10 May 2018

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

STAFF NEWS

Congratulations to Mrs Narelle Webb and Mrs Wendy Porter, who have been selected to be on Regional Recruitment panels for Experienced Senior Teacher Applicants. This is a process that the education department has in place to acknowledge the importance of experienced teachers who stay in the classroom. Being selected as panel members is an accomplishment for both of these teachers, and highlights the depth of knowledge, experience and expertise that we have in our teaching ranks at Charleville State High School.

CROSS COUNTRY AND COLOUR RUN

Thank you to everyone who assisted with the cross country and colour run on Friday. It was a great way to end the week, and it was very pleasing to see so many of the students running for their houses on the day. It was also amazing to see the enjoyment and smiles on the faces of all of the students (and staff) that were involved in the event on the day.

Thanks must go to Mr Brad Lines, Mrs Sabrina Goodingham and Mrs Jenny Peacock for all of their work in organising the day.

ANZAC DAY CEREMONY AND MARCH

On Tuesday the 24 April, the school held an ANZAC day ceremony to commemorate ANZAC day. Once again, this was a truly moving ceremony, with a number of moving tributes presented in remembrance of ANZAC day.

Special thanks must go to Mr Barry Wastie for all of his work in preparing for the event. I would also like to thank the RSL for their support and 4RR for their work in creating the special tribute for the day as well.

ANZAC day on the 25 April saw our school leaders and other students involved in the community commemorative services. I was extremely proud of Brea Frousheger, Libby Usher, Blair Shearwin, Sophie Saffy, Anastasia O’Neil, Sophia Caricato and Shiloh Bursle, as they participated in both the dawn and the morning services on ANZAC day.

Due to their participation on the day, these students were also invited to the official ANZAC day lunch at the RSL, where they had lunch and mixed with the diggers celebrating their special day.

Thank you also to all of the staff and students who turned up to march on ANZAC day. It is a privilege to march on ANZAC day, in honour of those who have served their country, both in the past and now. Unfortunately, every year there are less and less ANZACS left to march, so we must march in their honour and to keep their memory alive.

BANGARRA DANCE COMPANY

The Bangarra dance company have returned this week to work with students on the creation of their dance. In week 1 of this term, the students went to Mt Tabor and were amazed by the rock paintings, caves and history that they witnessed on this trip. From their experiences on the camp, they have created a storyboard from which they will now be creating their own unique and original dance, which they will perform for the first time at the end of the third visit in week 6.

NAPLAN

Naplan tests for Year 7 and Year 9 students will take place in week 5 of this term. Tests will occur on Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 of May. The students have been practicing NAPLAN type questions in many of their lessons, in preparation for the tests, while also making them feel comfortable and less anxious about the tests.

The tests are important, as they will help give us an idea of how each student is going, and help us determine the best ways to support each student moving forward with their education. If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming tests, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Webb or Mrs Goodingham in regards to these.

eRESOURCE SERVICES

The school is in the process of purchasing a subscription to eRESOURCE services. This relatively new departmental resource enables students’ access to over 21,000 digital books. These books include fiction and non-fiction, readers, classic novels, new and popular titles and much more.

The subscription will allow every student access to these books, both here at school and at home. The students will have a log in of their own that will allow them access on up to 6 devices.

Students will be informed more about this once our subscription has been finalised.

FACEBOOK PAGE

The number of followers for our school facebook page slowly continues to grow. A reminder that we will be transitioning from the Skoolbag App to this as our main means of delivering updated information. Please like and follow “Charleville State High School” to receive the latest information about the school and all of the upcoming events.

