6 June 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

“One of our key drivers is to embrace and connect with a wide cross section of our community organisations and members to provide support and opportunities for our PBC students and to also contribute in making our local area even better.”

Dear Parents,

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the PBC Alliance Breakfast. This Alliance, made up of local businesses, PBC alumni and our staff and students plays a vital role in our school.

One of our key drivers is to embrace and connect with a wide cross section of our community members, to provide support and opportunities for our PBC students and to also contribute in making our local area even better.

This aligns clearly with the vision of the PBC Alliance where we aim for our great school to play an important role in being the centre of, and building a stronger, more connected Palm Beach, Currumbin and surrounding community.

The cultural characteristics of the PBC Alliance include:

• Creating a strong and sustainable interface between the local community and our school
• Creating opportunities for business promotion and networking
• Enriching the learning experiences for our students through local business involvement
• Supporting our business, and businesses supporting us, with brilliant student traineeships and apprenticeships
• Building our PBC Alumni network
• Enhancing student opportunities and achievements through business support and sponsorship of our signature programs or individual students

This type of thinking allows our PBC Alliance to create a win/win situation for all involved and models to our young people the type of community we aim to create.

On behalf of our school and students, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the numerous businesses and Alliance members for their continuous support of our young people.

The District Inter-school Sport Premierships were held last Wednesday.

PBC entered 45 teams into the competition and of those 45 teams, 34 got to compete in the Grand Finals. A phenomenal achievement.

Of those 34 teams, 23 won the Wider District Inter-School Sport Premierships and 18 of these teams now move on to contest the Gold Coast Grand Finals this Wednesday 7 June. We wish all students the very best of luck at the Gold Coast Grand Finals.

Consulting our student ‘voice’ at PBC

A key purpose of our Care and House system is to enable our students to have a ‘voice’ in as many school learning decisions as possible. This purpose, supported by our extended student leadership opportunities, aims for greater student connection and ownership of our school.

Last week, provided an excellent example of how this student consultation process has impacted on the review of one of our school-wide policy and procedures. Following extensive consultation through our Care Classes and House Council, our Student Council provided their recommendations to revise our ‘Communications and Electronic Device Policy’. The picture below shows Andy Williams, one of our Middle School student leaders, presenting these recommendations at our Executive Leadership Team meeting.

Andy did a brilliant job in representing the Student Council and in such, representing the ‘voice’ of all PBC students.

Blair Hanna
Acting Executive Principal

Important information

PBC and the Pines Centre Management have agreed that any PBC student in school uniform will not be served at any food outlet during school hours from 9:00am to 3:00pm, unless accompanied by a parent/carer.

Senior School Update

As students move into an assessment heavy period with exams around the corner we encourage parents to sit with their child to talk about study habits and set goals. A study timetable may assist students with scheduling and managing their time in a manner that will enhance productivity and outcomes. We remind students and parents that the best study environment includes a well-lit room free from distractions such as televisions and phones. Students should take regular breaks during their periods of study and ensure they eat well to keep their brain energized.

If you believe that your student may benefit from being assisted to build a study timetable please ask them to drop in to or contact our Senior School Guidance Officer Mr Steve Jones.

We wish our Seniors the best of luck moving into these Semester 1 final assessments!

Alyce Cleary
Acting Head of School - Senior

Deputy Principal Report

Social Media

Social Media is being used in everyday life by people of all ages and backgrounds. Young people use social media to communicate with friends and family. Social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, Musically, WhatsApp and Snapchat can include the following methods of communication:

• Instant messaging/text chat
• Video chat – via a webcam
• Online chat rooms
• 3D interactive communities

Sexting is a concerning issue that involves young people taking explicit images or videos of themselves or others and sending them to their friends or to other people. There are significant social and legal concerns for the young person once a photo or video is transmitted as the young person loses complete control of where this video/image ends up. This topic has been addressed in the Social Emotional Leaning Program as well as in year level weekly assemblies. From the Schools perspective, sexting or the possession or sharing of pornographic material and publication or posting of recorded sound or video of the school or school events contrary to the schools Responsible Behaviour Plan will result in a student being suspended and or excluded from School. The information the School gathers is passed onto the Police for further investigation. We urge parents/care givers to have these conversations with your student to support and encourage safe online behaviour. The following link provides suggestions to help protect your child on the internet:

Mitch Kennedy
Acting Deputy Principal – Senior School

HOD – Senior School Report

Assessment

• The Senior Schooling Exam timetable has been published on the school website (https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/assessment-calendars-and-shutdown-timetables/t2-2017-shutdown-timetable(pdf,380kb).pdf). Exams will commence on 9 June for Years 11 and 12 and 12 June for Year 10s.
• The school website has a copy of the Assessment Policy and Application For Extensions/Change Of Date For Students if required (https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au/Curriculum/Testingandassessment/Pages/Testingandassessment.aspx)
• Students should be busy revising and completing assessments at the moment.
• Students need to attend to complete their competencies in VET classes during VET catch up during shutdown. The expectation is that all students are up to date with their VET competencies by the end of shutdown. All students doing the Certificate III and Certificate IV in Fitness will have compulsory catch up sessions during shutdown.
• Parents and students are again reminded that teachers will begin Term 3 work once exams are completed and that students will need to attend every day up until the end of term.
• Year 12 QCS students will have Masterclasses and practice writing task and multiple choice exams all day on 15 and 16 June. These compulsory sessions will be the last practice exam sessions before students sit the QCS on 29 and 30 August. The practice tests will be professionally marked and the feedback from these results will inform the Term 3 QCS program. Students whose results in the practice tests indicate that they need extra support will be required to attend tutorials in Term 3.
• The school track and field carnival will be conducted on Friday 23 June.

