8 May 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Last Friday I had the wonderful experience of spending half a day with the Instrumental Music students at Band Camp. Watching Year 7 to 12 students come together from a large school population of 2450 students and playing as a band was an awesome example of team work. Shane Roberts (Head of Department HPE) made the comment to me last year that watching a band or orchestra play is epitome of team work in action and that his sports teams could learn a lot about teamwork by watching the Instrumental Students working together. Whilst I was with the senior band students, a phone call came in from a neighbour to the camp site to say how great the Band sounded. Well done to the staff and students who made the Band Camp such a worthwhile learning opportunity.

In addition to spending time with our musically inclined students, I have attended three of the Optima Assemblies where our students were recognised for (a) academic achievement (b) community service (c) sporting achievement and (d) effort and behaviour. It was great to see so many of our students recognised for the hard work and effort that they put into the different aspects of school life. The highlight of the assemblies for the students was definitely the interest in the House Competition and how the awards presented is impacting on the overall House competition. The House and Care initiative continues to improve the school culture and the level of engagement that the students have with their school.

Finally, NAPLAN tests for Year 7 and 9 students will be held next week. It is my expectation that (a) students sit the test and (b) students try their best. The original purpose of NAPLAN tests was for schools to benchmark their curriculum against the national standards and curriculum. The original intent of the test was not really to report on individual student achievement or progress. Over time NAPLAN has become a great source of media interest and to an extent, stress for teachers and students. NAPLAN is a point of time test. The results NAPLAN produces is of benefit to us as a school to inform how our teaching practices are meeting the needs of our students. The results of the test, to some extent, also let us know how the students are progressing as individuals in alignment with the many other data sets that we collect as a school. As with all aspects of schooling, some students will find the test easy and others will find it more challenging, all we ask is that our students try their best.

Regards
Chris Capra
Executive Principal

Senior School Update

Term 2 has commenced at an express pace, highlighted by our tri-annual OPTIMA Awards – celebrating outstanding achievement within our Senior School, across the pillars of dedication to academia, the Arts, sports and service to the community. We had outstanding results across our Senior cohorts and taking the opportunity to formally recognise these achievements is a regular highlight on the school calendar. Thank you to all parents who took the time to attend and support your students, and thank you to our award recipients for your dedication to your craft.

Thanks also must go to all parents and students that managed to make it along to the recent Parent Teacher Interviews. These interviews are a wonderful platform for all parties to have honest discussions and provide opportunities for both further improvement and continued success in the classroom. It is particularly pleasing to see a large number of Senior parents on these evenings given that time is always a valuable commodity. Should you have not had the opportunity to get around to these evenings, feel free to individually contact staff via the details on the PBC website to arrange a meeting or phone interview.

Overall Positions (OPs)

Year 12 OP students will be having their OP prediction interviews in the next few weeks with their OP mentor. Students need to book at time for their interview in Y block. The OP prediction will help students plan for their QTAC application for tertiary courses in September.

OP students can maximise their OP by:

• Improving their rung; e.g. moving from a B5 to a B6
• Improving their rank position in the subject cohort
• Improving the QCS test average of OP students in that subject and the OP cohort.

To improve the students Queensland Core Skills (QCS) test performance students have been sitting and receiving feedback from practice tests during shutdown. They also have; a dedicated QCS class at 8:00am Wednesdays and masterclasses with Mighty Minds. Masterclass are on the next 3 Thursdays (May 10, 17 and 24) in the Trade Training Centre from 3:15 to 4:30pm; attendance at these classes is compulsory for OP students unless prior arrangements have been made with senior school admin.

Year 11 OP predictions will be calculated after Semester 1 results are finalised.

Alternative Pathways

Students who receive a predicted OP higher than 15 may need to consider alternative pathways to Tertiary studies; as they may not gain the required result in their current pathway.

Alternative pathways include moving to Selection Rank, or completing a Certificate III course whilst at school. These pathways are generally a better option for students with OPs above 15 as they will give students an option to attend University in 2018.

