14 June 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents

As we enter the upcoming winter holidays it is a good time to reflect on the achievements and events of Term 2. What an amazing term it has been.

So much has happened this term with events like Student Wellbeing Days, NAPLAN testing across Junior Secondary, GIPSA Sport, Trivia Night, Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea, visits from Study Tours, Fundraisers and many more. As we reach the hallway mark of this school year, I can honestly say how proud I am of our school. Our collective commitment to continual improvement and high expectations culture is evident throughout the school. I have said on many occasions recently how proud I am to be leading such a great school community.

With a focus on continuous improvement for Miami State High School, we are delighted to open our doors to a panel of reviewers from the Department of Education Queensland in the first week of August, as our school undergoes its four year full school review. The purpose of this review is not to rate or compare schools but provide independent and quality feedback to help schools continue to improve outcomes for students. All schools undergo and external review at least every four years and a final report will be made available to parents and the community on the school’s website in late August. I’m looking forward to this opportunity to showcase our achievements and high performance culture, as well as gaining insight to the areas identified for continuous improvement.

As Semester 1 draws to a close the teachers are very busy with assessment. A reminder that with our new moderation processes reports will be emailed out to parents/carers during Week 2 of Term 3. Once you have received the report, please take the time to discuss the results and particularly any positives with your students and to engage with the classroom teachers whenever possible.

As students prepare for a two-week break, I encourage everyone (including parents) to take a well-deserved rest and prepare for Terms 3 and 4; particularly our seniors who have numerous assessment milestones to conquer prior to graduation.

On behalf of the team at Miami State High School – I wish you all a relaxing break. See you all on Monday 10 July 2017 for the commencement of Term 3.

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.

THANK YOU

Miami State High School would like to thank Ray Stevens, MP for Mermaid Beach, for his kind donation of a new marquee for the school.

NB Notice to Parents: Students Planning on Studying Teaching – New Entry Criteria From 2018

Please be advised that entry requirements into QLD education degrees has now officially changed for 2018 and onward applicants. In addition to subject prerequisites and OP/Rank score requirements, students now must submit a personal statement, approximately 1000 words in length, in which they describe their work and life experiences that demonstrate the seven AITSL competencies and the applicant's understanding and motivations about the course they are applying for.

Gold Coast Business Expo

The South Gold Coast Business Expo will be taking place at Miami State High School on Friday 7 July from 10.00am to 4.00pm in the Inspire Building. The organisers still have a few trade tables left. Contact Paula Brand on 0475 411 793 or email paula.brand@livingwithit.com.au for an information pack. The event also features top quality speakers and workshops.

Come to the biggest small business expo on the Gold Coast on 7 July at MSHS

2018 Subject Selection Timelines
(Years 9, 10 AND 11)

In preparation for your student’s journey at Miami State High School in 2018, please see important dates below in regards to the subject selection process. As each important date approaches further information will be disseminated to students, parents and the wider community through our website and Facebook page.

Jason Cross
Deputy Principal

Miami’s Commonwealth Games Sister School in Bangladesh

As part of the GC2018 Commonwealth Games experience, Miami SHS applied for and were granted a sister country and school from a country within the Commonwealth. Many schools across the Gold Coast have embarked on a journey to share stories and understandings of their sister school and culture.

It is with great pleasure that I announce that our sister country is Bangladesh and our sister school is Adamjee Cantonment Public School. Their website is at the link below and they also have a school Facebook page that can be followed.

The People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia that shares land borders with India and Myanmar (Burma). Bhutan and China are located near Bangladesh but do not share a border with it. Bangladesh is the world's eighth most populous country. Dhaka is the capital city and it has a large population of approximately 156 million people with Australia being 56 times larger than Bangladesh in land area.

In the coming weeks, some of our Junior Humanities classes will undertake an information sharing activity where they will devise questions for Adamjee Cantonment Public School and then send them off for students in Bangladesh to answer and vice versa.

In the coming weeks we look forward to sharing some of our Miami Culture with our Sister School and at the same time learning about life in Bangladesh.

Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018 Mascot, Borobi, joined us at assembly on 1 June 2017 to greet the Good Vibe winners.

Danielle Gardiner
Miami SHS Commonwealth Games Ambassador

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability

Collecting data on school students with disability helps teachers, principals and education authorities support the participation of students with disability in schooling on the same basis as students without disability.

