18 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Be a Learner

Friday August 12th signalled the half way mark of Term Three which is hard to believe. However, for our students it reflects a key juncture in which they need to be ensuring that they are giving themselves the best opportunities to succeed in their subjects through ensuring that classwork, homework, and any assessment is completed to the highest standard possible. For our Year 12’s the end of Term Three is significant because it is, at this point, where all subject information is sent to the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) to be verified as appropriate in standard and to be compared to other students in other schools within the same subjects. For our year 12 students it is very important that they continue to work to the best of their ability to make sure that they can influence the results at the end of this term.

Year 6 into 7 Transition

On Tuesday August 9th we held our first parent information evening of the year to welcome our parents and caregivers of students in Year 6 that will be entering Year 7 in 2017. The night was well attended and provided prospective parents with an opportunity to hear about Year 7 at Charleville State High School.

Our Junior Secondary team has also been travelling around the district, having presented information at Augathella State School and will move onto present at Morven State School in the near future.

The transition program for our Year 7 students in 2017 will continue on Friday August 19th when we host all Year 6 students for the day at our school. The Year 6 students will get to participate in activities that are designed to help them become familiar with not only the physical layout of the school but some of the routines and practices that may not be familiar for them in a primary school. Our transition program is one we are very proud of, and we look forward to welcoming our students to school on Friday.

Opportunities

As you know at Charleville State High School we aim to ensure that our students, and also our parents, have opportunities as good as if not better than some of the larger high schools in the state. We have been very fortunate to be have some great information and presentation sessions of late which have provided our students with a wider perspective. Some of the events that we have had recently include the USQ career information teams, The Wonders of Science – The Flying Scientist, and the United Nations Youth Team who presented to our Year 10 to 12 students. We are also very fortunate to have with us this week a team from UQ who are presenting a range of science activities and information to our students.

Quadrennial School Review Process

As a school, we have been busy looking at the strategic plan of the school for the next four years. The plan is based around our Explicit Improvement Agenda which as you know targets Students Outcomes, Literacy and Numeracy, Quality Teaching and Positive Partnerships. The draft of this plan will be presented to our P and C at the September meeting.

Attendance

Attendance has been on the rise in recent weeks. We have been averaging just under 89% over the last couple of weeks which is still not at our target but does show significant improvement from the beginning of the term. I thank you once again for working in partnership with us to help ensuring that the students of Charleville State High School can make “every day count.”

Debutante Ball

I would like to thank Mrs Lorraine Usher for the opportunity to be in attendance at the Deb Ball held recently. It was wonderful to see so many of our school students who had the opportunity to make their debut, and our young men that accompanied them did a wonderful job.

Staffing

As you are maybe aware, Mrs Collier has been on sick leave and will continue to be on sick leave at least until the end of August. We wish her well with her recovery. Mrs Collier’s classes are being covered by our staff to ensure that her students continue to access a quality curriculum.

Working with Murweh Shire

Our Certificate 1 Construction team, along with guidance of Mr Wastie, Ms Vetter and Mr Lawton, have been repairing tables along the river for the council. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to be engaged in these types of projects as it helps to provide them with relevant experiences that will provide great skills for their future. Thank you to the Murweh Shire Council for the opportunity to assist.

It is important to us that every day, in every classroom, every student is learning and achieving. Charleville State High School thanks you for your support in this partnership.

Marcus

Teaching and Learning @ CSHS

Semester Two is an important time for all of our senior students. There are major decisions being made and key assessment being submitted.

Year 10 Students

The focus for our Year 10s this term is developing their plans for their future. This focus will culminate in their SET Planning interviews on Tuesday 23rd August. What is a SET Plan though? Why do we place such value on this event?

What is a SET (Senior Education and Training) Plan?

As part of planning for the transition to post- compulsory school options, Queensland students in Year 10 complete a Senior Education and Training (SET) plan. Essentially, the SET plan includes what the student's goals are, and what pathways they're going to take to reach those goals. Parents and school staff are involved in helping students put these plans together.

While the SET plan helps students to make decisions about their future, they can still make alterations to their SET plan if they change their minds. The plan is a fluid document, based on Oneschool, and should be updated to reflect changing student ideas and aspirations throughout Year 11 and 12.

Why is SET Planning so important?

By the time your child is finishing Year 10, you and your student should be planning and preparing for life after school. It is important to talk to your student about what their interests, abilities and aspirations are, and find out about the options available to them.

What needs to be considered?

• occupations and career pathways
• the education and training requirements needed to achieve selected goals, such as subject prerequisites
• the full range of learning opportunities available
• the value of different forms of learning
• tertiary entrance procedures, including the range of options.

Year 11 Students

What exactly are our Year 11 students working towards?

