9 October 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents,

Term 4 presents many opportunities for all members of our PBC school community to come together to observe the talents of our students and also celebrate their fantastic achievements over the past year. I look forward to this period of time in the school calendar as I am able to connect with many parents at the wide range of school events. Throughout this term some of these major PBC events include:

• PBC Alliance Sports Stars Evening – Friday 13 October
• PBC Under The Lights Instrumental Program – Thursday 19 October
• PBC Dance Night – Tuesday 24 October
• Sports Awards Night – Wednesday 1 November
• Creative Arts Awards Night – Thursday 2 November
• Academic Awards Evening – Tuesday 7 November
• Year 12 Formal & Graduation – Thursday 16 November

To add to these end of year events we also have our Term 4 Optima Assembly celebrations. Invitations to these events will be sent out in due course.

All assemblies start at 9:10am in the Hall on the following dates:

• Year 7 – Friday 20 October
• Year 8 - Monday 23 October
• Year 9 - Thursday 26 October
• Year 10 – Thursday 19 November
• Year 11 – Tuesday 24 October
• Year 12 – Friday 27 October

The PBC Sports Stars Evening will be on BLACK FRIDAY, 13 October and is our major social event of the year! Come along for a night of fun, entertainment, social networking and great food. All members of the wider PBC community are invited; alumni, supporters, partners, members, parents, staff and local businesses and individuals. These connections are very important to ensure strength within our school community and we enjoy being able to hold such events. All funds raised from the tickets sales go directly to supporting our students.

Featured on the night are a panel of fantastic sports stars, all with connections to PBC, who will talk about their success and experiences in sport including Simon Black (AFL), Ben Hannant (NRL), Anthony Don (NRL), Luke Munro (Ex-Pro Surfer) and Hayden White (Ironman). I hope to see many of you there.

At the end of Term 3 we said farewell to Mr Blair Hanna. Blair, former Head of School - Senior has been selected as the Acting Principal of Browns Plains State High School for Term 4.

Ms Alyce Cleary has been appointed Acting Head of School - Senior for Term 4, Alyce joined PBC in 2015 and her substantiative position is Deputy Principal of the Senior School. Following a successful application and interview process at the end of Term 3 we congratulate Mr Mitch Kennedy who has been appointed to the role of Acting Deputy Principal - Senior School.

With Mitch's moving to Acting Deputy Principal, Amanda Stewart has been directly appointed for the remainder of the year to the role of Acting Dean of Students Year 12. Amanda will continue to concurrently coordinate this year level.

Chris Capra
Executive Principal

Senior School Update

All parents are welcome to attend the upcoming Parent Connect Coffee Morning, ‘Digital Citizenship’, commencing at 7:30am on Wednesday 18 October in our Trade Training Centre. This forum will recognise the launch of PBC’s affiliation with Stymie, an online anti-bullying and mental health awareness platform which encourages anonymous reporting of concerning behaviour in our school community.

On hand to present to staff, parents and students will be Rachel Downie, the founder and CEO of Stymie to detail her service, our affiliation and the benefits it can have within our wider school community. For more information, please attend this session for a coffee and to become further involved and educated toward our students digital movements.

Week 1 welcomed the commencement of our formal school leadership selection process for 2018. 25 Year 11 students presented to their cohort and outlined their vision for PBC as they look to become formally recognised as a School Captain, Vice Captain or Head Prefect within our fine school. All applicants should be very proud of the manner in which they communicated their passion, vision and delivered to their student cohort for the first time. We look forward to formally announcing successful candidates for 2018 Leadership positions in weeks to come. Congratulations to our talented pool of candidates:

Pictured with Mr James McCullagh, Year Coordinator.

Year 12 Graduation Tickets

Payments for Graduation tickets have now opened. Tickets are $15.00 each and each graduating student attending Graduation and Formal are allocated 6 tickets. Payments can be made at Student Services. You will be given tickets that are required on the night. Any further enquiries please do not hesitate to make contact with Amanda Stewart A/Dean of Students on EXT 533.

Term 4 Year 12 Assembly’s

As we are nearing the final days of school life for our Year 12 cohort, over the next few weeks we will have invited guests come and speak with our young adults on various topics, some of which may be confronting but may also save their lives. Last week we had Paul Stanley address all Year 12 students. Paul lost his 15 Year old son Matthew Stanley in a one punch attack in 2006. Paul has spoken in over 220 schools across Queensland on the evening his life changed forever. The death of his son has had immeasurable impact on his life and those he loves. His passion and commitment to educating young people on the importance of “walking away” when confronted with violent behaviour was not lost on the PBC students. His words were of loss but also hope that each and every young person transitioning to adult life will stop and think and look after each other at future social events. As a school community I would like to personally thank Paul for sharing his story, and if it saves but one of our PBC Alumni’s lives, his job is done. If any student needs to discuss the content of these presentations or requires further support please encourage them to touch base with their Dean of Students.