A student receives a Selection Rank form QTAC if they do less than 20 semesters of OP subjects in Year 11 and 12. OP students who are studying 5 OP classes can move to Selection Rank by changing out of 1 OP class for 1 semester (and hence only study 19 semesters of OP subjects). The advantage of moving to rank is that rungs and students’ position in a class and QCS performance are not factors; only a student’s level of achievement is used for calculations. As such, accurate Selection Rank calculations can be conducted. Students who receive predicted OPs higher than 15 should contact the Senior Schooling team as this may be a more viable pathway to tertiary studies for them.

Students can also gain tertiary entrance by completing a Certificate III or higher whilst a school. This will give them a Rank of 68 which is equivalent to an OP of 15. The school is currently offering a Certificate III in Business course with an external training organisation. This course has a fee payable in advance as it is conducted by an external provider. Students whose OP prediction is higher than 15 need to consider this option; as it may secure a tertiary place for them in 2019.

Please contact the Senior Schooling team if you require more information about the above 2 options.

Year 10 into 11 student pathways

Year 10 students and their parents need to be aware of the following requirements for students to study in the ATAR pathway in 11 and 12.

To study 4 General subjects and be eligible for an ATAR students must achieve;

• An A or B in English and Maths in Semester 1 Year 10
• Students wishing to study a science in Year 11/12 (Chemistry, Physics, Biology or Marine) must also achieve a B in Science in Semester 1 Year 10
• Students wishing to study Mathematical Methods (old Maths B) C in Year 11 must achieve at least a B10 in Maths in Semester 1 Year 10

Students who achieve a C5 in Maths and English in Semester 1 Year 10 may still be able to study General Maths and General English in Year 11 however will not be able to study 4 ATAR Subjects. More information regarding subject selection for Year 11 will be published in Term 3.

Certificate II in Tourism and Hospitality

Any Year 11 student or non OP Year 12 students wishing to complete this certificate during sport on Wednesday afternoons should see Mr McDougall or Ms McQueen as soon as possible. This course is free for students that have not used their VETis funding.

Assessment Calendars

Senior school assessment calendars have been published on the school website under the curriculum tab. This is a useful tool for parents and students in preparing their study timetables. Shutdown exams will again take place in Week 9 and 10 of term.

Senior School Study Group

For any student who would like some extra assistance in particular with their core subject of Maths, we invite them to join an after school study group on Tuesday afternoons in the school library from 3:15pm–4:15pm. Students need to register and can attend for a one off session or on an ongoing basis.

Year 12 Graduation and Formal

The Year 12 Graduation and Formal will be held on Tuesday 13 November 2018 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. This event is the biggest on our calendar and one which truly celebrates the achievements of our graduating Reds. Payment process and permission slips will be handed out to Year 12 students prior to the end of Term 2 – we look forward to celebrating with our school community once more at this wonderful event.

School Guidance Officers News

For information about university options, open days and other information please click this link.

Middle School Update

NAPLAN

NAPLAN is held on Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 May and our Year 7 and 9s will be sitting these exams. The exam results are used by our English and Maths teachers to tailor programs to continue to build on the literacy and numeracy skills as the students move on to the next year level. At PBC we also value these tests as research has shown that they are the best indicator of future academic success and of university entrance exam scores. We are encouraging students to follow our motto of doing their best when it comes to these exams. Our staff and those at the primary schools have been working on building the skills needed for these exams for years but there are little things that can be done in these last few weeks.

The students have been preparing for this through all of their core classes, all year. Many students find the testing process tiring, so the best support parents can give is by ensuring the students get to bed early then have a nutritious breakfast to sustain them for the morning. Including some protein, such as eggs or cheese, at breakfast can be helpful.

Students should take care to pack the correct equipment the night before each exam. This includes 2B or HB pencils, an eraser, black or blue pens and a simple calculator (for Thursday only).

If a student is ill and misses a test, there is the opportunity for catch-up tests on Friday 18 May only.

We wish all of our Year 7 and 9 students every success in NAPLAN, and thank their teachers for all they have done to prepare the students to do their best. Parents can find additional information below.

General Enrolment Year 7 2019

For parents who have younger siblings in Year 6 I wish to advise that our General Enrolment night is Wednesday 13 June from 6:30pm in PBC Theatre. Invitations will be going to primary schools for all students in our catchment area. 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 provide an opportunity to meet the Middle School team and to gain information about the current enrolment process. Further details can be found on our school website soon.

