Term 2 Date Claimers Term 2 Dates 20/04/20 – 26/06/20 P&C Meeting 27/04/20 26/05/20 (face-to-face) TBC Let’s Connect Peninsula Postponed – new dates TBC Savannah Postponed – new dates TBC Annual School Camp P-7 25/05/20 – 27/05/20 (TBC) 10-12 25/05/20 – 28/05/20 (TBC) Cultural & Wellbeing 28/05/20 (TBC) Day & NAIDOC Day Sports Day 29/05/20 (TBC) STEAM Camp 18/06/20 – 19/06/20 (TBC) Music Camp 22/06/20 – 23/06/20 (TBC) NB: The above events may be postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19.

Principal’s Report Greetings to our school

community. Welcome to our first

newsletter of 2020.

The new decade has certainly

started with a world-wide

disruption, COVID 19, the likes

of which most generations have

never witnessed. As the world

shudders with the ramifications

of this pandemic, our way of

living will be forever changed. It will not be ‘business as

usual’ for many of us throughout Australia.

At Cairns SDE we are well placed to continue our on-

line services to our students located throughout the

world. In time like these, our school’s moral purpose, the

multi-modal delivery of QCAA approved curricula to our

students so that they can achieve recognised

qualifications or a meaningful pathway to employment,

further education or training becomes an even stronger

tenet for us to uphold.

This year our improvement priorities are focussed on:

Priority 1: Use a multi-tiered approach to

support 90% of fulltime-equivalent students

achieving a QCE and/or an ATAR or a QCIA.

Priority 2: 100% of teachers will use the

Assessment Alignment Planner for the

development of units of work that are aligned to

the Australian Curriculum (Version 8).

Unfortunately some of our community engagement

programs have had to be postponed or cancelled

because of the COVID 19 pandemic. We are exploring

other ways to engage students in different modes and

with other learning experiences. If you have an exciting

or ingenious idea for how we can connect online please

email Jody Johnstone, our Deputy Principal responsible

for community engagement via

admin@cairnssde.eq.edu.au.

This bumper edition of our newsletter is testament to the

brilliant work our students, home tutors and staff do to

Newsletter Term 1 2020

support each other in grim times. You will get to read

some interesting stories and articles form our students

as well as some informative biographies of our new staff.

There are tips for home tutors as well as resources to

access to assist you in your learning. Lily’s extract from

her writing project is a standout and well worth checking

out. During the holidays, students may wish to keep a

‘Grateful Journal’ to help with their wellbeing and health.

It can be as simple as writing three things that you are

thankful for and what’s the next thing that you can do.

E.g. my grateful journal goes like this:

01.04.20

1. Taking Major Morris on

jungle patrol (walking

our black Labrador)

2. Working with some

fabulous people in the

office

3. Having a green chicken

curry with my wife

4. The best thing I can do

tomorrow is say thanks to as many people as I

can at work.

We will continue to update you regarding the policy

developments for COVID 19 over the course of the

school holidays. At this stage we expect school to

resume on Monday 20 April. To accommodate staffing

changes there will be adjustments to the timetable and

you should check this out through OneSchool prior to

the return to school. For the latest updates, please

check out our Facebook page, student teamsite or our

website for these updates.

I wish you all the very best for the autumn vacation and

that you are able to spend some precious time with the

people you care about the most. Please stay safe, well

and connected to each other. And perchance you

believe in the rare burrowing marsupial, AKA the Easter

Bilby, I hope she is able to deliver some precious booty

to you.

Kind regards,

Andrew Oliver

Principal

Parent Liaison Officer Mind Maps

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Mind Maps are a powerful visual tool which can help cement student thinking, memory and learning. Mind Maps use images and association as a means of note taking. Tony Buzan likens Mind Maps to a Swiss Army Knife for the brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ A Mind Map is a graphic cognitive tool used to unlock the potential of the brain. Most sensory input is received through the eyes, so mind maps are highly effective for presenting information. A full range of cortical skills are harnessed – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – in a unique manner. Mind, or Concept Mapping involves writing down a central idea and thinking up new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre. They can be very simple or complex; used at any age, and applied to

