19 September 2018

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

SENIOR SCHOOL

Another big milestone for our Year 12 students as they head towards the end of their schooling life has now been passed with the completion of their QCS tests. The students sat the tests last week, and the general consensus from the students was quite positive. Most seemed to handle the potential stress of these tests well, and the report back was that all certainly gave the tests their best shot.

The students were given a breakfast each morning before the tests, thank you to the P&C and particularly Kelly Shearwin, for organising and preparing these for the students. I am sure the sustenance from these meals helped the students focus through the long days that are the QCS tests.

Year 12 student work and marks to date has been collated and will be sent off this week in preparation for the verification meetings that take place next term. These meetings are held to ensure that marks given to all students across the state in every school are consistent and fair to all students before these are used to begin to determine OP scores.

Once these results are verified at these meetings they can still change before the end of the year, so it is vital that students continue to work through until the end of the year and do the best they can in their final assessment item in term 4.

Preparations have also commenced for the formal for the Year 12s, which will be held on Saturday 10 November.

Year 11 students have also been provided information regarding the process for electing our school leaders for 2019, including nomination forms for the various positions, and these will need to be returned to Mrs Moller.

Staff has also been continuing their work on developing the curriculum documents for the new ATAR and QCE system for the senior school in 2019. It is essential that this work occurs now so that staff are prepared for the new system at the start of 2019.

I travelled to Roma to be involved in the Regional Principals conference on the Monday and then was joined by Vanessa Moller, our Senior Schooling Deputy, at a Regional SATE forum on Tuesday. The forum involved schools sharing their journeys so far in regards to preparing for the new Senior system that will be commencing next year, and then planning the next steps of this journey. As I listened to other schools discuss their states of play, it confirmed to me how much work our staff have done to prepare and plan for these changes and that we are very well set to meet the demands that these changes will have on both teachers and students in 2019 and beyond.

The timetable for 2019 is also well underway, with a priority of trying to keep as many Year 12 and Year 11 electives continuing as possible, despite the very small cohort going into year 12 next year, and the fact that Year 11 and 12 will be on potentially two quite different programs.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Naplan results have now been delivered to the school. Individual reports will be sent out with report cards at the end of the term. The school will be assessing the results at the start of term 4 to determine how our students have gone in relation to the nation and to minimum standards to help determine teaching priorities moving forward for these cohorts of students.

The school has also been busy preparing for the next stage of NAPLAN testing – NAPLAN Online. Next year it is anticipated that students in Years 7 and 9 will be participating in the Naplan tests via the online space. This will include the writing task where students will be asked to type their response using their computuers.

Mr Brad Lines has been busy ensuring that the schools ICT infrastructure is able to deliver this platform. All seems to be in order with the computer labs in the trade training centre the designated venue for these tests.

To ensure that the school system will handle the platform, our year 7 students will be involved in a practice test next term on Tuesday 16 October.

There has been 9 days allocated to schools to run the real tests next year, to enable schools with limited computers the ability to spread the tests out. The dates for the tests next year will be from Monday May 15 to Friday May 25.

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

I was lucky enough on the weekend to travel away with an amazing group of our students who competed in the Technology Challenge in Maryborough. The challenge involved two teams of 8 students, riding their Human Powered Vehicles (see pictures below), around a track non-stop for 24 hours. Every single student did an incredible job and I was so impressed with the team-work, co-operation and resilience of every single student who participated.

All students did a magnificent job, but I would just like to make a special mention of our year 12 students on the tour who showed incredible leadership and maturity throughout the event. Rueben Vaggs and Sam King showed amazing decision-making and organisation in the pit to keep the bikes on the road throughout the competition. Abbi Gallegos continually ensured riders had water bottles and all of the gear they required, while Skye Burey and Blair Shearwin kept spirits of the team up and ensured everyone had what they needed to keep going. They were remarkable leaders and role-models for the younger students in the team.

A massive thank you to Mr Barry Wastie and Ms Kate Womersley for all of their incredible efforts over the course of the weekend. Mr Wastie organised and co-ordinated the whole trip and event, which was a huge task considering how much is involved in this event, while Ms Womersley joined him to remain in the pit throughout the competition, foregoing sleep Saturday night to ensure the students were safe and supported.

Congratulations to all the students involved – to complete this event is an amazing achievement!

