26 March 2021

Newsletter Articles

For more info please see the school calendar

From the Principal

Dear Helensvale State High School Community

I would like to share with you the fantastic initiative that has been happening in our school. In semester 2 of 2020 a group of our year 10 Honours students participated in a pilot program called Youth InQueensland in partnership of the IMPACT centre. Youth InQueensland empowers young Queenslanders to tell important, local news stories through a professional, high-profile digital news service – the InQueensland online platform.

Our students engaged with a range of industry experts, a professional news editor and their staff mentor Mrs Cherie Brown to craft a range of news stories that were of a very high standard. They developed their critical thinking and writing skills and the industry experts and the University Queensland staff they worked with were very impressed with the standard of work our Helensvale State High School students produced.

As a result of the pilot, the InQueensland digital news platform has established and InQueensland Media Academy. Earlier this term we were honoured to host award-winning foreign correspondent and practising journalist Professor Peter Greste at Helensvale State High School who inducted our students into the academy. It was an excellent opportunity for our students to meet with Peter and learn from him. Peter talked about how our school values of responsibility and resilience were values that been crucial to him surviving and thriving throughout his career. He talked with our students about how important it was for them to find their voice and share their stories.

We look forward to continuing to build relationship with the Youth InQueensland project and our partners at the UQ Critical Thinking Project in order to provide unique and innovative opportunities for our students. Our 2020 participants will be fine mentors for our year 10 students who will participate in the next iteration of this project later this year.

Yours truly
Karen Lindsay

Year 9 EXCITE

Last week our year 9 Excite students participated in the annual University of Queensland/Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers’ (UQ/QAMT) Problem Solving Competition. Our students worked hard and participated well, representing our school with pride. We hope to see some successful winners from our cohort receive prizes, but everyone that participated are winners in our humble opinion.

The annual UQ/QAMT Problem Solving Competition is open to all students of secondary schools in Queensland. There are plenty of prizes for the winners! The Competition goes for two hours and while the problems do not require any specific knowledge, students will need a certain amount of ingenuity and creative thinking for their solutions. Winners will be announced in Term 2. Prizes and certificates will be awarded by the judges.

Fantastic effort Year 9 Excite Students! Thank you also to our dedicated maths staff who coordinated this event: Moira Edwards, Jessica Wilson, Kai Callebaut and Rob Garner.

From the Industry Liaison Officer

On Tuesday night, 9 of our students displayed their hospitality skills at Club Helensvale to the local community. The Showcase evening was an amazing chance for the trainees to show their talents and skills to family, friends and Helensvale State High School.

Thank you to the following students for their outstanding service on the night:

Anahera, Caitlyn, Chloe, Emerson, Elaine, Hannah, Jake, McKayle, Zoe

We are very proud of our students and we would like to thank Club Helensvale for building brighter futures for our students at Helensvale State High School.

A special mention goes to Elaine Mol for receiving a Certificate of Excellence for going above and beyond in customer service within the club.

Community Update

Vale Community Alliance

The first Alliance breakfast for 2021 was held last week with many local business owners, Members of Parliament, Bond University Representatives, HSHS staff, parents and students attending. It was great to see everyone together to celebrate student, school and community successes.

Local businesses included:

Klearnet
Big 4 GC Holiday Park & Motel
McDonalds Helensvale
Prestige Service Training
Bendigo Bank
Bond University
IMPACT Centre
Aurora
Mortgage Choice

The breakfast was hosted by Boston Zeng, Kiara Hall and TJ Redshaw who did a wonderful job of welcoming guests and introducing speakers.

Boston hosted for the first time 4 years ago and was a mentor for newcomers Kiara and TJ who are entrepreneurial junior academy students.

It was the first time that the new personalised Acknowledgement of Country for our school was read – thank you Kiara.

The Alliance has been successful for many years with the purpose of allowing local businesses and HSHS to network and celebrate student successes. Alliance functions are held once a term and if you are interested in becoming a member please contact Lisa Campbell, Head of Business, International and Community Alliance on lcamp36@eq.edu.au or Narelle Gibson International and Business Administration ngibs12@eq.edu.au for more information.