every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. By using colour and symbols on paper (chalk or whiteboard) we are putting our kinaesthetic, creative juices to work along with our visual and verbal brain regions. Mind Maps require students to synthesise information. They are an ideal vehicle for students to construct their own learning. Put the main idea in the centre. Landscape is useful – placing the main idea or topic in the middle of the page gives the maximum space for other ideas to radiate out from the centre. Key words and capitals keeps ideas short and sharp. Personalising the map with your own symbols and designs helps construct visual and meaningful relationships between ideas, which will assist in your recall and understanding. Mind Maps make explicit the relationship between cells on a map and explain the connection between ideas. They can be used for planning (when looking at the Unit of work ahead) or as a reflection tool (comparing prior student learning with completion). They can be an extremely useful tool when studying for an exam –

visualising the mind map created in exam preparation, can help ‘unlock’ an anxious (frozen) brain. Write down key ideas. By focussing on key ideas written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you understand and remember new information. Draw quickly on unlined paper without pausing, judging or editing. The idea of mind mapping is to think creatively and in a non-linear manner. Use curved lines (straight lines are boring to the brain). Colour and images can be added for vibrancy / excitement. Leave lots of space. Some of the most useful mind maps are those that can be added to over time. After the initial drawing, you may wish to highlight things, add information / questions for the duration of a subject (Unit) right up to exam time. Camilla Haskell, Parent Liaison Officer

Student News Orientation Week at the Open Learning Campus

We had a great turn

out of students at

the Open Learning

Campus (OLC)

Orientation Week.

There were a range

of activities for

students to engage

in such as; meet &

greet, ice breakers,

PB4L, eLearn,

cooking, hairdressing, art and work experience. The two

days offered a great opportunity for teachers and

students to get to know each other and build positive

relationships. We look forward to a great year at the

OLC.

Daughter of the Moon by Lily, Year 10 Student You told your parents about it, but they said it was just

your imagination. You saw a face smiling down at you.

When you told them, they shared a concerned look

before repeating what they always said, it was just your

imagination. This was the third time you’d told them.

They took you to a doctor, who asked too many

questions. You sat silently with cold tears running down

your face. How could they not see the face? You went

upstairs and looked out your window. The moon was full

that night. The face was there, smiling, comforting. A

gentle voice spoke in your mind. It explained that you

were the Daughter of the Moon, and that someday, you

would do great things for Earth. It also said that you

wouldn’t remember this encounter until the time was

right. For a split second, you saw a beautiful silvery

woman standing in front of you. A silvery breeze

whisked through your window and carried the woman

away. Your vision darkened, and you fell asleep.

That was years ago, and you still don’t remember your

encounter with the moon that night. The moon still

follows you, but you think nothing of it, it’s your

imagination, as your parents told you. Even though you

still have a glimmer of hope that the moon is following

you, you don’t tell anyone. One night, you lie awake in

bed, unable to fall asleep. The moon is full again,

blinding you through your curtain. You can’t stand it any

longer. You get out of bed and go to the window, the

same one you sat at all those years ago. You look up at

the moon, and can see the face for the first time in years.

Your memories come flooding back, and you remember

your encounter. The silvery woman appears in front of

you, her arms open. You run into her embrace and cry

cold silvery tears. You are the Daughter of the Moon.

This your Mother. Your real Mother.

She explains that you weren’t old enough to fully

understand when she first visited. You beg to come to

the Moon with her, but she refuses, saying your time

hasn’t come yet. She tells you to finish your time on

Earth before you can return home. You must complete

three tasks before you can become immortal and join

her on the Moon. She says she will continue watching

over you but cannot appear to you until you complete

your tasks. She smiles tenderly and touches your cheek,

leaving a cold, tingly feeling as she disappears in a

breeze of silver. Once again, your vision darkens, and

her cold tingly touch lingers as you drift off to sleep.

Students give back to bush fire victims

PJ (Year 9) travelled to

NSW during the January

school holidays to

volunteer his time

alongside his dad to help

the wildlife, farm animals

and people affected by

the horrific bush fires

down south. They

generously donated

supplies to animal

shelters and care facilities to help those in desperate

need. PJ’s family said, “This was not only a good deed

that PJ helped with but also such a valuable experience.

He has learnt a lot, felt what the people and animals had

been through and has communicated with people from

all backgrounds. It was such a growing experience for

him all round.” Well done PJ!

