Term 1 Date Claimers Term 1 Dates 28/01/20 – 03/04/20 Orientation Week 28/01/20 – 31/01/20 Australia Day Public Holiday 27/01/20 P&C Meeting 10/02/20 09/03/20 (AGM) Let’s Connect 02/03 - 06/03/20 (Tablelands/Savannah /Cairns) STEAM Camp 26/03 – 27/03/20 Music Camp 30/03 – 31/03/20

Principal’s Report Greetings to our school community, Wow, the curtains are drawing to a close on 2019 and we have seen a fundamental rift in the fabric of space-time itself; we are witnessing time-fly. Oh well, we must be having fun … This final newsletter of the decade is full of wonderful holiday tips, student achievement and

community success stories. I encourage you to read all of our pleasing articles over the summer. This has been another exciting year for our school and our community. It is through the amazing support we receive from our Parents and Citizens’ Association, students and staff that we are able to achieve as much as we do. 2019 has been a challenging, exciting and an ultimately rewarding one for our school. We have managed the last of the old Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) system with the recent graduation of our Year 12 students. We have also ushered in the new QCE system for our current year 11 students. This will see a change from the Overall Position (OP) to the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). We continue to develop and refine our learning program so that it complies with Version 8.0 of the Australian Curriculum and we are currently on track to have this achieved by the end of 2020. There are some exciting changes afoot in the new Prep materials. All Queensland Schools of Distance Education are collaborating to revamp this material and I look forward to keeping you updated with this. The recent year 12 graduation was a privilege to be involved in. Four of our students recently achieved the rare feat of completing their entire schooling with us. All of our graduating students can be proud of their achievements as each one of them has their own story to tell. We wish them all the very best for their future endeavours and I am certain that we will see and hear amazing things about this unique cohort. The student valedictory speeches from Tempest and Sylvian left the crowd speechless and are testament to the fine individuals that they are and the cohort they represent. There was hardly a dry eye in the room such was the impact of their words.

Newsletter Term 4 2019

During Celebration Week activities, we honoured student and home tutor success at our Presentation Evening. The feedback we received about this event was overwhelmingly positive. People enjoyed the intimate feel of the venue and that our student leaders had such a prominent role in the proceedings. Our instrumental music band led by Maestro Kelly Perger was also very well received. Congratulations are extended to Sylvian for winning the school dux award. Breaking News Congratulations to Heywire winner Kathie Butler! Heywire stories are personal ones of regional Australia’s youth. Katie is from Rockhampton so she was eligible to enter and she chose to tackle her, at times, fraught journey of dealing with hearing and sight disabilities. Katie is part of our creative writing program for students. These students submit new writing to our writing coach for feedback and edit their pieces accordingly. This process repeats as the student

redrafts and polishes, until the work is ready to share. You can read and hear the full story by clicking here. For those of you who have completed your educational journey with us I wish you all the very best for the next stage in your life. For those of you remaining with us in 2020 I thank you for your continued support of our school and I look forward to catching up with you in the new year. I wish you all the very best for the summer vacation and that you are able to spend some precious time with the people you care about the most. And perchance you believe in the fat man, wearing a red suit and fur-lined boots, I hope you have made his nice list and that you get what you have asked for. Kind regards Andrew Oliver Principal

Parent Liaison Officer

Are you frustrated with behaviour/conflict in the home schoolroom? Looking for new parenting strategies to help break the deadlock? Well search no further. Matt Saunder’s program is one I highly recommend. Super easy to squeeze into busy lives - I’ve trialled it prior to promoting. So please get on board, and spread the word. It may well be a lifesaver.

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program Parenting can be hard work; it’s okay to ask for help and free help is available. Triple P –Positive Parenting Program is a world-renowned program that helps make raising children and teenagers easier. It is available free of charge and on a self-paced, flexible basis to all Queensland parents and carers of children up to 16 years. No matter what stage of life your child is at or what challenges you’re facing, Triple P can help you learn simple but proven ways to parent more effectively and give your children the best opportunity to reach their full potential.

The program will give you practical skills and tools, and help build the confidence you need, to:

manage your children’s behaviour

set family routines and rules that everyone follows

develop positive relationships, so you can get along well with your kids and argue less

raise happy, healthy and confident children

balance work and family without stress

create a happy, safe environment where your family can thrive.

