25 November 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Note

Welcome to Week 8 of Term 4, the final newsletter for a truly unique year. Over the past two weeks staff and students have continued to work hard as we aimed to “finish strong”. There have been a number of noteworthy events including NAIDOC week, Remembrance Day, our 9 month check in for the school review process and the special time that is farewelling our Year 12’s as they formally finished their schooling years.

Over the next week and a half we continue to focus on learning and for the Junior Secondary students this means a number of assessment items are due. School staff have been monitoring student performance closely and supporting students to give them the best chance for success in a range of subjects and I wish them all the best during this period. Once submitted teachers will mark assessment and determine final results for the Semester 2 report card which will be emailed home on Wednesday the 2nd of December.

Year 12 Graduation

It was with a great sense of pride that we farewelled our Year 12’s last Friday (20/11/20). The ceremony was very touching and my gratitude goes to the staff who worked hard to ensure its success. Special mention to Sue McDermott who again led this effort, another fantastic success to go with the Awards night from earlier this Term.

The students conducted themselves beautifully, enjoyed the moments and then had a special experience as they drove through the school for the final time as a Charleville SHS student. This followed on from some very touching scenes as they celebrated the end of this journey with family and loved ones. As I said in my speech, now it is over to them to map the next part of their lives and on behalf of the school community and myself I wish them all the very best.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC week was celebrated this Term, starting with an assembly on Monday November 9 and then through a series of activities each day. I was tremendously pleased to see the number of students who spoke at the assembly to reflect on what their culture meant to them, their heartfelt words were very powerful. Special thanks to our awesome Community Education Counsellor, Jolene Russell, for her leadership and organisation for this and throughout the year, it is both highly effective and highly valued!

Junior Certificate of Education

The ceremony to celebrate the Year 9’s for their efforts in achieving their Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) will be held on the 30th of November, scheduled to commence at approximately 1.45pm. This will celebrate the students’ efforts in accumulating the required points (20) to have successfully completed the Junior Secondary phase of their education.

Narelle Webb and Anna Batstone have been tracking the student performance and also preparing for the ceremony, my thanks for their efforts! Looking at the current points tally it is clear that most students will achieve the milestone and again this is a credit to staff, parents/caregivers and the students themselves, well done.

9 Month Check in for School Review

The external review team, consisting of Mr Stephen Bobby (External Improvement Branch) and Mr Reid Thompson (Assistant Regional Director), conducted their visit on Tuesday 17 November. They met with a number of staff and students and then provided feedback for us on our performance since the review in Term 1.

I am very pleased to report that the feedback was very positive. Clarity of processes and school direction was reported consistently by staff and students along with clear feedback that expectations were high in terms of effort, behaviour and alignment with our school values and beliefs. This is reflected in our much improved data for behaviour and effort across the year and some pleasing results in the information that was collected through the shortened School Opinion Survey held late in Term 2.

There were also a number of recommendations and very valuable feedback on how we are progressing and to support continued improvement. To summarise they primarily referred to maintaining our efforts and continuing to focus on the action plan strategies of building staff capacity and further developing a supportive learning environment. There is no doubt in my mind that we will maintain this focus and continue on our journey of consistent improvement.

Uniform for 2021

School uniforms provide a sense of belonging and greatly improve our ability to monitor who is on our school site at any given time and I am pleased to say that the uniform standard has continued to improve across 2020. We are now reflecting on our uniform policy (P&C) and the processes around encouraging appropriate choices when attending our school. For 2021 we will re-focus on following through with uniform expectations with students and applying appropriate consequences for students who repeatedly fail to wear the uniform.

We have a range of supports in place to help students with obtaining uniform items and ensuring that every child has access to the things they need to successfully attend school. For students that repeatedly choose not to wear the uniform we will attempt to clarify the reasons with the student and their family and provide support in making good decisions. If this continues then consequences may be required to re-inforce our school uniform policy, which is determined through consultation with the P&C.

