7 February 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome to the 2017 school year! We have enjoyed a smooth start with all students settling quickly into classroom work. I would like to extend a special welcome to our new Year 7 students and parents. It was great to see many parents at the first assembly for the Year 7s on the first day. We look forward to developing close partnerships with parents and carers for the long secondary schooling journey ahead.

Our Year 12 students who graduated last year achieved some excellent results. A Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) was achieved by 99% of students. This result is the combination of hard work by each student and the relentless support, follow-up and individualised monitoring by our wonderful teaching staff. Our students achieving OP 1-15 was again high at 75% which is well above the school’s average over the past 7 years.

In our continuous effort to improve communication with our parents and the wider community, we are overhauling our website and Facebook page. These complement our other communication techniques to ensure families are aware of the opportunities available to their student and up and coming events. I strongly encourage you to access these resources.

This year our focus is on high expectations, quality teaching and learning and tracking student for success. Staff have been working over the past couple of weeks to explicitly teach the expectations of their classrooms and the school. This ensures students know and understand what is expected of them and ensures a calm learning environment. Staff are also being encouraged to work collegially including sharing of strategies through observation and feedback. This is an exciting opportunity for staff and will ensure consistent and engaging teacher practices are supporting your child’s learning here at Wynnum SHS. Data is critical to inform teaching practice and support students in setting goals. It is also used to celebrate achievements at key junctures throughout the year. A new innovation celebrating students’ academic achievement is the Wynnum Certificate of Education (WCE). Students who have achieved success in all subject areas are worthy recipients of the WCE.

Attendance is critical to students accessing the content of their subjects. Here at Wynnum we are targeting 95% attendance with 100% of all absences explained. What does this mean? This is the equivalent of no more than 10 days off in a school year or no more than 2.5 days per term. In the Senior School, failure to attend to this level can mean you put your course credit at risk. Those times that it can’t be avoided, to have time off, we expect that a parent or guardian contacts the school by phone, email, note or in person to acknowledge the student’s absence. At times where a student has unexplained absences you will be contacted by letter or phone as a courtesy follow-up. I appreciate your support in this matter.

I look forward to meeting as many new parents as possible as the year progresses and also connecting with our existing parents. 2017 is shaping up to be an exciting year and I wish you all the very best for a successful year ahead.

We’re Wynnum and We’re PROUD

Cath

Attendance - IT’S NOT OK TO BE AWAY

Many students have their education progress severely interrupted by absences which are more often than not, unnecessary, and for reasons fairly low on the ‘important to my future’ scale.

To reach their potential at school, students need to attend regularly. This means a few days off per year due to genuine illness – not a 9 day fortnight which accumulates to 25 days absent, 150 periods absent, the equivalent of 5 school weeks absent in a year. How could any student be expected to keep up with work in such circumstances?

Parents – you have a critical role to play in protecting your own child’s future.

Absences can be minimised by arranging dental and doctor’s appointments after school or during the holidays – you need to book ahead, why not book now for school holidays later in the year. Shopping – helping at home, and visiting relatives may all seem important at the time – but not as important as a person’s FUTURE.

We (parents and the school) need to work together to help students to understand the importance of being at school whenever possible, and that trivial reasons for absence are not sufficient to discharge parents’ legal responsibilities.

Schools and parents have a legal responsibility to account for the whereabouts of young people daily.

Studies show there is far greater chance of students becoming early school leavers and/or long term unemployed adults, if they don’t attend school regularly.

Should you require support in saying NO to your son/daughter on their attendance or any other issue please contact us immediately.

We all can work together to make a difference to your student’s future.

Every day counts – Is your child at school today?

From the Deputy Principal

Wynnum State High School Certificate of Education

The WSHS Certificate of Education (WCE) is a program which began in Semester 2 2016 aimed specifically to mirror the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The QCE is Queensland’s school-based senior schooling qualification. This qualification is awarded to eligible young people at the completion of the senior phase of learning, usually at the end of Year 12 and records achievement of a significant amount of learning, at a set standard and pattern in contributing studies, while meeting literacy and numeracy requirements.

The WCE will use a program called TrackEd to track and map each student’s academic progress. Each year, the WCE will be awarded to students who have passed the subjects they have studied each semester. Students must pass all subjects to attain their WCE, but particularly the core subjects of English, Maths and Science.

