16 March 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents

It has been eight weeks now since the beginning of the school year and my appointment as Principal of this wonderful school. With just over two weeks until the schools holidays it feels like Term 1 seems to have come and gone with a blink of an eye.

The staff and students of Miami High have been very welcoming and I have had the opportunity of meeting many friendly faces when I visit classrooms and during lunch times.

We have had a number of school events during this term and the dedication and commitment by both staff and students has been nothing but extraordinary. One of the events was our Year 7 2018 Enrolment Information Evening which was held last Thursday 9 March. The afternoon commenced at 5:00pm with tours of the school and presentations and demonstrations from each of our Departments followed by an information session in the Great Hall. More than 130 families arrived for this event and the feedback received was positive.

Next week, on Tuesday 21 March our P & C will be holding their Annual General Meeting (AGM). During this meeting the election of officers/ the executive committee will take place. If you are interested in being a part of the committee or a member of the P & C we would love to see you. The meeting commences at 7:00pm in the Administration Building.

I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank the following P & C Executives who have held positions on our committee for a number of years and have always gone above and beyond in their positions. Andrew Furness - President, Sharon Mitchell – Vice President and Amanda Amey – Treasurer, thank you for your outstanding involvement to our school. I wish you all well in the future.

As we come to an end of a term it is that time where we assess student progress in order to report to parents / carers on the progress of their child in each of their subjects. There will be a slight change to timelines in distribution of reports this year however. Parents will receive interim reports in Week 1 of Term 2, on Friday April 21. Again reports will be sent electronically. This change will enable teachers to maximise teaching and learning time for the whole of Term 1 with their students to ensure they have deep learning outcomes. Parent and teacher relationships are critical in a child’s education and I encourage everyone to make contact with their child’s teacher should they have any concerns.

The Easter break will soon be on us and I would like to wish all staff and student families and friends of our school community a very happy and safe Easter and I look forward to working with everyone again when school resumes on Tuesday 18 April 2017.

Principal
Sue Dalton

Dates to Remember

Miami High School Reading Competition

Open up a whole new world with a book!

All Students are invited to read, read, read and win prizes as well as points for their allotted House by participating in the Miami High School Reading Competition.

WHAT: Read a book and complete the Reading Competition form (forms in the library).
WHEN: Place forms into the box on the front counter at the library when completed. All forms are due by the end of Week 10.
WHY: Earn points for your House and a chance to win prizes.

Reading 20 minutes a day in the school year is exposure to 1,800,000 words. Sixty whole days of reading improved vocabulary and academic results.

Pick up a book today!

Paula Hamilton
Tactical Teaching of Reading Coach

New School App Launched

In an effort to keep parents and students even more informed and linked to our school community, we are proud to announce the launch of our school App.

The instructions detail what is required to download and customise your App settings. However, all you need to do is go to your relevant App store (Apple, Android, Windows) and search "Miami State High" (for Windows, search Skoolbag, install App and then find us) and it will be there for you to download.

Once you have downloaded the App simply navigate to the “More” button on the bottom of the screen and choose your push notification groups that you would like to receive information from. Eg if you have a Year 7 and 9 student you may wish to turn on these year levels only.

The App will not only send out important messages to our community in a quick and timely fashion, it will also store our newsletters and important school documents for your easy viewing. Keep a watch out for a number of new features that we hope to implement in the App in the near future as this communication tool develops.

If you have any suggestions regarding what you would like to see on the App or on the App itself, please contact the school.

Michaela Hoy
Head of Department: Technology

So You Think You Can Add Winners Announced

On Thursday 2 March, the Maths Department held “So You Think You Can Add” in the Great Hall. Twenty one teams consisting of a student (Year 7/8) and a family member competed in this fun and prestigious event. The competition consisted of four rounds of General Maths, Problem solving, Estimating and History.

The champion team of Sophie Taylor-Pritchard and her father, Ken, took away the first prize of 4 movie tickets to Event Cinemas – Pacific Fair. The Admin team of Ali Fahlbusch and Grant Webster fared well in a quality field. The odds on favourites Martin Harmaniak and his sister, Zuzana Harmaniakova, finished a creditable 3rd.

