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School Newsletter - Issue 1 - March, 2022

From the Principal's Desk

Dear Families

It’s been another challenging start to the year for our school and community. Along with the significant support from families, the positive engagement of students and the commitment of staff, we have again successfully weathered the complexities so that our school is in a good position.

I’d like to highlight some school events that have occurred since the start of this year. I encourage you to read this newsletter to learn about other many other events that are celebrated.

Presentation of Awards and Badges to 2021 Duxes and 2022 Student Leaders

Due to the COVID rules, we were unable to have our traditional Badge Ceremony. I’m pleased to say that this has been rescheduled to Wednesday 30 March at 1.30pm. We believed that it was important to announce the 2021 Duxes and 2022 Student Leaders in a timely way so we held an investiture ceremony on the evening of 22 February.

During this event, our ATAR Dux, Archie Wills, and IB Dux, Richard Qin, were acknowledged and presented with high end Microsoft Surface Pro Laptops by ABC Training and Consulting. These are significant prizes and were appreciated by the recipients who are both about to commence university studies. Our Junior and Senior school leaders were presented with their badges and recognised for their contributions to our school.

Swimming Carnival

School carnivals couldn’t go ahead in their usual form in Term 1, so our HPE and Sport Department were creative to ensure our students had opportunities to compete for places at the District championships. This worked out very well, with many students nominating for events and a number of school records were broken.

Zonta Dinner

Our Senior Leaders attended the Zonta International Women’s Day Dinner on Thursday night. The leaders did an outstanding job of representing our school and I'm proud to report that our school won back the coveted 'Young Women in Public Affairs' trophy with Olivia Chissell (2021 school captain) being awarded this year’s scholarship. She will now progress to the regional level of this competition and we wish her all the best.

Homework Centre

I visited our Homework Centre last week and thoroughly enjoyed working with the students and hearing their progress. We’ve had a very successful centre for a number of years thanks to the dedication of staff volunteers and last year we won a grant to extend our centre. We were one of only a few high schools in Queensland to achieve this. Often around 50 students come to the centre each day and it’s a great way for students to receive extra support for their studies.

Lions Youth of the Year

Last weekend, Jemma Griffin (School Captain) competed in the District Round of the Lions Youth of the Year, after winning the Redland competition two weeks previous. Jemma won the District round against very strong competition and will now progress to the Regional Round. We wish Jemma all the very best for the next stage.

Shave for a Cure

It was wonderful to see such a large student and staff audience to support the Shave for a Cure event. I’d like to especially recognise, Guy Weideman from Year 12, who raised a significant amount of money and contributed to students’ understanding of the importance of the event.

Vanuatu Library Creation Weekend being held on 17-20 March

Along with many staff, students and community members, I helped out at this year’s library creation project for Vanuatu schools. Our school has been instrumental in playing a key role in the development of libraries for schools in Vanuatu over many years and our chaplains, Neale and Sarah, have done a remarkable job in leading this and garnering community support. This year’s project was very successful and the libraries will be transported to Vanuatu later this year.

I wish all students a very successful end to the term.

Leonard McKeown

DipT BEd GradDipMgt MEd(Res) MBA MACEL MAICD

Executive Principal

Dux of IB and Dux of ATAR celebrated

Last week, our Dux of IB and Dux of ATAR for 2021 were announced and presented with their awards. It was a very close race with an outstanding cohort in both programs. Congratulations to our 2021 IB Dux, Richard Qin who has accepted a place at the Australian National University in Canberra studying a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Unable to attend on the night, his proud Aunty Helen accepted the award on his behalf. We are proud to announce the ATAR Dux for 2021 is Archie Wills. Archie has accepted a place at the University of Queensland to study a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Masters of Engineering. Both students were presented with their trophies and, through the generosity of our amazing sponsors, a brand new Microsoft Surface Pro laptop. We thank ABC Training and Consulting for their support of our students through their ongoing sponsorship and productive partnership with the school.

Settling into High School - Will I have Friends?

