7 September 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents

As we near the end of Term 3 I am sure that you will all agree that it wasn’t that long ago that we were finishing Semester One and looking forward to the winter break.

Term 3 has undoubtedly been a very hectic but productive term for our school community with many events happening around the school. Below is a snapshot of what has taken place over the past month at Miami State High School.

School Review Report

The official School Review Report has now arrived. The findings in this report will help contribute to our 4 year Strategic Plan and 2018 Annual Improvement Plan. The review summary can be found on our school website.

Subject Selection Interviews

On Monday 14 August we commenced Subject Selection Interviews for Year 11 (2018) with Year 10 (2018) being on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 August. These interviews were compulsory for all students, and by all reports were a huge success. It has been our aim to encourage all students to make logical and accurate decisions to align with their pathway of choice with the guidance of their teachers and parents.

Tournament of the Minds

Recently Miami entered five teams to compete across four disciplines in the Regional Tournament of the Minds at Sunnybank. It is with pride that I report the following outstanding results:

Engineering Maths - First place (through to state final)
Social Science: - First place (through to state final)
Language Lit- First place (through to state final)
STEM Team 1: Second place (invitation to state final)
STEM Team 2: Third place

A special thanks to Michelle Flynn (HOD – Junior Secondary) for her leadership of this event, and all teachers who helped to prepare the students to optimum performance - simply outstanding!

Year 12 QCS

Our Year 12 Students who sat the QCS Test last week should be congratulated for their commitment and focus shown during this test. A huge thank you to Grant Webster (HOD – Senior Secondary) for all his work behind the scenes in making sure that these days ran smoothly. By all reports the students were very happy with the testing this year, which is a testament to the meticulous preparation by our QCS Teachers.

NAPLAN Online School Readiness Test

Miami was fortunate to be selected as a trial school for the NAPLAN Online Testing. This meant that this week our students have been among the first in Australia to undertake the NAPLAN Tests Online. This will give both students and staff the opportunity to familiarise themselves by participating in the School Readiness Test (SRT).

Thank you and Happy Holidays

It has been a very busy final few weeks for our students with assessments, exams and planning for their final term. I extend a sincere thanks to all of our parents, carers, and teachers, who united as a team to ensure the individual success and personal best is attained for each and every student.

I wish every family of the Miami State High School Community a safe and relaxing spring break and I look forward to welcoming everyone back on Tuesday October 3rd.

Sue Dalton
Principal

Dates to Remember

NEW Student Absentee Line

For all student absences please call our direct number on 5554 0334 or email absences@miamishs.eq.edu.au.

Year 9 Wellbeing Survey – 14 September, 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians of current Year 9 students

We at Miami State High School aim to gain a better understanding of the challenges and the successes that our young people face with learning about themselves, being mindful and their mental health. With our collaborators at the Griffith University - School of Applied Psychology, we have developed a survey that is designed to gather information on these important topics from our students.

I write today to show our commitment to supporting your child’s socio-emotional health, and wish to advise that all Year 9 students will participate in this survey as did the Year 10 and 11 students. If you do not wish for your child to complete the survey please notify Josh Atkins (Guidance Officer), in writing or via email at jatki94@eq.edu.au.

The survey will be conducted September 14th 2017. All students will complete the survey unless a written parental request is received by Josh Atkins prior to September 14th. The survey will be completed during VIBES to ensure no teaching time is lost and will take approximately one hour. All surveys will be anonymous and confidential – your child cannot be identified in any way.

Data from the survey will be analysed by the Griffith University - School of Applied Psychology in order to assist the Miami State High School Welfare Team in planning future mental health and well-being programs and support services.

We look forward to conducting this valuable research that will contribute to a better understanding of young people’s mental health and well-being.

Yours faithfully

Joshua Atkins
Guidance Officer

Griffith University Language Speech Competition

On Sunday 13 August, we had 17 students compete in the annual Griffith University language speech competition. We had 13 compete in the Japanese language division and for the first time we had four compete in the Spanish division. These students worked very hard to memorise and perfect their speeches. They were extremely dedicated and committed, practicing at home every night, as well as attending practice sessions during their own lunch times. We'd like to congratulate these participants for their outstanding effort!

