2 March 2015

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents,

One of the greatest advantages of sending young people to State Schools is that they reflect the cultural, social and religious diversity of their local communities and provide young people with the life experiences to thrive in their adult life.

Tolerance is a core value at PBC and in 2011 we introduced a comprehensive social emotional learning curriculum. The aim of this program is to give our students the skills to enact our values, be active participants in their community and navigate some of the challenges that confront adolescents.

The topics covered include:

• Anti-bullying
• Social Skills
• Sexuality
• Drugs and alcohol education
• Dangerous behaviours and peer pressure
• Study and self-management skills
• Careers education.

Our programs are not restricted to the classroom and students are engaged in applying these skills in our day to day school life through:

• Our Code of Behaviour which sets out high expectations for personal conduct
• Student leadership programs
• Weekly year level assemblies which explain these expectations and celebrate success
• Community service opportunities such as Leo’s Club and tutoring at local primary schools
• Special events such as Harmony Day and NAIDOC day
• Engaging with the International students on campus.

This work is having a profound effect on daily school life. School surveying has consistently revealed that parents, students and teachers alike believe PBC to be a safe and supportive environment. In addition, our standards of behaviour and conduct have improved and there has been a measurable decrease in suspensions.

I regularly remind my staff of our responsibility to model appropriate behaviour, and work with them to ensure that we have the skills to implement our programs and systems. Whenever I induct new students and families to our community I clearly articulate our core values and ask them to commit to working with us in this integral area of work. If it has been some time since you have been involved in these activities I ask that you reaffirm your commitment to these activities. I also ask that you have a discussion with your young person to make sure they are aware of their commitment too.

Stephen Loggie
Executive Principal

Newsletter Articles

Senior School Update

Year 11 Semi-Formal

This week we sent home invitations for the Year 11 Semi-Formal. This is the highlight of the Year 11 social calendar. The event will involve a dinner, insights from some successful ex-PBC students and a lot of dancing. We encourage all our Year 11 students to be part of this event as it is great way to build a positive culture within the cohort. The event will be held at Twin Towns on Thursday 2 April.

After parties

Each year we educate our parents and students on the dangers of ‘after parties’. PBC neither supports nor promotes ‘after parties’. We are aware that some of the companies targeting our young people do so in a manner that may place them at risk of harm. I urge you to ensure that your young person is not put at risk by allowing them to attend.

Our school community does not condone after parties and their message of underage drinking and drug taking. We want our students to enjoy socialising safely, which is why we offer events such as the Semi-Formal and Formal.

University Showcase

On Thursday 19 March we are hosting a University Showcase for our senior students. The event involves most of the Universities in Southern Queensland coming to the school to talk to students and their parents. The event will be held from 11.30am until 12.15pm in the school hall.

It is a great opportunity to hear from, and then talk directly to university staff. Invitations have been sent out and you can RSVP by emailing Dianna Keevers at dkeev5@eq.edu.au

Nigel Hughes
Director Senior School

Student Engagement

At PBC we pride ourselves on striving for nothing but the best. As part of this aspiration it is imperative that we ensure our students are actively engaged in the learning process. To be actively engaged the primary thing that students must ensure is that they attend each and every class. Attendance is one of the top indicators of students’ success in senior schooling. At PBC we allow up to five days absence in a year, these absences should however be justified. We ask our parents and carers to please ensure that they contact the school any time that their student is, or will, be absent. In longer absences, more than 10 days, a formal exemption must be sought from the front office. For students in Senior School who breach the attendance policy the cancellation of enrolment process will be followed. These regulations try to ensure that our students have the best chance of success by encouraging full attendance and participation.

Uniform

On a uniform note, I am pleased to report that the majority of Senior School have realised their responsibility as leaders and are attending in full school uniform. Within the next fortnight students will be reminded about the school’s expectation around skirt length. The school policy is that the hem of the skirt must touch the knee cap. We ask students, parents and carers to assess the length of skirts currently being worn and make appropriate adjustments within the next fortnight.

