7 March 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

I would like to the opportunity to thank the Wynnum Community for welcoming me. I have the pleasure of meeting an enthusiastic student body. The teachers have the student’s wellbeing and academic progress as their priority. Parents are clearly engaged and supportive of the education and support we are providing the students here at Wynnum. My first impressions of the school could not be more positive. I will endeavour to continue the momentum and maintain the high expectations we expect.

Last week we celebrated our student leaders as they were formally acknowledged in their roles. This was an outstanding event, reflective of the quality of students that both applied for and were successful in achieving one of their goals. It was very gratifying to share this with our community and particularly these students’ parents. I look forward to working with the students in 2017.

I have been welcomed by the P&C in our first meeting of the year and encourage other parents to join us. The next meeting will include the AGM. More details will be made available to you through the newsletter, facebook and website.

Additionally, we have had two parents’ evenings. Firstly, the Year 7 meet and greet. There was a fantastic turn out for this event. Thank you to the staff involved in the organisation and presentation. I am sure parents will agree it is nice to put a name to a face, meet with and discuss the school and their child’s experience so far and into the future. Secondly, all Year 12 students and parents met with a staff member to discuss their SET Plan and if they are on track to achieve their future destination goals. Again this event was well supported, reinforcing how connected our parents are to their child’s education and how we as a school can support our Year 12 students in achieving these goals.

The school’s explicit improvement agenda focuses on high expectations, quality teaching and learning, and tracking students for success. You will notice throughout our communications, including the newsletter that information will be provided to the community as to how well these are tracking and, at times, clarifying key aspects of these. For example, quality teaching and learning refers to coaching, support and mentoring of our pedagogy. Critical to student’s learning growth is the reading to learning strategies we are using across the school. These are particularly explicit in the junior secondary school, with English and Humanities driving this under the direct guidance of Jane Kelly. I would like to thank the previous Principal for undertaking this initiative and the administration team of Elizabeth Williams and Kim Hutchinson for maintain the momentum with the support of Heads of Departments and staff as the school transitioned from one Principal to the next.

We are well into the year and classes have much to celebrate as students engage in their learning. It is great to see.

Past the half way mark of the first term and I am sure many of you are asking yourself where has the time gone. Here it has gone into quality teaching and learning and setting the stage of a safe and supportive environment.

Both of these ensure students are getting the best opportunity to learn and consequently their outcomes will improve. With regards to teaching and learning, the school uses the Master teacher to support new and beginning teachers and to provide feedback to teachers on strategies used in the classroom, always working to ensure the best delivery of curriculum. Teachers identify for students What they are learning each day to ensure students are aware of what they should be learning in each lesson. This is made visible for students and are referred to throughout the lesson. Students should be able to tell you at the end of the day, what they learnt, not what they did. If you are not getting an answer to this feel free to contact your child’s teacher and get it firsthand. Additionally, students are encouraged and supported to set achievement goals for themselves. With their teacher they review their progress and understanding and aim for growth in their learning. Talk to your child about the targets they set for themselves. Are they aiming high enough?

With respect to a safe and supportive environment, Wynnum is a Positive Behaviour School and as such has clear expectations based on routines and procedures. Students should go from class to class and know what is expected of them and how to support the learning of themselves and others by following the processes. Out of the classroom, there are also routines and procedures and consequences when these don’t support a safe and supportive environment. I take a strict stance on actions that do not allow us to be safe.

At Wynnum we have the core values: Integrity, Honesty, resilience, Tolerance, pride, life Long learning and Respect. Over the past 4 weeks I have seen these attributes being displayed in the classrooms and around the school. Particularly the way in which our students are wearing our uniform with such pride. Wynnum has always maintained the highest standards and our uniform is no exception. Please refer to the student planner for information regarding uniform procedures and policies.

A reminder about the importance of attendance. If you achieved 90% at something you’d probably think that you were travelling pretty well. What does 90% actually mean in terms of attendance? 90% attendance means 1 day off a fortnight, this equates to 20 days in the school year or 120 days, that’s a semester and 2 weeks, over the course of high school. How well would you achieve if you had over half a year off? The evidence is clear in our school results, students with better attendance have better results. That’s why at Wynnum we are Targeting 95% attendance to ensure our students are maximising them in class learning. Over this year we will take as many opportunities as possible to acknowledge those students with 100% attendance in the previous week, the term and potentially the year. Keep up your attendance!

