School Newsletter Issue 14 - Friday November 20th, 2020

Remembrance Day 2020

On the 11th of November, the 2021 Senior and Junior Leadership team had the honour of representing Cleveland District State High School at our local Remembrance Day service at the Cleveland cenotaph. The service served as our first formal event as new school leaders, and provided us an opportunity to witness the close relationship our school has within our local community.

Our relations within the community, particularly with our local RSL, has enabled our students to understand the importance of Remembrance Day, beginning with our Honour the Fallen project and culminating with our Remembrance Day commemorations. It was amazing to see how, despite external circumstances this year, we were still able to come together and remember those who made personal sacrifices for the freedom of our country and way of life. The ability of the service to bring together people from all generations and life experiences made me rethink what Remembrance Day is truly about; coming together as a community and keeping the spirit of those who have served alive. It is important that we as students and young people do not forget the importance of this day and take our way of life for granted.

I want to personally thank the local Redlands RSL for their continued work within our community, particularly Deputy President Corporal Ian Grey, Redlands RSL League Secretary Michael McDonnell Gunner, as well as Ex Commando Sargent John Butler and Afghanistan Veteran Corporal Adrian Aiple, all of whom we had the pleasure of meeting.

Lest We Forget.

Alex

2021 School Captain

Remembrance Day is a very special day.  For us, it is a day that we can commemorate the ones who left their lives behind to fight in the name of freedom, so that we may live our life the way we do in the present. It is a day  we remember the young, brave men and women who served for our country, and who never returned. For us, it is a way to express our gratitude to these young soldiers, who laid down their lives for our freedom, for which we are eternally grateful. 

Lest we forget.

Sam

2021 Junior Leader

Remembrance Day Display

On 11th November at 11 am, Australia stops and remembers our veterans who have died for us. Remembrance Day allows us a chance to stop and remember our past and present Veterans who have served our nation. This year, the 2021 Student Leaders represented our school at the Redlands RSL Remembrance Day Service as well as creating a Remembrance Day display in our library. This project was undertaken by the 2021 Leaders with assistance from Mrs Gulliver and the library staff, as well as Mr McKenzie from Industrial Design Technology  who made the poppies for our display.

We were very fortunate to be able to show this display to some of our local Veterans and Mr McKeown, who were all very impressed. A big thank you to John Butler Sargent, Afghanistan Veteran; Adrian Aiple, Corporal; and Ian Gray, Corporal, Deputy President Redlands RSL.

Cleveland District State High School would like to thank all current and past Veterans for their service and sacrifice.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. We will remember them” (AWM).

Lest We Forget

Honour the Fallen Project

The Honour the Fallen Project is hosted by the RSL across Australia. It has a mission to spread dignity and pride throughout the country in recognition of the Digger’s efforts so that we the citizens can live a free life. On ANZAC and Remembrance Days every year, Australian flags are placed at either the head or foot of every Veteran grave in Australia. Students from Cleveland High participated at the Cleveland cemetery.

As a personal recount of participating in the Honour the Fallen Project this Remembrance Day, the pride and thankfulness I felt to honour the Veterans, gave me goosebumps, and allowed me to take a different mindset – an educated mindset from the experience. I encourage everyone to partake in this project at some point in their lives.

On behalf of Cleveland District State High School, we thank the following people who educated us throughout the activity and allowed it to take place; John Butler - Sargent Ex Commando, Adrian Aiple – Corporal Afghanistan Veteran, Ian Gray – Corporal Deputy President Redlands RSL and Michael McDonnell – Gunner Redlands RSL League Secretary.

Charles

2021 School Captain

I B News

IB Celebration of Learning

Congratulations to our 2020 Year 12 International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme students. They have worked hard to complete their six subjects, plus Theory of Knowledge, 4000 word Extended Essay, and Community, Activity, Service components of the course. Many have been granted early entry to university courses, scholarships and even acceptance into the Australian Institute of Sport for one of our talented graduates.

We are very proud of these students and wish them every success with their future endeavours.