Starting high school, or a new school for that matter, is fraught with excitement and nerves. Whether students know lots of people or no one, kids will worry about if they have someone to sit next to in class, at lunch time, during sport etc. During parades this year (starting again in week 7) Mr Hampson and I will teach the year 7s important skills to help them navigate through making friends, maintaining friendships and ending a friendship.

We will cover the following topics:

Different friends serve different purposes
Having friends is different to being popular
Friendships are only as good as your boundaries
Conflict in friendships is normal
Most friendships don’t last forever

If you would like to read more about helping your child to navigate friendships, please visit https://lindastade.com/truth-about-friendships/ .

Clair Doevendans
Dean of Year 7

International Student News

Welcome to another year at the CDSHS International Student Program. In particular, we welcome back Vanessa, Leon, Tony and Owen. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, our four remaining International Graduate Program students stayed onshore with their local Australian families trying to keep busy over the long Summer break. This term, we are very happy to welcome August from Vietnam, to Cleveland District State High School.

Like a scene from an action movie, August traversed international lines, completed 14 day’s quarantine, crossed state borders and finally, landed at CDSHS to be our first new international student to participate in the Education Queensland International Graduate Program in over two years. August, you have no idea how happy our school community is to meet you! We also extend a warm welcome to other international students from a range of countries who have recently moved to Australia with their families. Good Luck with your studies at CDSHS this year.

*Graduates, Richard (China), Limkyung (Korea) and Kim (Vietnam)*

The numbers have been crunched and well to their credit, former CDSHS students Richard, Kim and Limkyung have performed brilliantly in their final year 12 exams (2021) to achieve some outstanding results.

Richard reached a soaring 42 (out of a possible 45) points for his IB grade. This is equivalent to a 99+ ATAR score. Not only this, Richard was named Year 12 IB Dux 2021 and, has been accepted to the Australian National University in Canberra where he is studying a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

IB student Limkyung, scored an ATAR of 90+ and is currently studying a Bachelor of Psychology at the University of Queensland.

Kim scored an ATAR of 90+ and most impressively, received the ‘Remarkable Scholarship’ for international students at Griffith University. The scholarship means, Kim has 50% of her tuition covered by the university. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Business and Hotel Management.

We could not be prouder of our three graduates who achieved all of this under the most challenging of Covid conditions. Congratulations, Richard, Limkyung and Kim.

The great news doesn’t stop there! Year 11 IB student Vanessa from China, received a scholarship from Education Queensland International to partially fund her Graduate Program study in 2022. This is wonderful recognition of Vanessa’s ongoing commitment to studies that last year included; winning the Premier’s Coding Challenge and, being awarded IB Dux Year 10.

With borders open, the applications are starting to flood in! CDSHS will once again welcome Graduate and Study Abroad students to the campus throughout the year.

Harmony Day

Harmony Day was celebrated across the school community on March 21, with the theme of “Everyone Belongs”. This worked in tandem with the National Day of Action Against Bullying on Friday March 18, which had the focus of creating a “Kindness Culture”. The Creative Arts team was pleased to support these events with a range of activities spreading messages of inclusion and harmony. Our Art Club, under the guidance of Mrs Gayle Price and Ms Emily Glover, produced beautiful posters which were plastered around the school and our Creative Arts Ambassadors helped to organise lunchtime activities for students to come along and enjoy such as, “Just Dance”, Drama games and a Friendship bracelets workshop. The Creative Arts Ambassadors also created a, “Random Acts of Kindness” board, which was popular with the students and added to the positive atmosphere throughout the school. Thanks to Ms. Leigh Markotanyos, Mr Callum Wacker and Mrs Lisa McDuff for their assistance with these activities.

University Pathways

Congratulations to two of our incredible graduates from 2020 – Kasey Knight and Jordan Jones. Kasey and Jordan both studied Bachelor of Veterinary Technology in 2021, achieved amazing results throughout the year enabling them to reapply and be accepted to enrol in the highly competitive degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) in 2022.

This is fantastic news and an absolute credit to their dedication and work ethic. It is also a fine example of not giving up your dreams if you don’t initially receive your first choice for your university pathway.