Another one of our students, Rohan in Year 7 (pictured

below), raised more than $300 selling his koala artwork

pieces to help the animals he fears will be forgotten

about when the

bush fires across

Australia have been

extinguished. His

robot koala prints

start out as pencil

sketches before

they are transferred onto a photo block. They are

inscribed with a thank you message on behalf of the

koalas. The prints have been sent all around the world.

Amazing work, Rohan!

Carter takes on the Australian Combined Events

Championships

Congratulations to Carter (Year 11) for competing in the

Australian Combined Events Championships U17

Division in Brisbane. She qualified for the

Championships in September 2019 and has only been

doing Athletics since June 2019. Carter competed in

several events including 100m hurdles, 200m sprint,

long jump, high jump, shot put

and javelin. Carter’s medium

term goal is to compete in the

Commonwealth Games and

her long term goal is the 2028

Olympics. Great work, Carter.

Elise wins gold medals at QLD State Dragon Boat Championships

Elise, (Year 9 student)

competed at the QLD State

Dragon Boat Championships

and won two gold medals in

the small boat competition!

Dragon Boating is a team

paddling sport consisting of

either twenty (standard boat)

or ten (small boat) paddlers,

seated in pairs, who paddle

the boat that is decorated

with a dragon’s head and tail.

There is also a drummer at

the front of the boat

responsible for maintaining the “heartbeat” of the

dragon boat and a steerer (or sweep) at the rear to

direct the dragon boat. Elise will be competing in the

Sydney Nationals over the Easter break, let’s hope for

more medals for QLD. Go Elise!

Northern Outlook Outdoor Education Program for OLC Students Every Wednesday of this Term, students from the OLC

have been participating in outdoor activities as part of

the Outdoor Education Program at the Northern Outlook

Redlynch Centre. Pictured below, students are seen

taking part in an activity called ‘Islands’. The students

are given planks to work their way to the opposite end.

Their aim is to get everyone across without dropping the

planks in the ‘lava’ or they lose it. The activities focus on

developing team work, communication, problem solving

and leadership skills, whilst encouraging and supporting

each other.

Year 11 student creates a blog!

Staff News

Positive Behaviour for Learning This year, we have adopted a school-wide ‘Focus of the Week’ where teachers and teacher aides from Prep to Year 12 all teach and focus on the same behaviour. It has been great to hear staff and students talking about what it means to be respectful, to be safe, and to be learners. It has been exciting to hear how our language teachers have been teaching and talking about the behaviours in French and Japanese. How cool is that? We also had an amazing opportunity to talk to parents and home tutors at our Let’s Connect Days, in Atherton and Cairns. It was really powerful to hear from those working in home classrooms the potential effect our school’s shared language around behaviours could have for them and their students. Further, it was raised if we could share some resources with parents, carers and home tutors to help them reinforce what students are learning in classrooms. The answer, of course, is yes! We are looking to place resources on the Student Portal. We may also investigate somewhere on the school’s website if needed. We are continuing the Focus of the Week into Term 2, and we are happy to share the schedule with you all.

It is amazing how quickly the world around us can change. However, in times of change or instability, there are some things we can keep doing, some things we can control. Our behaviour and how we chose to act is one of those things. So choose to act with respect and kindness, keep the safety of yourself and those around you in mind, and always be open to learning something new. Staff complete First Aid and CPR Training

Staff completed their mandatory First Aid and CPR training at the beginning of Term 1 with the Royal Life Saving Association Australia. This provided them with the ability to recognise basic signs and symptoms of various illnesses and injury and subsequent provision of appropriate treatment or assistance.

Chappy Chat Hi, I’m Chappy Deb, our School Chaplain, for those I haven’t yet met. I work at Cairns SDE every Monday and Wednesday and I am available to connect anytime if you would like to contact me through the school, your teacher or via email. My role is to offer social, emotional and spiritual support to students, staff and families.

