School Newsletter - Issue 3 - May 2023

News from the Principal's Desk

Dear Families

After the release of the Term 1 Reports, I took the opportunity to analyse and reflect on our students’ results and our school’s teaching and learning outcomes. I couldn’t be happier. The analysis demonstrated that the vast majority of our students are highly engaged in their learning and progressing very well on the standards set by the Australian Curriculum in Junior School, the Senior Curriculum, vocational educational programs or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. This puts our school in a very strong position and I congratulate students, families and staff for their commitment and dedication to excellence and equity in education.

Our new tuckshop, outdoor area and engagement centre is almost completed. The engagement centre will open later this term and the tuckshop at the start of Term 3. We’re working with our P and C to create videos and messaging in order to assist students understand how the new tuckshop with a self-serve philosophy will work. It’ll be very exciting for our school to have these new world-class facilities and I thank the P and C for their significant contribution to this initiative.

This newsletter again highlights a selection of great events that showcases our school’s strong culture and values.

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

Student Council News

Term two has been a very busy . We started off with ANZAC Day events where we honoured past and present veterans. Articles and pictures are below. We are in the middle of organising our next Gold Coin Day, which will be held on Thursday 25 May where we are supporting 'Love Ya Sister' and 'Biggest Morning Tea'. The theme is crazy socks. Students can wear their own clothes with crazy socks or without, their uniform with crazy socks for a cost of a gold coin. We held both our April and May meetings and we have started planning for our Aussie BBQ.

Upcoming Events

25 May – Gold Coin Day

14 June – Junior Student Council Meeting

15 June – Senior Student Council Meeting

26 June – Aussie BBQ at the Athletics Carnival

Ms Edwards
Student Council Co-ordinator

ANZAC Day Report

Honour the Fallen

On Thursday 20 April, the 2023 Senior and Junior leadership teams along with Student Council representatives assisted the Redlands RSL Sub-branch by participating in the Honour the Fallen project. We were joined by Redlands RSL members at the Cleveland Cemetery where we spent the morning honouring the Veterans who served our country by placing an Australian flag on the final resting place of every Veteran at the Cleveland Cemetery. 

Cleveland District State High School has been selected to take part in this project for the past 5 years and looks forward to participating in the future.  

We would like to thank Redlands Sub Branch RSL members Ian Gray – Deputy President and John Butler – Ex-Commando for their support and guidance.

Cleveland High would like to thank past and present Veterans for their service. 

Lest We Forget

School’s Anzac Day

On Wednesday 19^th April 2023, Cleveland District State High School had our annual ANZAC Day Ceremony to commemorate and remember the men and women who served for our country. Close to 2,500 Students, Staff, and invited guests gathered to recognise in respectful silence, the commitment and sacrifice of our military men and women.

Our guest speaker was Lieutenant Colonel Natalie Evans, who served in Afghanistan, and is currently the Chief Health Officer at the Gallipoli Barracks. We were also honoured to have current CDSHS staff member Mr (Private) Garret McDuling, and Mr Michael McDonnell from the Redlands Sub Branch RSL to speak at our event. We would also like to thank Mr Peter Francis from the Redlands City Bands for his delivery of the Last Post.  

The whole school community, specifically, our student leaders and student cadets who showed leadership and discipline, are to be congratulated on the absolute respect that was displayed on this occasion.  

Lest we forget.

Abbey Fullerton

ANZAC March & Day Service

Earlier today all of our Senior Leaders and our Junior School Captains had the privilege of participating the in the Redlands Sub Brach Anzac Day March alongside some very inspiring veterans, cadets, RSL members and other schools. 

Some of our leaders also stayed for the Day Service, where we had the opportunity to honour the veterans who have served our country and lay a school wreath. It was wonderful to be able to represent Cleveland District State High so proudly in such a special occasion.

Charlee 

School Captain

Field of Remembrance Cross

For the first time, Cleveland District State High School had been given the honour of being a part of the official party for the Cleveland Anzac Ceremony, in which myself and another school captain, Malakai, escorted a Special Forces/Commando Veteran John Butler in planting the cross centrepiece in the field of remembrance. The cross is to represent soldiers that passed serving our country who had resided in the Cleveland region. This felt like the passing of the guard from the veterans to the new generation to continue to remember and honour the soldiers that passed, and to thank them for serving for our country.