Year 12 IB Stradbroke Excursion

Recently, our Year 12 IB class had their turn conducting water testing experiments on North Stradbroke Island with ABC Training and Consulting to finish off their Certificate II Sampling and Measurement and Certificate III Laboratory Skills.  This awesome qualification will give them in-demand skills as well as a boost to their ATAR and QCE credits.  Congratulations students on your hard work and thank you to the trainers from ABC and Mrs Hendy-Moman who accompanied the students.

Ignite Workshop

The final Ignite Workshop for 2020 was held on Thursday, November 5^th, with fifty Ignite students participating in two challenging, interactive sessions.

The first session asked students to consider the idea of a universal language, and to debate the positive and negatives on implementing such an idea in 2020. They also investigated words from several languages that do not have an English equivalent. The students’ favourite was ‘kummerspeck’, which is a German word that roughly translates to ‘grief bacon’, and refers to the weight gained due to excessive eating that stems from being sad (something we can all relate to).

In the second session, students took on the role of detectives investigating Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44BCE. They used their critical thinking and historical skills to evaluate a variety of different exhibits, and then working in groups, determined what they thought was the most likely motivation for the assassination. Students discussed the reliability of each piece of evidence and how that impacted the importance they attached to it. Students thoroughly enjoyed playing detective for the afternoon and realised the applicability of historical skills to a variety of different fields!

Thank you to the Year 11 International Baccalaureate students who assisted with the workshop, and to the tuckshop staff for the fantastic afternoon tea.

Languages Department News

Annual Japanese Dinner

On 11 November, students who study Japanese from Years 9 -12 had the opportunity of a cultural dining experience at the ‘Japanese Teppanyaki Bar’, Raby Bay. Students enjoyed a banquet of salad, soup, and fried rice, as well as a range of teppanyaki vegetables, chicken and seafood.  

The Japanese students have previously worked on various units in which they investigated Japanese food. They have also learnt Japanese restaurant language and customs of dining in Japan. This excursion offered a terrific opportunity to try traditional Japanese food, and an excellent way to expand their cultural knowledge and understanding beyond the classroom environment.

Learning languages requires consistent effort, both in the classroom and at home, and the students celebrated the perseverance and dedication everyone has demonstrated over the years. The night was a highly enjoyable evening with wonderful company and food! Gochisousamadeshita!

Annual French Dinner

On 19 November, students went to The French Table restaurant, Cleveland to enjoy a French dinner and immerse themselves in the French culture. Students enjoyed an entrée sampler of escargot, baguette, fromage frit and terrine; mains included a choice of boeuf bourguignon, crêpe à la reine or mushroom and truffle risotto and the dessert choice was either strawberry romanoff or chocolate moelleux.

The students have worked on various units in which they studied French food and culture and, through this excursion, they enjoyed putting their skills and appreciation of French culture into practice. Bon appétit !

Annual Chinese Dinner

On 17 November, students who study Chinese from Year 9-12 had the opportunity of a cultural dining experience at the Happy Garden restaurant, Cleveland. Students enjoyed a traditional Chinese banquet of chicken and corn soup, spring rolls, steamed barramundi, crispy chicken, Asian greens, fried rice and deep fried ice-cream.   The restaurant service and wait staff, including current Cleveland High students were most efficient and friendly. Our students thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to celebrate another year of consistent effort and perseverance of Chinese language learning with their peers and Language teachers. Chi !!

Creative Arts News

Creative Arts Update

On November 18^th, the Instrumental Music Team held our Instrumental Music Awards for 2020.  This would normally take place at our Music Showcase, but due to the changed circumstances of this year it was a separate event.  Congratulations to all award winners, and an enormous thank you to staff, students and parents for their continued support of our program.

This week in celebration of the NAIDOC theme, “Always was, always will be”, students celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures across many classes. Mr Turnbull and Mr Wacker’s Year 9 Media classes focussed on creating animations for an Acknowledgement of Country. Students payed homage to Quandamooka land, seas and skies when developing the animations. Check out the school’s Facebook or YouTube page for a fantastic animation that was created by Loulou Scheeres.