A highlight or Term 1 for me has been delivering the Shine Program for a group of 17 of our senior school girls each week from our Open Learning Campus (OLC), as part of our Student Support Team initiatives. The girls have embraced the program message of ‘Worth, Strength, Purpose’ and have fully engaged in our fun and interactive activities in our first four sessions around defining our worth, embracing our uniqueness and encouraging each other. I am also helping to run our Outdoor Education program that runs weekly for 10 of our OLC students. We have started weekly excursions to ‘The Northern Outlook’, outdoor education facility in Redlynch, where we have been able to engage our students in sessions which focus on problem solving, strategic thinking and consultation, communication and teamwork. We have enjoyed acknowledging and celebrating each student and their individual achievements and each week nominate a ‘Man of the Match’ for our session, where the students vote for someone in the group each week who has excelled in commitment, leadership and encouragement of their fellow teammates. In Week 6, our Youth Support Coordinator, Barb, and myself visited the Let’s Connect event in the Atherton Tablelands and delivered a session on personalities, using the ‘Aus Identities’ model. We delivered the session for our Home Tutors, primary students and secondary students and the sessions proved to be insightful and a lot of fun as we learnt about our personality types and communication styles and how that impacts our interactions and relationships with others. Each week I gather with a group of teachers at our school to pray for our school community. In these days of uncertainty and facing the unknown which are

impacting our world, I am encouraged by the small stories of hope, courage and selflessness. I encourage you to act with wisdom and compassion for others, but not to be consumed by media-driven fear and gloom. If you would like to connect and have me call you for a chat, to offer some support, encouragement and prayer for any reason, please feel free to email me anytime at debbieb@chappy.org.au Blessings, Chappy Deb News from the Sustainability Committee Join the Enviro Club! Primary and secondary students are encouraged to join the new Cairns SDE Enviro Club where they will have the chance to connect with other students, participate in fun activities including hands-on investigations and projects, share thoughts about real world issues and explore the environment we live in. There are Blackboard Collaborate sessions every second week on Mondays from 1:30-2:00pm. If you would like to join please contact the following teachers:

Primary students (Prep - Year 6) – Ken Callaghan kcall43@eq.edu.au

Secondary students (Year 7 – 12) – Andrea Watters awatt84@eq.edu.au.

Please include your full name and year level in your email. You will then be enrolled into the Enviro Club course in eLearn to access your workshop session.

News from the eZonta Club Hello everyone, my name is Alessia and I’m a Year 12 student this year. I recently joined the eZonta club at Cairns SDE, and on Sunday 8th March I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Pine Rivers Zonta event for International Women’s Day, in Brisbane. I had a great time meeting new people, and listening to speeches of advocates of the empowerment of women. There were a few guest speakers, but the key note speaker was a lady by the name of Yasmin Khan, a champion for the rights of women, primarily those experiencing domestic violence. In 2017, she received the QLD Australian of the Year Local Hero Award. She spoke about the employment of women and domestic violence, but the one thing that stuck with me was when she finished her speech by saying, “Be proud. Be loud. Be Just. Be safe.” There were other people speaking about issues such as teen parenting, being new mothers, employment, and cultural beliefs. There were a number of business stalls

set up, and I wanted to support ‘Fifth Avenue Collection,’ which is a jewellery shop, so I purchased a beautiful rose gold bracelet. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to join the eZonta club and attend this event, and I would like to thank Mrs Scott and Mrs D’Aietti for making it happen. I would recommend you join our eZonta club, so that you can learn more about women and empowering them. For more information and to join, visit https://www.zonta.org/Local-Action/Join. Denise (a leader in the Pine Rivers eZonta club) and I pictured below.

Staff Feature

Introducing our staff feature videos! Throughout the school year, we will be posting an interview with a staff member at Cairns SDE where they will speak about their role and why they enjoy working at Cairns SDE. Meet Ms Canfield, one of our many

talented teachers of Senior English & Geography – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEGjhZ2OFfk&feature=youtu.be Meet our new staff Lucy Langham

Hi everyone, my name is Lucy Langham and I will be teaching Music and French at Cairns SDE. I grew up in Adelaide and graduated from university in 2009. I qualified as a high school Music, French and Spanish teacher. I first taught in the NT, Rockhampton and then

in Western NSW and then gained permanency teaching LOTE in NSW. I gave up this position to relocate to Queensland and worked in a range of different roles in primary schools in South East and Central QLD. My husband and I moved to Cairns in late 2018 and we intend to settle down here. Last year I took a break from teaching and completed the Masters of Guidance and

Counselling at James Cook University. I would like to eventually work as a Guidance Officer or counsellor, but I also still love teaching and get a lot out of it. I hope you all have a great holiday and I am looking forward to working with you all and meeting you soon. Sandra Grimm