There were 4 trivia games held between rounds with some well receive chocolates as prizes. There were 20 mathematics staff present – some of whom dressed in theme – 70’s Maths Teachers. There were bowties, long socks and pens in pockets and of course plenty of reading glasses with sticky tape.

I would like to acknowledge several key staff on the night. Eric Schulz as event CEO, Lachlan McKillop as our entertaining MC, Mark Slingsby as Trivia host, Danielle Stewart and Nicole Findlay on scoring. There were many other teachers who contributed beforehand and on the night to make this event a great success.

I look forward to this fantastic fun event in 2018 incorporating Years 7, 8 and 9. Keep an eye out for details Term 1 next year!

Todd Campbell
Head of Department – Mathematics

Our contestants enjoying the ‘So You Think You Can Add’ Maths event.

Mathematics Department News

We are now over halfway through Term 1 and we are getting busy with assessment items. Most Junior Secondary subjects have had their first exam already, with Senior exams in the Week 9 shutdown exam block. So for Senior students it is time to be studying and preparing for exams.

Year 10 Maths

This is an important juncture in high school because it determines the Senior Maths subjects on offer for 2018 Year 11.

Students Studying the Advanced Maths Subject (AMA10) and who reach the prerequisite ‘B’ Grade will be offered Mathematics B to study in Year 11 next year. Those talented hard workers who reach an ‘A’ standard will be offered Mathematics C. All others will be headed towards Mathematics A. These three Senior Mathematics subjects are OP eligible.

In the General Mathematics course students achieving a ’B’ standard will be headed toward Mathematics A with the remainder in Prevocational Mathematics. Prevocational Mathematics contributes toward a selection rank pathway for future studies.

Maths Club

Last week we had 63 students working hard in the library as part of their exam preparation. I expect numbers to rise in the coming weeks. I would invite all students to come along on a Tuesday afternoon (3:00-4:00pm- Library) and be part of this positive academic culture at Miami State High School. I thank all the Teachers and Students who give up their own time each week in this valued activity.

Todd Campbell
Head of Department - Mathematics

Film and Media News

Film and Media at Miami have a new toy! That’s right, our wonderful Arts Head of Department, Glen Barratt, has purchased the Film and Media students a Phantom 3 Drone camera. This week we were lucky enough to have an ex-Miami student, Alex King, from Cloud King Media, spend two days teaching all of the junior and senior media students how to use this pretty cool piece of kit. The students were so excited to have the opportunity to experiment with this advanced technology. I foresee a year full of films with lots of bird’s eye view shots.

Miami Students having fun with the new Film and Media Drone

Lucy Carr
Film and Media Teacher

Students Raise Money for RSPCA

The Year 9 Healthy Lifestyle’s class is holding a fundraiser to support the RSPCA. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals helps animals and ensures the humane treatment of them. To do this they operate animal care, adoption facilities and raise awareness in the community.

The RSPCA Fun Day will be held second break on Tuesday, 21 March (Week 9). There will be Student verses Teacher activities such as Basketball, Handball and NFL ($1 per go) and prizes to be won.

We will also run a sausage sizzle near I block. Sausages and soft drinks for sale at $2 each. So come along on 21 March and shoot a six with Mr Fox, hit a target with Mr Maitland and rally Miss Hill in a game of Handball.

Skylah Rambold
(Healthy Lifestyles Student)

Miami High Dance Excellence 2017

The Miami High Dance Studio is alive with energy! Students are engaging in all areas of dance from curriculum to extracurricular and it’s definitely the place to be.

The Year 7 Dance Excellence class has been immersed in learning African jazz as part of their Term 1 unit titled, The Dancer Prepares. The class is now currently working on their performance task titled, Tribal Tribute. This is a teacher-choreographed routine combining the study of ritual/social dance with jazz dance to create an artistic performance piece. The class will take the stage for the first time to perform this routine at our Harmony Day Assembly which will be held in the Miami Great Hall on 30 March.

The students were also very excited to attend a masterclass which included cardio, flexibility and stretch exercises along with technical skills tuition by their specialist dance teacher.

The Year 8 Dance Excellence class has been very busy in theory lessons combining foundation theory with modern jazz theory through writing a feature magazine article. In addition to the theoretical aspects of this unit, the students have also been thoroughly engaged in the development of their modern jazz technique through their teacher choreographed performance task, Love Runs Out.

