7 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Executive Principals Report

Dear Parents and Friends

Welcome to the 2019 school year. It is great to be back and to see the students so enthusiastically engaging in school life for the new academic year. A positive start to the year following the completion of two more blocks with our Air Conditioning Project. We are very grateful to the P & C Association for making this happen. Our staff and students are smiling with relief.

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Corinda families and hope that you have had a positive experience as you settle into our school.

Our students have settled in quickly and I thank all parents for your support in ensuring they are prepared for learning and presented in full school uniform. It is wonderful to see some students embracing the formal hats this year – they look so smart. It is important to acknowledge that our school uniform sets the high standards that we instil in our students. This is purposely done in order for our students to be associated with a strong reputation and branding – so when they apply for part time or full time positions, employers can identify this branding with personal qualities. This is also an important aspect of a pre-condition for learning – no distractions or competition and dressed for work.

Over the holidays, we celebrated the outcomes of our Seniors 2018. I felt so very proud of them as a cohort, and their OP data was the best in the history of the school. What an amazing effort they all made to lift and stretch their results. We are celebrating:

• 2 OP 1 students
• 28% OP 1 – 5
• 86% OP 1 – 15
• 100% QCE attainment (8 consecutive years now)
• Best QCS results with lifts in number of students receiving As and strong school mean above the State mean
• 99% University offers – only three students did not receive offers – 2 of which were audition based.

New QCE

This year marks a significant change to the Senior System and our year 11 students will be the first cohort to experience the New QCE, including the change to an ATAR ranking. There has been a lot in the media of late about this new reform, and I would like to reassure parents that our students will be fully prepared for their programs of study and associated assessment. There is no need for panic, as we intend to take a considered approach with the delivery of information as needed.

One of the major changes for our parents and students will be the way we give feedback on student progress. The new programs will require us to report in different ways, our focus will be on ensuring students and parents have meaningful feedback on their progress in order to achieve the best possible results. The structure of the course programs will also differ and they will no longer be called semester units, instead Units 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The way these units are delivered will also differ in order to provide adequate time for tutorials prior to their external assessment at the end of Unit 4. The QCAA sets the dates for these external exams and all students across the State will be completing these at the same time. This means that a major part of term 4 in year 12 will involve tutorials, revising and a 3 week block exam period. To allow adequate learning time for Units 3 and 4, students will begin Unit 3 in week 4 of term 4 this year.

I encourage all current year 11 parents to attend the Parent Information Evening scheduled for 26 February at 6:00 pm in the Assembly Hall. This will explain in detail the New QCE and how the ATAR will be calculated. We aim to provide ongoing updates and keep you informed as we roll out new systems and processes to support students and maximise their outcomes.

At this point, the most important issue is that the students are in appropriate subjects suited to their individual needs. Every unit from year 11 and 12 counts towards this new process, so students need to ensure they are in attendance every day and that they put in their absolute best effort with all assessment. Consistent effort will pay off for students, they cannot afford to cruise until the final unit then put in a big effort as this will not work under the new system.

Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions or concerns or need to clarify anything that will assist you at home in supporting our students. I do believe this is a fairer system and this is about individual performance for each student.

Pastoral Care & Positive Education

This year we are rolling out further implementation of our Positive Education agenda at Corinda. Over the past year, our staff have been involved in training with Geelong Grammar to equip them with the skills to deliver Positive Education with all students. This should be evident in all classrooms through our language and interactions as well as specially designed Positive Education lessons that focus on student wellbeing. As you may be aware this is a big issue in society, and we believe it is an important skill that we need to deliver at Corinda.

Students this year will have two designated Pastoral Care lessons in their Home Group. To accommodate this we have had to make changes to the school day as we are restricted to times for buses and Teachers’ rostered duty. On Monday and Friday mornings of each week classes will commence 8.30 am. We understand on some days that buses run late due to traffic, so will monitor this during the term and reassess if it becomes a concern.

I hope you understand the importance of delivering this program and that our priority is to ensure we equip our students with life skills that will assist them with their success at school and in the future. Our young people face so many challenges in society now, that teaching Wellbeing is a very important priority for us.

Parent Information Evenings

A letter was emailed to parents this week outlining key dates for Parent meetings. Please take the time to mark these on your calendar, as they will provide some critical information. I look forward to meeting you all at these events.

Welcome back – I am excited for the year ahead and am very happy to be back with our amazing staff and students!

Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal

Coming Events

QParents

Have you joined QParents?

Parents will have received an invitation email by now and it is great to see that so many parents have registered already. If you have not received an invitation, please advise us 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.

International

The International Department has welcomed 19 new students. These students are from all over the world including Germany, Italy, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Taiwan, China and Japan. Many of these students will be here until they graduate, we wish them all the best with their studies.

Last week we celebrated the beginning of the year with an Australia Day morning tea. The students enjoyed meat pies, tim tams, lamingtons and vegemite sandwiches. On Thursday we took all of our new students to Lone Pine. For many it was their first encounter with koalas, kangaroos, platypi and the various reptiles they may meet during their Australian visit. We know the whole Corinda community will welcome our new students and we are looking forward to getting to know each and every student. Thank you to all of our families hosting these students, you always make them feel welcome as they join your family.

Languages

CSHS Languages have hit the ground running in Term 1 this year as we welcome the new Year 7 students and our continuing students in Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish and German. With the new changes to the syllabus, our Year 11 language students are very excited to be at the forefront and get their teeth stuck into some new content!

