25 June 2021

Newsletter Articles

For more info please see the school calendar

From the Principal

Dear Helensvale State High School Community

As this is the last newsletter for this term, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the very important work you do each and every day in partnering with us to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.

Chasing the Rainbow

I would like to end this term with an inspirational story that reflects the outstanding young people we have at Helensvale State High School. This is a story of two sisters’ courage and passion.

Each term we have a Business Alliance breakfast, where one of the local businesses that support our school have an opportunity to address their peers. Our Education for Entrepreneurs (e4e) Academy students always MC the event on behalf of the school. There was a twist to our most recent breakfast, with the local business guest speaker being two of our very own students.

Year 11 student Briyana and her younger sister in Year 8 kickstarted their own clothing company ‘Chase the Rainbow’. ‘Chasing the Rainbow’ is about chasing the dream. As Briyana so eloquently put it, “we dream of a world where the generations of today and tomorrow can unite together to be the voice for those unable to speak out against their injustices”.

Briyana expressed her concern over the rates of suicide in young people, and the negative effects of bullying. Briyana believes that as One Community, and as young people, we are to support those who are mentally struggling. Briyana said, “We need to start the conversation - the way you treat one another is the key to creating a better world for all”.

Briyana went on to say, “through purchasing a Chasing the Rainbow garment, you are promoting a conversation that could save a life. Our key catchphrase is, it’s cool to care. Through every sale of the “cool to care” range, $1 is donated to Beyond Blue, one of Australia’s leading mental health organisations. Beyond Blue works to raise awareness of depression, anxiety and suicide prevention, reduce the stigma surrounding these issues and to encourage people to seek support when they need it.

Briyana’s time in the e4e Academy has helped her enormously. “The skills I had learnt within the e4e Academy were incredibly useful in my journey so far and I am extremely grateful for all whom have guided me along the way”.

Sometimes we are quick to judge or label teenagers. As ‘One Community’ we need to invest in the youth of today as they are our future. Congratulations to Briyana and the many, many other students who are significantly contributing to making our world a better place, one small step at a time. Thanks to the support of the local community, the sisters’ start up business is going well.

2021 School Opinion Surveys

The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys will be conducted in Term 3 and will close on 30 July 2021. All families, school staff and students in target year levels (5, 6, 8 and 11) will be invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

An invitation to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey will be emailed to one parent/caregiver per family in the week beginning 5 July. The invitation will be sent from the Department of Education, not the school, and it will have the subject line School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2021. Check your junk email folders if you can’t find it. The survey can be completed as soon as the invitation is received and will take approximately 5 minutes using a computer, tablet or smart phone.

Parents/caregivers who do not have access to the internet at home are welcome to complete their survey online at the school. School computers/tablets will be available.

2022 Student Resource Scheme and Subject Levies

At the most recent Parents and Citizens Association a decision was made to NOT increase the Student Resource Scheme or Subject Levies for 2022. This will be the second year where the fees have not increased. If at any time you are experiencing financial hardship, please do not hesitate to contact the Finance Office.

Final Well Wishes

I will be taking long service leave for the first week of Term 3. Megan Roderick will be Acting Principal in my absence.

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable break, and remember, it’s cool to care.

Kind regards

Karen Lindsay
Executive Principal

Parents and Carers of Year 7, 8 and 9 Students

Well it’s the end of Semester One 2021….where has the year gone? Now is an important time to rest, reflect, reset for our Junior Students. School holidays are not just for sleeping in late, wearing your PJs all day and bingeing Netflix (is that just me?). School holidays are a great time to reflect on the first half of the year with your children. Here are some good questions you could be asking your child to reflect on or ‘conversation starters’ to help them reflect on their semester:

• What did you learn in each of your subjects in the first half of the year?
• What was your greatest learning achievement so far this year?
• What is something that has really interested you this semester in your learning?
• What made an impact in your learning?
• Which teacher/s has really helped you understand what you are learning and why this year?
• Are you happy with how you have coped with school this semester?
• What, if anything, could you have done better?
• What obstacles got in your way to doing your best at school?
• What things could you do differently next semester to have greater success? List these.
• What is something you are proud you achieved in the first semester at school?
• Whom can you go to for help in your learning? Whom can you go to for help with social or wellbeing matters in semester two?
• What three goals are you going to set yourself for next term? 3 Learning Goals and 3 Wellbeing Goals?

Of course, I do not suggest you have an interrogation session, but perhaps you can make it a family conversation, and share your reflections of your first half of the year also?

Wishing all our Junior Secondary Students a restful, rejuvenating and safe winter break. Make sure you are out of your PJs by 11am each day! We look forward to an exciting Semester 2 of learning!

Miss Chambers
Hod Junior Secondary

Community Update

Vale Community Alliance Breakfast

WOW, what a great Breakfast we had on Friday morning at 7.15 am in Karangbah. It was great to see many of our Alliance members and some new faces attend to network and celebrate some of our student successes.

A big shout out must go to ‘The Master of Ceremonies’ the 2018 Helensvale State High School Captain Jaidyn Gibbs who is currently studying a Bachelor of Business at Griffith University. Jaidyn was amazing, keeping the guests entertained, informed and making sure the morning went smoothly.

