29 January 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

School is back – welcome to all new parents and students. It was great to welcome the 417 new Year 7 students into the school on Monday. The total school population is expected to drop back to about 2,470 this year as we commence the year intake cap of 420 Year 7 students. Over time, we anticipate that we will have 2,400 students overall.

Over the holidays we received our Year 12 results and it is fantastic to highlight the following;

• Three of our outstanding students received OP1 results,
• Three of our outstanding students received OP2 results,
• We achieved our highest number of students receiving OP1 to 5 and OP1 to 15 ever,
• 68 students received a Diploma level qualification,
• 100% of our students received a Queensland Certificate of Education.

In this Commonwealth Games year, there will be some changes to our usual calendar of events. In brief, interschool sports is pushed back to later in the year and there might be a change to athletics and team sports being held later than normal for Gold Coast competitions. The Commonwealth Games will also see the school closed over the Easter holidays as we will not have access to our site as the front car park becomes a Commonwealth Games coordination site.

Construction work is well advanced at the school with refurbishments of D Block (7 & 8) and C Block to be completed this term. The refurbishments will provide our students with access to new technology and design and visual arts facilities. The new learning spaces will be a welcome addition to the school in engaging the students with their learning in new, bright and contemporary learning spaces. Work will hopefully commence on the demolition of the library and the building of a new library and eleven classrooms in Term 4. Temporary classrooms will be provided whilst library construction is being completed. The oval has had $75,000 (P&C donation) worth of restoration work completed over the last three months.

Please take the time to read the Campus Principal reports as there will be often be important information regarding academic expectations, important dates, competitions etc.

Finally, here are our new cold-water taps in action. The number of students reusing their water bottles is assisting the environment, costing the bank balance much less and pointing towards us needing more. I would like to thank the P&C for sponsoring this initiaitive.

School Council Nominations will open shortly for all positions, whose terms are expiring - further information will be in the next Newsletter.

Regards
Chris Capra
Executive Principal

Senior School Update

A huge welcome back to our much-valued students, parents, carergivers and wider PBC community to 2018. As has been the thread of conversation with many of our Senior Students so far this week, I hope the break was a safe and rejuvenating one which has helped ensured all of our students are ready for the rigour, opportunity and enjoyment ahead of them this year.

A special welcome to our Year 10 cohort as they transition into the Senior School. New uniforms and new subjects come along with a new set of expectations as these young men and women start to develop into leaders of our school community. Likewise, to our Year 12 families – a special welcome to what is the most challenging and rewarding year in your young person’s life thus far. We look forward to working closely with our Year 12 students as they aim to maximise every single second of what is such an eventful year.

All students have commenced their timetabled classes this week, as well as spend some time with their CARE classes and teacher mentors, their Year Levels and administrative support team and their highly-energised Houses. Importantly, students have appeared to settle incredibly well into the school year, both within and outside their classrooms. At this time of the year it is poignant to remind you of the key support personnel across the Senior Year levels – these being:

Year 10 Coordinator – Amanda Stewart astew113@eq.edu.au
Year 11 Coordinator – Peter Hill phill36@eq.edu.au
Year 12 Coordinator – James McCullagh jmccu81@eq.edu.au
Senior Guidance Officer – Steve Jones sjone79@eq.ed.au
Dean of Students 10/11 – Brad Dixon bdixo12@eq.edu.au
Dean of Students 12 – Cathy Clipson cacli0@eq.edu.au

Please feel free to contact the Senior School office and the aforementioned supports for your student at any time over the coming weeks as we settle in to the new year.

Stymie

Thursday 1 February marks the date that anti-bullying resource ‘Stymie’ will be launched at PBC. ‘Stymie’ is a wellbeing and anti-bullying website accessible to students, designed to anonymously report concerns regarding situations which have the potential to cause students or their peers harm in any way. This program has been implemented with great success in several schools nationally, and we are very excited to add another layer of support for our students as they combat the challenges of adolescence.

All students will take part in an information session during school on Thursday 1 February with the founder and CEO of ‘Stymie’, Rachel Downie.

Similarly, Rachel will be holding a session open to all parents on the evening of the 1 February in our Theatre detailing this program and general advice regarding parental empowerment of online and social media platforms – an area which for many is still a relative unknown.

