School Newsletter - Issue 5 - September 16, 2022

From the Principal's Desk

Dear Families

New Tuckshop, Outdoor Seating Area and Engagement Centre

Great progress is being made to our new facilities since contractors started work in July. With the excavation of the ground work students are able to see just how large the new facilities will be. While there’s been some disruption to school routines, we have additional classrooms available that have been utilised.

We are also looking at renovating the girls’ toilets after the success of the male toilet renovations earlier this year. This has been strongly advocated by our Junior School Leaders, our Senior School Leaders and the Student Council. We are currently investigating ways to achieve this.

I wish students a very successful end to Term 3.

Leonard McKeown
DipT BEd GradDipMgt MEd(Res) MBA MACEL MAICD 
Executive Principal

News from our Creative Arts Department

“When a child has a part to play in a music ensemble, or a theatre or dance production, they begin to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group.  Through these experiences children gain confidence and start to learn that their contributions have value even if they don’t have the biggest role”.  Lisa Phillips, The Artistic Edge

This term we have been pleased to provide many opportunities for students to engage with ensembles and events.  This has showcased the incredible talent in our Creative Arts programs and fosters student confidence in the value of their individual contribution. From Senior Strings performing at a Department of Education Conference to Jazz Collective performing at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival, the joy and teamwork evident at these events have been heart-warming.  Congratulations to all students and staff involved in Creative Arts activities this term!  

Creative Generation

What a show! In July, a team of 30 student dancers, singers and musicians and their committed teachers performed at the Convention Centre in Creative Generation: State Schools on Stage 2022.  This event involved the six-month collaboration of 1700 performers from around the state with professional artists and teachers, culminating in a series of impressive performances that wowed its audiences.  CDSHS is very proud to be a major part of this event, with our teachers Mr Shane Purnell and Mrs Rebecca Purnell conducting ensembles, and Mr Ashley Higgins playing drums for the event. Congratulations to our talented students and teachers, and thank you to all the parents and helpers who ensured this event ran smoothly – we couldn’t do it without you!

Redlands Eisteddfod

In other great performance news our wonderful Instrumental Music and Choir students recently performed at the Redlands Eisteddfod over multiple evenings, with outstanding results in the competition.  The depth of our music department was evident as we provided more ensembles across a range of sections than any other competitor, including both private and state secondary schools.  Our teachers and students are exhausted but the thrill of performance made it all worthwhile! Congratulations to everyone involved!

Results:

1^st Place:

Wind Ensemble – A Grade Concert Bands
Jazz Collective – A Grade Stage Bands
Junior Choir – Middle School Choirs
Junior Strings – Middle School Strings

2^nd Place:

Year 7 Creative Arts Orchestra - Open Grade – Community Orchestras

3^rd Place:

Jazz Orchestra - B Grade Stage Bands
Senior Vocal Ensemble – Year 12 and Under Choral
Junior Concert Band – Middle School Concert Bands

Highly Commended

Senior Strings
Symphonic Band

Photos: So many students and so much music! Well done everyone!

NAIDOC Week in the Creative Arts

At the beginning of the term our school celebrated NAIDOC week and our Year 9 Media Arts students designed stickers to be printed as a part of the school’s celebrations. The following photos are the 5 that made the final shortlist and were printed. The students took inspiration from the 2022 NAIDOC theme of ‘Get up, Stand up, Show up!’ Keep up the awesome creative work students!

Our Creative Arts Ambassadors were also very involved in NAIDOC week, with help from our Creative Arts teachers, Mrs Tammy Leeuwendal and Mrs Lisa McDuff.  They organised a community art project and provided opportunities for our entire school community to add their thumbprint to this beautiful, collaborative art work, celebrating our solidarity with our First Nations students.