P&C NEWS

The P&C is still looking for a new Treasurer, if anybody has the time and ability to help, please ring the school to offer your assistance.

I would like thank everyone for the support you have given the school and your students over this term, and wish you all a very enjoyable two weeks of the spring break.

Take care,
Matt Samson
Principal

Deputy Principal Senior Schooling Report

RUOK? Day

What an amazing day for our students and staff! The day started with a delicious breakfast for our staff, who also found some yummy cookies in their pigeon holes, so sustain them through the day. Form was held out on the oval, to begin proceedings for Elimination Tag. The students participated with gusto and a number of teams were very difficult to catch in the end. This amazing event was followed by a sausage sizzle, enjoyed by both staff and students. A big thank you to John Anderssen and Chappy for your organisation, Ms McDermott for all your work preparing food and the wonderful team at the Student Services Centre (Jolene, Courtney and Jen).

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 High 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 seco nd 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.

QTAC

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) operates a centralised tertiary application service for:

• publicly-funded Queensland universities
• Bond University Medicine
• TAFE Queensland
• Australian Maritime College
• some courses at publicly-funded universities in Northern New South Wales
• some private tertiary education providers.

These institutions have complete control in determining their own entry requirements.

QTAC assess applications using these entry requirements and then make offers to successful applicants during the offer rounds.

As well as managing applications for the above institutions, QTAC publish course information for some institutions that accept their own applications directly.

Below are a number of forms for students to complete, for the Educational Access Scheme. This scheme is to ensure that students who have had any issues that have affected their education acknowledged and reflected in the OP score that they receive. Students have been working on these applications in Pastoral Care.

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). If any students need to change subjects to help them toward getting their QCE, they need to see me. 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.

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

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SCHOOLING AND STUDENT SERVICES NEWS

Junior School

Welcome to week 10. I hope everyone has a well-deserved rest in the following two weeks. Enjoy your time with your teenagers!

Congratulations to The HPV team whom as I write this article are in Maryborough competing in the Fraser Coast Technology Challenge.

Contact Details

Are your contact details up to date at the school? Please call Nadonna/Dee at the office or send a note if you have had a change in address or phone number. It is important that we are able to contact you at all times.

Year Six Transition day

The second transition day is in Term 4. It will be on Tuesday 23rd of October, which follows the Student Free day on Monday 22nd October. We look forward to having all the year six students continue on their transition from primary schooling to high school. The transitions days are only part of our program to connect with our potential students. Throughout the year students from the senior school visit the two primary schools in Charleville as part of the Charleville Mates Program. This program gives the younger students the opportunity to make connections in their own environment with the high school and they will recognise familiar faces in future years when they join the Secondary School. We also liaise with the Principals of our other feeder schools and students are visited to have an information session in their own environment. Parents are also invited to the information sessions we have in preparation for their child coming to Charleville State High School.

Timetables

Term 4 will see one new staff member to the school. There will be minor changes to the timetable.

2019 Timetable. Students in years 7, 8 and 9 have received letters concerning their elective subjects for 2019. In 2019 most years 8,9 and 10 students will be able to choose two electives. I urge parents and students to choose wisely as the electives are for the entire year and students will find it difficult to change electives after the first two weeks. Although students will be given a range of electives to choose from only the most popular electives will be able to run. Students who do not return their forms will be placed in an elective.

Uniforms

It is pleasing to see the majority of our students wear the correct uniform. You may refer to the back page of the student diary for details on the correct school uniform. Please support the P&C and us by ensuring your student has correct uniform every day. If your student comes to school out of uniform, more than three times you will be contacted.

Who can support your student at CSHS?

Parents are the most important educators in their child’s life. Know their timetable. Make regular positive contact with Teachers. Know their assessment calendar. Encourage them to go to Homework Club every Thursday afternoon.

Many people at school can help your student if they need it. Below is a list of some options should students not know who to see for help.

Class Teachers

Have a list of emails to be able to contact staff or ring the school to have a chat or organise a meeting.

