Welcome to 2025

Welcome to a new school year! I’m excited to see all of students back, and for those joining us, welcome to our community!

This year promises to be full of growth, learning, and opportunity. Let’s embrace challenges, stay curious, and support each other.

Our school is a place where every student can thrive academically, socially, and personally. Remember, hard work and determination lead to success. - and being able to handle a challenge, learn from failure and take responsibiity for decisions are key drivers to taking each person's success to next level.

Our Cairns High Five sets out behaviour expectations which are also in line with community standards, and, of course, it is always important to strive to "be the best we can be". Together, we will make this year unforgettable. I look forward to seeing all the amazing things students are set to accomplish in 2025!

Uniform

Students (and you) have done an amazing job getting uniforms sorted - including white socks! The rain certainly did not help with calm start of year, particularly at breaks! We had water everywhere and no matter what you did, you get wet. With the heat, you just could not be sure whether it was the rain itself - or effort avoiding the rain which made you wet-through.

I really praise families and students for doing their best to maintain their standard of uniform. The wet weather also brought out some of the scariest things sometmies seen during damp conditions - crocs!

And not the snappy ones. While it is understood that sometimes water puddles need to be traversed, wearing these crocs is not allowed at school. They need to be left home or away in a bag - not at school (preferred) or at least not dangling off a bag.

Please leave them home. Notes are not accepted as an exemption to shoes - it is a health and safety matter for this workplace. And it is strictly monitored and enforced.

Formal uniforms will be needed for SCHOOL PHOTOS so please start getting these sorted out. Maybe teach your child how to iron a shirt as a bonding activity? Important, formal uniforms are optional on Year level parade days in Terms 1 & 4 except if there is an excursion in Term 1 which is 'clean' and 'community' such as a visit to the courthouse. Don't forget that we will have a full school assembly for ANZAC commemoration in Week 1 of Term 2 and we see students in formal uniform that day as a marker of respect for those whose service we are honouring.

House spirit

We launched a House Spirit trophy in 2024 and students were nominated for house points to go towards a tally for a range of endeavours. The winning House for 2024 was O'Keefe with 1179 points pipping Tully at the post by 35 points.

There will be further development of the point system in 2025 to encourage House Spirit - so stay tuned. 

One step forward is the opportunity for students to purchase a specially designed House shirt to wear at Swim, Cross Country and Aths Days and to change into for House competitions at school OR for special House spirit days. The window to place an order is now open. House shirts are completely VOLUNTARY and OPTIONAL and FUN! See the information below and follow the simple steps to getting your own shirt!

Remember - they are completely optional!

Order here:Cairns State High School - Polos 2025 - Dynasty Team Store AU

Final words...

As we move forward this year, teachers are committing to a strong focus on reading and writing across all year levels. These fundamental skills are key to unlocking success in every subject and in life.

Parents/Carers are encouraged to set up a regular (daily) 'quiet time' where the young person is away from their screens, reading material of their choice. 

Building vocabulary, better expression of thoughts, reasoning skills, global awareness, general knowledge - there is nothing bad about reading. It's actually impossible not to love!

Those who say they don't, need more practice. With more regular reading comes aromaticity and a regular reader reaches a calm state, almost meditative, and is able to truly slow down thinking, relax and probably even love longer.

It also helps with school.

Cairns State High students performed at the highest levels again in 2024 - across a number of fields. With the most school based apprenticeships and traineeships in the region, the most participants in work experience, high QCE attainment, outstanding ATAR results and high acceptance of first preference university, we will continue to challenge ourselves to do better in 2025. The interview process trialled in 2024 will also contribute to greater student agency and responsibility for attainment. I am excited to be leading the school at this time.

I have also made the decision to continue to lead this community for a few more years - postponing retirement and enjoying the opportunity presented every day to be at the helm or such a great school.

By maintaining our high standards, we continue to foster a culture of excellence, pushing ourselves to achieve greater performance and growth. Let’s uphold our tradition of high success, and work together to ensure every student reaches their fullest potential. Through dedication, hard work, and a shared passion for learning, we will continue to build on our school's legacy of achievement. Here's to an incredible year ahead!