First Aid and Illness

- Middle School Student Planner page 13

• If you are unwell we ask parents to keep students at home
• Students that become unwell at school are to report to Middle or Senior School Student Services where they will be sent to Sick Bay. The First Aid Officer will assess your child and make arrangements for your child to rest for a short period or contact parents/caregivers to collect you.
• Medical opinion may be sought or an ambulance called if it is deemed in your child’s best interest and your parents/caregivers cannot be contacted quickly.
• PBC requires up to date parent and emergency contact numbers so parent/caregivers can be reached easily in an urgent situation

Note: Students ARE NOT to use their mobile phone during a lesson to advise parents/caregivers they are sick.

Bike Safety- Travel to and from PBC

Bike safety at PBC is a priority for the safety of our students. It is a legal requirement for all students riding bikes to wear a helmet. The Queensland Police support the compliance of wearing helmets when riding a bike in the local community. Police will also give notices to student not wearing helmets.

We encourage students to rack their bike with a padlock within the Middle School N block bike area as there is CCTV footage monitoring this area. If students park their bike outside of the school either at the fence or council bike racks they do so at their own risk.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thank you to every parent who gave up their time last week to attend Parent Teacher Interviews. Teachers really appreciate the chance to discuss students’ progress and share important information which can help students in their achievement and their happiness at school.

Remember, that you can contact your child’s teachers at any time, via the Staff Contact list on the school website.

Middle School Guidance Officer Report

Click here to read about the importance of teenagers getting a good nights rest:

House and CARE Update

House and Care has continued to thrive this term at PBC. The start of Term 2 saw the 'Anzac Biscuit bake off', where 25 students from each of the 4 houses made nearly 2000 biscuits. The biscuits were then given out at the Anzac dawn parade in Currumbin by our School Council.

During Week 3 the inter-house rivalry continued with a Mental Maths Challenge, where students were required to calculate the totals of 60 sums in the quickest possible time. The finalists will compete against each other in week 4 to see who will be crowned Metal Maths Champion 2018!

The Cross Country also took place this term, with PBC’s top athletes all competing for their House, School and a chance to compete at the district trials in Week 4.

During Care lessons, students have continued to cover the issues surrounding ‘Social Intelligence’ and are currently producing campaigns which raise awareness about the different types of bullying and how we can all help to minimise bullying in our community.

Over the next few weeks the Inter-House house competitions will continue to flow with an ‘AFL Handball’ competition followed by the auditions for ‘PBC’s Got Talent’. Students will audition in their Houses and the top 2 from each will then go through to represent their house in the Grand Final.

All students that represent their house in any of the competitions are awarded vital points which then go towards the House Cup, which will be presented in Term 4. The top performing students in each event get bonus points for their house. As you will see from the totals below the points are very close and could all change after the next event.

Please see below for current totals.

General News

Parent Connect Morning Tea

A Parent Connect Morning Tea will be held next Tuesday 15 May from 7:30-8:15am in the Trade Training Centre.

Our Deputy Principals, Mitch Kennedy and Wendy Wise will talk about Stymie, the anti-bullying program and Practical Parental Empowerment.

Come along and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and some morning tea. Please rsvp to Events@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au stating Parent Connect in the subject and the number attending.

Music Excursion – Bernard Fanning

On Thursday, 7 of our year 12 music students had the opportunity to listen to a composition lecture from Bernard Fanning, the lead singer from award winning band Powderfinger. We were invited to attend this lecture alongside the Bachelor of Contemporary Music Students at Southern Cross University, Lismore. Bernard shared compositional tips and experiences with the students, and afterwards we were given a tour of the facilities there. The students were inspired by this experience, and it will help with their composition writing this term.

International Department – Homestay Families Required

The International Department is looking for Homestay families to host Taiwanese students from Lizen High School.

The Lizen Study Tour is arriving on 23 May and staying until 5 June 2018

This is a great opportunity for visiting students to experience the real Australian lifestyle by living with an Australian Host family. Homestay families have the opportunity to learn about another culture and build a friendship with the student.