Some particular focus areas for improvement will be wearing blue jeans to school, non-school jumpers and wearing hats in class. Another aspect for discussion at the next P&C will be wearing black tights or leggings and their suitability for a school environment. Please consider attending the P&C meeting, on Wednesday November 11 at 5.00p.m., to share your point of view or contact one of the executive to discuss.

New Student Free Days added to Term 4, 2020

As you are probably aware there has been a change to the end of school year date. The addition of 2 Student Free Days at the end of the school year now mean the final date for school attendance for Year 7, 8 and 9 students is Wednesday, December 2. The final day for attendance for Year 10 and 11 students remains as Friday, November 27.

School office closure and re-opening for Christmas vacation

The final day for the school office to be open is Wednesday the 2nd of December. School will remain closed for the Christmas vacation until Monday the 18th of January. For any urgent enquiries during the vacation period please contact the school via my email address: bwall44@eq.edu.au

In closing

Now that we have entered the final week or so of the school year I would like to take the opportunity to express my sincere thanks and gratitude for the efforts of my staff, the students, broader school community and of course our parents and caregivers. When I reflect back to the beginning of 2020 I would never have anticipated the many challenges that the year has provided. To watch the resilience and persistence of so many people, young and not so young, in overcoming these challenges has been uplifting. To achieve what we have this year has been a true highlight of my career thus far and I have an enormous sense of optimism and confidence in the outcomes awaiting us in 2021.

To all of you I wish a very safe, joyous and prosperous Christmas and New Year and look forward to welcoming everyone back to school for 2021.

All the best,

Barry Wallett

Senior School

QCE

As our year 11’s progress into year 12, it is vital that they are aware of their current progress toward their QCE. Many of our year 11’s have done exceptionally well at banking points and can enter year 12 confident that they will obtain their Queensland Certificate of Education at the end of 2021. Other students have had some challenges throughout the year and may need to consider a subject change or completing an additional certificate in order to ensure they are on track for their 20 points. Students who are at risk have been spoken with and support has been offered to get students back on track.

For most of these students, completing their Certificate 2 in Active Volunteering or Foundational Skills (FSK) will help them to get back on track. Students enrolled in these certificates can continue to work on these over the holidays, if needed, to finish.

Students should be aware that they can track their subjects, certificates and accumulated points by logging into the QCAA student portal.

If students have not yet registered, they can by using their LUI (which can be found in their OneSchool account or they can ask me for it). They will also need to register with an email address. It is recommended that this is not their school email address as they will want to access their account after they finish year 12.

As always, if students are concerned or need assistance they are welcome to make an appointment to see me to discuss their options and pathways.

Attendance

As students reflect on their year and their successes and challenges in 2020, it is important that they consider the impact their attendance has had on their learning. Charleville State High School has a target of 92% attendance as the consistency of being in class each day and accessing the learning supports students need to complete their assessment successfully. Senior students are expected to attend school each day and the minimum expectation is 85%.

I would like to celebrate the successes with many of our year 10 and 11 students reaching the target of 92% attendance and, for the most part, finding success in their studies.

However, in terms 3 and 4, a number of year 10 and 11 students have not achieved the minimum expectation of 85% and, as a result, have struggled with their courses of study. In 2021 it is imperative that these students increase their attendance and engagement at school to support them in successfully completing their course of study.

Cassandra Kohli
Deputy Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SCHOOLING AND STUDENT SERVICES NEWS

JUNIOR SCHOOL

Week 8, Term 4

2021

The 2021 School year commences on Wednesday 27th January at 8:45am. All students are to go to the hall when the first bell rings. They will receive their new timetable, school diary and introductory lessons for the year.

2021 Timetable and subject selections

During week 8, all students from years 7 to 11 will have their subject selections posted outside the office. Students must check carefully the subjects they will be studying in 2021.

Please note: All Year 7 and 8 students will be given a selection of electives to experience over the four semesters.

Year 7: Home Economics (HEC) and ART (TAR)
Year 8: Industrial Technology and Design (ITD) and Drama (DRA).

Every student must study one semester of each subject.

In years 9 & 10 the students choose two electives. Most students were fortunate to be placed in their preferred electives.

Contact Details

Please call 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.