We wish Kasey and Jordan every success for what we are sure will be a very bright future.

From the Guidance Officers

SCHOOLTV SPECIAL REPORT: Managing Overwhelm

Due to the pandemic, recent world events in the Ukraine and impacts of the floods in Queensland and NSW, the world we now live in is a very different place. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. As a result, many children and their parents are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety.

Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved fast enough to adapt to this digital landscape. The combination of constant access to information and having little control over the situations presented, can be stressful and overwhelming. It is therefore important for adult carers to check in with their children and be aware of what information they may have been exposed to. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it. Providing children with the skills and strategies to cope will enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically.

This Special Report suggests a number of strategies to help manage any feelings of overwhelm that you or your child may be experiencing. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:

School TV special report

Raising funds for Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital

Hi, it's Courtney; one of the school captains for this year! I’m currently raising funds for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and am running a raffle at school. Tickets are $2 each. I can be found outside the tuckshop on Thursdays at 2^nd break. Prizes are either one of two Ghanda skateboards or, a polaroid camera kit; drawn at the end of March. My goal this year is to raise $5,000 in funds and so far, I am halfway to this goal. What an amount! Every bit counts as it is all going to support Australia Zoo and their amazing work. So, drop down, let's raise some money and make a difference!

Check out my page here: https://vww2022.funraise.org/fundraiser/courtney-taylor

News from the Language Department

On the 16^th February, our year 7 Chinese students enjoyed an exciting and informative online session with their peers in China who organised a wonderful presentation about Chinese New Year and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The Chinese schools that participated are ZhenHe Foreign Language School and a Primary school in NanJing. The students in China introduced New Year’s food and customs and, showed amazing New Year lanterns. After this, students from China demonstrated a safe and green Beijing Olympic Games e.g. Robots are utilised in restaurants to minimise the risk of COVID spread.

Overall, the students had fun exchanging culture aspects about school life and leisure activities and discovered many similarities and differences!

P & C News

The AGM will be held on Tuesday 22^ndMarch at 7pm, followed by the first general meeting for the year at 7.30pm, in the Innovation Centre F9 - F10 which is located behind the language block. Entry is via Russell Street.

The delayed start to the school year and issues with the closure of work places and staff shortages earlier in the year resulted in the delay to the AGM as the necessary paperwork could not be completed in time for the usual February meeting. All Executive positions are up for re-election.

TUCKSHOP

We say it every year, the Tuckshop is very busy, every day! The change to the whole school timetable has seen the usually quieter days become as busy as the rest of the week. Accordingly, additional staff have been rostered to cater for the increase in business. The Tuckshop team are working very hard to accommodate the additional demand for all items on the menu with supply issues of essential ingredients also creating an extra challenge at times.

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.

Winter Stock – instore and ready for sale. Students can come in or, order online through Flexischools for their track jackets, fleecy jumpers and track pants ready for the cooler months.

General – A big thank you to everyone for abiding by the rules during the appointment fittings at the beginning of the year, your help ensured everything ran as smoothly as possible.

P&C GENERAL MEETINGS for 2022

All General Meetings are held at 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 for our school community.

General meetings: March 22, May 24, July 26, August 23, Nov 22

Library News

Welcome to the CDSHS Library!

Opening Hours in 2022

Monday – 8am to 4pm

Tuesday – 8am to 4pm (Homework Club from 2.45pm to 4pm)

Wednesday – 8am to 3pm

Thursday – 8am to 4pm (Homework Club from 2.45pm to 4pm)

Friday – 8am to 3pm

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.

For new families, we also have access to eBooks through Wheelers. Your student can access digital books as well as research databases through our Oliver app which can be found on the Student SharePoint page.

Our inaugural CDSHS Book Club has kicked off with students from Year 9 and Year 10 invited to read a chosen novel and attend our Book Club meeting at the end of Term 1. In Term 2, Year 7 and Year 8 students will be invited to join the CDSHS Book Club. Stay tuned for more details.

One of the ways our Library encourages reading is through our displays. Throughout the year we recommend and exhibit the various genres in our Library collection. We also celebrate the pure joy of reading and challenge our students to be curious and inquisitive lifelong readers.