Year 12

Year 12 students are in their last term of schooling. Students and parents need to be aware that the final exit grades are those which will determine their OP, Rank and QCE eligibility and as such Year 12 students need to ensure that they continue to follow the school motto of nil sed optima, nothing but the best, as they complete their last assessments to the best of their ability. Year 12 students only have 5 weeks of classes this term before shutdown in week 6 (8 November).

All students need to be aware that all assessments must be completed for students to be eligible to achieve the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and to attend the school graduation on 16 November. The last scheduled day of school for Year 12s is Friday 17 November.

All Year 12 students should already have logged onto the student connect website at the link below. This is the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) record of their learning. Students should check that their details are correct, especially their address and that all courses have been registered. The QCAA will issue QCE and OPs in early December. Any issues please contact Ms Ashby in Y block.

Year 10 and 11

All Year 11 OP students have timetabled QCS classes commencing at 8:00am on Wednesday mornings. As such all OP students do not need to attend sport in Term 4 unless they are in Sport Excellence. All non-OP students still need to attend sport.

Senior school admin is currently reviewing the academic performance of Year 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 students have 7 weeks of classes and a week of shutdown this term. Exams will commence in the week of 20 – 24 November. All students may have timetabled exams up to and including the last day (24 November for 10s and 11s).

Year 11 OP predictions should be finalised this week and sent via email to parents.

The school is intending to offer a Year 12 fast-track Diploma of Business course in 2018. The Diploma will achieve a rank of 82 which is equivalent to an OP of 9. The course is offered by Prestige Services Training, in the school timetable, at a cost of $1990. Students whose OP prediction indicates that they will not secure a university offer (i.e. greater than an OP of 15) should consider this pathway. Interested students should contact Ms McQueen in F block or Mr McDougall.

A reminder; all drafts and assignments are due before 9:00am on the due date and 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.

Alyce Cleary, Acting Head of School – Senior
On behalf of the Senior School

VET News

Aurora Training Institute scholarships available for school leavers

Aurora Training Institute is providing two full scholarships specifically to PBC students for the following course:

• Diploma of Business ($10,000 value)

Applicants will be required to submit an application to the PBC Senior School team.

Aurora Training Institute is also providing the following half scholarship opportunities to all Year 12 2017 school leavers from participating schools:

• Diploma of Business ($5,000 value)
• Diploma of Leadership and Management ($5,000 value)
• Diploma of Hospitality ($5,000 value)
• Diploma of Community Services ($10,000 value)

Applicants will be judged by a panel chosen by Aurora and three of the recipients will receive full scholarships.

If you would like more information or to apply for any of these scholarships please see Miss McQueen in F Block for more information or email bmcqu0@eq.edu.au

Gold Coast Trades College Open Day

Interested in completing a trade course in 2018? Come along to the Gold Coast Trade's College open day on the 18th October. Lots of courses will be on offer for you to try- Automotive, Electrotechnology, Horticulture, Plumbing, Construction and more! See Miss McQueen in F Block to put your name down

Bethany McQueen

Middle School Update

The Middle School team welcomes back students for their final term. One priority of our 2017 PBC Improvement Plan is developing a stronger community. It is critical we have a shared commitment by students, parents/caregivers, staff and wider community to maximise student engagement, achievement and wellbeing. We have high expectations for students to honour our founding principle ‘Nil Sed Optima’ students ‘to do nothing but their best in every school endeavour’.

We are grateful for the collaboration and support from our local Elanora Police Beat to achieve our 95% attendance target. Identified students and parents/caregivers with attendance concerns, have had police visits at the end of Term 3 and this will continue in Term 4 to re-engage student learning.

To assist Middle School student wellbeing, the Optima Team and wider community will deliver several intervention programs including Drumbeat, Smiling Minds, Men of Business, Rock and Water and Radiance to help further support student connectedness and belonging at PBC during Term 4.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend CARE class at 9:00am. Any late arrival must report to the Middle School Student Services with a note from their parent/caregiver with the reason for lateness.

Any student leaving early must have a note given to Middle School Student Services prior to 9:00am with reason for early departure.