Zoe Franks in Year 11 Music in Practice, composed a lovely piece for a string ensemble, and some of our Year 9 students, along with their awesome teacher Mrs Slater, tried it out in their lesson.  It is fantastic to hear the piece played live by such wonderful young musicians!  Congratulations to Zoe for a lovely piece of music.

Plans are underway for an exciting new version of our Year 7 Music Extension program.  The Instrumental Music Team is anticipating an incredible cohort of young musicians in 2021, and we are hoping the new program will allow our budding young musicians another opportunity to extend their abilities and build a wonderful community of like-minded students.

Creative Generation is back in 2021! Check the school notices to find out how to register your interest. Nominations close for Cleveland High students on Friday November 27^th .

Carys Martin, highly regarded local ceramics artist and teacher, has been working with our teachers, building their expertise in clay.  She has also been involved in some in-class workshops with our Year 9 Art students, and they have created some excellent examples already!

SPECIAL REPORT: Having the Alcohol Discussion

Please see the Special report on SCHOOL TV on the school’s website  https://clevdistshs.eq.schooltv.me/launch

With the impending festive season and end of school celebrations, some teenagers may be feeling ready to party, wanting to put the disruptions, frustrations and disappointments of this past year, behind them.

To ensure our young people stay safe during this time, parents and carers are encouraged to have the alcohol discussion - no matter how difficult or overwhelming it may be. It is important to outline the rules and boundaries around age-appropriate alcohol consumption and potential legal implications.

Young people are at greater risk of alcohol-related harm than adults because their brains continue to develop until their mid-twenties. The safest level of alcohol consumption for teenagers, is no alcohol at all, but this may be difficult to enforce and may not prevent them from experimenting. However, parents and carers can influence sensible drinking habits and help minimise the risks.

In this special report, a series of discussion points are offered to help make the conversation about alcohol consumption a little easier. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this special report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Below is the link to our special report:

Lexile Reading Awards

Our Lexile Reading Program sees all students in Years 7 to 9 engage in silent reading each week during their English lessons.  Once a term, students complete a reading test online which gives them a Lexile score, and this is used to help them select book titles that are suitable for their reading level. This year, we have introduced an awards system that features two categories.  The first is for students who improve their Lexile Score by the highest percentage.  The second category is for students who have been nominated by their teacher for engaging in the program with enthusiasm.  Three awards are given out in each category, each term. 

Over the past month, Mrs Hutton and Ms Menzies had the pleasure of attending Junior Year Level Parades to present the Lexile Reading Awards for Term 3.  Mr McKennariey also came along as a guest presenter to Year 8 parade and spoke to students about his love of reading.  He shared with students that he is currently engrossed in a book called, “Walk the Wire” by David Baldacci.  This book is part of a series that follows the story of Amos Decker who is also known as the “Memory Man” as he remembers everything due to an injury he sustained during an NFL match. Students were hanging off Mr McKennariey’s every word whilst he told them more about the story.  It sure was a great way to start the day!

Below are our award winners in each year level.  Congratulations to all of our wonderful winners! 

International Student Program

The CDSHS International Student Program continues to celebrate as the end of the year draws to a close. In this report, we acknowledge the outstanding achievement by our 2020 international cohort at the recent academic presentation awards.

Congratulations to the following students:

Yilin Zheng (China – Year 12) Top of Subject: IB Biology, IB Chemistry, IB Language and Literature (*Top 5 in Business Management)

Raymond Yoshiki (Japan – Year 12) Top of Subject: Chinese

Sinjuni Guha (India – Year 12) Top of Subject: Tourism (*Top 5 in Mathematical Methods)

*special mention to Thai Pham (Vietnam – Year 12) Top 5 in Specialist Mathematics and Physics

Richard Qin (China – Year 11) Top of Subject: IB Chemistry, IB History, IB Language and Literature, IB Mathematics Applications and Interpretations, IB Japanese, IB Physics. Dux of IB.