SETP

Year 10s will soon commence planning for their subject selections and pathway for Year 11 and 12. The first session will be held in Period 1 on Wednesday 14 June.

School based Traineeships and Apprenticeships (SATs)

Year 10 and 11 students should consider applying for a SAT as this gives the following benefits:

• Paid employment which develops both life and employability skills
• A nationally recognised Certificate III qualification
• 8 Queensland Certificate of Education points
• Tertiary options - A rank of 68 (for all Cert IIIs) which is currently equivalent to an OP of 15

All SATs take 12 months to complete and must be started in year 10 and 11. Year 10 students are strongly encouraged to apply. Please visit The Pathways Centre to register or for more information.

Mick McDougall
HOD – Senior School

Deans Report

GRADUATION and FORMAL Year 12

This year the Graduation and Formal dinner are an invite only event. Invitations are based on student attendance. The event will take place Thursday 16 November at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. In Term 3 students and parents will be provided with more detail about this event including times and cost. If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact Amanda Stewart, Year Coordinator on ext 533.

Meningococcal Immunisations for Year 10 students AND 15-19 year olds via GC Health

PBC, in conjunction with the Gold Coast Public Health Service, has secured an opportunity for all Year 10 students to take advantage of a free vaccination against meningococcal ACWY. This service will take place at PBC on Tuesday 15 August 2017 for Year 10 students only. However, GC Health are also extending the offer of a free vaccination to all youth aged 15-19 through their immunisation provider or General Practitioner.

Last week all Year 10 parents received an email which outlined information about the vaccinations, how to obtain further reading on the topic and most importantly how to register to receive the free vaccinations. Unlike past immunisations held at school in Years 7 & 8, consent for this service must be given by filling in an online form which needs to be completed initially by 5 June. You will find the link for registration as part of the letter, sent via email.

PBC will re-issue the letter to all Senior Students families via email in the coming days to ensure you can take advantage of this service – please remember only Year 10’s are eligible to get the immunisation at school.

Please visit below for further information.

Amanda Stewart and Brad Dixson
Dean of Students Year 10, 11 and 12

Middle School Update

Academic Review

The Middle School Team have concluded the review meetings and parent teacher meetings have occurred where requested. If you have missed seeing a teacher or making a booking please contact the school to arrange this. This is the time that students need to be working on the actions to achieve their OPTIMA goals for Term 2. There is still time to impact on their next report card. I will be encouraging all students who have underachieved in term one to increase their effort and aim to receive a Most Improved Award at OPTIMA assembly next term.

Semester 2 Planning

The Middle School Leadership team is currently planning for the second half of the academic year. Preparation includes reviewing our resourcing and support to classrooms and the use of our classroom teacher aides, analysing diagnostic data on student literacy and numeracy levels, which will be updated with NAPLAN results as soon as these become available for our 7’s and 9’s and furthering our support of students with disabilities. In recent weeks, we have successfully transitioned around a dozen students to a more inclusive timetable which sees them participating in core classes for science and humanities.

General Enrolment Year 7 2018

For parents who have younger siblings in Year 6, can I remind you that our General Enrolment night is in Wednesday 14 June from 6.30pm in PBC Theatre. Invitations for students enrolled in our feeder schools in our catchment area will be posted home this week. This night is not for excellence programs and parents of students in these programs who are out of our catchment areas are reminded that the sibling rule does not apply in this case. The night is not compulsory but provides an opportunity to meet the Middle School team and to gain information about the current enrolment process. Enrolment packs will be available at the end of the presentation. Further details can be found on our school website. I look forward to seeing you there.

Term 3 CARE

In Term 3 CARE classes will be exploring the theory of Gratitude and how that is connected to wellbeing and happiness. Gratitude is the act of acknowledging and being grateful for what we receive and being motivated to give back out of this. Students will learn that gratitude does not become complete without our expressing of it, by showing our gratitude in action. To conclude the unit each CARE class will run a community project where they will promote and provide support for one of the following community organisations:

• R U OK? Day
• Salvation Army
• Keep Australia Beautiful

Anita Sgalippa
Head of School - Middle

Deputy Principal Report

There are several ways each parent/caregiver can notify Middle School of a student absence:

• Phone 07 55259333 and dial 1 to leave a message.
• Email the Middle School Attendance Officer directly on absences@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au.
• A note from each parent/caregiver explaining your absence can be placed daily in the drop box at Middle School Student Services.
• Join QParents via the link below to manage absence details.

Information for parents/caregivers

Regular school attendance

Research shows that poor school attendance is associated with:

• Lower academic achievement including literacy and numeracy
• Early school leaving
• Leaving school with fewer qualifications
• Reduced opportunities for students to learn and access educational resources, further limiting achievement
• Further absenteeism in higher year levels; and
• Increased alcohol, tobacco and substance use in adolescents.

How do I get my teenager to school?