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

We look forward to welcoming your student to the CDSHS Library in 2022.

Student Council News

The Student Council is up and running! For our first event, we organised Shave for Cure and Gold Coin Day which were held Friday 18 March. The theme was Hawaiian Shirt and we had one student Guy, shaving off his locks. All money raised from the Gold Coin Day has gone to the Leukaemia Foundation – Shave for Cure.

We are also selling tickets for our Easter Raffle. We have three great Easter baskets to be won. Ticket are $1 and can be purchased from Student Council Representatives and, from the Tuckshop. Tickets will be drawn Wednesday, 30 March 2022.

Upcoming Events

March

23 March - Junior Student Council Meeting
24 March - Senior Student Council Meeting
Easter Raffle
Cross Country BBQ

April

Honour the Fallen
Anzac
27 April - Junior Student Council Meeting
28 April - Senior Student Council Meeting

Joni Edwards

Student Council Co-ordinator

IB Diploma Programme - Theory of Knowledge Exhibitions

Recently, our year 12 IB students presented their virtual Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibition to the school community. TOK is unique subject within the IB Diploma that asks us to question, ‘How do we know what we know?’ The TOK Exhibition is grounded in the ‘real world’ and requires students to find an everyday object and question how does this object represent the construction of knowledge in the world.

Please enjoy two excerpts from our Exhibition. In the words of one teacher who commented on the studens work, ‘Wow! It was like being at university again’.

Well done students, your Exhibition was incredible!

Exhibition ONE - Jaylena

My first object is an article on the ethical issues of researching stem cells. The use of stem cells in the medical field is a very controversial topic, with many people disagreeing with the use of embryonic cells in research. This is due to the extraction process, in which the embryo is destroyed. The real debate comes from different beliefs about what constitutes the start of human life and whether it is acceptable to destroy embryos for research purposes.

This object is particularly interesting for this exhibition because ethical constraints can prevent the pursuit of knowledge. It highlights the importance of constraints on the pursuit of knowledge, as restrictions define society and what is socially acceptable. The consideration of ethical constraints helps to distinguish between right and wrong.

Depending on when you think human life starts will determine whether you think the use of stem cells is acceptable. For example, the article describes how someone from a Christian faith background believes that life begins at conception. Consequently, the embryo is considered to have the same value as a human child. From this religious viewpoint, using embryonic stem cells for research would be deemed as unethical. Hence restricting their pursuit of knowledge.

However, from a different perspective, life may begin when the baby is born. This means that the embryo is not seen as a child yet. Therefore, embryonic stem cell research is ethically accepted and there are no ethical constraints on the pursuit of knowledge.

Regardless of either perspective as described above, different groups of people hold their core values close, and this can directly place constraints on the pursuit of new knowledge.

Overall, this object demonstrates how perspective will influence ethics and values. Different people have different ethical limitations that can restrict the pursuit of certain knowledge.

Exhibition TWO - Ethan

My final exhibition object is the front page of a British tabloid, 'The Sun'. This object is a representative of the Brexit campaign, in which British citizens voted to either remain in or leave the European Union. In an era where people are becoming increasingly sceptical of the information given to them by more ‘traditional’ sources such as government officials, tabloids and other major media companies are holding increasingly larger voices in the ears of many people. Whilst all sources of information can hold value for knowers, we have to be aware that the acquisition of objective knowledge is rarely possible if we limit ourselves to a narrow perspective on information.

Often, independent journalism and media in general is valuable because it helps us to consider a range of ideas, which aids us in the production of objective knowledge. However, we must be aware that they present with themselves their own biases, intended or unintended, and it must be accepted that bias in the production of knowledge cannot be avoided. Thus, whilst no viewpoint can ever be considered ‘incorrect’ or ‘wrong’, the same must be said that no viewpoint can ever be totally correct either.