Improving reading across the school is one of our key priorities. Although our English and Humanities department carries much of the role of improving reading in our students, all faculties are here to help. Reading 2 Learn is a dynamic program that supports students of all reading capabilities to grasp the content of their subject area, engage with it, and retain it for use at a later time. Reading 2 Learn is supported by a coach to ensure our staff are use consistent processes and are current with the practice. Already we are seeing the growth in our students in reading, writing and comprehension.

Every day counts at Wynnum

We’re Wynnum and We’re PROUD

Attendance

Every minute counts! Attendance at class on time each and every day has a direct impact on students’ academic achievement. The school tracks student’s attendance very thoroughly and parents are asked to support the school with the following processes. If your child is absent with your permission, please call the absence line to notify the school. If your child attends school late with no permission note from parents, students will be considered to have been truant and appropriate consequences applied. If you have any medical certificates which supports your child’s absence, please forward them to the school. The school will be acknowledging those students with high attendance through the Heads of house at weekly house parades.

Year 7 2018 Enrolment Interviews

Please see the below document for information regarding the Year 7 2018 Enrolment Interviews and School Tour dates.

Teaching and Learning News

In the Classroom…

In each issue of the Wire I would love to share with the Wynnum SHS community some of the interesting teaching and learning that is occurring in our classrooms. In the last few weeks I have been to a whole range of classes from where students have been learning how to dissect a sheep’s heart in order to identify the various arteries and veins to Year 7 students who are composing motivational speeches for their imaginary sporting teams. I have chosen one class to highlight for this edition.

Ms Kelly’s Year 10 Science Class – Creating a “Rebop”

For the topic of genotypes and phenotypes, Janine Kelly delivered an engaging and hands on lesson to her class. The students were given various male and female genes and in a lucky dip type scenario, they selected random pairs of genes which would then dictate how their new little being (their rebop) would look. For example, the gene pair BB meant that your rebop would have 3 body segments whereas the gene pair bb created a rebop with 2 body segments. Following the practical process where students actually built their rebop, students then determined, using punnet squares, what a new baby rebop would look like if their creature and another student’s creature mated. There was some wonderfully challenging tasks in this lesson but the enjoyment and engagement by the students was clearly evident.

INTRODUCING…

An added benefit of the Master Teacher role is that I get to work closely with our new teachers on staff who are at the beginning of their teaching careers. This week I would like to introduce Miss Jones.

NAME: Sarah Jones
TEACHING AREAS: English and Humanities
JOURNEY INTO TEACHING: Sarah was studying Law and Journalism at the University of Queensland when she realised that a career in either of these two areas were not for her. Looking for a change, Sarah decided that a teaching degree may be something she might be interested in. She based this decision on the fact that she had always enjoyed mentoring and tutoring and was also very interested in social justice and the changes that might be possible when educating the next generations. Sarah was surprised at just how much she loved studying education and firmly believes it was the best decision she ever made.
HIGHLIGHTS TO DATE: Year 7 camp was definitely a highlight for Sarah who said that she had really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the students better.
LOOKING FORWARD TO: Being a core teacher for 7C, Sarah has these young students for English, Humanities, Civics & Citizenship and Pastoral Care which means she spends a lot of her teaching week with them. Sarah is looking forward to the day when her first lot of Year 7s graduate to see how they will have changed since their early high school days and to able to see what direction they choose for themselves in their post school lives.

Marina Williams
Master Teacher

From the P & C

Welcome to 2017! On behalf of the P&C Executive, I’d like to welcome back all returning students and their families, and welcome all our new additions! With the school year now well and truly underway, we thought it a good time to make you all aware of a few things.