There are legal obligations of parents/caregivers for compulsory schooling. Compulsory participation does not apply when the child:

• is registered with Department of Education and Training’s Home Education Unit for home schooling
• has a medical certificate for an infectious or contagious disease or condition
• is suspended or excluded
• is waiting for enrolment confirmation at another state school
• has an exemption granted by the school or region

Middle School will regularly update parent/caregivers on your child’s non-attendance. Failure to comply with the obligation without a reasonable excuse, is an offence. If non-attendance continues then parent/caregivers will be issued with a Form 4: A Notice About Compulsory Schooling Obligation – failure to attend Section 178 (2) of the Education (General provisions) Act 2006 and may be liable to a fine up to $730 for the first offence.

Early departures

If you wish for your child to depart school early on any day can you please notify the Middle School Student Services with a signed note and/or email before 9:00am on the same day.

Bike Safety

All students riding bikes to and from PBC are expected to follow Queensland Road rules and correctly wear an Australian approved helmet. There will be tickets given to students wearing a helmet for an iPhone7 (TBC) prize to be drawn in Term 3. Any student riding a bike to school is encouraged to keep their bike locked within school grounds at the bike racks.

Wendy Wise
Deputy Principal Middle school

HOD of Middle School Update

End Of Term Update

There are now fewer than twenty school days left until the school holidays, and the countdown to assessment is even closer. Students should be reflecting on their OPTIMA goals and considering what it is that they need to do to earn their best possible results. Unlike the Interim Report, which may only reflect one piece of assessment, the Semester Report shows a pattern of learning achievement, effort and behaviour.

Assessment may be due right up to the end of term. Please respect our Holiday dates as removing students from class can make assessment difficult and stressful for them.

Being Busy Versus Being Stressed

Some students find the end of semester a particularly challenging time, especially if multiple assessment pieces over a short time span is a new experience for them.

A useful way to phrase discussion with your young person about this is that they will be busy, but they should not be stressed. A busy student has many demands on their time. They are completing the allocated home work each night, as well as undertaking their own study and review of topics, and work on assignments. The busy student has their assessment due dates written up and placed in a space that the whole family can see. They know what is due, and when. They set about tasks in ‘baby steps’, doing a little at a time and in a logical way. They ask their teachers for assistance early when they do not understand.

The stressed student doesn’t do homework or hasn’t written it down. They don’t study until the night before the test, or may not even know there is a test coming up! The stressed student looks at a large task and puts off starting work on it. They don’t let the teacher know that they are struggling with concepts.

Students should expect to be busy – there is no other option when you are striving to achieve your best. Key things that Middle School students should be doing now to avoid being stressed are:

• Use the Student Planner effectively
• Have assessment dates clearly displayed at home
• Break tasks into achievable chunks and work methodically on these
• Start writing summaries and study notes for exams
• Stay in touch with teachers when work is difficult

These strategies, in combination with good habits around sleep, diet and exercise, should help your young person maintain a sense of control over the coming busy weeks.

Community Service

Does your child participate in a community service activity, such as Surf Lifesaving, coaching a sporting team or helping an animal welfare organisation? If so, we would love to acknowledge their efforts formally here at school. For details, go via the link below:

Sharon Hillcoat
HOD Middle School

PBC School Based Police Officer Update

It has been brought to our attention both by personal observation and complaints from members of the public that students are not wearing bicycle helmets when riding their bikes. This is occurring on weekends and holidays as well as during school times. We are seeking your assistance in addressing this matter by ensuring that your children own, and wear a helmet whilst riding their bicycles. Anyone over 17 years of age can be issued with an infringement notice for $121, children will be issued with a bicycle offence notice with a copy sent to parents. The main concern is road safety and partly the reason this needs to be addressed is the manner in which students are riding in and out of traffic and when crossing roads. In 2016 I attended an incident involving a student which caused them significant injuries and resulted in hospitalisation after they were struck by a car crossing the road. If that student had not been wearing a helmet I doubt they would be with us today.

In the coming term we will be paying particular attention to the wearing of bicycle helmets and have decided to take a positive approach in line with this. Students will be randomly intercepted by Police, and if wearing a helmet, will be given an entry into a draw to win a prize (hopefully an iPhone7) provided by Telstra the Pines, along with some vouchers for McDonalds to be distributed throughout the term.

You are encouraged to reinforce the Road Safety message with your students and to also set an example yourself when riding a bicycle.

We will be particularly active in this from the beginning of the term but also during Road Safety Week 21-25 August 2017

Kurt Foessell
Senior Constable 4007023
Officer in Charge
Elanora Police Beat

House Update

PBC’s Got Talent

As we move towards the end of Term 2, we can reflect on what has been a very busy and exciting term for our students. We started with the Anzac Biscuit Bake off which was followed by the Inter-House Air Guitar Competition on Instagram which had nearly 800 followers and over 100 entries! Congratulations to Jasper Garner from Spartans who won the competition with nearly 400 likes!

In week 5 we began our quest to find PBC’s most talented student. It began in houses where each house put their 4 most talented performers through from the auditions to their own House final with the winner going forward into the PBC’s Got Talent Grand Final. The standard was exceptionally high as the 4 finalists showcased their talents to huge crowd with Sean Petie (Athenians) taking home the trophy in first place with a breathtaking performance. Congratulations to the other finalists, Sophie Carter (Vikings), Melanie McNeilly (Phoenicians) and Aiden Henderson (Spartans)

Week 8 sees our next Inter-house competition which will give students the opportunity to Skip for points as our Skip Off competition will be held. Categories will include longest skip without stopping and most double under skips.

We will then conclude the term with the eagerly anticipated Athletics Carnival in week 10 where students will get the opportunity to represent their house and compete in all of the traditional Track and Field events. This year will also see the introduction of some other events where students will again represent their house and take on students from other houses in events such as, bubble soccer, giant inflatable obstacle course and tug of war.