The Year 9 Dance students have been combining their dance skills with film to create their own video clips. It’s an exciting unit which focuses on the development of commercial jazz technique, which is highly sought after within the dance industry today.

Miami High is also proud to offer numerous opportunities for students to participate in dance and congratulations must go to all the students who auditioned through Week 6 for the various crews.

Students auditioning for the many dance opportunities on offer at Miami State High School

Miranda van’t Hof
Experienced Senior Dance Excellence Teacher

Year 9 Digital Media Class News

Year 9 MEDIA class as taught by Mr Berton, overseen by Subject Coordinator Ms Carr, and run by Head of Dept, Ms Barratt, has been compiling a Survey of Teens and Adults. Specifically it relates to understanding the types of digital information consumed and various devices used.

Students in groups of three, entered eight classrooms as invited by supportive Teacher colleagues, and surveyed these classes. Mr Berton generated data which related to Adults.

Subsequently, the students have been instructed as to the effective use of Adobe Illustrator to generate impressive Bar Charts and Pie Charts. Being taught was: the converting of Data to percentages, realising the potential that figures could be manipulated to serve specific agendas, and the results of this survey will test and evaluate an assumption provided in their Task Sheets. The assumption as suggested earlier, that Teens and Adults have differing interests in Digital Information and Devices used.

The following Task will involve Photoshop, and will cover the understanding that an image can be manipulated in such a way, that its context can be absolutely changed.

Street Art

Ms Barratt’s Year 8 classes have just completed their stencil portrait title pages and their initials in Graffiti-style text. These activities are part of the Street Art unit they are currently studying and the artists they will be researching include Banksy, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The written component in this unit is a Responding Task that critiques Banksy’s work. Students will be asked to interpret the social and political comments by this famous UK artist whose work has gone from illegal graffiti to highly sought-after gallery exhibited pieces selling for tens of thousands of dollars.

Glen Barratt
Head of Department: The Arts

Miami’s XXI Commonwealth Games Community Ambassador

With less than 435 days to go until the Gold Coast will host the XXI Commonwealth Games, 2017 represents a very exciting time for schools, particularly on the Gold Coast.

The aim of the GC2018 Schools Connect Program is to engage and connect with students and the broader school community on the Gold Coast.

We wish to congratulate Danielle Gardiner who has been successful in her application as the GC2018 team as a ‘Community Ambassador’ for Miami High. I am confident that her previous roles at Miami High will aid her in this position and connecting with the broader school community.

Miami’s Community Ambassador, Danielle Gardiner

Commonwealth Games Seeks Volunteers

Volunteers are crucial to the success of major sporting events, and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) is no different.

GC2018 is currently looking for volunteers with a wide variety of skills and experience to Shape the Games for athletes, officials and spectators.

Miami SHS recognises the contribution and value that volunteers make in our community and encourages students (16 years and older) and their families to apply for this unique and exciting event. .

Volunteering is a great opening for students to develop new skills and help deliver the largest sporting event in Australia this decade.

Applications close at 8pm on Monday 20 March, don’t let them miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Visit the link below to apply.

Miami Chess - Starts off 2017 Strong!

Recently 24 students formed six teams to battle the Gold Coast's strongest chess players at Somerset College for Round 1 of the Gold Coast Interschool Chess Championships. Students played seven games each over the day and everyone won some games. Our top team of the day was a Year 7 only team of Jackson Freitas, Keane Furge, Tyrone Fitzgerald and Brenden Charlton who placed 9th out of 24 teams in their division. Well done boys!

The A grade teams were led by strong individual results by Joey Thomas, Emre Aslan, Riley Coy, Michael Goodman and Pavlik Yakhnitsia. Excellent effort by all chess players for starting this year's season with so well.

Our next chess team interschool competition takes place on a Wednesday in Week 5, Term 2 at King's Christian College. The Miami Chess Club meets in K08 on Thursday's at 1:00pm and in the Library on Mondays during morning tea. New players always welcome!

NEW This Year - GIPSA Sport Chess - 100 players - 4 schools - 1 epic battle. Game on.