Alyce Cleary
Deputy Principal Senior School

Subject Changes

Subject changes have been finalised since the end of Week 2. Students will have the opportunity to change at the end of this term however availability may be limited.

Assessment Calendars

Assessment Calendars for years 10, 11 and 12 have been uploaded to the school website under testing and assessment. Students can also download this information from the K drive on the school’s network. This information will be useful for parents and students when planning their study timetable.

QLD Certificate of Education

Students are again reminded that all students need to be eligible for a Queensland Certificate of Education to remain enrolled in Senior Schooling. For students in Year 11 and 12 this means they must be passing at least 5 of their 6 subjects (regardless of whether or not they are completing a traineeship). All students who are doing VET subjects must be up to date at the end of each term. Time will be allocated during shutdown to ensure that these students are up to date. Students who do not complete their competencies will have their enrolment reviewed.

OP students whose predicted OP is above 15 may have to review their pathway. This may include moving to selection rank, which generally improves a student’s tertiary pathway. If your student is in this position they need to improve their results and position in their class this term and if their OP prediction does not improve; they will need to make an appointment with the Senior Schooling department to discuss further options.

Mick McDougall
HOD Senior School

Middle School News

Middle School Open Day

The 2015 Palm Beach Currumbin SHS Middle School Open Day will be held on Thursday 19 March. All parents/guardians of Year 7, 8 and 9 students have been posted an invitation to attend this Open Day.

This is a great opportunity for parents/guardians to visit our Middle School classrooms and meet with our team of professional staff members and support personnel. On this day a number of information forums will be held in relation to adolescent development.

To attend this event please follow the instructions as outlined on the Open Day invitation.

Year 7 and 8 Parent Information Evening

On Wednesday 18 February the Year 7 and 8 Parent Information Evening was held. Thank you to those parents who attended this evening and showed interest in our key messages. I have received welcome feedback from many of the parents in attendance with the majority mentioning how wonderful it was to informally meet and speak with their son/daughter’s teachers.

I was overwhelmed with the positive response we had from our Year 7 and 8 parent body with over 850 people in attendance. This event clearly demonstrated our Middle School intent and philosophy to build positive and proactive relationships with our parents and their children.

Blair Hanna
Director of Middle School

Optima Code: Be Respectful

Being Respectful in our behaviour code means a lot more than saying please and thankyou. In terms of PBC, being respectful means ensuring that all of our behaviours reflect well on the school and our reputation as an excellent school is enhanced.

To this end all students need to be mindful of how they behave at school, in the community and online. One thing we are very aware of is that issues that originate outside of school always manifest themselves at school. This is why we have policies around behaviour outside of the school fence and outside of school hours.

One of the biggest issues that we face is social media. Kids on devices well into the night having conversations, and sending pictures, that parents would cringe at. These conversations then come into school the next day and manifest as behaviours, often harassment or bullying or fighting. These behaviours then have consequences.

You can help us by monitoring your children and their activity on social media, enforcing curfews around the use of phones and having a place outside of their bedroom where devices are to remain overnight. The more rules that you can place around the use of mobile devices and social media the less chance there is of inappropriate behaviour online and less issues occurring at school.

I would also encourage you to contact the school and alert us to incidents that you are aware of that have a negative impact on your child. Reinforce with your student the need to report incidents to the school when they happen.

Together we can help reduce the behaviours that occur as a result of inappropriate use of social media.

Peter O’Brien
Deputy Principal Middle School

Constructive Feedback

As we hit the middle of the term, students receive feedback on both their drafts and their summative assessment. At PBC, teachers work hard to provide constructive feedback of high quality, so that in the spirit of continual improvement, students can learn from their work. This week on assemblies, I have talked with Middle School students about using this feedback effectively. Feedback is not about how hard they tried, nor is it about them personally! It is simply about the work produced and ways to improve it. When students use feedback effectively, they can take their work to new heights.

