Executive Principal's Message

Dear PBC Community,

What an amazing time to be part of our wonderful school.  On all three fronts I have watched students excel.  Whether it be the academic achievements celebrated at the Senior Academic Awards, the sporting prowess of victorious AFL and Touch Football teams and culturally through the outstanding performances at Dance night.  I was genuinely disappointed when the word Finale was displayed and I knew this would be the last dance.  What a night of energy and exceptional talent. The week finished with Under the Lights. This celebration of talent was so good that the golf pro at my club who attended was telling everyone about it across the weekend.

The whole school assembly to announce the 2023 winner of the house cup was memorable, being one of the few times the 2650 student population is together.   House spirit is something that is strong at the school and the anticipation to see if Phoenicians could be knocked off the top perch was profound.  In the end it was Vikings that came out on top with my team the mighty Spartans securing third.  Our special guest was Nick Marshall of Albatross Nippers who spoke passionately of the good in young people.  Albatross Nippers were the recipient of the school fundraising drive amassing ten thousand dollars for this very worthy group.

Best wishes to our Year 12 students heading into external exams as their journey through schooling is nearing its conclusion.  For all parents / carers, as we head toward the end of the year I ask that you finalise any outstanding debt and ensure that your child’s attendance remains high to ensure they are maximising their learning.

Chris Kern
Executive Principal

CRICOS Provider Name: The Queensland Department of Education trading as Education Queensland International (EQI) CRICOS Provider Number 00608A

Term 4 for our Junior Secondary students is a term full of opportunities to progress our learning and engagement with all things at PBC, and set ourselves up for 2024!

This term will culminate in a range of activities, with Australian Business Week Competition for Year 9 Academic Excellence students and CARE Carnival (1st December) playing a major role.

Congratulations to all students who have now received their Term 3 interim report cards. Across Years 7, 8 and 9 there was a 95% pass rate for all subjects. These reports reflect students’ learning through the first part of Semester 2 and we have experienced pleasing improvements across academic achievement, effort and behaviour across the board. Special mention must go to our Year 9 students who engaged in work experience in Week 10 of Term 3. This opportunity sets our students up superbly for the workplace, for future traineeship opportunities and as a method of gaining maturity and independence. It was a pleasure to talk to many employers over the course of the week who had nothing but positive things to report regarding the Year 9’s.

Good luck to all students involved in massive PBC events over the coming weeks including Arts and Sports Evenings (Junior Sports awards 15th November).

The Junior Secondary Annual Awards Night will be held on Monday 6th November in the Hall and we look forward to celebrating academic and special awards for students in Years 7-9. All awardees and parent/guardians will be notified via email.

Staff Changes

Mr Chris Wood joins the Junior Secondary DP team replacing Mrs Julia Hoy who has taken a position at Miami Primary. Mr Wood will be managing the Year 9 cohort with Head of Year Stacey Hooper and the Year 8 cohort will begin working with Mrs Wendy Wise and will continue with Head of Year Andrew Jordan.

Year 7 OPTIMA Assembly

Our final OPTIMA assembly to celebrate Year 7’s successes in academic, cultural and sporting achievement was held this week. Congratulations to all of the students that were recognised.

Year 7 SBYHN

The Year 7 health sessions presented by the School Based Youth Health Nurses were held on the 20th October and also this week on 27th October during various core classes.

We were delighted to celebrate the academic and leadership achievements of our senior students at the recent 52nd Annual Academic Awards Evening. Thankyou to all parents and staff for your attendance and support, but most importantly for the achievements of our award winners, with many not only topping a subject, but receiving further recognition from our local universities and partners.

We were privileged to celebrate many significant achievements, however major awards presented were as follows:

2023 School Dux – Sean Lunney

2023 Runner-Up Dux – Layla Ahern

Congratulations to both Sean and Layla, who have achieving simply breathtaking results this year and are well prepared for both External Exams and the release of ATAR results in December.

We also introduced the school community to our 2024 Student Leadership team, led by 2024 School Captains Emma Suttle and Zane With. It is a wonderful opportunity to lead our school and we trust the student leaders will thrive with this responsibility.

