19 June 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

This semester of incredible challenge. “Every student succeeding” is the mantra of State schools and each school has its own iteration of what that “looks like”. At Cav if we are to build student capacity and success we have to teach how to learn, and for teachers to continue to seek new and impactful means of teaching ALL of our students. There is a ‘line of sight’ from one to the other. In my view there are four essential elements:

• A moral imperative. The very purpose of and a dedication of spirit
• A culture of caring. A theme that runs through our organization that every child and every child’s learning matters.
• Instructional focus. Every lesson has purpose and contributes to eventual mastery.
• Use of data. To monitor progress and effectiveness, growth, before outcomes.

What have we learned from this challenge? Without doubt, two things. The first is that our strategic and implementation plans are ‘on the money’ in terms of intent and execution. They are posted on our website. The second, is the extent of professional reflection teachers gave to one key question in relation to their practice: Are my students learning?

This leads to other enquiries of what to do to be as impactful as they possibly can. Our school has “hummed” with professional exchange and discourse of “what worked” and “how to improve”, and of new skills acquired and honed. Necessarily, the collective will to make sure our students were not only not left behind but could come back to school and progress was and is, evident.

This semester we saw the qualities of teachers and students at Cav where those four essential elements were lived. Not a bad place to be despite the circumstances.

Are we there yet? Jurisdictions across the nation are impacted differently as a result of the pandemic emergency and we have to accept that the emergence towards normality again will be varied in scope and time it will take. School life is normalising with students ‘back in the game’ not only in their academic studies but social life as best can be conducted and student led. Community is such a big part of our school and ‘in it together’ couldn’t be better lived than amongst our students.

School operations will continue to reflect relaxations in public health requirements as they are announced and as Education Queensland provides guidelines for schools. Necessarily our calendar of events for the year is disrupted with advice of date changes for awards, senior formal and graduation and sports schedules to be confirmed.

Advice so far.

• School sport is on the comeback and the following links below outline the guidelines and some FAQs. We are getting to grips with what that means in terms of getting back into inter-school competitions from 10 July, particularly managing the sports to meet the requirements guidelines of use of equipment, travel, managing venues and total numbers including spectators. Ms Bairstow, Sports Director is working with Metropolitan sports now to shape a program for term 3.
• To what extent Cav participates in regional and metropolitan sports from that date we have to work out. But we do want to see our students have as close a return to active sports competitions at the earliest and be sensible and provide sufficient notice and preparation. See these links.

• QCAA and Year 12. Mr Brian Short, Chair Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority provided information to schools recently a number of general principles in this extraordinary year for Year 12 and I have placed in italics features perhaps of most concern to students and parents
  - a student should not be advantaged or disadvantaged by the combination of internal assessments they completed
  - the selected method will be internationally recognised, with a proven track record in delivering fair and accurate outcomes in national and international assessment programs
  - final subject results will accurately reflect the achievements of students and enable the calculation of tertiary entrance ranks
  - the intent of the new system and syllabus construct will be maintained, in particular the contribution of internal and external assessment results will remain the same for each General subject, with no scaling of internal assessment results by the external assessment
  - the combination of internal assessments completed by students should not prevent them from obtaining the highest possible final internal assessment score
  - the fairness of the procedure will take a higher priority than simplicity of the procedure where such a decision must be made
  - the procedure will be transparent to maintain credibility with students and their parents, schools and stakeholders
  - the process is designed for the exceptional circumstances in 2020 and should not be used in a different context.

A summary presentation, factsheet and updated FAQs will soon be available via the QCAA website to introduce the subject result calculation method to the Queensland school community. A video will be available next Term to support a series of webinars with school leaders.

End of semester reporting. This is not a business as usual time but ‘business as unusual’. The intended curriculum and assessment work in semester one was cut down, modified, and the timing of assessment changed to reflect reality. This semester I have included a general Principal’s comment that explains how reports are compiled for semester one. Like any semester, the achievement reported is directly referrable to evidence of that achievement as objectively compared to standards. Students are only assessed on what work was delivered in both face to face learning in term 1, ‘learning at home’ and upon return to school in term 2. Not what we would ‘hope’ to teach and students to learn.

Future student reports. I am seeking feedback from parents and carers of what makes a meaningful report card. Schools are mandated to report at least twice each year and to use an A-E scale of achievement. I want to add another dimension to reporting apart from the grades to better inform learning progress; a ‘no surprises, predict and respond’ purpose to reports as well as meet our mandated requirements.

We will be trialling new interim reports for terms 1 and 3 where a student’s profile is continuously collated and that over the course of each academic period of a term or semester of the learning journey of each child and not only the achievement, will be at the disposal of parents and students.