Triple P Online is an intensive, self-paced online course for parents to learn about the full suite of Triple P parenting strategies. It includes videos, plus a myriad of tools and resources. Triple P Online is FREE: Click here to find out more. Further Resources: Raising Children - Australian Parenting Website: https://raisingchildren.net.au/ Parentline provides confidential counselling for parents. Phone Parentline on 1300 301 300, from 8am-10pm, 7 days a week for the cost of a local call. Camilla Haskell, Parent Liaison Officer

Student News

Creative Writing

Serendipity by Jade Year 10 a melody comes from the serendipity of perfect silence imagine we could dream as blackbirds fly I want to hold your hand Drought by Tyrone Year 8 Grime, dust and dirt the turmoil within me sets my soul on fire, I see with my eyes, my cattle are dying, but I feel in my soul, my friends are crying Feel the land under me, drying up, turning to dust I can feel my hands burning, with my house and the grass, under the unrelenting drought 2019 Japanese Immersion #Tokyo Study Tour

Congratulations to Year 10

student Alice W. for being

admitted into the Queensland

2019 Japanese Immersion

#Tokyo Study Tour. Alice is a

student of Cairns SDE and

Toolooa State High School who

has studied Japanese with

Cairns SDE throughout 2019.

Due to her excellent

performance and commitment

in Japanese and interest in Japanese culture, Alice will

be one of 15 students travelling to Tokyo in December.

Well done Alice, keep up the great work.

GERRIC for Gifted Students program Ethan in Grade 5 has just been accepted into the University of New South Wales National Gifted Program (GERRIC) during the January 2020 school holidays. Ethan will be travelling to the Sydney University to study a course on Physics called Operation Terminal Velocity. This will also allow Ethan to meet others who share the same interests and be taught by educators who love working in this field. Congratulations Ethan! 2019 Cairns Youth Climate Summit Year 10 student, Sarah, recently represented Cairns SDE at the Cairns Youth Climate Summit workshop. Here is what Sarah said about her experience: “It was an amazing experience for like-minded students to come together and discuss different options to lessen the effects of climate change. Altogether there were 35 student delegates and indigenous youth leaders, the summit is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia. We got to hear from a number of different climate experts from different organisations including, Central University Queensland, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Wet Tropics Management Authority and much more Government organisations. We split into groups and had the opportunity to work with them to

brainstorm different solutions for climate change. We then brought all the different ideas and solutions together into one statement that the student delegates will present to government, industry and community leaders at a separate event later this month. In conclusion, I would say that the Cairns Youth Climate Summit was an interesting and informative experience. It allowed the youth of Cairns to have a say in their future as our generation will be most impacted by climate change.”

Gayler Cleland Legal Studies Essay Competition. A big congratulations goes to Year 11 student, Khadija, for being awarded 3rd place in the in Year 11 Division of the Business Liaison Association Gayler Cleland Legal Studies Essay competition. Khadija’s essay analysed and evaluated the situation of medical negligence claims in Queensland under the Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld).

Khadija concluded that while, the Civil Liability Act does protect medical service providers, amendment and refinement of the provisions of the Act are required to provide justice and equitable outcomes for patients who have suffered medical negligence. Great work Khadija, and all the best at the Business Liaison Association (BLA) Presentation Night when you receive your award. 2020 Student Leaders

Maxwell wants to be a Student Leader because he would like to help create a better school by listening to other students and sharing their ideas.

Justene can speak in public, sing in public and loves to have a challenge thrown at her!

Mason wants to be a Student Leader because he can lend his knowledge to other students so Mason can help them become successful like him. Augustus is very social and easy to approach. He strives to be a positive example and a good role model.

Ivy wants to be a Student Leader because she wants to help kids. She wants to make learning fun for everyone. Meri wants to be a Student Leader because she loves the CSDE community and learning from the fabulous teachers. Candyce wants to be a Student Leader because it is a special job. Gemma wants to be a Student Leader because she likes to help other people to do their best. Rebekah is confident and cares about her school community. One of her strengths is her positive ‘can do’ attitude. Piper believes leadership is service that gives us power to help people. She wants to inspire and motivate her peers to reach their fullest potential. Stephanie wants to be a Student Leader because she wants to have experience in a leadership role. One day she would like to be the head of a bakery. Tyrone would like to be a Student Leader because he wants to help the community. Jax is kind hearted and always tries his best! Lotus understand the unique challenges that are faced by students in this non–traditional environment. She would like the opportunity to put forward ideas and implement strategies to enhance the learning and wellbeing of students in the future.

Serving Up Skills students take skills to the floor

Each year, a three day

Introduction to Hospitality course is offered to our Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students by TAFE Qld North. The SUS or Serving Up

Skills involves one day Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificate and two days of hospitality training culminating in students demonstrating their newly learned skills in the TAFE Qld North training restaurant, Tropics Restaurant serving the Cairns SDE Year 12 Graduands, their families and teachers at their Graduation Celebration Dinner. If you think you are up to this hospitality challenge keep this opportunity in mind for your employability skills repertoire. You may contact Mrs Roslyn Scott email: rscot50@eq.edu.au This year we had seven students complete the course. Great work Bridie, William, Jay, Makayla, Teagan, Tiana and Tia!

