21 July 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Note

Welcome to Term 3! We have made a really pleasing start with a positive tone evident across the school and visible within classes. I have already thanked staff for their professional approach to ensuring high quality learning opportunities are in place on a consistent basis and there have also been multiple opportunities to provide positive feedback to students on their start after the Winter vacation.

For our first assembly after the break we reviewed outcomes for Semester 1 and also focused on organisation, one of our core values, and how this could benefit achieving improved outcomes and supporting wellbeing during demanding periods like assessment time. Examples were provided of visible aspects of organisation such as being at class on time, using a diary or having all the materials required for class. Relatively easy strategies can provide a great deal of support for improving performance and we will continue to work with students on embedding this into their regular practice.

NAIDOC Week

In Week 2 we have a range of activities planned to celebrate and show our respect during NAIDOC week. This began with the school participating in the Community March and then leading the official NAIDOC opening ceremony at Charleville SS. We then welcomed Alara Geebung, a celebrated and very talented Bidjarra artist, into the school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday where he is working on creating a mural that incorporates our 4 BE’s and 4 V’s with an Indigenous theme. On Thursday we have an Oztag game scheduled between the Indigenous All Stars and All Stars and on Friday our Bangarra Dancers will again perform at the closing ceremony.

There are a range of Community activities as well (please see the attached flyer) and I am looking forward to coming together across the week as we acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous culture and support the theme for 2021 – Heal Country!

Semester 1 Reports

Prior to the holidays students received their Semester 1 reports via email or in some instances as a hard copy. I was pleased with the outcomes achieved by students with some significant positive results from individuals as well as cohorts. For example, we continue to improve in English and Maths A-C data across Junior Secondary, with Maths moving up 6 percentage points from term 1. Our Senior students made great gains in English results, also increasing by 6 percent to now be above 80% in their A-C results. The Year 12’s are well and truly on track to successfully complete their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) and we are continuing to aim for 100% of students achieving this outcome.

Across the school we continue to see significant gains in behaviour outcomes with negative behaviours (suspensions and major incidents) significantly decreasing across time since 2019, approximately 40% for both categories. For the last report period Junior Secondary students achieved over 87% for A-C for their behaviour and over 82 % A-C for effort. Senior students also achieved very strongly in these categories, scoring nearly 97% for behaviour and 82% for effort. When taken in conjunction with our walk-through data we can see strong indicators of positive learning environments occurring on a consistent basis, well done to staff and students!

School Opinion Survey – now open for Parents

An email has recently been sent to Parents/Caregivers with information and a link to access the School Opinion Survey. Personally, and on behalf of the school I would greatly appreciate your responses to these questions by taking a few minutes to complete the survey, this will provide invaluable feedback to celebrate areas of strength and identify where continued efforts to improve are required.

Surveys such as these are only truly reflective of the school community when we have a significant range and number of opinions expressed, in other words the more people that complete the survey the better our information is to plan moving forward.

Charleville Community Pathway launch – Bangarra Dancers

Congratulations to our fabulous Bangarra Dance group for their performance at the launch of the Charleville Community Pathway. The girls were a credit to themselves, our school and the community. Special mention to Amiee Dolman for all her work in preparing the students to perform and to represent our school and Indigenous culture with such pride.

I was very proud of the girls and greatly appreciated being a part of this important ceremony to support the launch of this community project in support of mental health.

Parent - Teacher Interviews

Parent - Teacher interviews are being held on Wednesday, 28 July, from 3.30pm to 6.00pm The process to book is now open via the following link CSHS PT Interviews Term 3 and further information has been disseminated through Facebook and in the Senior Secondary section of this week’s newsletter.

If you are unavailable for the interviews but wish to speak with a teacher please feel free to contact them to either complete a phone interview or organise an alternative time to meet.

In closing

Each newsletter gives me the opportunity to celebrate just some of the many great things that our students achieve and contribute towards here at school and in the community. By continuing to support your child and communicating with us we have the best opportunity to continue our improvement journey and maximise outcomes for all of our students. Please have your say on how we are doing by completing the School Opinion Survey, your voice is important and we definitely value the feedback we receive.