The system we will use will be as good as the ‘live’ data going in from teacher mark books but parents will be able to request an update at any time as assessment results filter into the profile. At least that is the theory and intent.

Some things we won’t be able to do such as, place in class, like ‘5th out of 25 in class’, though rubrics are provided at the end of semester reports of where a student sits relative to the group.

I also want to cut down the length of report comments. What makes a “good’ report?

Finances. Cav families are terrific in this regard. School statements will be issued early in term 3 as we also have to progress ’normalising’ that part of school operations. Families who may experience difficulty are always welcome to discuss this with our Business Manager, Mrs Vlaski or Finance Officer, Ms Everett. A reminder though that payments for ‘user pays’ and ‘optional’ activities give way to priority to student resource scheme commitments.

2020 School Opinion Survey

Parents and Caregivers are invited to participate in this year’s School Opinion Survey and have a say about schooling during the COVID-19 lockdown. You are also given the opportunity to provide feedback about our school more generally.

Participation in the survey is anonymous and you are encouraged to take this opportunity to have your say. The survey form has been designed so that it can easily be completed on a computer or smartphone. The online survey will be available until Friday, 17 July 2020, and should take less than five minutes to complete.

To access the survey, please click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web browser:

Parent survey –

Please contact the school if you have any questions about the survey.

I wish everyone a restful winter vacation.

Richard Usher BA LLB Dip Teach
Executive Principal

Associate Principal

Darren Beebe

How are Year 7 2021 enrolments progressing? During the year the school has been required to make appropriate adjustments to a range of matters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those areas has been the enrolment process. Typically by this time each year, the school would have received hundreds of applications, conducted hundreds of enrolment interviews as well as coordinating trials for the sporting and iMEX academies.

COVID-19 has resulted in adjusted processes for the year that provides families with the usual timelines. In the place of invitation to enrolment interviews, the school has been conducting an online process this year with online applications replacing the role of the enrolment interview. In normal circumstances, we look forward to and enjoy meeting the year 6 students and their parents at the interview, to learn about the prospective new student, their strengths and interests, and to allow the school to explain important aspects of school life, culture, curriculum and expectations.

Thank you to all of the families that have returned these applications. Your timely replies have been appreciated.

Invitations to complete the online applications commenced late in term 1 with the catchment students as well as siblings of enrolled students. Further invitations were sent this term for selected students from out-of-catchment. It is possible that more invitations to out-of-catchment students will occur. Trials for the sporting and iMEX academies have been postponed and will now occur in July with invitations sent earlier this week.

Enrolment offers to commence in August. This will commence with the catchment students with offers to out-of-catchment to follow. The number of offers to out-of-catchment students will depend on the number of catchment families who accept to ensure the school is able to manage our enrolment capacity.

If you have a child to enrol for Year 7 2021, where you are yet to express interest, please contact Barbara Anders, our Enrolments Officer on 3394 0777, as soon as possible.

Orientation Day. When we progress to our Orientation Day in December, we will make adjustments this year to ensure the important information usually provided at the enrolment interviews are conveyed to students and parents. This will help ensure that day 1, Wednesday 27 January and the days that follow in 2021, will be as successful as possible for everyone.

Associate Principal

Catherine McCarthy

Learning from online learning. As things begin to return to “normal” at school, we want to ensure that we capture the learning we have made during this once in a life-time experience. We cannot let the time we were learning@home move into our distant memory and become part of reminiscing – remember when school shut for weeks and we all went online? Online learning has meant rapid change. Did everything go perfectly? No, however some of the practices developed during learning@home have great potential to be valuable in an ongoing way as we return to face-to-face teaching.

Myself together with Mr Cox, Deputy Principal, Mr Griffiths, Academic Director and Ms Millsom, pedagogy mentor are leading a research project which aims to support teachers to reflect on the experience of online teaching and learning, and to identify “what worked”.

We are also using feedback from students who completed surveys during their time at home and when they returned to school. The many emails received from parents and carers at home will also be used to inform our work. If you have any additional feedback about what worked for your student while they were learning@home drop me a quick email on: cmcca105@eq.edu.au

Remembering our Routines for Learning. One thing we know works whether online or face-to-face is establishing routines for learning. It has definitely been hard to get back in to the routine of being back at school. Teachers have been working hard to remind students of our Cav Rd Routines for Learning. These are visible in every classroom in the school and it is important for us all to use these routines to get ourselves ready for class and learning.

Student Council Activities. It has been lovely to see our student leaders getting back in to the swing of things. Silly Socks day was a great success with lots of staff and students pulling out the craziest footwear we could find. You can read more details about the fantastic day and see some fabulous photos later in this edition. I know that Mr Faulkner, the Student Council and our student leaders have plenty more wonderful activities planned for the remainder of the year.