Below are Bridie and Tia’s reflections on the course. Bridie (Year 11):

Last month I had the opportunity to be involved in the Serving up Skills program offered by CSDE and facilitated through TAFE. Six other students from CSDE participated alongside me while we gained important

skills and knowledge of the hospitality industry. The first day we were thrown in the deep end with training to provide Responsible Service of Alcohol. It was a full day of lessons and learning which completed with a final exam and a pass for my RSA Certificate. The next day was spent learning how to serve more than one plate at a time which when shown the right technique became easy to do. We learned which side to serve from and how to pour water; we also learned how to clear tables without interfering with guests, whilst trying our best not to drop cutlery or any other items. On the third day of training, we learned how to fold napkins and then learned different ways to set tables. At first, I was out of my comfort zone and it was not something I would have considered for a future career path however I did enjoy the opportunity of being involved in the hospitality subjects next year. The graduation of finishing CSDE Students was an opportunity for us SUS students to put our new skills into action, I felt a little overwhelmed but excited for the night to come. Dressed in our sleek black uniform, looking the part but feeling like a fish out of water. As the guests arrived and familiar faces and smiles greeted us, the feelings of awkwardness dissolved, only after I showed fellow student, Kyle, to the wrong table and managed to drop a knife was I able to have a laugh and get on with the job that had to be done. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to serve my fellow students and teachers and would recommend if you are given the opportunity to participate, jump with both feet. I know I wouldn’t of… but when pushed. So glad that I did. Tia (Year 11): Serving Up Skills was a great learning opportunity where I learned how to serve alcohol responsibly in a safe learning environment. We also learned how to serve food and beverages as a waiter/waitress, interact with customers and take orders. I’d suggest to all year 10 and 11 students to take up the three-day course at TAFE next year. It’s fun and a great learning experience!

Staff News

Italian Language Council – Professional Development Recently our school played host to a Professional Development Session organised by the Italian Language Council and presented by Dr. Daniele Donati who is the Director of Education, in the School of Italian Language and Culture at Campus Magnolie in Castelraimondo, Central Italy. The focus of the PD was on bringing ‘living’ Italian into the Italian Curriculum, which is especially important as our teachers write curriculum in line with Version 8 of the Australian Curriculum. This targeted Professional development gave our teachers plenty of opportunities to develop teaching resources, maintain language fluency and develop and strengthen contacts with the Italian teaching community here and internationally. Dr Donati was so impressed with the passion for Languages at Cairns SDE that he has offered a scholarship for a student to study at Campus Magnolie for a month in 2020, valued at over 800 Euros! Cairns SDE staff are in contact with Education Queensland staff to clarify rules around administering such a scholarship, but it is an exciting and generous gesture of friendship between two learning institutions passionate about Language learning. Many thanks to our principal, Mr Andrew Oliver, for hosting the event, to our Business Services and ancillary teams for their hard work and to our vibrant language teachers for their commitment to teaching excellence.

LOTE Teachers visit Western Cape College

On the 20th of November, three excited Chinese Teachers, Jennifer Piotrowski, Chenhua Han and Nagaela Hall embarked on a long anticipated school visit to Western Cape

College, Weipa. We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the presentation night for Prep-Year 6 on the 20th of November and personally present the Year 5/6 Chinese awards. Awards for Excellence in Chinese at Western Cape College were presented to Thomas (Year 6) and Elley (Year 5). Year 6 student, Angelica, received the award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Chinese for CSDE students. It was exciting to finally meet the students in person and great to have the face-to-face interaction with the students. It was also wonderful to meet some of the parents and

hear that students had been surprising them by speaking Chinese at home. The next day, we made our way to the WCC Year 5/6 campus. With the incredible support of the supervising teachers and assistant principal, we spent a jam-packed day with three Year 5 Classes and three Year 6 classes. After conducting speaking exams for some classes and awarding students Habit of Mind Certificates, students then learnt the art of water calligraphy, traditional Chinese paper cutting and had fun trying to use chopsticks to pick up small styrofoam balls. They also had the chance to read Chinese comics. The activities sparked their curiosity about China and we were inundated with questions about Chinese language, culture, traditions and travelling to China. It was fantastic to see the students get so involved in the cultural activities and ask so many great questions. During the day, we were excitedly greeted with many “nihao” (hello), “nihao ma?” (how are you) and “zaijian” (goodbye). At the end of each session, the students received a special panda pen and pencil while the supervising teachers were gifted a teacher planner to thank them for their support throughout the year. We thoroughly enjoyed this Weipa trip and learnt a lot about the students. The Weipa teachers appreciated our visit and asked us to bring their sincere thanks to our school principals, language department leaders and other Chinese teachers for letting us visit their school to immerse them with the Chinese culture.

