1 July 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

The month of June has certainly been one of focus on classroom engagement to ensure our students were prepared for their upcoming assessment period. In addition many sporting and cultural events and excursions have taken place that will be reported on which you will read about in this edition. I would like to congratulate all teachers and students who feature in these success stories throughout the newsletter.

Assessment and Reporting

The past four weeks have certainly been a period of concentration for students as they prepared and embarked on their end of Semester Assessments. Soon the outcomes of assessment will be delivered in reports to all families. Upon receipt of reports all parents will have the opportunity to engage in a formal Parent/Teacher afternoon on Monday 22 July 2019. I encourage all parents to take the opportunity to engage in these interviews to work with your child’s classroom teachers to maximise opportunities for their success.

Possible Industrial Action – Thursday 18 July 2019

You may have heard this week in many media alerts that the Queensland Teachers Union have proposed Industrial Action for teachers across the State of Queensland. I can confirm that Thursday 18 July has been set for a full day of Industrial Action. I will be able to confirm with you on Tuesday 16 July if the Industrial Action will go ahead and the details surrounding school conditions for that day via all digital platforms that our school uses.

Uniform Shops Hours

Due to this time of year being low season for uniform sales the Uniform Shop will reduce its hours in Term 3 and only be open on a Monday’s and Tuesday’s from 8:00am to 1:30pm.

Thank You

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the whole Miami Community for the messages of congratulations and support I have received this past week on my Principal of the Year Award. I am very honoured to receive this award but importantly I am grateful for the people I work with in and outside the school gates that make my job so enjoyable.

On behalf of the team at Miami State High School – I wish you all a relaxing break. See you all on Monday 15 July 2019 for the commencement of Term 3.

Mrs Sue Dalton
Principal

Dates to Remember

Parent/ Teacher/ Student Interviews

Arrangements for Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews on Monday 22 July 2019

School will finish at 12:50pm on Monday 19th February 2019 to allow for Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews to commence at 2:00pm in the Great Hall.

The reason for interviews to commence at 2:00pm is to enable a greater proportion of parents and students to access individual teachers for interviews. Interviews will follow the traditional format of ten minute slots and an individual meeting per child.

Online interview bookings will open Monday 1 July 6:00a.m. to Sunday 21 July 6:00p.m. Bookings can be made using the link https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70217

Instructions for how to book online can be found at https://eq.sobs.com.au/docs/sobs-pt3-parents.pdf

These details are also available on the school website and Facebook page.

Parents are requested to make alternative transport arrangements for students on this day but please do not hesitate to contact our office on 5554 0333 should you wish your child to remain supervised until the end of a normal school day.

Katie Barber
Head of Department – Teaching and Learning

SEP Report

Inspiration!

Joe Kelleher and Andrew Van Hees are quickly becoming exceptional craftsmen in their year twelve Industry classes. They are constantly striving for their best, demonstrating excellent skills whether it be woodwork or metal work. They are also always happy to help other students and never fail in their respect to staff members.

Since their arrival to Miami State High School around 2016 it has been a challenging journey for both, however they have matured incredibly well. Joe and Andrew were not always able to give everything a go; the challenges they have faced through their teens have been tough, but they have successfully overridden them.

Through their determination and hard work, Joe and Andrew have constantly challenged their comfort zone in both Mr Schnetker’s and Mr Feigl’s classes. Working closely with them and positively reinforcing their efforts over the past 2 years, we have seen them receive higher and higher results as each term passes.

Now their talents in Industry and particularly an understanding of carpentry, are exemplary. Over the past year, these two have carefully cultivated a high level of achievement and not only in their grades. Andrew has successfully secured a 4 year hairdressing apprenticeship. Joe shed a colossal 50kgs in the space of only 6 months. I believe them both to be a massive inspiration to younger SEP students and indeed teenagers everywhere.

Mr Alex Burgess
Teacher Aide

Dance Excellence Report

Our congratulations is extended to the Year 7, 8 and 9 Dance Excellence classes who performed and competed at the 2019 Starbound Entertainers Festival on the 21 June. All students should be extremely proud of their performances, commitment, attitude and behaviour as they represented Miami High proudly and performed outstandingly. The Year 7 students rocked the stage with their teacher choreographed routine from the hit musical, ‘School of Rock’ and were awarded 2nd place. The Year 8 students performed their teacher choreographed jazz routine titled, ‘Sweet Dreams’ and although not placing in the section, the Adjudicator was extremely impressed with the level of technique performed. Our evening concluded with the contemporary/lyrical section where the Year 9 students performed their very powerful teacher choreographed routine about bullying titled, ‘Choose Kind’. With no lyrics in the music accompaniment to tell the story, it was up to the students to deliver the message through their movements and use of expressive skills. Their performance was outstanding and they were rewarded with 2nd place. The students are now looking forward to performing their award winning routines at the 2019 Dance Excel Showcase in August. These are not to be missed!

Miranda van’t Hof
Teacher - Dance

AFL Q Cup Win

Congratulations to our senior girls AFL team who convincing won all of their three games at the AFL Queensland Schools Cup regional qualifier on Monday 27th May. The team of twenty Year 10 to Year 12 girls now progress through to the Gold Coast Regional final that will be played in August in Ormeau. Best on ground went to Liv Stephenson, Teagan Levi and Lucy Single across the day, however all girls showed determination and perseverance.

In 2018, the girls were crowned the AFL Queensland Schools Cup State Champions after being undefeated the whole year. The girls are now busy preparing for the next round game in the hopes of making it all the way to finals at Maroochydore at the end of the year. Good luck girls.

Mrs Twigden
Coach

Dance Excel Showcase

2019 Miami State High School Dance Excel Showcase – We’ll Rock You

The 2019 Dance Excel Showcase will be held on the 7 August in the Miami High Great Hall. Involving over 100 students including a group of very talented state school students, the event showcases Miami High Dance Excellence, Dance Xtreme, the Dance Excellence Primary Links Program and extra-curricular crews. Refreshments will be available for purchase. We hope to see you all there for a spectacular evening of dance!

Ms Miranda van’t Hof
Teacher - Dance

Host Families Needed

For Japanese students from Yokosuka Gakuin High School - August 3rd ~ 16th

Miami State High School will host a study tour for Japanese students from August 3rd to 10th. We are looking for families to host the students for this period. The students are 16 & 17 years old.

Host families will be subsidised by $95 a night for 2 students or $65 a night for 1 student. You will be required to supply 3 meals a day, transport to and from school and a warm, friendly home.

If you are interested in hosting a student or require more information please contact Jo or Naomi at the Japanese Advisory Service on (07)5592 0575

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

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