The aim of the WCE program is to ensure that all students are learning and achieving to the best of their ability and are enacting daily the school’s PROUD mantra. As the cornerstone of this program, students will, each semester, set goals for their academic learning and strive to attain Achievement, Effort and Behaviour comments on their report cards that reflect these goals. Parents will be asked to discuss their child’s goal setting process with them and to sign the plans when they come home.

Students who require additional support to achieve success in English, Maths and Science have the opportunity to attain their WCE through the WCIA (WSHS Certificate of Individual Achievement) pathway. To be eligible, students must be part of the Special Education Program or be a targeted student for Learning Support intervention.

At the end of each school year, students will receive the WCE at a school ceremony. They will receive the following certificates at the following yearly junctures:

• Year 7 - Certificate BLUE
• Year 8 - Certificate BRONZE
• Year 9 - Certificate SILVER
• Year 10 - Certificate GOLD
• Year 11 - Certificate PLATINUM

Each semester, respective DPs and HODs will identify who has and has not achieved the WCE and WCIA and work with them on Improvement Plans.

Year 8 and 9 Track Ed profiles will come home over the next week or so to be viewed and signed by parents and care givers. Year 7 TrackEd Profiles will come home early in Term 2.

If you have any questions regarding the WCE, please contact me.

Warm regards

Elizabeth Williams
Deputy Principal

Junior Secondary News

Welcome

Welcome back to our Years 8 and 9 students and a very warm welcome to our new Year 7s. 178 excited, and a little nervous, Year 7 students began their high school journey with us this year, making up a total of seven core classes. Week One was filled with information, new timetables, choosing Arts electives, getting lost and making new friends. The traditional “photo on the A Block steps” was taken and camp and immunisation forms were distributed.

A big welcome also goes to the large group of new students in Years 8 and 9. These PROUD new Wynnum High students were invited to a ‘New Student’ morning tea with our Principal, Ms Pfingst, last Friday. Mrs Williams made cupcakes which were devoured while we made sure that everyone was settling in well.

Year 7 Parent Welcome Information Night

Year 7 parents are invited to an Information Evening, tonight, Tuesday 7th February at 6.30 pm. This is an opportunity to meet your child’s core teachers, Heads of Department and the leadership team. We will be presenting information about laptops, camp and the Wynnum Certificate of Education.

Year 7 Camp

The Year 7 Emu Gully camp is on in Week four. Please ensure you have finalised payment for camp this week. If you are having trouble with payments, you can arrange a payment plan through our Business Service Manager, Melissa Bath.

Year 9 Camp – Date Claimer

Year 9 camp is in Week Ten of Term 3 and will be held at Total Adventure – Noosa North Shore. The cost will be approximately $300.

Teaching and Learning News

Teaching and learning is the core business of any school and Wynnum High is no different. Our strategic plan highlights three areas of focus and one of those is “Quality Teaching and Learning.” The research around education overwhelmingly tells us that what teachers “know, do and care about” has a substantial impact on student learning.

We are very proud of our teachers at Wynnum State High and their willingness to want to continuously improve their craft. One of the formal ways we will be supporting the continual improvement of teaching and learning this year is through observations, feedback and coaching. We would never expect a professional footballer or tennis player to just keep turning up to their games without any coaching or feedback to help them to improve. Simillarly, we should not expect teachers to do that either.

All teachers, including Heads of Departments, will be observed twice each term by another member of staff. The sole purpose of these observations is so that as a teaching team, we receive feedback and coaching where necessary to produce even better outcomes for our students. It is also a wonderful way for us to share ideas, knowledge and strategies across the school.

It is important that you as parents and caregivers are kept informed about what is going on in classrooms. On that note, if your student comes home and says that someone was in their classroom watching their teacher, their teacher is actually not in any trouble (students love to think this!) but rather, they are working hard to increase your student’s learning.

Marina Williams
Master Teacher

Senior School News

Welcome to the Senior School

Dear Parents and Carers of students in Years 10, 11 and 12,

Welcome to the Senior School for 2017 and a particular welcome to the parents and carers of students who are new to Wynnum High this year.

