they are OP eligible. Students have been busy all year preparing for this test.

Organisation and time management skills will be crucial this term. Students should be in charge of their afternoon routines, assessment planners and weekly to-do lists, but a little encouragement always help. Please keep the conversation lines open by checking in with your child and providing advice when they seem a little off track.

QCS Dates:

Tuesday 29 August

Morning: Writing Task (2 hours)
Afternoon: Multiple Choice I (1 hour 30 minutes)

Wednesday 30 August

Morning: Short Response (2 hours)
Afternoon: Multiple Choice II (1 hour 30 minutes)

If you want to read more about the QCS test, you can do so by visiting:

Graduation Ball

A group of dedicated year 12 students are currently planning the Graduation Ball. This group meet every Thursday, and last week they visited the venue to discuss details with the event coordinator. They picked tablecloths, the dinner menu and the centrepieces. They also discussed the order of procedures for the night.

The Graduation Ball will be a fun night of dancing, photos and speeches. Students will also enjoy a two course meal. Next week students will receive an information letter to take home with more details.

Who: Year 12 students
Date: Monday 13 November 2017
Location: The Greek Club - 29 Edmondstone St, West End QLD 4101
Time: 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Dress code: Formal

Students will leave school at 11:10 am on the day to allow plenty of time to get ready.

Tips and Hints:

• Be comfortable in what you wear, avoid attire that isn't practical.
• Wear shoes you can walk in. You will want to move a lot during the night (dancing, talking with friends, getting photos). If you’re wearing new shoes, bring band aids and spend some time walking in them before the event.
• Don't spend too much money! It’s only one night. Work within your own budget. Costs can really add up, so PLAN before you spend.
• Look into hiring costs as an option for dresses and suits (get in early if you can).
• If you do decide to buy, set aside a few days to look so you can find a good deal. Don't leave it last minute.
• If buying online, make sure there is a return option that doesn't cost too much. Online can be a great way to save money, but getting a correct size can sometimes be hard. The quality also might not be what you expected.

Ms Faith Wild Year 12 Coordinator

Mathematics

PepsiCo Visit

On Thursday 27 July, Mr Phan’s year 12 Mathematics A class had the privilege of engaging in an activity presented by representatives from the PepsiCo Food Company. Mr David Smith, and Mr Chris Ward from PepsiCo visited Corinda State High School to engage in a meaningful, real-life based simulation with our students. They are passionate about helping our students understand how Mathematics is applied in all aspects of a company’s operations.

The activity the students engaged in was designed by PepsiCo to simulate the warehouse procedures used at their Smith’s chips factory at Tingalpa. The company uses similar simulations to train their own staff in order to improve operational outcomes. Mr Chris Ward was able to demonstrate how some simple mathematical calculations could reveal fundamental flaws in warehouse process, that when rectified, produced significantly better outcomes for the company.

The activity made use of everyday items such as PVC piping to simulate the conveyor line, ping-pong balls as boxes of chip packets, Chinese-food container as pallets of boxed chips, and kitchen tongs were used by the ‘forklift operator’ to move the stock.

Students were assigned tasks including boxing the chip packets and sending them to the warehouse (ping-pong balls through the PVC pipe), packing the boxed chips onto pallets (coloured ping-pong balls in Chinese-food containers), and then transporting them via forklift (kitchen tongs) to various parts of the ‘warehouse’ for quality control, storage, or to the loading dock.

All of the students engaged in the task and had a great time doing so. They were quite amazed to see how much money could be save by making just a few minor adjustments to their operating procedures. Thank you to the students of Mr Phan’s year 12 Mathematics A class, who were all great representatives of Corinda. Thank you also to Mrs Meredith Gledhill (HOD Teaching and Learning) and Ms Leanne Hixon (HOD Senior Schooling) for organising this fantastic learning opportunity.

Mrs Natalie Voznaks Acting Head of Department – Senior Mathematics

Science

Corinda Science Week

August 21 to 25 will be the week that science burns brightly at Corinda. To celebrate science and to showcase how fun it can be to participate, the year 11 UQ science ambassadors will be running a school wide treasure hunt across all of Corinda Science Week. A multitude of science events spread across the school will require students to be cunning observers and keen participants as they complete challenges throughout the week. The participants are presented with two new challenges each day and two challenges from the previous day. The stakes are high, with winners rewarded appropriately, many runners up prizes to go around and the prestige of being the inaugural winner of the Corinda Science Treasure Hunt.

Humanities

Actively Global

Corinda SHS welcomes Indonesian teachers Dedi Rimantho and Nurhayati Fadlang from the MAN2 model Makassa School. Tracey Hall (Humanities) and Jennifer Catanzariti (The Arts) were selected to be part of the AEF Indonesian Bridge Program. This is an intercultural exchange which opens the world to our students. The program enhances global connectedness and students from both countries and their schools will embark on projects to strengthen the partnership.

SBS

Dinka presenter says hi to all the Corinda SHS students. Recently, teachers from Corinda were in Melbourne as a part of the AEF Indonesian Bridge Program. Teachers presented on SBS Melbourne and met many of the presenters from different cultures.

Geography Teachers’ Association of Queensland (GTAQ) Annual Conference

Geography teachers Mrs Bates and Miss Lee embarked on an action packed day to further expand on their Geography expertise. They participated in multiple events related to the junior and senior Geography curriculum, boasting exciting state of the art ideas and resources to improve students’ learning. Of particular interest was the use of GIS in the classroom - mapping global distribution of natural hazards (earthquakes and volcanoes), coastal management along the Gold Coast and population dynamics. Exemplary staff indeed!