Concert on the Green

On Sunday August 21 audiences were treated to a beautiful afternoon of music and sunshine, as all of our Instrumental Ensembles and Choirs performed for family and friends in a relaxed atmosphere of picnics and fun.  Some highlights from the afternoon included Wind Ensemble’s rendition of the smash Broadway hit, Hamilton’s “My Shot” sung/rapped by Brennan Beattie, one of our Senior Creative Arts Ambassadors, and an original student composition by Year 12 Music student, Olivier Thorne, performed by Percussion Ensemble.  Ethan Bloomer’s trumpet solo in “Oblivion” was another impressive highlight - that boy can play!  All in all it was a wonderful showcase of the musical talent and ensemble work at CDSHS – well done to all the students and teachers involved, and thank you to our generous audience for coming along to support our program.

Arts Week

In Week 7 our school community embraced the Arts in a week of activities provided by our dedicated and hard-working teachers each lunchtime and before school.  Our school community was invited to join open rehearsals to experience the inner workings of our awesome ensembles, as well as participate in a range of performances and engaging hands-on activities.  These included a Composition Showcase of classroom music compositions, Film, Dance, Drama and Music Performance showcases, Drama games and theatre sports, Media pixel art and gaming activities and various Visual Art drawing workshops.  It was a great week that encapsulated all the joy and creativity that participating in Creative Arts subjects can bring.  Thank you to all the teachers involved – the students loved it!

Date Claimers:

Term 4 is huge in the Creative Arts.  We look forward to seeing you at the following events:

Music Showcase, Thursday October 13, 6.30pm
Dance Fusion, Friday October 14, 6.30pm
Jazz on the Green, Sunday 6 November TBA
Arts Awards, Tuesday November 15, 6.30pm

Creative Arts in the Classroom

Spotlight: Year 12 IA3s

Our Year 12 students have had a very busy term, with students in General Arts subjects completing their final Internal Assessments for the year.  These IA3s have showcased the high standard of creative, practical work of our Year 12s.  Congratulations to all our Year 12s and best wishes for your upcoming exams!  Enjoy samples of this work in the images below.

Year 12 Music: General Music, Music Extension, IB Music, Music in Practice, August Concert

Audiences were blown away by the impressive musical performances showcased at our Year 12 Music Extension concert in August – well done to our talented music students!

Year 12 Dance IA3s

Our Year 12 Dance students poured their hearts into their expressive performances – come along to Dance Fusion on October 14 to see more from these talented students, and check out the link below to see some of their choreography and performance in action:

Year 12 Drama

Year 12 Drama students were challenged to direct a modernised version of the Greek play, Medea, for their final IA3 performances.  Well done students!

Year 12 Film, Television and New Media

Year 12 FTV students been working on their direction skills, inspired by well-known auteurs, and have created short films which explore their own unique directorial vision. These were presented at FAMED and Arts Week, and impressed their audiences. Awesome work students!

Year 12 Media in Practice

Our Year 12 Media students were asked to work with a specific client from the community to create a video game based on their needs. Students created games using Construct 3 to meet the needs of their clients, developing both their creative and communication skills.  Keep up the good work!

Year 12 Visual Art

Our Visual Art students have been busy hanging their final work for display in our D block Art galleries – these were open to the public for our FAMED Exhibition, but remain on display over the next few weeks if you couldn’t make the Exhibition.  The following Year 12 art works have been selected as entrants for the prestigious Creative Generations Visual Art awards – good luck students! Your work is amazing!

Acrylic painting using posca and sharpie.  The painting can be displayed in natural light or under UV.

FAMED

On Monday September 12, our Film, Art, Media and Drama students presented their work at our annual FAMED Exhibition.  Spectators were impressed by the wonderful imagination and creativity on display, across the year levels from Year 7 Creative Arts through to Year 12 elective subjects – the thoughtful intent behind these art works was truly moving.  From Art and Media works on display in our galleries to Films, live Drama and Music performances presented to appreciative audiences, this evening was a highlight of our Creative Arts calendar and a culmination of the year’s creative work in our classrooms.  Congratulations to the students and teachers involved in this amazing showcase of student work!