I take this opportunity to introduce to you the support team who will be working with senior students throughout this year:

• Kim Hutchinson, Deputy Principal with responsibility for all matters involving the senior school (khutc1@eq.edu.au)
• Tenielle Lumsdale, Acting Head of Department for Senior Schooling (tlums1@eq.edu.au)
• Robert Inglis, Guidance Officer (ringl1@eq.edu.au)
• Greg Deighton, Chaplain (gdeig1@eq.edu.au)
• Karen Bowen, Youth Support Coordinator (kbowe99@eq.edu.au)
• Gabrielle Nolan, School-based Health Nurse (Gabrielle.Nolan@health.qld.gov.au)

Our goal is to support all students to ensure that each and every one of them achieves to the best of his/her ability. We meet regularly to discuss support measures that we can put in place to achieve this goal.

Wynnum High offers flexible pathways for students in the Senior School and we currently have a considerable number of students who combine their senior studies with university or TAFE courses, school-based traineeships and apprenticeships, and work experience.

Attendance is a key factor in achieving one’s best, and tracking of student attendance will be a focus across the school in 2017. The expectation is that every student attends classes for a minimum of 95%. We fully understand if a student is genuinely ill and ask that you contact the school to inform the us if your student is unable to attend school on a particular day. To contact the school please studentabsences@wynnumshs.eq.edu.au

I look forward to strengthening the wonderful relationships I have established with you over the last few years as well as welcoming and getting to know all of our new parents to Wynnum High.

Please do not hesitate to contact me, or any of the members of the Senior School Support team, if you have any questions or concerns.

Kind regards
Kim Hutchinson

National Computer Science Summer School

In January, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the National Computer Science School (NCSS) Summer School. The Summer School is a 10-day camp at the University of Sydney for students moving into Years 11 and 12. A large number of students attended from all over the country, from Perth, to northern Queensland, Melbourne and New Zealand.

The format of the camp was similar to regular university – attend a lecture, then go to a workshop and practise what we just learned. The workshops were very hands-on, with lots of people eager to learn, and plenty of tutors to help out if we needed them.

The main part of the course was programming with BBC micro:bits, a microcontroller similar to Arduino. We also had to work in collaboration with other people to produce a project – a game that was played and rated by others. We went on site visits to Google, Atlassian and WiseTech Global. For a day we got to visit these companies, see how they worked and the environments their employees work in.

Overall it was a fantastic opportunity. I learned a lot and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in computer science.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers who recommended NCSS and supported me with my application and also the WSHS Scholarship Fund for kindly sponsoring my registration for this camp.

Jeffrey Lakeman
Year 12 student

From the Senior Schooling HOD

Welcome back! It has been lovely to see the senior students with smiles on their faces going off to their classes. It has also been wonderful to see the Year 10’s in their lovely, crisp, bright white shirts as they start their senior phase of learning.

This is just a friendly reminder that Year 12 Interviews are being held next Thursday 9th February. Interview appointments are available between 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm.

The Year 12 Interviews are very important and therefore compulsory for all students. Each interview is of 30 minutes duration and is an excellent opportunity for students and their parents/caregivers to meet with a Head of Department, Deputy Principal or Senior Teacher to review goals, check that the student is on track to receive a Queensland Certificate of Education, evaluate current subjects and discuss post school options.

Year 12 students will need to review their SET Plans (Senior Education and Training Plan) prior to the interview to ensure their goals and post school options are current. They will be required to bring a printed copy of their SET Plan to the interview. The F23 computer room will be open from 1.10 pm – 2.50 pm on Wednesday 8th February for any student wishing to print and/or get assistance with updating their SET plan.

Parents/carers should have received an email outlining the instructions for making these appointments online. If you are unable to make the allocated evening, please contact the school to arrange an alternative time.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your student or what is happening in the Senior School, please contact me. My phone number is 3906 7349 and my email address is tlums1@eq.edu.au

Tenielle Lumsdale
HOD Senior Schooling

School Photos

I hope your child has had a very positive start to the school year. As always, one of the first things for the year is school photos! This year, school photos will be taken on Friday, 24th February.

All students have their photo taken on this day regardless of whether or not you will be purchasing the school photos. This is required as we use the same photograph to produce the student ID card. We require all students to wear their dress uniform for their official school photo and to follow all rules regarding uniform.