Grete Deng (China – Year 11) Top of Subject: Chinese

Limkyung Choi (Korea – Year 11) Top of Subject: IB Mandarin (*Top 5 in IB Mathematics Applications and Interpretations)

*special mention to Chloe Zong (China – Year 11) Top 5 in Chinese

*special mention to Kim Tran (Vietnam – Year 11) Top 5 in Modern History

Takato Nakahara (Japan – Year 10) Top of Subject: Agricultural Science (*Top 5 in Mathematics Methods and Japanese)

Tony Zhang (China  Year 10) Top of Subject: Chinese

*special mention to Owen Zhao (China – Year 10) Top 5 in Chinese

*special mention to Leon Xu (China – Year 10) Top 5 in IB Chemistry

Vanessa Feng (China – Year 9) Top of Subject: Chinese, History, Science (*Top 5 in Mathematics and STEM). Dux of IB.

We are extemely proud to acknowledge Richard Qin and Vanessa Feng as Dux of IB (11), and Dux of Year 9, respectively. This is an extraordinary effort. Congratulations to you and your families in home country. 

Whislt we celebrate, we also bid a sad farewell to more of our students. Goodbye to Takato, Riko and Aiden. It has been an honour to host you at CDSHS. We wish you well as you return to your home countries. You will be missed greatly missed by your friends, teachers and homestay families.

We also wish, Sinjini, Sheminta, Chuc, Yilin, Paymond and Thai a wonderful Year 12 Graduation, and Choe and Greta the best of luck as they move to university foundation courses. Our fingers are crossed you are accepted into your dream university courses in the near future. We are proud to have hosted you at CDSHS. You will be missed terribly.  Until we meet again…

Would you like to be a CDSHS homestay family?

The Cleveland District State High School International Student Program is always recruiting
homestay families for both long-term and short-term stay students.

A ‘homestay’ is a private home accepting overseas students to live as part of their family. It is
not a matter of simply renting out a room in your house. You are effectively the student’s
‘parent’ whilst they are studying at CDSHS. Host families can be an individual, couple or
family and preferably located within the school catchment area with easy access to public
transport. All members of host families aged 18 years and over require a valid Blue Card for
Working with Children and this can be arranged through the school at no cost.

CDSHS long-term homestay testimony:
‘Hosting international students from all over the world has enriched our lives forever.
Through building strong relationships with young people from different cultural
backgrounds we now have the inside gossip on, how to drive a dog sled effectively in
the snow in Norway, and where to find the best gelato in Venice! However, homestay
is more much more than funny stories. It is an opportunity for young people to
become citizens of the world and for our own Australian children to grow tolerance,
cultural understanding and acceptance. Put simply, the CDSHS homestay program
has been the best part of our own family adventure.’

HOST FAMILIES RECEIVE TAX FREE PAYMENT FOR HOSTING BOTH LONG AND SHORT TERM STUDENTS
For more information on hosting International Students,
please contact our Homestay Coordinator at:
claro2@eq.edu.au OR phone the CDSHS ISP office on 3824 9249

Payment Window Update

Emails have been forwarded regarding the 2021 Student Resource Scheme (SRS). 

If you have not received this information, it is now available on the school website.

Again, we are offering the early payment discount of $30.  To be eligible for this discount, all outstanding fees need to be finalised, and the 2021 SRS paid in full and receipted prior to Friday 4 December 2020 at 3.15pm.  This is the last day our payment window will be open for the year.

We are transitioning to a cashless school in 2021 and we strongly urge you to consider the following payment methods:

QParents is a valuable tool for parents, particularly for financial information.  You are able to access details of all your student accounts, as well as make payments through the BPOINT portal.  Please contact the office to request your email invitation.

The BPOINT portal can also be accessed 24 hrs on 1300 631 073.  You will require your CRN and invoice number located on your statement, and/or invoice, when accessing this payment method.

If you prefer to use an internet transfer, our details are:

Cleveland District State High

CBA     064-138

Acct     00090051

Description – Student Surname, Initial, Payment Code – eg SmithJ YR8SRS

When making payments via BPAY, BPOINT or Internet Banking, please send an email to accounts@clevelanddistrictshs.eq.edu.au with full details of your payment.

