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School Newsletter - Issue 1 - Friday 26th February 2021

From the Principal's Desk

Dear Families

A very warm welcome to the 2021 school year at Cleveland District State High School. It is great to be continuing as acting Executive Principal while Mr Paul Bancroft is on leave. I’d like to extend a special welcome to new families and students to our school community. Our enrolment has increased to 2200 with 417 new Year 7s. The popularity of Cleveland District State High School continues to grow, evidenced by the significant number of additional enrolment applications that we were not able to accept. Our school’s reputation is very strong from our culture, our rich history, our high expectations and care of students, our subject offerings and being recognised and accredited as an international school.

Our priorities for 2021 are firstly, to ensure the successful implementation of the Australian Curriculum across Years 7 to 10, New QCE in Senior School and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Last year was our first cohort of Year 12s to graduate under the new senior system which includes ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). I’m very proud of our school’s success with this, which is captured in two important indicators. First, 99% of our Year 12s achieved their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). This is an exceptional result and above most other schools in Queensland. I’m happy to report, that the three students who didn’t achieve a QCE, were supported by our senior schooling staff and have all been accepted into places at university for this year. The second indicator, is the percentage of Year 12s who graduate with a qualification. For 2020, we achieved 100%! This was an incredible undertaking with a school our size and demonstrates the care and professionalism of staff.

Another priority area is to investigate ways to improve our students’ writing abilities. This does not mean that we take our focus off reading, spelling or numeracy. It means that an area we want to improve, that can make the most difference to benefit student outcomes across the school, is writing. This is due to the demands of the Australian Curriculum, external exams and feedback from families and businesses. We are continuing to focus on paragraphing skills and provide opportunities for students to regularly write paragraphs as part of their studies. Additionally, this creates opportunities for deeper learning and understanding of concepts. Written communication is a key aspect of the Australian Curriculum. In Mathematics, for example, the expectations in the syllabus are for students to be able to interpret written problems, develop a solution and then explain their process and answer. Writing is critical in all subjects.

Third, we want to increase student engagement at school. Many staff work to support students in our school, including the Engagement Centres, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support team, guidance officers, chaplains, the high performing learning coach, support teachers and teacher aides.

Finally, we want to ensure that our school values are reflected in everything we do: Kaizen reinforces a focus on continuous improvement; Ubuntu reflects positive well-being; and Neoteny echoes positive habits of mind. Our values guide us to be an inclusive school so every student can succeed.

School staff look forward to working with you so every student has a successful pathway.

I wish all students a successful start to the year.

Leonard McKeown

DipT BEd GradDipMgt MEd(Res) MBA MACEL MAICD

Acting Executive Principal

Swimming Carnival

The annual CDSHS Interhouse Swimming Carnival was held on Friday 12^th February at the Cleveland Aquatic Centre. The perfect summer’s day provided the scene for a closely fought interhouse carnival. The stands and surrounding banks of the Aquatic Centre were a sea of maroon, red, blue, green and yellow as large numbers of students took the opportunity to participate in a variety of competitive and recreational events.

The carnival itself proved to be a very tight affair, with only 78 points separating 1^st place from 4^th place leading into the 4 x 50m relay events. The House Captains did a terrific job in recruiting team members and filling these relay events. The final House placings were as follows:

4^th place – Russell House (595)

3^rd place – Macleay House (703)

2^nd place – Moreton House (759)

1^st place – Peel House (828)

This victory by Peel House breaks a 3 year period of domination by Macleay House. Congratulations Peel House!

The Age Champions were as follows:

These students will make up the bulk of the CDSHS swimming team who will compete at the Bayside District Swimming Carnival on Thursday 18^th February. Good Luck, students!

Special Report from School TV - Vaping

Cleveland District SHS considers student safety and wellbeing of paramount importance and we aim to keep our parents well informed about potentially harmful or dangerous trends. A recent trend that is emerging among teens nationwide, is that of vaping.