FAMED Photos:

Student Point of View:

Year 12 Arts students share the impact that doing an Arts subject has had on their lives:

Kirra: I have studied Dance and Visual Arts in Practice and I believe that not only did it improve my motivation and drive just in general, but it also improved my thinking skills as a whole, and encouraged me to use my creative thinking to express new ideas into my pieces. It truly allows you to share your passion with people who are similar, gaining many fun memories both in and out of school. These Creative Arts subjects have shaped me into a more confident and expressive person as I have learnt to give every opportunity a crack, being proud of the work I have created.

Mason: I do Media Arts, Visual Arts in Practice, as well as Film, Television, & New Media. My experience in all 3 of these subjects has been the highlight of my years through high school. I have found the teachers are understanding and develop friendly relationships. The classwork has helped me develop useful skills, as well as vastly improving my artistic capabilities.

Brennan: Dance, Music and Drama are my three elective subjects, and I'm so glad that they are!  They have helped me gain so much confidence compared to when I first started and helped me improve my performance skills so much that I'm now getting amazing opportunities outside of school. These three subjects are a huge part of why I love school as much as I do.

Mya: Creative Arts (especially Film) helped me to express more of who I am both creatively and as a person in general. Specifically making short films/music videos was a way for me to connect with my interests or emotions more, which I feel greatly helped me to figure out who I am. As well as learning skills in film allowed me to gain more confidence in the aspect of feeling smart or realising that I can do tasks/pass assignments I wouldn’t have believed I had the ability to do when I was starting high school. 

Riley: The arts is not a walk in the park like a lot of people think it is. I know some people who joined Visual Art as an 'extra' subject, and ended up really struggling. Despite the highs and lows through my years in the arts, it has really helped me grow and figure out what I'd like to do with my future. The arts can be very difficult, but at times very chill, rewarding and resourceful!  As someone who does Visual art, Film TV and New Media, and Literature, it has been the most rewarding thing for me, having to work extremely hard on assessments and being proud of the outcome.

Bryce: I love music because of the way that it can create emotions in people. I use music as an escape from the real world, all the stresses from other subjects and other parts in life. It is a difficult subject but very rewarding as you feel like you are part of a massive family that doesn’t judge and supports you. 

Renae: I’m really glad I chose creative subjects - I’ve done majority of the arts such as dance, film, art and drama. The creative subjects have helped me create new friends - because they are smaller classes a lot of us are close and have had the same class mates since year 10. It also has helped with confidence and stepping out of my comfort zone which has helped me with being more confident outside of school.

Best wishes to all of our students for a relaxing holiday – you deserve it!  We look forward to more great Creative Arts events and experiences in Term 4.😊

Spotlight: Year 11 Art

The Year 11 Visual Art students have been working on a group art project inspired by Indigenous Artist Judy Watson. They are creating a map of Quandamooka country and collaboratively designing it using multiple medias such as ink, paint, posca, sewing, etc. It has proven to be a brilliant collaborative piece.  Well done students!

Spotlight: Year 9 Dance

The Year 9 Dance class have just finished their Musical Theatre unit and are now learning basic contemporary technique and learning a contemporary dance for performance assessment. This will lead us into our Music Video unit where we look at music videos that feature dance. It looks like fun!

QUT Chinese Excursion

On the 11^th August, senior Chinese/Mandarin students attended a Language Excursion supported by Confucius Institute at QUT Gardens Point Campus.

The students were warmly welcomed by the director and coordinator of the Confucius Institute QUT and enjoyed a day of fun and educational activities. A campus tour was arranged, followed by a guest speaker, Professor Scott Shepperd, Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (QUT International & External Relations) who has dedicated many years of his career in China relations. After this, students attended a Chinese lecture in the Business School, made mooncakes, trialled the traditional instrument 古筝(gu zheng – looks like a laid-down harp) and had sweet sour pork for lunch in the Botanic Gardens!

Throughout the day, the students had numerous opportunities to use their language skills and developed their global competency. 

Vietnam Veteran's Day

Thursday the 18th of August, Junior leaders were privileged to attend the Redlands RSL Sub branch Vietnam Veteran’s Day service, held at Anzac park (near the Redlands Subbranch RSL). During the service, we learnt some of the history of Vietnam conflict, which was very interesting. Cleveland High students had a some very special tasks for this service. Our students were involved in honour guard, cadets and raising of the flags.