2024 Student Leaders

School Captain Emma Suttle

School Captain Zane With

Vice-Captain Charlotte Hart

Vice-Captain Cooper Hansen

Prefect Baedan Black

Prefect Shaylee Borg

Prefect Layne Brown

Prefect Zara Gilany

Prefect Sunny Kama

Prefect Grace King

Prefect Will Mann

Prefect Indigo Margetts

Prefect Stella Palmetto

Prefect Jaide Parks

Year 12

External Assessments commenced on Monday October 23. These will continue up to Tuesday November 14.

All year 12 parents and students have been emailed the External Assessment Guide which provides all details regarding these exams. It is also available here: 

https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/_media/documents/external_assessment_guide_students.pdf

The school website has a section which contains all the details regarding upcoming External Exams  

https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au/curriculum/testing-and-assessment

Students need to be familiar with the timetable, directions for students, equipment and calculator requirements included in these documents.

The whole PBC community is wishing all our Year 12s the best as they prepare for these assessments.

All year 12 students have been emailed their LUI number and 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

Students need to ensure that they use a personal email to register, as they will not have access to their school email at the end of the year. Student results will be published by the QCAA directly into their learning account on December 15.

All ATAR students that wish to have their ATAR sent to them on December 15 need to register with QTAC, again using a personal email https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar/

Year 10 and 11

Year 11 students have commenced Unit 3 (year 12) work and will complete summative assessment in the majority of subjects at the end of this term. Unit 3 and 4 subjects will contribute to students ATAR and both Unit 3 and 4 must be completed at a C level or higher for students to achieve QCE points.

Subject changes for Year 11 closed on Friday October 20. As students must maintain their subjects for Unit 3 and 4 there are no more opportunities for Year 11 students to change their subjects whilst they are at school.

Senior school admin is currently reviewing the academic performance of 10s and 11s. A reminder again that all students need to be passing at least 5 of their 6 subjects and that students that continue to fail more than 1 class may have their enrolment reviewed.

Assessment calendars for term 4 will soon be published on the school website under curriculum/testing and assessment.

Year 10 and 11 Shutdown exams will commence in the week of November 20 to 24. All students may have timetabled exams up to and including the last day (November 24 for 10s and 11s).

A reminder that all drafts and assignments are due before 9am on the due date and that exams cannot be given early to students because of other commitments. Please refer to the school assessment policy on the school website for further details.

Remember Link and Launch Grace for your 2023 graduate. Grace will see to it that Grade 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

Scan QR code below to provide contact for a check in text next year:

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

Taking applications from year 9 & 10’s

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, sport and tourism

Brumby’s Bakery the Pines looking for 2 Trainees – Monday, Wednesday or Thursday available

Burleigh Heads Surf Club: Front and back of house Burleigh Heads Surf Club

Zarraffas Coffee: Tugun and Currumbin stores, many positions available

Childcare: Local childcare centres looking for new trainees, Currumbin & Burleigh, gain your Cert 3 Early Childhood while working with children in the centre

Reece Plumbing: Bathroom Life Bundall Retail traineeships at Bundall store, apply via the link Reece Group (myworkdayjobs.com)

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 is 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

Miami Pool City Venue Management, gain your CPR, first aid and pool life guarding while working at a local pool, Miami and Robina plus more locations… flyer attached, apply through the QR code

Hospitality and Business Traineeships:

- Zarraffas – various locations New store Currumbin

- Brumbys Bakery The Pines Monday, Wednesday or Thursday

- Boost Juice Burleigh

- Jet Boat Extreme

- Sunny Skyes Aquatic Wellness Centre

- The Pines News and Gifts

- Burleigh Heads Surf Club

- Paradise Resort Surfers Paradise

- Soul Origin Robina

- The Pines News and Gifts

- Waxing Xpress hair and beauty

- Southport Yacht Club

- Captain Hook Seafood Tugun

- Seeds of Life Mermaid Waters

- Bakers Delight Robina

- Kirra beach and Tallebudgera Tourist Parks

- The Pantry Burleigh

- Airport Retail Enterprises – Gold Coast Airport

- Third Base Coffee Palm Beach

- PRA Psychology Mermaid Beach – Mondays

- Kooco Espresso Bar & Kitchen Robina and Nerang

- Boost Juice the Pines

- Hi Poke Kirra

- The Shelf Café and Deli the Pines

- Springbok Foods Burleigh

- BSKT Mermaid Beach

- Mr Potato Palm Beach

- Pancake Diner Burleigh Heads

- Guzmen Y Gomez – all locations

- Wendys the Pines

- Sumptuous Fine Foods – Currumbin

- Maries Pizza – Various locations

- Brumbys Bakery – Christine Corner & 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 is 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

