22 October 2021

Newsletter Articles

For more info please see the school calendar

From the Principal

Dear Helensvale State High School Community

Welcome to Term 4! Term 4 is a term of celebration and recognition, where we come together as One Community at a range of events such as our leadership announcement ceremony, Awards Night, Sports Awards Night, Encore Performance Evening, Formal, Graduation, Australian Business Week breakfast and gala dinner and Diploma of Business Graduation. Many of these events have had to be cancelled or scaled back in the past two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, so this year we are really excited at the prospect of being able to return of the large-scale gala events we are used to.

As COVID-19 restrictions have led to the cancellation of a number of excursions and in-school activities for our students over the past two years, in the last week of this term we plan to run some fun, celebratory activities to help make up for the experiences that our Junior Secondary students have missed out on. We will provide further information on what the last week of the year looks like as we get closer to the time. All of our events and activities continue to be dependant on COVID-19 restrictions at the time.

School Reviews

All state schools in Queensland undergo a School Review at least once every four years.

School Reviews are an important part of how the department supports and monitors Queensland state schools. Utilising the National School Improvement Tool, reviewers give schools independent feedback about how they are performing and where they can improve. Principals use the findings to work with their school community to develop clear actions to move the school forward.

Helensvale State High School is due to participate in a school review this term. The Education Improvement Branch has allocated 4 reviewers to conduct our review. All reviewers are independent from the school. Our review is scheduled from November 1 – 4.

At the same time, the school has also engaged in another review process, through the Australasian Schools Accreditation Agency (ASAA), a body which is totally independent of the Department of Education. So why ASAA?

ASAA offers schools access to a rigorous accreditation process involving school self-review, external review and feedback from reviewers. The ASAA Accreditation Instrument provides the framework for the reviews. This instrument has been developed based on the latest research and provides for a comprehensive assessment of the most significant drivers of school effectiveness.

ASAA utilises the Accreditation Instrument to provide a school development program that helps schools pinpoint areas the school needs to focus on for development and provides assistance in dealing with the areas for development. Benefits of the ASAA Program is that it provides transparent, structured, rigorous, research-based school evaluation, accreditation and improvement process.

The ASAA team will consist of 5 reviewers, once again independent of the school, who will also undertake the ASAA review process from November 1-4.

I am very excited about our School Review and Australasian Schools Accreditation visit happening in week 5. Whilst it is great to showcase our school to reviewers during that week, and to hear their commendations and recommendations, what excites me the most is that the outcomes of these reviews inform our decision making about our strategic journey for the next 4 years. As the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan is not due until the end of Term 1 next year, we will have plenty of time to unpack the recommendations from our reviews and for collaboration with key stakeholder groups to further inform our strategic planning.

I look forward to sharing the outcomes of both reviews with you when we receive their reports.

I hope your child has had a great start to the term. Remember, we are only one phone call or email away if you need any support with your child’s education.

Yours truly
Karen Lindsay
Executive Principal
Helensvale State High School

Bill Turner Trophy

Our Helensvale Under 15 Bill Turner Trophy team came fourth in Queensland, which is a fantastic achievement.

Unfortunately, the girls lost 4 -1 to Chancellor State College in the Semi Final and 2-1 to Cairns State High School in the 3rd / 4th playoff.

The girls in the team were:

• Shakira Tanquille
• Chloe Camilleri
• Olivia Driene
• Madison Gibson
• Layla Bareham
• Zara Boyd
• Aislin Cook
• Sophie Hall
• Summer Parra
• Emily Winkleman
• Montana Wilkes
• Anika Campbell
• Monique Everett
• Mia Deanoz
• Sophie Paterson
• Tiasha Liyanage
• Skye Hughes

Year 11 Tourism Excursion

On Friday 8 October the Certificate II in Tourism students participated in a very informative and fun “getting to know their Gold Coast” excursion. They rode on trains, trams and buses visiting Burleigh Hill and Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, then to Surfers Paradise for a Teppanyaki lunch at Asami. The finished the day with a visit to the top of Q1, where the participated in a tourism talk.

A huge thank you to Shane & Joyce and the brilliant chefs from Asami Teppanyaki for looking after us, we had an absolute ball!!

Swell Space

SWELL has been lucky enough to benefit from the School Subsidy Scheme, gaining an indoor/ outdoor classroom space. Serenity Development has been kind enough to donate some hanging baskets and wonderful artificial turf.

The area is really starting to become an amazing with the addition of lights, fans and speakers. A few more decorations and it will be the perfect summer learning space.

Japanese

Last term the Year 8 Japanese Academy created their own Super Heroes and described them in Japanese. We ended this unit by creating some of these in clay.

Save the Date

Uniform Shop

Formal Flowers

Helensvale SHS Farmers Markets

Don’t forget to support our local farmers.

Every Day Counts!

Cyberbullying Help

What would you do if your child was being cyberbullied?

According to research by the  eSafety Commissioner, 1 in 5 young people experience cyberbullying and online abuse and 55% seek help from their parents/carers.

Our free training is available online and has been designed to be completed on a range of internet ready devices, including smart phones. 

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 substance (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

We are fundraising with Entertainment. For a limited time only, purchase a Single City Membership and get a FREE upgrade to Multi City! Discover more everyday with offers across dining, travel, activities, shopping & more. Begin exploring and saving across 21 cities and regions in Australia and New Zealand at nearly half the price today.

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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, 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.