Your son/daughter should have already received in House Group an envelope from MSP Photography with their name and ID number pre-printed on it. If your child has not brought this home please ask them to dig it out of their school bag! If by chance he or she hasn’t received a pre-printed envelope, or if they have misplaced it, please ask them to come to the office to collect a spare one.

I have also attached two information sheets that the photographers ask you to read so that you are fully aware of all details relating to the photos. It contains information about payment. Please note that payment can only be made to MSP Photography. This can be in the form of cash or cheque in the photo envelope which is given to the photographer on the day or you are able to pay online to MSP Photography.

ONLINE PAYMENTS: Parents can order and pay online through the MSP website below. Instructions are included on the back of the envelopes. Credit card payments can be made prior to photo day via the online ordering system.

Each child will still be required to bring their envelope on photo-day.

If you should have any queries about the information attached, MSP Photography is more than happy to help with your queries. Their contact details are:

Phone: 3865 4291
Fax: 3865 4281
Email: admin.brisbane@msp.com.au

If you have any questions about the organisation for photo-day please do not hesitate to contact the school on 3906 7333.

Kind regards

Kim Hutchinson
Deputy Principal

From the Chaplain

Welcome to 2017 at Wynnum High. My name is Greg Deighton and I am the Chaplain at this great school. I thought I would start the year with a note to parents and carers to remind you that I am here and I am happy to chat whenever you need. The start of school can be tough for students as they are trying to settle in. Forming friendships takes time and so I encourage you to just keep supporting your child. Often we at the school are not aware if students are struggling, so please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like me to check on them throughout the day or have a chat.

I am available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and every second Friday on 3906 7315 or anytime via email gdeig1@eq.edu.au Please see the below link for more information about the services that I offer.

Greg Deighton

Creative Arts News

Instrumental Music

We have started the year running with 37 new families joining the Instrumental Music program. Students have been allocated into their ensembles and timetables for Terms 1 and 2 have been posted on the Instrumental Music noticeboard and emailed to all parents.

In Week Three we had two performances for our senior ensembles. The first was the Big Band Playing for the Year 7 Welcome Evening and the second was the Symphonic Band playing at the official Investiture Ceremony. Well done to all those students and our conductors Mrs Anderson and Mr Cosic for showing their continued dedication and commitment to the program.

Starter Workshop

On Sunday 12 February instrumental students will be participating in a starter workshop in the Star Theatre at school. Students only need to come at the time when their ensemble is playing

• 9:00 – 10:45am – Concert Band
• 11:00 – 12:30pm – Big Band
• 1:00 – 3:00pm – Symphonic Band

They do not need to wear their school uniform. They just need to bring their instrument and whatever music they already been given.

Band Camp

All Instrumental Music students are invited to attend Band Camp from 10 – 12 March. You should have received an Expression of Interest letter regarding the camp costs. The camp is a great way for Instrumental Music students from Years 7 – 12 to get to know each other and consolidate the music community at the school. It also provides a dedicated amount of time to developing skills and technique on their instrument and how to work as a cohesive team. Expression of Interest letters are due to Students Services by Monday 13th February.

Instrumental Music Information Evening

All ensembles will be performing at the Instrumental Music Parents Support (IMPS) group information evening on Tuesday 21 March at 6:30 pm in the Star Theatre for new and old families involved in the Instrumental Music program. This evening is presented by the IMPS group.

IMPS is a forum for parents/carers and students to have input into policies and directions of the program and to assist by way of vitally needed logistical support. Please become a member and have your say. The success of WSHS’s Instrumental Music Program is closely aligned to the support gained for the IMPS Program.

The IMPS Committee organises a monthly BBQ at the Manly markets which is the major fundraiser for the Instrumental Music Program.

The IMPS Committee meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm in the Library.

School Musical

The school musical this year is High School Musical 2. We have over 80 students who will be participating in the musical from actors and dancers through to technical crew, costumes and make-up and musicians in the band. The musical is in May with performances on 25, 26 and 27 May. Rehearsals in Term 1 are:

• Tuesday afternoon: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
• Wednesday: Period 4 for Years 10, 11 and 12
• Thursday afternoon: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Tickets will go on sale in Term 2 and can be purchased from Student Services.