Parent/caregivers can notify the Middle School of a student absence by:

• Phone 55259333 and dial 1 to report a student absence.
• Email the Attendance Officer directly on absences@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au or phone 55259381.
• A note from each parent/caregiver explaining the absence can be placed daily in the drop box at Middle School Student Services.
• The QParents online parent portal https://qparents.qld.edu.au allows parent/caregivers to notify PBC of any absence.
• If a student is absent more than 10 days, an exemption must be completed by parent/caregivers and submitted to the Middle School office. (If travelling overseas copies of dates and travel destinations must be also be attached).

Reporting

By now you will have received your child’s Interim Report for Term 3. Should you have any particular concerns, please make contact with your child’s teacher through the PBC website; all teacher emails are listed in the Contacts List:

Students do not see nor are they sent a separate copy of their report. So please take an opportunity to show your child their report, celebrate their successes and make a plan with them for the term.

Teachers are working hard to ensure students have the best possible learning outcomes by the year’s end and welcome your involvement in student improvement.

If an expected report has not arrived by email, do check your junk mail. Following that, please contact the school Administration to rectify the issue.

Assessment Calendars

The Term 4 Middle School assessment calendar is now available on the website, and you should have received a copy via email. Students can use this to record all assessment dates. Please note that in the Middle School, assessment is completed up to and including Week 9. It is an expectation that students will complete all assessments before departing at the end of the year.

Student Planners

The PBC Student Planner is our most important personal organisation tool and record. Teachers are currently checking that students have them in class every day and record all homework expectations. Should your child have mislaid theirs, they are now available at Student Services at the reduced price of $5.00. Please check that your son or daughter has their planner in their bag and look in it for homework requirements.

Students should have approached you to sign off on their OPTIMA Goals, on page 5 of their Planner. This is just one way in which we urge parents to involve themselves in their child’s learning at PBC.

Anita Sgalippa, Head of School – Middle School
For and on behalf of Middle School

House and CARE Update

Term 4, 2017 will be one that will go down in the PBC record books with the announcement of the PBC House Cup Champions. All year, students have competed and represented their House with pride in a range of activities, vying for participation and competition points. Week 5 will see the big points reveal, with the champion House crowned.

However, there’s still time for every student to make a difference, with three events left before points are revealed prior to our year 12’s departure. PBC’s Fittest began last term with competitors required to complete a gruelling bear crawl and challenging box jump. Those successful in this round will again be challenged in further events this Friday. It was great to see the range of students out on the oval having a go. The focus of all House events is to increase student participation rather than limit the scope to elite students only.

During weeks 2-4, students will be encouraged to enter our Visual Art Competition. With the topic of Communication, strongly linked to what the students are studying in Care. We look forward to the imaginative and creative entries that will be submitted. Throughout Term 4, the CARE Curriculum is focussing on positive communication. Students will explore the concepts of effective communication, barriers, communicating with influence, active constructive responding and its impact on healthy relationships. Improving our communication skills not only benefits student’s academics, but also their social and home lives.

We expect the final interhouse competition, before the week 5 points reveal, to be one of the biggest of the year!! The first ever PBC scissors, paper, rock off comp will be sure to draw in a big crowd and could ultimately decide the House Cup for 2017. So, students, have some fun and get involved to earn points for your House!

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

Jarrod Wells and Graeme Harding, CARE Coordinators

CARE News

S12S learnt to knit as part of the Care program this term. They wanted to support the Salvation Army appeal but decided they would like to make a blanket rather than collect second hand ones. We purchased wool and needles and learned how to knit on from a YouTube video. At first some of the students were a little reluctant but by the second week of the project students were coming into the morning Care class and picking up their knitting and completing a couple of rows a day. Students cast on and cast off themselves too and they even made a video to say hello to my 96 year old Grandma in the UK! (She loved it!). At the end of Term I joined all the ‘squares’ together to make a blanket and we presented it to the Salvation Army representative Captain Neville Hall at the assembly on the last day of term. He was so impressed with the story that he has decided to keep the blanket and put it on the wall in the office!

The students were amazing at sticking to the project right to the end and they were all pleased to see their part in the finished product. Massive thanks should also go to Ms Sally Farrell who made a number of the squares, encouraged the students on her regular visits to the classroom and advised me how to sew them together and to Ms Ali McGovern who knitted some when she had to cover the class on day. Ms Ruth West, Ms Marg Harris and Ms Pip Hyatt also contributed their time.

Cathy Clipson, HOD Maths

School Nurse – News

Coping with Stress

Stress is an important aspect in our lives and helps to motivate us, like studying for an exam or running faster in a race if someone is just in front of us. Sometimes though stress, and more particularly exam stress, can become overwhelming. It’s important that we talk about this at the beginning of term so that we can avoid that overwhelming stress towards the end of term by being prepared.

