Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Leadership Changes

With the departure of Chris Capra there have been some further leadership changes to support the backfilling;

• Cameron Williams Deputy Principal - Year 10
• Loren Skyring to move to Acting Deputy Principal - Year 11
• Tanya Mason to Acting Head of Department – The Arts and CAX
• Mitch Kennedy to Acting Principal – Junior Secondary but will continue to manage Year 12

Maximising Learning Days

The Qld Department of Education has a renewed focus on maximising learning days for students. Part of this agenda is focused on rethinking how schools respond to behaviour that breaches student code of conducts. At PBC we have high expectations, at all levels, within our school community and so in working with our department to achieve their improvement agenda, we will continue to place these expectations at the top of our mind and maintain our strong reputation for upholding community values. This term we will be trialling the use of Saturday morning detentions to replace short school suspensions in circumstances where appropriate. This decision has not been taken lightly and six months of planning has gone into developing processes to support it. I broached this change with the P&C at the June meeting and it was met with support, so I am hopeful that our broader school community will feel the same way, that students to continuing their learning should be a priority alongside reflection on choices to hopefully change behaviour in the future. I understand that this change will impact families and staff asked to work on these mornings but the school leadership team is confident this is going to better support the student code of conduct and learning. More information will be provided to families following final school planning stages this week.

QParents

From 2024 PBC will begin phasing in more extensive use of QParents. Some of our parents are already accessing this feature and many of our local primary schools are using it to for operations.

The QParents web and mobile application provides a more convenient, easier way for parents and legal guardians to interact with the school including:

• Academic report cards
• Class timetables
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating personal student details, including medical conditions and address
• Positive Behaviour information
• Excursion Permission slips
• Enrolment details

QParents will assist both staff and parents in sharing and responding to information in an efficient and effective way.

The benefits of QParents:

Convenience and time savings for parents; Parents can view or update their child’s details, pay invoices and report absences without having to call the school or come into the office. Improved administration efficiencies for schools; Allows schools to streamline their administrative processes and cut down on printing.

From 2024 Year 7 and all Excellence program permissions and program fees will be administered via QParents. More information will be available at the Year 7 2024 General Information Night on 26 July. Further details for all Excellence program families will be shared during this term.

Anita Sgalippa
A/Executive Principal

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to all Junior Secondary students and families for an action-packed Term 3! This term is often our busiest term, with Eisteddfods in our performing arts and finals within our sporting programs key highlights. Likewise, our Year 9 students will commence selecting their subjects for their transition into Senior Secondary as well as participate in their first round of Work Experience. All in all, Term 3 is always a busy, yet fulfilling time at PBC. Particular opportunities to celebrate the success of our students thus far in 2023 occur via our OPTIMA Awards. Please see below for the dates of our Term 3 Awards, with invitations to come directly to families receiving recognition in the coming week:

Year 7 Optima Awards (4 August)

Year 8 Optima Awards (31 July)

Year 9 Optima Awards (3 August)

Track & Field Carnival

Our whole-school Track & Field Carnival will be held on Friday 28 July (Week 3). Timetabled classes do not run on this day, with all Junior Secondary students required to attend and compete in a range of competitive (track) and non-competitive activities (run by our wonderful House Leaders). We look forward to a fun-filled day of activities and encourage all students to dress up in their house colours and raise points for the House Championship. Please remember that sign-out's are not processed on Athletics Carnival day due to the closure of our offices – students should be coming for the whole day where possible. 

Any students wanting to participate in other throwing and field events should sign up at the HALL. These events will be held during Thursday 27 July.

Work Experience 

Year 9s have a fantastic opportunity to be involved in work experience at the end of this term during week 10. Reminder completed forms are to be returned to A Block Junior Secondary Student Services by 11 August 2023.

Sporting Games At School 

Please be aware that students will not be permitted to "sign-out" of regular classes to watch sporting games being held on our School Oval. These games, that are held in class time are for participants in the Sports Excellence program only. Students will not be approved to be present at these games and this will be considered fractional truancy.