All the best,

Barry Wallett

Senior School

Reporting and Parent-Teacher Interviews

Semester reports were emailed out to all parents/carers at the end of term 2. For those parents without email, a printed copy has been posted. Parents and students are able to request a printed copy from the office should it be required. This is an excellent opportunity for parents to talk with their students about their progress at school and to set goals for the following semester.

We are excited to be able to hold parent-teacher interviews at the school on the 28th of July from 3:30. Please use the link below to book an appointment with any of the teaching staff.

If you are unable to attend the parent-teacher interviews but still wish to organise a meeting with a teacher, feel free to email the staff member or contact the school to arrange a time.

We look forward to seeing you and discussing your student’s progress.

Year 12 Students

Year 12 students have entered the final stretch – just ask them to tell you how many days they have left – but they still have a huge amount to get through. This week they are taking the lead in a range of NAIDOC activities, the sports carnival is just around the corner, assessments will be due very soon, and a number of students still have a number of certificate courses to complete before the end of the year.

For students feeling a little overwhelmed, please encourage them to speak to the YLC (Liz Ramsdale), HOD (Stef Andriolo), DP (Cassandra Kohli), or make an appointment to speak with the Guidance Officer (Sharon Grosskopf). There are plenty of staff able to support students to help them successfully complete the year.

Students pursuing an ATAR will soon be given information regarding applying through QTAC for further studies. Parents seeking further information about this process are welcome to contact the school or can go to the QTAC website. Information will be emailed out to senior parents in early August.

Year 11 Students

With semester 1 reports completed year 11 students have an opportunity now to reflect on their subject selection and pathway through senior. While many students have already had conversations around subject changes, it may be a good time to review their senior plan (available to them through OneSchool) and to make an appointment to discuss options.

Year 11’s should have completed any subject changes by the end of week 2 as new work is well and truly underway and students who leave it much later will find themselves falling behind.

Also, year 11’s should be reviewing their progress in any enrolled certificate courses. Ideally, students in the VET Studies class should ensure that they have completed one of their certificates by the end of the year to secure points toward their QCE and to take some of the pressure off during year 12.

Soon the leadership nomination process will begin for year 11 students as the intention is that our year 11’s will take over the duties of the current captains in term 4 (to allow the year 12’s to focus on external exams and other senior events). Students should carefully consider what they can contribute to the school and listen to notices and parades for upcoming information about the process.

Year 10 Students

Students in year 10 need to be carefully considering their next two years. We have already completed SET Plans however for many students they may now be reconsidering their pathway.

Please ensure students are talking with the YLC or DP around their potential pathway and that they are considering how their choices now will impact their future. Students are reminded that if they are planning on pursuing an ATAR pathway that they will need to be working towards the pre-requisites in year 10.

Students considering a school-based traineeship or apprenticeship, or wanting to leave school at the end of the year for an apprenticeship, should be working hard to ensure they are gaining the necessary literacy and numeracy skills for these courses. Students should also consider meeting with Brittany Pawley (ILO) to discuss potential options and to ensure their resume is up to date.

Cassandra Kohli
Deputy Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SCHOOLING
AND STUDENT SERVICES NEWS

Welcome to Term 3

Junior School
Timetable

Your student will have received a new timetable at the beginning of Term 3. It is not expected that any junior student should have the need to change subjects. Subjects can only be changed in the first two weeks of the semester. The correct process must be followed.

1. Official change of subject form is collected from office.
2. Students must see their current teacher and the Head’s of Departments for the subject they wish to change as well as the subject they wish to change into.
3. Not until the relevant staff members are consulted by the student and/or parents can the subjects be changed.
4. Contact with the relevant Head of Department as necessary to discuss the best for their child’s education.

The timetable reflects a number of improvements made to the school curriculum and follows the recommendations made for the minimum amount of time to be spent instructing in specific curriculum areas.