Sign-Out Processes

This year we have made it a priority that each and every student understand the expectations of attendance within our Senior School. One behaviour which does impact attendance is consistent signing-out early from school, as well as signing-in late on any given day. Compulsory attendance at school every day includes timetabled programs such as CARE class, Recreational and Interschool sport.

As per our Attendance Policy, students are permitted to sign out of school early to attend external appointments on three (3) occasions only during each Term.

Notes for signing out should be presented to Senior School admin for approval by no later than 8:45am on the day the student is required to depart early. These notes should clearly stipulate the date, student, reason, parent signature and contact number as a requirement for approval.

Welcome from the new Dean of Year 12 and Senior Studies

Welcome back to Year 12. I hope they are as excited as I am about the year ahead. It has been a pleasure talking to the students during the first week and discovering their plans for the year. I am looking forward to working with this cohort as they progress through their final year of schooling and into the next stage of their lives in work, travel, further education or whatever it takes to fulfil their hopes and dreams. The commitment required to complete Year 12 successfully alongside all the potential distractions that are on offer is a challenge. It is one that I know these young people can rise to and I am here to support them as they do their very best in terms of both effort and behaviour.

I would like to take the opportunity to remind parents of uniform expectations for students which are the same in Year 12 as they have been in Year 10 and 11. Here is an extract from the student planner:

Please note also that black-and-white converse/vans are not acceptable any day – either with sport uniform or day uniform and students who come to school in any uniform other than that listed above will find themselves in a lunchtime detention.

I really want to spend this year working with all the Year 12 students to help them to achieve their very best. I am located in Y block and am looking forward to meeting you throughout the year as we work together to support the Year 12’s in their final year of school.

VET Courses available to Year 11 and 12 students:

Gold Coast Trades College:

Cert I Construction
Cert I Construction (surfboard shaping)
Cert II Automotive
Cert II Electrotechnology

Aurora Training:

Cert II Telecommunications

Students need to see Miss McQueen in F Block to enrol.

Middle School Update

Welcome back for 2018

This week we welcomed around 460 new students to our middle school. I have been very pleased to see the year start off so smoothly.

This year we had a mix of wellbeing and academic curriculum as well as some orientation activities. We always start with a clear focus on our school motto Nil Sed Optima which means nothing but the best - we ask students to set goals to be their best and we will support and assist them every step to achieve those goals.

I wish everyone the most productive and happy year and look forward to working with you as Middle School Principal. I am leading a fabulous team who will support your young people in any endeavours or problems they have.

The key Middle School team members based in D Block are;

Wendy Wise - Deputy Principal
Tracey Cardinal – Dean of Students Year 7 and 8
Paul Bullpitt - Dean of Students Year 9
Sharon Hillcoat -HoD Middle School
Ryan Jesser – Year 7 Coordinator
Donna Condon – Year 8 Coordinator
Cameron Williams – Year 9 Coordinator
Anna Willis – Guidance Officer
Sue Murray – Middle School Student Reception
Helen Weidman - Dean Support
Lyn Bortolin – Middle School Office Support
Chris Bacon – Executive Support to Middle School Principal

Enquiries and or concerns can be directed through our central email - ParentSupport@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au as these are fielded by me to the most helpful person to support you.

I look forward to meeting Year 7 parents at our Information Night on Wednesday 7 Feb at 6:30pm for which you should have received your invitation for already.

Anita Sgalippa
Middle School Principal

PBC’s Middle School has commenced 2018 with energy and enthusiasm, as students were introduced to both their Care Classes and new academic classes. There has been a positive buzz about the Middle School that augurs well for the students’ endeavours. For Year 7, this is a time of great change, while in Years 8 and 9, students are adjusting to the raised expectations and demands on their learning. Please take the opportunity to attend Parent Meetings to find out more about what your child will be doing this year.

Assessment Calendar

Each student has received a PBC Student Planner, in which they record their homework, important dates and assignment deadlines. To help students get organised and stay organised, the Assessment Calendar will be published on the PBC website by the beginning of Week 3 and emailed to parents. Parents and students can easily access this information so that they can predict the busy times and plan for them. Students should also be using their student planners to note homework and important dates.