Vaping is the inhaling of a vapour created by an electronic cigarette, better known as an e-cigarette. E-cigarettes are battery-powered smoking devices containing cartridges filled with a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavourings and chemicals. This liquid is heated into a vapour and is then inhaled by the user, hence the term “vaping."

Vaping puts nicotine into the body and is highly addictive. It is still unknown what the long-term effects are of vaping, but short-term we do know that it can slow down brain development in kids and teens. This can then affect their memory, concentration, learning, self-control, attention and mood. E-cigarettes also irritate and damage the lungs and can entice the use of other forms of tobacco, such as cigarettes.

“Although e-cigarettes have been around for more than a decade, vaping rates have skyrocketed in recent years, especially among teenagers, and many parents are justifiably concerned.” – Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

It is for these reasons that these items, and any other types of vaping paraphernalia, are a prohibited item within our school as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.

Furthermore, we would like to share a special report, from School TV, which addresses some of the concerns around vaping. School TV is an excellent online resource designed to empower parents with credible and sound information as well as realistic and practical support strategies regarding the many modern-day challenges facing our young people.

Please follow the link below to access the short informative video as well as the Cancer Council’s Position Statement on e-cigarettes.

https://clevdistshs.eq.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/ecigarettes-and-vaping-au

Welcome to the CDSHS Library

Our opening times are as follows:

Mon, Tues and Thurs: 8am to 4pm

Wed and Fri: 8am to 3pm

Please note that Homework Club is on Tuesday afternoons. It runs from 2.45pm to 4pm. Afternoon tea is provided.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Homework Club is on Thursday afternoons from 2.45pm to 4pm. Afternoon tea is provided.

The Library is a multi-functional space where students will find bookshelves full of contemporary and classic fiction, a comfortable reading area, a printing area for students to utilise, and a quiet study area to develop senior student study skills.

If your student has lost property, please advise them to come to the Library. We have many hats, drink bottles and pencil cases at the moment.

We look forward to welcoming your student to the CDSHS Library in 2021.

Hi From Our Chappies

We are Neale Collier and Sarah Woodward, the Cleveland High School Chaplains! Our main role as a Chaplain (or Chappy as we’re better known) is to support students, parents and staff with any physical, social, emotional or spiritual needs they might have. We are open to chat about all issues big or small and, where necessary, suggest other suitable people who might be able to help. We also run groups and activities that add positively to the Cleveland High experience.

Our Drop-in Centre, located in C-Block, is open every break. It is a safe place where students can play games, get a slice of toast or an ice-block or just hang out and chat. The centre is a hive of activities, many organised by our Student Chaplaincy Committee.

A big part of our Chaplaincy work is encouraging global citizenship by supporting our Sister School in Vanuatu, Pango Centre School, as well as installing libraries in impoverished remote schools with The Library Project Vanuatu. We have already started collecting books in preparation for the Library Creation Weekend in Term 2!

We are able to offer a full week service to Cleveland High due to the wonderful support and donations of the P&C, community donors and the efforts of volunteers. Family and staff support are critical for the success of our fundraisers, the first of which is our massive annual Trash and Treasure Sale, including Mega Book Sale on 27 March. If you are interest in donating, volunteering or assisting us in any other way, please don’t hesitate to ring us at the school.

We look forward to supporting our whole school community in 2021!

IB University Experience Day

On Monday 15 February, the Year 10 and 12 IBDP students visited QUT and Griffith University respectively to gain an insight into the experiences of university students. On the day, they had lectures on academic writing and referencing, practical experiments in the Pharmacy Lab and discussing school-to-university transitions with academic staff and IB graduates. The students thoroughly enjoyed the day and are looking forward to their future academic endeavours. Many thanks to the staff who accompanied them – Ms Ewan (SOSE HOD and IB Co-ordinator) and Mrs Hendy-Moman (ISP Co-ordinator and TOK Teacher extraordinaire!). As always, we are thankful for the great partnerships we have with QUT, UQ and Griffith. Year 11 and 12 students will visit The University of Queensland in Semester 2. This is an annual event allowing all three year levels of IB students to access the Universities before graduating.