Optima Code – Be Safe

One common expectation in following the Be Safe Optima Code is wearing the PBC uniform correctly and proudly. Student must wear the complete day uniform or complete sports uniform (when applicable) in accordance with school routine. There is no mixing and matching of uniforms. 

Students are able to wear their sports uniform to school if they have a sports class for period 1 or wear it home if they have a sports class for period 4. Students are able to wear their sports uniform on Wednesdays.

Students are required to wear their formal uniform Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and may wear it on Wednesday if they prefer not to wear the sports uniform.

 Junior Secondary Uniform (Formal):

• Solid blue PBC shirt
• Option of Navy blue PBC shorts, skirt or culottes
• PBC REDS socks
• PBC REDS cap or hat
• Black polishable shoes
• Winter (PBC blue jumper, PBC red or blue or the 50s years jacket and PBC navy blue track pants)

Junior Secondary Sport Uniform (REDS):

• REDS PBC shirt
• REDS PBC shorts
• PBC REDS socks
• Sports shoes
• Undershirts/t-shirts/singlets can be worn under the school shirt provided it cannot be seen. All undershirts to be short sleeved and tucked it. Track pants are not to be rolled up.

Makeup:   

• No visible makeup or nail polish is to be worn.
• Sunscreen is encouraged to be worn that is of natural tone.
• Eyelash extensions and or acrylic nails must be natural and appropriate to a professional learning/work environment.

Jewellery:

• Jewellery is optional and is restricted to a wrist watch and a small ring on one hand only.
• Earrings must be small and discreet. Up to two earrings in each ear only.
• Piercings: One small, discreet nose piercing (stud) is permitted. Nose rings, bars and septum piercings are NOT permitted. No other facial piercings (eyebrow, lip etc) are permitted.

Consistent breaches of the Uniform Code will result in disciplinary action as per the Student Code of Conduct.

Nationally Consistent Collection Of Data (NCCD)

The NCCD collects data in a consistent, reliable and systematic way about school students with disability who are receiving adjustments across Australia. It enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school. The NCCD collection period is now open and closes 4 August, 2023. Schools count the number of students receiving reasonable adjustments under the four categories of physical, cognitive, sensory and social/emotional and allocates the level of adjustment that reflects the type of support the student receives (i.e quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary adjustments, substantial adjustment or extensive adjustment).

There is no parent consent required for students to be included in the NCCD, as the school provides data to the government in such a way that no individual student is able to be identified. In this way privacy and confidentially of all students is ensured.

If you have any questions about the NCCD please visit  https://www.nccd.edu.au/for-parents-guardians-and-carers section on the national NCCD portal.

Year 9 SBYHN Healthy Relationships

The Year 9 health sessions presented by the School Based Youth Health Nurses will be held on 10 and 11 August during HPE or Humanities classes.

Year7 2024 General Enrolment Evening

Year 7 2024 General Enrolment Information Evening will be held in the Hall on the 26 July 2023. Please pass on this opportunity to prospective PBC families for next year. Please see Flyer attached.

Year 12

It is certainly a busy time for Year 12s with the finalisation of their third internal assessment item (IA3) and preparations for external assessment in General subjects and IA4 I Applied subjects.

Many subjects have completed their third assessment item. General subjects in Science, Performing Arts, Technology and HPE are all finalising projects which will be due in the coming weeks.

Year 12 General Maths and Maths Methods students will have their third internal exam during the week commencing 31 July.

Students are reminded that they must complete all assessment to receive a result in a subject; for instance, if a student does not complete an assignment/project they will not attain a result; this will also affect their QCE eligibility.

Year 12s will be sent a cumulative report of their results for Unit 3 and 4 in the week beginning August 14. This will be the last report that year 12 students will receive from PBC as final exit level of achievement and results are determined by the QCAA.

The QCAA no longer mails out certificates and results to students at the end of the year. On 16 December they will provide a digital copy of results into each students’ QCAA learning account.

All year 12 students should by now have logged onto their QCAA learning account in the QCAA student portal. This is accessed via the myQCE website https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/index.html.

Please check that your student has completed this there are still some students that have not yet registered.

All Year 12 students will have shutdown exams in Weeks 9 and 10 of this term to complete Mock External assessment and Applied subject assessment.