Legal Studies

It really was a moot point.

Preparing for any extracurricular activity can be hard to fit into the busy schedule of a senior student. But Didi Mulligan, Imogene Davidson and Saron Libanos stepped up to become involved in the QUT High School Mooting competition. Mooting involves students arguing a hypothetical legal case in an imaginary court setting. This is a significant dedication for these students as it involved a lot of research and a session with their legal studies teachers, Jack Gilroy and Amy Heymer, at the QUT Law library in their own time to prepare. This on top of their already heavy study load. All of their hard work and dedication certainly paid off. Not only did they win their preliminary round, they also made it to the finals in the Banco Court, part of the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, on Sunday evening. Congratulations girls on a job well done!

Ms Amy Heymer English, Legal Studies and Humanities Teacher

Agriculture

GREENgineering

After last years’ sold out event at our urban farm with Costa Georgiadis, we would like to invite you back again to experience the enthusiasm and ideas of Roman Spur ( Spurtopia ) as he demonstrates practical and clever ways to live sustainably under the 5 Rs – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Repair.

The community workshop will be followed by a Zero-Waste lunch, with Roman in conversation with Robert Pekin from Foodconnect . These two gentlemen will bring different understandings and approaches to sustainable living into perspective while the audience enjoys a local lunch. Bring your own cutlery, plate and bowl for a free ticket into the lucky door prize draw.

For more information and to book tickets to the event please visit:

Applied Studies

This term, the year 7 Food Technology class visited the farm and worked collaboratively with the year 7 Agriculture class.

The students worked on a challenging treasure hunt designed to introduce the technology students to the farm and all of its exciting features. After some careful checking of answers, we then shared a picnic – savoury muffins and scones, using some of the lovely fresh herbs from the farm.

This was the second time that Ms Shields and Mrs Edwards have done this activity and it has always been enjoyed by students and teachers alike.

Remember – every family needs a farmer! No need for technology students to be bored as they now have skills now to be whipping all sorts of goodies in the kitchen.

Resource Centre

Accelerated Reader

Our year 7 and 8 students have been reading up a storm in the first half of this year and we have been very excited to reward some of our readers at the Junior Assembly.

Our Most Books Read Award Year 7

Term 1: Madeline Guy
Term 2: Anthony Ngo

Most Read Books Award Year 8

Term 1: Kaleb Woudneh
Term 2: Nandini Dasi

We have rewarded more than 50 students for being special commended for their attitude to reading in their form class and more than 100 students for reading over 5 books and getting over 85% on their quizzes.

We have a special shout out to those students who have already joined our Millionaire’s Club for reading more than One Million words in 2017: Jordan Holmes 7F, Jaiden Loveday 7F, Anthony Ngo 7F, Madeline Guy 7K, Alana Murphy 7K, Johnson Tran 8A, Evan Nguyen 8C, Daniel McNamara 8E, Kaleb Woudneh 8F, Nandini Dasi 8K

Teacher Spotlight

1. What is the best thing about Corinda High?
   The thoughtfulness of my students! I am so lucky to have taught so many amazing students!
2. What is your favourite colour?
   Purple, although I’m sure my students would say either Pink or Red!
3. What TV show do you love?
   It changes constantly. At the moment I’m enjoying The Good Wife, but I’m pretty keen to see The Handmaid’s Tale later this year.
4. Do you have a Hobby?
   As an English teacher, I really love reading. This year I’ve set myself a goal of reading 100 books… and I’m nearly half way there!
5. Who is the best band/singer of all time?
   I enjoy anything and everything – it totally depends on my mood.
6. What sport do you love to watch?
   I don’t really love sport, but I have been conditioned to enjoy cricket courtesy of a cricket mad mother.
7. If you could only travel to one more destination in the world, where would you go?
   Italy! Sempre una vacanza in Italia!
8. What do you love about teaching?
   The opportunity to see my students grow and develop to become the best they can be!
9. What is your favourite life quote?
   “Life is not measured by the dreams you’ve had, but by the memories you’ve made!”

School Parking

A friendly reminder, there is NO parking on the school grounds at any time.

The Smith Family

Community Notices

Parent Education Event

Yeronga State School P & C is hosting a community parent education event on Wednesday 23 August. The seminar is entitled; Before You Hit Send: A Social Media SOS for Children & Parents and will be presented by local author and journalist, Rebecca Sparrow. The admission price is $25 per adult and $10 student. Due to content presentation, children must be 10 years old to attend.

Our World

We want to share with Corinda SHS the news of an exciting event which will be held in the Graceville Uniting Church:

On Friday September 1 and Saturday September 2 please come along to see a special exhibition of over 100 artworks from the students of the Milpera State High School.

'Our World' will give you insights into the students' personal world and the wider world around them through their vibrant, colourful and powerful artwork.

Our aim is to better connect with our community and support the valuable work of this unique school which helps refugee students transition to their new lives in our world. A gold coin donation will go to the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre.

Blessings Rev. Aaron Moad

Souths Little Athletics

Little Athletics

Run, Jump and Throw

Toowong Harriers Little Athletics Centre, affiliated with Little Athletics Queensland, invites members of your school (ages 5 to 17) to sign on for the new season – September to March. There is one competition meet each week, and coaching is offered at competition meets and on Tuesdays. Sign on online, from home, or 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm, Saturday 2 September at Jack Cook Park Clubhouse, Taringa (collecting your rego, uniform etc.). For more information go to:

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