Showing images 1 - 8 of 9

Creative Arts Update

Welcome back to the Creative Arts program in 2021. We are excitedly planning lots of Arts events for this year, after our enforced year of hibernation due to COVID. One of our big projects is our Variety Showcase scheduled for Term 3, which involves all of our Arts areas collaborating towards a production based on the theme of Peter Pan and Wendy. Ensembles are already rehearsing for this event – stay tuned for more details as the year progresses. Note also, that links for last year’s Dance Fusion and Music Showcase are being released to parents soon via email – notifications for this will also appear on our Facebook page. These wonderful events demonstrated the great talent of our students – we are glad to finally be able to share them with our audience of parents and friends.

We would like to introduce our Creative Arts Ambassadors for 2021 – this is a new student role, which provides leadership opportunities for two junior and two senior students in the Creative Arts. This year our representatives are Lucy Montgomery, Noah Margetts, Chiara Thomson and Niamh Edwards – congratulations to those students for their successful applications in a very competitive field of candidates.

Creative Arts Ambassadors from left: Lucy, Noah, Chiara and Niamh

We would also like to congratulate our students from 2020 who completed Year 12 in the first year of the new ATAR system. Our Creative Arts students had some very pleasing results across the board, including a perfect ATAR score for Livianna Melai in Music Extension which is a very impressive result! We congratulate all our Year 12 Arts students for negotiating the challenges of 2020 so successfully, and wish them well for the future.

Instrumental Music:

Welcome to new and continuing students for 2021!

At present, we are meeting our new Year 7 students. Our teachers who have previously taught Year 7 students from our feeder schools, are placing students into ensembles and lesson groups based on last year’s results.

New students to the school, who our teachers have not taught before, will be asked to meet the teachers in an interview time. If interested please email Mr Purnell spurn1@eq.edu.au

Returning students from Year 8-12:

Based on last year’s performance and attendance students will be placed into ensembles according to their instrument and level of instruction. Some students will be reluctant to continue with music, which is completely normal. Once we are in a routine this usually passes, so please persist and encourage them to attend their lessons and rehearsals.

All Year 7-12 students:

Draft timetables and ensemble lists for Term 1 will be on the noticeboard in the Performing Arts hallway, and will be emailed home by your teacher. If your student’s name is not on any of the lists or, if there is a query, please contact Mr Purnell via email (spurn1@eq.edu.au).

All students will have a lesson with our instrumental staff:

Mr Higgins – Percussion (Friday)
Ms Slater – Strings (Tuesday morning and Thursday)
Ms Cleary - Woodwind, (Monday and Tuesday)
Mr Purnell - Brass, Woodwind (Monday and Friday)

All lessons commence week 3 and ensembles week 4 – beginning 15^th Feb.

Education Queensland provides free lessons for Brass, Percussion, Strings and Woodwind instruments. Students are also welcome to join the Junior Choir (7-9) or Senior Choir (10-12) at any time; Junior Choir rehearsals are on Monday mornings from 7.45am in the Performance Space, and Senior Choir rehearses on Wednesday lunchtimes in P2. If interested in choir please contact Mrs Purnell (Senior) rmcdo6@eq.edu.au and Mrs McDuff- (Junior) McDuffl@eq.edu.au.

Students who play or would like to play guitar, keyboard or have singing lessons please contact the following staff. Guitar, Keyboard and Voice tuition have a user pay program. Aaron Andrews – aaron.tuition@gmail.com (guitar teacher), Keeyana Babsek – keeyanababsek@gmail.com (piano/theory teacher), Anita Taylor swats176@eq.edu.au (singing teacher).

Wind Ensemble in Action – first rehearsal of 2021

Extra-Curricular Options:

There are many extra-curricular Arts options available for students, in addition to the numerous music ensembles offered by the Instrumental Music Program. We are pleased to offer a new Art Extension Club (Years 7-9) this year, which will be run by our Art teachers on Thursday afternoons, 3 - 4pm. See the Art teachers in P block staffroom to register interest for this activity.