Parents/Caregivers can help at home by;

• Provide and model a healthy eating plan – the brain needs glucose to operate effectively. Load up on complex carbohydrates for breakfast and especially prior to exams.
• Talk to your teens about going easy on substances. Caffeine, cigarettes, coffee, No-Doz, alcohol, marijuana, dexamphetamine and any other drugs are actually a short-term fix, and will probably make them feel much worse and cause under-performance later.
• Encourage your teen to set aside 30 minutes a day to do some exercise, even if it’s just going for a walk.
• Ensure that your teen gets enough sleep so they can concentrate the next day (try a technology ban 1 hour before bedtime)
• Ensure that a study plan includes breaks and days off – balance is key.

The following link will provide you with study tips and tricks.

The next link will take you straight the HeadSpace page of managing exam stress.

Remember it is important to prepare early for exams. If you feel like your teen is struggling with stress it is possible that exam stress is not the only stressor. Encourage your teen to access either the Guidance Officers or the School Based Youth Health Nurse. The J Block foyer has further information on coping with stress that all students can utilise.

Health and Wellness to all
Hilary Wilson, your School Based Youth Health Nurse

General News

2017 Yearbook

If you haven’t already pre-ordered the 2017 Yearbook for your students now is a great time to do so! The Yearbook is in production and due to be available at the end of November 2017. It will include a huge amount of photos from all the fun and events that have been had this year. All year cohorts are represented! To order a 2017 Yearbook download and complete the attached order form and return to Student Services. At just $30 this is a wonderful keepsake for all PBC students.

PBC Alliance Business Directory

If you are looking for a product or service from a local business that supports our school, look no further than the PBC Alliance Business Directory. All the listings in this directory are supporters of our students so please support those that support our students.

Feature many businesses over many different categories you are sure to find what you are looking for as well as a special offer for Alliance Business Directory users!

Parent Connect Event

Our next Parent Connect Morning Session will be held in the Trade Training Centre on Wednesday 18 October, from 7:30-8:15am.

Presentations:

Digital Citizenship – Launch of ‘Stymie’

• Knowing where your child is ‘hanging out’ online is almost MORE important than where they hang out in the flesh.
• Do you know where your child is right now?
• Do you know what sites they are accessing?
• Do you know who they are talking to?

Research indicates 1 in 5 children report being bullied online (BullyingNoWay, 2017)

• Could this be happening to your child?

‘Stymie’ allows bystanders to send anonymous notifications to your school, about someone who they believe is being bullied or harmed.

Practical Parental Empowerment - Social Media

Presented by Rachel Downie, Director, ‘Stymie’

When: Wednesday 18 October 2017
Time: 7:30am to 8:15am
Where: PBC Trade Training Centre

To confirm your attendance please RSVP by Monday 16 October to events@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au . In the email, please state “Parent Connect” in the subject and advise number attending.

Council Notification – Thrower Drive Bridge

Woolworths Earn and Learn

As you know, our school has been participating in Woolworths Earn & Learn. The program has now finished for this year, so a big thanks to everyone who supported PBC. We're now at the important stage of the program where the Sticker Sheets are collected and lodged as our Earn & Learn claim. We will then be able to get new educational equipment for our school. The more we collect, the more we can redeem. So this week, please send in your Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheets and any loose Earn & Learn stickers you may have. Remember to check your handbag, the car glove box or they maybe stuck on the fridge. Every little bit helps. Thanks again for all your support!

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.

Burleigh Bears Grand Final

Congratulations to Melanie McNeilly who was given the opportunity to represent PBC and sing the National Anthem at the Burleigh Bears, Gold Coast Rugby League Grand Final. Melanie sang beautifully.

State Honours Ensemble Program

Over the holidays, Instrumental Music students were working hard. The State Honours Ensemble Program, hosted by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music brought together Queensland and the USA’s top instrumental music students. Over 2500 students auditioned for 900 spots at the camp, nine PBC musicians were selected on their specialty instrument. The four day venture challenged the students to learn professional grade wind ensemble and string orchestra music which was performed at a finale concert on Sunday.

Congratulations: Amelia Cody-Byfield, Elise Watkins, Kyra Cumming, Amy Cooper, Ruby Allen, Zack Hastie, Seth Johnson, Aaron Morrow and Luka Duffy on your achievement.

National Rhythmic Gymnastics

Sunny Bower, our Level 8 Gold Coast Rhythmic Gymnast recently returned from Bendigo National Clubs Carnival. Sunny competed at the Australian National event and was placed 2nd overall taking out the GOLD in her Clubs routine and SILVER in her hoop routine. This is an outstanding achievement! Sunny trains 4 days a week (15 hours) at the Elite Rhythmic Gymnastics Club. She is devoted, hardworking and passionate about Rhythmic Gymnastics. She has unlimited potential and we hope Sunny will reach the highest level in Rhythmic Gymnastics and represent Australia at International Competitions.