Cleveland High School would like to say “thank you” for those men and woman who fought for our freedom. Today, we especially say this to our Vietnam Veterans and we believe it is important to show our support for our Veterans past and present. Cleveland District State High School has a long history with the Redlands Sub Branch and it was our honour to participate.

I felt honoured to have participated in this beautiful ceremony, and is was an honour to have raised the flag with fellow leaders and cadets.

Lest We Forget

Liam - Junior Leader

School Captains visit Parliament House

Thursday the 1 September, Cleveland High School Captains were invited to Parliament House as the guests of Dr Mark Robinson, Member for Oodgeroo. Throughout the day, we witnessed parliament debates held in the Legislative Assembly Chamber, experienced a short tour of Parliament House, and learnt how the political system works in more detail. We had the pleasure of having three course lunch with Dr Robinson at Strangers’ Restaurant at Parliament House. The meal and company were exquisite.

This was an incredible learning experience for us and truly unique, we got to see some of the other local politicians and we even had a chance to meet and have a short chat with Deb Frecklington, Member of Nanango.

Thank you, Dr Mark Robinson, for this opportunity.  

Courtney
School Captain

High Performance Learning Workshop

Over 100 students made their way into the Paul Bancroft Centre for the Term 3 High Performance Learning workshop held on Wednesday, August 31.  The workshop was conducted during ICARE time and focused on elements of teamwork and problem-solving.

The session began with an address from Mr McKennariey on the importance of teamwork and interpersonal skills.  Students were then sent off in teams on an Amazing Race around the school grounds, using a set of clues to locate rooms.  In each room, students found a problem-solving challenge organised by members from different faculties across the school and had to complete the challenge to receive a clue that would help them solve a final question.

Throughout the challenge, students could be seen running all over the school campus, laughing and debating with teammates as to what their next move would be.  Well done to all students involved for their participation and enthusiasm during the workshop.

Information on the next High Performance Learning workshop will be emailed to students and parents early in term 4.

Bonjour !

On 30 August, high achieving students from Year 8 and 9 French classes participated in our annual food incursion at The French Table in Cleveland. It was a lovely evening where students tried different traditional French dishes such as, gougère, flammekueche, boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin. The staff were very friendly, the food was delicious and our students represented our school well and had a great time. To conclude, it was a fantastic experience all round and we hope to do it again next year!

À bientôt

News From The Finance Desk

A friendly reminder as we head into the final term of 2022 to please settle all outstanding invoices.

If you have received an account statement and it is showing a negative amount, this is a credit on your account. You are welcome to use this towards any further payments by sending an email to accounts@clevelanddistrictshs.eq.edu.au

If you require a refund to your bank account, you will find our refund form on the school website. These can be returned to the school office or the above email.

Due to changes in our Financial procedures the invoicing process for 2023 SRS will be changing. A letter with the 2023 SRS amounts and changes will be emailed out in Term 4, this will also be updated on our website.

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. 

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.Smitdh 11 SRS) in the details section so that your payment can be recorded correctly.

When paying via internet or BPOINT, please also send an email to accounts@clevdistshs.eq.edu.au with full details of payment.
Thank you for your understanding.

Mid-Autumn Festival

每逢佳节倍思亲[měi fénɡ jiā jié bèi sī qīn] – on festive occasions more than ever one thinks of their beloved ones on a far land.

Today, students learning Chinese celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, which celebrates the Autumn harvest (in China) and family reunion. This day brings every family member together to leave beautiful memories before departing again.

Mid-Autumn Festival associates with interesting legendary stories. It is said that in ancient China, there were 10 suns in the sky baking the earth and bringing suffering to people. A kind and brave man Hou-Yi shot down 9 and left 1. He and his wife were then rewarded an immortal elixir. One day, his wife drank the elixir to protect it from bandits and flew to the moon eternally. Hou-Yi then decided to make and offer mooncakes to his wife on the moon. This action was soon copied by the village people who benefited from Hou-Yi’s heroic deed.