Miami students participating in Round 1 of the Gold Coast Interschool Chess Championships

International News

We have just hosted a Study Group from Mianyang Talent School from 6 to 10 February. Thank you to all the buddies who participated and helped make the students from Mianyang Talent School feel welcome. We celebrate International birthdays of Demian Anthamatten, Luise Hufnagel, Rin Sugiyama, Frida Tischbein, Timon Wyss and Sissi ZhaoHere is a picture of 31 of our new Internationals who commenced 24 January 2017. Most of these students are here for 6 to 12 months staying in Homestay:

Welcome to all our International Students
Frida Tischbein, Emma Daasvatn, Ben Thiessen, Karin Thorolvsen, Elise Rasch, Diletta Dogliani at the Miami Swimming Carnival.

International Surfing Program photos

Federica Mazzetti, Bianca Zuccato, Beatrice Anedda, Sofia Hopfgardner

Bond University Photo of our new Internationals – GCISA Welcome at Bond University

Desert Safari which students participated in Sand Tobogganing at Tangalooma Resort.

Tangalooma Excursion was on 2-4 March. Students participated in Kayaking, Paddle boarding, Snorkelling and feeding the dolphins. They had loads of fun.

Harmony Day

Harmony Day is held every year on 21 March to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Harmony Day celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. It is a day for all Australians to embrace cultural diversity and to share what we have in common. The central message for Harmony Day is that ‘everyone belongs’, reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness to all Australians.

The Miami High community is multicultural and Harmony Day is a great celebration of our diversity. This year, Miami SHS will be celebrating our Harmony Day assembly on Thursday 30 March. In conjunction with our assembly I would like to invite multicultural food trucks to the school at second lunch. Parents welcome to attend.

Title: Click here to find out more about the Harmony Day Celebrations at MSHS on 21 March and the Harmony Day Assembly on 30 March 2017.

To find out some more interesting facts about Harmony Day and its impact on the Gold Coast, see below:

Interact Club News

Our Interact club needs your help! Each year Miami’s Interact club looks to support a local community project. With recent events fresh in our minds we have chosen to a support the charity ‘Rizeup’. This organisation has created programs that support and empower the brave families via the specialist domestic and family violence organisations, from helping to create a new home for victims fleeing a violent household to supporting children in their healing process, to raising much-needed funds for families left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

How are we going to support this vital charity? On 31 March (the last day of Term 1), we are holding a ‘CRAZY SOCK DAY’, it would be great to get as many students as possible supporting our event. We are asking that students, staff and teachers wear their craziest socks and bring a gold coin donation, which will be collected during vibes. We will also have a stall on at lunch with delicious snacks for sale, we will be keeping a ‘white’ theme for domestic violence and our foods will be white, like lemonade ice blocks, vanilla cupcakes, white sweets etc. We will also have white ribbons for sale so that we can show our support for this vital cause.

So please help us, help those in need, who have suffered through domestic violence. RISE UP and support Interact’s community project. And if this sort of work interests you, come along to our meetings, we always welcome new members.

Karen Purdy
Interact club teacher

Year 12 Aquatic Practices – Power Boating

Ahoy me Maties! Year 12 Aquatic Practices students have been creating motion in the ocean each consecutive Tuesdays. With perfect bluebird skies, a warm 28 degrees, glass like waterways, and the company of two legendary teachers in a three person tinny. Power boating in one of the Gold Coast’s nicest water sports! It really is all it’s cracked up to be! Students have honed their boating skills and applied the theoretical concepts learned in class regarding the rules and regulations of on water activities. All Year 12 Aquatic Practice students are now well equipped to obtain their marine boating licence as well as bringing back ‘crocs’ as a part of the hottest 2017 fashion trends!

Reading Volunteers Needed

The Miami State High School volunteer program is made up of an enthusiastic group of people. They give up their time to work one-on-one with selected students in Years 7,8 and 9. Would you like to come and join this wonderful group of volunteers? Would you like to help make a difference in our student's confidence and love of reading? If you are interested or would like more information. Please contact Shelley Wyper at the school on 55540 333.