All Year 12 students will be issued with a QTAC booklet in the Week 3 Year 12 Assembly to research courses for 2024. Course details are already online at https://www.qtac.edu.au/ 

The school will conduct an Information session on Tuesday 8 August which will have a range of tertiary, college and employment providers available for discussion. More information on this will be sent out closer to this date.

Year 11

Year 11 students are currently completing unit 2. Some subjects will have exams during the second week of term. This is not a shutdown and students are expected to attend school every day.

The timetable for these exams is available on the school website.

Year 11s will then have their final Unit 2 assessment block in the last week of this term. This will be a full week of shutdown.

This is a busy time for these students and ensuring your student has appropriate time management skills and is prioritising school work will help students to maximise their results.

Year10

They will soon begin selecting their pathways and subjects for Year 11 and 12 and will have an information night on Tuesday 8 August before SETP interviews the following week.

Please monitor your emails as a range of resources and invites will be emailed to year 10 parents and students in the coming weeks.

Study Skills

As parents/caregivers you may ask how you can better support your students to improve their study.

While there are a variety of specific study strategies students can use, below are some simple ways you can help them to develop good habits:

• Promote the use of a designated study space - reduce distractions and increase productiveness
• Help them to create a study planner - display it in a common area to encourage discussion
• Check to see they are taking effective and complete class/study notes
  Encourage and assist in practice questions/ tests - these can lead to open discussions to boost learning
• Remind students of their assessment to avoid cramming - PBC assessment calendars are published on the school website
• Teach them to ask for help - PBC has a wide range of supports available for students, they just need to ask.
• Help them to avoid distraction - this is important both during study and when it comes time for sleep

Click here to see the full article: 7 Tips for Parents to Help Your Child Develop Effective Study Skills (Edmentum, 2022)

MyQCE competition.

The QCAA is conducting a competition to increase student engagement with myQCE resources and the Student Portal.

The myQCE competition opens on Monday 10 July and closes on Friday 15 September. It offers Year 10–12 students a chance to win one of four prizes: a MacBook Air and three Sony WH1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones.

 To enter the competition students must:

• follow the myQCE Instagram account
• like a myQCE Instagram post
• tag three friends in the comments
• register for the Student Portal (if they haven’t already), log in and check/update their information such as their personal email address and phone number.

Students can enter the competition and find more information at: https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/get-motivated/get-involved . The QCAA will contact the four winners by email, and their names will be published on the myQCE website, myQCE Instagram account and in the Term 4 myQCE update.

Scholarship Opportunity

Aurora Training Institute is offering up to 3 scholarships for the 2023 Year 12 cohort. These are for the following qualifications:

• Diploma of Business (value $5,995)
• Diploma of Leadership and Management (value $5,995)
• Diploma of Hospitality Management (value $9,995)

Any students interested in applying should contact Mr. Mcdougall in Y block.

Link and Launch News

One graduate from class of 2022 has started a job at Bunnings and is enrolled to start Electrotechnology at TAFE in October. Another has started a certificate II to broaden their skills before entering the workforce. One has decided to re-enrol into University and another graduate will start the University bridging pathway ‘Preparing for Success’ in October.

Remember Grace at Link and Launch, for your 2023 graduate.

Grace will see to it that Year 12 leavers receive free individualised advice and support to ‘open the door to their future success’. Know someone suitable who will be graduating or has graduated in the last two years? Text or call 0467 951 239 or email gmack73@eq.edu.au. #linkandlaunch
 

School-based traineeships available

New exciting traineeship opportunities are available in the Pathways Centre, Y Block. Job boards will be updated regularly with new positions. Students can collect a registration form and apply now.

Still taking applications from Year 10s!!

Get paid while gaining a qualification when doing a school-based traineeship and earn up to 8 QCE points!!

Already working!! Why not convert your job to a traineeship, gain QCE points, and gain a qualification in your current job?

A variety of new traineeships are on offer with a focus on business, hospitality, retail, and sport.