Tuesday Tutorials

Tuesday Tutorials have been very popular over the past three weeks. Thanks to our volunteer teachers, tutorials for Maths, English and Science are held in the library between 3.15 and 4.15pm each Tuesday. Students simply need to arrive, with some work they need help on. Some students are using it as a quiet space to do homework or assignments; they are most welcome to do so.

Experts say study for exams should commence four weeks beforehand. The assessment calendar has been published on the PBC website and indicate when your child will have exams. Study may take the form of practising skills or making notes from their classes or textbooks. While such activities may not be set homework, savvy students are starting in a small way, but starting now.

Sharon Hillcoat
HOD Middle School

Middle School Parent Information Evening

They say first impressions count, and this being the case it was hard not to be impressed with the turn-out at our Middle School parent evening. The number of parents there certainly means that families are connected to their children’s education and I would encourage you all to continue this at every opportunity.

Year 8 Team Building

Year 8 students will be going on their Team Building days this week. These days have been designed to allow the formation and consolidation of the important peer relationships in classes and also the one between student and teachers. If the year 7 student’s experiences are anything to go by, the days are not only a lot of fun, but also provide a worthwhile link in the transition to high school.

Student Activities

This year PBC has the benefit of a Student Activities officer. Students will have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of lunch time activities that cover sporting, cultural, academic and social endeavours. They include things like writing groups, basketball, touch and netball competitions, chess, study groups and handball competitions to name but a few. The calendar list of activities will be constantly updated as the year goes on.

Paul Bullpitt
Dean of Students

Lunchtime Activities Program

Hi there. I’m Rita Matthews and I’m the new Student Activities Officer here at PBC. We are currently in the process of implementing a Lunchtime Activities Program for the Middle School. The purpose of the program is to have more students engaged in coordinated activities during first and second lunch break each day. We aim to appeal to as many students as possible, as such, the activities in the program include sports, academics, creative arts, and social and community involvement and awareness.

Some activities will be facilitated on a daily basis, while others will occur weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Activities already up and running, or starting soon, include handball, football on the oval and a board games room open daily; social tennis, twice a week; chess club, news group, homework/study group, hang-out room, 3v3 basketball and dodge ball, weekly; sustainable school club and creative writing workshops, fortnightly; and a monthly book club as well!

In addition to this we will be kicking off some interclass competitions next week, which will run through until the end of Semester 1 and will be lots of fun for all involved! Year 7 students will be playing touch, Year 8 students will be playing netball and Year 9 students will be playing basketball.

We plan to have more and more activities available over the course of the semester and invite any ideas or feedback you have regarding the program.

Rita Matthews
Student Activities Officer

Study Skills Tips

Time Management

Top performing students use their course outline and school assessment calendar to structure an assessment timeline for the term, and to create a revision checklist before exams. A common finding in most senior year groups is that many students (over 30%) either use their course outline intermittently or not at all. Yet regular use of the course outline provides students with a framework to focus their study.

This activity encourages students to make a plan from the course outline, which contains short-term deadlines. This gives students confidence in knowing when the assessment is due, what steps need to be completed to ensure the deadline is met and allows students to pre-empt busy study periods to plan sporting and social commitments appropriately. Start by listing due dates of all assessment items in a term, then backwards map each task to create a series of checkpoints that need to be completed to reach that assessment deadline. This can then be organised into a timeline checklist.

Ticking off each task on the assessment timeline when complete allows the student to experience a small ‘win’, which helps to maintain motivation and prevents large tasks becoming too daunting. The assessment timeline can then be placed on the fridge, or other central location, so everyone is aware of the tasks that need to be completed each week.

Courtney Underwood
Study Skills Coordinator

CAX News

Welcome to another busy year with Creative Arts Excellence! We have some exciting workshops and excursions happening throughout the year, with Drama Excellence already seeing their first performance “Boston Marriage” at the Arts Centre last week. Auditions for our musical 13! The New Musical are being finalised as we speak, so make sure you pencil in to see it from 28-30 May! Students will have the chance to be involved in both an interstate trip and an international tour; we are excited to be finalising the details for our next tour to the USA. Watch this space for more details.