Japanese contestants included:

Year 8: Ruben Rees, Martin Harmaniak, Tadhg Hamill-Salmon,
Year 9: Alex Young
Year 10: Ryan Cook

The Spanish participants included:

Year 7: Elgar Zamani, Aurora Guerin
Year 8: Narii Hamill-Salmon
Year 9: Hayley Guarnaccia

We also had eight who received a Highly Commended award, this is the highest Miami has ever received!

Year 7: Ben Little, Matthew Maher
Year 8: Dylan Stensholm
Year 9: Kynan Wallace, Belinda Maher
Year 10: Sarah Gibbons
Year 11: Dakota Jiggins
Year 12: Teagan Mooney.

We are so proud of all the students who took the time to write/memorise their speeches off-by-heart to present themselves at such a professional level in front of native judges. Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to all the Miami Students who participated in the Griffith University language speech competition.

International News

Our 34 new Internationals have settled in well at Miami SHS and also within their homestay families.

Our students attended the GCISA Bond University Welcome for all new Gold Coast International students on 4 August.

We took our International students on a sightseeing excursion to the lookout of Duranbah and up to Mount Tamborine. They went to the Skywalk and got to walk through the beautiful rainforest

On 16 August, our students also visited Jellurgal Aboriginal Centre to learn about Australia’s Indigenous culture and about the local area of Burleigh Heads.

On 24 August, International Outdoor recreation class had a workshop with some of the AFL players from the Gold Coast Suns and learn a little bit about AFL.

Congratulations to Clara Genevicius Pinto Ferraz for receiving a Good Vibes award. She is the only Brazilian International in Year 12 and has made a lot of wonderful Australian friends and enjoying every minute of being a part of the Year 12 cohort.

Legal Studies

On Thursday August 10, the Year 11 Legal Studies classes made their way to Brisbane to observe cases in the Supreme and District Courts.

Most students had been looking forward to this trip since they first started Legal Studies in Year 10. It is always a great day and a fantastic way for them to see how the legal system we learn about in class, operates in the real world. Our courtrooms are not like SVU and Judge Judy – they are serious places where people’s lives are at stake and seeing this first-hand is always a valuable experience.

Many of the cases we observed on the day were at the sentencing stage. This meant that we got to see lawyers for the prosecution and defence argue before the judge regarding the penalty to be served by those who had either been found guilty at trial, or who had pled guilty. This can be confronting and eye-opening for our students. The accused often has a series of mitigating factors that might affect the culpability attributed to them; on the other hand the prosecution may find circumstances to aggravate their responsibility. The judge must weigh this up, along with any relevant precedent, and decide the most appropriate outcome. One very valuable lesson for our students was the fact that all people we saw sentenced that day had one commonality – drugs. Not all people who take drugs end up in jail, but a large percentage of people in our courtrooms and jails, do have a drug problem.

It was a fantastic day that we all enjoyed. This was the first time in several years that we have had two Year 11 classes and so it was nice for me to have another teacher along for a change. Thank you Mrs Schnitzerling. And a big thank you to our Year 11s for their exemplary behaviour and excellent attitude. Here’s looking forward to our next expedition in Year 12 when you are all neck deep in research for your major independent inquiry task.

Rebecca Churchouse
Legal Studies Teacher

Year 11 Legal students enjoy excursion to Brisbane

2017 Gold Coast Eisteddfod - Dance Xtreme

The Miami High Dance Xtreme students’ performances were simply outstanding in the secondary schools sections (Years 7 – 12) of the Gold Coast Eisteddfod held on Friday 11 August at the Gold Coast Arts Centre. The secondary sections were spread over several days due the sheer number of entries and this year Miami competed against some of the largest state and private schools from Brisbane, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast. Miami competed in the Contemporary/Lyrical section performing I Ran achieving Highly Commended and received honours for their performance of Handclap in the Any Style (except contemporary/lyrical and hip hop) section. This was a tremendous achievement for Dance Xtreme who consists mainly of junior students from Years 7 and 8. All the girls can be very proud of their efforts as they represented Miami High with the utmost pride demonstrating professionalism as performers and as wonderful ambassadors for the school.