All Australian Governments have agreed to work together on the annual collection of data on school students with disability.

All Australian schools participate in this annual data collection.

The data provided to the Australian Government is aggregated data only. Please be reassured that the Department will not provide on to another organisation any data that can identify an individual student. The only data being collected at the school level to be reported nationally is the:

• number of students in the school who are provided with an adjustment to address a disability;
• level of adjustments we provide for those students; and
• broad category of disability.

Consultation with parents is important not only for the data collection but also to ensure you are aware of the adjustments being provided to support your child. We will therefore continue to consult with you.

While only data that cannot identify your child will be submitted outside of the Department, if you do not wish for your child’s details to be included, please let me know.

Information and fact sheets are available to help you make a decision from the:

Alternatively, if you have any queries about the collection or use of this data I encourage you to contact me.

Craig Gallagher
Acting Head of Special Education Services

Healthy Lifestyles and Interact Trivia Night Success

On Thursday, 18 May the Healthy Lifestyles and Interact Trivia night was held. It was a fast paced fun night full of awesome food, laughs and of course trivia. The night was held in support of IAfrika and our aim was to raise $1500 to help them purchase new playground equipment for the boys. We are extremely proud to announce that the night raised in excess of $2200 and we currently still have one more raffle that will be drawn on the last full school assembly of the term on Thursday 22 June.

Congratulations goes out to the winning adult team "Total Recall" and student team “Power Rangers” with very close finishes in both categories. Total Recall won by a point with two teams in second place.

The final raffle that is still in progress, with thanks to MotorOne includes:

1st Prize: A night for two at the Marriott Surfers Paradise in a Junior Suite with Breakfast and Dinner included.
2nd Prize: A bottle of Moet & Chandon
3rd Prize: A $50 Bunnings voucher

Tickets can still be purchased at the front office of the school from Helen or alternatively please contact Danielle Gardiner on 5554 0333.

A very big thank you goes out to the following supporters who donated prizes for the night:

• Dreamworld
• Nobby’s Beach Gourmet Meats
• Zarraffa’s – Miami One
• Noodle Box – Miami One
• Bond University
• Baskin Robins – Mermaid Beach
• Salon Indulge
• A Body 2 Fit
• Nobby’s Surf Club
• Currumbin Wildlife sanctuary
• MotorOne
• Amina Pest Control
• Pacific Ave Fruit Markets
• Air Factory
• Burleigh Bears
• Oporto – Robina Town Centre
• Tangalooma Island Resort
• Anaconda
• Paramount indoor rock climbing

I am extremely amazed and proud of the efforts of all students involved in both the Healthy Lifestyles class and the Interact Club. They were all involved in helping preparing food, setting up tables, promotions of the event and the smooth running of the evening with serving, marking answer sheets and selling raffle tickets. It was an awesome job and your efforts have helped make a difference in so many young people’s lives.

Danielle Gardiner
Healthy Lifestyles teacher

Healthy Lifestyles and Interact Trivia Night Success

Miami High Dance Xtreme 2017

The Dance Xtreme Program, now in its 12th year is designed as an extension program in Dance enabling students to further develop their abilities, undertake workshops with professional choreographers, showcase Miami High, compete at eisteddfods and foster primary links. The Dance Xtreme Students underwent a three-phase audition process to demonstrate their diversity as dancers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the dancers who auditioned for their efforts. Students of the program are committed to an extensive rehearsal schedule, weekly lessons during lunch hours, competition at an elite level and the opportunity to teach primary students. On Thursday 18 May, at a special presentation on assembly, the students were formally introduced and presented with their Miami High Dance Xtreme kit followed by the announcement of the 2017 Miami High Dance Xtreme Captain, Angelique Giuffre. The 2017 Dance Xtreme students are: Jazmin O’Hare, Kayla Allen, Shanti Vanderstaay, Sienna Follan, India Vergotis, Savannah McDonald, Elise Eades, Ella Cooper, Sienna Kearns, Lilla Dennett, Lily Grant, Mia Bella Penfold and Alex Palmer.

