12 November 2021

Newsletter Articles

Executive Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Friends

Our Year 12 students are on the home stretch with their external exams and I have been really impressed with the way in which they have approached their final assessment. We are certainly looking forward to joining them all for their special celebrations next week – their final week of school.

The Year 12 Graduation Ceremony is a very special day in our school calendar. The one time when we all come together as a school community to celebrate and acknowledge the completion of formal schooling. This year we have had to make a venue change to the Nissan Arena, but I am sure the ceremony will be just as special and enjoyable.

All students are expected to attend school next Friday to attend the ceremony. Students who do not attend school on the day are required to produce a medical certificate, otherwise it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. It is important that students participate in school events such as this as part of our school culture. The school invests significant funds into this event especially bus transport. Buses are booked based on our school enrolments and it is a large expense for the school. We want our students to engage with this special moment so they can look forward to the day when they are centre stage. Please reinforce this message with students and the importance of participating in such events as part of the school community.

CEO’s in the Classroom

This week we hosted a special visit with 15 Brisbane-based CEOs from the CEO Institute – from a broad range of businesses – Lawyers, Accountants, Doctors, Engineers, Arborists, Computer Programmers. Each month I meet with this inspirational group of business leaders to share our leadership growth and challenges. I have learnt so much from my involvement with this group of professionals. I was asked to host the meeting this month to share our school’s strategic agenda, carbon neutral status and to give them a firsthand experience in the classroom. The group thoroughly enjoyed their immersion in the school and were excited by what we have on offer here at Corinda. They learnt about our Smart Farming innovation, experienced the Great Barrier Reef with our VR headsets, created artwork with Augmented Reality and did some coding with self-driving cars in the Maker Space. I felt so proud of our school and the group walked away extremely impressed with what happens in our school. It gave them valuable insight to the skills students are acquiring at school and we have also received referrals for possible partnerships that might enrich our work.

It was a great day for Corinda and opportunities such as this can help broaden our network of support to make our programs unique and connected to the real world – supporting our strategic agenda – Future You.

Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal

Coming Events

Some of our best

Corinda Alumni named Young Leader of the Year

Last week, social change-maker and 2020 School Captain Hannah Hall-Young was announced as the Young Leader of the Year at the 2021 Third Sector Awards. The annual awards celebrate the leadership and innovation into the purpose and impact-driven sector. Hannah, a past Corinda Academic Honours Award winner was judged on her social impact, outcomes measurement, social innovation, collaboration, leadership and systems thinking.

Leading the 42-strong Student Council last year, Hannah significantly motivated all members. Faced with COVID-19, she chose to lead with a positive and friendly voice of encouragement and mindfulness and introduced a peer mentoring program. Amongst many great accolades, Hannah was invited to be a member of the Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, where she provided opportunities for young people to have a voice, raise issues and share ideas. Being a member of the Corinda School Council, she discussed strategic planning and ideas which she further promoted in the wider community, reaching an audience of over 5000 families.

FEX program adds futsal titles to trophy cabinet

Congratulations to our victorious Futsal 12 Years Girls and 15 Years Boys who were crowned 2021 AFA Schools Australasian Champion of Champions last weekend. After playing ten games each, both teams came out on top with a 4-2 grand final result for the girls and 3-2 for the boys respectively. Representing our Football Excellence program, a total of five teams competed at Nissan Arena last weekend. Special mention to our 16 Years Boys who were runners up after falling short in their grand final against some tough opposition.

Thank you to all our students and staff who represented our school with pride and passion. And to all parents, family, students and school staff who came out and supported our teams.

To learn more about our Excellence programs, visit the link below.

Green gifts win over crowd at business competition

Congratulations to emerging social entrepreneurs Amaya and Lola who scooped the People’s Choice Award for Best Pitch at the recent Future Anything business competition.

The students’ pitched their eco-friendly cotton party bags which form part of their sustainable party favours business, EnviParty. With the aim to reduce plastic pollution, Enviparty has curated green gifts to go inside the bags which include hair scrunches, wooden toys and seeds in an envelope.

School News

UQ leads masterclass into the study of parasites

Dr Peter James from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at UQ led an investigation into the taxonomy and challenges animal producers face from parasites with our Year 9 Agricultural Technology students. Fleas, mites and flies were all under the microscope in the latest session of the Parasitology Masterclass where students explored the strange but very real possibility of breeding black soldier fly larvae as an animal food supplement.