• P & C Association Annual General Meeting – this is to be held at 6pm on Thursday 9th February in the school Library. All executive positions will be vacated and nominations are now open. Nominees must be returning or new members. Membership application forms can be emailed to you (email pandc@wynnumshs.eq.edu.au for a copy) or they will be available on the night. This meeting will be followed by a general meeting at 6:30pm. P&C Meetings are then held every 2nd Thursday each month at 6:30pm in the school Library.
• The Strand Eatery – As I’m sure a lot of you are aware, there have been price increases on most of the products for sale at the school canteen. We understand it is unfortunate to increase prices, and our desire is to keep the costs as low as possible for the whole school community, but in this case it has been necessary due to the constantly rising prices of the products being supplied to us. Apart from some small price increases on a few items last year, the prices in the canteen had not changed for quite some time. Without occasionally increasing prices, the canteen would not be viable, and I am confident that the costs of the items for sale are still competitive compared to similar products for sale in general retail outlets. It is also worth noting that any profits earned by the canteen go direct to the P & C, and are used for various projects supporting the school and facilities.
• Volunteering at the Strand Eatery – With the current lunchtime timetable, the food service for the first lunch break is very busy! And it is during this break that Deb and Erica really appreciate having some extra hands. All they need is one hour of help, from 11am until midday. When you arrive at 11, there is enough time to sit and have a coffee (it’s not all hard work!), and then help out with serving at 11:20 am. This sees them through the high pressure first break, and the second lunch is much quieter which they can handle themselves. So, if you have one hour to spare any day of the week, please get in touch with Deb, by emailing dhill151@eq.edu.au or call the canteen on 07 3906 7332.

USI (Unique Student Identifier) - Bringing Your Skills Together

From 1st January 2015 all students who are undertaking nationally recognised training delivered by a Registered Training Organisation will need to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI). A USI gives you access to your online USI account which is made up of ten numbers and letters. It will look something like this: 3AW88YH9U5. In time, your USI account will contain all of your nationally recognised training records and results from 1st January 2015 onwards.

One of the main benefits of the USI is that you will have easy access to all of your training records and results throughout your life ensuring records are not lost. Registered Training Organisations must have a valid USI for a student before issuing a qualification or Statement of Attainment.

When applying for a job or enrolling in further study, you will often need to provide your training records and results.

A USI can be created at the link below. For further information click on the links to view a 'USI Fact Sheet' and '10 Steps to Creating a USI'.

All Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 students must have a USI. Any students that do not must do so ASAP and submit it to the front office.

NAPLAN

Count Down to NAPLAN
11 School Weeks to go!
So let’s get ready…

What’s the Purpose of NAPLAN?

When your child sits the NAPLAN test, the results will give you, your child and their teacher information that can identify the gaps in their knowledge.

NAPLAN is an annual national assessment in which all Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to participate. This year the tests are on the 9th, 10th, and 11th May. The tests are designed to assess the Literacy and Numeracy skills of students and collect data for systematic reporting to parents/carers and schools. It is primarily an assessment of learning of students against national minimum standards, but can be used as a diagnostic tool that gives teachers information about specific aspects of student performance to inform future teaching and learning.

What is tested?

A series of tests will assess areas of Literacy and Numeracy. The following areas of Literacy are assessed:

• Language Conventions - spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Writing - knowledge and control of written language
• Reading - comprehension

In Numeracy, the areas assessed are:

• Number, Measurement, Chance and Data, Space, Algebra, Function and Pattern (formal algebra for Year 9 only).

What happens to the results? Results from the tests provide important information about students’ progress in Literacy and Numeracy. Following the tests, schools and students receive a statement of performance in relation to the national minimum standards. Teachers are able to access this valuable information to target your child’s educational needs. Student reports are then sent home to parents.

Does my child have to sit NAPLAN?

Whilst we encourage every student to sit the tests, we understand that this range and style of testing is not suitable for all children, for example some students have language barriers whilst others have special educational needs that may prevent them from being able to access the test. More information will follow to all those concerned. However, if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

What can I do to help my child?

NAPLAN is not a test that children can prepare for in the same way they might prepare for an end of term test. NAPLAN tests skills that develop and improve over time. These are skills that should be continuously developed throughout the year and not just in the lead-up to NAPLAN.

Good attendance is one of the most important keys to success.

The best way to get your child ready for NAPLAN is to ensure that they attend school every day so that they can have continuous uninterrupted time to develop literacy and numeracy skills. Students are taught education courses and concepts in sequence, so it’s really important that they are in school and do not miss out on important information causing them to lose the thread and fall behind. Your child’s teacher will be able to give you advice on how to help encourage development of literacy and numeracy skills at home. Please contact me if you would like the email address of your child’s teacher.

