Charleville State High School
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Corner of Partridge and Hunter Streets
Charleville QLD 4470
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Email: admin@charlevilleshs.eq.edu.au
Phone: 07 4656 8888
Fax: 07 4656 8800

23 November 2016

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

FAREWELL YEAR 12 STUDENTS

This week has been a very emotional and busy week for everybody, as we farewelled our wonderful Year 12 students.

The final week for the 12’s really started on Saturday 12 November with their amazing Formal Dinner at the Racecourse Complex. The night was a huge success, with all students looking exceptional and going to a lot of trouble to ensure that the night was a special one. There were some grand entrances including Helicopters, Police Cars, Trucks and even an Ice-Cream Van!

Special thanks must go to Ms Jemma Day for all of her organisational work for the night. The room looked sensational and provided a very formal atmosphere and tone to the evening. Thank you also to all of the other teachers, parents and students that assisted to prepare the venue for the night.

Thanks also to the P & C for their financial assistance which made the decorating of the event all the easier. Kim Sen, one of our 2016 Captains, and her family, must also be thanked for providing the amazing ornamental entrance to the venue, and the brilliant backdrop for the photos on the night.

The catering by Leith Brennan was also another highlight of the night, with each of the 220 attendees on the night being presented with an amazing celebratory meal.

The week at school for the Year 12s saw them involved in a number of activities including: Love Bites, a positive relationships program; laser skirmish; Fire Service talks; RSA and barista Training. They also participated in practice job interviews to prepare them for opportunities after school. I had the pleasure of being part of a number of these interviews and enjoyed learning more about the future aspirations of many of the 2016 Year 12s. Thank you to the parents and community members who assisted with these events during the week.

The week for the Year 12s then culminated in their Graduation ceremony on Friday 18th of November. The morning commenced with some delicious bacon and egg burgers prepared by the staff, which allowed parents and students to mingle with staff and say their goodbyes. This was then followed by the ceremony, hosted by our incoming Captains, Jewel and Antoine, who did a fabulous job. Our special guest speaker, Mr Zac Fitzgerald, a 2015 Graduate of Charleville State High School, gave a heartfelt speech of congratulations to the Year 12s, along with some great advice. The Year 12s then participated in the traditional balloon release, amongst many tears from students, parents and teachers, as the realisation of the end of their school days hit home.

I would like to thank Mr Sebastian Kohli who put an incredible amount of time and effort into the week, organising absolutely everything and everyone to ensure a fitting send off for our 31 amazing Year 12s.

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY EDUCATION MEETING

On Thursday 17th of November a number of the Charleville State High School, and Charleville State School, staff met with several Indigenous community members and parents to develop strategies to help “close the Gap” in Indigenous education. The process was facilitated by Mrs Priscilla Holborn, the Regional Indigenous Education Officer.

The afternoon/evening was extremely positive, with relationships strengthened around the common goals of improving attendance, achievement, engagement, and transition for indigenous students. These meetings will continue into next year as we continue to work together to develop processes, strategies and support measures for our students.

YEAR 7 2017 – PARENT INFORMATION AFTERNOON

On Thursday 24th of November the school will be hosting a parent information night for the parents of the incoming Year 7s in 2017. The evening will consist of a small presentation by our Head of Department, Junior Secondary, Mrs Sabrina Goodingham, followed by the opportunity to ask questions. It will also be an opportunity to meet many of the teachers that will be involved in your student’s education in Year 7 2017. The afternoon will start at 5.00pm and conclude at approximately 6.00pm.

Please note that all students and parents are required to engage in the interview process before a student can be officially enrolled in the school for 2017. If this has not already occurred, could you please contact the office to book at time for an interview.

MOVEMBER

Several of the male staff members are sporting a little more facial hair this month as they support the Movember initiative, which aims to raise funds and awareness of Men’s health issues. Mr Matt Huth, one of our enthusiastic teachers, instigated this amongst most of the male teachers within the school and has been promoting to the students the importance of men’s health. The students have also been urged to participate in some fun fundraising events at the school to raise money for the cause. These will continue this week and until the end of the month.

ATTENDANCE

There have been some extremely pleasing attendance figures over the last couple of weeks, both for individual form classes and for the school overall.

Form Class A2 in week 6 had the very pleasing attendance figures of 97.27% - the best single class figures of the term! Week 7 saw Form Class K4 take out the best performing class with 94.74% attendance, still a good result and above our school target of 92%.

The most pleasing aspect of attendance last week was that as a school we reached our highest attendance figures of the term – 91.18% for the week. This is so close to our target figure of 92% - just a couple of more students at school each day will see us hit this target!

Thank you again to the P&C for sponsoring our rewards program for students in regards to attendance.

Can I please remind all parents and carers that if your child is absent from school for any reason, could you please phone the office to let us know as soon as possible. Every day counts.

Matt Samson
Principal

Teaching & Learning @ CSHS

We have just over a week to go for 2016. Like myself, you must be asking where time has gone. It only seemed like yesterday that we were welcoming our students back for the 2016 school year. Now it is time to reflect and focus on the future, looking at what 2017 can hold for all of our students.

The week that was…

Last Friday we farewelled our Year 12 students. Many have woken up this week wondering what to do with themselves. While some have taken the time to relax on the Gold Coast, others have already started work. As our task is to help students keep all options open for their future, and develop skills to take advantage of those opportunities that may arise in the future, it is encouraging to see so many of our graduating students having a clear idea of the direction they want to take. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them all the best as their OP results and QTAC offers are released soon.