Assessment Policy

Meeting deadlines teaches important life skills and provides an equitable assessment environment. Please familiarise yourself with the PBC assessment policy on the school website.

Support for Student Learning

In these first few weeks, some students may feel daunted by aspects of their schoolwork. Telling this to the class teacher is really important as they are best positioned to support your child. For those students who would like further help in their core subjects of Maths, English, Science and History, teachers at PBC volunteer their time to provide free tutoring. These tutoring sessions are held in the PBC Library each Tuesday afternoon from 3.15-4pm starting from Week 3. Students should bring along their assignments and homework.

School uniform

• The MS uniform (blue) is to be worn on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (if worn on Wednesday black shoes must be worn)
• Sport uniform (red) is worn on Wednesday only and for HPE lessons (get changed before/after lesson)
• Shoes - Black polishable leather/synthetic upper only
• Socks: Plain white socks that cover the ankle
• PBC hats

Attendance

• Every day counts – our attendance target is 95%
• We expect students to be at school by 8:30am. Any student late to CARE class at 9:00am without an approved absence will be issued with a detention.
• If your child needs to leave school early please have your child go to Middle School Student Services by 8:30am to have the note signed and approved.
• Parents/caregivers must notify and provide an explanation of a student absence via email to absences@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au or QParents App

• Parent Compulsory Schooling Obligation – Failure to Attend Section 178 (4) of the Education Act

Behaviour

• OPTIMA Code: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be a Learner
• PBC Responsible Behaviour Plan for students
• Reds Pledge: ‘relentlessly strive to be my best self and to actively support other to do the same’

Student Case Management

• Please remember to update contact details when necessary including phone, email and addresses of the key persons for OneSchool student information
• Visit the PBC website for parent newsletters, staff emails addresses and assessment calendars and school calendar.
• Please like us on Facebook @PalmBeachCurrumbinStateHigh and @PBCAlliance
• Please visit the PBC Alliance website for information on our Alliance. You will also find our community business directory there. Please support those local businesses that support our students!

Anita Sgalippa, Middle School Principal
For and on behalf of Middle School

House and CARE Update

After a cracking introduction to the House and Care system in 2017, with the victorious Vikings taking home the House Cup; the excitement, house spirit, energy and rivalry between the students and staff is already back in full swing. This year houses will battle it out through a range of activities such as: the Swimming Carnival, PBC Snack Attack, Free Throw comps, Mega Soccer games and a whole school approach to sustainability, starting with the Care Class Upcycling Initiative. We have hit the ground running with the first event for the year, ‘Dad Jokes’. Students will post videos of the many classic dad jokes that we all know are out there, in an attempt to create humour and take out the win for their house. If the first 3 days back for 2018 are anything to go by, House and Care system is sure to bring the fun factor, House spirit and positive vibes throughout our PBC Community.

Abbey Bryant
House Leader Spartan

PBC Swimming Carnivals

In recent years, the PBC Swimming Carnival has been a chance for our elite swimmers to display their skills and qualify for the South Coast trials. This year we are welcoming all students to be involved in the carnival. We have therefore allocated 2 days for our Swimming Carnival this year.

• Senior School Carnival will be held on Wednesday 7 February 9:00am – 3:05pm
• Middle School on Friday 9 February 9:00am – 3.05am.

This year we hope to get more students involved with a variety of novelty races, as well as some fun Inflatables on the grass area including; a giant slide, slip and slide races, a dunk tank and a basketball inflatable shoot out. There will be a small fee involved for these activities. Students will also have the opportunity to purchase food and drink throughout the day. Permission forms will be sent home with students shortly. These will need to be signed and returned for students to be allowed to attend.

Tim Hart
House Leader Vikings

Creative Arts Excellence USA Tour News

Wow! The trip to Los Angeles in December 2017 was absolutely amazing! We started off with quite a rocky flight but found solace at Walmart when we landed.

Day 1: Even though everyone was tired from the flight, we went on to Disneyland that afternoon and were all instantly perked up by the infectious atmosphere of the happiest place on earth. Exploring California Adventureland and Disneyland left everyone very happy, yet tired as our 36-hour day ended.

