8 June 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Note

Welcome to week 8 of Term 2, the year is certainly moving along at a rapid pace! We continue through a period of assessment of significant importance to overall results for Semester 1. Senior classes have already completed, or are about to complete, a range of assessment items and in Junior Secondary classes assignment work has already begun while exams are not far away in some subjects with weeks 8, 9 and 10 key timelines for exams.

The key to students’ performing at their best usually comes down to preparation and organisation. Each year level has their own assessment calendar (available on the school website) and this is a vital tool in avoiding any surprises or last-minute concerns around exam schedules. If your child is expressing any concerns about this please encourage them to speak with their teachers or year level coordinator and we can provide suggestions and support. Another option is to suggest homework club, held every Thursday afternoon after school, where they can receive more targeted support.

NAPLAN

A big thanks to all the students, staff and parents who supported our students in undertaking NAPLAN. Special mention to Amy Roughan, Head of Department for Junior Secondary, who led this, doing a superb job. This year we again conducted the testing online which most of our students indicate is their preference and I have received very positive feedback about their determination to give their best during each aspect of the testing.

Brad Lines is also deserving of a special mention for his tireless work in ensuring our IT, both devices and network capacity, was up to the task to enable the student experience to be trouble free. Very pleased to be able to say this was an absolute success!

As I have previously stated it is very much about using the data to determine the effectiveness of our strategies and teaching and learning approaches in general and I look forward to receiving the results later in the year.

Attendance

There are many positive data sets and attendance has certainly been one of these with 2020 (85.6%) proving to be our best year for some time. Unfortunately, this has not been replicated thus far with our attendance dropping to 78.83% which is well short of the target set for 2021 of 87%. 2022 attendance is currently at 79.6%. Regular attendance is absolutely crucial to achieving quality learning outcomes for students and we also understand that there are a range of factors that can impact this.

Please contact us if you have any challenges with getting your child to school and we will do our best to support families. Sometimes it as simple as letting us know of planned absences for family reasons and we can work together on ensuring students can access materials to maintain their learning. Your support with this is incredibly valued and provides our children with the best opportunities for positive learning outcomes.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Partnership meeting

It was wonderful to see an impressive attendance at the last Thursday’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Partnership meeting. It was a productive meeting with a wide range of topics discussed, including NAIDOC week activities at the school in week 1, term 3, suggested enrolment interview topics, recognition of the achievement of students and the retention boost project. The next meeting will be in term 3, again at the Support Centre at 3:15pm. Date to be confirmed.

Trivia Night

As I write this letter I reflect on the amazing community we have to support Charleville State High School students. It was evident on Saturday night with the school Trivia Night. The aim of the night was to raise money to support the students in a wide range of extra curricula activities ranging from camps, sporting trips and school functions. P & C members, almost every staff member, and the wider community generously contributed to the success of the event. Most importantly, a large number of students also worked tirelessly. Waiting on tables, constantly cleaning and even one helping to mark the questions! Most proud of the young people who are our future.

In closing

One of the highlights of my week is spending time in class rooms, interacting with students and observing the learning. Over the past two weeks I have seen many examples of great work and perhaps the most memorable moment was when a student approached me last week to explain how proud he was of the work he had produced and the improvement he has made in his self-discipline. It reminded me how invested the staff are in supporting student learning and how powerful these positive teacher-student relationships can be in achieving this.

This example is just one moment amongst so many and certainly reminds me, after more years with the department than I like to admit to at times, exactly why we become educators and why we then stay. The opportunity to work with the young people that are entrusted to us is a privilege, and responsibility, that we embrace wholeheartedly. Thanks to all the parents and caregivers that support and work with us to consistently improve and maximise outcomes for students, ultimately this is what it is all about.

All the best,

Narelle Webb

Student Attendance

Please assist us by contacting the school to explain the reason whenever your child is absent from school. Attendance is key to success at school.