Parents and Citizens’ (P and C) Association

Next Meeting

Join us for the next P&C meeting in Term 3 on Tuesday 21 July at 7pm. We will let you know the details after the school holidays.

Canteen and Uniform Shop

You’ll find more in Roberta and Madonna’s section on Canteen specifics, but we did want to highlight some changes we’re implementing in both the Canteen and Uniform Shop.

We have been busy changing the way our tills work and how we manage stock in the Uniform Shop. What this means for you is in Week 10:

• The Canteen will be switching over to new software on selected tills. Please be patient as the team get used to the new software.
• Uniform Shop online orders must be submitted by 5pm Tuesday 23 June for collection this term.
• The Uniform Shop’s last day of trade for Term 2 will be Wednesday 24 June.

Once we’ve bedded down this change, we’ll be looking at the next phase which will be to enable students to pay using their school ID Cards. More on this in Term 3.

How to participate

1. Attend Meetings

7pm on the third Tuesday of the month in the Resource Centre – next meeting is Tuesday 21 July 2020.

2. Parents and Citizens Facebook page

3. Email list

If you would like to be added to our mailing list and receive reminders about future meetings and copies of our minutes and agenda please email pandcsecretary.cavrd@gmail.com

4. Volunteering

The canteen and uniform shop are always looking for helpers. If you have a little time and would like to help, please feel welcome to pop in. Even coming along for a short time to assist on one of the days would be a huge help. For more information or to advise when you are available to assist please contact:

the Canteen team on 3394 0723 or canteen.cavrd@gmail.com

or the uniform shop - uniformshop.cavrd@gmail.com

We are always looking for new members for working groups or to assist at events – if you are interested please contact pandcsecretary.cavrd@gmail.com

We’ve had two successful online P&C meetings now and have loved having so many people join us. We’re not sure yet when face to face meetings can start up again but we will let you know. We do have a few things to discuss and some money to spend, so please come along and have a say.

See you all at the next meeting!

Melanie Rieger - Vice-President Communications
Cav Road SHS P&C Association

Canteen News

We would like to thank the Students and Staff for their cooperation and patience throughout Term 2. Hopefully Term 3 will see some normality return and we are able to welcome back our much missed volunteers to the Canteen.

Just a reminder that we no longer offer online ordering. Students must come into the canteen to pre-order BEFORE SCHOOL between 8 – 9am to order & pay. We are open for breakfast from 8am – 8.45am.

Notes to Students:

• You must use the hand sanitiser upon entry.
• Make sure your hat and jackets are on properly.
• Only come into the canteen if you are purchasing. We are limiting 20 students to enter at a time so please consider others.
• Have your cash money ready while you wait and make sure you have sufficient money in your account if paying by Card before getting to the counter.
• When using the EFTPOS machine please wait until the payment has been approved before walking out.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions in relation to the Canteen.

Roberta and Madonna – Canteen Convenors

Finance

Cavendish Road State High School is now a cashless school.

How to Make Payment at Cavendish Road State High School

DET Preferred Payment Method - BPoint

Please use the CRN (Customer Reference Number) located on the bottom left hand side of your invoice. Payment can be made through the Payment Portal:

This is a secure site and receipts are issued immediately. Our records are updated within 24 hours.

Copies of invoices and receipts are available on your QParents Portal. Payments can also be made in QParents.

Payment Plan Via eDDR (Electronic Direct Debit Registration)

Contact finance@cavendishroadshs.eq.edu.au or phone 07-3394-0777 to speak to our Finance Team to discuss a payment plan.

By Phone with a Credit/Debit Card

Please phone 1300 BPoint – 1300-631-073.

When making a payment please have your invoice ready as you will need your CRN (Customer Reference Number) and Invoice Number.

In Person at Cavendish Road State High School

Office Hours are Monday to Friday 8.00am to 1.30pm on school days.

Payment can be made by EFTPOS. We do not accept cash payment.

CentrePay Deductions

Please contact our Finance Team to discuss this option.

Reporting – Semester 1 2020

Semester One Reports will be emailed Tuesday 21 July, Term 3, Week 2. Reports will be based on information developed from a modified program of learning. The achievement reported will be derived from learning areas/subjects taught in Term 1 and learning at home and upon return to school in Term 2.

As consequence of changed circumstances and learning conditions in Semester 1, the report will reflect the reduced assessment, changed assessment techniques and timing of curriculum taught.

Relevant public health and social distancing advice will determine formal parent-teacher interviews being scheduled. Parents are welcome to contact teachers.

Junior Secondary

Welcome Back!