Riviera Apprenticeships: Information and recruitment session is in July, many trades available. Tour the facility and hear from other current and past apprentices. Full-time and school-based apprenticeships available with a major boat building company. Flyer in this bulletin.

Hairdressing Apprenticeship: CocoMousse Hair Varsity Lakes is looking for a school-based apprenticeship, which will lead to full-time work. Job description includes tea tidy, customer service, and apprentice-level duties. Please contact Michelle or Chandre on 07 5575 8218 to apply.

Kirra Beach and Tallebudgera Tourist Parks

Tourist parks in Kirra Beach and Tallebudgera are looking for enthusiastic trainees to join their team. Duties include front reception, admin, and customer services. Great opportunity to work in tourism while completing a business traineeship.

Hospitality and Business Traineeships:

• Kirra Beach and Tallebudgera Tourist Parks
• The Pantry Burleigh
• Captain Hook Seafood Tugun
• Airport Retail Enterprises – Gold Coast Airport
• Bakers Delight Robina
• Zarraffas – various locations, new store Currumbin
• Seadog in the park
• Boost Juice the Pines
• Hi Poke Kirra
• The Shelf Café and Deli the Pines
• Goodness Gracias
• Springbok Foods Burleigh
• Zambrero's Coolangatta
• BSKT Mermaid Beach
• Guzman Y Gomez Burleigh & Robina
• Mr Potato Palm Beach
• Barefoot Blonde Palm Beach
• Pancake Diner Burleigh Heads
• Wendy's the Pines
• Tallebudgera Surf Club
• Sumptuous Fine Foods – Currumbin
• Earth N Sea Pizza Coolangatta
• Maries Pizza – Various locations
• Brumby's Bakery – Christine Corner & The Pines
• Sandwich Chefs The Pines
• KFC – Palm Beach, Mermaid Beach & Robina
• Surf Easy Currumbin
• Airport Retail Enterprises:

ARE manage many of the cafes, restaurants, and fast-food outlets at Coolangatta Airport. They are looking for enthusiastic and energetic applicants for their traineeships. In this traineeship, students will rotate through a range of outlets including fast food, cafe, and retail. This traineeship is ideal for students who are hospitality-driven as the diverse experiences will equip the students with a vast range of skills and knowledge. Students must have availability to work weekends to apply for these traineeships.

School-based vacancies links:

Ignite Education: https://www.ignite.edu.au/job-vacancies/

Aurora Training Institute, please visit their vacancy page: http://www.aurora.edu.au/schools-program/

First Choice College, please visit their vacancy page: https://fcc.edu.au/sbtform/

School leavers should check the following links for full-time employment opportunities:

https://www.goldcoaststudentjobs.com.au/

https://www.busyatwork.com.au/support-jobseekers/jobs/

https://www.megt.com.au/job-board

https://novaskill.com.au/jobs-available

Looking for a Trade? Casey from Gold Coast Trades College has many opportunities available for school leavers looking for a trade, e.g., metal roofer, painting/decorating, carpentry, tiling, automotive & plastering.

Please email your resume and industry of interest to casey@peopleperformance.com.au or Tracey Egan tracey@peopleperformance.com.au.

Dean from Inscope Training has employers looking for school-based and full-time students in carpentry, tiling, plastering, and painting. Students will need a driver's license or be close to getting one and reliable transport. Call Dean from Inscope on 0406 307 654 or email a resume through to dean@inscope.edu.au.

MEGT Vacancies: Visit the Career Hub job board for a variety of apprenticeships, Roof Plumbing, Landscaping Construction, Soil Technician, Engineering... just to name a few. Visit this link: https://www.megt.com.au/job-board

Mas National vacancies: visit this link:  https://mas.jobreadygateway.com.au/vacancies

OSMAC is seeking keen YEAR 12 students who want to secure an apprenticeship in the following trades only: Air/Con & Electrical, Engineering Trade, Plumber, Carpentry, Plastering, Painting, Cabinet Making, Shopfitting, Tiling, Light & heavy vehicle & Panel beater/spray painting.

Email resume to Kirsten Twyford - kirsten@ogt.com.au & reception@ogt.com.au.