Hello everyone! My name is Sandra Grimm and I teach German, Home Economics and

Technologies. Recently I finalised my Master of Teaching and Learning at James Cook University and my concluding research project was at the CSDE within the Year 7-9 German classes. My initial teaching areas were Visual Art,

Media Art, Design and Technologies; however, my first language is German, I taught German at the Academy for Modern Languages at the JCU. I am looking forward in joining the German and ICT teams at Cairns SDE. My first degree is a Bachelor of Design, completed in 2003; this allowed me to work for many years as a Designer, also in Marketing, Sales and Tourism. I bring with me a unique blend of skills and industry insights to my students’ learning. I have called Cairns home since 2008 and I enjoy our unique backyard and hinterland when hiking, swimming or camping. Other hobbies I aim to revive are yoga, dancing, filming or synthesising all of the above. Despite being born in Germany, I believe I have a good sense of humour. Jose Alzaibar Nieves

My name is Jose Alzaibar and I am part of the Languages, Digital Technologies and Vocational Education and Training teams; three areas that have been part of my educational background and teaching experience. Originally from Uruguay, I hold a Bachelor of High

School Teaching from the CeRP del Sur, Atlántida. I started my teaching career in Montevideo, working in diverse educational venues across the public and private educational systems. My passion for language teaching drove me to travel, live and study in several countries across the globe. As a proud Fulbright Alumni, I had the chance to teach and study at Tompkins Cortland College and the State University of New York, in the USA. When I first relocated to Australia, four years ago, I worked as a Trainer and Assessor at the Australian Institute of Languages and Further Education in Perth, WA. This helped me to obtain an insight of the VET system and to develop my teaching skills by working with international students from diverse backgrounds. At that time, I started to work towards obtaining my Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics, for which I have recently submitted my thesis project on online course design. In July 2018, I decided to move to the Pilbara to have an invaluable experience; teaching and living in an

Aboriginal community in the desert. After working there for a year, I decided to take a step further in my career and move temporarily to Spain to study at Universidad de Granada. I consider working at CSDE as an opportunity to learn and grow further in my teaching career by helping students to succeed through a student-centred approach; focusing on their human and academic development. Markus Honnef

My name is Markus Honnef, born in New Guinea, entered Australia via Germany by boat for a solid education in my early journey of learning. To share this passion I started teaching at Tully in 1988 and soon

discovered that I knew very little about the history of this ancient land, its people and culture. Meeting my beautiful wife Patrice, Head of English at Innisfail SC, who opened my eyes to further learning which we also shared with our amazing four children, Dr Felicity, Julia the teacher, Nathanael a Lawyer at Cape York Land Council and Elizabeth a law/business JCU student. After teaching agriculture, science and chauffeur driving my family for a very, very long time, I ventured out of Gordonvale as acting Science HoD to Smithfield before landing a substantive position at Innisfail State College and now with excitement at Cairns SDE. A new platform with new learning which I’m ready to embrace and continue with elders, scientists, farmers, educators and especially the students in a quest to implement programs that engage and change their paradigm so that they can identify themselves in new careers in this fast changing, exciting world for the betterment of humanity. Hopefully as a bonus in this process the students, school and I will win a few more competitions. Sarah Lethbridge

Having spent the past twelve years teaching high school maths & science at Babinda P-12 SS (as well as junior high school English and Business Studies for a few years) it was time for a change. I'd taught my own sons through their high school years there and once they'd both graduated, a transfer

was the logical next step. I had been hoping for a transfer to Cairns SDE because I couldn't think of a more different teaching environment to the one I'd come from. I was looking for a change & a challenge, and that's certainly what I've got! One of the great things about starting my teaching career at a small school like Babinda was the fact that building strong relationships with students was so easy, given the scale of the school. One of my goals for my first term here at Cairns SDE is to forge good relationships with all my students and their home tutors. The other goal is basically to keep my head above water, as I continue to adjust to a totally different

way of operating as a teacher. It's a bit like becoming a first-time parent, when all your friends are telling you that it will change your life because you've really no idea how different things will be after the baby comes along. Teaching here is very similar - people tell you it’s totally different, but you can't comprehend just how different it is until you're thrown in the deep end! When I'm not working (or thinking about work), my sanity-saver is hiking and getting out into wild places. Martin Kohler