We would like to acknowledge Stephen Dyba, Susannah Allan and Bronwyn Knowles who assisted us with the making of the Remembrance Cross.

An honour for us both to represent the younger generation in paying respects to all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. 

Their Name Liveth For Evermore. 
Lest We Forget.

Tom & Malakai, School Captains.

Honouring our Veterans

This ANZAC day we would like to acknowledge one of our own, Mr McDuling. He is an ex-army veteran who served for six (6) years and worked amongst many different battalions including 8/9RAR, 6RAR, 20STA and the Special Forces. During his service he travelled around the world, being involved in various operations like Operation Astute.

What does ANZAC Day mean to you?

Mr McDuling believes “ANZAC Day gives us the opportunity to remember all those that served, not just at Gallipoli, but in all operations”. This day allows us to remember not just the Veterans that died in war but those Veterans that also came home. A lot who suffered later with Mental Health issues and physical injuries. It is a day where we can get together with our mates and remember together.

Mr McDuling said “It is very special to work at a school like Cleveland High that demonstrates the ANZAC spirit through the many activities the school does. For example, turning up to work and seeing all the poppies and the respect that the students and staff demonstrated last week whilst the service is on was exceptional”.

We thank Mr McDuling for his service and all past and present Veterans.

Lest We Forget

Emily
Executive Officer

French Culture SPARC Club

On Wednesday, 26 April, the French Club students enjoyed a special class with a focus on the history of pancakes. As part of the class they researched, but also cooked and ate delicious chocolate and jam pancakes. The students thoroughly enjoyed their experience and some said it was the first time they have had the opportunity to cook and taste an amazing pancake. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to experience an authentic French meal and also to reflect on its origins. Did you know that the first recorded mention of pancakes was in 600 BC from a poet in ancient Greece? This breakfast treat was made of wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk which is a little different from the pancakes we know today.

Be Alert for Fire Ants

Fire ants are one of the world’s most invasive pests and they have the potential to devastate our environment, economy and the outdoor way of life we know and love. To stop the spread of fire ants, the Department of Education is collaborating with the National Fire Ant Eradication Program to manage fire ants across schools within South East Queensland. This important work will help protect our schools and community from the dangers posed by fire ants. 

An initial pilot program has treated 46 schools across the Logan, Ipswich, Somerset and Gold Coast City local government areas (Metropolitan and South East education regions). This will expand over the coming years to include additional schools. The treatment consists of applying two rounds of an insect growth regulator which sterilises the fire ant queen and prevents new ants from maturing into adults. These types of products are widely used in mosquito control programs, cockroach treatment and pet flea collars and when used according to instructions, are not harmful to humans, pets or wildlife.   

The first round of treatment occurred in early 2023 and round two is being completed during April and May. The fire ant bait is being applied by experienced pest management technicians.

The school treatment program supports efforts to eradicate fire ants within South East Queensland by suppressing the fire ant population in areas until eradication treatment takes place. Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 all Queenslanders have an obligation to manage biosecurity risks. The Department of Education is meeting its obligations by managing fire ants on land it owns or manages.

The National Fire Ant Eradication Program is also running a range of community projects to provide residents in selected suburbs with free fire ant bait to treat their yards to support eradication goals. For the latest information on community projects or for more information about fire ants visit: https://www.fireants.org.au

Year 09 Technology Wood Class

Well done to the year 09 technology class on completing their second project for the year. Being new to the workshop environment, they were able to continue practising a range of new hand skills to construct their projects using chisels, hand saws and multiple sanding techniques.  To accompany the projects, students also completed a written multimodal presentation that detailed the construction processes, safety considerations and links to industry practices.  Year 9 students in technology wood are so proud of their work and completed their spice racks just in time for Mother’s day weekend.

Attendance Reminders

ESU Public Speaking Competition

On Thursday the 11^th of May, two of our amazing Year 9 students, Maya Hepburn and Katie McDuff, presented at the annual ESU Public Speaking Competition. Students were given a prepared speech topic: 'You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated,'( Dr Maya Angelou) and had to create a four minute presentation.  Both students wrote and delivered creative and engaging speeches, with audiences blown away by their performances.  Maya was commended for the memorisation of her piece, her gestures and use of metaphor in her writing. She came third in her heat against students from all over Brisbane - an amazing achievement! Katie was commended for her risk taking in delivering a speech that had poetic elements to it.  To quote the adjudicator, “It was a physical and emotional experience... and she owned it right through.” Katie has made it through to the finals which take place in June.  We look forward to supporting her at the next event.