We also offer numerous Dance Teams, Musical Theatre Troupe and Senior Acting Extension – please see the teachers in P block staffroom for further information, or email mcduffl@eq.edu.au.

Parent Support Group for Creative Arts:

Cleveland District State High School has a long and proud tradition in the Arts. We would not be able to present events of such quality without the support of our parent/guardian community. Our parents and guardians play an invaluable role in many ways:

Fundraising
Supporting our events
Volunteering special skills (baking, sewing/dressmaking, etc.)

We are calling this group of legends CAST (Creative Arts Support Team), and would like you to consider joining the team! We will meet approximately three times a term, and will be a vital cog in the successful running of our events and programs this year.

If you would like to be part of this awesome group, please email our teacher aide Gail Bellas on gbell78@eq.edu.au.

Student Point of View

Last week, our Junior Creative Arts Ambassadors, Noah and Lucy, interviewed some Year 12 Creative Arts students and asked them about their experiences in the Creative Arts and what advice they would give the Year 7s starting at Cleveland.

Amanda H: Creative Arts is lots of fun. It’s a really welcoming environment, no one judges you for anything and you can be free to express yourself. You can try out lots of different things - there’s Art, Music, Dance, Drama, it’s such a wide field. It’s kind of like therapy - it’s good to get your mind off school by just playing your instrument or drawing.

Will H: My favourite thing about the Creative Arts would definitely be the amount of opportunities there are to perform and extend yourself. Being part of Creative Arts teaches you life skills beyond the Creative Arts: it teaches things like time management, is fun and grows you as a person.

Daniel P: I enjoy the freedom of expression of the Arts, especially through music - you can express your emotions even when playing someone else’s song, you can connect to it and make it personal. It’s all about expression.

Liam W: My favourite thing first of all is meeting new people, like-minded people. Second of all, it’s a great place to discover (if you haven’t already) what your passions are. Luckily with the school’s Creative Arts Program there are a lot of different opportunities, especially with the live events like Showcase and camps. It’s a really good place to talk to other people about their passion. I enjoy watching other people perform because I feel like it’s a really great way to learn and I feel like that’s a good, healthy way to become a better performer or a better person.

Chiara T: My advice is to definitely give everything a go that you’re interested in. Figure out what your little niche is and take risks, because in your high school years you are developing and trying new things. By taking risks you explore your passions and can figure out your niche. Find things you love and enjoy making new friends.

Paige E: As a musician, I would say that it is important to think about why you love music and what you love about your instrument. Do your best to immerse yourself in different kinds of music and broaden your knowledge on different styles and genres. Find music that you love to play and set a practice schedule to learn it. Find the joy in what you play and tell a story when you perform.

Charlie F: My advice would be that time management skills are a must. Having done band rehearsals every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for the past four years, it is clear that homework and assignments must be done around these times. It is definitely possible, and in fact, it is even more productive as you can schedule your life a lot easier, however, only with key time management skills.

Niamh E: Don’t be scared. A lot of younger students get very intimidated, not only by the older grades but also by the responsibilities of being a part of the Creative Arts program. Once you become a part of it, and you become a part of this family that we have, you experience so many incredible things, make amazing friends, do awesome things and have awesome opportunities. So, my advice to you is to just take that leap and do it. If you feel weird at first, it’s fine, we’re all weird, that’s a part of it. Be yourself because, like I said, no one’s going to judge you for it because we’re a family.

International Student Program

Welcome to another year at the CDSHS International Students Program. In particular, we welcome back Kim, Limkyung, Vanessa, Leon, Tony, Owen, Richard and Aiden. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, our eight remaining International Graduate Program students stayed onshore with their local Australian families trying to keep busy over the long Summer break. We wish our students all the best with their continuing studies at CDSHS.

This week, senior students received their leadership badges. Congratulations to Vanessa and Leon on their election to the 2021 Student Council and, to Limkyung and Richard who will represent CDSHS as year 12 school leaders (International Student Liaison Officer and Student Council Executive, respectfully). At the CDSHS Badge Ceremony, Limkyung and Richard gave their first official speeches to the school community. Both were outstanding in their delivery and showed great skill and confidence speaking in their second language.