During the lesson, we explored the legend, ate mooncakes and the students might watch ‘Over The Moon’ on Netflix at home!

Debating Update

Earlier this term, CDSHS held its first intra-school debate for the year. A group of confident year 8 debaters went up against the experienced year 10 team, and debated the topic, ‘That everyone should be vegetarian’. To make the competition fairer, the year 8 team were given the topic a week before, while the year 10s only had one hour to prepare their arguments. The debate was adjudicated by three of Cleveland’s veteran debaters, year 11 students Ariana Doyle and Sarah White, and year 12 student Jemma Griffin. It was a close debate, but after a long deliberation, the adjudicators declared the year 8 team victorious.  Well done to all students involved.

Thank you to Mr Sandoz, Mr Warren and Ms Smith for organising this fantastic opportunity for our students. And thank you to our wonderful audience who came to cheer on our talented students.

CHSHS plan on growing this intra-school debating competition, and we would love to see more students get involved in Term 4, and even into 2023. Debating’s benefits can help students in many aspects of their life, not just their schoolwork. These benefits include:

• increased confidence and public speaking skills
• improved critical thinking skills
• enhanced teamwork and collaboration skills.

Plus, it’s lot of fun!

If you would like to be involved in debating at CDSHS, please contact Ms Humphries or Ms Smith in B block staffroom, or Mr Sandoz in V block.

Library News

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

Readers Cup

On Wednesday 31^st August our Year 7/Year 8 students proudly represented CDSHS at the Brisbane State Finals of Readers Cup, organised by the Queensland Branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. They were one of 13 teams from across the state who gathered at St Laurence’s College for the final competition. It was a thrilling afternoon, with many keen readers in the room answering the varied and numerous questions about the five novels they had to read. Our team did exceptionally well and placed 7^th in the final standing. A very big congratulations goes to Maya Hepburn, Gabrielle Mol, Isla McIllwain and Declan Pratt.

Book Week

The annual CBCA Book Week was a celebration of reading and writing for our students at CDSHS. Staff and students were invited to join in on the festivities from August 22^nd to August 26^th. They participated in author talks, a Scholastic book stall, book week craft and a dress up day. This year’s theme was ‘Dreaming with Eyes Open’ and was about listening to Country as the first storytellers. Students and staff outdid themselves once again with some very creative Book Week costumes; from Toy Story characters, to Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Outstanding Resources

At the end of Term 3, Year 12 students received email notification of any outstanding and current resources they have from the Library. Year 12 students may hold onto their books until after their formal External Examinations, but they must return all resources before their Graduation. Please encourage your student to return their novels and textbooks in a timely manner and in good condition. We will be sending out ‘outstanding loans’ email reminders to all students mid-Term 4.

Lost and Found

If your student has lost property, please send them to the Library as we have a mountain of hats and jumpers. Please note that at the end of each semester we donate any uncollected items to charity and/or the Junior and Senior Engagement Centres.

Happy reading from the CDSHS Library Team!

Ubuntu School Magazine

Student Council News

Student Council News

Term Three Student Council has been working hard for Cleveland District State High School. This term we ran our monthly meetings, collected 161 sanitary items for “Share the Dignity – August Drive”. Held our Gold Coin in conjunction with Book week and ran our Aussie BBQ at Multi Cultural Day. We thank everyone who has supported us throughout the term.

Upcoming Events

October

12 – Combined Student Council Meeting

28 – Bandana Gold Coin Day

November

9 Honour the Fallen

11 Remembrance Day

Joni Edwards

Student Council Co-ordinator

Share the Dignity

Thank you ‘Cleveland High’. We collected 162 sanity items for Share the Dignity.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported this event.  A special thanks to Courtney, Liam and Library Staff or supporting this event.

Well done

Tuckshop News

The CDSHS P&C Executive and staff wish all the students and their families as well as the school staff and wider community a safe and enjoyable holiday break.

A reminder that the Student Support and Enrichment Fund (SSEF) is back and we are pleased to advise that to date four students have benefited. The CDSHS P&C Association will continue to accept applications into Term 4.