In our classrooms we are already working towards our first performances and showcases. The junior Drama Excellence and Visual Arts Excellence students are working on projects that will be showcased as a part of the ANZAC centenary in partnership with the Currumbin RSL first week of Term 2.

All CAX students will have the opportunity to perform and display their art work at our very own Festival here at PBC. This will be happening early Term 2 on 2 May, around the Q Block precinct. This event will also be a time to take a tour of our facilities and get a chance to meet the teachers of our program. We are looking forward to catching up with you at this event to see some of the talent that is here at PBC in 2015.

Rebekah Shinn
CAX Coordinator

Pathways Centre News

School based traineeships available for Year 10 and 11 in 2015

CHEFSTARZ Indigenous Program – Want to become a chef? Open to all indigenous student’s years 10 – 12. This is a 12 week course run in the PBC trade Training Centre starting 20 Feb. These students will participate in the program as a direct pathway leading to an employment outcome of a School Based Apprentice Chef position at a leading hospitality venue on the Gold Coast.

Cert III Hospitality – Crust Pizza Broadbeach, Zest in Tugun, Café Biaggi Burleigh, Paleo Café Burleigh, JJ’s Bilinga, and Tallebudgera Surf Club.

Business/Retail – Trade Secret Burleigh, Prouds the Jeweller Burleigh Heads and Receptionist in Broadbeach SPA, Tree Tops Plaza News and Donut King Robina

Cert III Finance – Paradise Point, school based traineeship Cert III Finance.

Business/Retail – Prouds the Jeweller Burleigh Heads, Receptionist in Broadbeach SPA, Tree Tops Plaza News, Donut King Robina and Zarraffas Burleigh

Cert III Business Hospitality Focus – Event Cinemas Robina

Cert III Business – Bunnings Warehouse Traineeships are open to Year 11 students only for the first intake in 2015. Taking expressions of interest now. Interviews in April and successful applicants will be offered trials in May/June. Offers for traineeships will begin July. These traineeships are for the Burleigh Store only. Limited positions so get your applications in early. This program will be open to Year 10 students later in the year.

Cert III Business Admin – Affordable Finance ELANORA, Aussie (Finance) and HR in Mermaid Resort

Indigenous Traineeship – Cert III Business Year 11 students only. Mission Australia offices, varies locations on the Gold Coast. Customer Service Officer in Burleigh.

WORK EXPERIENCE – Tricare at Clear Island Waters and Robina Hospital.

Classic Holidays Bermuda Point Head Office are looking for trainees with a focus on travel, tourism and customer service

Love your current job? Would you like to turn it into a traineeship? Come to the Pathway centre and let’s see if we can create a traineeship for you in your current role.

The Pathway Centre is open before school and first break to apply for any of the above positions

Please see Ms Shreeve to apply.

Sonia Shreeve
Industry Liaison Officer

School Council Update

In 2013 PBC became an Independent Public School affording the local community more input into school directing and decision making. As an IPS school, a school council was established. The purpose of the school council is to provide strategic advice to the Executive Principal including approving the strategic planning.

Under this initiative, the school council must consist of elected parents, staff and student members. The Principal and P&C President are official members of the council. The council may also appoint a maximum of two industry/community members that have knowledge and experience that assist the council to perform its functions and reflect the local community context.

PBC is calling for nominations to the following school council positions in 2015:

Parent member (2 years)

Interested school community members are asked to self-nominate for the election by completing the self-nomination form and submitting it to the Returning Officer by email, mail or fax. This form, election procedures and a role description are available on the school website.

Please mark nominations private and confidential.

Brooke Morton – Returning Officer
Palm Beach Currumbin SHS
Thrower Dr
Palm Beach Qld 4221
bmort58@eq.edu.au
Fax 55259300

Nominations close at 4pm on 3 March 2015.

