14 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

A very warm welcome to our entire school community to what will be a very exciting school year. We have had a very smooth start to the year and I take this opportunity to thank the many staff who worked prior to day 1 to ensure we were ready from the first bell.

To both our returning and new families I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and summer break with family and friends and are rejuvenated for the year ahead.

Senior School Performance

It is with pleasure that I report that the seniors of 2017 have achieved a continuation of the outstanding academic results that Miami achieves. I am thrilled to announce that 100% of our Year 12 students obtained their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and 87% of our OP students achieved an OP of 1-15, which means that they will more than likely be offered a tertiary position at university. In addition 17% of students received an OP of 1-5 which is above the states achievement.

This is a testament to the hard work of all staff involved and the commitment to connecting with and investing in every student.

2018 Student Leader Investiture

It is at the beginning of every school year that we hold our Student Leader Investiture Ceremony which will be held on Friday 23 February 2018. During this assembly we take the opportunity to officially recognise our Student Leaders for 2018. I have every confidence in their ability to perform in these roles and I know each of them will grow significantly in their leadership capability. It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you our Student Leaders for 2018:

Executive Student Leaders

Captains – Adam Puetter and Lauryn Nelson
Vice Captains – Isaac Singh and Emily Campbell
President of the Student Council – Kobi Rankin
Vice Presidents – Divisha Tirumalasetti
House Captains Alinta – Shay Ngati and Ryan Charteris
House Captains Bindana – Becks Cassidy and Blade Rose
House Captains Iluka – Rekayah Dever and Ryan MacKenzie
House Captains Rakumba – Taya Hosking and James Blackman

Student Representatives

As the applications for Student Representative positions are still being processed we will be announcing the Student Representatives for 2018 in the March Newsletter.

Ambassadors

International Ambassadors – Connor Brooks and Pia Plagens
Indigenous Ambassadors – Taiga Skye Rogers and Talua Lui

Band Captains

Concert Band – Briley Claridades and Tayla Buckland
Contemporary Band – Amira Aboukoura and Jake Alabaster

I encourage all families and community members to continue to connect with staff and myself so that together we can continue to ensure that every child reaches their full potential.

On behalf of Miami High staff we look forward to working with you in 2018.

Mrs Sue Dalton
Principal

Dates to Remember

Introducing New and Returning Staff

Our school welcomed a handful of new and returning members to the team at Miami State High School at the beginning of 2018. Here is a list of new and returning friendly faces you are bound to meet in our school grounds.

Urgent Photo Day Information

Year 7, 8 & 9 – Friday 16th of February

Please take time to read the relevant information on the MSP Photography order envelopes and remember these helpful points:

• Ensure your order is placed by photo day to avoid any late fees.
• Ordering online using your child’s Unique Shoot Key is the easiest, safest and most secure way to order. If you do not know their Unique Shoot Key, please call the MSP number below.
• If enclosing a payments inside and envelope, please ensure the correct money is provided as no change is given. Cash, cheques and money orders are accepted.
• Don’t seal envelopes inside each other. You can pay for all children in one envelope, however each child needs to have their own envelope on photo day. Please indicate on the child’s envelope that contains all sibling payments and the names of the children you are paying for.

For any enquiries, please feel free to contact us on:
Email: admin@gcnr@msp.com.au
Phone: 07 5668 9110 Fax: 07 5520 2900

MSP Photography

Parent/ Student/ Teacher Interviews

Monday 19th February 2018 (2.00pm to 7.30pm)
Miami Great Hall

In 2018, Miami State High School will continue our proactive model in regards to the scheduling of Parent Teacher Interviews. The focus of the individual interviews will be about:

• “This is what your student has been learning”,
• “This is what they will be learning” and
• “This will be their upcoming assessment.”

Bookings can be made online through the SOBS program. Please refer to the Instructions for Accessing Online Bookings on the school's website.

Parents and Citizens Association Meet & Greet Evening

The P&C wish to invite parents, family members and members of the school community to join them for a Meet & Greet evening on Tuesday 20th February in Callinan’s located upstairs in D Block from 7:00pm – 9:00pm.

We welcome and encourage new members to come and be a part of a wonderful and very informative P & C Association. No need to fear as there is no fundraising involved. You are also not expected to hold an Executive Position as just actively participating is a fantastic way to meet other like-minded people and at the same time become more aware and informed of school activities. Miami High encourages parent and community input on school issues so this is an open invitation to contribute to these important discussions.