Monday 25 May was a morning like no other for educators around the country. Welcoming back all of our students after one of the most challenging times in education was an absolute pleasure. Our staff waited eagerly at our school gates with balloons to greet students upon their return. It was also a lovely moment to connect with our parents and community after a difficult time apart. We all felt the satisfaction of life returning to normal at Cav. The momentum has certainly continued as we all have returned to class with a renewed appreciation for what we may have previously taken for granted. Education is one of the greatest gifts we can share and we are very fortunate to be back here sharing it at our great school together.

Nicola Larmore – HOD Junior Secondary

Year 7 Report

I would like to extend a giant thank you for your efforts with your child during online learning. Some students loved the autonomous learning while others desperately missed the connection and feedback you get within the classroom environment. I know from my own personal experience, my own children were absolutely busting to get back to school in week 6 and it was wonderful teaching some face-to-face lessons again with my classes.

Please be assured teachers have been working very hard to ensure students ‘catch-up’ and have the knowledge and skills to complete assessment due this week or next. Remember in high school your child will always homework or an assessment task they can work on every night, so please encourage good study habits at home.

If your child has been struggling with the return to school, please let me or their class teacher know.

Assessment and Exams

If your child is absent the day of an exam or assignment due date, it is important that you and your student are aware of the school policy.

• Wherever possible the assignment should still be submitted. Students should submit the assignment electronically to the teacher or parent/relative delivery to the office by 8:45 am. If this is not possible and illness or emergent family circumstances prevent the assignment being submitted by 8:45 am an Application for AARA (Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments) will be required. A justifiable and valid reason for not submitting by 8:45 am will need to be evident. Sometimes students are absent for a number of consecutive days leading up to a due date as a result of illness or emergent family circumstances meaning the assignment is not complete. Parents should submit an Application for AARA requesting an extension before the due date, where possible.
• If a student is absent the day an exam is scheduled due to illness or emergent family circumstances, an Application for AARA is required.
• An Application for AARA is to be made via the school website (download the Application for AARA form, complete the details and email to a Guidance Officer). While a medical certificate is required for Senior students, for Year 7 students the parents provides details explaining the illness on the Application for AARA form.

The policy and application form are found in Support and Resources / Assessment Policy.

Tutoring for Year 7 Students

Tutoring is available for year 7 students Wednesday afternoons 3-4pm in Y01 and Y02 for English, Humanities, Mathematics and Science.

Uniforms

At breaks I have noticed a number of students without hats. Can you please ensure your child is wearing their hat to school each day. Students are not permitted to wear fashion necklaces that can be seen or rings. Only cultural or religious necklaces are permitted if Principal approval is sought and given. Please tell your child to visit the uniform correction room when they arrive to school if they don’t have a correct item for the day. We can loan correct items.

Online Use Tips

In year 7 Pastoral Care Class (PSC) students have been learning about Cyber Safety and analysing their own online use. At the beginning of the unit students completed a survey and were asked approximately how many hours a week they spent online for non-school use.

The results were:

0-10 hours - 15%
10-20 hours - 30 %
20-30 hours - 24%
30-50 hours - 10%
50-60 hours - 9%
60+ hours - 12%

Some class teachers discovered some students were not getting adequate sleep and struggling at school due to being online late into the night. If you are battling with your child at home about their online use, some helpful strategies include:

• Have a strict ‘all devices off’ time each day. E.g. No devices after dinner or 8:30pm.
• Discuss and negotiate this time first with your child to avoid confrontation when the time arrives.
• Give count-downs to your child when they are approaching the negotiated switch-off time. Explain your expectations that when the time is up: you expect no arguments and devices turned off.
• After the ‘device off time’, store laptops / phones and other devices somewhere other than bedrooms. Assure your child the device is not being confiscated and you’ll return it in the morning for school.
• Speak with your child about their online use and explain you wish to help them regulate their use.
• Game time only after homework is completed.
• Use laptops in a communal area of your home.

During lunchtimes at school in the year 7 precinct we have also adopted a ‘homework only’ policy for the use of laptops at lunchtime, to encourage students spend their breaks forming relationships with their peers instead of gaming alone.

Wellbeing and Student Concerns

Thank you for your emails and communication in the past few weeks about your children. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Tracy Laidlaw - Year 7 Dean
Talai0@eq.edu.au Direct staffroom phone: 3394 0731

Year 10 Update

Career Education Program

The year 10 Careers Education Program has been implemented Monday period 1, Term 2, weeks 6-10. Year 10 Students are investigating more about themselves, their interests, skills and areas of work that may interest them. Each week students complete a number of evidence based exercises and activities linking to homework conversation activities shared with parents/carers and teachers.