Day 2: The musicians went to the Grammy Museum, Dancers went to a workshop at the Millennium Dance Company, and Drama did a workshop with the Stella Adler company. After this we converged for an afternoon at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)– we got a campus tour and learnt more about what college is like in America! We had heaps of fun at Bubba Gump for dinner. The waiter played games with us, and even tried to get Mr Hart to dance (which he refused).

Day3: We had our first performance at Knott’s Berry Farm which was exciting. We actually drew quite a large crowd and the atmosphere was really fun!

Day 4: We performed at Disneyland, and even though there were some technical issues, our performers prevailed and put on an amazing show! The musicians did a workshop at Disneyland and got to record the soundtracks for various Disney movies (like The Incredibles) and put them over the film.

Day 5: The group went to the Warner Brothers studio tour which was really amazing! We visited the stages where Friends and The Big Bang Theory were filmed. We loved seeing the set of Pretty Little Liars, and sitting on the Friends couch (of course)!

At the Griffith Observatory and saw views of LA and the Hollywood sign, and were able to spend some time roaming Santa Monica Pier and shopping. It was so cool to see the talented buskers on the pier and to watch the sun set over the ocean.

Day 6: We visited Universal Studios, starting off with a strong performance, went on a VIP backlot tour to see various film and TV sets, and explored areas like Harry Potter World, Simpsons Land, and Jurassic Park. This was a great day as we got to spend time with our friends just having fun around the park.

Day 7: Was our last visit to Disneyland. The dance and drama students had Disney workshops in the morning while the Musicians found a mall with a bowling alley and a magic shop. We all went to Disneyland in the afternoon and got to see the Disneyland marching band perform which was absolutely insane! We spent the evening on rides and saw the fireworks at the Castle at 11:30pm. It was spectacular and was made even more amazing when fake snow was dispersed which smelt like cinnamon.

Day 8: Was a visit to Loara High School! Our buddies performed for us and we performed for them. It was probably our best show because the crowd was getting so into it—especially during the finale when Kai and Essi did their awesome dancing. We were able to go to our buddy’s classes; I went to Band, Environmental Science, and Psychology with my buddy Dan. It was fantastic to make new friends from the school and sad to say goodbye.

Day 9: The East Los Angeles Performing Arts School was our next destination. The show we performed for the students was amazing, and a rock band from their school, The Ear Ringers, played for us where we all danced and had fun. The high schools were incredible, not only because we got to see how American High Schools work, but because we all got to make amazing friendships with people who we would have never met otherwise.

Day 10: A trip to Los Angeles isn’t complete without a tour of Hollywood, and so that’s what we did on our last day. Seeing many iconic landmarks, like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, The Beverly Hills sign, and Rodeo drive, was the cherry on top of an absolutely amazing trip. From the bottom of my heart I thank everyone involved, teachers and students, for being a part of memories that I know I will cherish forever.

Ruby Allen
CAX Student – Year 12

Maths News

Welcome to an exciting year for Maths at PBC! This year we begin the journey through the biggest transition in senior education in Queensland and maths will be right there in the thick of it. Our Year 10s will begin the transition in preparing for the brand new senior curriculum in 2019. Students in Year 10 will be returning to elements of a traditional numerical marking system; all other year levels will continue to work under the traditional grading systems for 2018 but there will always be a constant eye to the future.

Reminders:

Textbooks – Students will be receiving their 2018 maths textbook over the next 2 weeks in their maths classes. It is the expectation that all students have a copy of their textbook for every maths lesson. With the introduction of BYOD students have the option of accessing online texts, it is imperative that students speak with their maths teacher before going ahead with accessing any online version of the text.

Calculators – It is expected that along with all of their normal listed resources students bring an appropriate scientific calculator (recommended-CASIO fx-82AU) to every maths lesson. 11 Maths B/C students will be given information by their teacher about the appropriate graphics calculator they will need in class.