From left to right: CSDE Teacher Ms Han, WCC Primary School DP Amanda Allender, CSDE Teacher Mrs Piotrowski, CSDE Teacher Ms Hall and WCC Primary School Principal Mr Craig Law. Chappy Chat As School Chaplain at CSDE my life is never dull! My role supports student, staff and families at a social, emotional and spiritual level - I am based at our OLC campus and work with students there. I am currently assisting to coordinate our ASDAN Outdoor Education Program with a group of OLC students and developing that program further for 2020. In 2020, I will also be involved in delivering our 'Shine' program, which will be offered to all high school girls with OLC and CSDE in the Cairns region. I am passionate about my area of work with young women and around them understanding their unique talents, purpose and potential. In the spring holidays I directed SU Qld's Girls Camp FNQ for the 7th year running for high school girls across our region and was excited to

have girls from both CSDE and OLC amongst our 60 participants. The girls spent a week hearing about their value and purpose, as well as

enjoying our fabulous themed dinners, glamourising at our pamper day, visiting an art gallery to produce beautiful resin-based jewellery pieces and swimming and tubing at Lake Tinaroo. One girl told us in her camper feedback “the best part of camp was as soon as I met people there was LOVE”. To find out more about SU Qld holiday camps please contact me (we have camps on in the far north every holiday and more camps across the state), or go to sucamps.org.au. Please contact me for a chat, via the school office, or at debbieb@chappy.org.au Be Blessed! Chappy Deb Positive Behaviour for Learning Positive Behaviour for Learning (and Engagement) is progressing at Cairns School of Distance Education and it is great to have families and home tutors as key

partners in the process. We have been running sessions with staff and providing opportunities for home tutors to know more about how they can be part of this work.

During our celebration week activities, home tutors discussed the following statements:

We believe that behaviour is learnt and responsible behaviour can be taught.

We aim to create an environment which fosters resilient, independent and productive global learners.

So what would you say if you had attended the session? How would you respond to these statements? We also talked about our 3 expectations:

What would these look like in your classroom at home? Finally, we discussed the critical features of positive classroom supports in the home. Did you know they include the importance of maximising structure of the physical environment and having predictable routines? They also include supporting and reinforcing positively-

stated expectations - home tutors could say things like - "I can see that you are being a learner because you have got all your materials ready today, well done.” It is also important for home tutors to work to actively engage students in the instruction - how do we do this? Robbie, Guidance Officer

News from the Sustainability Committee – Floral Fridays Introducing Floral Fridays! The Sustainability Committee have come up with this initiative to encourage the school community to promote care for the environment and other cultures by dressing in something floral every Friday.

News from the eZ Club Zonta International celebrates 100 years. A group of educated and professionally active women in Buffalo, New York established the club in 1919. They chose a Sioux Indian word meaning ‘honest and trustworthy’ to name their club. Their vision was for a world of equality for all; where women do not live in fear of violence and where every girl has the same opportunities to realise her dreams as every boy. The Zonta Club of Cairns has actively Empowered Women and Girls through Service and Advocacy for 36 years in the Cairns community. You may have seen us at the Strawberries and Cream stand in the Fred Moule Pavillion at the Cairns Show. Sept 2018 Zonta International recognised and Chartered the Z Club of Cairns School of Distance Education. First Z Club in FNQld region and first eZ Club in Australia and the world. This is our eZ Club of Cairns SDE. Our Members are secondary Students, boys and girls in Year 7 to Year 12 spreading from Katoomba, Gold Coast, Lakeland and Bamaga. The members meet twice each school term and when possible face-to-face to discuss issues in our school community, local and International communities focusing on the ideals of Zonta International. Working with the Z Club Motto: “Future Leaders building a better future through Service and Advocacy”; the members have worked to fundraise with their sponsoring club, Zonta Club of Cairns. They prepared Strawberries and Cream at Ravenshoe during the C2K Bike Ride to fund the purchase of items for and to send

Boarding School Care Packs to Rural and Remote students leaving home to further their secondary education. A highlight for our members was attending the Australia and New Zealand 100 Year Anniversary Conference in Brisbane in August. Our President, Vice President, Secretary and a dedicated Member attended. Keynote speakers were winners of the many scholarships Zonta International awards to young women. The annual ZI awards and scholarships are: Women in Technology: 32 district/region scholarships of US$2,000 each and six international scholarships of US$8,000 each. Young Women in Public Affairs: 10 international recipients are selected from the district/region recipients to receive awards of US$4,000 each. Mary J Klausman Women in Business: 32 scholarships of US$2,000 each at the district/region level and six international scholarships in the amount of US$8,000 each. Amelia Earhart Fellowship valued at $10,000 each for 30 young women venturing into Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. Sylvian said, “It is an understatement to say that joining the eZ club is worthwhile. As a member, I have learned a great deal about Zonta, its projects and advocacy, and the global status of women’s rights. Learning about these has influenced my view on the world, and if I hadn’t joined they would all still be unknown to me.