Shelley Wyper
Lap CoOrdinator

Miami Touch Excellence Students Gain Level 1 Coaching Certificate

Students in the Year 8 Touch Excellence program completed a Level 1 Certificate in Touch Football coaching. As part of the Touch Excellence program these students will now hold coaching clinics at local primary schools. It will also give the opportunity for these students to seek work as coaches at local clubs. Congratulations to all the students for achieving this certificate and keep up the good work!

GIRLS AFL 9-A-SIDE GALA DAY SUCCESS

With the Women’s National AFL league as inspiration, 12 juniors (Year 7-9) and 12 seniors (Years 10-12) took on several Gold Coast’s school AFL teams at the 9-A-Side Gala Day on Tuesday 7 March at Carrara AFC. The Junior girls won all four of their games (62-0, 16-14, 42-2, 60-0) convincingly. The Senior team was also undefeated all day, however had some challenging match ups overall. Miss Innes and Miss McGinniskin were very impressed with the girls’ determination, sportsmanship, teamwork and skill, despite several girls never having played much AFL before. The girls are now busy preparing for the AFL Q Cup in June whereby we hope to again take out the State Championships in 2017. With girls AFL on the rise in recent months, Miami SHS students are in a great position for future AFL pathways. Go Miami!

Miss Pippa McGinniskin and Miss Courtney Innes
AFL Coaches

Gold Coast Suns Visit

On Friday 3 March, three Gold Coast Suns players ran a skills and leadership session with our up and coming AFL players at Miami SHS. The girls from year seven through to year eleven were involved in an intense skills session run by the players that has helped them gain confidence before the Girls AFL Gala day and AFL Q Cup games. At the end of the session, the girls were also given the opportunity to ask questions and gain an insight into AFL drafting, training commitments, worst injuries, biggest rivals and what it is like to be a professional athlete. Thank you to the GC Suns players for inspiring our AFL enthusiasts.

Miss Pippa McGinniskin and Miss Courtney Innes
AFL Coaches

TRIATHLON RESULTS

The Queensland Triathlon Championships were held recently. Eight Miami High students were selected in the team. Our students all performed well against a quality field of the best athletes from all 10 regions in Queensland. South Coast took home all the shields winning the Aquathlon Championship, Triathlon Championship Relays and Overall Champion Region.

The Miami High students who performed well were:

Will Brown - 18th in Junior Boys
Will Whittred - 33rd Junior Boys
Ryan Barwick - 58th Junior Boys. There was a field of 80 boys in the Junior Boys race.
Hollee Abbott, Junior Girls section, competed in a field of 74 of the best Triathletes in the State.
Kaitlin Barwick came 42nd in the Intermediate Girls section.
Ashlie Etherington, Intermediate Girls, had a fantastic swim. We are waiting for an official result for Ashleigh due to a timing chip error but she finished around 50th place.
Xavier Drake achieved an 8th place in the Intermediate Boys section.

Well done to Emily Gauld who achieved a top 10 in the Queensland field of 83 competitors at Aquathlon 2017.

Congratulations to the Miami High School students who participated in the Qld Triathlon Championships

Silver Medal for Chloe

Miami’s Chloe Gulson, Year 10, won the Silver medal at the recent QLD Surf Rescue Championships in the Under 15 Champion Lifesaver event, held at Dicky Beach. Chloe has qualified to compete at Aussies on Monday 27 March at Kirra Beach. We wish Chloe success at this event.

Miami Challenge Program

The Miami Challenge is an overnight camp which took place on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 March for 16

Year 9 students. This student development program helps to foster self-confidence, goal setting, motivation, resilience, teamwork and friendships. It provides an opportunity for students to reflect on who they are through recognising their strengths, as well as considering who they want to become and what they want to achieve.

Day 1 we went indoor climbing and pushed ourselves to new heights (literally). Through this activity we learned all about having a go, facing our fears, persistence, and the significance of teamwork and trust. In the afternoon we travelled to our campsite at Austinville and set up out tents, chilled out, filled our tummies, and then settled around the campfire for the night chatting and listening to music.

Day 2 we spent 5 hours hiking through the beautiful rainforests of Springbrook – completing the Purling Brook Falls circuit as well as the Twin Falls circuit. We learned about resilience, particularly when we had to make our way back from the base of the Twin Falls in teaming rain – all caught off guard as it was nice and sunny when we commenced. We then had to pack up our wet and muddy tents before heading for home. The Challenge was definitely an experience to remember. A special thanks to Mrs Grant for assisting with this camp.