The 2017 Dance Xtreme Team

Ms Miranda van’t Hof
Artistic Director I Dance Xtreme Program

Miami Netball Hosted Friendly Match with Victorian School

The Year 10 Miami Blue netball team hosted a friendly netball match against Hallam College Victoria on Wednesday 31 May. The College has a large Netball Academy, and playing the visiting team was a great opportunity for Miami to showcase our netball talent. It was a tough, physical match. Miami was up in the first quarter, and held strong in the second. However, Hallam showed their experience and came back strongly in the second half to win the match 25-14. The team enjoyed the opportunity to play an interstate school, and students enjoyed watching the match during break. We hope that next year Hallam College will visit us again for a rematch.

Congratulations to our Year 10 Miami Blue team, Sophie Chivers, Lucinda Emerton, Rylee Fogg, Boston Jackson, Campbell Keogh, Kayla McFadden, Belinda Maher, Paris Mohr and Alysha Davis (absent) for a great effort on the day and over the season. The team recently won GIPSA Cup and went on to finish second in the Gold Coast Finals. Well done to the team.

Miami Blue Netball team in action against Hallum College from Victoria

Year 12 Student Gets High Distinction at Bond University Business Extension Program

Congratulations to Year 12 student, Kendall Wilson, who has received second place in the Bond University Year 12 Business Extension Program. The program is comprised of a series of workshops which offer a unique opportunity for students to expand their understanding of the business world and be exposed to university life. During these workshops students spend the day at the university participating in lectures and discussions, culminating in a short piece of assessment which they completed on the day. Kendall received an overall grade of High Distinction and has been offered a $5,000 bursary to go towards her study at Bond University in 2018. Well done Kendall!

Kendall Wilson with her High Distinction certificate from Bond University

Emilija Temelkoska
Business Teacher

International News

Lizen Study Tour – 23 May to 9 June.

Lizen students came to visit our school for the eleventh year running and had a tremendous time. On their first day we give them a welcome morning tea consisting of Lamingtons, Meat Pies, chicken pie and vegetarian pizza from our local bakery.

The Lizen Study tour went smoothly and they all enjoyed time with their Miami SHS buddies and experiencing our Australian culture. Thank you to all host families who did a fantastic job taking care of the Lizen students, they had a fantastic time.

Visual Art, AIP and Media Updates

Mr Berton’s Year 8 Visual Art class have been sampling a variety of creative areas. This term they are deep into understanding Photoshop. The students extended themselves in to animating their Titlepage work with the addition of a music sound-bite. Ending the term will see the students creating individual characters and placing to a simple 10 to 15 second Flash animation.

This semester Mr Berton’s Year 11s have undertaken an Illustrator tutorial to provide them with a foundation from which they could successfully complete their first task, “Visuals Words”. This was followed by DreamMusic whereby they participated in a Photoshop workshop, to learn the basics, and then carried this over to generate a visual music clip to a song of their choice. The Semester will see them take into Term 3 the creation of a digital T-Shirt. From this they could potentially initiate a money making venture by establishing a virtual shop from a T-Shirt printing website, and having global customers select and purchase T-Shirt designs.

The Year 9s have been experiencing the expanse of what Media can offer. From learning Illustrator to a high degree, then generating bar graphs and pie charts with data generated from sample questions, using Illustrator. Moving into Photoshop and learning about the Changes in Context via Media outlets, and Visuals used. Finalising the Semester with the creation of advertisements to sell an imaginary product in a convincing manner. The students have an understanding of the persuasive influences of colour, fonts, images, layout and composition.

Mr Berton’s Year 12s launched the year with warm-up project called “Aspirations Poster”. The students have been creating a visual life plan of what they realistically hope to achieve. This was followed by Cartoon Me, generating a caricature of them in Illustrator, and then taking this over to flash as “Animate Me”, a 15 second animation with sound effects and sound track. Utilising Audacity as a music editing tool, the students will simply modify their sound track to suit their needs. Ending this term, students will generate examples for the school’s yearbook cover. Reflecting on what was learned last year with a vastly more in-depth version of this, they will become autonomous in the making and producing of artwork – more in line with industry expected digital finish art files.

Graphic Design

We are so pleased to announce that two of our Year 12 Graphic Design students have been successful in their application for sponsored positions at the Architectural Workshop run by Kahn Neil of Neil Design at Griffith University. Congratulations go to Kira Hutchings and Mikaela Nugent. We look forward to seeing the work they do.