A new media release form that includes Facebook was also sent out with report cards at the end of last term. If parents could have their students return these as soon as possible please so that the school can start to post shots of students in action at the various events they are involved in. If you require another copy, please do not hesitate to contact the office.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Bangarra Dance Company – Week 4 Tues 8 May – Fri 11 May
• Mother’s Day Breakfast – Sunday 13 May
• NAPLAN – WEEK 5 Tues 15 to Thursday 17 May
• SHOW HOLIDAY-Week 5 Friday 18 May
• Bangarra Dance Company – Week 6 Mon 21 May to Friday 25 May
• Bangarra Dance Performance – Friday 25 May
• ALL SCHOOLS VOLLEYBALL – Week 6 Thursday 24 May to Monday 28 May

Matt Samson
Principal

Deputy Principal Senior Schooling Report

Diamond Spirit Netball Development

If you are bored during lunch on a Thursday, come on down to hall and play netball! Netball is a fantastic way of being active, learn to work as a team and improve your coordination! A number of staff came along last week and we all had a great half game.

Location: Hall
Time: Thursdays at 11:55 – 12:25
Everyone is welcome!

For more information, email Timiah at timiah.s71@gmail.com.

Next step Survey

Next Step is a state wide post-school destination survey of all students who completed Year 12 last year in Queensland.

Insights gained from Next Step assists schools to review and plan their services for students, and school system personnel to evaluate education policies as they affect the transition from school to further study and employment.

This year’s survey of 2017 Year 12 completers will commence in March 2018 and the school seeks your support in once again promoting participation in the survey. If you have a child that completed Year 12 last year, they can follow the following links to find out more about the survey.

Indigenous Education Community Meetings

Charleville State High School holds an Indigenous Education Community Meeting once a month. This Committee provides a link for our indigenous community/family to share knowledge, celebrate and be involved in the education of the children enrolled at Charleville State School. If you have a child/grandchild attending Charleville State High School who identifies as ATSI or you are interested in the education of ATSI children in our community then we welcome and encourage you to attend our meetings.

In 2018, these meetings will be held in the school Professional Library, situated in the school office, and will occur on the second Thursday of each month. If you wish to discuss a particular topic please forward your agenda item to jruss336@eq.edu.au prior to meeting day.

QCE Tracking

Mr Kohli and I are busy closely monitoring our senior students, to ensure they are on a pathway to successfully gain their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). We will also be organising parent/student interviews with those students who are ‘at risk’ of not gaining their QCE, so we can form an action plan.

Year 10 Work Experience

Beginning in 2018, all Year 10 students will be completing a week of Work Experience, to align with their Certificate II in Foundation Skills for Work (CERT II FSK), which they complete during their Pastoral Care classes. This course teaches students basic literacy and numeracy skills, as well as the skills required to study certificate courses. The course will also give students points toward their QCE.

Work Experience will occur in the last week of school in Term 2 (Week 11). It would involve sourcing over 50 positions for students for 5 days straight, for 6 hours each day. Working hours/times will be negotiated with the employer. These positions do not have to be in this town. Through negotiations with us, students could go anywhere in QLD. They might have relatives in Brisbane or a family property in Emerald, that they could go to for a week of work experience.

Students will be allocated a prospective employer, according to their preferences and then be able to ‘apply’ for this job. They will have to write a letter of introduction and a resume (all done through the Cert II FSK in Pastoral Care), which will be sent to the business. Students will have to present to the business before the work experience for an interview, giving the employer an opportunity to outline their expectations.

If there are any employers who are interested in having a work experience student for a week, from Monday 25th June to Friday 29th June, please contact Ange Vetter at the school on 4656 8888.

VET News

We have a number of traineeships and apprenticeship opportunities coming up.

If your student is looking for the opportunity to be involved, please contact Ange Vetter at the school on 4656 8888.

Thank you to all the businesses that support our students and our school. If you have an opportunity within your business to employ a school based trainee or apprentice, please contact Ange Vetter on 4656 8888.

Cheers
Vanessa Moller

Junior Schooling

Year 7 and 9 Students: NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy)

If you have a student in Year 7 or 9 they may be getting a little anxious regarding the NAPLAN tests coming up on Tuesday 15 May, Wednesday 16 May and Thursday 17 May.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests were first implemented in May 2008 when national tests were held in literacy and numeracy for all students in Australia in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

What is the purpose of NAPLAN?

