As we embark on another exciting school year, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our returning families and a warm welcome to those joining Benowa State High School for the first time. We are delighted to have you as part of our vibrant school community, where we strive to provide a supportive and enriching learning environment for all students.

 

At Benowa SHS, we uphold the highest expectations for student behaviour, academic effort, and engagement in school life. Our school values of Respect, Diligence, Integrity, and Compassion – guide our actions and shape our community. We encourage all students to demonstrate these values daily, whether in the classroom, on the sporting field, or within the broader community. 

 

A key part of demonstrating Respect and Integrity is ensuring all school facilities are used appropriately. This includes the responsible use of bathrooms and toilets. Students are reminded that these areas are provided for essential use only and should be kept clean, safe, and accessible for everyone. Inappropriate behaviour, such as loitering, playing, or misusing these spaces, is not acceptable. We ask all students to respect these shared areas by using them responsibly and leaving them in a clean condition for others.

 

The safety of our students and families is a top priority. We remind all parents and carers and student drivers to follow road safety guidelines, especially during peak drop-off and pick-up times. Please be mindful of the designated parking areas, avoid stopping in no-parking zones, and always adhere to the school hours speed limit of 40 km/h. We must work together to create a safe environment for everyone.

Additionally, with the increasing use of e-bikes and e-scooters, we encourage families to familiarise themselves with Queensland Government regulations. Just like cars, these vehicles come with clear Queensland Government Road rules:

I would encourage you to consider these rules before purchasing an e-scooter or e-bike for your child. If your child/ren are riding these vehicles to school please discuss these rules to promote safe and responsible riding. More information on these regulations can be found on the Queensland Government website.

 

In 2025, as we introduce the new sports uniform and prepare for the rollout of the updated formal uniform in 2026, we understand there may be some confusion. To help clarify:

Additionally, we’ve introduced Excellence Program Polos for students in the STEM, Sport, Arts, and Steiner Excellence Programs. The guidelines for these are:

We hope these guidelines help ensure a smooth transition. Thank you for your understanding and support!

 

This year, we are excited to launch Redback Roundtables, a new initiative designed to strengthen the partnership between parents, carers, and the school leadership team. These roundtable discussions will provide an opportunity for families to engage in key aspects of strategic planning, offer feedback, and collaborate on the future direction of Benowa State High School.

 

Redback Roundtables will be held once per term, with dates and details communicated in advance. We encourage all parents and carers to get involved, share their insights, and contribute to shaping the ongoing success of our school community.

 

We are excited about the opportunities ahead in 2025, with a range of academic, sporting, and cultural events planned throughout the year. We encourage all students to engage fully in their learning and take advantage of the many pathways and extra-curricular opportunities available at Benowa.

 

We look forward to a fantastic year ahead, working in partnership with families to support our students in reaching their full potential.

 

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we wish you all a great start to the 2025 school year!

Our Swimming Carnival is a whole school event next week on Friday 14 February at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Southport. We would love to see everyone at the carnival for an amazing day in the sun! Full details were emailed home (please check your spam/junk folders).

 

Key Details:

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our 2024 Year 12 cohort, whose dedication and hard work have resulted in an extraordinary year of academic success.

 

This year, 100% of our students achieved their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), demonstrating their commitment to learning and perseverance. Additionally, 78% of students completed one or more Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications, equipping them with valuable skills for their future careers.

For our ATAR-eligible students, the results were nothing short of exceptional. 6.8% achieved an ATAR above 98, placing them among the top academic performers in the state. Furthermore, 20% attained an ATAR above 95, and an impressive 31% achieved an ATAR above 90, reflecting the dedication, resilience, and passion for excellence that define our student body.

 

These achievements are a testament to the hard work of our students, the unwavering support of their families, and the dedication of our exceptional teachers. As we celebrate these incredible milestones, we look forward to seeing our graduates embark on their next chapter with confidence, knowledge, and ambition.

 

Congratulations to the Class of 2024 – you have made us all incredibly proud!