We had presenters Briyana (Year 11) and Enaya Rodger (Year 8) Founders and Designers of Chasing the Rainbow. Chasing the Rainbow is a clothing company that contributes to Beyond Blue, an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation, with every purchase made.

It was great to hear from these innovative and entrepreneurial young students and how they are using their E4E experience to not only form their own company but to help make a difference to others.

Tracey Kearney from Prestige Service Training (Gold Sponsor) presented giving an insight into their company and their partnership with Helensvale State High School.

This breakfast was such a success in giving all attendees an opportunity to network for the benefit of our student learning.

An Update of our Alliance Members as well as the Northern Colligate Australian Business Week 2021 was also presented by Mrs Campbell. Some very eager businesses have come on board for the first time indicating the success of the Community working together.

Our Alliance comes together to network and celebrate student success once a term. It is catered for by our Hospitality student under the professional guidance of Mrs Wright. Awesome job.

In closing, Term 3, we will come together and update you with our school and student progress. If you would like to find out more about our Alliance please contact Lisa Campbell lcamp36@eq.edu.au or Narelle Gibson on ngibs12@eq.edu.au.

Thanks to the following for their attendance and commitment to our school:

Academy Applications

Closing soon!

News from Industry Pathways:

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:

• Term 2 Friday 28 May and Wednesday 9 June
• Term 3 Wednesday 21 July, 28 July and 11th August

Work experience log books are available to collect from Ms Bellamy if you haven’t already done so.

Traineeship Opportunities

A variety of 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 can apply.

School Based Vacancy Links

Aurora Training Institute please visit their vacancy page:

Prestige Staffing Solution vacancies, please visit this link for more opportunities

Novaskill, please see me for their vacancies

Love your current job? Would you like to turn it into a traineeship? Come see Ms Bellamy in KS10 and let’s see if we can create a traineeship for you in your current role.

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

School Leavers should check the following links for fulltime employment opportunities

Useful website for guidance on career paths:

External Courses - Year 11 Vocational Pathway Students

Semester 2 courses are taking enrolments now for external providers such as TAFE & GC Trades College. If your child is interested in applying please have them come and see me in KS10 or you can email me on lbell138@eq.edu.au

2022 School Leavers - Electrical Industry Employment

Ergon Energy/Energex online applications for Full Time apprenticeships open on 9th July. Go to either of these links to apply. Please read the prerequisites carefully first. Students have been emailed this information.

Airways Aviation Graduates

Congratulations to these students for working hard and completing their Cert III in Ground Operations and Service at Airways Aviation.

If you are a student who attends an external course or a traineeship each week, please read important information below:

• If you are not attending your external provider/work on your allocated day, you must see me first thing in the morning to amend your attendance – this is crucial for accuracy of attendance.
• If you are sick and are not attending your course/work place, you MUST still call your external provider/employer to let them know as you would with school, and then email me on lbell138@eq.edu.au
• Please keep in mind if you miss too many college/work days you may not complete your certificate in time, which then will compromise your QCE points.
• If you are having problems completing your units for your traineeship or struggling with your course work, please come and see me to discuss so we can come up with some solutions to help you.

Thank you to parents and students for your co-operation with the above.

Ms Bellamy
Industry Liaison Officer
Office: KS10, Karangbah Building

Holiday Programs

Helensvale SHS Farmers Markets

Don’t forget to support our local farmers.

I.T. Support Tips to Help Students

BYOD Students

Whilst most students are bringing their own laptop to school, so many of them have not bothered to come to the IT office to get it connected for free to the school BYO network. They are missing access to important resources if they have not done this. Please follow up with your children and send them to the I.T. office if they can’t show you the following icon on their laptop.

Missing Chargers

Every day there are students coming to my office asking if I have found their laptop charger and in most cases, it doesn’t result in a solution. To prevent chargers being unrecoverable, please note the following:

• Firstly, ensure that the laptop is charged overnight, ready for the next school day – then there is no need for the charger to be brought to school.
• If your child is telling you the laptop won’t hold the charge all day, then please put a label on it with their first and last name – then when found, they can be promptly returned.
• If you child loses their charger, please get them to report it to me straight away – not 2 weeks later when they don’t remember the last time they used it.
• Please also label their laptops, in case (as has happened), they accidentally leave it somewhere on campus.

Student Emails

It is evident that so many of our students are not accessing their school email account and reading important emails sent by teachers and support staff. This is a major communication headache! Some examples…

• Opportunities for traineeships, apprenticeships and casual employment are sent to senior students from our Industry Liaison Officer.
• Teachers send feedback on assessment work to students.
• Every afternoon, the student notices for the next day are emailed to them containing important information.
• Our support staff – school nurse, guidance officers, chaplains make appointments via email.
• There is an expectation that students should be checking their school email daily. This practice forms good habits for when students enter employment or attend a tertiary institution where is will be a requirement. Please encourage this behaviour with your children.