While it is acknowledged that the NAPLAN tests can cause anxiety for some students, the purpose of NAPLAN is to assess the skills of all Australian students in literacy and numeracy against national minimum standards. I have spoken to all of the students in the junior school and explained to them that NAPLAN is very useful to us at Charleville SHS as we use the information (data) to help us understand every individual and their learning needs. I have told the students that NAPLAN helps us (teachers) to help them (students). Along with other diagnostic tools such as PAT M and PAT R, we are able to better know each student as a learner and plan our programs and lessons around the needs of our students.

What is tested?

A series of (4) Four tests will assess areas of literacy and numeracy.

The following areas of literacy are assessed in three papers:

• Language conventions - spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Writing - knowledge and control of written language
• Reading - comprehension.

In numeracy, students are tested in one paper only in 2018 and the content areas assessed are:

• Number
• Measurement, chance and data
• Space
• Algebra, function and pattern (formal algebra for Year 9 only).

Results from the tests will provide important information about children's progress in literacy and numeracy. Following the tests, schools and students will receive a statement of performance in relation to the national minimum standards.

What do students need to do?

Students need to try their hardest, focus on their own work and turn up to each exam on time. Most students will be sitting the NAPLAN tests in the Hall. Both year levels have been preparing across Term 1.

For further information about NAPLAN and the tests please do not hesitate to contact the school or go to the links below.

Year Seven Camp

It was wonderful to join the families of students to farewell the Year Seven Emu Gully Campers early on Monday morning and then greet them Thursday night on their return. There were some very tired students and teachers Thursday evening, however from early reports the students had a wonderful time. I look forward to hearing more stories over the weeks. To quote one parent,

“He seems to have grown up …. If that is possible, he loved camp..can’t stop talking about it!”

IMMUNISATION

• During the month of May, the Tackle Flu program will take place providing influenza vaccinations to senior indigenous students. Please ensure you have all consent forms provided to the school ASAP.
• On Monday 30th April all staff had the opportunity to receive their flu vaccinations.

SCHOOL GROUNDS

For safety reasons, please be aware that unless supervised, students/children are not allowed on school grounds outside of school hours.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (PBL)

Charleville State High School is a PBL school.

Positive Behaviour for Learning is:

• The most effective way to develop a safe and supportive learning environment;
• A school community (students, parents and school staff) work together to establish the expectations for behaviour. The expectations are simple, clear and explicit. BE SAFE, BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE and BE A LEARNER;
• Developed as research shows that students are more likely to respond positively when they know what is expected of them and when responses to behaviour are fair and consistent.

All students are explicitly taught the expected behaviours. Some students will require additional support to learn the expected behaviour. A few students will require intensive support to assist them to learn appropriate ways of behaving.

As part of the PBL process we encourage Expected Behaviours with:

Starbucks – rewarding Expected Behaviour

• free and frequent
• medium term ( Starbucks accumulate)
• Long term (Rewards trip celebration)

OTHER SUPPORT NETWORKS (APART FROM THE CLASSROOM)

There are many avenues to support students at Charleville State High School including:

Study/homework group meets on a Thursday afternoon for all students. Students interested in attending this session need to see the office for the parent approval form.

Thank you for your continued support of your student, the school and the educational process. If you would like any further information regarding the topics above please don’t hesitate to contact the school. Together we can make a difference in the lives of our future leaders.

Talking About School with your Junior Secondary Child

‘How was school today?’ ‘OK.’ Every afternoon, parents across Australia get the same frustrating one-word answer. Here are some ideas to get your child talking about school.

Why talking about school is hard

‘How was school?’ is a big question. To answer, your child has to sum up a whole day, and that’s hard for kids (and even grown-ups!) to do.