My name is Martin and I'm very happy to be part of the great team here at Cairns SDE. First and foremost, thank you very much for your friendly welcome and all your help. Everyone has been fantastic and very

supportive! I'm born and bred in Switzerland and a diet of Swiss cheese and chocolate have certainly fuelled my exponential growth as a teenager. I worked as a Biology teacher for secondary students in Switzerland and as a German teacher at a Centre for Adult Education in Lund, Sweden, where I lived with my wife and three kids for several years. After we relocated to beautiful Queensland, I started teaching Swedish to children in the Swedish Saturday School in Brisbane. I love the linkage of technology and teaching at Cairns SDE and am very interested in techniques to engage students in an inclusive classroom. I am looking forward to teaching and working with all you lovely people.

David Rolls Hello! I am Dr Rolls. This is my first year at Cairns SDE. I could not wait to begin my new teaching experience at Cairns Distance Education! I was so looking forward to the new and rewarding challenges that lay ahead. I have been teaching over 20 years and my subject areas are English, History and Chinese. (The picture is when I had the opportunity to go to China last year as part of a

Chinese language teaching delegation). Yvonne Dickie

Hi Guys, my name is Yvonne and I have started this year as an Inclusive Education Teacher. I work with the SWD team and am seated down in I Block. My teaching journey has been an interesting one, with much variety. I fell into teaching many years ago, while travelling, when I volunteered as a primary teacher

in a teaching program in northern Chile. I enjoyed it so much that I studied for my teaching qualification when I returned home to Perth. After finishing my Graduate Diploma in secondary ESL/Science teaching, I moved to Sweden (for family reasons) where I worked at an international middle school teaching Science and ESL. Upon returning to Australia, I completed contract work at secondary schools in Brisbane and on the Sunshine coast while also studying a Masters in Early Childhood Teaching. In 2018, I accepted a permanent role at Kowanyama State School teaching kindy and SWD. A couple of years later I was keen to return to city living and was lucky enough to get a transfer here to Cairns SDE! Through my many teaching experiences, I have learned that regardless of teaching context there are a number of values that really help lead to positive outcomes. Some of these include patience, tolerance, openness and inclusivity. I look forward to further settling in here at Cairns SDE and getting to know the staff and students in this evolving and progressive workplace.

Field News

Let’s Connect We kicked off the first Let’s Connect events for 2020 in the Tablelands and Cairns. Students from Prep to Year 12 enjoyed a range of activities including ‘get to know you’ bingo, sumo games, maths bingo, milkshake madness, Zonta cushions, stress balls and outdoor volleyball. Tablelands It may have been hot in the Merrilands Hall, but we had a great time!

Here are some of the highlights:

It was a highlight to meet our students, spend time with them and learn about their amazing thinking skills during learning activities.

Students displayed enthusiasm for all activities and thoroughly enjoyed connecting with their class mates and teachers.

Students were deeply involved in the Australian Identities activity and were keen to find out if their predictions of their own traits were correct i.e. Wombat, Dolphin, Kangaroo or Eagle.

The students demonstrated a lot of respect and kindness for one another which was great to see.

It was enjoyable to watch the older students create a quiz for the younger students based on questions they would be able to answer from things they had learnt from the Sumo and Olympics activities. It got everyone thinking about new things they had learnt, and showed how caring and considerate the older students were to their young friends.

A big thankyou to the Year 8 – Year 12 students and Home Tutor, Nicole, for assisting with completion of many Zonta Breast Care Cushions to be forwarded to McGrath

Foundation Breast Care Nurses for any person who has undergone breast surgery at the Cairns Base Hospital.

Super students studiously studying sumo – sugoi!

Seeing the floor shake from the power of the student’s Sumo Stomps.

Cairns We held the Cairns Let’s Connect event on school grounds during Week 6. It was great to see so many students and home tutors attend the event and take part in the activities across the two days.

Here are some of the highlights:

Milkshake Madness was a huge hit! It was great to see the students get so excited about creating their own milkshake recipe and then giving it a signature name.

We loved seeing the students so enthusiastic about getting outdoors and playing a game of volleyball. They demonstrated great sportsmanship and team-player skills.

Home Tutors found great value in their sessions where they got to meet each other and have a chat, attend IT support sessions with Leigh Howser, put together puzzles, engage in wellbeing & mind mapping activities, create Olympic garlands and learnt how to ‘switch-off’. We received some lovely feedback from one of the parents - “It was a wonderful day! As a parent (home tutor)... I am sooo glad I attended!”