Encourage your child to read a little every day. Reading is an important key to success.
Whilst there are varying views on the merits of NAPLAN I thought I’d share this quote with you…
‘There is nothing wrong with NAPLAN as an assessment of educational achievement. Probably there is no better standardised, large-scale assessment of educational achievement in Australia.’ Dr James Athanasou is a psychologist. He retired from the University of Technology, Sydney, where he is an adjunct professor.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and for supporting the process as we endeavour to do the very best we can to meet the needs of your child.

Cath Pfingst

Finance News

Thank you to all those parents/caregivers who have paid their 2017 Student Resource Scheme fees, or who have contacted the school to negotiate a payment plan. Students who are participating in the laptop program can collect their laptop from the Library during breaks or before school.

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. excursions and optional sporting and cultural activities, school camps, Year 10 Dinner Dance, senior jersey and the Year 12 Formal. Students may also be excluded from the Scheme for 2017 if fees are outstanding from previous years and as such, parents/caregivers would be responsible for the provision of all textbooks and reference materials for your student/s. Please refer to our Website for further information regarding the 2017 Student Resource Scheme.

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 Resource Scheme fees. If you are interested in accessing either of these options, please contact me on the direct number below.

Payments can be still be made to the school via cash or cheque to our Cashier, direct deposit into our school account or Credit Card details via telephone. A reminder to all families utilising our direct deposit facility – your student’s EQ ID number must be included as a reference for your payment.

If you have any queries regarding invoices or payment plans, please do not hesitate to contact me on 3906733.

Students must be a participant in the 2017 Student Resource Scheme to be eligible for the $20.00 printing credit for 2017. Students must also be deemed financial to participate in option school activities. (Resource Scheme fees are up to date, or a current payment plan is in place).

Melissa Bath

Junior Secondary News

Year 7 Camp

Week 4 this year saw our Year 7 students head off to Emu Gully, now the seventh year our junior cohort has ventured westward towards the rolling plains of Helidon. The boys, leaving on Monday, looked a spectacle, as many carried bags exceeding their own proportions. Whilst only a three day camp, I would not blame the boys for seeing the potential for exhaustive clothing wear, given the stories of the famous ‘Templeton’s Mud Crossing’ many previous Year 7s no doubt passed on to our current flock of 7s.

Soon after arriving on Day One to 44 degree sticky heat, the moisture gathered from beyond the hills and dumped a barrage of rainfall on the Emu Gully site. Not deterred, the boys completed all activities on Day 2, showing great enthusiasm and determination throughout, rewarded with a very relaxing dam swim after a hot, sweaty day.

Perhaps the highlight for many of the boys was the flower bomb war fought just before departure. This saw the boys needing to develop strategy to overtake a fort defended by the teachers. With only flower bombs in hand, the boys managed to keenly trick the teachers, and knowing they had the numbers, launched a fierce assault to take the teacher stronghold. Whilst I was not on the bus home, it is rumored that the noise returning home was much quieter, evidence that the boys gave 100% in their time at Emu Gully.

The girls were no different. Arriving on Wednesday, full of anticipation, they leapt right into the thick of activities. The weather seemed kind in the back half of the week, allowing for some truly magnificent dam swims to clean off the mud and sweat gathered from their challenging activities.

The PROUD mantra really came to mind during the morning drill, when groups had to make a collective performance on ‘mateship’. You would have thought the groups had planned their performances for days, and the camp instructors were certainly impressed, when Alpha Company delivered a performance so unified and synchronized on the day, there wasn’t a single student out of place. Bravo company repeated this brilliant effort the next morning.

Overall, the camp was a wonderful opportunity for students to both challenge themselves and get to know each other, and from all reports, it was another resounding success.

Mr Michael Barnes
Year 7 teacher

In Week Four, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the Year 7 boys went to the Emu Gully Adventure Education Camp. We said goodbye to our parents and set off on a two hour bus journey. On the way we watched the very thrilling movie ‘The Incredibles’.

We arrived at camp via a long gravely road, and were greeted by our camouflaged guides, who informed us of our mission as we stepped off the bus. It was to gain a greater understanding of respect. After that we were showed the equipment and food we would be using to survive our two night stay. We were then split into the groups that had been chosen by our teachers to set up our accommodation (an area with a tarp over the top of it) and started pitching our tents. After that we set off on our first activity.