I would like to welcome all of our students into Year 10 for 2025.

 

Year 10 is an exciting year for students- we have so many possibilities from TAFE courses to School Based Traineeships to accelerated classes in mathematics, science, literature, English, history, and languages; many of our students have embraced these. It is these opportunities for extension and trying out future pathways that are such a big part of joining the Senior School.

 

Over the course of the year, we will be working hard to provide the Year 10s and their parents and carers with all the information necessary for choosing their pathway for Year 11 and 12.

The most important message at this stage is being aware that the results gained in Semester 1 of Year 10 are critical.

 

Many of our Senior subjects have prerequisites for entry. If a Year 10 student wishes to select certain subjects in Year 11, we look to their Semester 1 report to help us advise them. Most General (ATAR) subjects require “at last a B” in Semester 1 of Year 10. So, if they start working hard from now, students will give themselves the best opportunity to select their program for Year 11 with no limitations.

 

There are two big events for Year 10 this year: The first is our Subject Selection Expo in Term 2, 28 May. The other is SET Planning in Term 3. Keep an eye on socials, and emails for more information about both these very important events.

 

I look forward to working with all of the Year 10 cohort this year, and getting them ready for the final, and most important phase of their school career.

Firstly, a warm welcome back to all those who have been with us at Benowa SHS before and an equally warm welcome to those who are joining us for the first time.

 

I am delighted to return to Benowa SHS after two years of absence and to be the Deputy Principal for Year 9 students. 2025 promises to be a very exciting year for Year 9 students as they begin their transition to Senior Secondary.

 

This year we have a new Year 9 team. Mr Jordan Lowe is the Year 9 Coordinator and Ms Renee Budden is the Year 9 Head of Wellbeing and Engagement. Together we will work together to support every student to reach their potential.

 

At our first assembly it was exciting to announce the introduction of a new celebration assembly award focusing on attendance and behaviour for students across Years 7-10. For students to achieve this termly award they will require 95% attendance for the term and no behaviour incidents.

 

I am also introducing the Year 9 Challenge Cup. Each week a new challenge will be provided for Year 9 students. In Week 3 the challenge is based on the return of Homestead Carnival consent. The first Care class to attain 100% Homestead Carnival return will be awarded the Challenge Cup. The Week 4 challenge will be the Care class with the highest attendance at our upcoming swimming carnival. I look forward to presenting the Challenge Cup on our year level assembly.

 

The first two weeks have seen numerous students requesting changes to elective subjects.  Whilst every effort is made to accommodate students in some cases this has not been possible based upon class numbers. The opportunity to change electives will cease on Friday, 7 February 2025. Students will need to remain in their electives until the end of Semester 1. The opportunity will then be made available again to change electives.

Below are important dates in 2025 for our Round 1 2026 application information. More details will be on our socials so be sure to follow us! 

After all the auditions, trials and exams are completed offers will be made Friday 02 May.

For updated information on Homestead Carnivals and Representative Sport – refer to website here.

 

Students represent our school at 5 full day competitions and finals if qualified. Students pick one sport and remain in that sport for all GCSC days. Students do not need to have experience in the sport. 

 

Benowa has a long history of competing at State and National competitions in a range of sports. Most recently, in 2024 our Year 11 Girls Volleyball team was National Champions, our U14 Flag Football team won the Australian Competition and competed in the USA and our Opens Mixed Touch team were runners up at QLD All Schools.

 

Extra-curricular sport provides opportunities for students to play sport with their friends, meet new people, represent our school and develop a range of skills. Available sports – Volleyball, Touch Football, AFL, Flag Football, Rugby.

 

This is open to any student; you do not need to have prior experience. Students can play in multiple teams. Depending on team numbers some sports may create training squads with a team selected prior to the tournament (this will be communicated to students). Students attend training before/after school or at lunch times. Training will be dependent on each sports competition schedule.

 

Payment and permission will be required for each competition (prices to vary depending sport and competition), this will be distrusted via the sport teachers closer to the events.

