19 February 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Note

Term 1 Week 4

Welcome to week four of Term 1, feels like we have go to this point very quickly! I have continued to focus on getting to know the students by being in class rooms and also making sure I am out and about during break times. My main aim during these times is to support positive relationships, including staff and students and also peer interactions.

I am also very much enjoying observing some fantastic educational strategies in action. For example I have seen “flipped learning”, which gives students greater ownership of their learning by providing materials for them to review and then conducting in depth analysis and discussion during classes. This strategy is widely recognised as highly effective in promoting critical thinking and improved learning outcomes and I look forward to seeing the results for these classes.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

As a PBL school we aim to have 80% of our students in the “green zone” which basically means they are managing their own behaviour with little or no support required from staff. This is a key aspect of our Explicit Improvement Agenda and students engage with a PBL lesson each week on Tuesdays as well as an ongoing focus on positive behaviours during all classes.

Each fortnight we identify a PBL goal and in week 3 and 4 this has been to “Be organised, ready to start class at the second bell”. It has been pleasing to note the improvement in this aspect and we will continue to support students to be positive learners through ongoing reminders in class, daily notices and on assemblies.

Assemblies

On our whole of school assemblies we review our progress over the past weeks as well as having a key concept that I unpack with students. This week the concept was around gratitude, basically encouraging students to have a positive outlook and to try and have a “glass half full” approach to their learning and school in general.

Can be quite challenging at times to find the good things and not to focus on what is not going so well and we will continue to support students in being as positive as possible. The simplest way to start can be to say thanks more often or do something nice for a friend.

All the best,
Barry Wallett

School Leaders: 2020

Harry and Nicole with Barry Wallett (Principal)

School Captains with Vice Captains: Harry, Nicole, Destiny and Amber

Deputy Principal Senior Schooling Report

It has been an exciting return to school and our seniors are straight into work and have either begun, or will be beginning, assessment very soon. Assessment calendars were distributed to students on the 14th of February with spare copies at the office to be collected by students who were away and did not receive one.

It is important that students are managing their time effectively, particularly during their final years of schooling. They should be using their assessment calendars to work out a study plan and to ensure they do not over-commit themselves at work during assessment weeks. Parents and students should review the assessment policy, particularly in senior school, as late submission of assessment cannot be accepted without supporting evidence such as a medical certificate.

However, the best way for students to be prepared for assessment is to regularly attend class, complete homework and self-study for each subject throughout the week, ask their teacher for help if they don’t understand something, and ensure they hand in drafts for feedback on time. Students are also able to organise to go to study afternoon on Thursdays or work out a time at lunch or before school when they can meet their teacher for additional help if required.

Remember: “To be prepared is half the victory.”

SET Planning

Year 11’s are well into their first unit of study and it is time to review their plan throughout senior schooling. Hopefully parents will have received an email or the notification on Facebook to book an appointment to review their students’ SET Plan.

• Use the following link to book an appointment for a review meeting regarding your student’s SET Plan - https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70203
• Interview times are available from the 19th to the 26th of February.
• If you need assistance, please contact the school and we will book an appointment for you over the phone.

These appointments will involve the parents and the student and will take approximately 20 – 30 minutes. If none of the available times suit, please contact the school and we will organise a meeting time for you.

School Photo’s

School Photos are coming up next week on Friday 28th February. Senior students are required to wear their formal shirts, with black long pants or black skirts. Photo order packs will be sent home shortly. If you are wanting family photos, these packs can be collected from the office.

Cassandra Kohli

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SCHOOLING AND STUDENT SERVICES NEWS

WELCOME TO WEEK 4

The first few weeks seem to have passed at a rapid rate. I am so pleased to see most students working extremely hard in their classes and encouraged by the learning that is occurring every lesson.

JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS

An integral part of our school pedagogical framework is that every student is informed of his or her Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. It is the expectation that each student writes the Lesson Objective in his or her books. As a parent, it is recommended that you ask your student to show you their four Lesson Objectives for each day. It would be a great conversation starter for parents to ensure that their students know what the learning objective is and prevents the often-short response to the question: What did you learn today? Response: Nothing. By discussing the Lesson Objectives each day, it helps the student remember the valuable learning that occurred in their classes.