This program will run again in Term 2 (for Year 8) and Term 3 (for Year 7). Students will have the opportunity to nominate themselves to participate. If parents/carers have any queries you are welcome to contact me (Shane Scott – School Chaplain) at school on 5554 0333 or at shanes@chappy.org.au

Wellbeing Update

On 22 and 23 February we held our first Good Vibes Day for the Year 10 cohort.

The main theme for the two day event was domestic Violence, as one woman per week dies from domestic violence this is a worthy topic of discussion and education. The program is called Love Bites and is run by volunteers from various community groups such as Queensland Police, School Nurses, Community Centres and our hip hop artist Mark.

The Love Bites program discusses what domestic violence and what sexual assault is. How to recognise it and what we can do to prevent it. The students then finish the day with designing art work or a hip hop song with the message to stop the violence

The other topics students were involved in included stress management, self-defence, and some curriculum areas of CCE testing and Set Planning.

The feedback from students was very positive with the message coming across very strongly to stop the violence, to speak up, take care of yourself and our friends.

WELLBEING TIP

As our life moves pretty fast these days we often forget to stop and enjoy the good things that have occurred. So this week HUNT THE GOOD STUFF. Start thinking about what went well each day and write it down or discuss with your family over dinner or breakfast. Research has shown that the more positive thoughts and activities we involve ourselves in, the better we feel!

So start HUNTING THE GOOD STUFF! There is plenty out there! How bad can it be to feel good?

Tiffany Grant
Wellbeing Coordinator

ORAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT FOR OVERALL HEALTH

The Gold Coasts Health Service provides an excellent FREE oral health care service for your daughter/son.

Providing: Oral health check-ups and preventively focused oral health care, oral health treatment and oral health education and promotion

If you are:

A Queensland resident or attend a Queensland School; and
Be eligible for Medicare*; and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• be aged four years or older and have not completed Year 10;or
• be eligible for the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule; or
• Year 11 or 12 students who hold, or are listed as a dependant on, a valid Centrelink concession card.

*Excludes yellow Medicare cards issued to visitors from countries with reciprocal health agreements. Call 1300 300 850 for an appointment.

Wendy Woodward
School Nurse

Alumni News

BOND MOOTING COMPETITION

A huge congratulations to Miami’s 2016 Dux, School Captain and Bond University Vice Chancellor Full Scholarship Winner, Zuzana Harmaniakova, who has stunned the students and staff of Bond University’s Law Faculty, as well as an eminent Queensland Supreme Court Justice, by partnering with another first year Law student to win through to the grand final of the junior section (comprising Bond Law students in their first three semesters of their degree) of the annual Bond University Moot Competition, in which 150 Law students competed.

Held over two days, the competition is seen as a stepping stone to representing Bond University throughout Australia and in international moot competitions. Zuzana and her moot partner, Kate van Bruggen, a fellow Vice Chancellor Scholarship and graduate of Hillcrest Christian College, have shocked all involved with their outstanding performance, just weeks after commencing their studies at Bond.

All of the 150 Law students participated in the heats on Wednesday, 8 February. Zuzana and Kate found out at 6:00pm that evening that they had won through to the semi-finals, which were to take place at 9:00am the next morning, but there was a catch - they had to switch sides from representing the Respondent in the heat to arguing on behalf of the Appellant in their semi-final. This meant that they had to completely re-write their submissions in one night.

The judges for the semi-final were two Bond Law professors who hammered the mooters with complicated legal questions. At midday the same day the girls were informed that they had made it to the grand final and had to switch back to arguing for the Respondent at 2 o’clock that afternoon. The mock courtroom was packed with Bond Law students and professors. There were three judges in the grand final - one of whom was the President of the Queensland Court of Appeal, President McMurdo.

Despite the fact that they did not win the final, both Zuzana and Kate should be extremely proud of themselves. The three grand final judges couldn't believe that the girls were only in their first semester of Law. Congratulations.

Once again Miami shows the world just how talented and amazing our students really are. Be assured that this is only beginning, as we know that Zuzana will continue to excel and show everyone, including those who now sit in the classrooms she has just left – that Miami students can achieve anything they put their minds to.