Celebrating excellent student outcomes in Languages

Year 7 and 8 students achieving high academic results across Chinese, French, Jandai and Japanese were rewarded for their efforts with a celebratory BBQ lunch on Friday, 12 May.  A total of 85 students achieving an ‘A’ standard in their languages represents an outstanding 20% of the total number of students studying a Language in Year 7 and 8 this semester.  Students really value this recognition from their teachers and thoroughly enjoyed their celebratory lunch.  We congratulate these students on their enthusiasm and commitment to their language studies and look forward to their continuing progress.

News from our Creative Arts Department

Why do we embrace the Arts at CDSHS?    Our Creative Arts team are enthusiastic advocates of the research which says that studying the arts helps to develop creative thinking, language and communication skills, memory, confidence and fine motor skills, and that studying the arts is linked to an improvement in academic results generally.

In the words of Michelle Obama, a significant woman of our time: Learning through the arts reinforces critical academic skills in reading, language arts and math and provides students with the skills to creatively solve problems…The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.

 We are proud to promote the Arts at CDSHS and look forward to sharing arts experiences with our community in the busy term ahead.  Rehearsals for Creative Generations are in full swing, student art work is on display at GOMA and our Instrumental Ensembles are in performance mode. The performances this term include our involvement in the school’s ANZAC Day ceremony, a performance at the Brisbane Youth Jazz Festival and our very own Concert on the Green, coming up in June. Stay tuned to coming events by checking emails and the CDSHS Facebook page.

ANZAC Day

Congratulations to our Senior Strings and Choirs for an excellent musical contribution to our school’s ANZAC service in April.  This is always a very important commemorative event in our school and our ensembles are proud to be able to contribute to the occasion. Well done also to Year 8 student, Emi Davies, for representing CDSHS and beautifully playing the Last Post and Reveille at two of our local primary schools, Thornlands and Cleveland State Schools.  Most musicians rarely perform to over a thousand people in a day, so this was a huge effort and a testament to Emi’s great musicianship and community spirit.

Creative Arts Student Spotlight:

Congratulations to Francois Marais who successfully auditioned to claim a spot on Baritone Saxophone for MOST and Creative Generation Big Band.  The Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Instrumental Music is a biennial event offering a residential extension program for up to 80 musically outstanding students (MOST) from Queensland state secondary schools.  The MOST program extends musically gifted and talented students in a 10-day program of musical development in large and small ensembles, tutorial groups, aural musicianship and a range of music and cultural activities. Conductors and tutors are eminent musicians who are recognised as leaders in their respective fields.

It is an amazing achievement for a Year 10 student to be selected from the best musicians in the state to participate in the MOST program.  Francois is also doing great work in his classroom music studies and has been composing an epic work for Wind Ensemble as part of his Film Music unit.  Keep up the great work Francois! 

SHEP:

Well done also to the following music students who successfully auditioned for the prestigious Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University 2023 State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP): Hudson Arnold, Felicity Cantrill, Lewis Clarkin, Adam Farrow, Grace Farrow, Jack Grist, Abrielle Holland, Lillyanna Sayward, Katie Roma, Quajo Spitler and Sage Toia. These students will join other talented student musicians at workshops in June to develop their musical skills in ensembles and present their work in a series of concerts to family and friends.  Congratulations to all who auditioned and keep up the good work!

Redlands Eisteddfod

Congratulations to Year 7 student Tayla Griffin and Year 10 student Ben Eckersley who competed in the recent Redlands Eisteddfod in the Solo Voice categories with great success!  Both students competed in various vocal style categories, from Classical and Folk to Music Theatre.  Ben was awarded 1^st place as the Vocal Aggregate Champion for 15/16 years, placing in the Folk, Jazz and Music Theatre categories.  Tayla achieved 1^st place for her age group in Classical Style, Sacred Song and Folk Song and 3^rd place for Musical Theatre.  She was awarded overall 2^nd place as the Junior Vocal Aggregate Champion 12 years and under and the “Most Promising Vocalist” Major Award which was decided from all of the vocalists across all the genres and age groups!  We are very proud of their achievements and so glad they are enthusiastic contributors to our own vocal programs, in Choirs and Musical Theatre Troupe.  Keep up the great work Tayla and Ben!

