17 February 2023

Newsletter Articles

Executive Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of our students for 2022 last Thursday evening. There were many proud parents in the audience who have every reason to feel this sense of pride. Our 2022 Seniors returned to join the celebrations as we acknowledged the Dux of the School and a large number of graduates who achieved outstanding results. As they begin a new chapter in their lives, the Corinda student body has begun the 2023 Jungle Odyssey.

We have had such a positive start to the school year. Our students and staff are enjoying the calm and organised start to the school year. Given the events of the past two years, we had forgotten how good this felt. We could not be happier right now!

Student Lockers

All students have been issued with a locker and lock. This has been a major undertaking for the school, following parental requests for students to be provided with lockers. Considerable time has been spent outlining expectations with students around use of student lockers. It is an expectation that the locks remain locked on the lockers at all times. Students are required to place their school backpack in their locker at the start of the school day and only take what they need for their timetable. They are able to return to their lockers at the beginning and end of breaks, and at the end of the school day so that their belongings can be secured at all times. Students have been reminded that they should not leave items in their locker without a locked lock. If they have any issues with their lock or locker, they are asked to visit their House Master who can assist with this.

School Satchels

This week all students were issued with a school satchel. They are designed only to be used from “Locker to Lesson” and are not to be used as a substitute to the school backpack. It is an expectation that these satchels remain at school in the student locker and are used at school only. Students may choose to use their laptop bag, or carry their items in their hands alone. All we ask is that students bring only the equipment they need for the following lessons with them.

Unfortunately, the quality of these satchels has let us down and we are in the process of taking this up with the supplier. They are far from adequate for their intended purpose and are poorly stitched. This is so disappointing. As an interim measure, students are able to use a plain laptop bag to carry their belongings from “Locker to Lesson”. We are now negotiating an alternative bag that is much stronger and functional, but this will of course take time to source. We are so disappointed with how this has worked out and are making every effort to find an alternative solution. If your student has a damaged or broken satchel, please return it to Student Services as we will be sending them back in an effort to recoup some of the funds.

Students are able to use their laptop bags for their laptops as outlined in the stationery list.

Uniform Advisory Meeting

We conducted our first Uniform Advisory Meeting this week and it was great to have a range of parents, staff and students in attendance. Uniforms can create some interesting discussions and we do appreciate feedback and suggestions for improvement. We will also be conducting some Student Voice forums in the coming weeks as part of our consultation processes. The main agenda will involve discussion around a gender-neutral uniform option and cultural diversity options. Thank you to those parents who took the time to attend this week.

Lessons from the jungle

Our new theme this year is titled 2023 - The Jungle Odyssey - a journey through the heart of our learning ecosystem. The jungle is full of surprises and requires courage, determination and resilience to navigate it successfully. Are we up to this challenge? Absolutely - the past few years have certainly equipped us with the skills to take this journey into the unknown.

We are excited to be on a journey of adventure and discovery where one can test their limits and step out of their comfort zone in 2023 and no doubt enjoy some hidden treasures along the way.

In the jungle – there is no path – we will need to know how to make a path where none existed. We will need confidence, creativity, agency and entrepreneurial skills to solve any problem – and we must never fear failure. Setbacks are only a setup for a future win. “Fail-tolerance” is now our superpower! Go forth into the jungle…

I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming weeks at our parent events. Thank you for all your support and efforts at home in ensuring our students have had such a positive start to the school year. It has been such a great start to the 2023 Jungle Odyssey!

Helen Jamieson
Executive Principal

Coming Events

Some of our best

Jungle Odyssey begins with awards success

We bravely ventured off the safe path and into the jungle last Thursday for the 2022 Academic Awards of Excellence, held at Riverlife. We celebrated the outstanding achievement of our award recipients across all year levels, including our most prestigious award, Senior Dux of the Year, presented to Anthony Ngo, who received an ATAR of 99.55. The Junior Secondary Dux was awarded to the student with the highest average GPA across Years 7, 8, and Term 1-3 of Year 9. This year the honour was bestowed on Vitaliya Yavon.