Our Year 10 and 11 Hospitality students had the amazing opportunity last week to learn how to make a superb cup of coffee under the tutelage of a qualified barista. Normally such an opportunity would involve students having to pay around $100 and travel a minimum of three hours to the nearest major centre. From all accounts everyone, including staff, learnt a great deal.

The week ahead for Year 10 and 11

Our remaining senior students, Year 10 and 11, are now almost finished their final exams and assignments for Semester 2. We wish them the best for this final push towards the end of 2016.

Year 10 and 11 students are reminded that their attendance and engagement with their studies is essential to make the most of opportunities that lay ahead for them. Students, whose attendance and lack of effort and/or poor behaviour are continuing to cause concern, and impacting on their progress, will be required to attend an interview with Mrs Gilvarry before the end of the Term 4.

How can all students help to achieve their best results and focus on the finer details?

  • Attend school and classes regularly (must be a minimum of 92% - unexplained absences will incur 2 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 each semester to help organise your time for the rest of the term 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
  • Talk to staff if there are any concerns well before the due date
  • Attend study / homework club for further help

Thank you for your continued support of your student, the school and the educational process. Together we can make a difference in the lives of our future leaders.

Regards
Donna Gilvarry
Deputy Principal

2017 School Leaver Strategy

What’s next for school leavers? Vocational education and training could be the smart next step

Vocational Education and Training (VET) is the right choice for many school leavers. VET qualifications can provide students with a pathway to employment or a stepping stone to university. The Queensland Government subsidises more than 300 qualifications, allowing eligible school leavers to gain a qualification at little or no cost.

All school leavers, from Year 10 to Year 12, can register to receive more information about vocational and training opportunities in 2017.

By texting YES to 0476 850 648, school leavers can start receiving text prompts in 2017. The texts will connect them with information about training opportunities. Young people can choose how much or how little information they receive and they have the option to opt out at any time. Please encourage your school leaver to register with this service.

The Department of Education and Training (DET) is collecting the young person’s mobile number for the purposes of providing them with regular updates on training opportunities during 2017. The mobile phone number will be accessed by authorised employees or contractors of DET. The young person’s mobile number will not be given to any other person or agency unless they have given us permission or we are authorised or required by law. If you have concerns about how the mobile has been used please contact 1800 210 210 (this is a free call). Opt out details will be provided on every text sent by DET. This information service will automatically end on 1 December 2017.

In the Ag Plot

This term all Agricultural Science classes have been back into full swing in our outdoor classroom. The agriculture plot has had a tidy up after the holiday break, and some exciting projects have been completed. Throughout this term the senior Agricultural Practices class has been diving into a unit on aquaculture. Their practical task for the term was to create an aquaponics system. A system such as this sustains aquatic life below the surface - our yabbies, and plants within a growing bed above.

Our Year 10 Agriculture class have also been busy, creating some summer cultivation. Chris Gillam, from Pacific Seeds in Toowoomba, has kindly donated a bag of BMR octane forage hybrid to trial as a summer roughage for our goats, Charlie and Lola. Through this task the students focus on seeding rates and completed practical planting, irrigation and fencing activities.

Our junior secondary classes have been doing plenty of research on agricultural exports, and conducting some growth trials with sweet corn. I am looking forward to seeing the end results.

Regards,
Matt Huth
Ag Teacher

Year 8 Science

This term in Year 8 Science students have been developing their understanding of microscopic structures and the cell theory. Students have identified cells as the basic unit of life and examined the specialised structures inside of them. They have described and explored the specialised functions of both plant and animal cells, distinguished between unicellular and multicellular organisms, and examined the process of cell division.

Students have progressively expanded their knowledge and understanding through a range of practical experiments. Throughout the term they have learnt to use a microscope to observe prepared slides, created their own slides for observation, created replica cell models, extracted DNA from strawberries, and much more. It has been fantastic to see so many students engaged and showing interest in the learning throughout this term.

Regards,
Crystal Dingle
English and Science Teacher

Reading Corner

Welcome to the Reading Corner for week 8. Over the last two weeks, all students in the LLI reading program have been post-tested to ensure we see growth and improvement with their reading. Our aim is to raise the reading age of all students to match their chronological age. We have seen great improvement with all students utilising various reading strategies to assist them while reading. Both their fluency and their accuracy have improved, which indicates they are reading for meaning. As a result, their comprehension has increased, allowing them to not only enjoy what they are reading but also understand the text. Finally, a big thank you and goodbye to Liz Nicholls, who has worked tirelessly this semester to ensure our students are receiving constant support throughout the program.

Yours in reading,
Lauren Butler

Charleville State High School Ski Trip 2017

In 2017 we hope to give the students at Charleville State High School an opportunity to experience the snow. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to go outside their comfort zone and experience something other than the sweltering heat Charleville brings. This week-long trip will be open to all current year 8, 9, 10 and 11 students.

We are currently seeking an expression of interest in order to determine numbers for the trip.

The trip will include:

  • Travelling in the June/July school holidays
  • Accommodation and travel
  • Breakfast and dinners whilst staying at the lodge
  • Mountain lift pass and lessons
  • Hire of equipment - helmets, skis, poles & boots, pants & parka
  • Travel Insurance
  • Visiting the sites of Canberra

An approximate cost is $1300 with a maximum of 40 students. This cost may increase with if there are less numbers than currently expected. Once student numbers are confirmed, and non-refundable deposits paid, the final cost will be conveyed to parents. If this proposed trip does not go ahead due to numbers then this deposit will be refunded.

If you have any questions regarding the trip please do not hesitate to contact either Barry Wastie or Lauren Butler on 46 56 8888.

Tuckshop will be closed for the last two days of Term

The Tuckshop will be closed for the last two days of Term (Thursday 1st December & Friday 2nd December)