A child might really want to say, ‘My day was so jam-packed with ideas and classes and social stuff that I don’t know where to start’. So it’s easier just to say, ‘OK’.

Why talking about school is important

Talking with your child about the school day shows you’re interested in what’s going on in their life. This interest boosts his mental health, happiness and wellbeing. It can also have a very positive effect on your child’s behaviour and achievement. It shows your child that you value school and education, which encourages them to value it too.

Talking together about school also helps you get to know more about what’s expected of your child at school, how she learns and how she handles challenges. It can help you understand when they’re feeling less interested in school or experiencing problems.

When you’re in touch with your child’s feelings about school, you’re more likely to see problems when they’re molehills, not mountains. This way you can work on overcoming challenges together.

And talking about school issues – such as school projects or friendship problems – is also a great chance for you to express your family values about things like teamwork, respect for self and others, friendships, relationships, problem-solving and so on.

Ideas for talking about school with secondary school children

As they develop into the teenage years, your child might want more privacy and time to themself, which can make it harder to talk about school. But this isn’t the end of your warm, close relationship – it’s just that getting some distance from you is how your child becomes a more independent individual.

Another conversation starter with your child would be to ask them about the four WALT’s. Each lesson in the junior school begins with the students writing the WALT (We Are Learning To). The WALT gives the student a clear understanding of what they will be learning in the following 70 minutes. If you are also aware of the WALT you will be able to discuss exactly what the student is learning in class rather than receiving the usual teenage response of “Nothing” or “Not Much”.

Stay connected

Staying connected to your child can help you balance respect for his desire for independence and privacy with your need to keep in touch with their life. It can also help you pick up on the moments when they’re ready to talk.

Ask about links between schoolwork and future plans

At this age, your child might be more open to talking about the links between schoolwork and what they want to do when they’re finished school.

So rather than asking about your child’s day-to-day activities, you could try focusing on future plans. For example, ‘How’s the webpage you were designing in information technology coming along? Are you still thinking you might want to get into web design after school?’

Look out for signs of problems

Even if you usually have a good relationship with your child, they might not always tell you when they’re having a tough time. If they are upset or nervous about discussing school or refuse to answer a question, there might be a bigger problem.

If you’re worried, you could try talking to other adults who know your child. Contacting the school or other appropriate professionals might help too.

Stay calm around tricky topics

Conversations with your teenage child about school might bring up tricky topics. Try to stay calm – this is a great chance for you to be supportive. If your child doesn’t want to talk to you about a tricky topic, they might chat with someone else – another parent (especially of the same gender, if it’s a personal issue), a trusted relative or friend, or a school counsellor.

Programs Available at Charleville State High School

There are wonderful programs available to our students at Charleville State High School. Below is a sample of some programs available. From time to time, these programs may be available to all students or they are targeted for specific groups. Occasionally, some students and families may view the initiatives as unfair or inequitable. Please be assured that we are conscious that all students should have equal and equitable opportunities and if there are programs that are not available due to certain eligibility requirements than there will be other opportunities offered later.

Programs currently available

Bangarra

Charleville State High School has been very fortunate to be one of only three schools in Australia to be chosen for the Rekindling program. The performance date for our school is May 25th. Bangarra released the following information.

REKINDLING

In 2013, Bangarra launched a new initiative for youth: Rekindling.

Rekindling's vision is to inspire pride, kinship and a sense of strength in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders through a series of dance residencies with secondary school-aged students.

Participants research and gather stories with guidance from Elders within their communities, developing skills to produce thought provoking performances and community events.

Since inception, Rekindling has been delivered in 25 communities across five states with almost 460 students completing the program.

Rekindling is led by Sidney Saltner, one of Bangarra’s most acclaimed artists, who became Youth Program Director after 25 years as a performer. He is supported by Youth Program Leaders and former Bangarra dancers Chantal Kerr and Patrick Thaiday.