Senior Education Training Plan (Term 3 Week 1-6)

To assist Year 10 students to plan courses of education and training through the next two years, all students will also be required to develop a Senior Education and Training Plan (SET-Plan). This course run at school over the first six weeks of term 3, prepares students in selecting appropriate six subjects for year 11/12. SET–Plan provides students with a personal learning plan to guide their future career pathways options. It is designed to build on each student’s strengths and provide them with direction for their future career. My advice is talk with your students over the next few weeks and ask them to show you their individual SET-P progress and develop online in OneSchool. Education Queensland mandates this initiative and all students are expected to complete a SET-P.

Students will require their SET-P to be completed and a subject application form signed and approved by parents/carers in Term 3, week 7. They will receive a copy of their SET-P with intended subject choices to take home for parental/carer approval.

Any questions or comments can be directed to Mr Paul Cox (Deputy Principal), Ms Shauna McVie, (Guidance Officer) or Ms Karyn Trapp (HOD Senior Schooling) on 3394 0777.

We look forward to assisting your family plan for your child’s successful future.

Paul Cox - Deputy Principal (Year 10 and 11)

Senior Schooling

The next round of ATAR estimate meetings with Year 12 ATAR eligible students will commence in Term 3. QCAA (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) removed one internal assessment item from the Year 12 schedule due to COVID-19 interruptions so our students are now working towards preparing for their external exams which will be held in Term 4. We will be conducting ‘mock exams’ in Term 3 to equip our students with the skills they will require to manage the external exam process.

School-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs)

At this point of the year, students in Year 10 are determining a pathway and subjects for Year 11. Students who select a non-ATAR pathway have the option to apply for school-based apprenticeships and traineeships to complement their chosen career path. A school-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SAT) offers students a combination of training, which leads to a certificate, and on the job training. SATs also offer the ability to earn while students are learning. More information about SATs is available at:

We are supporting Work Experience for Year 10 students in their school holiday breaks this year. If your student is interested in doing some work experience in their chosen career path and you know of a business that would be happy to have the student, please ask your student to see us in K16 with the details and we can arrange the placement.

Participating in work experience during the next holiday break is an excellent opportunity for your student to ‘sample’ the career path that they may be considering in the future. This may assist students to make more realistic subject choices at SET P interview time in Term 3.

QCAA News

External Exam Marker Applications now open!

The QCAA employs and trains practising Queensland teachers and other eligible applicants with sufficient relevant experience (e.g. retired teachers and academics) to mark external assessment for General, General (Extension) and General (SEE) syllabuses, using an online marking platform.

The marking period will run from late October to the end of November 2020. Appointed markers will be required to complete up to two days of subject-specific training in October/November.

The QCAA is now seeking expressions of interest (EOIs) from those not currently teaching in a Queensland school (e.g. retired teachers, academics, teachers from other jurisdictions) for external assessment marking roles.

To apply to become an external assessment marker, other eligible applicants must:

• submit an online EOI to the QCAA
• if reviewed as suitable for initial training, successfully complete the Accreditation modules and assessment in the QCAA Portal, equivalent to Accreditation requirements for practising Queensland teachers
• in Term 3, complete the recruitment webinar and assessment

Following the recruitment webinar and assessment, the QCAA will review applications submitted and make offers of appointment to other eligible applicants in Term 3, 2020. Appointees will be paid for training and marking.

For more information, including how to apply, visit the QCAA assessors (external assessment marking) page on the QCAA website.

Alternatively, please email eamarkers@qcaa.qld.edu.au.

Karyn Trapp - HOD Senior Schooling

‘100’ Days to Go

Due to the pandemic, our senior students have missed out on a number of ‘final’ school events given that their last cross country was cancelled at the end of term 1 and their last ever school athletics carnival will not run on the last day of this semester. While our seniors have been very understanding of the fact that, unfortunately, we can do nothing about this, it prompted us to ensure that we mark one significant milestone that we were still able to celebrate under current government restrictions.

3 June 2020 marked ‘100 school days to go’ for our senior cohort. We acknowledged this milestone by giving our Year 12 students the opportunity to take some photographs during break times with their friends while being set alongside a set of foil ‘100’ balloons. As you can see from these images, this significant day in the 2020 calendar was well celebrated by our senior students.

Sarah Potter - Year 12 Dean

Guidance Service

Information and support to students is constantly being update on the Wellbeing, Careers & Guidance page.

Access can also be via the student sharepoint page.

Some items of current interest are included under the ‘Short Clips / Articles’ tab.

Rob Stewart, Shauna McVie, Michael Lynch and Alycia Wilkinson – Guidance Officer Team

The Arts

Year 10 Art - Term 1

Students studied the work of Jeffrey Smart and developed artwork with a focus on the use of line, colour, shape, tone and perspective considerations.

Successful outcomes developed with the direction of their teacher Mrs. Schafer.