Miranda van’t Hof
Miami High Dance Xtreme Artist Director

Gold Coast Eisteddfod 2017

Music Eisteddfod Results

Miami Breeze Chamber Strings – 3rd in Secondary C Grade Strings
Zephyr Jazz Ensemble – Highly Commended in Secondary C Grade Jazz Band
Miami Sound Machine Big Band – Very Highly Commended in Secondary A Grade Jazz Band

Congratulations to all our music students for their participation in this year’s eisteddfod.

Year 8 Humanities Class Take to the Beach

Over the next few weeks our Year 8 Humanities classes will have the opportunity to see Geography in action in the real world. Classes will be taking advantage of our amazing location and visiting the beach several times to undertake a number of activities. As the students are learning about coastal processes and the interaction between human beings and their environment, this is an excellent way for them to see for themselves the effects that our population has on the natural processes that form our coastline. Mr Vine’s 8E and Mrs Churchouse’s 8A classes had their first trip to beach in Week 7. As you can see from the photos attached, they were all engrossed in their field sketching activity. Other groups will be venturing out this week too, and will no doubt equally enjoy their foray into their beach classroom.

Year 8’s flexible classroom becomes the beach as they study Geography in the real world.

Rebecca Churchouse
Humanities Teacher

Compassionate Cities Film Screening

This short film competition was open to all schools on the coast with the films to focus on a compassionate theme. After many months of preparation the films will be screened during assembly on 14 September. Winners will be announced during assembly.

SEP News

One of our Year 9 students, Micah Felix, was recently recognised for his creative work in Graphic Design. ‘Foxy Flakes’ was developed as Micah’s response to the task of producing a new breakfast cereal and its packaging. From accomplished sketches to a sleek, sophisticated and professional looking breakfast cereal box, Micah has demonstrated his high level of talent as a cartoonist and technical skills in Photoshop. Excellent work, Micah!

Craig Gallagher
HOSES

QUT Marine Science Robot Study

Recently our Year 12 Marine Science students were lucky to be participants in a research project conducted by QUT. This project is being undertaken as part of a larger study investigating how community groups could use robots for upscaling the Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) control program, and other large-scale monitoring initiatives. The purpose of this current research project is to investigate how senior school students choose to interact with a prototype ROV (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle) in a closed-water environment, as well as to seek their opinions of its manoeuvrability, responsiveness and other attributes. The study took place in the school pool and here are some photos of the fun that was had by all.

Trent Unsworth
Marine Science Teacher

Year 12 Marine Science students participating in a research project conducted by QUT using robots at our school swimming pool.

LIFE AQUATIC PRACTICES

This term in Mr Unsworth and Mr Eastell’s Year 12 Aquatic Practices classes, students were required to plan, construct and maintain their very own mini ecosystem in the form of an aquarium or terrarium. The goal of the project was to create an ecosystem that multiple organisms can happily survive in symbiosis. Below are some examples of the fantastic work that our students created.

Trent Unsworth and Matthew Eastell
Marine and Aquatic Teachers

Year 12 students created ecosystems that multiple organisms can happily survive in symbiosis. Fantastic work!

Year 10 Business Market Day

Another fantastic business studies event that has taken place this year is the Year 10 Business Market Day. In the lead up to this event students participated in the NAB $20 Boss Challenge, where they worked in groups to develop a business plan and product. Through this challenge students developed a better understanding of entrepreneurship and innovation and how skills such as creativity, communication and collaboration are crucial to success as a 21st century citizen in the workforce. This year’s business ventures were a fantastic success with all groups making a profit that will be donated to a local charity.

Emilija Temelkoska
Business Teacher

Mathematics Department News

Here we find ourselves in the midst of end of term assessment. Students have been working well in class and Teachers have been analysing growth in student grades. It will come as no surprise that students who revise well for exams will perform well, so I actively encourage all students to put in plenty of effort at home, particularly those with assessments in Week 10.

These recent weeks have seen our best Mathematics Problem solvers competing in both the Australian Mathematics Competition and in ICAS Mathematics. Feedback from students after these events was positive, so we look eagerly towards continuing our 2016 successes.