Parents and Citizens Hello to the Cairns SDE Community, Welcome to the 2020 school year! Term 1 has flashed before my eyes as it often does, but this year for different reasons. Sadly, we lost one of our teachers a few weeks ago. Michele Foley was a kind and caring teacher to our students and friend and colleague to home tutors and school staff. On behalf of the P&C I would like to thank the school and staff for the caring way they looked after our students during this difficult time. For many of us in the Cairns SDE community, isolation is a way of life. For geographically isolated families, particularly at this time of year, we are cut off from town by flooded rivers and inundated roads. But the current crisis is a different feeling as, for me at least, the prospect of the river dropping and making a quick dash to Weipa to stock up on supplies at Woollies, is rather daunting. But more so, I am worried for my elderly parents, family and friends and the wider school community who live in towns and cities down south and out west who are facing this crisis head-on. Please observe the health advice – social distancing (stay at home if you can), wash hands thoroughly and cover your cough. More detailed advice can be found at

Queensland Health – www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19.

There is a range of emotional and mental support you

can turn to including -

Beyond Blue - www.beyondblue.org.au 1300

22 4636

Kids Helpline – www.kidshelpline.com.au 1800

55 1800

Lifeline – www.lifeline.org.au 13 11 14

More and more events on the Cairns SDE calendar are being impacted by COVID-19 –Activity days postponed, our major fundraising event of the year the C2K Bike Ride cancelled (only the second time it’s been cancelled in 24 years), and the Canberra Trip that we worked so hard to achieve has also been cancelled. There is disappointment that some students will miss out, but we hope we can work towards holding the Canberra Trip in 2021 when all this craziness settles down. Thank you to Cairns SDE for the calm and measured way they are handling the impact of this crisis on our school and students’ learning and wellbeing. In P&C news we held our AGM on the 16th March – thank you to all those that attended and/or all the new and renewed memberships. Your support is appreciated. Details about office bearers, cluster representatives and other information can be found on the school website at https://cairnssde.eq.edu.au/our-community/pandc. The P&C wishes you all the very best for your students’ learning and the health and wellbeing of your family and friends. While other families face the dilemma of whether or not to send their children to school, we are lucky that our children are enrolled in distance education and we have them safe by our side in our homes. Take care. Judith Eriksen President

MiscellaneousCairns to Karumba Bike Ride Unfortunately due to recent updates regarding the COVID-19 Virus, the 2020 Cairns to Karumba Bike Ride has been cancelled. We would like to thank our school community for your support during this time.

Feature on Channel 7 ‘Rewind’ Segment

Earlier this term, we were featured on Channel 7's 'Rewind' segment where they looked at how Distance Education has

immensely changed with

advances in technology over the years. We dug up some Cairns SDE videos from the archives which were used in the video. See the link below. Can you spot any familiar faces? https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSSC/videos/482607835975621/. Cairns SDE Facebook page Don’t forget to ‘like’ the Cairns SDE Facebook page so you can stay up to date with good news stories, event information and school news. Simply follow this link www.facebook.com/csde40th2012/ or click on the Facebook icon on the bottom of the Cairns SDE website.

Student Portal We have created a Student Portal to connect students/home tutors to all of the information they need in one place! Features include: student notices & news items, student leader information, principal’s vlogs, support space, staff directory, teacher/teacher aide absent list, EQ Network outage information, event calendar, care and wellbeing, quick links and the opportunity to share your story with our Marketing Officer to publish in the newsletter and on Facebook.

The Student Portal can be accessed via this link - qedu.sharepoint.com/sites/3601/student. There is also a “Get started at CSDE” button for beginning and returning students. This page will run through the 10 step checklist to follow when getting started at school. For more information, please contact your Care Teacher. Digital Mental Health Support We understand the feelings of anxiety, distress and concern that our school community may be experiencing in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak, which is why it is important to look after your mental health. eMHPrac has compiled a directory of Australian, evidence-based, free (or low-cost), publicly funded digital mental health programs and resources, ranging from apps, to crisis helplines, to self-guided online programs. Visit their website to learn about the incredible range of digital support available to you. https://www.emhprac.org.au/