Recently, our Year 12 IB international students travelled with their peers to Griffith University campus on the Gold Coast. This full day experience included working as, a pharmacist, science lab technician and, with cutting edge virtual augmentation hardware. Students were also taught how to prepare for university style writing, referencing and research; invaluable skills as the students work towards finalising their 4000-word extended essay as a core component of the IB Diploma Program.

We love it when our international students feel confident enough to join a local sporting team. Congratulations to Aiden who has recently shown great skill at baseball. The international staff were highly amused when we heard about suspension of play due to a brown snake being out on the diamond. Only in Australia…

Student Resource Scheme Reminder

Please ensure that all 2021 Student Resource Scheme forms have been completed and returned to the school. If you need to access one, these can be located on the school website.

There are a number of payment methods available. If you require a payment plan, please contact the Finance department to arrange.

All students are automatically set up with a MyConnect account for the first month of each school year and are granted full access. In line with the CDSHS SRS (School Resource Scheme) policy, students who have not paid their SRS OR have not arranged a payment plan with the CDSHS Accounts Manager prior to Monday 1 March, 2021, will have access to their MyConnect accounts suspended after one month of free access. Suspended MyConnect accounts will be reactivated once a payment has been received by the school finance department.

Just a reminder that QParents is a valuable tool particularly for financial information. You are able to access details of all invoices on your student accounts as well as make payments through the BPOINT portal. Invitations for QParents have recently been emailed to all families.

Internet Banking details:
Account Name: Cleveland District State High School General a/c
BSB Number: 064 138 CBA Cleveland
Account Number: 00090051
Reference Details: Student Name, Year Level and payment detail (ie. B.Smith 11 SRS) in the details section so that your payment can be recorded correctly.

When paying via internet, BPAY or BPOINT, please also send an email to accounts@clevelanddistrictshs.eq.edu.au with full details of payment.

Please note:
In regard to making payments via BPay, BPOINT or internet transfer, please note that due to the large volume of payments we receive, we are unable to reply to emails requesting payment confirmation. This also applies to requests for receipts to be mailed/emailed. If you require proof of payment, please send your student to the payment window to collect a receipt.

Thank you for your understanding.

Interested in Being a Volunteer Tutor?

What you will do:

Our volunteer tutors help those students who may experience difficulties with learning. Our focus is on Literacy and Numeracy across a variety of subjects. However, if you have a particular interest e.g. Cooking/ Manual Arts we can try to accommodate your interest. You would be supporting students in their classes.

What you need:

Basic literacy and/or maths/specialized skills
Ability to relate to adolescents
Life Experience
Flexibility
Patience
Sense of humour
A Volunteer Blue Card (Working with Children) is essential for those who are not parents of current Cleveland District State High school students. (Application is done online and linked to CDSHS when approved.)
Parents of current students can start immediately.

For further information contact: Denise Sung

Ph: 07 38249255 E-mail : dsung1@eq.edu.au

P & C Report

Following the AGM held last night, we are very pleased to confirm that Amanda Miles has returned as President. Amanda will be joined by Louise Pack as Vice President. We welcome Louise to the Executive Committee and thank her for volunteering her time. Thank you also to Tania Frost Jones who returns as Treasurer, and Deborah Mitchell who has kindly put up her hand for the position of Secretary. Thank you to all the Executive members for taking these positions and committing their valuable time to the P&C as it continues to provide invaluable support in various ways to the school, the students and the community. We look forward to another positive and productive year for the P&C.

TUCKSHOP

Flexischools- please change your students year level ASAP

The Tuckshop is very busy….every day! To help ease waiting times in the Flexischools pre-order queue, can you PLEASE ensure you have changed your students’ year level to reflect 2021. When not changed, time is spent looking for orders and students in the queue must wait longer than they should. Also, please communicate with your student as to whether you have ordered for first break, second break or both. We have many students coming up in first break looking for lunch orders and again this takes valuable time away from serving other students.