Easy answer - the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). However, the amount of opportunities provided today to senior students means that that there are so many other things they can work towards. For example, a school-based traineeship/ apprenticeship, work experience, vocational education certificate, sporting goals etcetera. The only thing hampering the success of our senior students today is their own drive and determination.

What is a QCE ?

The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is the minimum requirement expected to be achieved by all school leavers at the end of a senior course of study. Year 11 & 12 students accrue points for the subjects that they are passing in their senior years and are required to accumulate a minimum of 20 points to obtain a QCE.

For more information on QCE please visit the QCAA website:

What can senior students do to help themselves?

• Attend school and classes regularly (must be a minimum of 95% - unexplained part day absences will incur 2 points per absence, and full day unexplained absences will incur 4 points per absence, as a part of the SSAP, and possibly lead to a cancelation of the enrolment due to a lack of engagement with the educational processes provided and course coverage)
• Plan ahead - use the assessment dates and planner given out at the start of the term to help organise your time for Semester 2 and map out when you will need to work on assessment
• Attempt all work, at school and home, set by staff
• Seek feedback and ask questions about all tasks – see your teachers before or after school, during lunch breaks or in class if there are opportunities to do so
• Submit full drafts when required
• Submit all tasks on time – including sitting exams and presenting oral tasks. Refusing to present tasks in front of your class does not demonstrate a commitment to your senior studies.
• Talk to staff if there are any concerns well before the due date
• Attend study / homework club for further help
• Apply for an extension (at least a week before the due date) if there is evidence to support the application.

Year 12 Students

Our Year 12 students are moving rapidly towards the conclusion of their senior students. They have spent the last 18 months working towards the successful completion of their QCE, as well as towards possible university study for some, along with significant vocational courses such as Certificate III and IV qualifications. Every year at this point a number of Year 12 students throw their hands up in the air and say enough. With 12 weeks of study remaining it is essential that they realise the work completed this semester, and subsequent results, can significantly influence the outcome of their exit results for each subject this year.

Good luck to those students sitting the QCS (Queensland Core Skills) Tests on Tuesday 30th August and Wednesday 31st August. It is important to note that these four exams (writing, short response and two multiple choice exams) are based on skills developed over the past 11 years and not content, helping to determine university entry offers, along with results from courses studied at school. These skills are things students should be using and developing in all subjects.

A reminder to those students who are considering applying for tertiary courses at TAFE or university, you need to ensure you have submitted your QTAC application online before going on holidays in mid- September. Don’t forget that there is support in assisting students to make these decisions with Mr Kohli, Mrs McDonald and Mrs Gilvarry always around to help.

The key message is don’t give up, work through to the finish line and ensure you have done everything you can for the best start to your post-schooling phase of your life.

What have students been up to @ CSHS

Safe Driver Course - Year 11

The safe drivers in Year 11 were recognised on Tuesday 9th August on our full school parade when they received their certificates for completing the theory and practical components of the course. The certificates were awarded by Michael Stewart, Austrail Training Services driving instructor.

Our Year 11 students participated in the course on Wednesday 27th July, completing the theory component of the Safe Driver Program. Students with a learners licence participated in a practical application session of the theory, behind the wheel of Michael’s car, and learnt many valuable lessons. As with previous students who have participated in the program, our Year 11s learnt the importance of the difference dropping their speed can make, as well as breaking distance and the very real dangers of distraction from texting while driving.

Thank you to Michael for his patience in the training process, along with Hand, Heart, Pocket for covering the costs of the course, ensuring that no financial disadvantage stopped students from learning. Importantly this program shows the commitment of the school to looking beyond the normal curriculum to ensure our students have the greatest range of skills possible for what may lay ahead in life.

NAPLAN

While the NAPLAN tests for 2016 are over, we continue to develop the reading, writing, numeracy, comprehension and grammar/ punctuation skills of all of your students – Year 7-12. This year’s NAPLAN results highlight the positive movement forward for the vast majority of students since their last tests in 2014. It is this relative gain that demonstrates the capability of all students to build on their skills base for the future.

The 2016 NAPLAN reports for each student have been posted home to each family. If you have not received your student’s report, or have any questions about the reports, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Regards

Donna Gilvarry
Deputy Principal

STUDENT SERVICES NEWS

YEAR 7 TRANSITION- PARENTS AND STUDENTS WELCOMED

It is that time of the year again when we start to look towards Year 6 beginning High School and ensuring that their transition from primary school into high school is as smooth as can be. Last Tuesday afternoon, the Junior Secondary team and key staff welcomed a group of Year 6 parents to the High School for the first transition presentation. We discussed uniform, behaviour and curriculum expectations, policies, staff and general information about the school. Some of the team then travelled to Augathella to meet students, staff and parents and presented them with the same overview.