Who wants to be a police officer?

A group of Year 11 students recently attended a police work experience program where they learnt about the diverse roles and duties of police officers who serve and protect the Queensland community.

The students were able to experience several different police sectors including a visit to the Magistrates Court to view court processes and the forensics unit where they learnt how to collect evidence from a crime scene. Across the 3-day program, students met with Water Police, a highway patrol officer, the Bomb and Dog Squads, and the Public Safety Response team. The program culminated in a visit to the Police Academy where students gained an understanding of their enrolment process.

Special thanks to Senior Constable Ben Harm and the Centenary North Police Beat for this amazing opportunity provided to our students.

Next Step Year 12 Completers survey reminder

The Queensland Government will conduct its annual statewide survey of Year 12 completers in 2022. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June next year, our current Year 12 students will receive a letter from the Minister for Education or an email or phone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office inviting them to complete the survey. To enable them to reach you, please ensure your contact details are correct in your learning account by logging into the student portal via the link below.

Further information on Next Step and results from previous surveys are available online via the link below.

Being sun smart at Corinda

Parents, please ensure your students have hats for their HPE classes. The school provides sunscreen in HPE lessons for students to use to increase sun safety. Students are not permitted to participate in HPE without a hat, which impacts upon their academic outcomes. Bucket hats and caps can be ordered online or purchased directly from School Locker Oxley.

Red bags spread Christmas cheer at Corinda

Our school is brimming with festive red bags that need to be filled with Christmas cheer as part of the Wesley Mission Queensland 2021 Red Bag Appeal. Students and staff can donate Christmas groceries, decorations and toiletries for those in the community who are facing homelessness and isolation. Red Bags can be found in Home Group and need to be filled by 15 November. For those outside the school community looking to pitch in, Red Bags are available at Administration.

**Red Bag Appeal poster art by change-making Corinda students**

Music in the Night and Art Exhibition

We are excited to announce the return of Music in the Night on Friday night. Our annual celebration of instrumental music at Corinda will also shine the spotlight on our thriving Art program with a pre-show art exhibition. Come along with the family and respond to the creative arts on offer at Corinda!

Music in the Night and Art Exhibition

Friday 12 November 2021
Art Exhibition held in A block from 5.30 pm
Concert held in the Assembly Hall from 6.30 pm

Community News

COVID-19 vaccine walk-ins at Corinda this weekend

Our school will host a pop-up vaccination clinic this Saturday (13 November), for the Super School Saturday event. Anyone aged 12 years and over can come and get vaccinated. There is no need to book – simply walk in and get vaccinated. The Corinda State High School clinic will be operating in the Sports Centre between 9.00 am and 11.00 am and will be administering first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Entry via Gate 3 on Pratten Street. Visit Queensland Health for more information:

Understanding how digital technologies can influence student’s wellbeing

The final session of the eSafety Parent Guide to Digital Technologies and Mental Health webinar, hosted by the ESafety Commissioner will be held online on the 18 November. This webinar will provide parents and carers with an understanding of how games, apps and social media can influence young people’s mental wellbeing.

Calling all eco warriors, litter legends and waste rangers!

This week is National Recycling Week and to help our amazing educators across the state discuss the topic in class, we have created a fun poster competition. Thirteen winners will receive a $100 Visa gift card and will feature in our 2022 Cleaner Greener Schools calendar. To enter, mail or scan your posters (include contact details including student name, class, and school name) by COB Friday 19 November to:

Keep Queensland Beautiful
PO Box 3260
South Brisbane Qld 4101
Email: info@keepqueenslandbeautiful.org.au

A webinar for parents to build resilience in teenagers

Parentshop, a children’s behavioural change specialist has launched a new webinar that aims to assist parents to reduce teen anxiety and build resilience. Recent research has revealed that cognitive behavioural based, parent-led interventions can be as effective as seeing a psychologist for early intervention in mid to mild-level anxiety. The webinar, Resilience In Our Teens is delivered over three evening sessions starting 25 November with psychologist, Michael Hawton and includes an anxiety pre-screening and report for parents. You can find out more information here:

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