Congratulations to all students that have represented their house this term.

Abbey Bryant, Krista I’Anson, Mitch Kennedy & Tim Hart
House Leaders

Science News

STEM Cup Term 2017

PBC has again hosted the STEM Cup for the Southern region. STEM Cup is a series of hands-on educational STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) challenges for Year 5-8 students. Designed, resourced and provided by the STEM Education Network and Griffith University, the challenges give students the opportunity to further develop their STEM skills and increase their engagement with STEM by participating in a series of weekly challenges. Based on a sports team model, STEM Cup is aimed to be competitive and build student STEM knowledge to ultimately earn their team a place at the Grand Final at Griffith University. The top 20 teams from across the five regions will have the opportunity to compete at the Grand Final in June – 10 teams for the primary division and 10 teams for the secondary division.

Participating students are having a great time designing, constructing and testing for the challenges such as satellites and oil storage tanks. We will no doubt have a couple teams competing in the Grand Final, with the ‘Mighty Muffin Men’ being our most solid performing team. We have one more competition week, and should know by the start of week 9 which teams will be competing in the Grand Final Friday 16 June. The following students have been participating in STEM Cup:

• Mighty Muffin Men: Luke Pache, Liam Locher and Ryan Pead
• Shooting Stars: Lilly Barnes, Viva - Grace Barnes and Calen Verrall
• The M & Ns: Aroha Waetford, Saffi Sampson and Luanna Rose
• Party Pugs: Blake Stoddart, Jonathon Chi and Caleb Carden
• The Heintsteins: Harrison Younie, Jake Johnstone and Hayden Topping
• Subnauticans: Ethan Quirke and Tom Chambers

A big thankyou to all those who help with STEM Cup – Kirsten McGilvray our STEM Ambassador coordinator, teachers James White and Phillipa Hyatt, STEM Ambassadors Shelby Craik, Reef Thompson, Elise Watkins, Amy Cooper and Amelia Cody-Byfield, and Vicki Sjostrom who cleans up after us each week. Click on the link below to see what students do at STEM Cup, which is a clip from last year’s Grand Final. You may recognise some of our students!

STEM Cup Grand Final (Term 2) 2016

Creative Arts Excellence News

The Arts and the Creative Arts Excellence programs have been thriving over the last few months in creative ventures designed and delivered to inspire, extend and refine our PBC Arts community.

Lynette Joubert, Dani McGlynn and Suzanne Parker chaperoned the Year 10/11 Drama Excellence students along with the Year 11 and 12 Drama class to the Gardens Theatre, QUT (Brisbane) and were moved by Queensland Theatre Grin and Tonic’s interpretation and production of “Seven Stages of Grieving”, a powerful play about the grief of Aboriginal people and the hope of reconciliation.

Year 12 Drama Excellence students participated in a mask workshop, delivered by the reputable Francis Marrington from Zen Zen Zo and engaged in mask and mime activities. Lamar Brown, Director of VOX Talent Management conducted a Casting Workshop with Year 9 Drama Excellence Students. The class explored the difference between stage and screen acting, discovered how to work to camera and shot a Pauls Milk commercial. We are excited to be continuing our relationship with VOX as they are the premier agency on the Gold Coast, responsible for local casting of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Mako Mermaids” amongst others.

PBC Dance Excellence students have been rehearsing tirelessly and competed at the Brisbane Eisteddfod at St Lawrence’s College. The Junior and Senior students performed well and received 5th place out of 47 competing schools across Queensland. Good luck to the Dance Excellence teams who are in preparation for the Gold Coast Dance Eisteddfod and the Beenleigh Dance Eisteddfod in Term 3. Dance Excellence students were also offered the opportunity to be audience members of Qld Ballet ‘Raw” and Expressions Dance Company “Behind Closed Doors”, performed at the Playhouse, Brisbane. Thank you to Madonna Hall and Abby Swanborough for providing opportunities to inspire and connect our dance excellence students with the best and most exclusive dance performances and competitions Queensland have on offer.

Instrumental students Regan Hickey, Callum Watson and Lance Bayley played marching drums for the runners at the Gold Coast Fun Run. Many of the runners thanked Kayla Latter and the Instrumental music students for lifting the runners to finish the race. The stage band have also performed at events such as Stephen Loggie’s farewell and the Coolangatta Bowls club. The ANZAC performance was also complimented by performances from the String Orchestra and Optima Wind Ensemble. The ensembles continue to look professional and sound equally fantastic.

The annual Optima Music camp was hosted on Mt Tambourine. Approximately 80 students were chartered by bus, for two nights to participate in guest artist workshops by the PBC Instrumental music team and guest conductors such as Dr Peter Morris and Adam Al-Chalabi. Students not only rehearsed and polished challenging repertoire for upcoming eisteddfod and showcases, but also participated in team building games, bush walks and thrilling night time activities.

Congratulations to year 12 Instrumental music students Elise Watkins and Bruno McNeilly who have secured the honour of being Instrumental Music captains for 2017 following a vote by their fellow students. The trip was a success with PBC musicians saying it was the ‘best Optima camp yet’. Thank you to Kayla Latter, Justin Hart, Reuben McLean and Jessica Kesting for their tireless efforts towards this flourishing program and good luck for the ‘Synergy Camp” held at PBC this Friday and Saturday.