We did dam swimming, bridge building, mountain biking combined with bridge building, flower bomb fights, Buggy driving (the kind with engines not the ones you push), Templeton’s Crossing (lots of mud) and just plain surviving. After we had cooked our own food, survived the night and dealt with the toilets (which were just buckets), we packed up our tents and dirty, muddy clothes and headed home on the bus, enjoying a little sleep.

The experience was amazing and helped us make more new friends, and learn a lot more about respect.

Jed and Bailey
Year 7 students

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at Wynnum High

To start our year of STEM at Wynnum High a selection of Wynnum’s Science stars from Years 9 and 10 were invited to attend the QUT Science and Engineering Challenge. On Tuesday 14th February we travelled by train to QUT Gardens Point Campus to have a wonderful opportunity to have some Science FUN.

The students participated in some exciting challenges such as the Mission to Mars where they had to build a vehicle that would be able to travel over the bumpy surface of Mars. Other activities included bridge building, catapult making and many other engineering building and problems.

The students competed against many teams from seven other schools and had a great time and managed to place 4th on the day. See photos in pages below.

A QUT media release below was also published of our wonderful Wynnum High students.

Wynnum SHS students take part in national STEM challenge at QUT

Wynnum High School students joined more than 650 Years 9 and 10 students for the national Science and Engineering Challenge at QUT this week.

(from left) Year 10 students Rhianna, Sophie and Elizabeth took on the
Electricity Scenario at the annual national Science and Engineering Challenge.

With the help of QUT engineering students, they had to distribute power to a city as cheaply as possible in the Electracity activity.

Their teacher Shannon Redsell said the school had sent students to the challenge, now in its 11th year, in previous years.

“It’s great, it’s fabulous – all those problem-solving skills they need and they are having fun doing it. This influences their future choices,” Ms Redsell said.

Every year more than 36,000 Years 9 and 10 students take part in the Science and Engineering Challenge held at university campuses across the country to give them a taste for problem-solving using their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills.

The challenges are designed to use maths, science and physics on "real life" projects which relate to science and engineering careers.

The winning schools compete in the Super Challenge Series in Queensland in August.

A Queensland First for Wynnum High

This past month saw Wynnum SHS welcome the State’s first fully integrated, digitised online Library Portal working in collaborative partnership with Softlink, Queensland State Schools eBooks Digital Library and OverDrive Advantage collection for eBooks and audiobooks. Whilst online libraries have existed for many years, Wynnum’s pioneering model connects a wide range of web-based sources and databases, which are conveniently simultaneously searched within the single library platform, to efficiently deliver a wide variety of quality resources straight to staff and students at the touch of a button 24/7 from the comfort of their home or at school from any device. Digital content includes fiction and non-fiction novels, textbooks, magazines, audiobooks, encyclopaedias and even videos and is the first to do so in a Queensland state school setting. Adjunct school-based initiatives and schemes such as Wynnum Active Reading Program (WARP) and Student Resource Scheme (SRS) are also integrated within the new online digital solution.

Principal Ms Cath Pfingst said that this “introduction keeps the school at the forefront of digital innovation and provides a great learning opportunity for our students as they can also access this tool at any time of the day and from any internet device.”

The library portal reflects the facilities presently used at most TAFEs and Universities and draws upon resources from local and international providers that include:

• Softlink Oliver v5 – This library management software powers WSHS Library Portal in the cloud. This portal has been personalised to cater for the specific needs of Wynnum SHS, offering a digital-rich, engaging experience for the entire school community. As a fully web-based solution it can be accessed from any desktop or smart device, allowing staff and students to discover library and learning resources 24/7 in school, from home or on the go. The included federated search function is a deeply integrated, streamlined and cost effective solution which allows users to search multiple data sources in real time, direct from the portal. The Library Link app (iOS, Android) enhances accessibility to the portal from smart phones or tablets.
• A perfectly integrated, true federated search engine with access to over 1600 popular research databases for Oliver v5 users. Oliver v5 Federated Search
• Queensland State Schools eBooks Digital Library – a collection of 11,000+ eBooks, audiobooks and videos powered by OverDrive . Accessible to registered staff and students online 24/7 from computers or any device (iOS, Android, Windows) to support learning and encourage a love of reading.
• OverDrive Advantage – an optional add-on module to the State Schools eBooks Digital Library service. It allows the addition of content specific to our school’s needs that only our school can access, allowing full integration into our existing library portal and Qld State Schools eBooks Digital Library.
• Britannica School – A comprehensive research source featuring unlimited 24/7 access to hundreds of thousands of carefully curated encyclopaedia and EBSCO articles, atlases, websites, images, maps, videos, and audio clips that are updated regularly. It has daily features, updates and links to news reports from The New York Times and the BBC. National curriculum aligned articles can be read aloud at differentiated comprehension reading levels at the click of a button. Citations available in a variety of academic styles (e.g. MLA, APA, Harvard).
• UQ Library Cyberschool – Designed to provide senior secondary students and teachers with access to a carefully curated collection of useful curriculum-related online links.
• Project Gutenberg - A worldwide volunteer effort to digitise and archive full text cultural works of public domain books – over 53,000 so far – including those no longer covered by copyright such as Shakespeare. The 1700+ Project Gutenberg Australia collection has been imported into our the federated search function within our WSHS library portal.
• Clickview Online – The curriculum video library includes 2,000+ locally-hosted and a further 55,000+ cloud-hosted curriculum-relevant titles and features the exclusive ClickView Original Series for English, Mathematics, History and more. This library has been mapped to the Australian Curriculum and includes additional resources to help support learning. With the advanced TV recording service, you also get access to thousands of TV programmes every week. ClickView is accessible via your computer internet browser or an app on your device.
• Quick links to local and major libraries, credible databases and search engines are provided:

• Google Scholar
• Google Books
• State Library of Queensland (SLQ)
• Brisbane City Council Libraries
• Redland Council Libraries
• Gold Coast City Libraries
• Ipswich Council Libraries
• Logan Council Libraries

• Many more to come….

“Opportunities to add further non-fiction and credible research resources will soon be a focus as topics and events covered by this category can often change very quickly leaving more traditional sources such as textbooks out of date”, said Teacher Librarian Mrs Rella Taylor-Byrne. She adds that “arming students with basic skills in digital literacy and information literacy is becoming as critical as literacy and numeracy in order to operate effectively in our increasingly globalised, electronic and information-rich world. The flexible, online platform of our school’s library portal engages students in an interactive, multi-modal and dynamic way that reflects the real world. Staff and students can access and navigate these trustworthy and reliable facilities in their own time, in their own way, with the device of their choice.”

Later this year, Wynnum SHS students will strengthen their information literacy skills in the domain of staying safe online and maintaining a positive digital footprint through their involvement in cybersafety workshops delivered in partnership with the Department of Education (DET) Cybersafety team.

Encouraging your students to read as often as possible - not only to learn but also for enjoyment - is a critical element of improving reading for all students.

Creative Arts News

Instrumental Music

On Sunday 12 February the Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Big Band had a terrific workshop day in the Star Theatre. Thanks to all the parents who helped get their child to the workshop. It is very much appreciated and many thanks to Mrs Anderson and Mr Cosic who put the students through their paces, developing skills and technique and establishing a culture of excellence in their playing and performances.

From 10 -12 March, 53 Instrumental Music students are travelling to Alexandra Headlands to take part in an intensive 3-day music-making workshop. The weekend activities include rehearsals, tutorials, a trivia night, a movie night and a relaxing walk on the beach. Thanks to Mrs Anderson and Mr Cosic for organising a fun-filled, action-packed three days of developing the students’ skills and knowledge of their instrument and ensemble playing.

The Instrumental Music Parents’ Support (IMPS) group are hosting a welcome and information night on Tuesday 21 March for current and new families whose child participates in the Instrumental Music Program. The evening will start at 6:30 pm in the Star Theatre and all three ensembles will perform. There will be a light supper hosted by the IMPS Committee after the performances and the evening will conclude by 7:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to come along and get to know some of the other instrumental music families as well as celebrate with the Year 12 students who will receive their leadership badges.

Drama

ZEAL THEATRE is presenting a performance of their production The Apology for Year 7 Drama, Music and Dance students and Year 9 Drama students on Wednesday 19th April in the Star Theatre.