Year 7

Students in 2018 will be moving from 3 to 4 lessons of maths per week to allow extra numeracy practice in our new “Visible Numeracy” program. Visible Numeracy focuses on building students’ capability in Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Probability and Statistics; particularly focusing on mental maths and problem solving. These 4 x 20min sessions will take place at the beginning of each maths lesson. Put your math skills to the test with the example questions below:

Q1. Grace is 16 years old. Mark is 5 years more than twice Grace’s age. How old is Mark?

Q2. Fill in the grid so that each column, row and diagonal add up to the given sum.

The Sum is 15.

Year 10

Year 10 students in 2018 will be undertaking some of the biggest changes such as an exam in Term 4 that will cover the year’s content or a numerical grading system.

Year 10 Assessment Schedule:

Year 10 Grading system:

Students will work through the subtleties of this system with their teacher

Exam

It is important to remember that the biggest change for Year 10s is the introduction of the yearly exam and that students keep clear notes and examples from all terms.

Students will have access to an exercise book to keep their rules/notes as well as many other resources/techniques such as online video lessons that will be introduced to them by their teacher.

Puzzles

1.

2.

Good luck!

If you ever have any questions feel free to contact your Math’s teacher or one of us, we’d be happy to help.

Trent Hage (HOD Senior School Maths)
email: thage9@eq.edu.au
ph: 0755 259 398

Bianca Deague (HOD Middle School Maths/Science)
email: bdeag2@eq.edu.au
ph: 0755 259 402

School Nurse News

Welcome back to everyone, I hope you all had a relaxing and healthy holiday. I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am a Clinical Nurse working for Queensland Health in the School Based Youth Health Nurse program. I am based at PBC Monday – Friday.

The Youth Health Nurse works with students, school staff and parents to:

• Address concerns or problems about health & wellbeing
• Help create a more supportive, healthy school environment
• Connect people to other support services outside the school

I work with individuals and school members to identify and act on issues that affect both the individual and the health of the school community. This includes helping with curriculum, teaching and learning activities, supporting an environment and school culture that supports health and wellbeing and working with community and other services.

I can see young people in private to talk about - health concerns - relationships - sexual health - personal/ family issues - smoking, alcohol & other drug use - referral to other services - feeling unhappy/stressed – puberty. My office is in j Block next to the Guidance Officers and students can come and see me at any time. Parents are also most welcome to phone me or make an appointment with any concerns. There will also be regular health information articles in the school newsletters so look out for those.

I look forward to meeting many of you in the coming year.

Hilary Wilson
School Based Youth Health Nurse

BYOD News – Are you BYOD ready?

PBC is moving to a digital curriculum in 2018. All students need to be BYOD ready. Attached is a flyer outlining the laptop/notebook recommended specifications.

Please note: PBC is a Windows Operating System based school, your student should have a Windows based device to avoid any limitations that other operating systems, such as iOS (Mac), Android, Windows RT, Chromebook or Linux experience at PBC. iPads are not an acceptable device.

BYOD Details:

• Just $50 per student per year to participate
• Locker hire is included
• Some heavy textbooks will be replaced by digital textbooks
  (price of digital textbooks are part of SRS fees)
• Receive 24/7 access to information
• Access Daymap – Storage, Cloud, H:Drive, G:Drive
• Digital Library access
• Turn it in
• PBC – IT Support
• Download Microsoft Office Suite Free (valued $600)
• Download Adobe Creative Suite option (valued at $300-600)
• Additional $20 printing credit
• Secure Internet access – 10 GB data

Please see our website for more details:

General News

Leo Club News

PBC High School Leos, led by our new President Sotari Turley, have begun 2018 with meetings scheduled for Tuesdays at 8:00am at the Trade Training Centre. Prospective new members are invited to join us to help with our community service program for 2018 and beyond.

Apart from our ongoing Saturday morning Currumbin Fair IGA sausage sizzle, our first term projects will include Clean Up Australia (Sunday 4 March) and the Tweed Valley Cancer Council Relay for Life (10/11 March). Last year, we raised over $6,000 which we returned to a variety of causes and participated in community events supporting organisations such as the Currumbin Community Special School and a local retirement village.

With the departure of the 2017 Year 12 Leos, we need enthusiastic new members from all years to fill their places. If you would like more information about our club, please contact Graham Dutton (0413855710) or Richard O’Keefe (0412053602) of Palm Beach Currumbin Lions Club. Check us out on Facebook @groups/pbcleos.