Requirements :

• Homestay families will be required to host either 1 or 2 students (dual placements are preferred).
• Provide 3 meals a day plus snacks.
• Be able to drop off and pick up their Taiwanese student/s from school or travel to and from school with their own child.
• Homestay families will need to attend a 1 hour Orientation session prior to the Tour arriving and will be provided relevant information.
• Homestay families will be remunerated for hosting the student/s.
• Homestay families will need a Blue Card or can apply for one.

If you are interested in hosting students can you please contact Sue Jones at the International Dept on 5525 9394 or 0438 191 637. Or email Corinne Van Put at cvanp1@eq.edu.au by 30 April.

ANZAC DAY

On 24 April, PBC honoured the ANZAC tradition, paying tribute to the defence forces men and women who have served, and are presently serving, our country. Two special guests shared their thoughts with our school community. Mr Tony Hornby of the Currumbin RSL called on students to remember our soldiers as they reflect on freedoms so often take for granted while Mr Leo Capra, our Executive Principal's father and a veteran, recalled the story of Weary Dunlop, a man who displayed the ANZAC spirit while never firing a gun. Lest we forget.

On 25 April, PBC was proud to be represented at the mid-morning march to the Currumbin RSL. The weather was great and the services beautiful. Thank you to all the students that participated on the day.

PBC Presents GREASE, the Musical

PBC presents GREASE!

Tickets are selling out fast!

The Cast and crew are perfecting their performance and are all excited for a great show.

Performances are...

Opening Night - Thursday 31 May 2018 at 6:30pm
Friday Night 1 June 2018 at 6:30pm

Saturday Matinee - 2 June 2018 at 2:00pm
Closing Night - Saturday 2 June 2018 at 7:00pm

Tickets are on sale from Student Services and prices are:

Adults $20, Students/Children $10, Free on the Knee for littlies.

Thank you to Americar Auto Burleigh Heads for being one of our sponsors! Americar Auto can be contact on 5568 0684 or via the link below

Thank you also to Bunnings Burleigh and Coles at The Pines for being sponsors for the Grease production.

Year 9 Drama Excellence Commedia Exporation

Just forwarding a few pics of our super talented Year 9 Drama Excellence students exploring the Commedia del'arte style of theatre.

PBC Alliance News

Partner Businesses

Thank you to all the wonderful businesses that are 2018 PBC Alliance Partners! The support of these amazing businesses, for our students, is hugely appreciated. Please support those that support our students by checking out our Business Directory when choosing a service provider. Click on the links below to find out more about each of our wonderful PBC Alliance Partners.

Glowing Green Australia
Aurora Training Institute
Prestige Service Training
Stone Style
Griffith University
Southport Sharks
Struddys Sports
Capital Pest Management
Currumbin RSL
Firewire Surfboards
PFD
GCU Gold Coast United
Mighty Minds
Trade Glass
Tweed Sea Sports
Tree Trunk Digital
MSP Photography
Retire Me Young
Fraser Financial Services
Wilson Haynes Solicitors
Burleigh Bears Rugby League
Currumbin Junior Rugby League

Business Directory

If you are looking for a product or service 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.

Would you like to advertise your business in the PBC Alliance Business Directory? Membership is just $25 which includes a business directory listing, invitations to all our events and inclusion on our newsletter database so you can be kept up to date with PBC Alliance news. Head to the link below:

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.

PBC U14s Girls Rugby League

16 girls from PBC entered the High School Rugby League Girls Competition, the Karyn Murphy Cup, as an Under 14's team. The competition kicked off in South East Queensland with an exciting 9-a-side competition and provides all girls across Queensland the opportunity to represent their school and compete to be crowned state champs!

A huge thank you to Teacher & Team Manager Naomi Apanui, without her this would not have gone ahead. Thanks go to NRL development officers Mia Mison and Wayde Kelly as well as Selwyn Apanui for coaching and training the team in Term 1 to be ready for the competition.

A special thanks to Currumbin Eagles Junior Rugby League Club and in particular Pat Asquith, Club President who have sponsored the team and generously donated a full team set of Jerseys, shorts & socks so the girls can wear Currumbin/PBC 'Reds'. They loved how “professional” they looked!  Another thanks goes to our sponsor Tugun Surf Club and Rob Morris, Club Manager who have donated their bus to transport the girls to Helensvale each week.