"... Irrespective of the colour of your skin, your connection to country or your interest in the performing arts, [Bangarra presents] the best kind of integrated contemporary performance on offer..."

Australian Stage 2016

Cultural Exchange

We understand that relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are important. We have a responsibility to facilitate cultural exchange through our company’s performances and activities.

Kind Regards,

Narelle Webb
Deputy Principal
Junior School & Student Services

MESH Science Experimental Investigation

How fast can you react?

Recently the Year 9 and 10 students in the MESH program conducted a fascinating experiment into the rates of chemical reactions. With goggles engaged and glassware squeaky clean, we headed into the lab.

Using only a little hydrochloric acid, some powdered calcium carbonate, and their sharp neurotransmitter filled minds the students considered: “Just how long would it take to dissolve the marble façade of Parliament House?” A worthwhile question and only a minor edit away from a deeper meaning.

Sadly, the data was on the mass of this thin veneer of Italian stone was not available, but one thing is for sure: If you grind it to a fine powder, heat it up, and use a higher concentration of HCl, it will all be gone in a fizz of CO2 bubbles before you can blink. We wonder if this same strategy is applicable to other parts of the institution.

English

The influence of the media – Year 8 and 10

With the advance of technology the media, and its influence on society, has grown exponentially. As responsible people in society we need to understand both the positive and negative influences that media has on us. To help understand this influence Year 8 and 10 students this term will be examining a range of issues in the media.

Year 8 are exploring how teenage issues are represented in the media and how bias can be shown by certain authors. Some of the Year 10 students are exploring contemporary issues (euthanasia, Australia in the sporting spotlight, social media privacy) in the main stream media and whether fair or unfair representations of these issues are presented. At the end of the unit of study students will be required to write a feature article outlining their point of view on the influence of media in the topics covered.

Year 7 Camp – Emu Gully Adventure

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the annual year 7 camp to Emu Gully. This was my first year attending this much-loved camp, and must say I enjoyed every bit of it. The long trek down started at 6am Monday morning with most students too excited to sleep, even the bus driver Ian was surprised at how much talking was happening. After arriving students needed to set up their campsites, and grab the supplies needed for the camp. All students for the duration of the camp were required to cook all their own meals, using a little stove and frying pan. All staff were very impressed at how well the year 7’s completed these tasks responsibly.

Emu Gully is an ANZAC themed camp were all activities are based around different battles that have occurred through World War I up until Vietnam. One of the highlights included the Malaysian Campaign 1, were students rode bikes through the hills and then created a pontoon bridge over a dam, similar to the way the Japanese soldiers travelled around in WWII. Templeton’s crossing another favourite by all (including the teacher watching) was a mud challenge were students needed to carry ammunition boxes through the muddy and water filled forest. Both Malaysian Campaign and Templeton’s crossing required immense teamwork from all students to get through the challenges and was great to see the comradery of all students to get the task completed.

The final day before getting on the bus was a staff vs student challenge. Emu Gully staff and teachers were at the top of a hill at a machine gun post, the student’s task was to destroy the machine gun post by landing three flour bombs on a tarp on the hill. Theoretically, with 7 staff and 40 students, students should win. The staff made many flour bombs while the students made a plan. The students set off and made their way up the hill trying to beat the enemy. Students attacked from all direction trying to hit the teachers but the teachers aim was too good with many students becoming prisoners of war and going to jail. With most students in jail, the teachers had it in the bag but all of a sudden a jailbreak occurred and the students were back in it. Another few minutes of throwing flour bombs at each other occurred before time was up. I am proud to say the teachers and staff won with flying colours, it probably helped that some students forgot the objective to get flour bombs on the tarp and got too preoccupied with hitting the teachers with flower bombs. I distinctively remember a student running over the tarp in the aim of hitting a teacher when they could have just dropped it on the tarp.

It was a great camp, but I think everyone was happy to go home to the comfort of a bed, and a proper home cooked meal.

Sarah O’Brien