ZEAL THEATRE is an internationally renowned touring theatre company dedicated to creating plays for schools, theatres and festivals. The Apology is a searingly honest look at the repercussions of taking revenge and the long term effects that bullying can have. The play ricochets through a five year period where the bruises of bullying refuse to heal. Told from an unbiased perspective, this powerful production forces students to decide if the punishment fits the crime. The Apology is performed by two actors who play 18 different characters in total, without ever leaving the stage or changing costume. Fuelled with intensity, The Apology fuses physical theatre techniques, multiple role-sharing and live music into a visceral and dynamic piece of theatre.

Visual Arts Department - Artist in Residence Program

We have begun the planning for our Artist in Residence Program with professional artist Simone Eisler. The orange wall at the front of the school is being painted white to act as a blank canvas for the new art work that will be painted there by Simone and Year 10 Visual Arts students. The students, under the guidance of Mrs Georgiev, are preparing drawings and sketches for Simone to use as inspiration for the final artwork. Simone will be joining us in Term 2 to work directly with the students to create an iconic artwork for Wynnum SHS at the entry of the school. The 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.

Musical

Rehearsals are well underway for this year’s musical - High School Musical 2. This term every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon students have been learning and rehearsing dances, songs and lines for our performances from the 25 – 27 May in the Star Theatre. Tickets are $10 a ticket with a family price of $35 (2 adults and 2 children). Tickets will go on sale at the beginning of Term 2 and can be purchased from Students Services. No tickets will be sold at the door on performance nights.

We are ordering High School Musical 2 T-Shirts in the next couple of weeks. If you are interested in ordering a T-Shirt they are $18. You will need to complete an order form which can be collected from I01 staffroom or sent to you via email.

Musician in the Spotlight

Stephanie Keay Year 8 has been successful in auditioning for a position in the Creative Generations on Stage Massed Choir. Congratulations Stephanie! (you can put in a school photo if possible – even one from last year)

Homework Club

Special Education Program Update

This Semester, the Special Education Program is running the Secret Agent Society – Social Skills Program. This is only the second year in which this interactive social skills program has been offered to students needing this kind of instruction.

Created by Dr Renae Beaumont, the international program has a strong evidence base. Participants meet weekly and play the “Secret Agents” computer game, participate in discussion, role-play and play the “Secret Agents” board game to target the development of particular sets of social skills.

Students, as part of the program, receive a backpack of goodies so that they’ll always have social skill strategies at hand, literally, to take into their home, the classroom, the playground…and beyond.

Sport News

Swimming Carnival

To kick start the year our annual Wynnum High Swimming Carnival occurred and before people knew it, the whistle was being blown to take the blocks. The 2017 Swimming Carnival looked promising and the temperature was scorching, but that didn’t stop the colours of yellow, red, blue and purple preparing to go face-to-face with their fierce rivals. This year saw our carnival at Wondall Heights State School. All students had a role to fill, whether it was cheering from the side line, swimming frantically to the end of the pool, or joining in on the free swim throughout the carnival to gain further points for their house. All participants enjoyed themselves and walked away with a smile and sense of accomplishment. The display of sportsmanship and team spirit was exceptional, the war cries were deafening, the pool lanes were filled with splashes, and teacher vs students relay team was an instant classic.

The almighty purples (Oxley) walked away with the title, “Champions of the Pool” as Kennedy, champions in 2016 could not go back to back. Congratulations to Oxley for another title with a final grand total of 1216 points, closely followed by Kennedy with a total of 1123 points, then Cunningham in third place with 1102 points and Mitchell with a total of 1002 points. Although Oxley may have scored a few more points than the rest, it would not have been a successful day without the continual battle put forward by the other houses, so a pat on the back for all participants, competitors and teachers who battled the extremely hot conditions to make it a great day!

Age Champions 2017

Champion House

Bayside District Swimming Carnival

Two weeks later, 30 of Wynnum High’s best swimmers competed in the Bayside District Swimming Championships. We could not have been more PROUD of the effort they showed throughout the day. A total of 31 schools participated with Wynnum finishing 10th overall. Special congratulations must to Year 7 student Hayslee Cassidy who finished Runner-up Age Champion for 12 Years’ boys. Hayslee also managed to break the district record for 50 metres Breaststroke with an incredible time of 37.06 seconds. Well done Haylsee and great work Wynnum, we are certainly PROUD of all your efforts!