In light of this, if we seek to acquire objectivity, we must be ready to consider a variety of perspectives otherwise, we risk ‘throwing out the baby with the bathwater’. When we allow ourselves to compare knowledge from diverse sources, we will find ourselves with a more complete and objective view. This is critical in developing our understanding of the way that we make judgements about the world around us. Especially during these unprecedented times, it seems that it is imperative for knowledge to be produced and disseminated between people as objectively as possible.

Senior Schooling News

Welcome to our senior students for 2022. The Senior Engagement Centre is located upstairs in G Block and is open to assist you every day before and after school, and at each break time. We have had some minor staffing changes since our last communication. We wish Miss Sadlier all the best in her new position at Cloncurry State High School, and welcome Mr Siebenhausen to the position of Year 10 Assistant Dean.

Uniform and School Readiness

Now that all of the interruptions are behind us, we were impressed with how our senior students have adjusted to closures, masks, adjusted due dates, weather events, and all of the other challenges of current times.

Students – It is important to remember that now we are settling in to full time uninterrupted teaching and learning; we are wearing our uniforms correctly. Including; full leather school shoes, socks, tie, school jumper (as required) plus, following all other uniform requirements such as appropriate jewellery for school. It is also important to ensure laptops are fully charged and appropriate stationery items are packed, so you can attend school ready to learn.

Lastly, students who have spare periods, please remember you are not permitted to leave the school grounds during these times and must continue to sign in at the library or performing arts facility.

Certificate Opportunities

Congratulations to the hundreds of senior students who have begun, or are continuing their Options Day courses, School Based Traineeships and Apprenticeships, part-time TAFE courses and other external VET courses. Please continue to check DayMap notices, and your school email account as future opportunities will be advertised via those platforms.

2022 Changes and our new iCare Program

There have been a large number of positive accounts from students regarding the timetable adjustments for 2022. Friday Options Day for 11s and 12s, and three x 70 minute lessons per subject, per week for all subjects, allows consistency and predictability for all senior students and their teachers. These changes have also allowed our whole school iCare program to occur simultaneously on Wednesday afternoons for all students across the school. The Senior Program involves a blended approach of online activities, and guest speakers and presentations. We have engaged with Mighty Minds – a QLD based company who have been providing quality programs and resources to schools for over 20 years. All activities are based on our school’s iCare philosophy (Include, Create, Achieve, Respect, Enjoy). Topics will include, but not be limited to, Physical Health (nutrition, sleep, drugs and alcohol awareness, road safety etc), Mental Health (coping strategies, goal setting, anxiety, self-concept and self-esteem, friendships etc), and Futures and Careers Planning (success at school, success beyond school, pathways planning etc). iCare is an incredibly valuable program and as such, all students need to be on time, and in attendance with their charged laptop and other learning materials ready to go.

Please reach out to any member of the Senior Engagement Team if we can assist you in any way.

Mrs Preston and Mr Carmichael

Senior Deans of Students.

High Performance Learning News

Lions Youth of the Year

Once again, Cleveland District State High School has retained the trophy in the Lions Youth of the Year competition. For the fourth year in a row, a CDSHS student has taken out the competition, with year 12 student Jemma Griffin named the overall winner. Two year 12 students from our school, Jemma Griffin and Hayu Son competed, with Jemma named as the overall winner.

According the Lions Club website, the Lions Youth of the Year competition, “is designed to encourage, foster and develop leadership in conjunction with other citizenship qualities in our youth, at the age when they are about to enter the fields of employment or higher education, and provides students with the incentive to pay greater attention to the general qualities, so vital in developing our youths into first class citizens”. The competition has three sections: an interview with Lions members and competition judges; a five minute prepared speech on a topic of the student’s choice; and two impromptu speeches on a current issue.

Both Jemma and Hayu were fantastic representatives of our school. They were confident in the delivery of their speeches, responded thoughtfully to the impromptu questions, and were personable in their interactions with the Lions members and judges. Well done to these students.

Debating

The 2022 debating season is well under way, with seven teams from Cleveland District State High School participating in this year’s competition. Most of our teams have already competed in one debate, with all receiving fantastic feedback from adjudicators.

The year 10.2 team particularly impressed their adjudicator and won their debate, arguing that politicians should be paid the Australian median full-time wage. Our year 8 team was also victorious, debating that we should not make all academic grades public.

