Browns Plains SHS - Newsletter Issue 2, 2025

Principal's Message

We have certainly had a busy and productive start to the year, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our students for their commitment to both their studies and our school community. It has been wonderful to see such active participation in various activities throughout Term 1. Some of the highlights include:

• School Leader’s Induction
• Appreciation Day
• International Women’s Day
• Harmony Week

We are finishing the Term strong with the much-anticipated Cross Country event on Friday of Week 10. It has been a fantastic start to the year, and I am proud of the energy and enthusiasm our students continue to demonstrate.

As we approach the end of Term 1, I would like to remind parents that school resumes next Term on Tuesday, April 22^nd, please note Friday April 25^th is a public holiday for ANZAC Day. I hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break during the two-week holiday period.

P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM)

On Tuesday, March 18th, we held our annual P&C AGM followed by our March General Meeting. Our P&C is a vital part of our school community, providing parents with an opportunity to:

• Learn about the school’s policies and programs
• Contribute to shaping and developing school policies
• Bring parents together to share information and ideas
• Support the school in building positive attitudes towards students and families
• Assist in fundraising efforts to provide extra resources for our students and the school

A big thank you to our re-elected members for their dedication and hard work in 2024. I look forward to collaborating with them again in 2025:

• P&C President – Isaac Naughton
• Vice President – Lisa Collins
• Secretary – Lisa Collins
• Treasurer – Jennifer Houston

2025 Next Step Survey

The Next Step Year 12 Completers Survey opened on March 17th. All Year 12 graduates from 2024 are invited to complete this quick 5-minute survey regarding their current post-school activities in terms of work or study. We encourage parents, siblings, and friends to support our graduates in completing the survey, as their responses are invaluable in helping our school improve senior programs for future students. As a thank you, participants will have the chance to win a MacBook Air. Graduates will receive an invitation via email, mail, or phone. For more information, please visit Next Step.

This Term our 2025 student leaders have attended the National Young Leaders Day and the Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders conference. At these events, students heard from inspiring guest speakers, engaged in leadership workshops, collaborated with students from other schools and explored what it means to lead with purpose. As part of the conferences, our leaders brainstormed innovative ideas for positive change within our school community - showing their passion for making a real impact! We are proud of these amazing young leaders and can't wait to see how they'll continue to grow and inspire others.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a purple ribbon for International Women’s Day – the funds raised went to the Safe Haven charity. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is a call to accelerate action for a gender-equal future. We celebrated the progress made and recognised the work still ahead to achieve global gender equality.

Congratulations to our 2025 Round 16 QATSIF Leaders and Scholarship recipients. The QATSIF Scholarship supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through Years 11 and 12, empowering them to achieve their goals and continue their education.

We appreciate your unwavering support of both your children and our school. Your involvement and encouragement are invaluable, and they make a significant difference in our school community. Wishing everyone a relaxing and enjoyable break, and I look forward to an exciting Term 2.

Ben Ward

Student Voice

As we approach the end of Term 1, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible diversity and resilience of our school community.

In Week 9, we will be embracing Harmony Week with performances at first break each day, showcasing the amazing talents of our students. The celebrations will conclude with a special event on Friday, March 28th, from 3:30pm, where we will come together to honour the diverse cultures that make Browns Plains State High School such a vibrant and inclusive place. We encourage everyone to participate, support their peers, and enjoy the rich traditions on display.

Over Weeks 6 and 7, students had the opportunity to purchase purple ribbons in support of International Women’s Day (IWD), with all proceeds going to the charity Safe Haven. These ribbons were worn proudly on Friday of Week 7 as a symbol of support for women’s rights and safety. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important cause!

We would also like to commend all students and staff for their perseverance following the disruptions caused by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Despite the challenges and lost time due to school closures, our school community has shown remarkable dedication in catching up and staying on track. Your hard work and commitment to learning do not go unnoticed!

Let’s keep this positive energy going as we finish the Term strong!

Your Bradman Leaders, Johnathan Davis, Callea Fepuleai, Gergely Vinis and Connor Dillon

Halogen National Young Leaders Day

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that Browns Plains State High School students have every opportunity to engage with leadership growth, all of our Senior and Junior student leadership teams attended the National Young Leaders Day at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Our students experienced the chance to engage with other school leaders from across the country. They also attended four sessions and met with guest speakers talking about their leadership journey and life experiences. They included her excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, current Brisbane Lions and Former team Captain – Dayne Zorko, Creator-Artist-Author Kasey Rainbow and champion supercar driver Todd Hazelwood.

This experience has given our leaders valuable insight as to how leadership varies and how they can learn to lead themselves and others in various situations and who they want to be as a leader.

QUT Sports Van

Our Year 7 and 8 excellence students participated in an immersive sports technology experience delivered through the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Outreach Program. The sports technology van is designed to offer students structured activities aligned with the Australian Curriculum’s Core Capabilities and subject content. During the session, students explore diverse career paths, course and opportunities beyond year 12 using hands on and virtual sporting activities.

Students rotated through interactive sports stations utilising reaction training pods, wearable analytics, virtual sports simulators and other interactive equipment. Each station highlighted real-world applications of sports technology, encouraging students to think critically about innovations and their potential future impact in science, engineering and the sports industry.

Guidance Update

Information for Parents on Supporting Young People Impacted by Disaster

Headspace have prepared a fact sheet for parents and carers about supporting young people who have been impacted by natural disasters. This fact sheet can be found here: https://headspace.org.au/assets/Factsheets/headspace_supporting-a-young-person-after-a-natural-disaster_Fact-Sheet_FA01_DIGI-v2.pdf

If you have further questions about wellbeing support for your young person, please contact the school office and request to speak with a Guidance Officer.