Interhouse Cross Country/ Walk for Health

Date: Friday 31 March (weather permitting)
Time: 9.00 am – 11.20 am
Clothes: Sports uniform/House colours

All students will participate either as a runner, walker or student helper. Student helpers can sign up on the Sports Hall noticeboard. Students are to wear their sports uniform, however they are encouraged to wear clothes that support their house. Please ensure you have your running shoes, sunscreen and water bottle.

Maths Department News

MATHLETICS 2017

Students in Years 7-9 Mathematics have been enrolled in Mathletics this year. These students have been given a Mathletics login and password to use at home and at school.

MATHEMATICS COMPETITIONS 2017

1. Students are welcome to enter the 40th Australian Mathematics Competition with entries closing on 10 July and the competition held on 27 July.
2. A group of students from (Years 7-9) will be invited to participate in the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians – more details to follow.

Scientific Calculators

Are for sale at the Tuckshop $25

Peter Wilson
HOD Mathematics

From the School Nurse

MARCH IS EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH

DID YOU KNOW?

• 10% of Australians will have a seizure during their lifetime, while 3-4% will be diagnosed with epilepsy.
• Epilepsy is the world’s most common serious brain disorder.
• Anyone at any age can be diagnosed with epilepsy.
• The majority of people are first diagnosed with epilepsy are school aged or over 55.
• There are many different types of epilepsy and associated seizures.
• Stigma, discrimination and misconceptions associated with epilepsy are sometimes worse than the condition itself.

Epilepsy affects as many as 2% of Queenslanders. There are more people with epilepsy than with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease and several others combined. Epilepsy is recognized as the world's most common serious brain disorder (WHO, 1997). While in most cases it is diagnosed during the school years, epilepsy may affect anyone at anytime.

There are many causes of epilepsy, which may vary with the age at which the seizures begin. As a generalization, it can be said that an epileptic seizure occurs when, due to a sudden unusual release of energy (electrical activity) in the brain, its normal working is disturbed. The brain then fairly rapidly corrects itself and everything soon returns to normal.

There are two types of epilepsy, primary and secondary epilepsy. The seizures in primary epilepsy may be identical to those in secondary epilepsy, but on examination of the brain, even with today’s techniques, it is not possible to find an abnormality, and so the cause remains unknown.

Secondary epilepsy is an easier concept to grasp. It means that the symptoms, namely the fits, are secondary, or subsequent to, some obvious abnormality of the brain. In other words, if you could look at the brain itself and examine it, either during life using x-ray techniques like CT or MRI scanning, or autopsy, it would be possible to find an actual abnormality in the brain. The person may have been born with this abnormality of the brain or it may be a scar related to brain damage at birth, a head injury and so on.

Some of the particular causes of epilepsy include: Anoxia (hypoxia), i.e. lack of oxygen to the brain, brain damage, brain tumours and previous brain infections.

The Tea Room

The TEA Room is the first online international forum specifically for teenagers with epilepsy and allows them to share, chat and learn with other teenagers around the world.

Developed by the Scottish Epilepsy Initiative, this new free global social networking site connects 13-19 year olds from around the world who are suffering from or are in the process of being diagnosed with epilepsy. Launched in January this year, the site already has users from around the world.

One of the biggest problems facing people with epilepsy is the social stigma associated with seizures. Teenagers in particular can feel embarrassed and "shut out" because they feel different to their peers; so The TEA Room is a wonderful way for them to engage with other young people who can relate to their situation and problems.

The TEA Room provides instant access to an online community of friends who face similar challenges living with epilepsy, although discussion is not limited to health issues. In many parts of the world, people with epilepsy and their families suffer from stigma and discrimination.

REFERENCES

Gabrielle Nolan,
Youth Health nurse

Community News

University of the Sunshine Coast

A survey is being conducted by the University of the Sunshine Coast to help develop better training for learner drivers. The project is exploring the current state of professional driving instruction for learner drivers in Queensland.

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

If you are a learner driver or have your red P-plates we want to hear from you.

Survey link:

All survey participants will be eligible to go into a draw to win an iPhone 7.

For further information please contact the PhD Researcher, Natalie Watson-Brown (Natalie.watson-brown@research.usc.edu.au) at the Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience – Thompson Institute, 12 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya 4575, or call 075 456 3561.

The survey closes on the 30th April, 2017.