Our staff are a wonderful group of dedicated professionals. In the past weeks at their faculty meetings, they discussed the data already collected on every student. This included their most recent NAPLAN, PAT R and PAT M data as well as Academic data. This data is useful to plan units, lessons and support for each student. It is a method of Putting Faces to the Data and valuing each student as an individual.

JUNIOR SERVICES TEAM

The Student Support team will oversee the following areas:

• Medical Needs and Plans
• Students with a Disability(SWD) and QCIA
• EAL/D students
• Indigenous students
• Students with additional needs e.g. dyslexia, ADHD, Auditory Processing, mental health
• Positive Behaviour for Learning
• Behaviour Support including support plans and flexible arrangements

STUDENT SERVICES- VISITING SPECIALISTS FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF

• Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
• PBL coordinator: Sarah O’Brien is our School leader for Positive Behavior for Learning (PBL). Our external coach is also the Behaviour Support Coach, Allison Davies. The regional PBL coordinator is Marc Davies.

• EAL/D Support- Anna Batstone has been working in this area to ensure our students who have English as a second language are well supported at our school. Timetables have been established and will be implemented this week.

• Immunisation Clinics for Years 7 and 10. Almost all year seven and year ten students received their immunisations last week. The year ten students in particular took the process with a great deal of maturity. I would like to thank the team from Queensland health who carry out this important service to ensure all of our students are well protected.

• The next immunisation will take place in May. It is called Tackle Flu. Tackle Flu gives every indigenous student over the age of 15 the opportunity to be immunized against influenza. This year a new initiative is being introduced where eligible community members may also come to the school to take part in Tackle Flu.

READING PROGRAMS SET TO COMMENCE - LEVELLED LITERACY INTERVENTION (LLI) and MULTILIT

The reading team will be implementing the Tier 2 reading intervention program (LLI) in the near future. The third level of intervention is another commercial program known as MultiLit (Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy) will commence in week 5. If your child is part of LLI and/or MultiLit you will be notified.

STUDENTS WITH MEDICAL NEEDS

A reminder to parents/carers to notify the school about your child’s health

If you receive a referral form from the school with regard to your child’s medical needs please return them as soon as possible. If your child requires an ACTION PLAN for a medical diagnosis please supply the school with an up to date plan as discussed with your doctor.

MOBILE PHONES

We have had a very positive and supportive response from the community regarding the changes to the Charleville SHS mobile phone policy. Year seven, eight and nine students are not allowed to have a phone at school. Years 10 to 12 students are allowed to have a phone in their possession but not use it in school hours. This includes listening to music both in the classroom and during breaks. Almost all students have been very responsible and have not used their phones in school hours. Those students who use their phone irresponsibly are required to hand the phone into the office. A parent will be contacted and must make arrangements to collect the phone. There have been the occasional situation where a student needs to use their phone (contact employer etc). THEY ASK PERMISSION FROM A TEACHER AND WITHIN SIGHT OF THE TEACHER USES THE PHONE. The same situation applies on school events off campus. A Teacher may give permission for a student to use their phone within the teacher’s supervision (eg music on the bus during a school trip). Strictly no social media is allowed.

In 2019 and already this year, the inappropriate use of a mobile phones has been reported to the school, however the majority of times the mobile phone is used outside of school hours. Please carefully consider your young persons’ best interest and the amount of time they use digital media. I urge all parents to know what your student has stored on their phone, what they receive and what they send. As the students are not allowed to sign contracts until they are 18 years of age it is the parents’ responsibility to monitor all digital use.

This year there has been a case of bullying of one of our students from people not attending our school through social media. The parents are to be congratulated on the speed that they were able to manage the situation in a very responsible, kind manner with a positive outcome. This was achievable because the parents were aware of their student’s social media activity and their student felt comfortable in sharing their distress on the situation. Well Done!

There are methods to monitor your child’s mobile phone use. There are apps in which a parent can responsibly control the times in which the phones can be used. Our Pact is one example of the numerous apps available. If you are aware of other such apps that will help support the students to safely use social media and mobile phones, I would be more than happy to share the information with others.

Until next time,

Narelle Webb
Deputy Principal

Support/Services

Ask Izzy is a mobile website that connects people who are in crisis with the services they need right now and nearby. Categories include housing, food, money, health, legal, drugs/alcohol, domestic/family violence, facilities, education & training.

Katie McLeod