29 November 2019

Newsletter Articles

Our School Values –

Reminder what’s coming up

November

29 Losing the Stripes Parade – Year 9 into 10.
29 Last day Year 10 and 11

For more info please see the link below.

From the Principal

One Student. One Community. Many Futures.

Dear Helensvale State High School community

During the course of this term, and throughout the year, there have been many occasions where we have come together as ‘One Community’ to recognise and celebrate the wonderful achievements of our students.

Recently, students were given an opportunity to write positive postcards to their teachers, thanking their teachers for supporting them with their learning and wellbeing throughout the year. Thousands of postcards were delivered to the teachers last week, all with messages of gratitude. Just a few kind and thoughtful words to each other each day can make such a positive difference to how we feel. I know the staff really appreciate the efforts students go to in writing the postcards. I have included just some of the postcards at the end of this report so you can get a flavour of the messages staff have been receiving.

School Council and Parents and Citizens Association

Our last P & C meeting for the year was held on Wednesday, 20 November. I would sincerely like to thank the P & C for their continued support of the school. One of the major focus areas for the P & C this year was ensuring that there was plenty of seating and shade for our students in the grounds. Pathways have been created and widened in areas so that student movement around the school is in a less crowded environment. The gardens are looking great with hundreds of new plants, shrubs and trees being planted across the school, courtesy of our horticulture students and staff, and of course our hard working groundsmen. Student voice has been particularly important in the grounds upgrade, with many of their suggestions for seating and shading being enacted.

At the recent P & C meeting, I discussed the difference between a School Council and a P & C, which is summarized below.

Roles as set out with the constitutions:

Whilst we encourage as many parents and citizens as possible to attend our P & C meetings, the School Council Constitution dictates that the School Council members include:

2 x official members: P & C President and Principal
2 x appointed members (determined by the School Council)
2 x elected student members (one Year 12 and one Year 11)
2 x elected staff members
2 x elected parent members

The School Council meets twice a Semester, with each meeting being between 2 and 3 hours in length.

On behalf of the School Council and P & C Association, I would like to call for nominations for those parents and carers who would like to be a member of the School Council. If you are interested in nominating for this position, please complete the attached nomination form and return to Cindy Hahn chahn13@eq.edu.au. If you would like further information about the School Council I am more than happy to chat on the phone or meet with you in person to provide more detail.

Enjoy reading the postcards and take care.

Yours truly
Karen Lindsay
Executive Principal

Fashion Extravaganza

Congratulations to Year 12 fashion students namely, Hannah English, Emily Rose Francisco, Isabella Stephens and Emily Sullivan, who constructed a haute couture dress under the expert guidance of their teacher Marie McErlean, for our principal, Karen Lindsay. This was an assessment project for Certificate II in Applied Fashion Design and Technology.

Mrs Lindsay was the students’ client and numerous consultations were conducted to discuss the design, special features, functional purpose and fitting of the outfit. This dress was proudly worn by Mrs Lindsay to the Year 12 graduation and formal. Many positive comments were expressed for this ‘one off’ specialised garment.

The passion, dedication and commitment from the students was clearly evident in the project. The fabric and all notions were kindly donated by Mrs. Lindsay and the students were engaged in a real life design process. Their fashion sketches, annotated notes, fabric swatches and samplers were transformed into an exquisite tailor made formal dress. Well done to all students involved, you can be very pleased with your achievement.

Stephanie Wright
HOD Design
Helensvale State High

Year 12 and QTAC

Thinking of applying to University?

Make sure you have checked out the QTAC website for information on how to order your preferences so you don’t miss out on what you want to study, click on the link below

Holiday Programs

Finance and Uniform Shop Extended Trading Hours

Parent Tools for Cyberbullying

Please see the Australia Government eSafety Commissioner website for tips and tools to assist your child.

Support Staff

As part of our Learning and Well-being framework, we have created a Well-being Hub for students and parents, which can accessed through the Helensvale State High School webpage. The hub includes links to other websites and apps which can help to support student well-being, as well as provide information on career pathways. To access these ‘well-being hubs’, click on the icons below, or, go to the HSHS website below, scroll down the page and click on the relevant icon.