Head of Departments

Science/ Maths/Ag/Senior Secondary – Mr Sebastian Kohli
HPE/Junior Secondary – Mrs Sabrina Goodingham
Technology/ VET – acting Mr Barry Wastie
English/ Humanities/LOTE/Art/- Mrs Cassandra Kohli
Diverse Learning – Mrs Katherine Neucom

Year Level Coordinators

Yr 10-12 – Miss Nancy McKinnon and Miss Lauren Butler
Yr 7-9 – Mrs Kate Jackson and Mr Daniel Baeck
Guidance Officer – Mr John Anderssen
CEC – Jolene Russell
School Based Youth Health Nurse – Jen Frazer
Chaplain - Mr Les Penrose (Chappy)

Deputy Principals

Senior Schooling – Ms Vanessa Moller
Junior Schooling and Students Services – Mrs Narelle Webb
Principal -Mr Matt Samson

Reading

Reading is our focus! At Charleville State High School, we have an excellent three-tiered reading plan/focus.

1. In all subjects and classrooms, reading is taught with Directed Reading and Thinking Activities (DRTA).
2. For those students whose reading age is not within 6 months of their chronological age we have a program called Levelled Literacy Intervention run by Mrs Ange Stirton and Ms Sue McDermott.
3. Multilit reading program, which is a one: one reading and sight words program.

The above three levels of reading at school must have students attendance above 90%. Too often students have difficulties with reading because they have interrupted attendance at school.

As parents, you can help your students in many aspects:

1. Model reading to them. Read interesting articles to them and take the time to discuss and value each other’s opinions.
2. Encourage students regardless of age to read for at least 20 minutes every day.

Teenagers and the use of Electronic devices.

I read an interesting article urging parents to be aware of how and the amount of time teenagers are using electronic devices. I encourage all parents and carers to do their own research on this topic, as it is important for several reasons:

1. Are the students communicating with people you do not know?
2. Are students getting enough sleep?
3. Is the use of electronic devices replacing valuable reading time?

Attendance

At Charleville State High School, our goal is for all students to attend school 92%. Letters are sent to individual families whose child’s attendance in the junior school is less than 80%. If you receive a letter, please ensure that your child attends school every day unless there is a valid reason. If attendance does not improve then the next step in the process of reaching the goal of 92% is to send an official Education Queensland letter requesting an interview to discuss why attendance is at such a level. If this process is not successful then we have no other option than to start the prosecution process.

Mobile Phones at Charleville SHS

Our Mobile phone policy is very clearly written in the Student diaries. Year Seven students are not permitted to have a mobile phone at school. If there is evidence that a student in years 8 to 12 has used their phone inappropriately at school, then the student will be prevented from bringing their phone to school. It is the parents and/or carers’ responsibility to ensure that the student is receiving and sending legal and only age appropriate material.

There is currently a lot of political and media attention on the use of mobile phones at school. Since bringing our policy into effect at the beginning of 2018 the misuse of phones has dropped dramatically. The policy will expand next year so as that only years 9 – 12 will be allowed to have mobile phones at school. Eventually, in 2020, it will be only senior students permitted phones.

Outside of School Hours on School Grounds

Dedicated staff are often at school outside of school hours. It is concerning the number of students on school grounds out of school hours. It is essential that children be adequately supervised at all times.

Stymie

Our school uses the services of the Stymie team. This organisation allows students to report anonymously any harm/bullying that they may witness or may be occurring to them. The process the school takes is as follows:

1. A stymie notification is received.
2. Investigation occurs immediately to confirm validity.
3. Parents of the accused are contacted within 24 hours and asked to work as a team to address the situation with their student.
4. Upon the advice of the parent, the accused student is given an explanation of the concern that is reported and they are given the right of reply.
5. Continued monitoring to assure that both the accused and receiver of harm is supported.

Please not that this process does not apply to physical harm. Physical harm or intent, is taken extremely seriously at Charleville State High School and will not be tolerated.

Immunization Year Seven Students

The immunization program for year seven students will continue in Term 4. We do not give actual dates for the program to avoid high absenteeism on the immunization day. Another reason is to prevent any anxiety that the thought of needles may incur.

Year Nine Camp

Year Nine camp occurs in week 2 of term 4. As with all extra curricula activities, students must reach the following criteria:

• All school fees paid including the camp costs;
• Attendance at an acceptable level and
• Behaviour at an acceptable level.

There has been a considerable amount of fund raising over the year to bring the camp to an affordable level and I would like to acknowledge the wonderful staff, students and parents who have contributed in some way to the fund raising.