All Parents/Carers have a legal obligation to send their students to school every day unless there is a legitimate absence such as illness. All Parents/Carers have a legal obligation to explain any student absence from school. This can happen by return text message to the school’s absence line or by contacting the school via:

Text – 0428 220 673
Telephone – 4656 8888 or
School’s email address – admin@charlevilleshs.eq.edu.au

When schools and parent/carers work together to minimise student absences, student performance improves, along with enjoyment at school and a sense of belonging.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL SENIOR SCHOOLING

Year 10 Work Experience

I am pleased to say that almost all year 10’s have either confirmed a work experience placement for June 20 – June 24 or have signed up for Deadly Recruits or the Shearing Camp. These valuable experiences will hopefully help our students determine where they want to go in the next few years.

If students have any questions or concerns, they need to organise a time next week to speak with our ILO by booking an appointment at the office.

Looking forward to hearing some great stories from the work place.

Year 10 SET Planning

The majority of year 10 students will have completed their SET Plan at this stage. Students who have completed their plan but are having second thoughts are welcome to make an appointment with the Senior Schooling Deputy (Cassandra Kohli) to discuss and their plan can be unlocked for further edits. In these instances, parents will be consulted.

If you have yet to have your meeting please contact the school to book a time. This is a valuable opportunity for students and parents to discuss with the school their future plans.

Fundraising – Trivia Night

The trivia night was a great evening and I want to thank all the families that came out to support the students, the parents who helped out on the evening, the students who came and ran around filling in a variety of jobs, and the staff who gave up their time to ensure the evening would be successful. I also have to thank the huge list of local businesses and organisations who supported the evening through their generous donations.

Money raised from the evening will support students by helping with a variety of extra-curricular activities including school functions such as the formal, sporting trips, and camps.

It was a very fun evening and a very successful fundraiser for the students.

The winning team was Tom’s Late Comers who edged out The Quizly Bears by 1 point in the end.

The wooden spoon winners were Zero Facts Given.

Next year we are hoping to make this event even bigger and better.

Cassandra Kohli
Deputy Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL JUNIOR SCHOOLING
AND STUDENT SERVICES NEWS

WELCOME TO WEEK 8

Wow how quickly is the year flying by! As we come to the pointy end of term 2 we welcome Stefanie Andriolo to the Deputy Principal chair. Stefanie and I will be working together for the rest of the term supporting our students and staff from the Deputy Junior Schooling role. It has been very busy in the junior school and we encourage the students to focus on their learning as we move into the final assessments for term 2.

Assessment

How can you help your student through learning and assessment?

As a parent:

• Know when their assessment due dates are and help plan
• Ensure they are getting quality sleep
• Ensure they are eating well
• Ensure they have some ‘down time’ – some weeks may have more than others
• Discuss the four learning objectives they have written for the four lessons they have each day.
• Ensure that homework is attempted –e.g. going over class notes and ideas each day
• Ensure they are asking staff for help if they are struggling at home
• Contact the school if you have any concerns

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

Know who your student’s teachers are. Have a list of emails to be able to contact staff or ring the school to have a chat or organise a meeting. For curriculum matters contact the Heads of Department.

Heads of Department

PBL Rewards Trip

At the end of Term 2, students who reach the criteria for positive behaviour will be offered a reward activity. Criteria for students participating include, Starbucks cards, attendance and behaviour. Year 11 & 12 students will be travelling to Roma for the day to experience the benefits of a larger centre. Year 10 students will have a pizza and movie party. Years 7, 8 & 9 students will have a movie at the COSMOS centre.

Community Partnerships Meeting

Last week we had our first Community Partnerships meeting. Thank you to everyone who attended, we had a great roll up. These meetings help us all work together to improve the quality outcomes for all our students.

Regards,
Anna Batstone
A/Deputy Principal
Junior Schooling/Student Services

CLEANER – CASUAL

If you are interested in casual cleaning at Charleville SHS please contact Jillian Bussell on 4656 8888. You must have a current Suitability Card from Working with Children (Queensland’s Blue Card system).

We have casual hours that will be available in 2022 with possibility of permanent hours in 2023.

KEY DUTIES: Contribute to the efficient and effective operation and environment of the school by providing a high level of cleaning support.