Coffee Ice Breaks – rule change

Ice Breaks (500ml Ice Coffee milk drinks) will no longer be sold to Junior School Students (Years 7,8 & 9). This new directive comes at the request of school staff and the Tuckshop/P&C are in full support. 300 ml Ice Coffee Breakas are still available to Junior School students as are all other flavoured milks in 280ml, 300ml and 500ml bottles.

$50 notes – please leave them at home and bring smaller notes.

The Tuckshop continues to receive many $50 notes as cash payments which severely depletes our ability to provide change. If your student must bring cash to school, please ensure the use of smaller denominations.

Cutlery

The Tuckshop has introduced eco-friendly packaging and cutlery. As a result, we will be charging students for cutlery if they request it for food brought from home. We are no longer able to give away cutlery for home lunches free of charge.

Weekly Specials

Keep an eye out for weekly specials set to be introduced from next week. Check the CDSHS Facebook page for updates every Monday.

UNIFORM SHOP

No Appointments required– The Uniform Shop is back to normal business hours Mon, Tue and Thurs mornings 8am – 10.30am. No appointment necessary.

Parents/Caregivers – While no appointment is necessary, you will be required to sign in on the COVID register on arrival. The QR code is available on the door and inside the store. We must still be careful with the number of people in the store so staff will let you know when you can enter. If you are unsure please just ask.

Stock – If we are out of items and you want to know when they are available, check flexischools. If it is online it will be instore. Winter stock will not be available until closer to the end of Term 1.

Blazers **important** - If your student would like a blazer for this winter, please come in NOW as they must be tried on due to a more fitted style and the order placed with our supplier. Blazers are made to order and are not held in stock.

Price Increase – Over the last year, we have had several price increases with our suppliers, and with the current climate, unfortunately this means we now have to pass a fraction of this cost on to our customers. We try very hard to keep costs as low as possible. Remembering that all profits raised in the Uniform Shop go back into the school to help our students. Please note, there will be an increase in most items by the end of Term 1.

Flexischools Orders – We still have quite a few orders sitting in the shop awaiting pickup. If you are unsure if you’re student has picked these up, please feel free to call or email us and we can check for you.

Pre-orders – If we were out of stock of items at the start of the term, and you have pre-purchased or requested something, as soon as we have them in store you WILL be contacted. Please ensure you come and get these quickly. If you have not paid in advance, we cannot hold the items for longer than a week and you may miss out.

Layby – You can layby now for winter or extra uniforms. A 15% deposit for a period of up to 90 days is required along with a $5 non-refundable service fee for setup. This is a great way to help with spreading the cost out especially at this time of year. Come and see us in the shop.

Second Hand Clothing – Please remember, we cannot accept any items that are not freshly laundered and dried and, we cannot dispose of items for you. Any items that 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 cannot be accepted otherwise. We will cost items for you, less the 30% fee taken off the total for the P&C, with the remainder refunded either directly to your bank card (if the total is under $100) or direct to your bank account (if over $100). We run this cycle each Monday of the school term. You do not have to wait for the items to be sold instore.

General – We would like to welcome everyone back to school and look forward to an exciting 2021. A big thank you to everyone for abiding by the rules during the appointment fittings at the beginning of the year. Your help ensured that everything ran as smoothly as possible. We continue to provide hand sanitiser on entry and exit of the store. A CovidTracer code is available which ALL parents/guardians need to register with and show their check-in to a staff member before leaving. NO stock is to be handled except by staff before it has been purchased. If you need help, just ask a staff member.

We thank you in advance, and really appreciate your extra efforts.

NEXT P&C GENERAL MEETING

The next scheduled general P&C meeting is on Tuesday March 23^rd2021 @ 7pm in the Innovation Centre F9 - F10 located behind the Language block. Entry is via Russell Street. You are very welcome to come along and find out what’s happening behind the scenes at CDSHS, and meet the Executive and teachers helping to make positive things happen.