A reminder that this year we will be celebrating our 5 different languages during our Language Week celebrations. The Language Weeks are scheduled as follows:

• Term 1 Week 3 (11-15 Feb) Chinese week
• Term 2 Week 2 (29 Apr- 3 May) Japanese week
• Term 3 Week 2 (22-26 July) French week
• Term 3 Week 6 (19-23 Aug) Spanish week
• Term 4 Week 2 (14-18 Oct) German week

As each week approaches, keep an eye on the newsletter to see what exciting events are planned.

Chinese

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Year of the Pig! The pig in Chinese culture represents health, wealth, prosperity and happiness. Wishing everyone a year full of fortune and happiness!

This year’s Chinese New Year starts on 5 February. During this time, CSHS students will have a chance to experience a range of cultural activities:

Week 3 Monday first break – Lion dance performance in the undercover area (between C and F block)
Week 3 Tuesday first break – Chinese New Year couplets; calligraphy writing activities in the undercover area (between C and F block)
Week 3 Tuesday to Friday during second break – Movie screening of “Little Door Gods” in G06
Week 3 Friday first break – Table tennis tournament in the Old Hall

The tuckshop also has a special Chinese menu for next week!

Please encourage your child to join in the celebrations!

Japanese

BrisAsia Festival 2019 is on from Saturday 9 February - Sunday 3 March, with a variety of events from various Asian cultures all across Brisbane. For full details see:

Japanese celebrated Setsubun this year on Sunday 3 February. Find out why older people have to eat a lot of one type of food on this day!

French

This year’s Alliance Française French Film Festival programme has been released!

Madame Muil will be taking the Year 11 French students to see one of the movies this term, but for anyone else interested:

Where: Brisbane (Place Barracks or Palace James Street cinemas)
When: 14 March -14 April
More info:

Are you Christian AND would like to learn a bit of French?

Église Sts Pierre et Paul in Bulimba will be holding French mass this year, with snacks to follow.

Where : 25 Main Ave, BULIMBA
When: 3 March, 2 June, 8 September and 8 December
Contact: Aline on 3205 4614 or at jgjmavielle@gmail.com

Spanish

Right now on Easter Island, Chile, the traditional Tapati Rapa Nui festival is taking place:

Carnival will be celebrated in many countries across Latin America in the next couple of months, including the Diablada (Dance of the Devils) in Bolivia:

Heads up! The 2019 Spanish Film Festival dates have been announced. For all updates, register at

German

Did you know that the Germans are celebrating Fasching Carneval in February? The German club is celebrating on 23 February. If you would like to find out more go to:

HPE and Sport

This year we have an action packed sporting calendar. All Sport information will be posted on student notices and sent via email - and this year we have a Sports Notice Board located inside the Sports Centre. This is where you will find all of the team signup sheets, carnival results and upcoming events, so check them frequently.

Our Gala Days a great opportunity for all students to be involved in School Sport. They are a chance for you to try a new sport or play the sport you love in a round robin day of competition against local schools. Some sports provide an opportunity for Met Finals while other sports focus on participation and contribute points to the Champion School Trophy.

Over the year, we have four Junior and two Senior Gala Days. The Gala days sports and dates are as follows:

Senior Gala Days – Year 10 teams and Open teams (Years 11 and 12 combined)

Junior Gala Days – Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 Teams

Please, keep an eye on emails, notices and the notice board for sign up and trial information for all Gala Days. All sport enquiries should go through Ms Sarah Walker (Sports Master) in the HPE Staffroom.

Swimming Carnival Results

Congratulations to Yarraman House – Swimming Champions for 2019! The other houses will be looking to make up ground at the Inter-house Cross Country Carnival (Week 6, Term 1) and the Inter-house Athletics Carnival (Week 2, Term 2).

Congratulations to all our Swimming Age Champions. We had a tie in both the 12yrs Girls (Harriett Bridge – Pirri and Lucy Wysoczanski – Yarraman) and the 16yrs Girls (Arieta Kurukitoga – Kabul and Mikayla Denehey – Pirri).

Running Club – Interhouse Cross Country Preparation

Running Club will be offered from Week 3 of this term to assist students in their preparation for the Interhouse Cross Country. Training sessions will be designed to cater for students of all ability levels to improve their running technique and fitness prior to the carnival. To participate, students will need to collect an information letter from Mr Vlaisavljevic in the Q Block staffroom and return the parent consent form.

Sessions will be held on:

• Monday afternoon 3:00 – 4:00 pm
• Thursday mornings 7.30 – 8.15 am

Gifted and Talented

APEX SUMMIT

On 24 and 25 January we hosted our first Annual APEX Summit (Academic Programs of Excellence Enrichment Camp) here on campus. Our new year 7 Excellence students were invited to attend this program to increase familiarity with other students and staff in Excellence Program, develop their critical thinking skills and enhance their self-esteem and resilience through our Positive Education Program. Some students were very nervous in the morning but spent the day meeting new friends and were excited and more comfortable about attending the first official school day the following week. This camp gave these students a head start into high school and we are very fortunate to have so many students in attendance.

RAISING BRIGHT SPARKS PARENT EVENING

Parenting “bright sparks” can be extremely challenging. As parents, we need to know how we can:

• Identify our child’s strengths and nurture talents
• Understand their abilities and meet their needs
• Promote achievement while ensuring youth are healthy, happy and confident
• Support our adolescents to manage stressors and become resilient when they encounter difficulties
• Guide adolescents through the delicate balance of fitting in and standing out
• Help our “bright sparks” to become independent; to develop the characteristics and work habits that enable them to achieve.

Corinda State High would like to welcome all interested parents to attend an informative evening with guest speaker Michele Jeratowitch, director of Clearing Skies.

Michele draws on research and her many years’ experience working with children, parents and teachers in schools and through her private practice to explore the challenges involved in parenting bright children.

Community News

The Smith Family

South West United Hockey Sign-On Day 9 February

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