This week, on Friday we will welcome approximately 54 Year 6 students from Charleville State School, St Mary’s School, Augathella State School and Morven State School for their first taste of high school. This Transition Day will allow the students to be at High School for a day and get a feel for what is in store for them in 2017.

Parents are asked to have students dropped to the High School hall around 8:30am for an 8:40am start. Bus students will be dropped at the High School and collected from here too.

DEADLY GAMES- WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17th

On Wednesday August 17th the Deadly Games were hosted by Charleville State High School and we welcomed Charleville State School and St Mary’s students to participate in this community event. These games covered a range of activities and skills for the whole day and were supported by staff from Sport and Recreation, the schools and CWAATSICH.

SOME CYBER SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS

Uploading photos and videos onto social media services and websites can be a great way to share memorable moments with friends and family, or to boost engagement with your community.

But there can be risks associated with posting photos and videos of children online. There are some things you can do to reduce the risk of photos and videos being shared more widely than you intended.

Public and private places

The law treats taking photos or videos in private places and public places differently. In public places you have the right to take a photo unless you do so in a way that is offensive or makes a nuisance to those around you. When an event is taking place at a private place people can enforce rules about photography, so you should consider gaining consent before taking photos and videos.

Think before you post

Once posted online any photo or video can be shared, copied and/or manipulated. You may not be able to control how a photo or video is used by others.

Think about:

• Who might be able to see these photos?
• Is there anyone else in this photo? (Be mindful that some people may not want their image to be published)
• Will this photo offend anyone?

Privacy settings

When uploading photos and videos check your privacy settings on the social media services you use as well as on the device. You can change privacy settings to control who sees your photos.

Geo-location

Sharing photos online can sometimes identify your location. If you do not want to share your location through your photos:

• check the location settings on your device to know what apps are using geo–location and turn them off or limit the function
• ensure that GPS locations and schedules of children’s activities are not shared online.

Information for parents and carers

Parents, families and children enjoy seeing photos of their achievements but this should always be done safely.

Do photos and videos once posted on social media sites, become the property of the site owners?

Some social media sites give themselves the rights to copy and use your photos and videos. Social media services may have Terms and Conditions or a Statement of Rights and Responsibilities which outlines how they manage sharing your photos, videos and information—these should be reviewed carefully before making any decisions on whether you consent to photos of your child being posted.

A photo or video of my child has been posted online without my permission. How can I get it removed?

In the first instance you should ask the person who posted the photo or video to remove it. If the person refuses or you don’t know who posted it, you may wish to contact or report your concern to the specific social media site.

For more information about any of these issues please visit the link below.

Until next time,
Jenni
Deputy Principal- Student Services

Wonder of Science and STEM

Last week saw a visit from the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute to talk about science and the link to STEM. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and is a major initiative for the future in Queensland. All in all some 80 people attended the event and what was very pleasing is the large number of children.

What was wonderful about the event was how real life examples were talked about including one that I found very interesting presented by Dr McCarthy. Dr Cheryl McCarthy of the University of Queensland talked about ‘Bait Boxes’. While Australia has strict regulations on importation of goods, some bugs do hitch a ride into the country, evading our border defence. To assist with this issue the Federal Government funded various projects looking for an invention that would detect if certain predators of bees came into the country via our major sea ports. Bait boxes entice bees and other insects into a box and previously they had to be checked by hand to see the findings. Obviously this was a very onerous procedure and time consuming in nature.

Dr McCarthy’s solution was to have her team develop an app that could be used on a simple mobile phone linked to a small solar panel. This app tells the phone to take a picture every 10 minutes, allowing researchers to count the number of objects (bugs) in the picture. If there are objects (bugs) then the phone sends the picture to a computer. There are now multiple bait boxes located around all our major ports in Australia. Another great invention from Australia.

For more information on the “Wonder of Science” project or STEM in general please use the below links.

8 HPE – Mrs Parker

The beginning of Term Three has started with much excitement in 8 HPE. We are studying adolescent relationships and how to create happy, healthy and positive friendships. All students are developing the understanding to be better friends and be wary of online identities, as they sometimes differ to reality. We are playing netball in practical lessons, which is the cause of a great deal of enthusiasm, and development of healthy team relationships. All students are keen to participate each lesson and to advance their skills, improving their knowledge and application in game play.

11/12 Hospitality

Cooking:

Year 11/12 Hospitality students have been creating healthy take away food items for the delight of the staff. This activity requires staff to provide quality feedback to students on their creations, which then informs subsequent alterations to meals and student skills. Importantly, students have been building upon their knowledge of take away foods and how they can take the ordinary take away into a highly nutritious, calorie controlled meal.