Paula Hall, Leoni Kent and Simon Tanke have been busy guiding and challenging PBC artists to produce artworks ready to be showcased at our new PBC Gallery, Term 3. Watch this space for details of our PBC Art Exhibition.

Thankyou, to the following students who performed at our Optima Awards this term. Cleo Lewis, Alyssa Park, Shanti Barlow, Holly Johnston and Year 7 Music Excellence class.

Congratulations to Year 10 Media Excellence students Jadin Spicer, Matthew Kilgariff and Matthew Mihelcic for winning the Staff Choice Award and Year 8 Media Excellence students Ginevra Lo Giudice, Ivy Gleeson, Indy Baker and Jaeda Francis for taking out the Audience Choice Award during the 48 hour film festival. Thank you to Sharon Atkinson and Tom Pasley for their ongoing encouragement and guidance with our Media Excellence students.

Creative Generation - State Schools Onstage (CGEN) 2017 aims to mentor and foster the next generation of performers and provides opportunities for them to work with and learn from professional artists. This annual entertainment event has launched the professional careers of many students who have gone on to star in theatre, television and musical productions. Rehearsals are now underway for what promises to be a spectacular show. Congratulations and good luck to Drama excellence students Kai Johnson, Jade Bergsma, Ashlee Thomas and Ruby Gonzales-Judd. Featured Dancers Mia Beame and Alyssa Park. Featured Vocalist Laura Suttle and Orchestra and Bassoon player Amelia Cody-Byfield. Tickets for the Thursday 14 July matinee are currently on sale and the school community are invited and encouraged to attend to support our talented PBC community.

Aquatic Practices News

Sanctuary Cove Yr 11 AQP Boat Show Excursion

Last Friday 70 Year 11 Aquatic Practices students visited the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. The day was part of our assignment for this term on researching and buying a boat, so we had plenty to look at and dream of one day owning.

Some of the highlights were meeting Jessica Watson, the youngest person to sail the world whom amazed us with her stories of spending nearly a year on the oceans of the world. We also spent time with Paul Burt media and local fishing expert, who even cooked us up some beautiful seafood.

My friends and I really enjoyed the array of marine crafts and having the opportunity to walk on boat worth millions of dollars. It gave us all a good understanding of how big the marine industry is and the fact there are countless job opportunities out there.

Hudson Pollard Year 11

Debating News

PBC has eight teams competing in the Gold Coast Debating Association’s 2017 competition. Whether first time debaters learning a new skill or previous competitors honing their skills, they are all to be congratulated for the maturity and confidence they have shown in planning, writing and delivering their speeches. Special mentions go to PBC 1 (Year 7) who won their first ever debate, PBC 1 and PBC 2 (Year 8) who have won all their debates, and PBC 1 and 3 (Year 9) who both won Round 1. We are also proud to have two past students serving as adjudicators this year – a great way to contribute to the community and develop their expertise in public speaking and evaluation. Keep up the excellent work debaters!

Student Achievements

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 via our Parent Newsletter, internal communications and Facebook.

Girls Soccer

PBC has had 3 of our girls gain selection in Queensland teams for the upcoming National Youth Championships for Girls played in Coffs Harbour in July.

Kailey Lincoln and Amaliah Mangungu will represent the Queensland Under 14’s while Lua Suero will represent Queensland in the Under 15’s.

An outstanding achievement by the girls and we wish them well in their preparations for the championships.

Rugby League

PBC South coast open Rugby League Representatives Left to Right Josh Fryer, Kai O’Donnell, Will Evans, Ryan Garner, and Isaiah Barker.

Congratulations to Kai O’Donnell who was chosen in the QLD team.

Josh Bevan and Damon Somerville both made the QSSRL 15’S Maroons and Ediq Ambrosyev and Izzy Higgins made the whites. We wish you all the best of luck in the upcoming National Championships in Wollongong.

State Representatives

Congratulations to the following Students selected in a state team in Term 2.

Girls AFL

Ella Maclachlan Year 10, played U16s AFL girls Queensland Championships for South Coast who were Grand Final winners. Ella has made the Queensland team as a shadow player. The photos attached are Ella scoring the final goal of the carnival and Ella holding the championship trophy. Well done Ella and good luck making the team!

Tennis

Our Junior Boys spent the day at KDV Sport on the clay courts where we played a challenge match against Kelvin Grove School from Brisbane. It was a great day for all of our boys who took a lot of positives from the experience.

Pictured: Logan Manuel-McGarry, Blake Stoddart, Sam Kercher, Kai Meath, Joseph Melzer, Liam Neuhaus, Colby Teague, Austen Younger, Georgios Asimakopoulos, Angus Burn, Finn Lowry, Sol Sheining-Cruz, Niall O’Donnell, Jack Edmonds, Jordyn Webber

Dates to Remember

Adolescent Development

Year 9 Parents are invited to attend a coffee morning to hear a talk given by PBC School Nurse, Judy Nunn. Please note the date and time has changed for this event.

The new details are:

When: Tuesday 13 June 2017
Time: 7:30am 8:45am
Where: PBC Trade Training Centre (TTC)
RSVP: events@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au

2018 Year 7 General Enrolment Evening

When: Wednesday 14 June 2017
Time: 6:30pm
Where: PBC Theatre

Athletics Carnival

When: Friday 23 June 2017
Where: PBC Oval

Senior School Guidance Officer News

Universities

Griffith University: 2018 Undergraduate Degree Guide

Griffith University: 2017 Professional Development Network School Leaders’ Conference

Thursday 3 August- Friday 4 August 2017

The PDN School Leaders’ conference is for educational leadership teams and individuals across all school systems who have a vision for insightful change, deliverable practice and networking.