A fortnight ago Miami SHS entered a team in the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers Year 7/8 Quiz. This event was held one evening at Hillcrest Christian College, with 18 teams competing. Held over five rounds, our team was 6th at the end of the fourth, and moved to 9th at the conclusion. With only one other State School competing, we managed to outrank some high profile Independent and Catholic Schools from the Gold Coast. Congratulations to Sophie Taylor-Pritchard (Year 8), Jackson Freitas and Crispin Lee (Year 7) for representing our school with pride and Michelle Flynn (Head of Department Junior Secondary) for assisting on the night.

Maths Club is still operating every Tuesday afternoon 3:00-4:00pm in the library….although I do see students working on English, Japanese and Chemistry! Our numbers attending have understandably grown as we have approached the end of the term. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the students for attending, and the many Mathematics Teachers for giving up there time to help students with assessment, homework and exam preparation.

Todd Campbell
Mathematics Head of Department

Crazy Sock Day Raised $850 for RizeUp

Last term Interact had a successful fundraising event, our "crazy sock day". Students wore their craziest socks, bought and wore white ribbons and indulged on white themed snacks in the name of charity. And it was a great pleasure to be able to hand over the money raised to Kim from RizeUp Australia. We raised over $850 that will be used to support victims of domestic violence in our community. A presentation was made during assembly in August.

8th M’Oscars Film Festival

Film and Television Department

By now a lot of you may have seen our fabulous promo on Facebook for this year’s 8th Annual Miami High Film Festival ‘The M’Oscars’. We are excited to launch this year’s theme as 1950s drive in. This year ‘The M’Oscars’ will be an outdoor film festival, held on Miami High’s very own oval. There will be a 6m X 3.5m screen coming to display the brilliant works of this year’s film students, as well as an assortment of yummy foods to purchase from Dinky D’s donuts and milk shakes to the student council’s fairy floss and popcorn. We encourage all to come dressed in your best 1950s get up and join in on the fun!

Date: Tuesday, 10 October 2017 (Week 2, Term 4)
Venue: Miami High Oval
What Time: Gates open 6.00pm
How Much: $3 (Tickets can be purchased at the gate)

Lucy Carr
Film and Television Teacher

Miami students fly high in the name of science

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It’s Miami State High School’s Year 7 Stellar Academic students learning to fly like Superman.

Miami’s Year 7 Stellar class learned what it is like to reach terminal velocity at 200km per hour without jumping out of a plane at 12,000 feet. The students had the privilege at iFly in Surfers Paradise, an indoor skydiving tourist attraction, as part of their extension science experiment, which was made possible with the assistance of the University of Queensland’s involvement in the Miami Valued Partner’s program.

UQ assisted in the part sponsorship for the entry ticket for the students who attended this adrenaline-charged excursion.

Miami’s Year 7 science class have been investigating forces and their effects. The students’ extension project requires them to design an object that meets several design briefs (such as being aerodynamic) when tested in the class wind tunnel.

At iFly the students got to see firsthand how various objects such as a basketball, tennis ball, football, dodgeball and water reacted when the wind tunnel forces were exerted upon them.

The best part of this mesmerising experiment for Troy Ottaway was when the water turned into a million little droplets that looked like they had frozen in time. He said, “It was almost like fireworks happening right in front of our eyes. It was like nothing we had seen before.”

The aim of the iFly excursion was to help students deepen their understanding of forces; broaden the students mindset in finding different ways to explore and solve a problem as well as build confidence in trying and testing new ideas.

Michelle Flynn, Head of Department Junior Secondary, stated “This experience of a real life application of concepts and scientific theory such as Newton’s Laws of Motion will provide the opportunity for our students to use the innovation process of think, make, try and refine.”

“They learned about what makes certain shapes and materials more effective than others and how to use these in their designs.”

The students themselves became part of the experiment when they each got to fly. While in flight they felt what it was like to feel Newton’s laws in action.

Mabel O’Reilly, Year 7 Stellar student stated, “The forces acting upon us were profound.” The flying experience was nerve racking for most of us as we were defying the logic of gravity. However, the feeling of lying on a blanket of air was exhilarating and was an adrenaline rush that left us all with just one word to describe the outing “Awesome!”

Fellow student Matthew Maher said that he was fascinated by the engineering behind the purpose built facility. “There isn’t a fan at the bottom of the wind tunnel but rather two fans at the top of the building that suck the air upwards.”