Visual Arts Department - Artist in Residence Program

We are very excited to announce an Artist in Residence program that will be running at Wynnum during Term 2. Year 10 Visual Arts students with be working with professional artist Simone Eisler to create an original art work for the entrance to the school. This project will be unveiled at the 75th Celebrations for Wynnum SHS on Saturday 29 July. We would also like to thank Flying Arts for working on this project with us.

Mitchell House News

Charity Event at Wynnum High

Donation Day – Friday 24th February

This term Mitchell House is proud to announce that we will be holding a charity drive which aims to raise donations for The Salvation Army Homelessness Services. This service provides items to families who are experiencing homelessness and/or domestic violence. Families who may have left everything behind when escaping Domestic Violence and starting again with nothing.

Did you know……..

Over 100,000 Australians will be homeless tonight -

• Half are under 24 years old and 10,000 are children
• 1 in 40 children under five use a homeless service each year
• The largest single cause of homelessness in Australia is domestic and family violence, which overwhelmingly affects women and children.

Homelessness can affect anyone you know - your neighbour, your friends even your family. There is a wide diversity of people looking for help for many different reasons. Broken marriages, disabilities, domestic violence, mental illness or breakdown may all contribute. Homelessness is one of the most distressing things for a person to experience. The Salvation Army relies on the compassion and generosity of people like you to help the homeless and desperate in our community.

With your support we can help The Salvation Army Homelessness service give the homeless a new start. Please support our charity drive by bringing in any of the following items listed below on Friday 24th February. These items will then be assembled into packs for families who have nothing.

Please note: All items must be new. No second hand items please

Special Education Program (SEP) Update

The SEP at Wynnum High supports a range of abilities within disabilities. And, as we greet our new Year 7s we are excited to share where Year 12s of 2016, who were supported by the SEP, have worked hard to find themselves in 2017.

One student will enter a Bachelor of Mathematics at QUT in March, another is about to begin a Diploma of IT Web Design at Southbank and a third has started their own business as a Physical Trainer and is working towards a Certificate IV. Others are wanting to head straight into the workforce and are seeking employment. Their future is bright!

It’s wonderful to see these young people persevering through some big obstacles in order to reach their goals. They inspire us.

Finance news

2017 Student Resource Scheme and Laptop Program fees are due for payment no later than 3 February 2017.

Payments can be made in full or alternatively, term payment over 3 terms. Term 1 payment is due by 3 February 2017. We also offer individual payment plans or an arrangement with Centrepay (please refer to information below). BPOINT is our preferred method of payment.

Thank you to all those parents/caregivers who have paid their 2017 Student Resource Scheme and Laptop Program Fees, or who have contacted the school to negotiate a payment plan. If your student’s account has outstanding fees from 2016 or previous years, please be aware that this will result in your student’s non-participation in optional school activities i.e. optional sporting and cultural activities, school camps, Year 10 Dinner Dance, senior jersey and the Year 12 Formal. Please refer to our Website for further information regarding the 2017 Student Resource Scheme.

To enable parents/caregivers to make an informed decision, all information regarding the Student Resource Scheme for 2017 is available on our school Website, or alternatively, a copy is available from Student Services.

We are aware that sometimes payments can be difficult for some families, and as such we offer individual Payment Plans. We also offer regular fortnightly deductions from your Centrelink payment via our arrangement with Centrepay. Deductions can be deposited into the school’s account to be credited against your student’s fees. If you are interested in accessing either of these options, please contact Student Services.

BPOINT is now available for parents to make card payments from the comfort of their home or from their smartphones and is our preferred method of payment. All the information required to make a BPOINT payment is available on our invoices. Parents can visit the link below and enter the details and make payments online. When making these payments via the BPOINT web site you need to ensure that you enter the Customer Reference Number, Invoice Number and Amount to pay. It is imperative with BPOINT that the invoice number is entered and not any other number, i.e. Debtor ID, Student EQ ID etc.

Payments can be still be made to the school via cash or cheque at Student Services, or Credit Card details via telephone.

If you have any queries regarding invoices or payment plans, please do not hesitate to contact Student Services (Payments) on 3906 7312.