DRAMA

Welcome back Drama students from your online learning. It has certainly been a new and exciting time for us all. I have been so impressed with the online work and now the return to the classroom has been filled with lots of energy and enthusiasm. IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK!

Senior students are submitting their final assessment prior to external exams which is something to celebrate. Well done. Junior students are in the final term or semester of their involvement in Drama and are busy working on scripts or presenting tasks.

On Monday 8 June we experienced our first live streamed Drama performance by Shock Therapy titled UNDERTOW. This was an incredible production reinforcing in class teaching and learning.

Have a wonderful break Seniors I will see you next term. To all our junior students, I trust you enjoyed your short term in class experience enough to select the subject again next year.

ONLINE THEATRE PERFORMANCE by SHOCK THERAPY - UNDERTOW

Undertow is a brand new original work that explores themes of resilience, mental health, relationships and identity.

It is an honest and powerful look at the hidden forces, beneath the surface that move us and determine the choices we make and the actions we take. Centering around a high school community, the show follows a group of individuals, from a range of backgrounds, all dealing with their own unique challenges.

Shock Therapy draw on a range of film conventions and physical theatre techniques to push their signature style in a new direction, blurring the line between different realities. The result is storytelling that is fluid and inventive, sweeping you up in its current as the story pulls you deeper.

Toni Ryan - Drama Coordinator

English

This term has certainly been challenging for students, parents and teachers alike. However, we must acknowledge that with challenge comes the opportunity for growth. This term certainly threw unpredictable moments in our direction, but look at how far we have come. We are back at school, learning as we once have and we managed to succeed during an event that will go down in history.

It was certainly an interesting time to be a teacher, not to mention a student. The students have truly risen to the occasion, demonstrating their commitment during challenging times, their courtesy and consideration when communicating with staff, and finally, their co-operation. Our students had to learn new procedures and routines within days, which is a testament to their desire to better themselves and their education.

It is now coming to the end of Term 2 - the term of chaos - and we are starting to see the results of our online learning. As a teacher, I am reading their work, drafting their assessment and I can see that our students have managed to maintain their excellent standards. I know that we all had to overcome difficulties during this time, whether it be technology, learning new platforms or even understanding new concepts without the benefit of being in a physical classroom. However, they have demonstrated perseverance and I can see their hard work and dedication in the assessment that they are currently submitting.

In English, the year 12s are currently working on their final unit, Macbeth. With the cancellation of IA3 the students have almost 2 terms to engage with the play! I am certain that our 12s will use this time diligently in order to succeed in Term 4.

It was interesting to get their perspective on the experience of learning at home, something they will soon have to get used to if they wish to go to University in the future.

Meg N. found, “Learning from home was a positive experience. The flexibility of being able to choose how and when I went through the work was much more suited to my learning. I preferred it over in-school learning.”

Declan N. said that he, “…actually found learning from home quite easy and felt more productive. Due to the access to more distractions I took more breaks (e.g. phone, TV) but I feel like this actually made me work more efficiently, like a motivator in a way. I would do sections of work in blasts and really cement my understanding as I was by myself (less distractions) and could work at my own pace.”

The year 12s continued to work hard, and as a teacher, I could not have asked for more. However, it was agreed that you could not pass up being in the actual classroom, as it provides the opportunity for effective communication and the sharing of different opinions.

Meg N. – “ Being in the classroom allows for group discussion and collaboration of ideas that you might not have thought of on your own, that is something that is useful and valuable, and cannot be replicated efficiently at home.”

Declan N. – “I actually did miss being in the classroom, not because of the classroom, but the people. Not being able to go out and see my friends was pretty hard which made me actually miss school. lol.”

When surveying some of my students from years 8 – 12, it was interesting to see their perspectives on learning from home and English as a subject. It was lovely to receive positive feedback from several students who admitted to enjoying the content of our lessons.

As an English teacher, I teach a subject that is considered a ‘core’ subject; every student must take this class. Therefore, it is a continual focus to make the content engaging and fun for my students, who – I’m sure – would much prefer to be doing other things. However, when I read their responses, it made me happy to read that the majority of students enjoy English.

Liz D. - “I think the thing I enjoy most about English is the words. I like being creative and presenting ideas to others, which is basically what happens in English. It's a different atmosphere from my other subjects and is usually one that I enjoy.”

Ellie M. – “I love creative writing, I love coming up with your own themes, characters and the plot. I do not mind the Romeo and Juliet section only because of Miss. I think Miss Roberts makes English better and more enjoyable.”