Participation in practical aspects of HPE

Within all year levels of all HPE subjects, PBC will utilise local venues to complete practical activities. These venues include;

• Currumbin Creek
• boardwalk along Currumbin Creek
• footpaths along Thrower Drive and Currumbin Creek Road
• Palm Beach Aquatic Centre
• Salk Oval

Access to these is managed by the teacher walking with the class.

If your child is injured, please do not assume they cannot participate. Teachers can modify curriculum to ensure your child is still learning. Please contact the teacher to explain the nature of any injury.

Students will only be removed from curriculum (for example not do practical activities) under advice from a doctor or psychologist.

Shane Roberts
HOD HPE

School Photos – SAY CHEESE!

Have your child’s memories captured forever.

School Photo Day is Thursday 15 February and Tuesday 20 February with a catch-up day scheduled for Friday 2 March. Your child should have received their photo envelope last week via their Care Class. If you have not received an envelope, blank ones are available from Student Services.

Thursday 15 February: Years 8, 9, 10 and 12
Tuesday 20 February: Years 7 and 11 plus make-ups
Friday 2 March: Make-up day

Only individual photos are to be taken, no school groups. If your child is unable to attend school on their scheduled day we will arrange for their photo to be taken on the catch-up day.

It is essential your student have their photograph taken as this image is used to produce their ID Card and to update their OneSchool records as well as providing you with a lovely memory of their school year.

Please take the time to read the relevant information on the MSP Photography order envelopes and remember these helpful points:

• Ensure your order is placed by photo day to avoid late fees.
• Ordering online using your child’s Unique Shoot Key is the easiest, safest and most secure way to order. If you do not know their Unique Shoot Key, please call MSP Photography on 5668 9110 or email admin.gcnr@msp.com.au .
• If enclosing payment inside an envelope, ensure the correct money is provided as no change is given. Cash, cheques and money orders are accepted.
• Don’t seal envelopes inside each other. You can pay for all children in one envelope, however each child needs to have their own envelope on photo day. Please indicate on the child’s envelope that contains all sibling payments the names of the children you are paying for.
• Orders placed after photo day will incur a $20 search fee. Please call MSP to organise any late payments. Late orders are not processed until payment is received.
• The products on the envelopes are the only packages on offer and cannot be altered in any way.
• Split family orders: Parents can place multiple orders for children by either:
  - Placing all the orders in the one envelope. The photos will be returned to the student together.
  - Handling in multiple order envelopes (the 2nd parent can collect a spare envelope from Student Services and complete as usual). If this is the chosen method, each parent will need to tick either ‘Mother’ or ‘Father’ at the top of their photo day envelope so MSP can return the packs with the correct labelling.

Parent Connect Evening Event – Stymie Launch

WHY USE STYMIE?

"Every child and youth has the right to be respected and safe.
Bullying is a violation of this basic right."
~ KANDERSTEG DECLARATION

PBC’s first Parent Connect Event for 2018 is for the launch of Stymie, an anti-bullying program. Parents/caregivers are invited to come along to hear from the Director/CEO of Stymie about this wonderful program that allows anyone to report bullying anonymously to the school at any time.

Rachel Downie will be presenting Stymie and holding discussion about practical parental empowerment – social media use and wellbeing within the school community.

Date: Thursday, 1 February 2018
At: PBC Theatre
Time: 6:00-7:30pm

To confirm your attendance please email events@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au and state “Parent Connect” in the subject and advise number attending.

REBEL Community Kickbacks

PBC has been selected to participate in the REBEL Community Kickbacks Program. Under this program, PBC can earn 5% of your purchases at rebel as store credit to spend on the PBC Sports Programs.

All you need to do is join the rebel active loyalty program via the link below. When you are instore at the check out be sure to choose PBC as your school at the checkout so that your purchases are registered against the PBC Kickback account and go towards our accumulation of rebel credits! We hope to be able to get some great sporting equipment for our students.

PBC Optima Yearbook

2018

The Optima Yearbook is an annual magazine targeted to students as a fantastic way to remember the school year. Featuring loads of photos, faculty and event articles, messages from staff and students and covering every cohort, the yearbook is an excellent keepsake for all students to be able to look back on in the years to come and remember their time at PBC.