Creative Generations: Excellence in Visual Art Awards

Huge congratulations to our Visual Art department, who for the second year in a row have had students acknowledged in the Creative Generations Excellence in Visual Art Awards.  These awards recognise outstanding work by Visual Art students from around Queensland and then exhibit these artworks at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in the Arts precinct at South Bank. Cleveland District State High School was one of only 3 schools in the state to have two students acknowledged, which is outstanding recognition of the excellent work and creative vision of our Visual Art team.  Our 2022 graduates and award recipients, Madeline Miles and Marie Masson, attended the opening of the exhibition accompanied by their teacher, Mrs Gayle Price and Head of Department, Mr Simon Watson.  This free GOMA exhibition will run until August and we encourage our school community to go along and enjoy the wonderful talent on display.  Well done to all involved on this impressive achievement!

Creative Arts in the Classroom

Junior Drama

This term in Year 9 Drama, students have been exploring the elements and conventions that define Physical Theatre. Students have been experiencing the style through an assortment of practical and theoretical activities.  Here, students were participating in a Frantic Assembly activity that required students to work with a partner to create a mirrored routine, using key movements and gestures. Students were then asked to select a song, and adapt their movements to fit the pace and mood, before performing for the class.  This practical activity allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the dramatic languages whist building skills in a fun and collaborative way.

Senior Dance

This term the Year 11 and 12 Dance students have had the opportunity to work with industry professional Bella Hood, developing choreographic skills to enhance their preparation of IA2 and FIA2 assessment tasks. Bella Hood is a choreographic specialist and professional, recognised for her innovative and moving Contemporary works. She works both independently and also in conjunction with the Australasian Dance Collective as a choreographer and performer, and the students absolutely relished working with and learning from her experiences. It was exciting to see the senior students transform a single piece of existing sequences of movement into a variety of unique choreographies.  Keep up the great work!

Student Point of View

Hi everyone, my name is Caelan McCarthy. I am one of the 2023 Senior Creative Arts Ambassadors here at CDSHS and am honoured to bring you this newsletter’s Student Point of View. There are so many things on the go in the Arts at our school - everybody is still working hard towards our upcoming Addams Family as well as many other performances.  

In the Year 12 Drama class, we are working as a team to complete our IA2 assessment. This is our second assessment piece for the year, and we are all diving in headfirst. Over the past week we have been taking photos of scene ideas we have created from scratch that uses a specific dramatic convention in order to convey meaning. The entire class has been dressed head to toe in full props and costumes, helping each other out in such a collaborative and supportive way. This assessment also gives us the opportunity to step into the director’s shoes and organise our actors, so we can get the perfect shot of our scene. Definitely lots of hard work coming from our senior Drama class. 

Our very own Jazz Collective is playing live at the Brisbane Youth Jazz Festival in Kangaroo Point. The entire band is so excited to show off some of the amazing work we have been doing in rehearsal and are ready to take the stage. Along with this, one of our major music events is being held on the 4^th of June… Concert on the Green!!! This will be an afternoon full of great music provided by all of our talented CDSHS music ensembles. If you’re looking for an afternoon out, this is your opportunity to come on down and enjoy a wide range of live music in a relaxed outdoor setting.

These are only some of the remarkable things that the students at Cleveland High are getting up to. Whether it is Dance, Drama, Music, Film or all of them at once, there is always something creative and teambuilding happening inside the Creative Arts.

Date Claimers

June 4: Concert on the Green, 12 – 4.30pm – All are welcome to come along and enjoy an afternoon of music. BYO picnic rugs and folding chairs. BBQ provided as a Europe Cultural Tour fundraiser. 

Debating Update

CDSHS is having a sensational season at the 2023 Queensland Debating Union competition, with nearly all our teams recording at least one win. Our year 7 team has performed especially well, having won all three of their debates so far. This is despite never having debated before. The year 10.2 and year 12 teams have also been victorious in all three of their debates, meaning they have secured a spot in the final rounds. The finals are very close for the year 10.2 and year 11.1 teams, too, as they just need to win one more round to make them.

While they had a bit of a rocky start, the year 11.2 team also experienced their first victory recently, with a convincing win in their third debate. The year 8, 9 and 10.1 teams have received fantastic feedback from adjudicators and are continuing to improve with each debate.