McDonalds casuals: apply via these links

• Tugun: https://smrtr.io/4LXdX
• Palm Beach: https://smrtr.io/4RX8W
• Elanora: https://smrtr.io/4LXbg
• Coolangatta and Burleigh Heads visit: https://careers.mcdonalds.com/australia

There are more opportunities on the job boards. Please come into Y Block to register.

Love your current job? Would you like to turn it into a traineeship? Come to the Pathway Centre and let's see if we can create a traineeship for you in your current role.

The Pathway Centre is open before school and first break to apply for any of the above positions.

Sonia Shreeve - Industry Liaison Officer

PBC Sustainability

PBC is about to launch our new compartmentalised bin system which will make it much easier for students to sort their rubbish so that food waste is composted, drink containers can be redeemed by the school for 10c each, and recyclable items are also diverted from landfill. This will significantly reduce the amount of waste PBC sends to landfill each week and help minimise our waste collection bills.

The bins are being deployed around the school in the coming weeks and are clearly labelled with coloured stickers that identify what goes in each compartment. Please encourage your children to make use of the new bins by taking a few moments to determine which compartment each waste item should be placed in.

Some tips for helping our new process work as well as it can are:

• Look for the 10c logo on beverage containers to see if they're eligible for the scheme
• Ensure all drink containers are empty have their lids off before placing them in the bin
• Place only food waste in the food waste bin - no packaging goes in here (even if it’s compostable)
• Food waste excludes large bones, oyster/scallop shells and liquids. Small bones such as chicken bones are acceptable, along with meat, dairy and items such as fruit and vegetable scraps.
• If students are unsure where an item goes, they should place it in the general waste compartment

Please help PBC on our journey towards becoming a greener and more sustainable place.
Ms Benigno and Mr Pasley
#redsgogreen

Thursday 27/Friday 28 July 2023

Coming up, NEXT WEEK! (Week 3) is our Track and Field Carnival, a great day for everyone to get involved in their house activities, have some fun and some will qualify to represent PBC at the District Track and Field competition.

Similar to last year the carnival will see students being awarded with a raffle ticket every time they participate in a track event. There will be a draw at the end of the day where we will be giving out 5 $100 Pacific Fair Vouchers

The main event will be Friday 28 July with the whole school participating in the either the track and field events or just coming along to earn house points and have some fun on the inflatables / obstacle activities. You are encouraged to wear your house colours as the first event will be a house parade around the track.

The Friday is a compulsory school day, so the expectation is that everyone comes along and has a fun day.

There will be an opportunity to qualify in other events that do not take place on the Friday, during week 3.

Tuesday 25 July – 7.30am - 3000m (meet oval)

Thursday 27 July – 7.30am - 1500m (meet oval)

Thursday 27 July – 3.15pm - 200m / 400m Hurdles (meet oval)

Thursday 27 July

• Period 1 & 2 (Senior students only)  Shot** / Discus / Javelin
• Period 3 & 4 (Junior students only)  Shot** / Discus / Javelin

For these events, EVERYONE (including SPX) who wants to compete MUST Sign up HALL FOYER (Deadline for sign up – Wednesday 26 July 3pm)

Particularly important for the Thursday – during timetabled lessons, so you will get excused.

Any students wishing to participate in the High Jump will only be allowed to use the  “scissor kick technique” unless they have completed a Fosbury Flop permission note – please see Mrs Hart for this.

All the other events will take place on the Friday.

Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfod

GC6 Cluster Day 

To encourage team work and fitness, Dance Excellence students recently spent a day at Burleigh Heads engaged in various focused, fun and creative activities. Students were challenged with a fitness session that was balanced out with a fun bonding activity where teams were given various creative challenges to capture and complete. The winning team taking home a prize! The day was enjoyed by all!!

Creative Generation Excellence Awards

Over the June/July holidays, 80 Queensland state school students, from across 31 schools are taking part in the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Instrumental Music program. These talented music students will perform in the MOST Gala Concert at the Queensland Conservatorium on Wednesday 28 June.