Due to the large volume of payments we receive, we are unable to email/mail receipts home.  If you require proof of payment, please send your student to the payment window to collect a receipt.

PLEASE NOTE

Our Payment Window hours will be changing for 2021.  Our new hours will be:

Tuesday, Thursday & Friday – 7.45am to 11.00am

CLOSED - Mondays & Wednesdays

P & C Update

The P and C Association congratulates all students who were recognised for their achievements at the Presentation Day ceremonies.

Thank you to all who have made uniform shop appointments to date. Spaces are filling fast. If you need to come in with your student before school starts next year, get in quickly and book an appointment. Due to Covid, we cannot accept 'walk-ins' over the traditional busy period (Nov 23 - Dec 4 & 11 Jan - Jan 22). Appointments only! See below for more information.

UNIFORM SHOP

Nov/Dec/Jan Appointment Schedule

There is an appointment schedule for all uniform fittings this year; available in the last two full weeks at the end of Term 4 (Nov 23 - Dec 4), and again before school commences in 2021 (Jan 11 - Jan 22).  Bookings only, no walk-ins during the appointment schedule periods (see exception re current Yr 9 students below). The link for making an appointment is available on the CDSHS Uniform Shop webpage, Facebook page, and can be copied from the notice on our door.

Year 9 Parents / Caregivers - If you have current Year 9 students moving to Year 10 in 2021, GET IN QUICK. Your student is more than welcome to come into the shop during their break times (no appointment necessary until the end of Term 4), to try on what they need. We can write down the sizing so parents can order online via Flexischools for students to pick up, or we can take payment over the phone.

Flexischool orders – We currently have a large amount of orders sitting in the shop awaiting pick up. These will have to go back in to stock if they are not collected by the end of term.  Please ensure pick up is completed by Friday 4^th December at the latest.

Layby - 15% deposit for a period of up to 90 days is required along with a $5 non-refundable service fee for set-up. This is a great way to help with spreading the costs out, especially at this time of year.

Second hand clothing - We are currently receiving many items that are no longer current uniform. We cannot accept any items that are not cleaned, or are marked, and we cannot dispose of these for you either. Any items we cannot resell or donate will need to be taken away with you. Please ensure all items brought in for resale are in good to excellent condition, are clean and dry with no stains, paint marks, rips, broken zips etc. as they will not be accepted. We will cost items for you; there is a 30% fee taken off the total for the P&C, and the rest will be refunded either directly to your bank card that you have purchased items with previously (if the total is under $70) or direct to your bank account (if over $70, we run this cycle each Monday of the school terms). You do not have to wait for the items to be sold instore.

General & COVID19 - It has indeed been a very testing year for everyone and we are here to help our school community as much as we can. Please just come and talk to us if you require special assistance. We request everyone to use our hand sanitiser on entry and exit of the store. A CovidTracer code is available.  ALL parents/guardians need to register with the code and show their check-in to a staff member before leaving.

Please be advised, absolutely NO stock is to be handled except by staff before it has been purchased. 

TUCKSHOP

Your students may have noticed a few extra delicious items on the menu over the past few weeks. The team in the Tuckshop are trying out a few different menu options to consider adding to the 2021 menu if they prove popular. The newly added cannelloni (meat and vege options) and the rice paper rolls have been a hit so far! Please let your students know they are most welcome to make suggestions for the menu as we are open to try a new menu item if it proves popular and economical.

The Tuckshop will close on Friday December 4th and will NOT be open on the last 3 days of term (Dec 7,8,9). As things quieten down, menu items will be limited. To ensure your student does get what they want, please order through Flexischools so they won’t miss out.

Our next and final general meeting for 2020 is scheduled for Tuesday 24^th November at 7pm. We hope to see you there as we finalise business for the year.

Homework Centre

Next Step Survey

Research Participation

Crime Prevention Corner

Parenting in a Pandemic