Rebecca Churchouse
Legal Studies Coordinator

Industry Liaison Office Update

QLD TAFE Gold Coast April Intake

The VET in School at TAFE will have a 2017 April intake and expressions of interest are open until 17 March 2017. Please find the below list of courses offered:

Below are the steps on how to enrol:

1. www.studentrego.com
2. Enter the code TAFE8
3. Fill out the online form
4. Submit

All Trades Queensland

All Trades Queensland (ATQ) are looking for Year 11/12 students who have completed a pre-apprenticeship or industry work experience in the areas of Construction, Automotive/Auto Electrician, Engineering, etc. ATQ is both an employer/group training and a training organisation.

Interviews for applicants will start this month and I am encouraging students to submit their resume to me and interviews will be organised as needed. Successful Year 11 and 12 students will be reversed market to the numerous employers of ATQ for possible apprenticeships/traineeships.

Following are the qualifications offered by ATQ:

Construction: Bricklayer, Cabinet Maker, Carpenter, Civil Construction, Concreter, Electrician

Automotive: Automotive Electrician, Automotive Electrical Serviceperson, Boat Building, Engine Reconditioner, Glass & Glazing, Heavy Vehicle Road Transport

Engineering: Boiler Maker, Diesel Fitter, Engineering Technician, Advanced Trade. Fitter Mechanic, Sheet Metal Worker

Hospitality: Catering Operations, Chef, Hospitality Operations, Kitchen Operations

Landscaping

Below are flyers for Landscaper and Glass & Glazing as a reference.

School Based Traineeships Positions

Cert III COMMERCIAL COOKERY. Interested students please submit your resume for reverse marketing

Cert III HOSPITALITY (Front of the House) Numerous positions available with recent listings below:

Burleigh Sports Club, The Coffee and Tea Factory Pacific Fair, Hudson’s Café Tugun, Wild Fish and Chips Pacific Fair, Jersey Mike’s Mermaid Waters and Benowa, Lava Carts Robina

CERT III BUSINESS (Retail Focus). Numerous positions available with recent listings below:

19th Ave Newsagency, 7/11 Palm Beach, Lenard's Chicken Mermaid Waters, Prouds - The Pines and Robina, News Agency Australia Fair

Cert III BUSINESS with IT focus.

• YNR.com.au work in the website/portal, editing, marketing for YNR.com.au and general office
• Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, working in office with IT focus.

CERT III BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION and ICT. Below are the recent listings:

Wholesale Toners Australia Burleigh, Reflections Resort, Sero Learning (Training organisation)

Details/Flyers for most positions are posted outside the Industry Liaison Office/Library and are updated weekly.

For more information, please contact the Industry Liaison Office on 55540333 ext. 354 or email flega2@eq.edu.au

Floribel Legaspi
Industry Liaison Officer
flega2@eq.edu.au

Senior Education & Training (SET) Plan

From Year 10, your child will develop a Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan that will be reviewed throughout Year 10, 11 and 12.

Your child’s SET plan will help them:

• structure their learning in Years 11 and 12 around their abilities, interests and ambitions
• think about their education, training and career options after Year 12
• set and achieve their learning goals in Years 10, 11 and 12, and beyond
• include flexible and coordinated pathway options in their course of senior study
• communicate with parents/carers about post-school plans

It is recommended that you and your child review the SET Plan, located on OneSchool, regularly to make sure subjects and learning are right for them, and that they can maintain a pathway to the courses and career they want after Year 12.

If your child would like to make a change to their subjects, it is important that you discuss this with the school. You must have approval from the school before changes are made to ensure all desired post-Year 12 options remain available.

Want more info?

• Visit the http://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/
• Talk to your teachers, school guidance officer (Mr. Josh Atkins) or Senior School Deputy Principal (Mr. Jason Cross).
• Contact Student Connect.

2017 Next Step survey

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual State wide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2016. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office to complete the survey. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2017.

Further information on Next Step is available online at the link below or on toll free telephone 1800 068 587.