Karissa Wartman
Teacher

Mathematics Department

As Term 2 draws to a close, we have students currently undertaking their final assessment for the Semester. I am very proud of our hardworking Mathematics students and Teachers. Teachers have been tracking student improvement from 2016 through to 2017 and there have been some outstanding increases. As always the effort in the classroom and at home is the key to these improvements.

On 1 June our Year 11 Mathematics B students had their External Assessment Trial exam. This exam consisted of 2 x one hour papers and was supervised by a Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) invigilator and Grant Webster (Head of Department – Senior Schooling) along with the teaching team. I would like to acknowledge our Mathematics B Teachers – Wendy Harrison, Andrew Farrugia, and Kasey Hardman for their work on the day and the quality teaching preparation for this item. Well done! This item is marked online by accredited assessors around the State and we look forward to the results in July.

Maths Club has been a massive success this term and we will start afresh in Term 3. Remember every Tuesday 3:00-4:00pm in the Library. I recommend all students should come along and get involved.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the team of 32 Teachers in the Mathematics Department for their quality work in growing student outcomes and creating positive learning environments.

Have a great holiday and have a well-deserved rest!

Todd Campbell
Mathematics Head of Department

Shooters Video Club - Lip Sync Battle is back!

It's time to grab your air guitars and invisible microphones and sign up to compete in this year’s M’Oscars Lip Sync Battle. Or you can come on down to the Great Hall for a bit of a laugh as you watch Miami High’s favourite teachers and students go head to head for the chance to be crowned this year’s Lip Sync champion. Crowd favourites such as Mr Hardman and Mr Mckillop will be returning as well as a few surprise entries. This is an event not to be missed!

When: 12:55pm on Thursday 3 August
(Week 4, Term 3)
Where: Miami Great Hall
Entry fee: Gold Coin Donation (all proceeds help fund this year’s M’Oscars Film Festival

Lucy Carr
Film and Television Teacher

Geography - Learning in the Real World

Geography students have commenced a study in 'Managing Coastal Systems' this term and are investigating the management practices at Burleigh Beach. Recently they applied their learning to the real world of Geography where they did a number of activities in their lesson. These included identifying vegetation and the role they play in dune stabilisation, (vegetation quadrant) as well line sketches of the beach and wave identification.

Students were supervised by their classroom teacher (Terri Barton-Thomas) as well as Pre Service Teacher (Jack Saville from University of Queensland).

Terri Barton-Thomas
Humanities Department

Geography students applying their knowledge in real life scenarios

Careers Evening

A reminder that the Miami State High School Careers Evening takes place on 20 July. A QTAC presentation will be held in the library at 6.00pm followed by the Careers Evening in the Great Hall. This is valuable information for parents of students in Years 9 – 12. All welcome.

Careers Evening 20 July from 6pm in the Great Hall

SEP News

SEP Sport students have enjoyed four activity-filled Fridays this term visiting Broadwater Parklands in Southport and the All Abilities Playground in Broadbeach as well as a tour of the Gold Coast Airport and exclusive access to the international badminton event the TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre (the soon to be home of the 2018 Commonwealth Games). Students took part in yoga practice and bocce games on the lawn, giving students opportunities to socialise with their peers while learning some new skills! Badminton Queensland hosted our attendance for the semi-final rounds of this international event, providing a tour of the state of the art complex, a badminton lesson and practise session and first-class seats for and exciting afternoon of playoffs. Our students relished the chance to watch and play this fast and exciting sport and were very pleased to receive a badminton racquet kit to bring back to school so they can continue to improve their badminton skills.