Some of the other special awards presented on the night included:

• ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Award: Leah Anstey
• ADF Future Innovators Award: Jaymi Sleight
• Junior Secondary Leadership Award: Kate Ledez
• UQ Outreach Student Achiever Award: Daniel Sohail
• Sherwood Indooroopilly RSL Sub Branch Citizenship Award: Sinead Van Der Sluys

The annual event embraced the school’s incoming theme for 2023 and farewelled the 2022 theme, Your Toy Box – Your Toy Story, with our outgoing school captains signalling it time to close the lid on the toy box. They passed the baton over to our adventurous new School Captains, Sienna Head and Olivia Hollis, who will lead the school through 2023 Jungle Odyssey - a journey through the heart of our learning ecosystem.

“The jungle is full of surprises and requires courage, determination and resilience to navigate it successfully. The past few years have certainly equipped us with the skills to take this journey into the unknown,” Miss Head told the audience.

Executive Principal Helen Jamieson also commended all students on their outstanding achievement and expressed her excitement for the year ahead.

“We continue to be extremely proud of our students and we provide every opportunity to perform at their optimum level. Our staff are committed and we will continue to aspire to be a high performing school. We know our students are up to the 2023 jungle adventure and as they explore the unknown I am confident that they will embrace this challenge with thrill and excitement!” she said.

Thank you also to our special guests, and also the Brisbane Lions and Jess Pugh MP for Mount Ommaney for kindly donating our lucky door prizes for the evening.

Additional images from the night can be viewed in our online photo gallery, with the link included below.

Industry insights for senior students

This week we hosted the first of our 2023 Future Fit sessions for students, with our first guest speakers being school sponsors Rhys Kovchenko and Dustin Martin from Bank of Queensland (BOQ) Sherwood.

The key focus of these sessions is to provide aspiring students with knowledge of:

• Career pathways within specific industries
• Qualifications and/or skills requirements for specific roles
• Career progression opportunities

Thank you to Rhys and Dustin for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with our senior students.

We look forward to welcoming another of our sponsors, Harcourts Marketplace Oxley, as guest speakers for our next session later in the month.

Sky is the limit for space design students

As one of the top ten finalists in Australia, a group of determined Corinda State High School students competed in the Australian Space Design Competition finals at the University of Queensland (UQ) last month.

The students, alongside Head of Department Richard Jack, responded to a Request for Tender (RFT) identical to one which would be received in industry, and designed a fully functional space settlement; which took into consideration structure, operations, automation, human factors, and logistics.

Students had 28 hours to complete this task of settling just over 300 people on the moon where mining explorations could take place. The students were teamed up with peers from Padua College (Brisbane) and Magdelene Catholic College (Sydney) to form a “company”, keeping in mind not only the STEM aspects involved, but also teamwork, leadership, marketing and economic factors as well.

Students enjoyed meeting and working alongside industry professionals whilst being provided with an industry simulated environment to compete in. Although they did not win the competition, the team did come away with a great experience, as well being awarded the Peter O'Keeffe Leadership Award, which was received by 2023 School Captain Sienna Head. This accolade is presented to participants from each company who create an inclusive environment, demonstrate humility and service to others, and work hard for the team while embodying the spirit of the competition.

Congratulations to Sarthak, Sienna, Tyson, Ruth, Lucas, James, Jaymi, Edward, and Sharvvash for creating an RFT which was described as “highly innovative and adaptive”, with ideas that could be used in possible missions!

School News

Student clubs are back!