The conference will gather together the most passionate, insightful and challenging contributors to strengthen and sustain our leadership journey, present and future.

Griffith University Q&A Sessions

Monday 18th September- Friday 29th September

Book a 30 minute, personalised appointment with a member of our student recruitment team, to help find the right degree for you and get personalised advice about your study options. You can also find out about scholarships and discover pathways to university.

Explore QUT Day

Multiple dates depending on the Year level of students.

Explore Uni days are specifically tailored to the year level of students in Years 6-12, with assistance from each of the faculties across the University. These events include hands-on activities that connect what students learn in the classroom with what they can study at university. Current QUT students will be on hand to answer questions and share their experiences of life as a university student.

UQ: Experience Science 2017

Experience Science is a free event that provides students in Years 10 - 12 the opportunity to discover what studying science is like at UQ and how science is applied in industry and everyday life.

Dates: Friday 7 July, Wednesday 12 July, Thursday 13 July, Friday 14 July

Students are able to register in a school group; individual students may register to attend on Friday 7th July.

UQ: Earth and Environment Day 2017

Friday 21 July 9:30am-2:15pm @ UQ St Lucia Campus

This is a day for year 10-12 students to experience the applications and relevance of Geography, Planning, Earth Sciences and Environmental Management, and find out how studying these subjects can lead to a career with real world impact.

Register as a group or individual below:

SCU Year 12 Parent Information Evening

Thursday 31 August from 5:00pm-7:00pm @ SCU Gold Coast Campus

Year 12 students and their parents are invited to join us on campus to find out relevant information about studying with Southern Cross University.

Reminder: Southern Cross University Virtual Info Session

Monday 1 June from 6:00pm
Tuesday 6 June from 6:00pm

Join our online session to find out more about Southern Cross University undergraduate degrees, university life and how our support services can help you achieve your study and career goals.

Defence Work Experience Programs

Army Malaria Institute Research Centre- Secondary Students: Gallipoli Barracks

Mon 19- Fri 21 June @ Enoggera QLD
Application closing date: Fri 2nd June

Women in Air Force- Flight Camp RAAF

Tue 27- Fri 30 June @ Amberley QLD
Application closing date: Mon 5th June

Army Familiarisation and Field Experience: Gallipoli Barracks

Mon 24th July- Wed 26th July @ Enoggera QLD
Application closing date: Fri 30th June

Army Health and Medical Secondary Work Experience

Mon 14th- Fri 18th August @ Townsville QLD

Application closing date: Fri 30th June

For further Work Experience Placements go via the link below:

Steve Jones
Guidance Officer Senior School

Middle School Guidance Officer News

Psychology of food, eating, weight and body image

International research is clear that for many of the wealthier countries around the world, the number of people at a higher weight has reached, or at the very least is close to reaching, the highest level it has ever been. While the current research is showing somewhat of a levelling off of this rising trend of the past few decades, this change has still happened very quickly.

It should come as no surprise that this change has occurred. The forces that have, and are continuing, to contribute to this situation are understandable and have become overwhelming. Over the past 50 years or so, most people have been doing significantly less physical activity than at any other time in history. At the same time, in many countries, food is becoming more accessible, brilliantly marketed (hidden sugars), processed, pre-made and pre-packaged, and available at a price that a lot of people can afford. Combined with this, life for many of us seems to be getting busier and busier.

These are all very good reasons why it is more likely, and even a common occurrence, that we purchase more pre-prepared and take away food. In addition to this, many of us are doing a significant amount of eating that we are not physically hungry for. A number of years ago, I coined the term ‘non-hungry eating’ to describe this type of eating. It is normal and can even be helpful to do some non-hungry eating, but too much can be a key reason why many people end up becoming, and staying, above their most healthy weight.

There are many reasons why we may be eating a lot of the time when we are not feeling physically hungry, but for any one person, it is often due to a whole range of reasons. For example, we may be eating while doing other things (not eating mindfully), eating to finish off everything on our plate, eating due to life pressures, and we may be eating because of many different emotions.

These key factors — less movement, more food availability, less time/priority to prepare food, and a significant amount of non-hungry eating, combined with the human biological and genetic ability to store excess energy as fat — have largely contributed to the trend over the past decades of pushing more people to a higher weight. At the same time, as the population weight gain has been evolving — incredibly and most unhelpfully — the cultural ideal of what size and shape is the most desirable has gone in the opposite direction.

So as the weight of populations has continued to go up, the ‘ideal’ cultural size and shape has continued to go down. This has led to a situation where almost all of us cannot possibly be at a size or shape that the culture says is ‘best’ or ‘ideal’ (whether we are above our most healthy weight or not). And significantly, for many of us, our size and shape is inextricably linked to how we feel about ourselves.

So within a relatively short period of time in human history, a particularly tricky combination of factors have come together: weight gain for a significant number of people in the community (with an association of some health risks from a population point of view), combined with a body cultural ideal that is nigh on impossible to achieve, accompanied by the feeling that we are not good enough as we are.

In general, we have been focusing on the wrong ‘W’. We have been focusing on weight rather than wellbeing. While we want to encourage people to be the healthiest they can be, and as a result of that, the healthiest weight they can be for them, the helpful and appropriate message of being healthy and encouraging healthy habits, has become unhelpfully and inappropriately confused with the message that one should focus on being thinner and/or on losing weight. So what are some key things we can do to help our teens to be the healthiest they can be (irrespective of their weight, and without making weight the primary focus)?

