5 August 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Note

Welcome to week 4 of Term 3. It has been so very enjoyable to see some of our extra-curricular activities starting up, or getting back to normal, again. A range of sports have begun (eg Girls’ Rugby League, Softball, Volleyball), planning is well underway for Year 11 Camp and Year 12 Formal, and our Athletics Carnival is scheduled for Friday of week 6 (21st of August).

To support these events we continue to follow social distancing protocols and there is also a need to have Covid-19 safe plans to run some activities. For the upcoming Athletics Carnival there will be a range of measures in place to ensure we are following the appropriate procedures. Strategies such as identified spectator areas, provision of hand sanitiser and social distancing signage are all necessary to ensure we can safely run the event while still inviting parents and caregivers to attend.

Like you I am very hopeful that all the upcoming planned events are able to be run and am committed to doing our best to ensure we follow the guidelines in this very challenging time. If further restrictions do become necessary I will inform the school community as soon as possible and definitely have my fingers crossed that this does not take place!

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thanks to everyone who made it along to Parent-Teacher interviews, we very much appreciate this opportunity to meet face-to-face. If you were unavailable to attend the evening please remember that you can always contact your child’s teachers via email to discuss their progress or simply to check in.

Every Day Counts

The attendance rate for all students remains ever so close to our target of 89%, currently running at just over 86%. Your support in assisting your child/children in coming to school every day is incredibly important, and much appreciated, as is letting us know when they cannot come to school for health of family reasons.

In closing

I continue to be impressed at the work being undertaken in classes across the school. During our walkthroughs in week 3 I observed some dynamic teaching and learning activities including science experiments, problem solving games, fantastic group work in literacy and numeracy classes, challenging projects in practical activities, targeted support classes producing outstanding gains for students in reading and quality independent work for our senior students as they prepare for key assessment. Together with a school wide focus on relational skills and resilience we continue to seek continual improvement and look forward to working on this in partnership with you.

All the best,

Barry Wallett

Senior School

Changes to Study Lessons

In order to reduce distractions for senior students and to give students more autonomy over their study, students in year 11 and 12 are now able to sign in after block 1 or sign out for block 4 if they have a designated study lesson for these classes. Parents and carers should have received a letter from their student requesting permission and a copy was emailed home providing full detail. A number of students have taken advantage of this flexibility already and so far students have acted responsibly and ensured they have arrived by 10am on days when they are signing in late.

It is important to note that students who are taking advantage of this opportunity need to demonstrate that they are responsible and that it will not reduce their attendance in their timetabled lessons.

At this stage this permission is only for blocks 1 and 4. All students are required to be present at school for blocks 2 and 3 regardless of whether they have a study period.

Year 12 Students

A reminder that QTAC is now open for students to set up their account and begin ordering their preferences for tertiary education. Students (or parents) who would like assistance with this process are welcome to make an appointment to see the Senior Deputy (Cassandra Kohli) or speak with the Guidance Officer (Sharon Grosskopf). More information can be found on the QTAC website.

We are now close to the end of the journey for our year 12 students. It is important that year 12’s who are involved in certificate study are working to complete this prior to the end of the year (where possible) to ensure they receive their QCE points. Students who are at risk with their QCE are being spoken to and given opportunities for additional study they can complete if required to gain the necessary points.

Most students are well on track with their QCE despite the heavily disrupted year. This is outstanding and something of which they should be proud.

Year 11 Students

As the students begin preparing for the transition into year 12 they are involving themselves in a range of fundraising activities at the school. It is great to see many of the students showing initiative and getting involved. These are excellent qualities for the next leaders of the school.

Soon we will begin the leadership process with nomination forms going out later this term. Students should take the time to reflect on what they can offer the school as a leader as well as on their attendance, effort and behavior.

Hopefully year 11’s will be off on camp next term to build their teamwork and leadership skills as well as to have a bit of fun. We are looking forward to it.

Cassandra Kohli
Deputy Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SCHOOLING AND STUDENT SERVICES NEWS

Junior School

Welcome to week 4. Once again the weeks seem to be moving very quickly. You should now have been able to access the Assessment calendar for junior students. This will help you in supporting your student to plan carefully for the assessment they will have in term 3.

Junior Certificate of Education

It is a tradition of Charleville State High School that year nine students are officially acknowledged of the transition into year ten by receiving their Junior Certificate of Education in the final week of term 4. Due to the disruptions of Covid–19 the school has modified the eligibility for year nine students. All year nine students received a copy of the brochure outlining the changes sent out with their second pack of learning materials in term 2. A copy of the brochure will be attached to the school website.

Contact Details

Are your contact details up to date at the school? Please call Sue 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 any time.

Parent Information Evening

This term parents will be invited to attend a Parent Information Evening. This presentation will be directed for parents of students entering year 7 in 2020. However, all parents and community members are invited. Please watch out for the flyer for more information. There will be two official transition days allocated for all year six students. One in term 3 and one in term 4. There will be additional “mini” transitions for targeted students.