Rachael Hori
P & C Secretary

Year 12 Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test Information

This year the QCS test is on Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5st of September 2018. In our preparation for the test, Year 12 students have been given a letter outlining the additional preparation program which will again involve partnering with Mighty Minds Educational Consultants to deliver our Master Classes and for practice test feedback. This is an exciting opportunity for the students and has proven to be extremely beneficial to their performance on the QCS Test. Due to changes with the rescheduling of GIPSA Interschool Sport this year for the Commonwealth Games, the QCS program will be also delivered during GIPSA School Sport days in Term 2 and 3 from 8.45am until 1.00pm. At 1.00pm students will be dismissed, however, if they are unable to go home at this time, they are able to study in the Library until 2.50pm. Furthermore on Wednesday morning QCS Extension lessons will be offered from 8.00-8.40am for Term 1 and 2 in the Library Media rooms. The Learning Intention of these lessons is to target responding to traditionally difficult Short Response and Multiple Choice questions. After such great results last year, we again look forward to preparing your son or daughter for the best possible results in the QCS test.

Grant Webster
Head of Department – Senior Schooling

International News

This year we have welcomed 29 new International students to our school community and to the MSHS international program. Most of the students are here for a 6 or 12 months and are staying in Homestay. After this year’s intake we now have 49 International students from 13 different nationalities here at Miami High!

Last week our new international students attended the GCISA Welcome at Bond University and Study Gold Coast even organised for them to meet Borobi the Commonwealth Games Mascot. This is just the start of what is going to be a very exciting year for our International Program.

International News

Maths News

Well it has been a lightning fast start to 2018 in the Mathematics Department with some interesting changes from 2017.

This year all Mathematics and Science Teachers are located in E block staffroom enhancing our daily operations and providing a one stop shop for student enquiries regarding all mathematics and science subjects. In another exciting development in 2018 nearly every Mathematics class is now based in D Block and C Block. This has enabled effective use of resources and a home base for classes.

A reminder that Maths Club is on every Tuesday afternoon from 3:00 – 4:00pm with a change in location – D Block. I would like to invite all students to come along and be part of this strong academic culture. I would especially like to extend an invitation to our Year 7 & 10 students who have been showing an enthusiastic interest in some extra support – well done! We had 15 students in our first week and there is always room for anyone who needs help! This a great opportunity that many students have expressed thanks for, with teachers offering assistance in study, homework, exam preparation and assessment items.

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind parents and students of the need for a scientific calculator in every lesson. Phones cannot be used during exams – so I recommend the standard Casio FX-82AU PLUS ii. Mathematics B and C students in year 11 and 12 have a graphics calculator requirement.

We are looking forward to another strong year in the mathematics department with an overarching focus on high expectations; particularly regarding effort in the classroom and at home. I encourage everyone to get involved with the positive Mathematics culture here at Miami State High School!

Todd Campbell
Head of Department – Mathematics

Stellar Mathematics – NRL Data Analytics Project

We are very excited to announce a partnership between the NRL and Miami State High School.

STELLAR students in Year 7, 8, and 9 will be working through a variety of differentiated Statistics tasks involving NRL data.

NRL Secondary School Project Officer, Brett Reese has been working with STELLAR Mathematics staff to develop an engaging project for students to be run parallel to our standard mathematics curriculum.

There will be many interesting opportunities for students and we are proud to be the first trial school in Australia with our Academic Excellence classes. Stay tuned for more details about the program and the official launch.

Rob Petersen – Dean of Students – Enrichment
Michelle Flynn – HOD Junior Secondary
Todd Campbell – HOD Mathematics

Miami SHS World Tunnel Ball Championship

What a way to kick off the sporting year at Miami SHS. Our annual World Tunnel Ball afternoon was a smashing success with all students supporting their house. Congratulations to Alinta for winning the first interschool sporting event of the year!

World Tunnel Ball Championship

Pacific School Games Success for Miami High Students

Last December in the final week of the school year, six Miami SHS students went to Adelaide to compete at the Pacific School Games, representing Queensland. Four students, Ruben Rees, Kaiden Hubbard, Max Kennedy and Tasmyn Askew were there for Swimming. Emily Gauld for Touch Football and Blade Rose for Athletics.

All students represented Miami and Queensland proudly and some phenomenal results were achieved.

Kaiden Hubbard

1st 200m butterfly
1st 200m backstroke
1st 400m Individual Medley
In the 400m Individual medley Kaiden broke the PSG record by a massive 3 seconds.

Ruben Rees

2nd 400m Freestyle

Max Kennedy

1st 50m Breaststroke
1st 100m Breaststroke
1st 4 x 50 Medley Relay
3rd 200m Individual Medley
3rd 200m Freestyle
3rd 50m Backstroke
3rd 4 x 50 Free Relay

Blade Rose went to Adelaide also to represent Queensland in the Athletics. Blade had a very successful meet with the following results:

6th 1500m
7th 2km Steeple chase
2nd 400m Swedish Relay

Emily Gauld was another Queensland Representative playing in the Girls U12 Touch Football Team. Emily’s team won Gold going through the competition undefeated.

