4 March 2021

Newsletter Articles

Executive Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and friends

Last week we opened up the first level of classrooms in the new Research and Innovation Centre. It is great to see students enjoying these amazing new learning environments. We are still waiting on the soft furnishings for the second level library space and we hope to be able to open up this level in the coming weeks. Unfortunately the furniture for the year 12 lunch area had to be returned due to its poor quality and we are still waiting on the new order. In the meantime we plan to put some temporary furniture in there so that our year 12 students can start accessing this space and enjoying the privileges of their dedicated year 12 area.

Our focus for facilities in the coming months will be on the provision of seating and shade around the school. We plan to renew the old seating in order to provide more tables for students to eat lunch and interact. The split lunch breaks seem to be allowing more students to access the sporting fields, table tennis tables and handball courts as well. It is great to see students making use of their breaks and being more active.

We have placed an order for more lockers across the school to allow students to store their belongings during the school day. These will be placed throughout the school in small pockets and students from all year levels will be able to apply for a locker. We will continue to purchase additional lockers as funds permit with the hope that all students will be able to access them while at school. This is a significant expense to the school but we acknowledge that this will assist students who engage in multiple extra-curricular activities as well as resource intensive subjects.

Overall our students seem very settled this year and we are pleased with how they are progressing across all faculties. Student behaviour is commendable and our students are a pleasure to interact with in the playground.

Last week and this week I have attended the Corinda State School Leaders Investiture and the Oxley State School Leaders Investiture. I would like to congratulate our students who played a role in these events. At Corinda State School, our two House Captains Akaansha Chand and Jaden Le – past Corinda State School students – gave a special address to the student leaders. They were very impressive and I felt very proud of both these inspirational students. At Oxley State School our Senior Saxophone Ensemble (Shashi Kubsad, Lachlan Garrahy, Evan Baggaley and Tylan Anscombe) accompanied by Mr Stewart performed a musical item and provided great inspiration to all the budding musicians in the audience. They were great ambassadors for our school and were very impressive. Congratulations students.

E-Cigarettes

Much has been published recently about the safety concerns associated with the use of e-cigarettes, particularly by teens and adolescents. There is an increasing interest in these devices with teenagers and we are hearing reports of students using them inside and outside of school. We are genuinely concerned about the health risks associated with these devices and our Health Nurse is working closely with us to educate our students on the potential dangers associated with them.

E-cigarettes are devices that make vapour for smoking and using an e-cigarette is commonly known as ‘vaping’. In Australia,  it is illegal to sell e-cigarettes that contain nicotine. Unfortunately, these products often do contain nicotine and other toxic chemicals, including those that add fruit and confectionary flavours such a bubble gum, pink lemonade and watermelon, that are specifically marketed at teenagers and can be highly addictive. E-cigarettes are often packaged as novelty pens or highlighter pens.

I would encourage parents and caregivers to become aware of these products and to have conversations with your teenagers about the health concerns and safety risks associated with the use of these devices, as some young people may be curious about e-cigarettes but not well aware of the facts or risks associated. Further information is available at the  Australian Government Department of Health  and  Queensland Health  websites. 

In line with our Student Code of Conduct, consequences will apply for any student who brings and/or uses e-cigarettes at school or at any school related activities or functions.  These are prohibited items at school and while wearing school uniform.

Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal

Coming Events

Some of our best

QUT STEM Function

On Tuesday this week, Head of Senior School Leanne Hixon escorted two of our aspiring STEM students to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for A Conversation with the Honourable Karen Andrews MP, Australia’s Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, in celebration of the International Women’s Day 2021. The function was established to celebrate women in leadership and specifically women in STEM. The students wrote this about their experience:

“The QUT Conversation with the Honourable Karen Andrew’s MP was an inspirational and enlightening experience. Ms Andrew’s discussion on leadership styles and qualities showed us how valuable the female voice is in Industry, research and all aspects of life. She discussed the future of STEM and the opportunities available to us in the future. We also got to hear some insights from her experience with research scientists in Antarctica.

As well as this, we had the opportunity to network with Vice Chancellor Margaret Shiel and Professor Peta Wyeth, the head of IT at QUT. These women were very generous with their time and allowed us to understand the future of STEM, leadership and opportunities within Australia. We feel inspired and hope that all girls are encouraged to pursue STEM subjects as well as STEM careers.”

- Sienna Head and Rebecca Yao

Rebecca Yao and Sienna Head meet the Honourable Karen Andrews MP and QUT Vice Chancellor Margaret Shiel.

Sheep Team

On Saturday 20th February, the Corinda State High School Sheep Team took part in their first show of the season at Calvary Christian College. Our school competed in numerous categories, eventually winning three ribbons: ram lamb, ewe lamb & best breeders group.

The main part of the show was to encourage participation and teach our new year 7s how to show their animals. During the show teachers from Caboolture State High and Calvary Christian College singled out our team captains Jessica Murphy and Charlotte Beswick, complementing their excellent conduct and their willingness to go above and beyond when helping people. Charlotte and Jessica taught pupils from Caboolture state High about preparation for showing, clipping, handling and how to present themselves and sheep correctly to the judges.

Team Captains Charlotte Beswick and Jessica Murphy at the show.

Senior Saxophone Ensemble Entertains at Oxley State School

On Monday this week our Senior Saxophone Ensemble entertained the congregation at the Oxley State School leadership investiture and badging ceremony. They were invited to perform with their teacher Mr Tom Stewart and the group wowed the audience with a Baroque piece written for classical saxophone. Mr Stewart and the group received a very heartfelt thank you from Oxley State School for their performance.