SEP sport students enjoying their activities during Term2

Craig Gallagher
HOSES

Miami Wins Inaugural GIPSA Senior Chess Championships

2017 saw chess be included in the GIPSA competition for the first time. Nearly 100 players visited Miami SHS's library each round of sport to do mental battle on the black and white board as convenor Matt Smith, chess coach Peter McCosker, and the Miami Chess Club were hosting the GIPSA competition. The players were divided into junior and senior divisions and played at least 5 games each every round. Team scores were calculated by adding up the wins of each school’s top 4 players on the day. Two Miami junior players managed to win all of their matches during early rounds with Year 7 player, Keane Furge, being undefeated in Round 1 and Year 9 player, Pavlik Yakhnitsia, in Round 4. On finals day both our junior and senior teams played excellent and daring matches. Our junior team of Keane, Pavlik, James Holman and Kate Mahon, placed second on count back after tying on points with Helensvale for first place. Our senior team of Michael Goodman, Blake Doupain, Eden McDonald and Tiger Tukapua dominated the finals and won decisively with a total score of 17.5 out of 20 possible wins. Amazing result. Tiger was our only Miami undefeated player on finals day wining all 5 of his matches, well done! A big thank you to all the players, student helpers and teachers that made GIPSA Chess 2017 a success! Any players interested in chess are invited to come check out the Miami Chess Club, Thursday's at 1:00 in K08.

In May, Miami Chess participated in the Gold Coast High School Chess Championships at Kings Christian College. 22 players played seven rounds of games and the Miami team of Jake O'Neil, Blake Doupain, Eden McDonald and Pavlik Yakhnitsia won 1st place in the B grade division. Top individual results were had by Jake O'Neil and Blake Doupain who won 1st and 2nd place medals on top of their team result. All players had wins and a great day! Congratulations.

Matt Smith
Chess Coordinator

Members of the Chess club who represented the school at the Gold Coast High School Chess Championships in May.

Miami Girls Pave the Way for Girls AFL

This term has seen the Miami SHS girls compete at both the AFL Gala day and AFL Q Cup Competition. Both the Junior and Senior teams were very successful and won their round games convincingly. However, in the Grand Final, our junior team were defeated by Varsity College and our senior team defeated by Southport SHS. Although the girls will not proceed through to the next level of the Q cup, Miss Innes and Miss McGinniskin are very impressed with the girls enthusiasm, passion for footy and skill development in such a short time. It is not over however. Please watch this space in 2017 for AFL at Miami SHS.

I would also like to recognise Jyrah Bradfield, Amy Emerton, Liv and Jesse Stephenson and Teagan Levi who recently represented South Coast at the U16 Girls State AFL Championships in Maroochydore. Congratulations to Liv who was selected to represented QLD and Jesse Stephenson who was named as a shadow player. These girls are really making a name for themselves in female footy and are excellent role models for up and coming AFL players. Good luck girls!

Pippa McGinniskin
Girls AFL Coach

Eggplants Win Lunchtime Junior Soccer Competition

Congratulations to Mr Marshall and the Eggplants for taking out the Junior Soccer Competition at lunch. After being undefeated all term the Eggplants and Peter Pants couldn’t be separated after normal and extra time so we went to a penalty shoot-out with the Eggplants coming out with the victory! The atmosphere down at the oval was fantastic with so many students coming down to cheer on both teams.

In Term 3, the house captains and Sports Coordinator, Jessica Roe, will be running a lunch time Touch Football competition. More details to follow next term.

Industry Liaison Officer’s Report

TAFE Direct Entry and Scholarship Application 2018

Year 12 students can now secure their place into any Diploma program commencing in Semester 1, 2018 at TAFE. Applications can be completed online at: studentrego.com (CODE –TAFE9) until 18 August 2017.

To view other courses offered visit the link below. Diploma courses with specific application requirements are Music Industry, Graphic Design, Photography and Photo Imaging.

In addition, achieve you career goals with the help of a $5,000 TAFE Scholarship! Applications open from 17 July until 18 August 2017.

Gold Coast Trades College (GCTC) July 2017 Courses

VET in School mid-year intake is offered by GCTC and enrolment is now open for Year 10, 11 and 12 students until end of June. To enrol visit the link below or call 07 5669 9000. Below are the courses offered for the July intake:

• Cert 1 Construction + Cert II Resources and Infrastructure Work Prep combined
• Cert II Automotive Preparation
• Cert II Horticulture/Rural Operations
• Cert II in Electrotechnology

2017 South East Region School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship (SAT) Awards

The SAT Awards are about recognising the training excellence of our students while participating in a school based apprenticeship or traineeship. This is a prestigious award event participated in by SAT students from different state schools in the region. Winners will be announced during the SER SAT Awards Night to be held in August 2017.

I am very proud of the following SAT students who have expressed interest in being nominated for the award. These students have responded to the selection criteria, worked with me in completing their requirements for the awards and met with Mr Cross for their school references.