Good luck to all our teams for the remainder of the competition.

Football Referee Training Day

The 2023 edition of the Football Referee Training Day occurred at Cleveland SHS on Friday April 28^th with students from our SDF program from years 7-9 involved along with a few of the top senior officials.   The  day was used  to gain an insight in the referee pathway in football and gained some theoretical and practical knowledge of the skills required to be an official.  This program aims to prepare students for the upcoming primary school Met East Football trials to hopefully achieve their level 4 referee accreditation.    Students once again were fortunate to have a special guest speaker talk to them to demonstrate that if you set your goals and work hard you can make it to the top of your chosen profession.   Local based FIFA officials Ashley Beecham (QATAR 2022) and Korean AR Misuk Park dropped in to address the group.  Ashley shared his experience from the most recent edition of the FIFA mens world cup last year where he travelled with an Australian team of officials.  He also discussed with the students the disappointment of missing out on the Olympics and having to work hard to be ready for the World Cup selection process.    We also had Misuk Park from Korea who flew in from an international tournament to join us.  She has been selected for the women’s world cup this year.   Both generously gave up their time and ran the students through some practical drills to improve their movement and decision making.

Upcoming Events

Thursday May 25th at Redlands Football Club – Primary Met East Carnival

Monday May 29^th at Redlands Football Club – SPL home fixtures.

Cleveland Referee Program have been involved in the Met East Primary School tournament for the past 15 years and it is a fantastic experience for new referees to learn their skills.

Link and Launch Program

Each year, we are proud of our students who complete Year 12.  From school, many of our students go on to further study, training and employment and ultimately, make positive contributions to our community.

Among each group of Year 12 students, there are some who need additional support to successfully transition to further study, training or work. 

The Link and Launch program is designed to help these young people decide what further study, training or employment might be best for them and to assist them in pursuing their chosen pathway.

How the program works

Our Link and Launch officer, Gemma, connects with young people who have completed Year 12 but not yet transitioned to further study, training or work. Gemma can assist young people to navigate the system and consider a range of post-school study, training and work options in line with their individual goals, aspirations, skills and strengths. Link and Launch aims to support young people to make independent choices that will equip them to make a successful transition. Some of the options young people may consider through the program include:

• free apprenticeships and traineeships for under 25s
• fee free TAFE
• Skilling Queenslanders for Work programs
• alternative entry to university
• finding employment

Our school hosts the program

Our school is one of the 37 sites in Queensland selected to run the Link and Launch program. We are proud to offer Link and Launch assistance to any local young people who have completed Year 12, regardless of which school they attended.

Who can get involved

Young people who are not in education, employment or training and who completed Year 12 in the previous two years are eligible to join the program. Older Year 12 graduates who may benefit from the program are also welcome to make contact. All eligible young people who have completed their senior studies can participate irrespective of where they went to school. 

Students currently enrolled at our school are not eligible to join the program as we already provide them with career guidance and planning support as part of their schooling. 

Does it work?

Hundreds of young people across Queensland have already accessed the Link and Launch program. By December 2022, more than 2300 young people had been supported to make successful transitions from school into study, training or work.

A long-term follow-up study shows that 87.2% of young people were still engaged in education, training or employment 18 months after they were supported by their Link and Launch officer to make a transition.

If you'd like to hear what young people have to say about Link and Launch, check out the videos at http://www.qld.gov.au/linkandlaunch

Please get in touch

If you or a young person you know might benefit from this kind of support, please contact Gemma to start the conversation by calling the main office on 3824 9222 to make an appointment with Gemma on Monday through to Thursdays or call her directly on 0455559897

Cleveland Students Perform Strongly in District Cross Country

Cleveland students performed exceptionally well at Capalaba Park to bring home some awards and for a good number of students to qualify to attend the Met East competition at the end of the month.   Our school Cross Country event went ahead despite the wet weather in the lead up on the last day of term 1.

It was a fairly warm afternoon but a fast and flat track which saw some great performances on the day.  The carnival was won by Moreton on 851 points ahead of Russell on 778 points.  There were many outstanding individual performances on the day and also some close races which gave our team some depth in certain age groups for the district carnival.  