Senior Saxophone Ensemble Shashi Kubsad, Lachlan Garrahy, Mr Tom Stewart, Evan Baggaley and Tylan Anscombe.

Dance Camp

Last weekend the Corinda Dance Troupe and Crew attended their annual dance camp to learn their Eisteddfod repertoire. A big thank you to the dancers for their dedication and we wish them luck for the 2021 competition season. A big thank you also goes out to the Corinda dance teachers for organising and facilitating this weekend program.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

On Friday 19 February (junior students) and Monday 22 February (senior students) we had a morning tea celebration of all cultures with our International students. Students joined in the fun including some Lion dancing, sharing traditional music and enjoying the many dumplings that were on offer. The dumplings were boiled as per tradition. The students explained to us that as they spin in the hot water lucky fortune and money may fall out. Students also enjoyed spring rolls and Chinese lollies.

It is so rewarding to host events such as this. The students looked so happy and were incredibly grateful for the time together. Some students even offered to wash up! It is a difficult time for our International students. COVID restrictions obviously prevented our students from returning home over the Christmas holidays so it was so nice to host an event that helps reconnect them in a small way with their culture.

Students celebrate Chinese New Year with Lion Dancing and traditional food.

VR Tech in the Classroom

Year 7 students were transported to Ancient Egypt last week thanks to the wonderful technology of virtual reality (VR).

The students were able to discover the sheer magnitude of the Pyramids of Giza, the eerie feel of Hatshepsut’s tomb and look for gold in Nefertiti’s temple. After their trip, students mummified tomatoes to better understand the mummification process used by the Ancient Egyptians.

What a way to spark curiosity in a History classroom!

School News

2021 Extra-Curricular Opportunities

At Corinda we pride ourselves on the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities available to our students. In the document below you will be able to read about all the activities, clubs and opportunities we have to offer our students outside of their regular classroom learning.

Tutoring

Each week, the school offers free after school tutoring sessions for particular subjects. The table below shows what subjects are offered on which days, pending tutor availability. Students should check the Student Notices each day to ensure their desired subject tutor is available that day. Tutoring is held in the Research and Innovation Centre in rooms RI41 and RI42 between 2.50 pm and 4.00 pm.

• There is no need to RSVP
• Students bring their own work – it is not supplied
• There needs to be some self-motivation from students to get the most out of it
• Students must sign in and out

Open Day

Our school Open Day is fast approaching and we are excited to be able to display our wonderful school to the public after having to cancel last year due to COVID restrictions. Our community is invited to join us on the day to celebrate our fantastic school. Why not come and see our newly renovated A Block? Or experience the revolutionary learning space in our brand new Resource and Innovation Centre!

Open Day will be on Saturday 27 March between 9.00am and 1.00pm.

Year 12 Parent / Career Information Evening

Our Senior Schooling team will be hosting a Parent / Career information evening for our current 12 parents. This session will be conducted via Zoom. A link will be emailed to parents and made available the week of the information evening.

Golden Opportunities Days 2021

Golden Opportunities Days at Corinda State High School are an opportunity to provide students with enrichment opportunities. We are running a number of these days in term 1. Enrolment for Golden Opportunities Days can be found here on our website.

Please be aware that our Football and Tennis Excellence Golden Opportunities Days have changed dates to 22 July 2021.

Updating Details and Email Correspondence

We would like to remind parents to update the school with any changes to your students’ circumstances as well as any changes to your contact details. You can do this by visiting our website Contact Us page and completing the Update Family Details Form. Alternatively, please email info@corindashs.eq.edu.au with your changes (including any required documentation.)

It has come to our attention that there may be some issues between EQ emails and Gmail email accounts. If you have a Gmail account, please ensure you check your ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ folder and mark any emails from EQ as ‘safe’ to ensure you are not missing important correspondence from the school.

Picking and dropping off students

Student safety is our number one priority during drop off and pick up times and we would like to remind our community of the parking restrictions surrounding the school. Parking restrictions assist with driver and student vision, supporting driver and pedestrian safety.

Please be mindful of the following traffic behaviours:

• Parking or stopping where there is a continuous yellow line painted along the edge of the road is an offence.
• Parking or stopping where there is a ‘no parking’ sign, is an offence, unless:
  - You are dropping off, or picking up, passengers (you can stop for a maximum time of two minutes unless the sign states otherwise)
• There are ‘no parking’ signs adjacent to the school concerning peak drop off and pick up time zones (for example, no parking 2-4pm)
• Pratten Street, on the school side, is a continual bus zone and parking in this zone is an offence. It is important to keep this area clear for easy bus access, safety of our students and to assist the flow of traffic.

Please be mindful of the residents in this area in relation to car noise, engine idling and ensuring resident’s driveways are clear.

The safety of everyone is important during these pick up and drop off times. As a community we need to support the traffic measures that have been put in place.

Community News

SPL Facebook Page

The Queensland School Premier League (SPL) now have their own Facebook page. Like and follow the page for updates on the latest SPL news, results and to see our Corinda FEX students in action!

University of Queensland – Online Study

There is currently a research project being conducted by Tianyi Ma (student of UQ), Saumya Singh (PhD candidate at UQ), Professor Matthew Sanders and Karen Turner. It aims to validate a survey measure of how families make changes in their homes and environment, and to explore the impact of climate change on families. The study involves children aged 12 to 16 – where one of their parents completes an online questionnaire, the first half is answered by the parent and the second half is answered by the child. It should take less than 30 minutes for each parent-child dyad to complete.

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