Despite the hardships that the last few months have thrown at students, families and teachers, we are all back to business, building on the foundation of hard work from the beginning of the term. I have no doubt in my mind that if our students can manage to deal with the stressors of the last few weeks, then they are well equipped with the skills to overcome the stress of upcoming assessment and exams. It is clear to me that we have all come through this experience changed; we have new skills, new knowledge, and most importantly a newfound gratitude for all of the wonderful things that currently fill our lives.

Jessica Roberts – English Teacher

International and Foreign Languages

German

The end of this term sees us saying goodbye to Maria Birgel and welcoming back Jinnie Pettersen. Ms Birgel has been on contract to cover Mrs Petteresen’s classes while she has been on maternity leave. We have enjoyed having Ms Birgel with us.

Some of our Year 7 German students are exchanging videos (via Ms Birgel) with students in Austria. The students record messages, greetings and questions for the students overseas and vice versa.

Thank you Ms Birgel for the work you have done. I know that the Language teachers will miss your professionalism and collegiality. We wish you well at Brisbane State High School.

We also look forward to Mrs Pettersen returning next Term.

Maria Masselos – HOD International and Foreign Languages

ICAS 2020

ICAS is an annual assessment competition that recognises academic excellence by assessing students’ ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts using deeper thinking and problem-solving skills. There are ICAS assessments for Digital Technology, English, Science and Mathematics in term 3. Each test is run online during class time. There is an entry fee of $14.50 per test. Interested students collected a permission form from their peer support teacher in week 8. Signed permission forms need to be returned to the payment window by Wednesday 24 June (week 10). If you require further information or require a form, please contact Steve Griffiths (Academic Director) via email sgrif128@eq.edu.au

SPORT @ CAV ROAD

Interschool Sport – Winter Season

Interschool and competitive sport is cancelled at this stage across our district due to Covid-19 restrictions. When more details are available with Term 3 Guidelines, there may be additional sporting opportunities provided to our students.

Recreational Sport – Term 2 & Term 3

As we welcomed all students in their return to school in Week 6 (Term 2), Recreational based sport (Trimester 2) began. In order to be Covid-19 compliant, we are only permitted to participate in recreational sport, (i.e. no interschool sport or bus travel to other venues). This meant we had to spread the number of students over the two days. We made some timetabling changes to allow more access to facilities and oval space for all involved.

• So it looks like;
  - Tuesday sport – Years 8 & 9 only
  - Wednesday sport – Years 10 only & Year 7 (moved from Tuesday’s timetable)
  - Years 7 – 10 students organised into their PSC classes
  -Years 11-12 students have Home Study arrangements

• Students are participating in a range of activities across our school campus and Whites Hill Reserve. All activities encourage students to be active (low to moderate intensity). Due to the inter-class draw, teams participate in different activities every week. Some of the activities include a rotation between; walking, volleyball, capture the flag, basketball (modified), dodgeball, indigenous games, netball, futsal, Oz tag and ultimate disc.

A huge effort from Mr Kalpakadis and Mr Baker in getting this Recreational Program off the ground in such a short time. Thank you to all staff and students involved so far in making it a massive success.

Cav Road Sport Team

• Junior Recreational Sport Coordinator – Mr Kalpakidis
  - Tuesday Recreational Sport (Year 8 & 9)
• Senior Recreational Sport Coordinator – Mr Baker
  - Wednesday Recreational Sport (Year 7 & 10)
• Sport Director – Ms Bairstow
  - Interschool Sport, Sport Academies and Representative Sport

• Sports Prefects 2020: Nina Grimley & Zoe Webb

• Head of House:
  - Head of House Harpur – Ms Stebbings
  - Head of House Harrop – Ms Brazier
  - Head of House Johnson – Mr Evans
  - Head of House Page – Ms McDonald

• House Captains 2020:
  Harpur – Amila Cutuk & Dominique Spampinato
  Harrop – Tanner Moratti & Jackson Whittle
  Johnson – Alanah Berglund & Jakob Myers
  Page – Olivia Burnett & Maddison Elliott
  Junior Sports Prefects 2020: Ella Woolridge & Amber Yeates

GO CAV!
Ms Nikki Bairstow - Sport Director (nbair4@eq.edu.au)

Cleaners Day – Thank You!

On Monday 15 June 2020 we celebrated “Cleaners Day” with our staff to thank them for the amazing work they do in keeping our school clean and tidy.

It is an important day to cleaners because it highlights the fact that the work they do is very critical in keeping buildings clean and hygienic to protect workers and the public from flu pandemics and other germs.

While the school blocks are emptying out the cleaners are beginning their work. The work they do is a critical part of every successful business.

No office, airport or shopping mall, can function long without cleaners.

By working together, the Cleaning Industry can make a difference in our world.

Resource Centre News

The temperature is falling and new books are calling!