Age Champions for this school event were as follows:

12 years Boys – Jensen Levy

12 years Girls – Sophie Christopherson

13 years Boys – Bronson Stanway

13 years Girls – Saige Watts

14 years Boys – James Taylor

14 years Girls – Sienna Crowther

15 years Boys – Cody Plain

15 years Girls – Summer Pryde

16 years Boys – Myles Callaghan

16 years Girls – Georgia Warriner

17 years Boys – Andy Josefski

17 years Girls - Anika Clarke

On Thursday May 4th we took a large team of athletes to compete at the Bayside championships.   We managed to fill every race and our students performed very well against some tough opposition. 

Overall, on points Cleveland managed to finish 3 behind Sheldon and Ormiston College, easily finishing as the best State School in the district.   Our 16 years boys team also performed outstandingly well winning the award for best school in their age division.   This group backed up winning this trophy from 2022 as the 15 years age group.   Great work Boys.    We also won some individual honours with Abel Howell being the age champion for 13 years boys and Bronson Stanway being the runner up in the same race.  

We have also been successful in having 13 students overall making it into the Bayside team to compete at the Met East carnival at John Paul College on May 23. 

 Well done to all involved and good luck to those going on to the Met East Carnival next week.

News from our P & C

A new term has seen a few changes to the P&C. We welcome three new staff members and are gearing up for a very big change at the end of this term with the new Tuckshop completed and ready to be used.

Welcome to Tersha, our new Uniform Shop Manager who is settling into her new role very well. Please make her feel very welcome if you come into the Uniform Shop to grab any items for your student. Also starting this term are Donna and Niamh who are doing an amazing job at the coffee kiosk keeping the teachers caffeinated and the students happy with hot chocolates (especially during the past week with the cooler weather).

The P&C is now focused on making the transition from the old to new Tuckshop as smooth as possible for all the students and school staff. We are very excited to make the move at the end of the term and will be starting afresh in Term 3 in the new Tuckshop. Exciting times.

Our next P&C meeting is May 23^rd in the Innovation Centre F9 - F10 located behind the language block. Entry is via Russell Street.

Tuckshop

The Tuckshop continues to do what it does best under the guidance of Tina Hauser, our wonderful Tuckshop Manager. It’s business as usual as we gear up for the big move. The students continue to keep our amazing staff very busy with their meal preferences and Flexischools orders continue to be high. Every day as busy as the next.

Uniform Shop

Open Hours during term time only are:

Students are always welcome to come in on their own, we know they can be nervous about doing this, but we are here to help them as much as we can.

Socks are back in stock - If your kids are running short, please feel free to come into the shop and say ‘Hi’ or you’re welcome to do a Flexischools order for your student to collect.

Refunds and Exchanges – We are happy to exchange sizes (especially when orders are collected and taken home) but only when the labels are not pulled off and items are not worn or washed.  We adhere to QLD fair trade laws regarding refunds.

Flexischools orders – Any orders placed online can be picked up during our shop hours only, we cannot leave them at the front office for you.  If an item is not available online, it will also NOT be available in the shop. Students are welcome to come and pick up the orders.

Second Hand Uniforms– All pre-loved uniforms you bring in (provided they are not stained, ripped or old) will be purchased from you for $5, $10 or $15 amounts (depending on condition) and these are the amounts they will be sold for in the shop.  We charge a 30% administration fee; this fee goes back to help our students and school via our P&C Association. 

General – Our new Uniform Shop Manager (Tersha) has started and is thoroughly enjoying seeing the friendly faces of the students and parents and teachers 

Yuuingan Dhilla Yari 2023

Queensland Indigenous Languages Symposium

This symposium brought together drivers of community-led language projects on a journey that celebrated the survival and revival of Queensland’s first languages. The symposium acknowledged the International Decade of Indigenous Languages with a focus on empowering youth leadership and embedding language in education sectors.

As a part of this Symposium, Ms Dawkings presented outlining how The Minjerribah-Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council Aboriginal Corporation (MMEIC) and Cleveland District State Highschool (CDSHS) have collaborated to implement the Jandai Language program. This presentation highlighted the positive influences this program is having on student attendance, academic engagement and personal development. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive in support of this valuable program.

Supervised by our Indigenous Education Worker, Jason Kitchener, eight students from Years 7-10 were selected to participate in the youth workshop at this symposium. Our students worked with local knowledge holder and Quandamooka man, Matthew Burns and local musician, Georgia Corowa, to workshop ideas for a song, find Jandai words to express key concepts, they then wrote, rehearsed and recorded a song, “One Mob”. This song is going through production by the QLD library team. The sneak peek was played for all of the delegates at the end of the symposium and was phenomenal; We can’t wait to share this song with our community!