To join a Redbacks Sport Team please see the HPE staff in the Sports Hall or contact the Director of Sport Miss Austin (saust81@eq.edu.au).

As part of our Year 7-9 Wellbeing Program our school has invested in The Resilience Project. These lessons and activities will take place during students Resilience Project Benowa (RPB) lessons. To assist with the implementation of the program and wellbeing students have been given a diary. Keep an eye out for TRP activities on our socials and ‘At Home Activities’ that will be emailed home after relevant lessons.

 

Please see the Parents Introduction Letter and FAQ for more information.

 

Stay tuned for more information on our upcoming ‘Authentic Connection Webinar for Parents/Carers’ presented by TRP on Tuesday 6 May. 

 

The Responsible Thinking Room (RTR) has rebranded as WEB in order to meet the diverse needs of our learners. WEB is a whole-school approach to behaviour management through:

 

  W: Supporting student and staff Wellbeing

  E: Encouraging student Engagement through social-emotional learning

  B: Reteaching of student behaviours

 

Teachers implement behaviour management strategies in their classroom every day. If a student disrupts, the teacher can then use the Responsible Thinking Questions. At our school these questions are focused around the concept of behavioural choice. They are:

When students arrive in WEB, our WEB coordinators work with the student, helping them develop social-emotional skills and reteach behavioural responses, which for many students will lead to a different behavioural choice after they have renegotiated with their teacher and returned to class.

 

Our WEB teachers will communicate with caregivers through email and SMS or phone contact in regards to students who are engaging with the WEB process.  We look forward to working with you, our caregivers, to support our students to make good behavioural choices throughout the coming year. 

For the first time in 5 years, 13 Students and 2 Teachers represented Benowa on a 16-day World Challenge Expedition.

 

The students were Isla Bailey, Veronique Girgin, Sasha Riley, Bonnie Johnston, Jess Berry, Cadel George, Sofia Hammadi, Kate Pfeiffer, Pheenix Smith, Frieda Stroebel, Evie Williams, Nadia Large and Jasmin Mackenzie. With Shannon Austin and Brooke Eacott guiding them as the teachers.

 

Over the 16 days students had to learn a range of skill including how to budget while travelling, plan an itinerary, communicate in a foreign language and show resilience. The trip started in Sepilok where we were able to see orangutans and sun bears up close and learn about the rehabilitation programs in place. Seeing the orangutans in the wild was an incredible experience.

 

We then had a 9 hour bus journey to Kudat, to experience life in the jungle for 8 nights. Here we spent 5 days completing our community initiative. Our students helped improve the local Sunday school for the kids. They mixed concrete by hand, created a concrete path to the school room, painted the school room and built wooden tables and chairs (all of this in the 30 degree plus heat and humidity). We then got to spend Sunday morning emerged in the local community where we went to church, got to see the kid’s reactions to their new room, played with the local kids and tried some traditional food. We then set off on a jungle trek. This involved using machetes to make our way through the jungle, it took us 4 hours to hike 4km due to the difficult terrain. We then spent the night sleeping in hammocks. This was an experience that had a few students (and teachers) feeling a bit nervous with all the wild animal noises. The week in the jungle allowed the students to really appreciate the small luxuries we have at home (including washing machines, flushing toilets, no mosquitoes, full running showers etc.).

 

After the jungle the students were very grateful to be heading to Kota Kinabalu (the major city) and to a very nice hostel. Here we got do some RnR and go white water rafting, shopping and experience traditional Malay dance (which a few of our students go to participate in).

 

Our students represented themselves and our school with the highest level of excellence. They were always so thankful to our bus drives, guides and hosts. They really immersed themselves in the experience (no students had a phone for the trip) and took on opportunities to engage with the local community. While there were many highs and lows over the trip the one consistency was the resilience and positivity from our students.  We are so proud of them and the growth they experienced, along with the lasting friendships that developed over the course of the two weeks. 

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