Shop and Win @ Burleigh Stocklands Mall

WIN fantastic prizes for both your school and yourself by simply shopping at Stockland Burleigh Heads. $4000 worth of vouchers to be won! Visit the link below to start collecting points for your chosen school today! Shop and Scan

Regan Verwey
Marketing and PR Officer

Community News

Changing Lives Through Music

Free song writing, guitar, and music history workshops take place every Monday from 3:00pm-5:00pm during the school term across the road at Miami Youth Centre behind KFC. It is called MMAD Mondays SoundFound. They also run motivational sessions for life with music as the feature. They also organise performances for those that are keen to get out and test their nerves if they want to get experience. This is part of Musicians Making a Difference which you can find out more below about what they do. For more information contact Chang Po Ching on 5572 0400.

Chang Po Ching talked about the MMAD Sound Foundation program during assembly last week.

Keep Your Teen Safe Online

Bond University Psychology Unit in Robina is hosting a four week program that helps parents deal with Gaming, Grooming, Sexting and Cyberbullying.

We have provisional psychologists who are specialising in Clinical & Forensic Psychology and who are supervised by generally registered psychologists who are also members of the Australian Psychological Society and who have specialist endorsement in their relevant practicing area.

The Bond University Psychology Clinic provides an extensive range of assessments and interventions for a broad range of psychological and health-related problems.

Our clients include adults, adolescents, children and families.

Consultations at the Clinic are welcomed by appointment and can be made Monday through Friday between 9:00am – 5:00pm by phoning (07) 5595 2527.

Initial consultations are free and therapy sessions after the initial consultation are $15 per session. Assessments are $180.00.

We also run group programs that I have attached for your information; these programs will be starting soon.

Thank you again for your support of the Bond University Psychology Clinic.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us either by telephone 07 5595 2527or email psych_clinic@bond.edu.au

Burleigh Heads Primary School Centenary Fair

Don't forget this Sunday, 16 March, the Burleigh Heads State School's Centenary Celebration Fair is taking place.

Thrower House School Holiday Program

It’s that time again for Thrower Houses School Holiday program in Palm Beach. All activities are designed for young people 12-17 years and all activities are free! For information: email throwerhouse@goldcoast.qld.gov.au or text/phone 0408 734 061

Active and Healthy Water Exercise Program

The Gold Coast Active and Healthy Water Exercise Program has been extended until May 2017 at the Palm Beach Aquatic Centre.

Water exercise is a low intensity activity which supports mental wellbeing, promotes relaxation, stress reduction and pain relief. It only costs $3 per session.

National Day of Action Against Bullying & Violence

On Friday 17 March school communities around Australia are uniting to take a stand together on the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence.

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

Finance Office/Uniform Shop hours of operation

REMINDER: The finance counter DOES NOT operate on Fridays for receipting. This closure coincides with the current arrangements in place with the uniform/bookshop closed each Friday. Hours of operation are 8.00am to 2.00pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week.

Kellie Johnston
Business Services Manager

Payments Via Internet Banking

Paying for Miami High School excursions and/or fees is possible using Internet Banking.

The traditional payment methods are still available (Cash/EFTPOS/Credit Cards), but some people find Internet Banking much quicker and easier – especially because you can make payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the comfort of your own home or office.

INTERNET BANKING DETAILS

Account Name: Miami State High School General A/c
Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Branch: Burleigh Heads
BSB: 064-404
Account Number: 00090020

PAYMENT REFERENCES

Each child has a unique Education Queensland Identification number (EQ ID). For all internet payments we will require you to use your child’s EQ ID number to identify your payment, e.g. 0011223344W.

Please ensure each payment sent through has the following details within the Payment Reference so that we can clearly identify your payment.

Excursions:

>>Student EQ ID Excursion>> e.g 0011223344W Seaworld

Please ensure only one payment per student per excursion – If you have multiple students/excursions to pay for, please put each one through individually, unless otherwise arranged with the school office. As internet banking payments are not instant, please ensure internet payments are done 48 hours prior to payment cut-off date.

School Fees:

<<Student EQ ID Fees>> e.g. 0011223344W 2013 Text

If you have any questions relating to payments, please contact the payment office on 07 55540333 or email Angie Johnson on ajohn543@eq.edu.au.

Kellie Johnston
Business Services Manager

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 mailto: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