Please see below for information regarding the Learning Alliance.

Boston Zeng, TJ Redshaw and Kiara Hall – student hosts

The breakfast was catered for by our Year 12 Hospitality students. Thank you students, Ms Wright and Mrs MacGibbon for all you hard work, professional service and very early start to prepare a wonderful buffet. It was really appreciated and enjoyed by all.

Student Success

At the breakfast student successes were recognised by Prestige Services Training by awarding four of our students’ scholarships in the Diploma of Business

Congratulations to all, well done!!

Diploma of Business Scholarship recipients

Chloe Richards, Taj Kingsmill, Lewis Scrimgeour (Leo Trueman not present)

Charlotte Marriott from Prestige Services Training

Naplan Online

This year, students in Years 7 and 9 will participate in NAPLAN Online. There are four tests that students will undergo: Reading, Writing, Conventions of Language and Numeracy. These tests are scheduled to take place between Tuesday 11 May and Friday 21 May.

For more information, please see:

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in the NAPLAN Online tests, please email teato19@eq.edu.au.

Broadwater School Sport Trials 2021 – Term 2

Please be aware that the following Broadwater School Sport 2021 nominations are due in the first three weeks of Term 2, 2021.

Please be aware some of the nominations close this term.

Please come to the Sport (SAC Staffroom) to nominate, collect the relevant permission forms and receive any additional information.

Please be aware the Broadwater School Sport Policy states you must have experience in the sport you are nominating for.

Senior Leaders

International Women’s Day Breakfast

Every year, female students and staff of the leadership team here at Helensvale State High School celebrate what it means to be a woman in the 21st century, young or old. International Women’s Day recognises and acknowledges the fight for equality and especially focuses upon the movement of women’s rights. This year’s focus was #ChooseToChallenge. With such a subjective society as ours, human beings are quick to judge one another or stick to the status quo. #ChooseToChallenge invites women to instead become their own person and break away from this “sheep mentality” we have come to know.

Helensvale State High School prides itself on being a school which celebrates individuality, equality and success, as well as our three learning values of respect, responsibility and resilience. To acknowledge this wonderful event, the students and staff come together to hold an International Women’s Day Breakfast. The event includes leadership spiels from an array of keynote speakers who share their stories about what being a woman in leadership looks like today, as well as allowing students and staff to share their own stories and experiences thus far.

Whilst we have come so far on the march for equal rights, it is important that we continue to strive for gender equality as there is still much more work to be done. It is so easy to be caught up in the expectations of others, continuing to be caught in the crowd. As a female, I believe that women should continue to support each other and continue to advocate change. It only takes one person to initiate change. To create the world we wish to live and be a part of.

World’s Greatest Shave

On March 15th, 11 brave students, and our Chappy Long Bradley, shaved their heads to raise much-needed funds to help fight leukaemia. The school team raised over $7400, with Year 7 AFL academy student Faith Reeves raising a whopping $3630 by herself! This is the highest amount raised by Helensvale State High School since we started participating in the World’s Greatest Shave many years ago. We also had a selection of students and teachers choosing to temporarily colour their hair.

A huge thank you to our volunteer shavers from the day: Nicole Turgeon (HSHS Teacher), Tracey Fearn (TAFE QLD), Kathie Brooke, and Hayley Phillips. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Junior School

Dear Parents/Care Givers of Year 7, 8 and 9 students,

I would highly recommend you ask your child the following questions this week:

What do you have due for assessment before the holidays? Show me your work and your task sheet. If your child can’t answer this and show you the work or task sheet please contact their classroom teacher via email.

What assessment have you already completed in Term 1? Show me your work and what feedback and/or result you received for the final product? Again if your child can’t respond to this, please contact your teacher’s classroom teacher for clarity.

Please encourage your child to understand and manage their time and commitments- school included. Encourage your child to seek help from teachers, Deans, Guidance Officers and other Support Team Members when needed.

Every subject has assessment- assignments, essays, orals, exam, etc. and we value your support in helping your child have success in their assessment and learning.