For those who are unfamiliar with this P&C initiative, the SSEF provides a pathway for students to apply for financial assistance in relation to an activity where they are representing CDSHS at a regional, state or national level event. Applications for access to assistance under the SSEF is open to all CDSHS students who:

 incur costs while participating in an eligible activity; and

 receives endorsement from the Head of Department responsible for the activity.

Applications can be collected from the Uniform Shop during open hours or downloaded from P&C page on the CDSHS webpage.

Next and final P&C meeting for 2022: held on Tuesday Nov 23^rd @ 7pm in the Innovation Centre F9 - F10 located behind the language block. Entry is via Russell Street.

Tuckshop

Sushi- a reminder that sushi is back on the menu on Thursdays. Supply issues have meant sushi cannot be offered everyday but we are working towards this.

Order through Flexischools - to ensure your student will never miss out on what they want for their first or second break.

Tuckshop Volunteers needed! If you have a spare day and want to help out in the Tuckshop and get to know how it operates, the ladies would love to meet you. The tuckshop is looking for volunteers so get in touch by contacting the Convenor, Tina on 0407960547.

Uniform Shop

Parents / Caregivers – Appointments will be starting again over the last two weeks of term 4 so if you have students going in to Yr 7 or Yr 10 next year, come and see us before then if you want to avoid having to make an appointment. 2023 Year 10,11 and 12 students can come in any time without an appointment to get their senior uniform while at school in their break times.

NO increase in prices – With inflation and increased living costs hurting everyone currently, the Uniform shop will NOT be putting up uniform prices.  We have decided to absorb the extra costs from our suppliers again and have put a price freeze on our products for the next 3 months, with the hope to extend this further. We work very hard to try to keep costs to a minimum for all our families and appreciate your support in our continued efforts.

Flexischools Orders – Can only be picked up during the shops open hours and only during term time.  If you place your order during the holidays, it will be fulfilled and awaiting pickup on our return.  If you place the order that morning, your student can pick it up, but they will need to bring a copy of the confirmation email with them. (on their phone is fine)

Layby –COME IN FOR NEXT YEAR before the rush…Available in store only.  Come in and organise a layby for end of year pick up if you have a new student starting or junior heading into senior in 2023.

Second Hand Clothing – Please remember we cannot accept any items that are not freshly laundered, dried, and pressed if needed, or that is not CURRENT uniform. Any items that we cannot resell or donate must be taken away with you as we do not have a large storage area. Any larger payments must be direct to your bank account (if over $120, we run this cycle each second Tuesday during the school terms), you do not have to wait for items to be sold instore first. For the full policy, please see the pdf on the schools Uniform Shop webpage.

Shop Hours during term are MON, TUE, and THURS 8am – 10.30am. 

NAIDOC Community Day

The Next Step: 2022 Early School Leavers survey

The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual survey of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school in 2021, before completing Year 12. This short, confidential survey collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving school. The results of the survey help provide valuable information to improve services available to school leavers in the future.

Between August and September, these school leavers 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 Next Step post-school destination surveys in 2022. 

For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep/ or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

Mental Health Week

Taking some ‘me time’ is important. It helps strengthen your mental wellbeing.

Mental Health Week, celebrated annually in October, promotes the importance of mental health and wellbeing and aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

Your mental wellbeing is the unique way that you handle your emotions, respond to stress and your general outlook on life. Having a healthy sense of mental wellbeing has many benefits. It lifts your mood, promotes resilience in difficult situations and helps you get the most out of life. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live or how you’re feeling – taking a few moments for yourself each day will help build a happier and more resilient you.

Just as being active for 30 minutes each day improves your physical health, the same goes for your mental health. By taking just a few minutes to focus on mental wellbeing activities each day, you’ll see big improvements.

For ideas on how to look after your mental wellbeing visit: Your Mental Wellbeing or contact your School Based Youth Health Nurse.

Coochiemudlo Island Surf Lifesaving Club

Tide Festival

Road Safety Week