Prior to each student and the two teachers who got to fly and experience the feeling of indoor skydiving as part of this educational experience, the students also attended the iFly science session with Garry Gnapp, who was a previous member of the British Skydiving team and a world-class skydiving instructor with over 10,000 skydives under his belt.

It was an awesome experience that the students will carry with them throughout their educational journey.

Thank you to UQ for making this the best day of school ever!

Miami Chess Club Shines Bright and Wins 10 Medals!

On 16 August, the Gold Coast High School Chess Championships were held at St. Stephens College. Miami SHS had 24 players take on the best and brightest chess players on the coast. Outstanding results were had as our team won 10 medals and a number of Merit Awards. Gold medals went to the team of Keane Furge, Rachel Solomon, Jackson Freitas and Tyron Fitzgerald, who were led by a perfect 7 for 7 score by undefeated Keane (who won a second gold medal for best player on the day).

A silver individual medal went to Eden McDonald for winning 6 of 7 games. Bronze medals went to the team of Eden, Riley O'Donnell, Jake O'Neil and Tiger Tukapua. Special mention goes to Junior School Captain, Riley Coy, who played the final round on board 1 and just narrowly missed an individual medal.

Coach Matt Smith was also awarded the Gold Coast High Schools Chess Coordinator of the Year for his efforts developing Miami's program. Thanks to Coach Adam Andre who gave the team a boost on the day and to Coach Peter McCosker for all the lunch times spent helping our players.

Interested in playing chess? Join our club, Thursday's at 1:00 in K08.

Relay for Life Junior Dance

Friday 25 August had the Year 7-9 students dancing the night away raising well-needed funds for the Cancer Council. This year the Miami State High School Student Council will be participating in the Cancer Councils Relay for Life held at Upper Coomera on the weekend of the 28-29 October. Our dance raised $390 for our Relay for Life team. Thank you to all the staff who helped supervise on the night and to Dinky D’s Hot Fresh Mini-Donuts for coming along and then donating $50. We greatly appreciate all the help. We would also like to applaud Ms Fahlbusch’s fantastic fairy floss creations, which were the hit of the evening. If you would like to donate towards this cause, see any of our Student Council Representatives who will be able to help you out.

A few images from the Relay for Life Junior School Disco evening held on 25 August

“Draw Yourself with Borobi’ Colouring in Competition.

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) CEO, Mark Peters announced that up to 500 people from one lucky Gold Coast school community will have the chance to attend the Opening Ceremony rehearsal in the lead up to the official opening of the Games.

Students will need to show off their creative side by completing a colouring in sheet featuring the popular GC2018 mascot, Borobi.

To enter:

1. Print copies of the colouring in sheet attached. Borobi will also be distributing these at future mascot visits and copies will be mailed to schools who have already received a visit from Borobi.
2. Encourage parents to upload the completed artwork to the link below and complete the online entry form.

Please note: students may enter the competition as many times as they like, but must submit different artwork each time. Full terms and conditions can be viewed on the website.

Submissions will be accepted online until 20 November before a random draw is held on 21 November 2017 to choose the school whose students will get a first look at the GC2018 Opening Ceremony to be broadcast to millions of people around the world on 4 April 2018 from Carrara Stadium!

Danielle Gardiner
Health and Physical Education Teacher

Need a Dentist Appointment?

The dental van will be operational from 8am-4.30pm Monday, Wednesday and every second Friday at Miami SHS until 15 January 2018. A parent/guardian must also accompany the student to their appointment. Call 1300 300 850 to book your child’s free dental check.

Wellbeing Update

This month we had the Year 8 Good Vibes Day with guest speakers from Oral Health that talked about the importance of looking after your teeth, the police discussed the importance of being safe online, Drugs and Alcohol education was addressed by AODS and finally Bill Wakefield from Combined Martial Arts went through personal safety with some self-defence techniques. The feedback from the students was very positive with over 130 students rating self-defence as 10 out of 10. These are all really valuable topics and relevant to students and the issues they are dealing with as they grow and develop.

The next Good Vibes Day is for Year 12 and this will be on 12 September. This year we are offering students the chance to sign up for the presentations that they would like to hear. The topics we have on offer include: Managing your Finances, Mindfulness and Body Image, Sexual Health, RACQ and defective vehicles, Hip Hop with DJ Astro Black. Students will be required to choose 3 of the 5 workshops and they will be signing up on Friday after their assembly. The final session of the day will involve all students in the hall with a guest speaker, Matt Speakman. Matt has a very engaging story about his life with some very importance key messages.