Well done to all teams. We look forward to hearing about your future success as the debating season progresses.

Creative Arts News

Welcome back to the Creative Arts program in 2022. After a disrupted start to the year, we are pleased to be back in full swing of classes and extra-curricular Arts activities. We are looking forward to another exciting year in Creative Arts and showcasing the work of our talented students.

We would like to congratulate our Year 12 students from 2021 who had some very pleasing results across the board. Particular congratulations to Emmian Bryant in Year 12 Dance who received a score of 98/100 and to Will Higgins (Year 12 Music Extension), Harold Bryson-Dean (Year 12 Music) and Indiana Gough (Year 12 Film TV and New Media) who each received a score of 99/100 in their respective subjects - this is exceptional work! Fifteen of our students received university offers in Creative Arts fields and twelve have commenced their Arts study this year. We congratulate all our Year 12 Arts students for negotiating the challenges of 2021 so successfully, and wish them well for the future.

Badge Presentation Ceremony

We recently presented our current Year 12 Instrumental Music students and our new Creative Arts Ambassadors with their 2022 badges, acknowledging their leadership in the Creative Arts. Congratulations to all these student leaders. We look forward to a wonderful year ahead working with you in the Creative Arts!

Photos: Badge Presentation of Year 12 Instrumental Music students and Creative Arts Ambassadors

Instrumental Music:

Welcome to new and, continuing students for 2022!

We have enjoyed meeting our new Year 7 students over recent weeks. All students (7-12) have been placed into ensembles according to their instrument and level of instruction – we currently have ten ensembles which have started rehearsals. After a break, some students may be reluctant to continue with their instrument, which is completely normal. Once we are in a routine with our new rehearsal schedule this should pass, so please persist and encourage students to attend their lessons and rehearsals.

Draft timetables and ensemble lists for Term 1 can be found on the noticeboard in the Performing Arts hallway, and have been emailed home by your teacher. Please check your spam folders for emails if you haven’t yet received an email. 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 Instrumental students will have a lesson with our instrumental staff:

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

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 also rehearses on Monday mornings from 7.30am 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 or, have singing lessons, please contact the following staff about the user pay program. Aaron Andrews – aaron.tuition@gmail.com (guitar teacher), and Anita Taylor – aneedasoundcheck@gmail.com (singing teacher). We are currently looking for a new piano tutor, so stay tuned if you would like piano lessons!

Photos: Jazz Collective and Junior Strings in Action – Back to Rehearsals, 2022

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 an Art Extension Club, Tech Crew (Sound, Lighting, Photography), Musical Theatre Troupe, numerous Dance Teams, Senior Acting Extension, Rock School and our newly minted Media Team, which will be responsible for producing promotional materials for the school. These groups are advertised in Daymap at the beginning of each year and have already made a start for 2022 – we look forward to seeing the great work they produce at events throughout the year! Please see the teachers in P block staffroom for further information, or email mcduffl@eq.edu.au.

*Photo: Musical Theatre Troupe – Back to Rehearsals, 2022*

Creative Generations:

The audition process for involvement in the annual Qld Creative Generations Showcase: State Schools on Stage is now well underway, with call-backs and casting auditions for choirs, dance and instrumentalists. As always, our students are putting their best feet forward, with call-backs for Drum-Line and Featured Vocal. Congratulations to the following students for receiving a call-back audition: Caelan McCarthy (Featured Vocal), Lochlan Key, Hamish Key and Kobi Strand (Drumline) – to be asked to audition for these featured roles indicates the high calibre of performance talent of these students. Good luck to all instrumental, dance and choir students who are awaiting the results of their auditions.

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 call 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.

Creative Arts in the Classroom:

Year 7 Creative Arts Music Extension

Our Year 7 Music Extension class is settling well into the Creative Arts program. This combined class of nearly 60 students will complete a year of specialised study in Music, which includes composing activities and performing in a class ensemble. Students also experience a range of Creative Arts activities across Media, Art, Dance and Drama. The year has begun with an exploration of Identity, and the students have been enthusiastically engaged in a series of visual art and musical activities.