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

School based vacancies links: Aurora Training Institute please visit their vacancy page:https://aurora.edu.au/programs/

First Choice College: Please visit their vacancy page  https://fcc.edu.au/?s=traineeships

Ignite Education: https://ignite.edu.au/jobs/school-based-business-traineeships-hospitality-focus/

School Leavers should check the following links for fulltime employment opportunities

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

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

PBC South Coast Track and Field Team

A huge congratulations to the PBC students who competed for South Coast last weekend in the QSS Track and Field Championships.

Our Medallists were:

Thewbelle Philp – 1^st in 15 Girls 100m and 200m

Sienna Bush – 1^st in 15 Girls 3000m, 1500m and 2000m Steeplechase

Ryley Clare – 1^st in 14 Girls Pole Vault

Sienna Clare – 1^st in 15 Girls Pole Vault

Savannah Bush – 3^rd in 14 Girls 2000m Steeplechase

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.

Skateboarding

PBC would like to congratulate Skateboard champion Chloe Covell on her recent success. Representing Australia and winning back-to-back gold!! Not only did Chloe win 1st place at both X Games Ventura in July & at Street League Skateboarding Toyko in August! Chloe has also collected yet another gold for the SLS Invitational in Sydney, held on October 6. Wow what a haul, well done Chloe!!

Swimming

Congratulations to Julia Remington was selected into the Queensland Tilly Cup, Team Libby Trickett. The Tilly Cup was held on the Gold Coast and at this event, Julia broke the Queensland All Comers Record for 15years girls, Short Course - 200m Individual Medley. Time 2:13.22.

Julia will now become the third fastest all time Australian 15 year old girl to swim the 200m Individual Medley, Short Course - behind 2nd all time Australian fastest Emily Seebohn and Australian fastest Ellen Fullerton.

Julia also clocked in at a time of 1:02.80 for the 100m Individual Medley. Julia now becomes the 8th fastest all time 15 year old girl to race this Short Course Event in Australian history.

Rugby Union

Congratulations to year 8 PBC student Ivy, who has been selected in Under 14 Gold Coast Cyclones and South QLD rep teams for XVs Rugby Union. Ivy has also been selected in under 15 Gold Coast Cyclones 7’s Rugby Union to attend the state champs. Not only that, Ivy has also been crowned Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygators Rugby Union Club - Junior Club Person of the Year! Way to go Ivy!!

Ballet

Congratulations to PBCs Yr 7 students Hali and Jade, who were busy over the school holidays attending the prestigious Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre in Melbourne. It is their second year of attending this wonderful interstate program.

Art

PBC are very proud to announce Year 7 Academic Excellence Student Taylor Lee has won a Young, Black and Proud Scholarship (YBPS) for her talent and strengths in Aboriginal Art and to further her passion in this field.

YBPS recognises high level students all over South East Queensland who want to go further in sport, the arts or education and training (at school, TAFE or university). With support from the Queensland Family & Child Commission, the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) offers these scholarships twice per year.

PBC would like to congratulate Taylor Lee on a fantastic achievement! Congratulations  Taylor Lee (FB/Instagram @ochresisters)

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 help your memory when preparing for exams

Create the conditions for attention: put your phone away and remove distractions. Remember, your attention is needed to bring information into working memory and keep it there. Loss of attention, or mind wandering, can result in poorer learning. Harvard professor of psychology Dan Schachter calls absent-mindedness one of the “seven sins of memory”.

Consider your subject area: different disciplines ask different kinds of questions and you should study with these in mind. In a Year 12 English exam, for example, you might be asked to write a response about your interpretation of a particular text. So don’t just re-read the text; effective study involves drawing out themes and insights, practising your arguments and seeking feedback.

Minimise “shallow” study: most students report re-reading and highlighting text when studying. But these are less effective than other study techniques. Shallow study or encoding focuses more on surface features and less on meaning. This encourages rote recall over genuine understanding and leads to poorer learning. In one study, re-reading a textbook twice in a row offered no advantage over reading it for the first time.