Junior Music Excellence Showcase

This term we were incredibly proud to present our Junior Music Excellence cohort at the Junior Music Showcase. The Year 7-9 students were incredibly professional and showcased our extremely talented and diverse students in the best possible way. With a wide array of abilities, original compositions, genres, and performances brought to the stage, it was truly a night of celebration. The whole evening was run by the students themselves, with senior students on the sound, lighting, production filming, stage set up, MC-ing the event as well as our Year 9 load in-crew and stage-hands. The level of mentorship from the older students at this event was fantastic to see, and allowed our Junior cohort to truly shine on stage. Thank you to all staff who attended and supported this event – it was an incredible team effort! We will be announcing our Senior Showcase very soon so keep your eyes out and come along! Junior Music Excellence Showcase was a wonderful evening of outstanding talent from our year 7, 8 and 9 Music Excellence students. We are so proud to share these images of some performances. 

Congratulations on all students for their professionalism and truly outstanding performances during the evening. 

PBC's Masterclass Series: Acoustic Guitar

Reds Fest 

Year 11 Music Excellence students were responsible for planning and delivering a music festival for the school community as part of their Unit 1 assessment earlier this term. Red’s Fest was a huge success with lunchtime performances taking place during week 4 in the theatre. The support from the student community grew throughout the festival as word got around that the performances were not to be missed!

'Reds Fest was such a fun experience. The detail and talent in each performance displayed the overall hard work of the Music Excellence students.' Jaide

Year 9 Winter Market Stall Performances

Music Excellence students added to the festive atmosphere at the Year 9 Business and Economics Winter Market Stall. The musicians displayed dedication and professionalism in the lead up to and during the event. Congratulations to all musicians for your hard work!

Hot Potato Band Workshop

Students from Stage Band 1 and 2, along with selected Music Excellence vocalists were treated to an energetic and engaging workshop with the Hot Potato Band. The students had the opportunity to learn one of the band’s charts and experience a unique perspective of performance that involved movement and super entertaining audience interaction. To finish off this rich learning experience, students from Music Excellence classes were given the opportunity to see The Hot Potato Band perform, with the highlight being when PBC Stage Band 1 and 2 students filled the stage for the finale for the concert!

Choral Fanfare

A very dedicated group of 24 students who make up PBC Vocal Group had a successful first community performance The students performed three pieces and received Silver and positive feedback from the adjudicator. It was a great way to prepare this group of singers for next term’s Gold Coast Eisteddfod performance.

QLD Schools Marathon Kayaking Titles

Late last term PBC competed in the QLD Schools Marathon Kayaking titles at Coomera Lakes. Races were gruelling ranging from 5km for the U12’s to 10km for the seniors in testing conditions. PBC were outstanding throughout the day taking home a number of Gold medals and a spot on the podium in almost all age groups and categories. Students exemplified the REDS spirit and all competitors should be proud of themselves for their attitude and behaviour on the day.

PBC Tennis Shine at State Finals

PBC Open boys sent a strong team to the State Finals in Rockhampton. The standard was extremely high with the best Teams from across Queensland competing over 2 long days. The PBC boys went through their group without losing a match and played Brisbane Grammar in the Semi Finals. PBC once again played some phenominal tennis and beat Brisbane Grammar to go into the State Final where they played Brisbane Boys College.

The final was extremely close with the schools tied at 2-2 after the singles with the doubles still to play. After 2 tough doubles matches the score was tied again at 3-3 with Brisbane Boys College winning on countback by 3 games! The boys went so close but should be extremely proud of what was an outstanding effort. 

QLD All Schools XC Relays

On Saturday 17th June our XC runners did an amazing job at the QLD all schools XC relays at Nudgee College. Great performances from all our XC Runners at the relays. Well done!  