1. Language: The word obese and obesity has slipped into everyday use. Using this language can in fact get in the way of having a discussion about healthy habits. So what are our alternatives? I have found using more morally neutral language when talking about weight to be helpful. For example, talking about a person being above his/her most comfortable weight (range).
2. Non-hungry eating: As previously mentioned, many people are doing a significant amount of non-hungry eating. When people are asked to estimate the percentage of non-hungry eating they may be doing, the answers can range from 30 to 40%, to anything up to 60 to 100% of their total eating. To assist their awareness, it can be very helpful to encourage them to ‘check in’ with their body before and after they have something to eat on a hunger-fullness, mindful eating scale. Simply being more aware of hunger and fullness before and after we eat can quickly help people to decrease the amount of eating they are doing that they are not physically hungry for, and can increase the likelihood of being more aware of the reasons they might be eating when they are not physically hungry.
3. Eating slowly: Many people find they eat quickly, a lot of the time. If people do eat quickly, it is likely they will end up eating more than what they really feel like, and more than what their body is asking for.
4. Everyday and sometimes food: It is very common for many people to feel guilty about eating a range of different types, and amounts, of food. Rather than talking about food as ‘good food’ and ‘junk food’, it is much more useful to use the terminology ‘everyday food’ and ‘sometimes food’.
5. Feeling unsettled and guilty about food is extremely unhelpful: Clinical experience and research continues to show that when we feel guilty about food, rather than helping us to eat less, it actually increases the chances of us eating more.
6. Self-compassion and body image: In my practice, when I ask people what they do to take care of themselves, I often get a range of responses, but almost always with a similar theme. A lot of blank looks, some embarrassed smiles and only occasionally do I hear a few things that seem to be truly supportive and nurturing of that person. It can be very helpful to encourage your teen to be more self-compassionate to support their wellbeing.

New moves: An overwhelming amount of research is showing that small amounts of physical activity is still helpful and a major factor in being the healthiest that you can be.

Dr Rick Kausman MBBS
Read Article Via – https://www.medicalobserver.com.au/medical-news/nutrition/weight-management

Anna Willis
Guidance Officer Middle School

Pathways Centre News

School based traineeships available for Year 10 and 11

Again we have many opportunities available in the Pathway Centre Y Block. Job boards will be updated regularly with new positions.

Hospitality and Business Traineeships:

Café GC - Edelweiss Bavarian Restaurant - Coolangatta
Ruby & Green Café
Red Rooster Burleigh
JFK Woodfire Kitchen and Bar
Cherry Red Café
Urban Woodfire Pizza – Mermaid
Plantation House Café West Burleigh
Barrio Café Burleigh Waters
Mannequins Café – Pacific Fair
Paradise Resort Surfers Paradise
The Deck Café Currumbin
Prouds the Jewellers – Robina and the Pines
Coffee Club Stocklands
The Lake Brewhouse – Varsity Lakes
Zarraffas Tugun
Crema Espresso the Pines
Wholesale Toners – Business admin and IT/Digital Media
Burleigh Sports Club
Soul Origin Robina
Muffin Break Burleigh Heads and Robina Town Centre
Wendy’s the Pines
Jersey Mikes
Coming Home Co. The Kitchens Robina
Crema Espresso Pacific Fair
Man on a Bike - Tallebudgera

Bunnings Warehouse Burleigh – Year 10’s only. Applications open now!

Defence Force Work Experience

Cert III Horticulture Wild Valley Propagation Tallebudgera Valley
Cert III Commercial Cookery – Fish House Burleigh and Plantation Café
Cert III Hairdressing, at local salon
Cert III Children Services – local A Headstart Child Care Centres
Cert III Sport and Recreation Miami and Burleigh Pools

Fulltime Apprenticeship PWR Performance Products – Fitter Turner, Fabrication and Sheetmetal

KFC Traineeships –apply online

Aurora Training Institute please visit their vacancy page:

Prestige Training Services vacancies, Please visit this link for more opportunities

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

A reminder that year 11 traineeship applications close next term, any year 11 students wanting a traineeship should apply this term

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

Gold Coast Trades College courses

Gain QCE points and a qualification
See Miss McQueen in F Block to enrol

School Nurse - News

Ten Hints for Creating Resilient Families

Please find a wonderful article by Andrew Fuller for all parents/caregivers looking to ensure they are nurturing resilient families.

Judy Nunn
School Nurse

Uniform Shop Update

PBC Trackpants – Winter Sale!

PBC Trackpants have been reduced to $50!

Sizes XXS – XL in stock- samples available to try on.

Winter Jackets

Winter Jackets have arrived.

All pre-ordered jackets can be collected from the Textbook Room from 7:30am before school or during Lunch 1 and Lunch 2.

Jackets can be purchased from Uniform Shop for $70 each.

PBC Jumpers – Jumpers are in stock. Cost is $48.

Sports Excellence and Creative Arts Polo Shirts

Stock has now arrived for all orders that were placed in 2016 for Sports Excellence and Creative Arts Excellence Polo Shirts. Please collect yours from the Uniform Shop.

Out of Stocks

We are currently out of certain sizes of Day and Sports uniforms. We are expecting delivery of new stock in Term 2. Apologies of any inconvenience.