Maths Department News

digIT Program

Hi, my name is Tao Huang and I am in Year 9. Before the holidays, I was invited to the digIT program held at Macquarie University in Sydney. I was one of the sixty people chosen to go as I got one of the highest marks in the ICAS Maths Competition. The digIT program helps young people learn about coding and technology for hope that it can help us build a better future. During the week, we were introduced to new and upcoming technology, such as NAO, the first humanoid robot, a competition winning Frisbee throwing robot and Sphero, a Bluetooth controlled sphere shaped robot. We also used programs such as python (from Grok learning), HTML to create websites and Scratch, a game designing program. Before the program was over, I got assigned to a group and a mentor to hopefully present something in July when I return. Our group decided to design and program a VEX robot and also create a website to help people understand and to help code the robot. I have so far enjoyed the program and am excited to return in 5 months!

Mathletics 2017

Only students in Year 7-9 Mathematics will be enrolled in Mathletics in 2017. This will occur shortly and then students in these year levels will be given a Mathletics login and password to use at home and at school.

Do you need a calculator?

Calculators for sale at the tuckshop $25.

All students need a calculator in Mathematics and some of their other subjects!

Mathematics Tutorials 2017

To maximise student participation in mathematics tutorials, we have fine-tuned when we offer tutorials. Students are welcome to attend Homework Club in the Library on Tuesdays and Thursday at 3.15 pm.

Wynnum SHS Mathematics classes and Commonwealth Bank “Money” talks

We recently welcomed Start Smart to deliver their free, financial education workshops to our students. Delivered in class to students by a facilitator, Start Smart changes the way young people learn about money. By making money management interactive, engaging and fun, our students were equipped with the confidence and competence they need to make smart decisions about money.

Our school has proudly joined the Commonwealth Bank's Start Smart Program in its mission to improve the financial literacy of Australia’s young people. Overall, the program proved to be a highly beneficial experience for students and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. More talks are planned throughout the year. For more information on the program and each of the workshops we encourage you to visit the link below.

From the Nurse

Welcome Back 2017

My name is Gabrielle Nolan, your School Based Youth Health Nurse (SBYHN) at Wynnum State High School.

I am employed by Child and Youth Community Health Service and I am based in the school two days a week so that staff, parents and students can access me easily, and confidentially, if needed.

The Youth Health Nurse works with students, school staff and parents to; address concerns or problems about health and wellbeing, help our school to build a supportive and healthy environment, and provide liaison and referral to other support services outside the school as needed.

In my consultation role I am able to support young people with making healthy choices to improve their physical and emotional health. I am able to see young people in private to talk about, for example; health issues, nutrition, relationships, smoking, puberty and sexual health, alcohol or drug use, feeling unhappy or stressed and to assist young people and their families to connect with specialist services.

After consultation with Mrs Pfingst, our school Principal, I will continue to offer enhanced services to young people by giving them access to pregnancy testing and condoms. The aim is to encourage young people to;

• seek health information in a safe and supportive environment,
• enhance their ability to take responsibility for their health,
• reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infection and
• discuss pregnancy risk with a health professional.

These services are always done in one-on-one consultation, with an education and support focus, and include information on sexual health, the law, safety, communication and decision making. The Brisbane South School Based Youth Health team have offered these services in schools since 2011, and the majority of our schools have approved the enhanced service. Wynnum State High School has approved the SBYHN to offer these additional services since March 2016.

When a young person engages with the service, I am required to keep this information confidential (not talking to others) unless the young person poses a risk to themselves or others, or if the young person agrees I can do otherwise. Family support is essential for young people, and my advice often includes encouraging and supporting the young person to discuss the issue with a trusted family member.

In 2017 I will be offering a small group program for Years 7 and 8 students and their parents or caregivers. The group will focus on understanding anxiety and its impact, and increasing knowledge and skills for both the young person and their parent or carer. More detailed information is included in this newsletter. If you feel this group could be of benefit to your family, please contact me in the next week to discuss your young person’s needs.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information on my role, to talk over an issue, or if you wish to book an appointment. I am available at Wynnum State High School on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If the young person you care for has concerns please encourage them to contact me, if you feel I may be of assistance.