Year Seven:

3 lessons per week of: English, Maths, Science, Humanities, Japanese/Reading Support & one elective.
Elective: ART/HEC - Students will alternate Semester 1 and Semester 2.

Year Eight:

3 lessons per week of: English, Maths, Science, Humanities/Reading Support, HPE, One Elective
Elective: ITD/The Arts (Drama). Students will alternate Semester 1 and Semester 2.

Year Nine:

3 lessons per week of: English, Maths, Science, HPE, Two Electives.
NB: Compulsory Humanities have been covered in Semester 1.

Year Ten:

3 lessons per week of: English, Maths, Science, Humanities Two electives
NB: Compulsory HPE have been covered in Semester 1

MESH

In Term 3, 2021, the school will continue the MESH (Maths, English, Science and Humanities) program to provide students with a more challenging and engaging learning environment. This program involves the creation of combined year 7 and 8 classes as well as year 9 and 10 classes (No MESH Humanities in year 9 and 10). This will not affect the students’ elective classes.

This student selection is based on:

1. Academic reporting data
2. Diagnostic data (including NAPLAN, PAT-R and PAT-M)
3. Attendance data
4. Effort and Behaviour data.

To remain in the program students in this class are expected to maintain a high standard of achievement, behaviour, and engagement in learning, as well as maintain a high rate of attendance at school.

Year Level Coordinators – Semester 2

We have a wonderful team of dedicated teachers who are the Year Level Coordinators (YLC)

Year 7 – Mr Razbeau
Year 8 – Ms Bissell
Year 9 – Ms Dolman
Years 10/11/12 – Ms Ramsdale and Ms Dwyer

The YLC are highly likely to be the first person you contact if you have any concerns regarding your child.

Who else can support your student at CSHS?

There are many people who can help your student if they need it.

I would recommend you have a list of emails to be able to contact staff or ring the school to have a chat or organise a meeting. Parent/Teacher interviews are next week on Wednesday 28th July.

Reading Program

Reading is the focus for Charleville State High School. We are focusing on students significantly under the regional reading benchmark. We are very successful with our reading program. It is essential that if your child is part of this program that they fulfil all the criteria of the program - otherwise their progress will not be reflective of what could be achieved.

We are very pleased to address the previous years’ concern that students in the reading program were missing curriculum time to attend the valuable reading support classes. However, now if students are in either LLI or MultiLit the following occurs:

Students will attend either….

The above eliminates the need for any student to miss curriculum time.

The criteria include 100% attendance (except for extenuating circumstances) and the completion of the set homework. If you have any concerns or questions regarding the program, please don’t hesitate to contact Ms Sue McDermott at the school. There is a long waiting list to enter the program and therefore students who fail to meet the criteria will be exited so as to ensure the best results for all of the students.

The third level of intervention is another commercial program known as MultiLit (Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy).

Student Services

NAIDOC Week

The Charleville community have been very busy in organising events to celebrate NAIDOC week. Monday saw the NAIDOC community march to Charleville State School. At the School the youth of Charleville led the opening ceremony. We have been very fortunate to have Alara Geebung visit us for the week as an artist in residence at all three schools as well as the CWAATSICH community event.

I would like to specifically thank the following students for contributing to the opening ceremony in such a positive manner:

Zoe Radnedge, Thando Mpofu, Laura Russell, Eva White, Maisie Burns, Nikita Chadderton, Emmerson Mitchell, Peta Russell, Riley Wilson, Jasper Arnold, Jessie Burns, Ruby Burns.

Mobile Phones at Charleville SHS

Students in years 7, 8 & 9 are not permitted to have a phone at school.

A large number of senior students have mobile phones at school. I would like to emphasise that at no time from 8:40 am to 3:00pm does a student require to use a phone at school. If urgent phone calls are needed to be made, students are allowed to call from the office. Rarely a school subject requires the student to use their phone. Phones, in general, are not allowed in a classroom. If students use their phone they will be directed to hand their phone into the office and home will be notified to arrange collection. If any student posts images taken at school on social media the consequences include possible suspension and then that student if in the senior school will be banned for having a phone at school for the rest of the year.