The projects our club has worked on have also been exceedingly fun. A personal favourite being the fundraisers in which we meet up and work together in-person for a change. It really is great to work alongside like-minded people, familiar and unfamiliar, and do what we can to help our club and Zonta in achieving its goals. Being a member of the eZ club has been an educational, enjoyable and productive experience and is something I highly recommend to both female and male students.” And a word from a new member, Tia. "I am very pleased to be a new member of the eZ club! We have already touched on a number of important issues affecting women around the world. I’ve learned a lot in such a small space of time. I encourage students ranging from years six to twelve, both boys and girls to join the club. The smallest step can lead to the biggest changes! In Zonta:

We volunteer our time and talents to address women’s issues in our school, local and worldwide community.

We belong to a strong organisation which focuses on sustainable changes.

We develop ourselves while developing our society.

In other words, we empower and become empowered! Looking forward to working with the eZ Club and the Zonta Club of Cairns in the years to come." Thank you Tia. Cairns School of Distance Education is proud of the achievements of the student members of the eZ Club of Cairns SDE and congratulate you for your contribution to our school and success of your community project. We look forward to hearing more from your club.

If you would like to know more about: eZ Club of Cairns SDE - contact club co-ordinator, Dr. Karen D’Aietti: kdaie1@eq.edu.au Scholarships - contact Zonta Club of Cairns President, Mrs Ros Scott: rscot50@eq.edu.au

References: https://www.zonta.org/ https://foundation.zonta.org/Our-Programs/Educational-Programs/Jane-M-Klausman-Women-in-Business-Scholarship https://foundation.zonta.org/womenintech https://foundation.zonta.org/Our-Programs/Educational-Programs/Young-Women-in-Public-Affairs-Award https://foundation.zonta.org/Our-Programs/Educational-Programs/Amelia-Earhart-Fellowship

Meet our new staff

Lynne Del Favero Hi, I am Lynne Del Favero and am part of the English and Humanities team at Cairns School of Distance Education. The technology is overwhelming and I am on a steep learning curve. Thank you to my students who have been very patient and helpful. My previous teaching

experience has been over 30 years in mainstream schools in the Cairns region. So, it's been challenging rethinking how to deliver lessons to suit student needs in this new environment. Arriving at work, I walk through native vegetation and sidestep curlews. It's a great start to the day. I also hear there can be the occasional snake...not really prepared for that experience.

Field News

Book Week Prep to Year 5 students took part in a range of activities during week 7 for Book Week. It was great to see teachers & staff dressed as their favourite book character to celebrate children’s literature.

We especially enjoyed seeing Mason (Year 6) dressed as Fusion8er X Omega, the main protagonist from his own comic book series Xtreme Athl8erz.

Graduation 2019 – Farewell & Good luck to our Year 12 Graduands On Wednesday November 13, TAFE Queensland North hosted the annual Cairns SDE Graduation Celebration Dinner to honour twelve of our graduands who were in attendance. Students travelled from Lakeland in the North, Melbourne in the South and from the Atherton Tablelands and beyond to celebrate this very important milestone. They looked absolutely stunning in their ‘Dress to Impress’ attire. The Tropics Restaurant looked beautiful. The tables set formally with party colours and the atmosphere was enhanced by a fabulous student acoustic duo from the TAFE Music Faculty. Both made the event perfect for the celebration. The graduands their families and guests were treated to a delicious meal prepared by the TAFE Certificate IV International Chefs and served by Cairns SDE students completing their Serving up Skills and Responsible Service of Alcohol Certificate.