Uniforms

It is wonderful to see the majority of students are in correct uniform almost every day. Please refer to the back page of the student diary for details on the correct school uniform. As we are now in the month of August, students have had plenty of time to access a school coat or a Black jumper/hoodie. Please support us and the P&C by ensuring your student has the correct uniform every day. If there is an occasional day that your student is not in uniform, the student merely needs to present at the office before the first bell for a uniform pass. There are no further consequences. However, if there is a specific reason for consistently not having the correct uniform for your student, please contact me at the school to discuss options. Year Level Coordinators will be contacting home for students who are habitually out of uniform to ascertain if the school can further support families.

Who can support your student at CSHS?

There are many people who 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

Email teachers direct or contact the school to have a chat or to organise a meeting.

Head of Departments

Science/ Maths/Tech– Ms Amy Roughan
HPE/Hum/VET– Mr Brad Lines
English/The ARTS/Reading - Ms Sue McDermott
Diverse Learners – Mrs Katherine Neucom

Year Level Coordinators

Yr 11-12 – Mr Nathan Bailey
Yr 9/10 -Ms Tammie Rose
Yr 8- Ms Amiee Dolman
Yr 7- Ms Sarah O’Brien
Guidance Officer – Ms Sharon Grosskopf
Youth Support Coordinator - Mrs Katie McLeod
CEC – Mrs Jolene Russell
School Based Youth Health Nurse – Mrs Jen Frazer
Chaplain - Mr Les Penrose (Chappy)

Deputy Principals

Senior Schooling – Ms Cassandra Kohli
Junior Schooling and Students Services – Mrs Narelle Webb

Principal -Mr Barry Wallett

Student Services

IMPORTANT – Please Read - Mobile Phones at Charleville SHS

There is a disturbing increase in the amount of inappropriate use of mobile phones among teenagers. I would like to emphasise to parents/carers of students under the age of eighteen that you are responsible for what is stored on their phone and how the teenager uses their phone. As a responsible parent/carer you should be checking phones for what is being received and what is being sent via their phone. Should your child receive inappropriate material via their phone, it should be reported to the police immediately.

I have spoken to the students of years 7, 8 and 9 about this topic many times and have made it very clear that every parent/carer has the right and obligation to check their teenagers’ phone on a regular basis. The adopt–a–cops and I have spoken to the students that once a picture and/or comment is posted on any social media site is never disappears. Many students appear to think that Apps such as SNAPCHAT are safe to use as it disappears after a certain amount of time. Sadly, this is not always the case. Please have responsible conversations with your teenagers on the correct use of mobile phones and social media.

On occasion inappropriate use of a mobile phone is reported to the school, however the majority of times, the mobile phone is used outside of school hours. If there is evidence that a senior student has used their phone inappropriately at school, then the student will be prevented from bringing their phone to school.

Stymie

Please be aware that any STYMIE notification referred to our school is acted upon swiftly and confidentially. Adults as well as students are able to make a STYMIE report.

Outside of School Hours on School Grounds

Unless supervised, children including students of Charleville State High School are not allowed on the school grounds outside of school hours. Dedicated staff are often at school outside of school hours and are concerned that these children are not adequately supervised. Please note that students are not to arrive to school before 8:00 am.

Attendance

Another concern is the attendance of students in semester one. It is a condition of any extra curricula excursion that the students’ attendance must be above 85% and ideally meet our target of 92%. I urge all parents to ensure that the send their student to school every day. Every Day Counts.

Until next time,

Narelle Webb
Deputy Principal
Junior Schooling/Student Services

Instrumental Music

The Charleville SHS Instrumental students are hard at work preparing for the formation of the school band. These students have been diligent in their work during such a difficult year and should be commended for their dedication to the performing arts.

Instrumental students Laura and John working on their instrumental technique.

Laine and Harrison working on upcoming pieces for band: Gladiator and Renaissance rock.

South West Regional Netball

On Friday the 24th July, fourteen students from Charleville State High School travelled to Roma to trial for the South West Regional netball team. All girls played extremely well and should be very proud of how they represented themselves and their school.

Special congratulations goes to Jasmine (Year 9) for making the Under 15 South West Netball team and Mackenzie (Year 12) for being named as shadow for the Under 19 team.

Sharon Grosskopf

Attention 2020 Student Leaders, and Aspiring Future Student and Community Leaders!

You are invited to participate in the Murweh Youth Council, and have your say about events and issues concerning the youth in our community.

The Youth Council is for any student aged 10-25 years old, who wants to have a say about local issues and events concerning the youth in our community. Participants will gain skills in leadership, teamwork and confidence, and also an insight into how decisions are made which affect our community. This initiative is supported and run by the Murweh Shire Council, and the Hope Program, and is a wonderful leadership opportunity to further students’ skills and prospects for the future.

Please contact the Youth Support Coordinator Katie McLeod to register your interest and grab a consent form by Thursday 6th August. The first meeting for this year will be held on Wednesday 12th August, with meetings held once per term.