The girls’ performance was awesome! A new team and a new sport for many yet they played together so well and beat Merrimac 36-0 then Keebra Park 16-0. There was great sportsmanship when one team were short players and our girls willingly played for them. They started the afternoon feeling nervous and left feeling so pumped and can’t wait for next week! It was a great showcase of Rugby League.

South Coast Rugby League U15

Congratulation to the following PBC students for making the South Coast Rugby League U15 team. Left to right. Flynn Daniel, Bailey Martin, Geoff Eggert, Ezra Ubaldino.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Congratulations to Tarly Miller who took part in the Rhythmic Gymnastics State Championships Competition in April. The Aspire Academy's Junior Group, of which Tayla is a part of, pulled off a perfect routine and is now the new 2018 State Champions!

Tayla will now represent Queensland in the upcoming 2018 Australian National Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne.

Australian Little Athletics Championships

Congratulations to Year 7 student Jayda Anderson who won GOLD at the Australian Little Athletics Championships in the 1500m walk completing in a time of 6mins 42 secs which is a new Australian U/13 Little Athletics record! What a remarkable achievement Jayda!

The McPherson Community Achiever Awards

The McPherson Community Achiever Awards were held recently to recognise the silent achievers within the southern Gold Coast community and seek to give them the recognition they deserve. Four PBC students, Sotari Turley, Samuel Kinstler-McAuliffe, Lauren Alderton and Abi Houston all received a Young Achiever award. Congratulations to all recipients and you should be very proud for the significant contribution you make to the southern Gold Coast community.

Dates to Remember

BYOD News – Are you BYOD ready?

If you have not yet gotten your student a device please be aware that PBC is a Windows Operating System based school, this means that your student needs to have a Windows based device (PC) to avoid any limitations that other operating systems, such as iOS (Mac), Android, Windows RT, Chromebook or Linux experience at PBC. In order to give your student the best experience with their device at school, make sure they have a PC/Windows device (not a Mac/iOS).

Please also note that iPads are not an acceptable device.

Please see our website for more details:

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 from your invoice or statement 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).

For credit card payment or to request bank details for direct bank transfer, please telephone the school, or visit Student Services between 8:00am-1:00pm.

SRS Fees

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

Parents/caregivers experiencing financial difficulty can 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

Mobile Dental Clinic – Gold Coast Oral Health Service

The School Dental Van is currently at PBC and offering FREE dental treatment. We will be leaving the school on 25 June, so if you have not made an appointment yet please do so by calling 1300 300 850 as soon as possible.

If a parent is unable to attend, please get your child to collect a consent form from the van that you can sign and your child can bring it to their appointment on their own.

Free Flu Vaccines

Please click the link for a flyer from CNC Immunisation Program, Gold Coast Public Health, offering free flu vaccines to children and their families.

The details of the free family clinics (including dates and locations) are in the attached flyer.

For any queries please visit the link below:

Tugun Girl Guides

The Tugun Girl Guides are hosting a Come and Try day on Saturday 12 May from 9:00am – 12:00pm at Tugun Girl Guides Unit, Cooinda Avenue, Currumbin. This gives girls the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of hands-on activities that showcase the experiences available at Girl Guides.

Girl Guides Queensland provides a non-formal educational program designed to create leaders of tomorrow by building on strengths and personal skills development. All the activities the Guides do, from weekly meetings, camps, expeditions and hikes are driven by the Guides themselves with input and assistance from their leaders and are matched to the Guides abilities. As part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), each Guide is a privileged sister in a sisterhood of ten million Guides worldwide, the largest voluntary organisation for young girls and women.

Certification IV in Dance

Are you a dancer? Are you 15 years or older? Want to obtain your Certificate IV in Dance? Well you can do so with us this year! The course will run one night per week from July to November at Ikin Dance Australia.

Obtaining this qualification compliments a student in their secondary school studies, providing 8 credit points towards their QCE.

A student with their Certificate IV in Dance, has more opportunity to be employed in potential dance teaching work, dance performance work, dance administration work and so much more!

Find out more at our information night 10th May 6pm - Enquire now to secure your spot: contact@ikindance.com or 07 55221863.

Fortnightly Funny…