• Jack Bowker – Cert III in Business and Cert III Electrotechnology
  Employers: Bunnings Warehouse & MB Electrical
• Chaise-Talea Jones Mckay – Cert III in Early Childhood Education and Care
  Employer: A Headstart Early Education Childcare Centre
• Grace Pemberton – Cert III in Business
  Employer: My Jewellery Shop, Nobby Beach
• Amie Radburn – Cert III in Business
  Employer: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Ms Susan Millett, Work Education Coordinator and SEP Teacher also submitted an application for:

• Blair McKenzie – Cert II In Retail
  Employer: Woolworths, Stockland Burleigh Heads

Students’ Testimonials on GC Hospital Workshop

This year, 20 students were scheduled to attend the Health Workshops at the GC Hospital. Workshops started in February and run until October this year. Seventeen Miami students attended during the 1st semester and the rest will be in the 2nd semester. During the workshop, career presentations were conducted in the fields of Medicine, Nursing, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Social Worker and Physiotherapy including simulation activities. Kyla and Grace wrote the following reviews which were forwarded to the GC Hospital education team:

Kyla Haybittle, Year 12:

Coming to the Robina hospital workshop has really helped me decide on what my future in nursing consists of! The workshop provided so much knowledge and information on working in health. I would like to thank all the other presenters on the day for helping me in choosing the right pathway, especially Val. As I would love to specialise in mental health nursing, she really opened my eyes as to what mental health nursing is. Overall, the day was very informative and fun, and I would recommend this to anybody looking into studying health.

Grace Curtis, Year 12:

The GC Health Workshop was an enlightening experience that allowed us to gain knowledge and experience as to what it would be like to work in the health industry. The most interesting and valuable part was hearing from 5 fourth-year medicine students. They discussed the different pathways they each took to study medicine and the dedication required to work 40 hours of unpaid work a week. Additionally, the simulation of someone going into cardiac arrest provided a more practical application of some of the skills we had learnt. Overall, it was a day filled with interesting and educational speakers and it is something I would definitely recommend.

School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships

For current positions, students are encouraged to check the board outside the Industry Liaison Office/Library. A casual or part-time job can become a school-based traineeship or apprenticeship. There are great reasons and benefits for both students and employers in doing so. Visit the industry office to check how this can be done.

Floribel Legaspi
Industry Liaison Officer

MVP Memberships Grows

The Miami Valued Partners program continues to grow in support. If you have been considering joining us, register online at the link below or contact Mr Jason Cross at 5554-0333 for more information. Thank you to those who have signed up to join the MVP program.

Need for Feed

We are excited to announce that the popular Diabetes Queensland school cooking program Need for Feed is coming to our school! Kids all across Queensland are participating in this “hands on” program and it is now available for up to 15-20 lucky students’ in Years 7 to 10.

Wellbeing Update

COMPASSIONATE CITIES PROJECT

With all the world events that have occurred lately at home and overseas, now it is even more important we show compassion to each other to build a strong community.

Here at Miami we are running our Compassionate Cities Project in conjunction with Griffith University and Gold Coast City Council. This is called the Miami Movement and is a short film competition open to all schools on the Gold Coast, primary and secondary, private and state. We would like to encourage as many students and families to get involved as possible to shoot a short film and enter the competition. The theme is Compassion. This can be displayed as a bullying theme, domestic violence theme, random acts of kindness, helping a friend in need, supporting family and friends, or a multicultural theme.

With the Commonwealth Games next year, we would like to think of the Gold Coast as a Compassionate City. The best place to start is with our school community.

Please join together and grab a camera and submit your short film.

Please find the attached entry details.

Thanks for your support.

PARENT NIGHT

Thanks to all the parents that attended our Parent Information Evening on 6 June with Dr Clive Jones. The feedback has been very positive about the strategies discussed to assist in developing parenting skills. Next term we hope to have the Police task for ARGOS to speak on internet safety. More information to follow in the July newsletter, Facebook and School App.

WELLBEING TIP

This past week was Random Acts of Kindness week at the school. Research has shown that by doing an act of kindness improves our own wellbeing. The acts that give the most satisfaction involved relationship building and the possibility of reciprocation. Do an act of kindness for someone you know and enjoy the benefits.