Karting QLD State Titles

Taylah Agius competed in the Karting Qld State Titles which was held over two rounds, one being at Ipswich and the other in Mackay. Taylah was the overall winner and is now the Qld State Champion in her class.

PBC Tennis Stars shine in Rockhampton

At the end of Term 3 both our Girls and Boys teams won the regional Championships and as a result competed in the State Championships in Rockhampton which took place over 2 days. Our 2 teams consisting of 5 boys and 5 girls (pictured below) performed exceptionally well against some of the best players in the State and as a result our girls finished 5th, only losing 1 match over the 2 days and our boys finished in 6th place, although didn’t actually lose a match on sets but drew 2 matches and lost out by 1 game on count back. Both teams showed an enormous amount of courage and determination throughout the 2 days in challenging conditions and were able to play some fantastic tennis. Congratulations to all the players involved.

Dates to Remember

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:

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).

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 8:00am and 1:00pm for all other payments.

SRS Fees

Thank you to all our parents/caregivers for their valued support. Prompt payment of Student Resource Scheme Fees is greatly appreciated. The only SRS fees that should be outstanding at this time of the school year should be for 2018 SRS Fee’s or future extra-curricular activities/excursions or balances remaining for those on official School approved payment plans.

A reminder to parents that SRS Fees are required to be paid in full (or payment plan up to date) for students to be eligible to purchase the Year 12 jersey, to attend the Year 12 Formal and attend incursions/excursions including camps and other extra-curricular activities.

2018 SRS Fee payments are due in full or if paying via the installment option, first instalment is due by 6 October 2017 and the second instalment by 5 February 2018. This year we will be sending out a direct deposit link to set up the automatic deduction of the second instalment as a service to assist parents with this process.

Make payments the quick and easy way by using BPOINT. Visit the link below and follow the prompts or phone BPOINT on 1300 631 073.

Parents who may be experiencing financial difficulty can contact our Finance Office on 5525 9333 (Press 2 for Finance) or email ParentSupport ParentSupport@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au .

Payment plan options are available including Centrepay -a service to families whereby periodic payments can be made to the college or Direct Debit via credit card (monthly). Paperwork is available from the Student Services Office to activate either of these plans.

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.

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.

PBC Alliance

PBC’s Sports Stars Evening

The Sports Stars Evening promises to be the social event of the year for the wider PBC community! Why not grab a group of friends and come along to meet and hear from our groups of high profile sports stars? All with connections to PBC. The event is on BLACK FRIDAY... 13th October 2017 and everyone is invited!

All money raised through the ticket sales will go directly to support our students in reaching their potential.

The awesome high profile sports stars coming include:

SIMON BLACK - AFL Legend, winner of the Brownlow Medal, Norm Smith Medal, Norm Smith Medal, Merrett-Murray Medal and Marcus Ashcroft Medal. All-Australian Team, Brisbane Lions Captain, AFL Premiership Player.
BEN HANNANT (Alumni) - NRL Legend, Australia & Queensland teams, Cowboys, Broncos, Bulldogs, Roosters and now Co-host SEA FM Breakfast Show
ANTHONY DON - Current NRL Titans, Australian Universities team, Country NSW team
LUKE MUNRO (Alumni) - Ex Pro Surfer and current Surf/Beaches Reporter, 7 Gold Coast News, and
HAYDEN WHITE - Nutri Grain Ironman

We will also hear from the Oceanomads, Sam Weir and Dylan Jones, both PBC Alumni who are planning to row across the Atlantic Ocean for Charity this December. Come and hear their story.

When: Friday 13 October 2017, 6:00 - 9:00pm
Where: PBC Trade Training Centre
Dress: Smart Casual

TICKETS*: $35 (includes all food)*
Cash bar (beer/wine/bubbles/soft)
* This is an over 18s only event

RSVP via the website below...

or via Student Services.

Please come along and help us make this a successful and fun night!

Community Notices

Titans Cheerleading Squad Auditions

Elanora library

Extended opening hours for studying school students.

Irish Dancing

The Gold Coast Festival of Kites

The GC Festival of Kites is happening at Kirra, Coolangatta on 21 October

Feel free to suss out the event! Via the link below. It’s going to be a family orientated fun day with kites in the sky, market stalls, music playing on the beach and kids entertainers. We are expecting between 4,000-5,000 attendees this year so it’s going to be huge!

The Heart of Universal Business

‘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.