Family and friends were entertained with stories of mini schools, camps, challenging times and unforgettable experiences as Tempest and Sylvian reflected on their years of schooling with Cairns SDE. There were feelings of pride, sadness and relief as our Year 12s and their families celebrated the end of school and the beginning of new chapter in life’s adventure. We wish all of our graduating students every success and happiness in their career pathways and wonderful experiences in years ahead. Words from Tia – Grad Guest: I was lucky enough to be invited to the Graduation Dinner and what a special night it was! The food was served by an amazing team of waiters including our Serving Up Skills trainee waiters and waitresses who did a fantastic job at serving our food and drinks! Congratulations on completing SUS and your RSA’s! The live acoustic band was lovely, and the setting was very welcoming and friendly. And let’s not forget everyone was amazingly dressed for the night! There were a few highlights of the night. Too many to name but the Fez stole the show making its rounds around the room to unsuspecting heads. The cake looked amazing but unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to try it. Instead, I was “carried away” by the helium balloons. Pun intended. The speeches by Sylvian and Tempest were great - appreciating the teachers and the parents who supported them along the way to reach their goals this far. Your stories were inspiring! And to the current graduates of 2019, I’d like to say congratulations and wish you all the best in your future endeavours and careers, whatever path you take, I’m sure will be a great one. Tempest and Sylvian have also kindly shared their farewell words below.

Farewell from Year 12 student, Tempest: As I was writing this, the thought came to me; “I wonder how many speeches have started off with the statement, ‘It’s been a ride!’?” And then I decided it didn’t matter, because – it’s the truth, and that’s the important part. So – it’s been a ride. And most obviously not an entirely enjoyable one. Just thought I’d get that out there before extolling the virtues of my education. Distance has its definite ups and downs – just like my internet signal, actually. I can’t count the times I logged on for lesson only to find my concentration strained by the fact that everyone who talked sounded like an extra from Alvin and The Chipmunks due to Blackboard’s inbuilt lag-

compensation feature. But hey – it made learning fun too, I’m not going to lie. There were also times when distance would seem to me like an insurmountable wall between myself and good marks; I’m not going to say it’s an easy way to learn. Sometimes having a teacher in the room really is the best way to absorb something, especially when your mother/tutor has broken down amongst a pile of papers covered in equations scribbled in varying states of desperation. “I just don’t know any more Tempest! How about you do some English instead?” But you know what this taught me? And they’re some things no-one would learn in a regular school. I realised that all the difficulty I went through due to distance was crafting in me a unique skillset, an aspect of this education in itself. I gained a higher concentration level – the ability to focus on the information being conveyed and less on the fact that the teacher sometimes sounded as if they had overindulged on helium. I gained a high level of self-reliance – when there’s no-one except you between doing maths and going to read a book, you have to make some tough decisions. And I’ll be honest. Maybe I never mastered that one, but I think I got slightly better year by year. I gained resilience – maybe this is a more general one, but it’s sometimes a hard deal to try and drag your marks back up, the only discussions about it taking place over the phone before once more getting back into it. These qualities (and many more, but I don’t want to put myself on too high a pedestal) have been earnt through the trials and tribulations of distance. Now I want to get on with something entirely positive, and arguably the most important part of my speech. Thanking. And I think we all realise who the first and probably most thanks should go to. My mother, who unfortunately couldn’t be here tonight. But when I reflect on her role played in my teaching, I’m filled with awe. And sometimes horror, as in, “Why did you even bother? I know I wouldn’t…” But that’s the point. She did. She, stepped into the role as teacher for all of my subjects at times. She had to force herself to learn new things, sometimes things she hated, for my sake. She sacrificed so much spare time and outside-school-activities to essentially be my guiding light. I can’t even cover everything she’s done, and how amazing I find this, or we’d be here all night. Thank you Mum. Sorry I was such a pain to teach sometimes. Now for my teachers. I’d like to thank you all, so genuinely. I have had so many different teachers over the years, and can honestly say I learnt a little something from each and every one. To convey school-based education is obviously your main resolution, but I’d like to say I learned so much more than that. The aforementioned qualities above, yes, but it wasn’t only your teaching roles that helped me. It was your patience, kindness, acceptance and understanding of circumstances. It was times when I was upset at camps – teachers noticed and tried to get to the bottom of it – made me feel cared for. I’d like to thank four teachers who especially made an impact on me. I think we all know how fanatic I am about music, and that’s all thanks to Mr Perger. Honestly, rediscovering instrumental music was possibly, the best thing I’ve ever done in my life – now I know what I want to do, what I really love. Thank you. Ms McCoy, the first maths teacher who possessed some magical quality that made me stop loathing maths with an undying fire (I just downscaled to