Wendy Chambers
Head of Department

2021 Laptop Program Requirement Outstanding

To those parents or carers who have not as yet completed our online 2021 Laptop Program response form, this is a reminder that this MUST BE DONE prior to the commencement of Term 2. As this digital form requires you to read and consent to our Acceptable Use Policy for students’ use of all computer related resources, network and Internet access, please be aware that until this requirement is met, by the start of Term 2, your child will lose access to the school network and Internet on campus. There is no cost involved, we simply need you to complete this very short form by clicking on the link provided below, which has been repetitively emailed to families from November last year.

Please attend to this as a matter of urgency:

Year 7 School Vaccinations Happening Soon!

The Gold Coast Public Health’s immunisation team will be providing vaccinations to all year 7 students on Tuesday 30 March.

You should have received an email from admin.immunisegc@health.qld.gov.au to the address you have nominated with the school (please check your junk mail folder).

If you haven’t received this email you can contact Gold Coast Public Health’s immunisation team on 1800 940 750 or drop into the school office to collect a hard copy form.

News from Industry Pathways:

Building a Better Future

In late 2020, eight Helensvale State High School students were lucky enough to be successful in gaining a traineeship with Club Helensvale. These traineeships will give students great hospitality knowledge and experiences whilst learning transferable skills to help them succeed in the future. Students have been working front and back of house gaining invaluable knowledge of how a busy community club runs. We value our partnership with Club Helensvale and wish those students involved all the best in their traineeship.

Gold Coast Trades College – Trades and Careers Expo 2/04/21

Unfortunately, we are unable to take students to the above expo during school hours this time. The expo is open until 5.30pm, please call Gold Coast Trades college on 07 5669 9000 if you require further information.

Work Experience

As part of the Senior Schooling Program, students are given the opportunity to engage in Career Development through a five-day work experience program.

The school allows five days for this to be done - two days in Term 2 (Friday 28 May and Wednesday 9 June) and three days in Term 3 (Wednesday 21 July, 28 July and 11 August). Work Experience will give students the opportunity to experience and learn about an industry they may wish to work in once they have finished school. It also gives them a chance to gain extra skills that will be valuable in the work force as well as a great addition to their resumes.

Work experience paperwork will be available from Ms Bellamy in week 9.

If you have any questions about work experience please see Ms Bellamy in KS10 or email lbell138@eq.edu.au

Traineeship Opportunities

A variety of new traineeships are on offer with a focus on business and hospitality. To see if your child is eligible to apply please have them email their resume to lbell138@eq.edu.au stating which position they are interested in. Only students on a Vocational Pathway and in Year 11/12 can apply.

Below are some positions that are available (full list can be viewed on the opportunities board outside the Industry Liaison Office)

Coffee Major Café – Parkwood (inside Griffith Uni)
Degani Bakery Café – Hope Island
Quay Street Café – Sanctuary Cove

RACV The Royal Pines Resort

Subway – Runaway Bay, Southport, Helensvale, Oxenford
Three Kings Pizza – Parkwood & Upper Coomera
The Beach Café – Surfers Paradise
Tree Top Challenge – Mount Tamborine
Zarrafas – Helensvale, Oxenford, Runaway Bay

If your child needs help to create a resume please have them see Ms Bellamy in KS10 or email lbell138@eq.edu.au

External Courses, Years 11 & 12

Semester 2 courses will start taking enrolments next term for external providers such as TAFE etc, parents please ask your students to check their school emails regularly for information on registering interest for these courses.

Ms Bellamy
Industry Liaison Officer
Karangbah Building – Office KS10

Holiday Programs

Please see attached for free/ low cost activities for students over the holiday period.

From the Guidance Officers

Ten Hints for Creating Resilient Families

Resilience is the fine art of being able to bungy jump through life. The pitfalls are still there but it is as if you have an elasticised rope around your middle that helps you to bounce back from hard times

No. 1 Promote belonging

Resilience is the strongest antidote we know of for self-harm, depression and drug abuse and it’s built on our sense of belonging.

No. 2 Have some mooch time

We live in a world that suffers from busyness. We rush children from activity to activity, from lesson to lesson and from one organised event to another. Then we wonder why, when there is a lull that they say” I’m bored”. Be a counter-revolutionary. Find some time each week just to be at home without anything structured happening.