Seasons for Growth – Call for Participants (Year 8 and 9)

In Term 2, Guidance Officers plan to facilitate Seasons for Growth. Seasons for Growth is an evidence based small group program that supports children and young people to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand and respond well to experiences of change, loss and grief.

At this stage, we are seeking participants in Year 8 and 9. We suggest that they should begin the program at least 6-12 months following their loss.

We will consider the group composition including friendships, gender, age and the variety of losses suffered. If we are unable to support your young person in this intake we will endeavour to do so in future.

The program includes eight formal sessions (40-50 minutes per session); one celebration session; and one optional reconnector session where participants can meet again to review their learning and discuss any issues that may have arisen since they completed the program. Each participant is provided with an activity journal to explore and complete throughout their Seasons for Growth journey. Care will be taken when scheduling to minimise the impact on your child’s learning, but the program would require missing one lesson per week.

For more information on the Seasons for Growth Program and to register your interest in your young person participating in the Seasons for Growth in Term 2 2025, please email hdank3@eq.edu.au

Haz Danks and Alberto Sanchez

Guidance Officers

Youth Health Nurse Message

Cyberbullying

At Browns Plains State High School, we are committed to fostering a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. Cyberbullying will not be tolerated, and we take any incident involving online harassment very seriously. We believe that every student deserves respect, both in person and online, and we are dedicated to addressing and preventing cyberbullying from affecting our students. We will continue to work closely with students and families to ensure that everyone feels safe, valued, and empowered to learn.

The following information comes from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people

I encourage families to engage with this resource. There is section for students and parent that are very informative and easy to navigate. Below is a short excerpt from the ‘parent’ section for your easy reference:

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is when someone is mean to a student under 18 online so they feel bad or upset. It can happen on a social media site, game, app, or any other online or electronic service or platform. It can include posts, comments, texts, messages, chats, livestreams, memes, images, videos, and emails.

These are some examples of ways the internet can be used to make someone feel bad or upset:

• Sending hurtful messages about them or to them
• Sharing embarrassing photos or videos of them, including sexual content
• Recording and sharing physical abuse, violence, or harassment
• Spreading nasty online gossip about them
• Leaving them out online
• Creating fake accounts in their name
• Tricking them into believing you are someone else.

For most students, online life is a key part of their identity and how they communicate, so cyberbullying can be very harmful. It can cause a range of emotions including fear, anxiety, anger, and despair. They may suffer trauma and ongoing depression.

If the student is in immediate danger, it’s important to get help fast. For criminal activity such as physical violence or stalking, it’s best to report it to the police.

Cyberbullying and other negative behaviour can also be reported to the service or platform that was used to send, post, or share it. If the behaviour goes against the platform guidelines, they will review it and may take action, including removing the post. Most online platforms don't let users know the results of their report. Ask the student if they need support to check if the post is no longer there.

If the service or platform does not help and the cyberbullying is seriously harming a student, then eSafety can help to have the content removed. For more information, see the reporting cyberbullying on the website link above.

For eSafety to investigate, the student must live in Australia, and the type of cyberbullying must meet a legal ‘threshold.’ This means it must be likely to harm their physical or mental health because it is seriously threatening, seriously intimidating, seriously harassing, or seriously humiliating.

A parent or guardian can report serious cyberbullying to eSafety even without the consent of their student, if they are able to collect the evidence required.

I think my student is being bullied

Your student may not tell you if they are experiencing bullying behaviour online because of a fear it might make things worse for them, or that they may lose access to their devices and the internet. They may also feel ashamed, especially if they have also been involved in bullying others online.

Signs to watch for:

• Being upset after using the internet or their devices, such as mobile phones
• Changes in personality, such as becoming more withdrawn, anxious, sad, or angry
• Appearing lonelier or more distressed
• Unexpected changes in friendship groups
• A slide in their school results
• Changes in their sleep patterns
• Avoiding school or clubs
• A decline in their physical health
• Becoming secretive about their online activities and device use.

If you are concerned about changes in your student’s behaviour, it’s a good idea to take action. You could talk to your GP or contact Kids Helpline.

Important Dates

Parents' Corner

Family Information - Change of Details

If you have recently moved or have a new telephone/mobile number, please advise the School Office immediately so we have the correct information on our database. At times we may need to contact you, and it is important that we have the correct information in case of emergencies.

Student Attendance

If your child is absent or arrives late to school, please notify in advance when possible:

• Notification is to be received before 9am on the day.
• Submit absence via Compass (preferred method), QParents or the school absentee line (07) 3802 6213.

Leaving Early from School

If a student needs to leave the school, a note which is signed and dated by parents, or the legal caregiver is to be presented to a Deputy Principal BEFORE SCHOOL. The Office will issue a pass for the student to be allowed out of class. The student is to present this to the attendance officer at the time of leaving and a printed slip will be issued to the students.

Please Note: All students who sign out of school early must be collected at the office by a parent or carer.

Uniform Shop Trading Hours

Finance Matters

Cash Office Trading Hours

Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 8:15am – 2:00pm

Please note that the cash room is closed on Tuesdays. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Hitchcock on 07 3802 6222.

Michelle Hitchcock, Finance

Community News

What a great opportunity for our students! Apply to join the youth crew on one of ten voyages up the east coast of Australia and grow your confidence and leadership skills:

https://www.windewardbound.com.au/2025-ec-ylc