hating it after that) and actually helped me with so much more than maths. Mr Renfree, not just for being the absolute bomb as a science and maths teacher, but for being kind and thoughtful at camps. It had such a positive impact on me. Last but definitely not least, Mr Cameron, my biology teacher for this year. He recognised my aspiration to get higher marks and assisted in every way. I will never stop being grateful for his tireless feedback and continual encouragement, which really means a great deal to me. But you know what? I have everyone to thank, even teachers who never taught me. Staff, who worked behind the scenes, some of whom I probably have never met. The groundsman. The people who smiled, waved or said hi to me when I showed up at the school, just passing between blocks. You all made a difference. And I can’t forget the friends I’ve made, of course. I’m only going to say one thing – if all I ever got, from attending CSDE, was you – it would all still be worth it, ten times over. It’s been a ride. A ride that’s now pulling up, and readying us for departure. What I’ll take away are the smiles, the joy of learning (ad lib), and the moments with the band that make me who I am. I don’t yet know where I’m going, but I’m sure of this – CSDE gave me the best start I could have had, under my unique circumstances. I finished my schooling under the most difficult of circumstances, and everyone helped. I truly mean it when I say if I can do it, anyone can. Because I’m not brilliant, a natural academic, specially gifted or outstanding. I merely possess the qualities that distance required I possess to flourish in this learning environment. Tenacity, determination, active learning abilities and an undying will to do my best. Adversity, is a necessary evil to see just how high we rise to overcome it. Yes, I came up with that. Brilliant, I know! Thank you. Farewell from Year 12 student, Sylvian: Good evening fellow graduates, families, friends, and staff. It’s quite hard to believe that, fourteen years, twelve grades, and two curriculums later, I’m finally standing at the conclusion of this incredible and insightful voyage, on which I have learned so much and met so many amazing people. Having completed the entirety of my education at only one school, it may seem like the journey has been one of dull constancy. But I can assure you, it has been anything but. My schooling began with the old curriculum, which meant everything was done on paper and lessons were over the phone. In those days, all schoolwork was also posted out in big boxes which, during the wet season, were quite the challenge to ferry across our flooded creek on a boogie board. Living on an isolated property in the rainforest, and given the nature of home-schooling, it was rare to meet up with classmates, which made school events all the more anticipated. These were always packed with new faces, students and teachers alike, and were a highlight of the year, whether they were spent at the school, beside the mangroves of Holloways Beach, or up in the cold at Lake Tinaroo. Aside from minischools and camps, the only other consistent time we met people from the school was during home visits. As fun as these were they contained

their own share of difficulties, including flat tires and having to tow the teachers’ car out of the creek crossing on more than one occasion. When the C2C was introduced so began the gradual shift from paper to digital work and phone to online lessons. The new curriculum proved to be a solution to a number of ongoing problems, though it generated an equal quantity. Gone were the struggles of swimming school boxes across raging creeks and arrived was the annoyance of continually dropping out of a maths lesson due to bad internet. Even towards the end, in my senior years, new challenges were constantly popping up. Some were welcome, such as joining the school band, the eZ club and writing class. Others less so, like OP subjects and the beloved QCS test. Had I stuck around for another year, I would have also had the honour of experiencing yet another curriculum change as Queensland transitioned to the ATAR system. My time at CSDE has taught me a lot, and by that I mean beyond the physics equations and language feature use. Perseverance and patience were of course essential to learn. Independence, as well; particularly in the later years when subjects grew too complex for the family to offer much assistance and the responsibility of getting good marks fell to me. That said, completing my education and eventually coming to give this speech would not have been remotely possible if not for people’s unending support. First and foremost, I would like to say a huge thank you to my Mum, for being an amazing and persisting home tutor, and to my Dad for always being there as well. I really thank the both of you enough for sticking with me through the toughest of times and always going the extra mile – or rather, the extra two hundred when it came to driving us all to school events. Thank you to the wonderful teachers who have taught me, for being excellent at their job, and taking the time to liven up what would otherwise be a boring lesson. Thank you to my sisters, your pleasant if occasionally annoying company was much appreciated over the years of our education. Thank you to friends and classmates for all of your encouragement and companionship. Our conversations, jokes and art challenges served for many an escape from the dullness of school work. A final thank you to the caterers and servers of tonight’s graduation, the food and service has been truly splendid. To future graduates approaching grades 11 and 12, I can’t say much more than buckle up and stay focused on school. Build-ups of work and stress may sometimes be inevitable but just stay calm and remember that your teachers are there to help should you ever find yourself in a tight spot. I know firsthand the temptations of procrastinating and spending “just another ten minutes” on social media. But senior years are what count the most, so keep that in mind. To now say farewell to CSDE, and pick up the pen to write the next chapter in life, is both an exhilarating and saddening experience. I hope that we meet again at a later stage, and for many of you I’m sure we will. So to everyone here tonight, in bocca al lupo – good luck, safe travels, and good evening.

Celebration Week Activities We hosted a variety of afternoon sessions at school for students and home tutors which included craft, art, cooking, outdoor activities, wellbeing & resilience, Love Bites and She Maps.

Kids ‘R’ Water Smart Swimming Program The swimming program is a great way for teachers to have some fun in the water with students and show them how to be ‘water smart’ so that they can safely participate in aquatic activities. At the end of the three day swimming program, some of the students got to conquer the inflatable Wipeout!

