The Arts

Cairns High to Host APSA Student Jury Day – Saturday, August 23

Cairns High is proud to be hosting the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (APSA) Student Jury Day on Saturday, August 23.

Selected students will join a private jury screening to view and judge three stand out films from the Asia-Pacific region. Their votes will determine the winner of the 2025 Asia Pacific Young Audience Award—a prestigious recognition in international youth cinema. 

The event runs simultaneously across Queensland, connecting Cairns High Film students in Years 10–12 with peers from other schools. Students will also take part in live Q&As with the film makers, gaining exclusive insight into the creative process. 

Invitations will be sent via email to eligible 10, 11 and 12 Film students—don’t miss this incredible opportunity to be part of something global!

Photography 

We’re thrilled to announce that Jorja Lee won the Photography section of the 2025 BLA Cairns Show Billboard Competition! Her image is now printed HUGE on the Cairns Show Billboard towards  Barlow Park.

A special mention to Kyte Gatti, whose work also won awards, and a big thank you to Ms. Fiona Musgrove who supported the students in this competition.

The Cairns High A Block Foyer Gallery is currently showcasing a vibrant collection of work from Year 10 Art and Certificate II in Visual Arts students. 

The exhibition features a range of personal and expressive approaches across painting, mixed media, drawing, printmaking—and a creative blend of all of the above.

A big thank you to Mr. Beresford for curating this exhibition.

Be sure to stop by and take a look!

David Marsden | HOD of Arts

International Students

Welcome to Our 34 New International Students!

This term , Cairns State High School proudly welcomed 34 new international students from across the globe — including Germany, Norway, Italy, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. We’re thrilled to have such a diverse group join our school community, bringing with them unique perspectives, languages, and cultural experiences.

To help them settle in and feel at home, the first week featured orientation sessions designed to introduce students to life at Cairns SHS. They also had the chance to explore the beautiful Cairns Esplanade and get to know their new surroundings. A special highlight for our Year 11 international students was the engaging Roaming Wild presentation, where they met some of Australia’s most iconic animals — a truly memorable welcome to life down under!

Next week, our Year 10 Study Abroad students will continue discovering the wonders of Cairns with Mrs Wearmouth, our International Coordinator, who will lead them on local excursions and cultural activities.

All of our international students have now begun their classes, and we’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Cairns SHS students, staff, and wider community for the warm welcome and support. These interactions help foster enriching and meaningful experiences for everyone involved. We encourage all students to say hello and make our new classmates feel welcome.

Looking ahead, Term 3 is shaping up to be an exciting one, with Cairns SHS hosting five Japanese study tours. These groups will be supported by our amazing student buddies, who help visiting students experience all that our school has to offer.

If you’re interested in becoming a host family for our Study Abroad students or visiting Study Tour groups, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at: international@cairnsshs.eq.edu.au or homestay@cairnsshs.eq.edu.au 

Your support makes a world of difference — thank you for helping us create unforgettable experiences and lifelong connections. Welcome again to our international students — we’re so glad you’re here!

Rachel Wearmouth | international@cairnsshs.eq.edu.au 

Music

Following the success of the Cairns and District Junior Eisteddfod, students at Cairns State High School have returned to Term 3 music studies with renewed passion and enthusiasm. Ensembles, bands, orchestras, and choirs are thriving with a busy schedule of performances and collaborative learning.

Highlights this term include an inspiring Music Night, student involvement in prestigious programs like Creative Generations (MOST) and the Young Mannheim Symphonists, and a masterclass with Opera Australia. Special recognition goes to Erin, who proudly represented the school by singing the National Anthem at the Cairns Show. Click here to read more and view great pictures.

Thank you!

Thank you, parents, for your ongoing support of our young musicians in their home practise routine. Making time and space at home for individual homework completion is essential to personal and team success. Most of our students have worked out a routine that works with their busy schedules, other activities and ‘academic’ homework. Students should be practising most days at home. There should be no students leaving instruments overnight, or over the weekend. At Cairns State High school, our parents have partnered with our teachers and encourage regular practise, ensure timely attendance, and celebrate progress. Your support makes the world of difference in your child’s musical journey.

I have been doing a bit of light reading recently, if you’re interested in scientific literature regarding music and its profound effect on the brain.

What’s happening next in music?

Choral Fanfare

Chorale, for many years, have been considered the pinnacle of Choral performance in Schools from a State and International perspective.

Every two years, Chorale takes part in Fanfare, an Ed Qld initiative that encourages choirs of all standards to share performances, in front of an adjudicator, and if chosen, advance through the heats and hopefully win through to the finals, held every two years in Brisbane.

Following our ‘win’ last term at CPAC, we have recently received the exciting news that we are invited to the State Finals held in Brisbane Conservatorium theatre, on 16th August.

From previous years, and from our ongoing collaborations around the State, we know that the standard is exceptionally high, the judging rigorous, and Chorale is well prepared.

We wish Chorale the very best in their final preparations! Good luck to you all, we are proud of what you achieve, and the standards of excellence set by Lauren Hannay.

Australian Percussion Eisteddfod

Good luck to our Senior Percussion Ensemble and their esteemed teacher Jonathon Barbagallo, as they travel to Brisbane this weekend to take part in Australian Percussion Eisteddfod, held in Brisbane. Flying this Friday, staying in Brisbane for two nights, the boys are super excited!

Saturday, the group are involved in Masterclass, following this, the Australian Percussion Eisteddfod is being held at St Peters Lutheran College.

