A note from the Principal, Senior School

Good luck Ms Bradford

As I embark on my maternity leave in preparation for my first child I would like to take the opportunity to thank the students and parents of PBC for the wonderful start to the year. 2019 in senior schooling is an extremely significant year, with the introduction of the new SATE system running parallel with our existing OP system. Staff have seamlessly embraced this adjustment and alongside them students have flourished.

As I take the rest of 2019 to focus on priorities of a smaller but undoubtedly more intense kind, I will dearly miss our students, staff and community. It gives me great heart however to be handing over the Senior School reigns to the very capable Mr Peter Hughes who joins us for this period of time from Coombabah SHS.

Until 2020, farewell, may each and every student continue in doing nothing but their best.

Alyce Bradford
Principal Senior School

Welcome Mr Hughes!

I am very excited to be a part of the PBC community. Firstly, I would like to thank both the staff and students for the welcome I have received since my arrival.

It is evident to me from my initial conversations with the community that the focus of decision making is on student wellbeing and outcomes. This is a promising outlook for a school to have and I will continue to endorse it as I am passionate about student achievement.

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all involved in the highly successful ANZAC ceremony held at the school last Thursday. Both staff and students represented our school with pride.

I look forward to being involved in all aspects of the school’s life whether it is academic, sporting or cultural.

Peter Hughes
Acting Principal Senior School

Assessment Calendars

Senior school assessment calendars will be soon be published on the school website under the curriculum tab. This is a useful tool for parents and students in preparing their study timetables.

Year 10

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 Year 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. Various other subjects have the following entry requirements;

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.

Meningococcal Immunisations – Tuesday 21 May (Week 5)

PBC, in conjunction with the Gold Coast Public Health Service, has secured an opportunity for all Year 10 students to take advantage of a free vaccination against meningococcal ACWY. This service will take place at PBC on Tuesday 21 May 2019 for Year 10 students only. However GC Health are also extending the offer of a free vaccination to all youth aged 15-19 through their immunisation provider or General Practitioner.

Last term Qld Health emailed all Year 10 parents a letter which outlined information about the vaccinations, how to obtain further reading on the topic and most importantly how to register to receive the free vaccinations. Unlike past immunisations held at school in Years 7 & 8, consent for this service must be given by filling in an online form, downloading an interactive PDF form or getting a paper copy from school AND returning it on the day. You will find the link for registration below:

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/gc/html/services/immunisation/2017-school-immunisation-program-consent-form-for-year-10-students

PBC will email a reminder to all Year 10 student’s families in the coming days to ensure you can take advantage of this service – please remember only Year 10’s are eligible to get the immunisation at school.

Please visit:  www.goldcoast.health.qld.gov.au/our-services/immunisation for further information or email them at: admin.immuniseGC@health.qld.gov.au

Year 11

Year 11 Unit 1 Assessment

Year 11 students should be busy revising work and completing assignments for their upcoming assessment. All assessment for Unit 1 should be completed by Tuesday 21 May. The timetable for Year 11 exams will be published shortly on the school website under the curriculum/testing and assessment tab.  There will be no shutdown for these exams and students will be expected to attend school every day. It is vitally important that Year 11s are actively revising and preparing for assessment now as they will have numerous exams and assignments due in the same week.

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.

Year 12

Overall Positions (OPs)

Year 12 OP students will be having their OP prediction interviews in the next few weeks with a member of the Senior Schooling team. 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 have been scheduled for Tuesday 7 May and Tuesday 14 May in the Trade Training Centre from 3:15 to 4:45pm; attendance at these classes is compulsory for OP students unless prior arrangements have been made with senior school admin.

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 2020.

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 (Aurora Training). 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 2020.

Aurora is also offering a Diploma of Business option on a Wednesday afternoon at their campus in Varsity. This course will take a year to complete and comes at a cost of $1800 but will provide tertiary options for a mid-year intake in 2020.

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

Pathways Centre

Year 10s and 11s are again encouraged to register for School based traineeships and apprenticeships (SAT) in Y block. A SAT will give students paid employment, work experience and a Certificate III qualification which gains extra QCE credits, but also opens up a tertiary pathway.

The Pathways Centre is open before school and first break every day. Drop into Y Block and apply now for a wide variety of Traineeships and/or Job opportunities. The job boards are regularly updated, or speak with our Industry Liaison Officer about turning your current job into a traineeship. Please contact Ms Shreeve in Y block for more information.

Hospitality and Business Traineeships:

Zarraffas Tugun and Palm Beach

The Bohemian Club Coolangatta

Palm Beach Surf Club

Coffee Club Stocklands

Zarraffas Palm Beach

The Meatsmith the Pines

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Nerang RSL

Coming Home Co. Robina

Coffee Club Coolangatta

Lakeview Café Burleigh

Zeus Robina

Guzman Y Gomez Robina & Burleigh

Brumbys Bakery the Pines

Lava Carts Robina

Crema Espresso the Pines and Coolangatta, Robina & Bundall

The Boatshed Restaurant Kiosk

Saltwater Currumbin

The Deck Café Currumbin

Cert III Sport and Recreation – Basketball Gold Coast, Carrara

Commercial Cookery Cert III – Rainbow Bay Surf Club, back of house

Vovo Hotel Surfers Paradise

Zarraffas Information and Recruitment night

On Tuesday 30 May from 6:00pm – 7:00pm at Ignite Education (Opposite Currumbin RSL) please take a copy of your resume. Recruiting for stores in Palm Beach and Tugun.

Event Cinemas recruitment and information nights

Coolangatta 9 May,

Robina and Pacific Fair 22 May

See Ms Shreeve to collect a flyer with more information

School based vacancies links:

Ignite Education: https://www.ignite.edu.au/job-vacancies/

Aurora Training Institute please visit their vacancy page: http://www.aurora.edu.au/schools-program/

Prestige Training Services vacancies, Please visit this link for more opportunities https://hcm612.peoplestreme.net/PrestigeServiceTraining03ne2016/erec_external.asp

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

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

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

Sonia Shreeve
Industry Liaison Officer

VET News

Cert II Tourism

Prestige Service Training is offering a Cert II Tourism to PBC students in Year 11 and 12 every Wednesday afternoon during sport time. The course starts in week 3 of this term and is fully funded for students that have not used their VETis funding. This is a great pathway for students that are interested in the tourism industry and also gains students 4 QCE points. Please see Miss McQueen in the F Block staffroom for more information and to enrol.

Gold Coast Trades College

GCTC has the following courses commencing at the beginning of Term 3 for Year 11 students:

• Cert II Electrotechnology
• Cert I Construction (General, Civil or Surfboard Shaping)

These courses run every Friday at GCTC in Currumbin and are fully funded for students that have not used their VETis funding. Please see Miss McQueen in F Block staffroom for more information and to enrol.