23 July 2021

Newsletter Articles

For more info please see the school calendar

From the Principal

Dear Helensvale State High School Community

Welcome back to term 3. Despite some COVID restrictions, it has been a positive and productive start to the term.

2021 NAIDOC week

Thank you to Suzanne Bailey, our Head of Department Teaching and Learning, for her organisation of NAIDOC week activities. NAIDOC week is a time for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People to celebrate and share culture and for non-Indigenous people to learn more.

This year’s NAIDOC theme is Heal Country which recognises that Country and our culture and heritage are the essence of who we are. The theme is also an acknowledgement of further work that needs to be done.

As part of NAIDOC week all of our students engaged in some learning about Gold Coast Dreamtime stories during their Futures lesson. Our students also hosted Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students from our local primary schools, Helensvale State School and Oxenford State School for an afternoon of sharing culture. The afternoon was a great success with around 60 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students from the three schools engaging in dance, storying telling, craft and games. Feedback about the day from our primary school staff was really positive.

“I would like to mention also how impressed I was with the Helensvale High students who supported our young students and how they made us all feel welcome. They were amazing! I can’t wait to do it all again next year. J” Oxenford State School

“Great day! Kids were so engaged and just could not speak any higher of their experience with all the activities. Thank you and well done. Huge Effort!!!” Helensvale State School

Our staff finished NAIDOC week with our traditional celebration of Torres Strait Islander culture by wearing our brightest floral dresses and shirts. This was an opportunity for our staff to honour the cultures, histories and communities of our students.

Monday afternoon “skill” sessions

You will be aware that regular classes finish at 2:15 on a Monday afternoon at Helensvale State High School. Did you know that staff remain on campus until at least 4:00pm each Monday afternoon? During this time teachers engage in intentional collaboration around teaching and learning. They spend time unpacking and understanding curriculum and assessment and they spend time analysing student progress and achievement.

As part of their focus on the success of each and every student, teaching teams will periodically design targeted learning experiences for students who require support or extension. Your student may be requested to remain at school until 2:55pm on some Monday afternoons so that they can participate in these learning experiences. We request the support of our families to ensure engagement of students in these opportunities when required as they are critical to success.

2021 School Opinion Surveys

The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys will be conducted this term 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.

An invitation to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey will have been emailed to one parent/caregiver per family in the week beginning 5 July. The invitation was 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.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

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. Please contact the school administration if you would like support with this.

COVID update

At the time of writing, the Gold Coast continues to have additional COVID restrictions in place. Thank you to all of our parents who adhere to the restrictions regarding mask wearing, social distancing and signing in while on our school site. We will continue to respond as appropriate to this rapidly changing situation and will update our families on any changes as appropriate.

Kind regards
Karen Lindsay
Executive Principal

STEM

At the end of last term our STEM Ambassador team and Mr Corbett headed off to Griffith University to attend the annual Cutting Edge for Kids (CE4K) conference. They were charged with facilitating STEM-based activities for up to 600 Year 5 and 6 students from schools across all of the Gold Coast.

We had three teams made up of students from years 7 to 12 collaborating to run activities that included:

• Rube Goldberg Machines
• Can you make the fish float?
• Who has the highest bounce?

Both ‘Rube Goldberg Machines and ‘Who has the highest bounce? activities focused on the science branch of physics. Students participating in the Rube Goldberg Machines were tasked with creating a contraption that would allow a ball to pass through a number of obstacles, students observed how energy can change from potential to kinetic. Who has the highest bounce? Saw students construct a trampoline to observe which object would have the greatest rebound. Students learnt about elastic potential energy before coming together as a group to design and build their trampoline.

Can you make a fish float? Looked at how all fish have a swim bladder that they can inflate or deflate order to stay buoyant in the water column. Students used various items to try and succeed at making their ‘fish’ float at the given height.

Students from the primary schools thoroughly enjoyed the activities. It was a fantastic opportunity for our STEM Ambassador Team to develop their leadership skills while gaining confidence in speaking to large groups.

Congratulations to our STEM Ambassador Team on your successful day!

Erin Keur & Miss Young (HOD- Junior Science)

School Opinion Survey

Reminder the School Opinion Survey is open until Friday, 30 July 2021.

To have your say, check your email for an invitation from the Department of Education titled School Opinion Survey for Parents and Caregivers, 2021.

Can’t find your invitation? If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they haven’t received the invitation and/or check your junk email folder.

Athletics Carnival

Please enjoy some of the awesome photos taken by Mrs Caughley at the Athletics Carnival last term.

Dental Van

Australian National Flag

We have recently installed lighting to ensure that the Australian National Flag is always illuminated at night.

News from Industry Pathways

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.

Students and parents please keep an eye on your emails as some exciting traineeship opportunities will be sent out soon.

Only students on a Vocational Pathway can apply.

School Based Vacancy Links

Aurora Training Institute please visit their vacancy page

Prestige Staffing Solution

Novaskill please see me for their vacancies

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

School Leavers should check the following links for fulltime employment opportunities

2021 School Leavers - Electrical Industry Employment

Ergon Energy/Energex online applications for full time apprenticeships open on 2nd August.

Visit either of the links below to apply:

Please read the prerequisites carefully first. Students have been emailed this information.

2021 School Leavers – Various Apprenticeships

GC Trades College has various employers looking for current year 12 students that are eager to start an apprenticeship once school completes. If you are interested in finding out more please email me your resume with the following clearly stated:

• What trade are you interested in?
• What pre-apprenticeship course have you completed?
• What level of driver’s licence do you have?
• What suburb do you live in?
• Have you completed any work experience?

External Courses - Year 11 Vocational Pathway Students

Some external courses still have vacancies at 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

Year 10 Students

Year 10 students will be undertaking their subject selection journey soon which means Year 10 students will be able to start applying for traineeships or apprenticeships towards the end of this Term. More information will be given to you at the subject selection night or if you have any other specific questions about traineeships and apprenticeships please email me lbell138@eq.edu.au

Helensvale SHS Farmers Markets

Don’t forget to support our local farmers.

From the Guidance Officers

Hello parents and welcome back to Term 3.

As we enter the latter part of the year we are often contacted by families who find their students struggling with the balance between school requirements, social pressures, sporting activities and work requirements. Below are some coping phrases that you can work on with your young person to change their inner narrative and redirect when they are having a bad day.

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.

Helensvale Fundraising

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Surf Life Saving

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.