Bucket hats/PBC caps

Bucket hats are in stock. PBC caps/hats are a compulsory part of the uniform and are recommended for all outdoor activities and are available to purchase from the Uniform Shop. Cost is $15.00.

PBC school bags

*Special Offer* - When you spend $150 in the Uniform Shop you will receive $10 discount off the PBC School bag!

Features include:

• Lifetime guarantee
• Padded laptop pocket
• Water resistant
• Ergonomic design
• Mesh drink bottle holder
• $70 each

Lost Property

The uniform shop is holding named and unnamed lost property including shoes, training gear and bags. If your child has lost something please have them take a look through the lost property bin located at the uniform shop.

Please check with Student Services for items like pencil cases, lunch boxes, etc.

At the end of the term all unclaimed/unnamed lost property will be disposed of, so please check for your missing items before they disappear.

Volunteers needed

If you are able to spend a couple of hours each week in our very busy Uniform Shop and/or Canteen we would love to hear from you! Please contact Admin on 07 5525 9333 for further details.

Flexischools Orders

If you have placed an order for your child via Flexischools please have your student come and pick it up from the Uniform Shop.

Payment methods available:

• Flexischools Online www.flexischools.com.au
• Credit Card
• Cash
• Cheques not accepted

If you are unable to come into the Uniform Shop you are more than welcome to call on 07 5525 9331 and pay for any uniform item over the phone.

PBC Alliance Breakfast

The PBC Alliance Breakfast for Term 2 was held last week. We had two guest speakers that specialised in the Digital Media/Marketing space. It was a full house with Alliance Partners, Members, friends, staff and students all enjoying a delicious breakfast and enjoying the morning’s speakers that also included our Acting Executive Principal, HOD of Sports Ex, Dean of Students and HOD The Arts.

Head to our website if you are interested in joining our community

Administration

Cashier Window Operating Hours

Over the counter payments can only be accepted between 8:00am and 1:00pm on Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can make payments via BPOINT or Direct Deposit.

For Internet banking please use the details below:

School’s Bank Account: PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN SHS General A/C
BSB Number: 064-404 CBA Branch Burleigh Heads
Account Number: 00090303
Reference/Details: Record both Student ID AND the reference Code to ensure your payment can be recorded correctly. (Reference Code = ITEM BEING PAID FOR e.g.: 2016 SRS8 or 2016 ACEX10)

Resources and Activities Schedule

To assist parents with budgeting, detailed below are current fees and activities with due dates for payment (due to short timeframes some excursions may not be listed).

Reminder that the second instalment of 2017 SRS fees are now due, and any other outstanding amounts on student’s accounts. To make a credit card payment or to request bank details for direct bank transfer, please telephone the school, or visit our Student Services department between 8am and 1pm for all other payments. Statements will be sent out at end of Term 1 as a reminder of students account balances.

Student Lockers Available

Student lockers are available for hire at PBC.

• $20.00 for annual locker hire in 2017
• $24.00 for PBC approved combination lock. $20 of this represents a security deposit that will be credited back to student on return of the lock (in good working order) at end 2017.
• Lockers available are located at G Block
• Payments can be made at Student Services

Second Hand Uniforms

If you are holding on to old or unwanted school uniforms in wearable condition, please donate them to student welfare. These can be dropped off to Student Services.

Saver Plus

Saver Plus is a financial inclusion program with matched savings that benefits families and their children’s education. Please see link to flyer below, or click here for further information.

QParents

The QParents web and mobile application provides a more convenient, easier way for parents and legal guardians to interact with the school. Parents will have secure, online access to their child’s student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer.

QParents enables parents to access and manage student:

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence
• Behaviour details
• Academic report cards
• Class timetables
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details

If you haven’t yet registered, visit below to register today!

Community Notices

Madonna King Interview – Bond University

You are invited to join Catherine O’Sullivan, Pro Vice-Chancellor Pathways & Partnerships, Bond University when she interviews Madonna King about her book - Being 14.

Date: Wednesday, 7 June
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: Basil Sellers Theatre, Level 3, Building 6
Address: Bond University, 14 University Drive, Robina QLD 4226

This is a great opportunity to hear Madonna talk about the underlying research for her book and its development, as well as the issues that are facing our 14 year old girls.

Please RSVP to publicity@hachette.com.au

Certificate Programs – Outdoor Recreation Sports Coaching

Australian Institute of Sport and Recreation are running a holiday program this coming school holidays.

Upon completion of the program the student will receive a Cert 2 in Outdoor Recreation, provide first aid, their PADI open water certification and up to 5 QCE points.

The program will start on Monday the 26 June and run until the 7 July, weekends not included.

If interested please enrol a couple of weeks prior to starting with us in the classroom.

‘Below Average’ Comic Strip

About the Comic

High school. It's a daunting place, especially when you're at the bottom of the social ladder… where we find four friends trying to survive their final days of senior year. Join

Marina, Maddison, Amy and Olivia as they embrace adolescence with a refreshing and humorous approach to daily life in this brand new addition to the Palm Beach Currumbin High School Newsletter.

Below Average is a fortnightly webcomic created by cartoonist Nicholas Cleaver in mid-2010. It follows the day-to-day adventures of four not-so average teenagers: Marina, an inventor suffering with obsessive-compulsive disorder; Maddison, a blissfully ignorant foodaholic; Amy, a sarky game fanatic; and Olivia, the kookiest member of the group.

The strip’s primary theme is humour, and focuses largely on friendship, school and the four girls’ incompatibility with established society.