BABI Youth & Family Service

Dear Parents and Carers,

Wynnum State High School, alongside BABI Youth & Family Service, are offering a child and parent program to support families with a child who is experiencing significant anxiety to learn new skills to assist their child manage anxiety more effectively.

An information night will be held at BABI (34 Bay Terrace, Wynnum) at 6 pm on Thursday 23rd February 2017 for interested parents and carers.

The six-week program is designed for students who are under the age of 15, and is being offered to Years 7 and 8 students, and their parents or carers. If your child is 15, or older and you would like to learn more about anxiety, you would also be welcome to attend the parent sessions.

While everyone experiences some level of anxiety at times, high levels of anxiety can have serious consequences and interfere with academic functioning, social activities and relationships with others. Young people with anxiety may present as fearful, shy, quiet, withdrawn, clingy, tearful or lacking in confidence; whilst others may present with oppositional behaviour, and be irritable and aggressive, this can be driven by frustration and low self-confidence.

Children with anxiety may have difficulty with school work, especially tasks requiring sustained concentration and organization. They may develop a ‘perfectionist’ approach and not be satisfied if their work does not meet their high personal standards. Anxious children often complain of headaches and stomach aches and commonly have sleep problems including problems falling asleep, nightmares, and trouble sleeping alone.

Parents and carers who have an interest in finding out more about the program are invited to contact the school office on 3906 7333 to register interest by COB Friday Feb 19

One of the group facilitators, Gabrielle Nolan (Youth Health Nurse), or Karen Misso (BABI Counsellor) will contact you to discuss further.

The program is anticipated to run in Term 2, 2016.

Please note your name, your child’s name and your preferred contact details (business hours) when you contact the school office.

Gabrielle Nolan
Youth Health Nurse

Career News

Five strategies to kick start your career exploration

Before you start, know that:

• You are exploring jobs for your first step, not for your whole life. The future world of work will offer you many exciting opportunities that could lead to other jobs that, perhaps, haven’t been invented yet.
• There is not one ‘ideal’ job for you. There may be several that will give you the things you want from a job (e.g. enjoyment, challenge, good income, working in a team, prestige, management opportunities, work/life balance, variety, skill development, self-employment, respect, travel or a combination of these).

Strategy 1. Make a list of the jobs you have already thought of. The list can include your dream job (i.e. the job you would love to have but doubt you will ever get).
Strategy 2. Talk with five people who know you well (include a parent/guardian and a teacher). Ask them what jobs they think you would like and why. Some of their suggestions will be worth investigating further, so add them to your job list.
Strategy 3. Think about your favourite subjects at school. Use the Career Bullseyes to find jobs related to these subjects. Select the jobs you find interesting and add them to your job list.

Strategy 4. Do a questionnaire. There are many career questionnaires that can help you learn more about yourself and the jobs you might like. Choose one of the following:

Add to your job list the jobs you found interesting based on the questionnaire you did.

Strategy 5.: You probably have 10 or more jobs on your list by now. The next step is to research these jobs and end up with three or four you like the most. The following websites will help you. Delete from your list any jobs that don’t come up to your expectations.

• Job Outlook
• myfuture (Log in and go to Occupations)
• The Good Universities Guide – Careers Guide (Click on the relevant industry area to find the job)
• The Good Careers Guide e-book (Use the Index to find the job. Put the page number for the job at the top of the e-book and Enter)
• You now have a list of jobs worth exploring further. You can do this by interviewing people already in the jobs; doing work observation (i.e. following a person in the job for a couple of days) and/or doing work experience in the job. Your school Guidance Counsellor/Officer can help you organise these activities.

Job clusters: A new way of looking at jobs

The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) researched 1,000 occupations, and found there were seven large job clusters based on similar skills wanted by employers. These clusters are:

• The Artisans (builders and maintainers)
• The Generators (sellers and servers)
• The Coordinators (balance the books and do repetitive tasks)
• The Informers (teach and provide information)
• The Designers (use expertise to construct or engineer things)
• The Carers (improve the wellbeing of others)
• The Technologists (understand and manipulate digital technology).