Year 12 students will receive one as a gift at Graduation. All other years will need to place an order to ensure we have enough printed. Don’t miss out! Secure your copy of the 2018 Optima Yearbook and pre-order now by downloading the attached order form and returning it to Student Services with your payment of $30.

2017

The Yearbook is available to purchase. It includes a huge amount of photos from all the fun and events that happened last year. All year cohorts are represented! To purchase 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 PBC.

The business directory features 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!

It is that time of year when we are calling out to our parent community to come and join the PBC Alliance for 2018. Membership is just $25 and will include a free business directory listing on our website, invitations to all our events and inclusion on our newsletter database so you can be kept up to date with PBC Alliance news. If you are interested in joining the PBC Alliance in 2018 please go to

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.

Success in the Pool!

In December Year 12 student Tristan Bullen competed at the QLD State Swimming Championships in Brisbane. Tristan achieved 9 PBs, 3 top 10’s including a Silver in the 200m Butterfly and Bronze in the 400m Freestyle, 3 Age National qualifying times, and 2 Open National qualifying times.

Tristan will now go on to compete at the Australian Age Swimming Champs in April, and the Australian Commonwealth Games Trials to be held 28 February to 3 March!!

Pictured is Tristan with his Bond Uni Swimming Club Coaches, Richard Scarce & Kyle Samuelson

Rugby League Success

PBC had a number of students named as rising stars in the Emerging QLD Origin squads! Congratulations to Juwan Compain, Thomas Dearden, Damon Somerville, Israel Higgins, Ediq Ambrosyev and Bayley Martin!

2018 Leadership Summit

Our 2018 Senior Student Council completed their first official duties in their leadership roles just before the end of the school year. A 3-day leadership and team-building summit held at Runaway Bay Sports Centre.

Our team of School Captains, Vice Captains and Head Prefects networked and learnt from a range of motivational leaders and worked closely with 10 other Gold Coast schools throughout the camp, culminating in a final presentation where they presented their improvement focus for 2018 to a gathering of representatives from all schools.

Our leaders were inspiring in their passion and vision for the year ahead and really shone across all students and schools gathered. They worked seamlessly together and should be very proud of the way they represented both themselves and PBC. We are very excited about having this wonderful team on deck as our school leaders for next year, and trust they enjoyed the camp and the opportunities it presented.

(pictured: Harper Ashton, Annika Danielsen, Amy Cooper, Braith Gausden, Drew Younger, Kate Walker & Jackson North)

Gold Coast Young Citizen of The Year Awards

Congratulations to our recent alumni and 2017 School Captain, Emily Ireland, on her nomination as a finalist in the 2018 City of Gold Coast Australia Day Awards. Emily was nominated in the ‘Young Citizen of the Year’ category as a reflection of her tireless dedication to volunteering and strengthening both our school and local community. We wish Emily all the best success as she embarks on life after school.

Emily is pictured with Senior Constable Kurt Foessel, who works closely with PBC on a regular basis. Kurt was also nominated under the ‘Citizen of the Year’ category.

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:

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).

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. All SRS Fees should be finalized on 5 February 2018 when the second instalment is due except for parents/caregivers who are on a payment plan or Centrepay.

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

Parents/caregivers experiencing financial difficulty can contact our Finance Office on 5525 9307 (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 school or Direct Debit via credit card (monthly). Paperwork is available from the Student Services Office to activate either of these plans.

QParents

The QParents application provides a convenient, and easy 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.

Community Notices

Kerbside Circus Workshops

Kerbside is running FREE Circus Workshop at the Pirate Playground, Palm Beach! Check out the link below for more information! The workshops are for all ages and so head on over to make sure you're updated about where we'll be popping up!

Wednesday 7 Feb 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Pirate Playground, Palm Beach

You can drop in anytime over the two hours and get your circus on! We'll help you develop skills in hula hoops, juggling, manipulation [juggling sticks, poi, spinning plates] acro-balance and tumbling or just come and be the clown!!! Whatever you age, level and interest we're here for you.

‘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.