Art Show

On Thursday of Celebration Week we had the Art Show where students’ masterpieces were showcased in L Block.

White Ribbon Morning Tea In early October 2019, the company White Ribbon Australia announced it was in liquidation. Many schools and organisations continued to promote the White Ribbon initiative during the month of November campaigning to end domestic violence. As a recognised White Ribbon School, the Cairns SDE community acknowledged the purpose of White Ribbon on Thursday, 5th December 2019 during Celebration Week. On this day, Gordonvale Police officer, Sgt Geary gave a short presentation about the White Ribbon message and lead the ‘take a stand against domestic violence’ pledge, inviting participation of staff and students. STOP = See Talk Offer support Prevent.

For confidential help and information contact: Kids Helpline, Relationships Australia, Lifeline

Presentation Night We had a spectacular night celebrating student achievements at Cairns Colonial Club. A big thankyou to all of the families that travelled to Cairns to attend. Another big

thankyou to the Presentation Night Committee for organising such a special event. Congratulations to Sylvian for receiving the Year 12 Dux Award, what an achievement!

Sugarworld Day On Friday we wrapped up a fun-filled week of festivities at Sugarworld. We had some wonderful feedback from families that attended: “Thanks to everyone involved in organising today! The kids had an

awesome time and it was lovely to meet some of the teachers.” – Nicola Thanks for today and last night (Presentation Night) guys! Proud to say Ezra managed to hang in for nearly 2 hours at Sugarworld until he was all peopled out and it was time to head home to Townsville. Thanks again, looking forward to next year.” – Sammi

Parents and Citizens Hello to all in the Cairns SDE Community, I write this report in the early hours of our last school event of the year, Sugarworld Break-up Day. Reflecting on Celebration week, Term 4 and the school year as a whole, I highlight some of the message of my speech on Presentation Night – what another incredible year it has been at Cairns SDE – we’ve had triumphs and challenges, good times and bad, but whatever our journey has been we have all arrived here by working together as a school community for the well-being and education of our children, our students. It has truly been a great term and Celebration Week. My kids are exhausted, I am exhausted, but, like all families who have attended part or all of this week’s activities, we wouldn’t miss it for the world. Thank you to the teachers and support staff for making it a fabulous 5 days – swimming to art and well-being activities, Allan Parker, professional development and craft sessions for home tutors, morning tea, lunch and a fabulous Art Show, and the penultimate event, Presentation Night. Sitting in the front row last night I could clearly see the faces of our children and students as they stood on stage – so full of pride on their achievements and to be students of Cairns SDE. There was such a huge turn-

out of families, supporters and school staff – all proud to be part of the Cairns SDE community. A P&C cannot function without a fabulous Exec team – thanks to VP and Secretary Juanita Saal and Treasurer Melissa Fitzgerald. Thanks also to the District Reps Mel, Juanita, Emma and Ingrid for helping to bridge the gap between parents, carers and home tutors and the school. The nature of our school is such that the P&C office bearers and many of our members only visit the school on occasions such as for in-reach activities, so in between those times, staff members, namely, Christine Bluett, Dee Firmstone and Camilla Haskell, have been our feet on the ground. Your support is much appreciated. Finally, we value and appreciate the commitment of the school Executive team, teaching and non-teaching staff, for working with the P&C to ensure that the views of parents, carers and home tutors are truly heard and acted on. A practical example of this is the Celebration Week activities where changes had been made to the traditional program, but after reflection and discussion, decisions were made together, and the school accommodated our requests with respect to the swimming program and Presentation Night.

The best way for our voices to be heard is through the P&C, so please join us at our AGM which is scheduled for 9th March 2020. Membership and renewal forms and Office bearer and Cluster representative nomination forms can be found on the school website at https://cairnssde.eq.edu.au/Ourcommunity/PandC/Pages/PandC.aspx.

Whilst we are all looking forward to a well-earned and restful break, I for one am already looking forward to 2020 – our portable P&C Barista coffee machine will be ready to go for school activities, we will have a Cook Book published, and we will have our first Canberra Trip in many years. So, until then, have a safe and wonderful holiday. Kind regards, Judith Eriksen P&C President

Miscellaneous Merry Christmas! We hope you have a safe and happy school holidays. Term 1 will commence on the 28th January 2020. The school and mail room will be closed from 13 December 2019 – 28 January 2020.

Technology Christmas Gift Guide Be smart and secure when choosing tech gifts for children and young people. This website provides tips on what to look out for, an age guide for tech gifts and how to stay safe - www.esafety.gov.au/parents/gift-guide/smart-toys