Student feedback included, that it was “way better than expected”; Students also commented that it was fun, special, engaging, and they enjoyed meeting new people and this new way of developing knowledge of culture and language. The boys also loved the “free food”.

Students were commended, by facilitators and delegates alike, for their exemplary behaviour, engagement, collaboration and cultural knowledge.

Japan Tour 2023: Movie Night Fundraiser

On Wednesday the 26^th of April, the Japan Study Tour group held a Japanese movie night to raise funds for their trip to Japan in November 2023. The movie being shown was Japanese Academy Award winning movie, Your Name. The movie ran from 5pm to 7:30pm and was packed with fun. The movie goers got the chance to participate in a photo booth and they were able to buy cold drinks and delicious popcorn. Many attendees have said that the night was filled with fun and excitement and that they are incredibly grateful to the Japanese teachers and Ms. Venamore for their many hours spent and immense effort in organising this wonderful night.

Written by: Matthew Rosendale, Languages Ambassador

NAIDOC Showcase

Senior Schooling News

YEAR 10 BLOCK EXAMS

As part of the transition of our Year 10s into the Senior School, all Year 10 classes are suspended in Week 10 of this term.  Students will only be required to attend school when a specific subject exam is scheduled, or if students have been requested to attend a catch-up session.  This allows students to focus on these extended exams which will generally be held in the Smith St Hall away from other classes and distractions.  The exam timetable and further details will be distributed later this term.

Please note that Interschool Sport will still be going ahead during the block exams. All students in an Interschool Team will be expected to attend their sporting fixtures in Period 4 on the Thursday afternoon.

SPARC – ROAD ACCIDENT AWARENESS AND PREVENTION (RAAP) PRESENTATION

Our Year 10s attended an engaging and informative presentation from Queensland Fire and Rescue during our SPARC lesson this week.  The students are to be commended on their conduct and attention as powerful messages were delivered regarding road safety.  We value this ongoing partnership and thank Gabe and Scott who volunteer their time to deliver these presentations in participating schools.  We would encourage follow up conversations at home regarding these messages as our Year 10s start to become Learner Drivers.

TAFE NEWS
Applications for 2024 TAFE at School opens on Monday 17^th July.  Please refer to the 2024 TAFE course guide and price list by clicking on the download here link below.

DOWNLOAD THE TAFE AT SCHOOL 2024 COURSE GUIDE HERE

Click the button below to access a digital version of the Greater Brisbane guide.

JULY INTAKE APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
Applications can be submitted online at tafeapply.com  for Year 11 by entering the regional application code and following the prompts.

• Brisbane region: application code TQB2303
• South West region: application code TQSW2302
• SkillsTech region: application code TQST2302

Click button below for the full list of July 2023 courses

OPTIONS DAY COURSES
Application forms available and to be returned to Mrs Mansfield, G Block Engagement Hub.

Certificate II in Supply Chain Operations- 4 QCE Points

Final Enrolment Date: Friday 14^th July 2023

Commencement Date: Friday 21^st July 2023

FIRST AID

Now taking expressions of interest for Year 11 and 12 Students. Please see the G Block Engagement Hub to record your interest.

Approx Cost: $70-$80         QCE Points: 2 points

DO YOU OWN A BUSINESS? COULD A STUDENT HELP YOUR BUSINESS?

With many businesses struggling with staff shortages, there has never been a better time to take on a student for work experience, work placement or school-based apprenticeship/traineeship.

Being a part of school-to-work programs can help you to identify talented future employees in your local area, increase the supervisory, training and mentoring skills of your current staff, give students knowledge of the value of work and raise the quality of those coming into your industry.

The Redlands Regional Jobs Committee has compiled a set of resources to assist employers and businesses looking to participate in school-to-work programs in QLD.

This includes an Employer Toolkit which explains the types of workplace programs available, your role in hosting students at your workplace, information on insurance, and resources to further assist you in creating a well-planned and structured experience.

SPARC
Senior Priorities, Academic Reviews and Celebrations (SPARC) occur during period 4 on Wednesdays.  Please be aware of the dates that your students are required to attend.  These are listed below for your reference.

Kind regards
Jodie Preston and Adam Carmichael
Senior Deans of Students