The Good Vibes Day is for the students and it is important that all students attend to gain important information that will help them transition from school to the next phase of their life. Attendance is compulsory.

Holidays are fast approaching so it is important that we have a chance to relax and recharge ready for the busy end of the year. Enjoy your break and stay safe.

Wellbeing Tip

This week (6 September) is Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) week. Research has shown that showing kindness to others dramatically improves our own wellbeing. Set yourself a challenge and see if you can do some random acts of kindness for your family, for a work friend and for a stranger. Remember kindness costs nothing!

Fundraiser for Chappy

A ‘Great Night of Music’ fundraising concert for Miami SHS and Miami SS Chaplaincy will be held on Thursday 14 September starting at 6.30pm in the Great Hall at Miami SHS. This family friendly concert features The Old Boys Gospel Band playing classic Aussie rock hits and also features other talented artists performing a variety of popular music.

Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for school students or a family ticket is $25. Tickets can be purchased from Chappy in G6 or RTC room, online at Eventbrite (search Miami chaplaincy) or at the door on the night by pre-purchase is preferred. Refreshments on sale. Invite your friends and family for a wonderful evening just before the start of the September school holidays.

Click on the poster below to see all the details:

Shane Scott
Chaplain
Miami State High School and Miami State School

From the Chaplain

Welcome to the fourth and final chaplaincy snapshot taken from the SU Qld (chaplaincy employer) annual snapshot of school chaplaincy. Throughout 2016 SU collected information on chaplain’s activities and impact to give an overview of the role of government school chaplains throughout Qld. As mentioned for the first snapshot, I share some of the information in this document to help you better understand who chaplains are and what a chaplain does. The findings of this research are obviously based on collective data, from both primary and high schools. Data would vary from school to school. (You can view the full document at suqld.org.au/snapshot2017).

If you have any queries or think I may be able to assist you in some way please contact me at school or by email shanes@chappy.org.au. My days at Miami State High School are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The remainder of the week I am at Miami State School.

About Chappy?

I was born in Southport. I left school in Year 10 to do a trade. In 1986, I moved to Sydney to study. Then moved to Perth, WA, in 1990 to get married. Spent 18 years as a chaplain in a state high school in Perth.

I returned to the Gold Coast in 2009 and commenced chaplaincy at both Miami schools in 2011.

I am male, and I fall into the ‘baby boomer’ generation (closer to the age 51 end of the scale). However I do not have a red beard and I still have hair.

My academic qualifications are:

*Trade Certificate (apprenticeship) *Diploma of Ministry *Licentiate in Pastoral Counselling *Bachelor of Theology *Graduate Diploma of Education in Primary Teaching

I have been married for 27 years and have 3 sons (aged 17, 19 & 22).

Shane Scott
Chaplain
Miami State High School and Miami State School

Hints for Creating Resilient Families

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 Dad” whenever a compliment is made.

Teaching the skills of self-praise is useful. One way of doing this is to ask questions extensively about any achievement or accomplishment. Asking questions that like “How did you to that?”, “How come you did so well at that test?”, “What did you do?” and “Have you been doing homework behind my back?”

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 and we all know from sad and sour experience that parents cannot always be consistent. 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 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.

Information supplied by Andrew Fuller. www.andrewfuller.com.au

We’re All Just Making It Up, As We Go Along (Even This ‘Parenting Expert’)

By Dr.Justin Coulson Positive Psychologist

Have you read The Barefoot Investor? It’s been the number 1 non-fiction book in Australia this year – all about finance. In his introduction to the book Scott Pape, the author, describes the day his family lost their Victorian bushland home to a fire. As they surveyed the damage, he said his first thought was`: “I’ve got this.” He knew that despite the drama, he had his financial security sorted and could get his family through.