Maximise “deep” study: this involves actively using the information you are studying. Depending on your discipline, this might include answering practice questions, constructing your own questions, summarising, identifying themes, evaluating existing arguments, making decisions, or explaining concepts to others. This deep encoding results in stronger schematic networks, which are more easily reactivated when you need them.

Move beyond worked examples: worked examples are step-by-step illustrations of the processes to solve a problem. They can be powerful starting points because they show you how to use a particular strategy. They also help to reduce working memory load. But as you become more expert, it is more effective to draw those strategies from long-term memory yourself.

Take breaks: research with Australian university students shows even a five-minute rest break can support attention – the gateway to learning. Research using brain scans also shows rest can help you consolidate memories.

Don’t cram: the so-called “spacing effect” shows memory and conceptual understanding both benefit from distributed rather than massed learning. This means six half-hour sessions are better for learning than one three-hour block.

Mix up your study: this could mean varying questions and activities, so your brain is forced to compare, contrast, refine, and draw distinctions between concepts and approaches. This is known as “interleaving”, and has been shown to boost learning in subjects such as maths, music and medicine. Don’t skip sleep: sleep is crucial for the consolidation of memory or solidifying new connections or insights you have made.

Give yourself enough time: unfortunately, there are no shortcuts here! Each time you practise drawing specific knowledge and skills from long-term memory into working memory, you are etching a memory super-highway. The more you do this, the better and quicker you become – which is what you will need come exam time.

Penny Van Bergen, Head of School of Education and Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Wollongong

Entertainment App Fundraising!

Partner Spotlight!

Proud supporters of our PBC Alliance Breakfasts.

Bidfood Australia sits proudly underneath the Bidcorp umbrella. Bidfood Australia’s sole purpose is to partner with foodservice operators, large and small, to better serve their customers.

Our mission is to empower foodservice to invent and create. With a team of passionate foodies that know and love the industry, we’re familiar with what it takes to run a successful kitchen and bar.

Proud supporters of PBC's AFL and Rugby League Sports Excellence programs.

It is our mission to ensure that every patient is treated with utmost respect and care. We want to enhance or create natural smiles with high-quality cosmetic and health-centred treatment options. Every patient should be greeted with a smile and leave with a smile because they are thoroughly satisfied with the exceptional quality of care that they have received.

With our focus on educating patients we know that patients will leave more educated about their dental health and the options that they have. Modern dentistry can be overwhelming with all its choices, but we take the time to ensure that patients understand what’s going on and feel confident in their decisions. Our patients are our top priority and we value establishing strong personal relationships with them.

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

Lifechanger Foundation

GOLD

Belle Property - Rhys Wildermoth

Bond Sport

Capital Pest Management

Prestige Services Training

Southport Sharks

MSP Photography

Palm Beach Sports and Physio Rehab

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. 

    

The Uniform Shop

Uniform_shop_120922_2_.pdf

Uniform_shop_120922_2 pdf 756.72 KB

The Canteen

Tuckshop Day is held on the first Friday in November to recognise and give a special thank you to all tuckshop workers. Thank you to our beautiful Canteen ladies who cook, prep and deliver the BEST meals in QLD – Bernie, Mayumi, Courtney, Vara, Tracey, Kris, Kasey, and Kate.

2023_PBC_Canteen_Menu_Term_3_1_.pdf

2023_PBC_Canteen_Menu_Term_3_1 pdf 161.43 KB

Look at our amazing new  menu inlcuding sunny salad and focaccia

Crispy Mexican salad

The ultimate burger

And the Roasted Veggie Fab focaccia

Poke bowl

Finance Office

**REMINDER OVERDUE INVOICES** 2023 SRS and Excellence invoices should now be paid in full or close too. Please contact finance@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au if you require further information.

2024 SRS Invoicing will be generated in the coming weeks for existing PBC students. Please check junk mail (search “Debtor”) as sometimes invoices can be sent here.

To arrange a 2024 Payment Plan or to discuss payment options please email finance@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au or visit our website https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au/support-and-resources/payments.

The Finance Window is located in D Block. The Payments Window is open on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 8:00am to 12:00pm.

QPARENTS

What is QParents? QParents is a user-friendly portal accessible via app or web browser, providing parents with secure online access to information about their child’s schooling. You can access information about:

• Provide consent for upcoming excursions
• timetables
• invoices and payment history.

Download QParents https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/login