Junior Certificate of Education (JCE)

On Monday 30th November students who have gained enough points over year 8 and 9 will be presented with their Junior Certificate of Education (JCE). This year, the students have been asked to not purchase a senior shirt prior to the event. The students will be presented with their certificate and a small gift from the school. The parents of all year nine students were sent an email last week giving details as well as requesting to RSVP due to COVID restrictions. The small number of students, who are at risk of not receiving the JCE were sent an email indicating that they may not receive their JCE. If students do not receive their JCE, they will still proceed to year 10 in 2021. However, there may be further support classes offered as a means of improving their academic achievement in the future. It is pleasing to see the few students who are at risk have been trying hard to improve.

At the JCE ceremony, students in years 7, 8 & 9 will be presented with active learner awards as well as the announcement of the Junior Leaders for 2021.

Junior Leaders 2021

A record number of students applied for Junior School Leadership positions in 2021. Students wrote an application, spoke on parade and then were interviewed. The Two Junior School Leaders along with the three Junior House leaders will be announced at the Junior Certificate of Education Ceremony on Monday 30th November at 2:00pm. If you wish to attend this ceremony please call the school on 4656 8888 to RSVP.

Year Six Interviews

Enrolment interviews have taken place in the past few weeks. Please call the office on 4656 8888 to book an appointment if your child has not enrolled for 2021. Students must have an enrolment interview prior to beginning school. We look forward to working with our future year 7 students.

STUDENT SERVICES

Use of Social Media over the school break

In past years, a number of students have become distressed over the school breaks due to social media/technology communications. On Monday 23rd November, our adopt-a-cop team addressed the year 7 and 8 students over this possible occurrence. As carers of these young people, please be aware of everything the young person sends and receives over social media. It is most important that you protect your child in every manner.

Diagnostic Testing (PAT R and PAT M)

At Charleville State High School, we have an excellent three-tiered reading plan. All students in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 are given a diagnostic Reading Comprehension test in term 4. We use this valuable data along with academic and teachers’ anecdotal notes to plan for the future to ensure that students reach their potential.

Students are also given a diagnostic (PAT M) test for mathematics in term 4. We will examine this data to assist us in planning for 2020.

Attendance

At Charleville State High School, our goal is for all students to attend school 92%. Every term letters are sent to individual families whose child’s attendance in the junior school was less than 80%. If you received 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.

Student Support Centre

We have a well-established Student Support Centre. C block houses our CEC, Mrs Jolene Russell, our YSC, Mrs Katie McLeod, our SBYHN, Miss Jen Frazer, our Chaplain, Mr Les Penrose as well as our Beyond Broncos staff member, Mrs Lisa Creevey. Students have a large, welcoming area to access the support offered at Charleville State High School.

Bullying at Charleville SHS

There are occasions where a student feels uncomfortable to report an issue. This is when we encourage the use of the Stymie website. Students are able to anonymously report concerns. This report is taken seriously and is acted upon immediately.

Use of technology outside of school

There is numerous research on the amount of screen time a young person should have before it affects their welling. Parents need to monitor carefully their teenager especially when they are in contact with others online. Phones and ipads etc should not be in the bedroom prior to sleeping. It is evident that a number of students have disturbed sleep patterns and consequently affects their ability to concentrate at school.

Uniform Shop

The uniform shop is manned by volunteers. Please consult the Facebook page for extra times when the shop will be open. It is normally open each Tuesday morning from 8:30am to 9:00am.

Wishing you all a wonderful Summer break and I look forward to seeing everyone in 2021,

Narelle Webb
Deputy Principal
Junior Schooling/Student Services

Collect your child’s medication from school

Remember to collect your child’s medication from school before the holidays begin and store them correctly at home.

Learn more about storage of medications such as asthma inhalers and adrenaline auto-injectors (for example, EpiPens) at the NPS Medicinewise website.

You should also check the expiry dates before taking medications back to school after the holidays.

9 HPE

Participating in Flippaball during the summer heat

Year 7 IAP Class

Planting a range of herbs, fruit and veg outside of Trade Training Centre

Decorated Xmas Tree Ornament Competition