1st Place: 15 Girls (Sienna Bush/Savannah Bush/Maddy McPherson)

1st Place:  13 Girls (Piper Anderson/Rylee Sladen/ Siena Picton)

2nd Place: 14 Boys (Bobby Kennealy Flegler/Jack Hart/Taj Murray)

Senior Secondary Guidance Officer – Steve Jones

Read the attached article for the latest information targeted to senior students of careers and pathway information.

https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au/support-and-resources/guidance-officer

Junior Secondary Guidance Officer – Anna Willis

How To Navigate Difficult Conversations With Your Teenager

Important conversations with teenagers are among the biggest challenges of parenting. They can feel like walking a tightrope. Lean too much – or too little – into commands and restrictions and you’re likely to tip over. In preparation for writing this article, I asked my daughter for her advice to parents of teens. Her response was that “teens can get frustrated if you don’t listen properly, or say one thing but do another. Think about what you say long before you say it to a teen.” Her intuition was surprisingly aligned with research findings (and I suspect it was a message from her to me as well).

Conversations with teens are difficult for a number of reasons. First of all, adolescence is a time when young people develop their own identities. To try out different parts of those identities they make more decisions without their parents, some of which can be quite risky. But teens are still dependent on parents and seek their love and approval – even if they don’t want to admit it. Conversations that meet these complex needs often require flexibility, responsiveness and patience. Researchers are still learning about how parents can best support their teenagers’ needs, but studies conducted so far point to some key things to keep in mind.

Talk about tricky topics often

Talk to your teenager, often and with interest. Engage them on topics that matter to them. When teens feel, they can talk to non-judgmental parents about important topics they open up more. Along with the quality of conversation, the frequency also matters. Initiating more frequent conversations will help teens share more. To prepare for the conversation, it helps to set your mind towards taking an interest in, valuing, and trusting your teenager even before starting a difficult conversation.

Listen with love

My own research shows that high-quality listening on your part can improve wellbeing in teenagers and lead them to be willing to share more in the future. Listening well involves attending carefully to what your teenager says, attempting to understand issues from their perspective and conveying that you value and love them – even if you may not necessarily value what they’ve done or what they say. Listening does not require parents to agree to requests without good reason. At the start of the conversation, you can explain the difference between wanting to understand and being willing to accommodate your teen.

Explain your reasoning

Listening is not always enough, and parents are called to respond to, or direct, their child’s actions. The way you do this can help teenagers understand the importance of a request beyond their parent’s whim. For example, a parent can give a command: “You have to put down your phone now!” Or, they could give a request with explanation: “It’s important to put the phone down now that we’re having family time so we can connect.” Explaining decisions and making requests may not protect you from teenage protests, but doing so conveys your values and allows your teenager to make a choice about their behaviour. This ultimately helps teenagers to internalise or buy into parental rules and norms.

Think about tone of voice

Not just what parents say, but how they say it, matters. My research shows that warm, inviting and soft tones of voice are better received by adolescents, who report that that a supportive tone of voice helps them to get on board with parental messages, feel positive emotions and experience a sense of connection with parents. In contrast, pressuring tones of voice can alienate young people and undermine efforts to communicate effectively for positive change.

Think about your own wellbeing

Listening well, and using ideal tones of voice and words to convey messages to teens, may be difficult when parents are exhausted, under pressure, or have been dealing with difficult behaviour from their children. Parents and children both benefit when these conversations take place after a good rest, or at least a deep breath. It may help to track your own mood, and step away from a conversation when you are not in the right headspace. It’s also important to watch out for your own feelings of threat and fear during conversations, because these can get in the way of being responsive, loving, and still firm – as needed – when things get tough.

Understand that a conversation can’t solve everything

Adolescents are on their own journeys to growing, and often these journeys are influenced by some, often complex, personality factors, peer influence, and mental health difficulties. Parents certainly have the power to encourage teenagers to talk about issues affecting them and promote their wellbeing, but parents also deserve to have compassion for themselves as well as for their teens. They don’t have infinite power; doing their very best might just have to be enough.

Author: Netta Weinstein, Professor, School of Psychology, University of Reading

School Based Youth Health Nurse

We encourage parents/caregivers to email your student’s excellent recent achievements to us. These achievements can be in The Arts, sporting, academic or community service. We would love to hear from you! Please email us at news@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au with details of your student’s achievement and include at least one photo, and/or any links to media articles that we can share.

Joel Maritz Wins Gold 

On the Saturday and Sunday after the QLD Schools marathon kayak championships Joel Maritz also competed in the QLD State Marathon Kayak Championships and won gold in both K1 and K2 (in K2 with Koa Brodie also from PBC). 