Oceanic Trial Information

Oceanic trials have begun for many sports and these are being advertised to students in daily notices and on the school Facebook page.

If your student is interested in trialling for an Oceanic team they need to see Miss Gardiner in D Block staffroom for an Oceanic Permission Form.

This year South Coast School Sport have made the decision that all permission and details booklets must be completed electronically before being signed by parents and the Sports Coordinator prior to the trial dates.

The South Coast booklet can be found at the following address:

This document can be saved and reprinted multiple times throughout the year if your student wishes to trial for multiple teams. If your student is selected in the Oceanic team then a $20 electronic payment directly to South Coast; more information will be handed out the trials.

Miami’s Muay Thai Champion

Year 12 Student Britney Dolheguy over the holidays won the U17 Girls National Muay Thai Championships here on the Gold Coast. Britney will now go to Cancun, Mexico to compete at the World Titles. Congratulations Britney on a fantastic result!

AFL Umpire Academy

Our school is now a venue for the AFL Umpiring Academy for Miami SHS female students interested in becoming an umpire. It is a 6 Week Program held here at the Miami SHS Oval on Thursdays beginning in Week 4 on 15 March. It runs from 3:15pm- 4:15pm with students being able to earn $70 umpiring a game when qualified. Any questions see Miss McGinniskin in D Block staffroom.

AFL Q Cup Junior Female State Champions

Throwback to 2016! This was the year that our year 7, 8 and 9 junior AFL girl’s team won the inaugural AFL Q Cup in Maroochydore. These girls showed determination through several round games to make it to grand final.

Any students in year 7, 8, 9 (girls and boys) and year 10,11,12 (girls) interested in trialling for this years AFL Q Cup team, please express your interest on the sign on sheet outside D block staffroom. Trials for such teams will be held later this term.

Good luck to all teams in 2018.

2018 Miami SHS Girls Rugby 7’s tournament

11/12 Drama in Practice

It's a new year in a new room for our drama students who have all settled in nicely forming a Performing Arts hub in the dance studio for 2018. The combined year 11 and 12 Drama in Practice students have leaped into their Semester 1 unit studying Physical Theatre with great enthusiasm and are now working through Anne Bogart’s nine Viewpoints in a series of workshops.

Miranda van’t Hof – 11/12 DRP Teacher

Year 11 & 12 Drama in Practice

Dance Excellence 2018

The Miami High Dance Studio is a hive of activity with students engaging in all areas of dance from curriculum to extracurricular. It’s definitely the place to be in 2018! Summer workshops during lunch are on offer for all students and include stretch, cardio, hip hop, acro dance and contemporary dance. The workshops are both student and teacher led with a focus on fun and enjoyment. You don’t have to be a Dance Excellence student to participate in these as all students are welcome!

The Year 8 Dance Excellence students and Year 9 Dance students have participated in class workshops by industry professionals from RAW Company. These have included hip hop and jazz genres supporting the students’ curriculum learning this term.

Dance Excellence 2018

Miami High Dance Xtreme Auditions

The Dance Xtreme Program is designed as an extension program in Dance undertaken during sport and Friday lunch, enabling students to further develop their abilities, participate in workshops with professional choreographers, showcase Miami High, compete at Eisteddfods and foster primary links. A sign on will occur during second break on Friday 2 March in the dance studio with auditions for the program to begin on Monday 5 March (Week 7). Interested students are required to prepare a 1-2 minute audition piece in the genre of their choice that best demonstrates their technical ability and diversity as dancers. Students selected to progress onto the second phase of the audition process will be required to learn a contemporary dance sequence in the choreographic style of the Artistic Director. The third phase of the audition process will require these students to perform the contemporary choreography taught. Students gaining selection in the 2018 program will be announced at the end of the third audition phase on 8 March. A formal presentation will then follow on a full school Assembly at a date to be announced.

Dance Auditions for Crews

Miami is very proud to offer a wide range of opportunities for students to participate in dance through a number of groups which rehearse during lunch. The following auditions will occur this term:

MDA (Miami Dance Acrobatics) – Week 8 Monday & Tuesday
MGC (Years 7-12 Girls) – Week 9 Monday & Tuesday

Auditions will occur during second lunch and will require students to learn and perform in small groups a sequence taught by the crew leaders.