The election will be conducted at the following time and venue:

8 – 9am Wednesday 18 March Trade Training Centre, PBC

P&C Meet and Greet

The P&C Committee is hosting a Parent Meet & Greet on Wednesday 4 March from 7.30am – 8.30am in the Trade Training Centre. This is an opportunity for parents and caregivers to meet other families, network with school staff and discover what is happening at PBC. Come and join us for a coffee and chat!

School Vaccination Program

Queensland’s School Vaccination Program provides parents and guardians with the opportunity for their child to receive free scheduled immunisations during Year 8 and Year 10 at their school. The program is offered to all Queensland secondary schools. A child is eligible for vaccine based on their Year level at school rather than their age.

2015 immunisation packs will be posted to households in the coming week. All forms are to be completed and returned by Monday 9 March either to Student Services or via mail using the enclosed paid postage envelope.

The immunisation dates for Palm Beach Currumbin State High School this year are:

Tuesday 17 March
Tuesday 19 May
Tuesday 13 October

Please note that immunisations take place from 9am – 11:30am on these elected dates.

For further information please contact your local public health unit.

If you have any questions regarding the immunisations please call Helen Warren (First Aide Officer) on (07) 5525 9431.

Marnie Loxton
Business Services Manager

Guidance Officer News

University Showcase

Representatives from a range of universities will be visiting our school to deliver course information, answer student questions and provide a career market experience.

Benefits

• Provides students with access to a large number of Universities.
• Helps year 12 students prepare for upcoming information events.
• Provides students with information to assist them in making decisions about post-school options.

Structure of the University Showcase

The one hour session is a combination of presentations, questions and answers and exhibitor displays.

The format of the University Showcase is as follows:

• A panel of speakers deliver a 45 minute presentation of general tertiary information which is not institution specific. Topics include pathways to university, costs, how to apply, accommodation, lifestyle and transition issues etc. and include opportunities for questions
• A 15 minute session for students to visit exhibits, speak to exhibitors and collect relevant information.

Which tertiary institutions will be represented?

• Australian Catholic University
• Bond University
• Griffith University
• Queensland University of Technology
• Southern Cross University
• University of Southern Queensland

Who is invited to attend?

University Showcase has been organized for year 11 and 12 students OP/RANK eligible. In addition, all parents of year 11 and 12 students interested in attending are invited. Invites will be sent to parents who must RSVP to attend.

Where and when will University Showcase be held?

The University Showcase will be held at the School Hall on Thursday 19 March from 11.30am to 12.15pm.

Steve Jones
Guidance Officer Senior School

Uniform Shop Update

Uniform Shop Trading Times
Monday to Friday	8:15am to 9.30am
Open 1st lunch break	11.25amto 12.15pm

Please refer to the website for all price lists and order forms.

CAX SHIRTS

If you ordered a CAX SHIRT in Term 4 2014 they will be available to be collected from the Uniform Shop from Tuesday 3 February 2015.

SPORT EXCELLENCE UNIFORMS

Rugby League, AFL and Soccer sport excellence uniforms that were ordered in Term 4 2014 are ready to be collected from the Uniform shop in the times listed above. For all other orders you will receive a text message when your order arrives.

BUCKET HATS/PBC CAPS

Bucket hats and PBC caps are now available to purchase from Uniform Shop and are a Compulsory part of the Uniform and is recommended for all Outdoor activities. Cost is $15 each.

PBC SCHOOL BAGS

PBC School Bags are now available from the uniform shop and selling fast,
Features include:

• lifetime guarantee
• padded laptop pocket
• water resistant
• Ergonomic design
• Mesh drink bottle holder
• $70 each

2015 SENIOR JERSEYS

Year 12 jerseys that were ordered and paid for in Term 4 2014 are available to be picked up from the uniform shop.

Payment methods available:

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

If you are unable to come into the Uniform Shop you are more than welcome to give me a call on 07 55259331 and pay for any uniform item over the phone.