Here at the Resource Centre, we have been busy purchasing, processing and covering new books for your reading enjoyment. Every two weeks, we will showcase new book purchases. If you are keen to borrow a new book, ask at the loans desk and we will reserve the book for you and email when it is ready for collection. Books will be displayed for two weeks, then moved into circulation for borrowing to occur. If you are keen to read a particular book or book series, email the Resource Centre with your request and we may be able to purchase it.

Vanessa Kennedy – Academic Performance Coach

Student Services

Student Change of Details

Have you moved address recently?

Have you changed your phone number or email address?

Please contact the school administration on admin@cavendishroadshs.eq.edu.au or by phone on 3394 0777 to advise any of these changes so we can ensure your child’s information is correct on our school records.

Lost Property

Student services are currently holding lost property items including Formal and Sports hat, soccer boots, black school shoes and drink bottles. If your child is missing anything please have your child organise a visit to Student Services to look through the hundreds of items as this is a collection point for Lost Property. Items left uncollected at the end of term will be disposed of.

Community News

Silly Socks Day

After a long awaited break, the student council and leadership team were ‘itching’ to hit the ground running with their first school based fundraiser post COVID-19. This year at Cavendish Rd SHS the committee set their sights on running the school’s annual Silly Sock day on Monday 15th June raising much need funds for the Fred Hollows foundation. The Fred Hollows foundation holds a special spot to all Cavroadians past and present aiming for everyone, no matter whether they're rich or poor, to have the right to high quality and affordable eye care. The Foundation trains doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, distributes antibiotics, raising money for the purchasing of new equipment and medical facilities while still performing the same eye operations Fred did more than 30 years ago.

This year students and staff were invited to wear their most outrageous, flamboyant and eye-catching silly socks they had and donate a gold coin in conjunction with the cause. On the day in the heart of A-parade, students could compete in the silly sock day walk-off with prizes of tuckshop vouchers judged by Ms Williams, Mrs Ryan, Mr Sparkes and Mr Faulkner. In the days leading up to the event, students spent their lunchtimes out in the playground and staffrooms asking for small donations to support this fantastic initiative and promote the successful work of the foundation. Silly sock day was a great success and generated a positive and sociable atmosphere amongst our school community with students and teachers alike being able to show off and comment on each other’s silly socks while raising nearly $2,000.

The Student council would like to thank all students, families and staff who participated in the fantastic event and for their generous donations.

Nicholas Faulkner – HOD Student Wellbeing

CRAM 2020 - We need your support!

From 1952 to 1974, our school year book/magazine “The Seer”, and from 1981 to 2019, “CRAM” (Cav Road Annual Magazine) chronicled the highlights of school life through student eyes. Past students of our growing alumni cherish the memento of their school days that these publications represent.

Our 2019 publication maintained the high standard of publication worthy of a life-long keepsake. 2020 is an historical year for celebrating the commissioning of new facilities like our Performing Arts centre, and meeting the challenges of learning through a pandemic. This is the stuff of school days memories.

The viability of “CRAM” in 2020 is at risk.

The reality facing us from last year is that production costs for quality print medium in a digital world require economies of scale. We cannot continue our tradition of an annual yearbook based on low volume sales. Digital versions cost as much to produce and without benefit of a ‘hard copy’ that requires no device or particular platform to access it.

To publish “CRAM” this year we need to have committed sales of at least 600 copies, or half of our families, for a cost of $15, to be viable or ‘break even’ proposition and no profit is sought by the school.

The CRAM is a record on the year “2020” as it was. There will be an array of photos and articles from the opening of the Performing Arts Centre; ‘Learning at Home’ during COVID-19; our faculties and their highlights for 2020; Student Council and their events; excursions and special events; sport and staff and student photos. This is a wonderful way for students to look back at their time at Cav.

We seek your assistance to keep 40 years of uninterrupted tradition alive and pre-order your family’s copy of “CRAM” for 2020. An email was sent to all families two weeks ago asking for pre orders and we would like to thank those families who have placed an order. If you have not done so yet and you would like to place an order please contact Maureen Di Vaira on mdiva1@eq.edu.au or phone Administration on 3394 0777.

Network for Past Students

Cavendish Road State High School is one of Brisbane’s oldest public high schools and was established in 1952. We are now a school of more than 2000 students with a strong reputation for high quality education. Our School has a long tradition of past students and prominent Australians who proudly refer to themselves as “Cavroadians”.

The network allows past students to stay in touch and maintain a connection with past friends whilst staying connected with Cavendish Road State High and keeping updated with school events.

If you are interesting in applying for Past Student membership, please download the application form and send to Cavendish Road State High School, PO Box 695, Holland Park Q 4121 or email to admin@cavendishroadshs.eq.edu.au