Student Representative Council

The student representative council contributes to the organization of the school and the wellbeing of the students at this school. It is where the students have the opportunity to have a voice and be acknowledged as the main business of our organization, STUDENTS. In term 4, we are trialing a new system where the younger students will have the opportunity to take executive positions on the Student representative council for the remainder of the year. This will allow the year twelve students more time to prepare for their final exams and the transition into the next stage of their lives.

This Tuesday 18th September, will be a SUPERHEROES DAY! Students will come dressed as a superhero. Hot Chips will be sold from the Trade Training Centre in first break.

Until term 4,

Narelle Webb
Deputy Principal
Junior Schooling/Student Services

Agricultural Studies

Across all year levels, Ag Students have been completing a range of projects including building a new chook yard creating three rotational feed yards for greening up the chickens’ diet. The chook house is the next project for Term 4 with a rebuild, tidy up and paint.

Happy Chooks, nice fence.

Thanks to the kind donation of the sheep, students were able to do physical hands on shearing. The first job was to crutch the sheep before the lambs were born and then after the births a complete shear with the help of a portable shearing plant loaned by overseer Mr Collier. Students found it hard at first learning to be flexible with the shears and following the curves of the body. Once they realised holding the shears flat they would not cut and harm the sheep they were confident in the long blow. Even the Boss had a go.

A new activity came to Charleville State High this term in the form of breaking in cattle for showing or ease of handling in yards. It was a total turnaround from property work and students had to show they understood, fight and flight, safety zone, point of balance and how to move and interact with cattle with no force or poly’s just their voice and body language. Students soon learnt about the fear and temperament of cattle they had to work with, when one of the calves was more timid and always in the flight zone. After 4 days of working with her, without touching her she can now be approached and patted and move slowly and calmly. The other calf has already been led, tied to a fence, shampooed, and brushed all over. This is a huge accomplishment as the calves were not young nor used to such handling and have only been at the School for one week. There is a lot to breaking in cattle and students followed our Q.S.E.A.C instructions:

Cattle should be restrained before a halter is put on.
While the animal is still restrained, with the halter in place, gentle grooming and handling will reduce distress.
Avoid sudden movements and loud noise near the animal.
When the animal is first tied up, make sure it is tied to a solid object by a short lead.
When releasing the animal, it should be given a reward, such as some palatable food, so that it associates something pleasant with the experience.
Do not attempt to lead the animal until it is tamed and will allow grooming and handling in the tied position.

Last Ag update you were shown the start of the Year 9 Ag Vege Garden and below is just some of the produce the students produced while still busy in their other activities.

Just some of the produce.

Well done Year 9 Ag.

CSHS PLACINGS – 2018 Charleville Performing Arts Festival

Instrumental Music

Instrumental Solo Secondary Items 4A, 4B & 4C

Instrumental Duet Secondary Item 7

Instrumental Duet Open All Ages - Item 8

Small Ensemble Open all Ages – Item 10

Rock Band Open – Item 14A

Tribute to the RSL

Vocal

Group Entertainment – Open All Ages – Item 94

Dance

Tap Solo Secondary – Item 44

Small Group Dance Secondary – Item 48

Verse Speaking/Drama

Verse Speaking Solo Secondary – Item 27

Verse Speaking Solo Secondary – Own Composition – Item 27A

Verse Speaking Solo Contemporary/Slam – Open all Ages – Item 28B

Monologue Character Recital – Secondary – Item 64

Duologue Character Recital – Secondary – Item 67

Shakesphearean Recital Secondary – Item 69

Comedy Routine Secondary – Item 77

Short Film Section Secondary – Item 92

Impromptu Reading Secondary – Item 96

Bible Reading Secondary – Item 99

Creative Writing

Short Story Yr 7 – 9 - Item 55

Short Story Yr 10 - 12 - Item 57

Special Awards and Trophies

Charleville State High School P & C Encouragement Award for a CSHS Student – Amber Hinz

String Encouragement Award – Cassie Owczarek
Most Promising Performer in Music – Ella Bartulis

Most Promising Performer in Dance – Indie Everitt
Outstanding Jazz/Modern Solo – Clara Roche
Dance Encouragement Award – Jordan Anderson

Outstanding Large Ensemble – CSHS Concert Band

Drama Encouragement Award – Amber Hinz