It has been brought to our attention from the Police that there is an increased amount of inappropriate use of data being used and received by young people in Charleville. I would like to bring to the attention of parents/carers of students under the age of sixteen that you are responsible for what is stored on their phone. As a responsible parent/carer you should be checking the phone for what is being received and what is being sent via their phone. Should your child receive inappropriate material via their phone, it must be reported to the police immediately.

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.

Bullying

Bullying in any form is not tolerated at school. However, it can be difficult to monitor as at times it is not reported until the “victim” has retaliated. Please urge your student to talk to a teacher, Year Level Coordinator or Head of Department should they feel they are being bullied in any form at school. I would also like to remind our school community that students are available to make anonymous reports via the stymie website (www.stymie.com.au) to report any such issues.

Uniforms

There has been a marked improvement in the standard of uniform in the first week. Thank you to all families who send their students in correct uniform. The uniform shop is open before school on Tuesdays only.

Until next time,

Narelle Webb
Deputy Principal
Junior Schooling/Student Services

Year 10 Work Experience Week

Last term in week 10 our year 10 students participated in work experience week.

The work experience week allowed students to gain deeper insights into the work force, and assisted students to clarify their thinking about their future pathways. Many of our students finished the week off with a much clearer path on their future careers.

Students were lucky to benefit from some great placements ranging from education, hospitality and health to electrical and veterinary. We have had fantastic feedback from the employers and are extremely proud of how the students handled themselves during the week.

Supporting your child’s transition to university

Parent Information Sessions

The UQ Outreach team will be hosting several online Information sessions to arm parents with information about the move from high school to university.

Learn about the university application process, financial support for students, accommodation options and support services available. Current students and parents will also be joining the sessions to share their experiences and answer questions.

Information provided will be general in nature so will be applicable to all parents with a child considering a university pathway, no matter what university.

Dates: Every Wednesday, 18 August – 8 September
Time: 12:00pm – 12:30pm (followed by 30 minute Q&A)
Venue: Online

TAFE Queensland Scholarship

Financial Support up to $5000 to help you achieve extraordinary things.

SIXTEEN LEGS: Enter the Cave Exhibition - September 2021

All the way from Tasmania

COVID-19 restrictions apply: If you’d like to bring a group, please contact Jill Usher at Murweh Shire Council on 07 4656 8355 or Jill_Usher@murweh.qld.gov.au

This is travelling exhibition of caves, cave biology and the exploration and discovery of how this unique environment works. The Exhibition showcases the results of over 30-years of scientific research, 7 years of filming, and hundreds of millions of years of evolution, from the break-up of Gondwana to the present day!

The lives of giant prehistoric cave spiders the size of dinner plates that have outlived the dinosaurs! For those that aren’t a fan of spiders SIXTEEN LEGS also showcases the jaw-dropping environments in which they live.”

Across Australia there is declining engagement with education and science, and our aim is to help inspire and reverse that trend. Below are some examples of previous artworks, some of which now travel with the exhibition.

The Exhibition includes:

(i) 48 giant backlit panels showcasing a photographic journey through the science and conservation of caves and groundwater, including the biology of the caves and the giant spiders that dominate the food chain;
(ii) Woven within these is a dark fairytale telling of this story, created in collaboration with Queensland artist Jodee Taylah and international best-selling author NEIL GAIMAN;
(iii) These panels are surrounded with artworks inspired by the exhibition, and created by artists and students from around Australia;
(iv) 2 giant mating spider replicas with 18 foot leg-spans in the roof of the exhibition area, and a giant egg-sac pulsating with spider young...

To contribute artworks, make a booking or for further information contact:

Katrina Wills - National Tour Coordinator - Mobile 0439840758 Email sixteenlegs@bigpond.com