Mandy Webb
Uniform Shop Coordinator

Administration

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.: 2014 SRS8 or 2014 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).

Student Fee Excursion/ Activity	Activity Details	Amount Due	Date Due
Course Fees
Student Resource Scheme	2015 Fees Year 7 to Year 12	$330	1st instalment overdue
Excellence Program Fees	Excellence program 2015 students	Various	Overdue
2015 Instrumental Music Program	Years 9-12	$75.00	Due now
QCS 2015	Year 12 stu dents	$50	Due now
Year 11 Semi Formal	Year 11 students	Deposit: $20 Balance: $60	Deposit: Due now Balance: 20/3/15
Year 11 and 12 Legal Studies	Years 11 and 12	$20	Due Now
Student Resource Scheme	2015 Fees	$165	2nd instalment due 13/3/15
Interschool Sport	Interschool Sport 2015	$100	Due now
Cert 3 and Cert 4 Fitness	Years 11 and 12	$500	Due now
Cert 3 Educational Support	Year 11 students	$500	Due now
Advanced Surfing	Advanced Surfing students	$180	Due now
Year 12 Cook Island	Year 12 students	$50	Due now
Year 11 Cook Island	Year 12 students	$60	Due now
Please note that all students are requested to present their Student ID card when making any payments to Student Services.

Most excursions do not appear on student statements. If you have any queries please call Lynne Riley in Student Services on 07 5525 9308.

Lost Property

Please check with Student Services for items like pencil cases, lunch boxes, etc. If you have lost an article of clothing (jumpers, shoes, hat) please check with the Uniform Shop.

Second Hand Uniforms

If you are holding on to old or unwanted school uniforms, please donate them to student welfare.

If your uniforms are good condition, please drop them off to the Student Services.

QParents is coming

Great news: PBC is proud to be one the first schools in Queensland to offer QParents, as part of a pilot program in the first half of 2015.

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

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with their child’s school to access and manage their child’s student information, including:

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

QParents will assist both staff and parents in sharing and responding to information in an efficient and effective way.

We will be sending out invitations for parents to register for QParents in week 7 of Term 1.

QParents won’t replace the traditional ways you communicate with our school, but it will provide another way to communicate with us.

More information about QParents can be found at https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/about

Win an iPhone 6!

By registering for QParents you could win an iPhone 6! All you have to do is register for QParents by Sunday 19 April 2015. There are three iPhones to be won!

The Mozi Run

The Mother’s Day Classic

The Mother’s Day Classic is a national walk and run that raises money for breast cancer research. It is a community event that attracts breast cancer survivors, family walkers, serious runners, school and corporate teams. More than 100 events are held nationwide including all capital cities, metropolitan and regional locations across Australia.

The Mother’s Day Classic is Australia’s largest national charity fun run/walk, providing support to women and families touched by breast cancer and raising vital funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s (NBCF) research programs. Since its inception in 1998 almost a million men, women and children have walked or run in the Mother’s Day Classic and raised $24.3 million for breast cancer research.

Last year the Mother’s Day Classic attracted a total of 130,000 nationwide with a record $4.5 million raised for the NBCF.

On behalf of the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic committee, I would like to invite you to participate in this year’s event on Sunday 10 May at Pratten Park, Broadbeach. By walking or running you are helping raise funds and inspiring others to join in. Perhaps you can go one step further and ask your colleagues and friends to sponsor you?

Whether you choose to walk or run or simply commit to be there on the day you may like to also consider these options as a way of showing your support:

• Provide our event details in your constituent newsletter
• Make a speech or announcement at the event
• Be interviewed on stage
• Sound the horn for the start of the walk and run

This is an important platform for reaching women and families and a positive way of confronting the disease which touches one in eight Australian women in their lifetime. We hope you will be part of this special event in 2015.

To register and find out more about the Mother’s Day Classic please go to our website.

The Long Road – Pyjama Walk for Kids in Care