Joel has since been invited to the Paddle QLD pathways academy and has been identified as a rising star in Paddle QLD Canoe Sprint Pathways. He is training hard for QLD State Sprints which is being held at Coomera on 11-12 November. Way to go Joel! 

Skye Adams Makes History 

Griffith University Sports Science Excursion 

The Year 12 Physical Education classes had a great opportunity to visit Griffith University at the end of last term and experience life as a Sport and Exercise Science university student.

The subject content that was covered that day, helped them with completion of their Unit 3 assessment work, as well as giving them an insight into potential courses they could study next year. 

Year7 2024 General Enrolment Evening

Year 7 2024 General Enrolment Information Evening will be held in the Hall on the 26 July 2023. Please pass on this opportunity to prospective PBC families for next year.

Entertainment App Fundraising!

Help the PBC P&C raise money for improvements around the school. The Entertainment App unlocks access to thousands of offers on dining, shopping, travel and experiences across Australia and New Zealand. There are Single City and Multi City Memberships available and can both be purchased for 3, 12 or 24-month subscriptions. Memberships start from as little as $29.99. Purchase yours today and not only will you be saving up to 50% off dining, shopping and things to do across Australia and New Zealand, but you’ll also be helping us raise funds at the same time with 20% from every purchase going back to PBC P&C fundraising.
Thank you so much for your support!

Order your Membership here - https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/14425k9

International Homestay Families Needed

PBC Tennis Courts – Available to hire

Love tennis! PBC's tennis courts are now open to the public to book. Our new lights make it a great venue for a night game. Local, inexpensive and convenient.

How To:https://play.tennis.com.au/PalmBeachCurrumbinStateHighSchool

Follow PBC on Social Media

Our social media accounts are the best way to stay connected with the daily happenings of our school. We will upload any important messages, reminders, student achievements and general action. With posts every day this a great way to celebrate our awesome school. If you have any news about your student that you would like to share please message us via Direct Message on Instagram, Messenger on Facebook or email tonews@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au.

Instagram@PBCSHS

Facebook@PalmBeachCurrumbinStateHigh and @PBCAlliance

Dates to Remember

Shout out to our 2023 Partners!

Thank you!

Thank you to our amazing partners that have already signed on to support our students in 2023!

PLATINUM

Aurora Training Institute

Bendigo Bank Tugun Community Bank

Eoghan Murphy - Kollosche

Find Ya Feet

Gold Coast Titans

Grip Star Socks

SmileStreet Coolangatta

Stone Style

Synergy Fitness

Tweed Sea Sports

GOLD

Belle Property - Rhys Wildermoth

Bond Sport

Capital Pest Management

Prestige Services Training

Southport Sharks

MSP Photography

SILVER

99 Bikes Burleigh

Currumbin RSL

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Harrison & Harrison Financial

Inspiring Brighter Futures

Michael Hart MP, Member for Burleigh

Palm Beach Surf Club

PlayBk

RJ Beaufils & Sons

Summerland Credit Union

Trade Glass

BRONZE

Bidfood

City of Gold Coast

Fraser Financial Services

LD Total Landscaping

The Butchers Table The Pines

The Good Human Factory

REDS SUPPORTERS

Balloonery Gold Coast

BOQ Elanora

City Venue Management

CVM Academy

Fight 4 Youth

Laura Gerber MP

Mighty Minds

PBC P&C

Signature Dance

VMA Promotional Products

Youth Music Venture

TERTIARY PARTNERS

Bond University

Griffith University

Gold Coast TAFE

Southern Cross University

PBC Alliance Business Directory – support our local businesses

PBC Alliance Business Directory

If you are looking to support our local businesses and local community when looking for a product or service look no further than the PBC Alliance Business Directory. All of our Partners and Member businesses are listed in this directory and are looking to help you whereever they can. All are supporters of our students and local so please support those that support PBC. https://www.pbc-alliance.com/business-directory.html

Would your business like to support our students? Become a Partner today. If you are interested in learning more about the PBC Alliance visit our website! www.pbc-alliance.com.