Photos: Year 7 Creative Arts – Music Extension in Action: Band and Visual Art Work

Drama:

Our Drama students have been fortunate to see some live theatre over the last month which they will use as stimulus for Responding tasks and, to inspire their own acting and directing activities. Our Year 9, 10 and 12 elective Drama students enjoyed Shake and Stir Theatre Co.’s production of 1984, and, our Year 11 Drama class were fortunate to see a great production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at QPAC. The challenging themes and mesmerising characterisations evident in both of these productions has provoked quality discussions in the classroom. We look forward to seeing the impact of these stimulating experiences on the students’ own dramatic work.

Photos: Year 11 Drama Class at QPAC and Shake and Stir Drama Incursion

Student Point of View:

Our new Creative Arts Ambassadors have a few words of wisdom for our Year 7 students.

Hello! I'm Brennan, one of the Senior Creative Arts Ambassadors. My advice to all of our new year 7 Creative Arts students is that, although it may be terrifying, confidence is key to success. Don't listen to others’ opinions and comments, go out there, be confident, and show the world your amazing talent. You've got this!

Drew - Senior Creative Arts Ambassador: As a student in the Creative Arts, my advice to the 7's who are interested in the Arts is to always stay true to yourself, and allow your personality to flow through the masterpieces you create.

Kayla – Junior Creative Arts Ambassador: Year 7 may be a scary year and it may be scary signing up for new activities, especially Arts activities. But, just know that I experienced this same feeling, and you have nothing to worry about. Everyone here is lovely and super supportive and will try to make these activities as fun as they possibly can. So, have fun and enjoy them.

Sarah – Junior Creative Arts Ambassador: Try anything that you’re interested in; it might end up being your favourite thing to do. The Arts can open up so many doors and new opportunities, so don’t be afraid to give it a try. Working with the seniors can seem intimidating at first because they have more experience, but they will only encourage and help you, not bring you down. Being part of the Creative Arts allows you to express yourself, so don’t be afraid to be you. Let your personality and talents shine. 😊

Update from the Finance Desk

Please ensure all 2022 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 7 March, 2022, 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.

Denise Sung

Volunteer Tutor Co-ordinator

Student Support Services

Ph: 07 38249233 E-mail : dsung1@eq.edu.au

2022 Next Step Year 12 Completers survey

2022 Next Step survey

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual statewide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2021. 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, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2022.

Further information on Next Step, including results from previous years, is available online at www.qld.gov.au/nextstep or on toll free telephone 1800 068 587.

Tucker Truck Thursday

Tucker Truck Thursday is an event to be held at BayView State School in Week 9, commencing Thursday, 24^th March. The Trucks will be booked for week 9 of each term.

It is a joint enterprise between the BayView P&C and BayView Chaplaincy Committee who have come together to run a school fundraiser which also supports our local Food Truck families.

This event requires nothing more than your purchase of a family meal, some good tucker. You can take-away or bring a blanket or chairs to have a picnic at the front of BayView school.

BayView State School looks forward to you enjoying some Tucker Truck food.

Redlands Coast Jobs Speed Recruitment

Redland City Bands

We are a local community group of musicians and have six bands of different levels and styles. The bands were first established in 1984 in Cleveland and we have a long history of performing in the Redlands and beyond. We hold weekly rehearsals at the Edgar Harley Hall, Smith Street in Cleveland. Right now we are looking for new musicians particularly for our Beginner Concert Band and Wind Ensemble.

All of our bands operate under an industry approved Covid Plan, and although seating is spaced out a little more, the Beginner Concert Band is an excellent forum for learning a musical instrument with first class facilities available including instrument hire. This fun friendly band can be a great supplementary learning platform to the school curriculum. Rehearsals for Beginner Band are Tuesday nights 6.30 - 8pm, and commence from Tuesday 22nd February.

We also offer an intermediate band called Wind Ensemble who rehearse weekly on Thursday nights from 7pm and our top band The Concert Band rehearses Wednesday nights from 7pm.