If you would like to read more from Dr Justin Coulson, click on the link below to find out how the story ends…

Impeccable Youth Events

Impeccable Youth Events’ presents their SNEAK PEEK info event into ‘Gorgeous, from the inside and out” wellbeing program with a focus on young women giving them the tools to love the skin they’re in. For more info and to book your place please contact Georgia 0407612222 georgia@impeccableminds.com.au or visit our Facebook page Impeccable Youth Events

Impeccable Youth Events – please note correct number in the copy above for all bookings.

Rakuen martial Arts Now Open in Miami

Rakuen Martial Arts has opened at 1/54 Paradise Ave, Miami and are offering a beginners course special offer. Two weeks of unlimited classes and training uniform for $70. Call today on 5554-6465 for more information.

Kingswim offering free introductory swimming lesson

Looking for a swim centre, enrol now at Kingswim for a free pair of toddler swimmers. Call them of find them online on how you can take advantage of their free introductory swimming lesson. T&Cs apply. Now located in Varsity Lakes.

School Holiday Programs

The following School Holiday programs will be in operation during the September School Holiday break. Click on the links to read the holiday activities and timetable.

Finance Office New Trading Hours and Payment Options

Opening Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 8.00am to 12.00pm (closed Friday).

Student Payment Times: Before school or during first break

INTERNET PAYMENT

IN PERSON

BY PHONE

BPOINT

Receipts will always be given for payments made over the counter and will always be available on request for payments made by Internet Banking or Credit Card over the phone

Kellie Johnston
Business Services Manager

Important Information from TransLink

From January, use TransLink’s online journey planner to find the best travel options for your child to travel to and from school. Our helpful tips for journey planning for school services makes planning your child’s school journey even easier.

Alternatively, you can also use the school timetables search if you already know your bus route number.

Travel to school with go card

When your child travels to and from school on public transport with go card, they can save at least 30% compared to the cost of a single paper ticket. That’s in addition to the 50% discount that school students pay compared to adults. These savings quickly add up!

Grab a go card for your child online or at selected retailers today.

Visit the TransLink website for full details on school transport, tickets and fares.

Is your child eligible for STAS?

The Queensland Government provides eligible school students travelling to and from primary and secondary schools with assistance via the School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS).

Find out if your child is eligible and beat the rush – apply now and pick up your child’s travel pass from your local operator today!

Kind regards
TransLink Customer Relations

Update your Contact Details

ARE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS UP TO DATE – INCLUDING EMERGENCY CONTACTS?

We have been experiencing a number of students presenting to sick bay with serious illnesses/injuries to warrant the school needing to urgently contact a parent/guardian or an emergency contact but with no success. Could you please make sure that your contact details are up to date and ensure your emergency contacts are available if you’re not able to be contacted. This is especially important for when parents are travelling away during the school term and leaving students with guardians. Please feel free to contact the school either by email admin@miamishs.eq.edu.au or telephoning 5554 0333 to confirm your current details.

Parent Contact

NOTE TO PARENTS/CARERS

The school database program can only allocate ONE address per student. If a student is residing equally between two addresses, the parents/carers must decide which address will be allocated as the main address for the student. The second address can be noted on the student’s hardcopy personal file.

If a second report is required to be emailed, please contact the school in order for us to record this.

Helen O’Brien
Human Resources Manager

RTC SMS Text – Home Communication

To improve the communication between parents and the school, Responsible Thinking Classroom (RTC) SMS text messages will be sent daily for all students referred to the RTC. This will provide immediate feedback for parents allowing them to discuss issues with their student, and if they have any concerns, contact the school for clarification. The following texts will be used:

SMS text for daily RTC referral.

Dear parent, please be advised your student was referred to RTC today. Please discuss with your student and contact Miami SHS 55540333 if concerned.

SMS text for student reaching RTC Level 3.

Dear parent, your student has reached Level 3 on RTC. Please support by discussing this with your student. Thank you from Miami SHS.

SMS text for student reaching RTC Level 5.

Dear parent, your student has reached Level 5 on RTC. Please contact Miami SHS on 5554 0333 to arrange an intervention meeting time asap. Thank you.

SMS text for student reaching RTC Level 7.

Dear parent, your student has reached Level 7 on RTC. One more referral may result in suspension. Your urgent support is appreciated. Thanks Miami SHS 5554 0333.

Please take the opportunity to discuss this with your student, should you receive a text message regarding RTC. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Glenn Smits
Positive Behaviour Coach