Miranda van’t Hof
Experienced Senior Teacher - Dance

MSHS Early Departure Policy

We, at Miami State High School, value the education of your students and believe that every lesson is crucial to the academic success of our students. As a result, we wish to remind parents and students of our Early Departure Policy as outlined on page 6 of our Student Planner (see below).

If a student requires an early departure from school, they must:

• Present a note from their parent/carer requesting permission to leave school to their Dean of Students for approval prior to 8:45am
• Once the note is signed, the student takes it to the Student Services office to collect a leave pass
• Please be aware that any other early departure from school needs to be approved by a Deputy Principal

Miami Valued Partners Program 2018

The Miami Valued Partners (MVP) Program is a school initiative that was founded in 2017 to make use of partnerships with local businesses and community organisations. Our school has a proud history of providing students with every opportunity to reach their full potential and we recognise the important contribution that community-minded businesses and individuals can play in supporting our efforts in this regard.

As the MVP program enters its second year we would like to say a big thank you to all those who have been involved. The level of support that the program has received is a testament to the strength of our community.

2018 is going to be a very exciting year for the program and we look forward to both continuing our existing partnerships and fostering new partnerships.

Are you interested being a part of this exciting program?

Miami State High School would like to invite our families and school community to be a part of our Miami Valued Partners (MVP) Program. We are seeking community-minded businesses and individuals to collaborate with our school to:

• Enrich our Junior and Senior curriculums through community business support
• Attract traineeship, apprenticeship and work experience opportunities for our students
• Access intellectual, physical and / or other resources not available within the school
• Create promotional and networking opportunities for community-minded businesses

We would like to invite our school families and community to partner with us as a ‘member’ in this venture by joining the business directory for $50 per calendar year to promote your business. Alternatively you can become a ‘supporter’ for $100 which also includes an invitation to the MVP quarterly events.

In addition to the business directory, there are four other partnership levels available for community-minded businesses to support the school with various return-on-investment opportunities. These can be discussed and negotiated with Mr Jason Cross (Deputy Principal – Senior Secondary).

For more information on partnership levels and our tailored marketing packages please visit the website below.

Catherine Crowe
Public Relations & Events Officer

Wellbeing Update

Welcome back after a restful holiday. This term we will be continuing our strong Wellbeing program with our Year 10 students participating in the Domestic Violence program Love Bites. This will run in conjunction with a careers program coordinated by our Guidance Officer, Josh Atkins. The dates for this are the 20th and 21st of February. The program runs over two days as half the cohort will complete Love Bites activities while the other half will complete the careers activities. Love Bites will presented by guest speakers from various organisations such as the Police, Nurses and other community groups. The topics covered will include what is sexual assault and what is domestic violence. Students will then participate in art and music activities associated with this theme. Love Bites has been running here for the last 3 years and has received very positive feedback from both staff and students. The careers program involves students completing set plans, attending a study skills session and talks from Tafe, Universities and the Defence Force. All students are required to attend both days, normal school uniform requirements apply.

On the 27th February, the Good Vibes day for year 11 and 12 will run. This is the first year we have combined the two year levels with the students choosing the workshops that they would like to participate in for the day. The topics available to them include: Yoga, Managing Your Finances, Car Maintenance, Home skills (ironing a shirt, sewing on a button, cooking an egg), Managing Stress and Change, Self Defence, Tips on Moving Out, Traveling Safe Overseas, Resume writing, Drug and Alcohol and Sexual Health. As the day will run to normal bell times, students are only required to choose 4 workshops. The selection of these will occur in Vibes classes. We are very excited about the set up for the senior students and full attendance is expected.

Our wellbeing programs continues to run through our Vibes program with fortnightly lessons covering the elements of wellbeing, character strengths and activities from the Student’s Learning Planner. Our first week will be Positive Engagement with focus being students establishing their learning goals for this year. This is a great conversation to have with your students to set them on a path to success.

Wellbeing Tip

After a great summer holiday we all look to making positive changes with our health. Here are some tips on how to improve our eating, courtesy of the One Green Planet website

1. Eat Berries with Breakfast
2. Eat One Green Food per Day
3. Drink a Glass of Water When You Wake Up
4. Enjoy Plain Tea & Coffee
5. Cook Your Own Meals
6. Use Herbs Instead of Salt
7. Ditch the Sugary Food

Student Absentee Line

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

Leaving Forms

Parents, please note: If you are planning on leaving the school at the end of the year, please contact Christine Nowicki at Student Services on email cnowi1@eq.edu.au or 5554-0333 for the leaving form before the close of term.

Finance Office 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

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

Translink suggests using 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.

Kellie Johnston
Business 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.

Heath Fox
Head of Student Engagement