Taking part in the competition are some of Australia’s leading and brightest young percussion ensembles, including community groups (older students). We wish our fine young percussionist the very best of luck as they represent our school. Thank you to Emma Baker, Lizanne Smith and Jonathon Barbagallo for attending the camp alongside our boys and thank you to the parents who are also making the journey to support CSHS and their children.

Good luck to our 10 percussion enthusiasts – Josh Apostol, Harrison Baker, Tobias Beaven, Oka Beresford, Rafael Cole, Minkyo Jung, Jackson Mulherin, Joseph Seo, Joshua Seo, Viktor Swiggers. 

Year 12 Senior Music and Music Extension Recital, St Monica’s Cathedral

We warmly invite all parents and members of our school community to join us for a very special evening celebrating the musical achievements of twelve dedicated young musicians.

Our Senior Music and Music Extension class have been working all year on personal performances. For Senior Music, our students have prepared 2 extended performance pieces (Internal Assessment 1 and 3), and for Music Extension, have prepared to extended performance pieces (IA1 and 2), plus another longer item for Internal Assessment 3.

Our students are used to performing as part of an ensemble, and for all year 12 Internal Assessment items this year, we have performed in front of each other, sharing peer and teacher feedback to improve and grow as young performers.

We extend our sincere thanks you Ashely Cawse for his skill and generosity as their accompanist and thank our committed music teachers for their expert guidance, encouragement and care.

The Senior Music and Music Extension Recital will be held in St Monica’s Cathedral, Lake Street – Thursday 7 August, 6pm – 8pm. We hope to see you there.

Iconic

We're excited to announce that Cairns High Iconic will take place on Wednesday, 10 September. Tickets will be available very soon via Ticketlink. As you know, this is one of the most popular events on our school calendar, so we encourage you to secure your tickets early to avoid disappointment.  Performing at Iconic 2025 – Drama (selected TBA), Dance (selected TBA), Film, Chamber Orchestra, Symphonic Winds, Big Band, Chorale. Thank you for your support – we look forward to seeing you there! 

POE – Year 6 – Year 7 transition afternoon – Tuesday, 19 August

• 3:30pm – Welcome and discussions with Admin (Bou-Wa)
• 4:15pm – 5.30pm – In POE specialisms (Musicians E28)

Every year, we welcome CSHS new intake of talented young musicians to join us for an afternoon of information and collaboration. The Transition afternoon is an opportunity for the teachers to meet their new students for 2026, and an opportunity for parents and students to meet us!

This year, new students who have been successful in the audition process will start the afternoon of with discussion from leadership, then split into their perspective groups.

POE Musicians will come to E28 to take part in a joint rehearsal with our teachers and accomplished musicians from CSHS. We have music specially prepared for every child and parents will be able to join us for this open rehearsal and informal concert to conclude the afternoon.

Please look out for the information from our Administration team. We are very much looking forward to meeting you all.

Calendar for Music

Please see our latest calendar for events and what’s on in music for Term 3 and 4.

We have had a wonderfully full, enriching and rewarding calendar of events this year, and we look forward to finishing the year off with equal gusto and passion.

Thank you all for putting the dates in your family diary, being prepared.

‘The strength of the team is each individual member; The strength of each member is the team.” Phil Jackson, 1995, legendary NBA coach – Chicago Bulls

Maureen Cameron | Director of Music 

Science

Science Week  at Cairns High 11-15 August 

Engineer the future - free STEM Night

Engineer_the_Future_Free_STEM_Night are FREE events for students in Years 3-5 and/or Years 7-9, taking place in Cairns during National Science Week at both CQU and JCU.

Monday 11 August at CQU 5:00pm - 8:30 pm Building and Programming robots.

Thursday 14 August 5:00pm-7:30pm Egg drop challenge and building and testing paper airplane launcher.

Spots are limited and spaces fill up quickly to these engaging and fun events, so please register your attendance through CQU and JCU.

Kim Wilson |  HOD of Science

Senior Pathways 

Year 10 Future Pathways

Year 10 is the time when students make informed decisions about their senior studies and future career pathways. In Career Connect, students have been thinking about their future through job and workplace exploration which will culminate in their work experience placement next term. Following the work experience placements, students will embark on the next phase of their learning journey - the SET plan (Senior education and training plan).

The SET plan, maps out a plan of action for students to achieve their education goal or intended learning option and supports students to remain on track for success in senior secondary and meaningful post-school pathways. Possible education goals include: the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), the Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA), Vocational Education and Training qualifications and full-time employment.

myfuture is the national careers platform provided by Education Services Australia. It aims to build the career decision-making capabilities of students and provide targeted support to the key influencers in their lives: teachers, career practitioners, parents and carers.

Visit myfuture External link to access a range of online tools and resources to support primary and secondary school career education activities.

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

VET is a meaningful pathway option that students may choose as part of their senior secondary studies and contributes to their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). Students working towards a Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) may also undertake VET. High quality VET provides the foundation for students to build the skills that lead to successful employment outcomes, and support students to enter the future workplace as informed, capable and active lifelong learners.

BLA Cairns Careers Expo

The Expo brings together a vast range of education and career providers to inspire our community and students in Years 10, 11, and 12 with their decision-making. Our exhibitors consist of a large cross-section of vocational providers, apprenticeship and traineeships providers, strong industry representation, and tertiary/university institutions who will be there to answer all your questions.

This Expo is the only event of its kind in Far North Queensland — and it is also open to the general public, parents, job seekers, and those looking for information on a career change. We welcome you to come along.

For more information and to request a 2025 Expo Exhibitor Application Pack, please email us. Email : admin@bla.org.au or phone 0403 724 093.

Sarah Daggett | HOD Senior Pathways 

Sports