No. 3 Rediscover some family rituals

It doesn’t matter whether it is the family walk after dinner, the Sunday roast, the Friday night pizza or the Saturday morning clean up, rituals are highly protective. The best rituals often cost nothing. These are the activities you hope that later on your children will reminisce and say “Mum always made sure we did.” or Dad always made sure we did.”

No.4 Spontaneity and curiosity

Spontaneity and curiosity are the building blocks of good mental health. You cannot tell someone how to have better mental health and you can't give it to them by getting them to read a book. So the really hard message here is that if you want to raise your children to have mentally healthy lives you are going to have to have a good time yourself. If you want your children to succeed you need to show them that success is worth having.

No.5 Love kids for their differences

When families function well people are allowed to be different and to be loved for those differences. We all know that children take on different roles , having children who are strongly individual and who have a sense of who they is a sign of good parenting. The problem may, of course be that they will then express their independent spirit in ways that you don't like. The ideal is a mix between someone who preserves their own uniqueness and is able to work with others without becoming dictated to by them. Someone who has their own independent nature but is comfortable enough with themselves to allow inter-dependence.

No. 6. It is clear who is in charge

Families do not work well as democracies. In fact they seem to work best as benevolent dictatorships in which the parent or parents consult a lot with their children but at the end of the day, the parent has the final say. Some parents fear that if they take charge that they will lose the friendship of their children, but often the reverse is true.

No. 7 Consistency

Consistency is the ideal. Having parents who agree on rules and standards and who convey the same sorts of messages and who value compassion over coercion, clearly has the best outcome in terms of children’s wellbeing. It is also important that parents not be open to manipulation and work together as a team. Life however is not always so simple. Sometimes parents have different value systems or can’t come to a consistent way to handle particular areas. In these situations, a second possibility is to for one parent to take charge of a particular area. This is not the most desirable solution but it is better than having parents in conflict over management issues or worse, undermining one another. In single parent families or where parents are separated the same principle applies.

No. 8 Teach the skills of self-esteem

Families that work well seem to praise one another a lot. Compliments are made, positive efforts are commented on. Optimism is in the air. Even in these families, teenagers still shrug and say, “yeah Mum” or “yeah Dad” whenever a compliment is made. Teaching the skills of self-praise is useful. One way of doing this to ask questions extensively about any achievement or accomplishment. Asking questions that like “How did you do that?” “How come you did so well at that test?” “What did you do?” and “Have you been doing homework behind my back?”

No. 9. Know how to argue

Families that work well know how to argue. It seems strange to say this because we all have the sense those families that work well don't have conflicts. The family is really where we learn to resolve disputes fairly. The way that parents teach children to resolve differences of opinion with their brothers and sisters provides the basis for sharing, negotiating and problem solving in the world beyond the family. While differences of opinion should be allowed to be expressed, children also need to learn that they will not be able to win at all costs

10. Parents are reliably unpredictable

With young children it is important to provide consistency and predictability. This allows them to feel sure of you. After a while though, a bit of predictability can go a long way. To many children, most parents are about as predictable as a washing machine cycle. It is important to have structure and consistency but it is also useful to act in ways that your children wouldn’t expect. This keeps them interested in learning from you or least wondering what you are up to. Perhaps the most important feature of parents in healthy families is that they realise that all of the above is desirable but not always possible and so they look at how to promote good functioning while not wasting energy on blaming themselves for the times when things don't quite work out as they had planned.

Humanities Tutorials and Homework Help Club.

• Do you have an assignment or exam coming up and need a little extra help to understand the content?
• Have you been away and would like to catch up on what you missed?
• Would you would like to improve your skills in analysing sources or constructing a clear paragraph?

Open to all students who are studying humanities in year 7-8 or History and Geography from year 9-12. Our amazing Humanities staff will be available to help and give you extra support.

Humanities tutorials will start in week 3 on Thursday the 11th of February. Come find us in DG33.

Maths Tutorials

Science Tutorials

Chat n Chill

Support Staff

As part of our Learning and Well-being framework, we have created a Well-being Hub for students and parents, which can be 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.