Great news! Student clubs have returned for 2023, providing a range of activities to entertain and engage our students across all year levels after school each day. The schedule is listed below:

Monday | QVIEW (a gaming club open to the LGBTIQA+ community)
Tuesday | Chess Club (learn new skills and advanced tactics with our chess coach) & Music Production Club (experiment and explore instruments and software to produce your own music)
Wednesday | Drama Club (all aspiring actors are welcome to the drama studio from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
Thursday | Dungeons & Dragons (tabletop game)
Friday | Badminton Club (in the Sports Hall) & Farm Club (help us look after our animals - permission form required)

For more information, please email Ms Emma O’Brien - eobri141@eq.edu.au

Love and friendship in the air

Our 2023 Student Council hosted their first official event this week, Love Week, to celebrate all the special relationships in the lives of students. There were plenty of music and vocal performances at lunch time, a photo booth, and Valentine’s Day themed items for sale, including chocolates, roses and candies.

Thank you to students who got into the spirit this week and supported our Student Council and fellow student performers.

News from the P&C

The P&C Association’s annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 29 March. As part of the AGM, the current executive will be dissolved, and a new committee elected. The four (4) positions available on the executive are President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. A minimum of two (2) executive members (the President and one other) are required to allow the P&C to function.

All current members will need to renew their membership for 2023 or if you would like to join us - you can download a form and email to pandccorindashs@gmail.com .

If you would like any further information regarding the Executive positions, becoming a member, or you would like to add any points to General Business, please email pandccorindashs@gmail.com .

The AGM will be held on Monday 29 March 2023 at 7:00 PM in A Block (entry via Gate 1 on Lynne Grove Avenue). In addition to the AGM, the P&C meets each month with the first meeting for 2023 taking place on Wednesday 22 February. We look forward to seeing you there!

NAPLAN brought forward in 2023

NAPLAN tests will be held from 15 to 27 March 2023. This change means that schools will have results earlier, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers and schools can determine how well young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning.

NAPLAN assesses skills that students are learning at school. It is not a test that can be studied for, so the best preparation is learning what we do in the classroom everyday.

Legacy Forum seeks young dreamers

Want your hopes and dreams to be heard at the Brisbane 2032 Legacy Forum to be held in Brisbane on 22 March? Young people are being asked to share their ideas that could be achieved or delivered sooner because we’re hosting the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. Have your say via the link below.

Lost property items

Missing something? Our lost property is filling up quickly. If you recognise any of the below items, please get in touch so we can reunite them with the owners.

Community News

The Smith Family supports school-aged families

It’s no secret the increased cost of living in recent times has impacted many families, making the back-to-school period a stressful time for those on lower incomes.

The Smith Family continues to run its matched savings program for families to help with school related expenses. Saver Plus supports eligible families to save for education related expenses by providing up to $500 for school costs via our free budgeting and matched savings program. We have now had over 55,000 families complete the program, and the program is now delivered virtually.

Families can use this initiative to pay for items such as:

• Laptops, computers, or tablets
• School uniforms
• School books and stationery
• Textbooks
• Music classes or instruments
• Sporting classes or equipment
• Excursions and camps

You can find more information about the program via The Smith Family website or Facebook.

Volunteers sought to support families

The Mater Parent Aide Unit (PAU) is a home visiting peer support service utilising trained volunteers who seek to improve infant developmental outcomes with a focus on the parent-child relationships.

The PAU recruits and trains volunteers with experience in parenting and a desire to support other families who may be struggling with this most demanding of roles. On completing the initial six-day training, these volunteers are referred to as Parent Aides and are offered ongoing training and development monthly, coordinated and delivered by experienced professionals.

Parent Aides help parents who are experiencing a range of challenges, and work with them to promote and enhance positive outcomes for the overall health and wellbeing of themselves and their infant or toddler. Parent Aides provide support to parents so their children can thrive, providing a strong foundation for their future.

Please do not hesitate to contact the team if you’d like to register your interest in becoming a volunteer.

Volleyball camp for all skill levels

Registrations for Sharks Camp 2023 - April are now officially open. Sharks Camp is a four-day volleyball camp designed to cater for athletes of all skill levels. With elite development opportunities available and pathways into club and state level volleyball, this camp has something for everyone.

The dates are 11 April – 14 April, so sign up today to secure your spot. Check out our website for more information:

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