Year 9 English

Do music videos you may see on a Saturday morning on Rage or The Loop really portray the true meaning of the songs they accompany or are they just a bit of glitz and glamour? This is something that our Year 9s have been investigating. This term Year 9 English students have been studying music videos with a focus on protest song analysis. They have been working hard in every lesson to improve their analysis and comprehension skills. Students have been actively involved in whole class, pair and individual activities while deconstructing the meaning and motivation behind the selected videos.

As part of their assessment, students are required to create a multimedia presentation that analyses and evaluates a protest song music video. In the lead up to their assessment students have been practicing creating multimedia presentations and analysing the meaning behind different images, shot types, colours and language features. This unit allows students to not only improve their writing skills but to use technology to create a justified and engaging argument. I look forward to seeing the creative presentations that the students make.

Crystal Dingle

Girls Rugby League

Rugby League has come to the girls of Charleville High! What started out as an idea to gauge interested has grown to encompass competitions and opportunities leading all the way to Brisbane.

In February the female students were asked if they were interested in learning to play rugby league with the hope of playing some games against other schools throughout the year. The initial interest started with twenty eager girls wishing to break the mould of footy only being a boy’s activity. Training started with the girls having to learn the basics, and thanks to the efforts of the region’s NRL Development Officer, Grant Bignell, these skills progressed to a standard where the girls were ready to play.

The first games that the girls played were in Roma during the last week of term two. In conjunction with the NRL, a development day was organised with girls from Chinchilla, Roma and St George joining the Charleville girls. This consisted with a skills session starting the day followed by some round robin matches against the other teams.

With the start of their first game, nerves and uncertainty overtook the girls and they were overpowered by Chinchilla, but the confidence quickly grew. Realising that they were as good as the other teams, the girls played much better; even winning a return game against Chinchilla. At the end of the day, the girls left full of confidence and an urge to play more games.

On Wednesday July 23rd our girls were given the opportunity to play more games. With the help of Grant Bignell, the girls were put through some skills and fitness activities prior to playing a game. With their new-found confidence, the team played a well-structured game, both in attack and defence. This confidence allowed them to display their skills, and resulted in a convincing win against a combined Roma-Miles team. As a result of their performances, it was agreed that nine of the girls would not be out of place in the state carnival to be convened in Beenleigh on 2nd and 3rd September. Well done girls, and best of luck in the state carnival!

Where are they now?

This week we are pleased to introduce a new section to the school newsletter call “Where are they now?” In this section we will highlight the journeys of our past students from Charleville High School, to where they are now…! We are very proud of our students and hope that you enjoy reading about their individual successes.

Libby Jaeger 2005 – 2009

After Charleville State High School…

*University at Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School at both Leura Campus (Blue Mountains) and Sydney Campus completing Bachelor of Business - International Hotel Management. During study I completed 2 industry placements at the prestigious Hayman Island and Sebel Resort Noosa gaining exposure to both Food and Beverage & Rooms Division operations being part of the hospitality industry which is very exciting, fast paced & dynamic environment

*Upon completion of University - relocated to a position in Melbourne at the Crown Plaza Hotel as Front Office Supervisor. After 9 months in Melbourne I was offered a position in Sydney at InterContinental's Australia's Flagship - InterContinental Sydney as Future Leader Management Trainee.

*During the next 12 months I worked in all departments within The InterContinental Sydney- Front Office, Food & Beverage, Housekeeping, and Engineering gaining exposure to every area of the hotel , where I was constantly challenged, learning and stimulated to be the best as well understanding the complexity of the business and the diversity of roles which was surprising; understanding what contributes towards a successful hotel. During this time I was also given an opportunity to be seconded within a remote property in Kakadu as Restaurant Manager which was an unreal experience, living and working in the middle of Kakadu National Park.

*After the completion of the Future Leader Management Trainee I was offered a position of Assistant Restaurant Manager remaining at InterContinental Sydney working in an operation open 365days a year for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a team of 50 team members. After 18months in this position I was promoted to the hotel’s Lobby Lounge and Bar Manager - The Cortile.

*Currently managing The Cortile Lobby Lounge and Bar with 25 direct reports and operation which enables me to not have any day the same - a busy and very rewarding position to see what is currently a very successful operation. And work with a team who are more like family than my colleagues and be continually interacting with some amazing people. Currently the Wallabies!

Perks of working in the Hotel & Hospitality Industry…

*Endless opportunities: to travel, meet people, and work in a beautiful environment with stunning views - especially overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

*Meeting many celebrities including Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, Australian Cricket Team, Angelina Jolie, Malcolm Turnbull- just to name a few, and being involved in organising amazing after parties and exciting events . You get to mix business with a great social life.

*The employee rates at 5 Star hotels worldwide and travel opportunities you get, mixing both work and leisure.