‘The neuroscience and social science research is clear: kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness. Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it. Kindness is an emotion that students feel and empathy is a strength that they share’

(Patty O'Grady Ph.D. Positive Psychology in the Classroom)

52 ways of showing random acts of kindness are listed below. Give it a go! Enjoy your week.

News from Chappy

Welcome to the second 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.

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.

Shane Scott
Chaplain

Have Some Mooch Time

Hint 2 for Creating Resilient Families

We live in a world that suffers from attention deficit disorder. We rush children from activity to activity, from lesson to lesson and from one organised event to another. Then we wonder why, when there is a lull that they say “I’m bored”. Be a counter-revolutionary. Find some time each week to be at home without anything structured happening. Quiet times allow children to develop creativity and ingenuity.

When was the last time you did nothing for 10mins? A good TED talk to watch on meditation and learn a mindfulness activity can also be found on You Tube.

Jamie’s Ministry of Food Cooking Education Program is on its way to Burleigh Heads!

Jamie’s Ministry of Food state of the art mobile kitchen will be facilitating fun and inspiring cooking courses from the 22nd June for participants aged 12 to 112.

Jamie’s Ministry of Food aims to equip participants with simple skills and food knowledge so that they can live happier, healthier lives. The Mobile Kitchen will be running two 5-week cooking courses in Burleigh Heads from 22nd June – 26th July and again from 27th July – 30th August. As a not-for-profit organisation, the cost of classes is heavily subsidised with concession card holders paying $10 per class (includes children under 16), students $15 per class, and full-fee participants paying $20. The classes run for 90 minutes and are completely hands on, with participants enjoying a meal during the class as well as taking enough food home for at least two people.

Over the last five years the mobile kitchen has been running we have had a large number of school groups and community organisations attend the cooking program. The kitchen is well equipped to cater for groups of up to 12 people from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities. Please don’t hesitate to contact our head office on (03) 9282 9100, for further information or to book a group in.

A case-study on the experience of Ipswich Region Home Schoolers can be found at the link below. If you’d like any further information on the program you can find information on the website.

T&Cs apply. Please read.

School Holiday Programs on Offer

Thrower House in Palm Beach offers free school holiday programs for young persons aged 12-17 years old. Their GCCC funded holiday program is run every weekday from 9am-5pm during the school holidays. Thrower House is also a youth drop in centre during the school term where young people come to socialise and even have something to eat.

Other school holiday programs are available at various locations around the Gold Coast. Click on the links to find one closest to you.

Kids and the Media - Worried? Sad? Hurt? Upset?

Tips that could help...

Children and young people have access to lots of social media, TV, movies and games. While the wonderful array of content available offers many positive learning opportunities, there is some content that may have potentially harmful effects on young people.

Keeping an eye on what media children and young people are accessing, and any changes in their behaviour, is a good way to help avoid any long-term worries down the track.

Kids Helpline (KHL) has put together Tip Sheets that suggest ways to help manage worry and concerns some may experience due to exposure to some media content. The three sheets are audience specific for:

• children
• teenagers and young adults, and
• teachers and parents.

They include tips about managing individual worries and about how to help others.

KHL is Australia's only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.

Talking with KHL can help. We're here 24/7. Any time. Any reason. Free call 1800 55 1800 or click the link below:

Girls Empowering Program

A 3 Day Holiday Empowering Girls Program will be taking place in the school holidays from 28 – 30 June for girls aged 13-15 years of age at 50 Fairways Drive, Clear Island Waters Qld 4226. The program includes fun interactive activities such as Self-defence and Yoga. The program also covers: Self Esteem, Body Image, Healthy Relationships, Communications Skills, Assertiveness and handling Stress. Morning tea, lunch & afternoon tea provided.

Please view attached flyer with relevant information below. Get in early as numbers are limited. Phone 5527 7211 for enrolment forms and to place your name on the expressions of interest sheet. Feel free to contact us with any questions

Dannielle Trainor or Kat Summerfield
Child and Family Practitioner | Gold Coast Region - Centacare

Tea Making for Teens

The Broadbeach Library organises a variety of interesting activities for children and teenagers both in and out of the school holidays. Looking for ideas this school holiday, why not visit your local library?

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 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