The implications of this way of looking at jobs are:

• The skills you get from working in one job could, on average, be transferred to 13 other jobs. Consequently, it is important to recognise the skills you have and understand their transferability.
• With seven new job clusters, you could choose a cluster based on your strengths and interests rather than on one dream job.
• You could get a ‘foot-in-the-door’ to a job cluster through an entry level job in the cluster.
• Some job clusters have stronger prospects than others. It would be wise to consider clusters with strong prospects and jobs that are most likely to grow.
• You could develop a portfolio of skills that will give you a broad range of options within the type of work you want to do in the future. This could future proof your employment.

Read FYA’s full report, The New Work Mindset, to see examples of jobs within job clusters and the transferable skills they share. The FYA has developed a fun quiz to identify a job cluster for you based on how you respond to the quiz. If nothing else, it will help you understand the job cluster concept. After you complete the quiz, read ‘What the blazes should I study so I can get a job in the future?’ for more about job clusters.

The jobs in demand in 2030

According to The Future of Work – Setting kids up for success in the future job market report, the 2030 jobs will be:

• High tech jobs - Know-how and specialists, from designing the next drone to teaching, e.g. electrical engineer, primary school teacher.
• High touch jobs - Do and deliver, from house renovations to creatively pursing a passion, e.g. plumbers, personal assistant, photographer.
• High care jobs - Personal and emotionally engaged, from looking after young people to taking care of the household, e.g. childcare worker, fitness instructor.
• “Two core skill types are needed for the future job market, hard (specialist knowledge) and soft (people) skills. Young people are required to know how to program and interface with technology, but they also need to know how to communicate, collaborate and think critically for success”.
• Read the report to learn more about the future of work. The report has case studies and infographics to explain the concepts presented.

I am new to all this. What do I have to do to get into a uni course in 2018?

In Queensland, you apply for most tertiary courses through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). QTAC is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation. It processes applications on behalf of Queensland universities, some interstate universities, TAFE Queensland and some private colleges.

In June each year, QTAC distributes the QTAC Guide to all Year 12 students in Queensland. This book contains information about the application and offer process and the courses offered through QTAC.

The online application usually opens in early August and the ‘on-time’ application due date is at the end of September. There are several offer rounds from November to February, with the major offer round in mid-January. While Year 12 students apply in September, they usually have until early January to change their course preferences (for most courses) for the major offer round in January.

Through QTAC you can apply for up to six courses at different institutions. However, you only receive one course per offer round. It is recommended that you connect with QTAC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for important news updates.

Apply directly to Queensland education institutions that do not use the services of QTAC. Queensland students can apply for interstate courses through interstate tertiary admissions centres (the exception is Tasmania where you apply directly to the University of Tasmania). To find out more about universities in Australia and the courses they offer, visit:

• QILT
• The Good Universities Guide
• Rate your Uni.

A checklist for study

It is the start of a new school year. This is the perfect time to polish your study skills. The following checklist will get you started.

• Have a place to study without distractions - somewhere quiet, without TV, music, computer or mobile.
• Study the hard subjects first, when you’re most alert and focused.
• Have a specific time of the day for studying and make it the same time every day if possible.
• Work out how long you can concentrate before you lose focus. It’s going to be different for everyone, so keep track of your ideal concentration time. Then take breaks when you’re approaching your limit. Limit breaks to five minutes.
• Have everything you need close by (e.g. books, notes, pens, pads, etc.).
• Avoid eating a large meal before studying, as it will make you drowsy.
• Let friends and family know your allocated daily study time, and ask them not to disturb you. Put your study schedule on the fridge.
• Start studying when you say you will. Delaying the start will only make the task harder.
• One thing at a time. Multitasking may sound smart, but it means you’re not giving each task your full attention.
• Never study too close to going to sleep. Give yourself at least half an hour of relaxation before turning in. Sleep is essential to achieving your best.

Community News

Wynnum Vikings AFL sign on

The sign-on for the Wynnum Vikings AFL Club is on Saturday 4th February at 300 Kianawah Rd, Wynnum West from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.

AFL is a fun and inclusive game for boys and girls from ages 5 to 18, all skill levels can be catered for.

Wynnum Vikings are looking to field boys and girls teams in 2016.

Registration fees start at $100, no weekly match fees.

Auskick starts Saturday 18th February from 9:00 am.

For all enquiries contact Brenden on 0438 400 220 or wynnumjuniors@aflbj.com.