ID Cards

A 2021 ID card has been made for every student attending Helensvale High, which contains an embedded smart chip. Unfortunately, many have NOT been collected despite all efforts.

• Please check if your child has collected theirs from the Finance Office.
• Students should bring their ID card to school every day to streamline many services – signing in at Student Hub when late/leaving, senior sign in for spare lessons, tap at printers instead of laborious logging in process, paying at Canteen for Flexi-Schools order

From the Guidance Officers

Careers: Use the school holidays wisely

An important strategy in career exploration is experiencing the job you are interested in. This can be undertaken in many ways:

• Work observation - spending a day or more with someone already in the job at their workplace
• Career interview – developing a list of questions and interviewing someone already in a job you are investigating
• Work experience – spending some time (a week if possible) in the job
• Investigating courses by visiting institutions and talking to providers about their courses
• Getting a part-time job or volunteering in your job of interest
• Doing a course or workshop that relates to the type of work you want to do.
• The school holidays are a perfect time to do some of these activities. If you need help organising an activity, speak to your school Guidance Officer, Industry Liaison Officer or work experience coordinator.

Student Health and Wellbeing

In line with Helensvale State High School’s philosophy of ‘One Student, One Community, Many Futures’, we partner together with the community to improve student learning and wellbeing. As the use of vaping is becoming a growing concern, not only in our school, but in our broader community, it is our collective responsibility to educate and support our students whilst maintaining high standards of behaviour.

E-cigarettes, more commonly known as vapes, are increasing in popularity in our society and disturbingly among our youth. Resembling a USB, ‘e-cigs’ are battery-powered devices that deliver liquid nicotine and other substances (such as propylene glycol and flavourings) as an aerosol that is then inhaled.

Under Australian Law, Nicotine is considered a Schedule 7 poison and therefore it is illegal to: buy, possess or use liquid nicotine for vaping; for children under 18 years to purchase cigarettes and e-cigarettes; and to smoke on school grounds at any time.

Helensvale State High School has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for the possession and use of all illicit substances including e-cigarettes, with all matters dealt in accordance with our Student Code of Conduct which states: “Inappropriate use, possession, supply of intoxicating substances and/or utensils (including but not limited to illegal drugs or illegal drug implements, alcohol, vape pens, paint, glue, prescription medicine etc) may result in permanent exclusion from Helensvale State High School.”

One proactive measure we are making is to educate our students, providing them with the information so that they can weigh up the pros and cons of certain behaviours, allowing them to make an informed decision.

We are currently negotiating with the Queensland Police Service to provide an educational assembly to students around the legal implication of vaping.

Here is what we know so far:

• Nicotine is highly addictive and can impair adolescent brain development.
• Liquid nicotine solutions vary in concentrations (from 2%-10%). It is rapidly absorbed through the skin, and fatal toxicity can occur from exposure to just one teaspoon.
• Harmful chemicals are found in over 75% of flavoured refill liquids.
• Propylene Glycol is a solvent that reacts with many flavours, specifically vanilla, cherry and cinnamon, to create entirely new chemicals that lead to inflammation, cell death and irreversible lung damage.
• Additional information can be found here: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/staying-healthy/atods/smoking/devices

It’s important to remember that young people may turn to substance use for many different reasons (e.g. stress, family conflict, financial concerns, relationship issues, etc.). We encourage our students to access support if they are going through a challenging time, and some of these support options may include:

• Guidance Officers
• Deputy Principals
• Chaplains
• School Based Youth Health Nurses
• Deans
• Adis (24/7 Alcohol and Drug Support) – 1800 177 833
• Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800

To support the health and wellbeing of all the Helensvale State High School community we ask you to discuss the health and legal implications of vaping with your child.

Thank you for your anticipated support with this and together, let’s continue to prioritise the health and wellbeing of your child.

Stationery Drive!

This year, our year 10 Northern Collegiate group is working with The Smith Family to collect stationery for students who are less advantaged. The Smith Family is a national children's charity helping Australian children to get the most out of their education, in order to create better futures. At Helensvale SHS we have organised a Stationery Drive to get our school involved with helping others.

Some stationery that The Smith Family are looking for are: Highlighters, pens, pencils, note pads, books, calculators, foolscap Manilla folders, white out and erasers.

We have 2 drop off boxes, one in the SWELL and the other located in the Discovery Place staffroom.

This is a great opportunity for us to help others.

If there are any questions please email: Keely - kkabl2@eq.edu.au or Ella eflow8@eq.edu.au

Helensvale Fundraising

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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 in year 9 to 12. Our amazing Humanities staff will be available to help and give you extra support.

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.

Acknowledgment of Country

Helensvale State High School as one community, acknowledges the Kombumerri Peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our school is built. We respect their long history, ancestry and culture. We pay our respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging for they carry the memories and traditions of past times.

We would also like to extend our acknowledgment to other First Nations Peoples: those hailing from the Torres Strait Islands and those belonging to other Aboriginal Language Groups.

We acknowledge the strength and resilience of Kombumerri peoples. We respect their enduring connection to the local wetlands and the cultural responsibility they uphold to preserve wildlife. Together, we go forward, learning in the spirit of these values.