22 April 2016

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Welcome to our first newsletter of the new term. This term is a long term including 11 weeks, and there is much learning and teaching to be done as well as the myriad of school activities to occur. This week and next our teachers will focus on enhancing their classroom standards of practice. In particular they will focus on Checking for Understanding in all their classes. We have 5 standards developed: 1) Clear introduction, 2) Literacy element present, 3) Checking for understanding, 4) Student engagement and 5) Review of learning. Research tells us that effective teaching and learning is occurring when these 5 standards are clearly visible in the classroom. Hence, this will be our focus for the next 4 years. There is much work to be done here including significant teacher professional develop programs.

Reminder:

Interim progress reports will be sent out this week and parent teacher interviews will be held on Wednesday afternoon on the 27th of April.

Special Mentions:

• Welcome back to Mrs Lucht who has returned from leave to be Head Of Special Education Services at our school.
• Welcome to Mr Gardiner who replaces Mr Arnull.
• Welcome to Mr Miller who will teach Maths and Science.
• Congratulations to all of the students who recently participated in the State Honours Ensemble Program held in Rockhampton. They are: Yathavan Saravanan, Dani Challacombe, Katelyn Hunter, Kynan Shields, Ryan Spargo, Tiffany Stirratt, Emily Stoneman and Corey Strike. They all did themselves and our school community proud with their efforts and commitment.

“Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Vince Lombardi

Have a safe and happy weekend

Ray Clarke
Principal

From the Deputy

I would like to start by acknowledging the hard work by students and staff at our school to pay their respects for our fallen soldiers at the school ANZAC Day service. We were fortunate to have a range of special guests in attendance which included Mr Bryon Ottone, Corporal Glenn Lee and Mayor Kerry Hayes who commented on the professional and respectful service. A huge thank you must go to our Modern History Teacher, Mrs Leanne Ross, and the Year 11 and 12 Modern History students for their time and dedication to ensure a memorable service. Thank you also to Ms Annette Carter and her hospitality classes for the beautiful morning tea.

Next Wednesday, 27 April, we will be holding our Parent-Teacher-Student Interview Sessions. So if you have not had an opportunity to book an interview and would like to discuss your child’s learning, please book online through SOBs on our website. Parents are strongly encouraged to have their children attend this meeting with them so that there is a shared understanding of the feedback that is given.

Currently, all students in Year 11 and 12 are having their academic progress reviewed by Mrs Shaw, Mr Dewan and myself. As part of that review we will be identifying students who are at risk of not achieving their QCE. Parents will be contacted for students of concern to arrange an interview with myself and the HOD to discuss actions for improvement.

Congratulations to the Senior Students on an excellent start to Term 2 and I thank parents for their attention to meeting school requirements and expectations to continue the school year in such a positive way.

Regards

Leigh Dyer
Deputy Principal – Years 11 & 12

Super Sevens Setting Sights on Success!

Welcome to term 2 and we are off to a running start! The key event for this term is NAPLAN which is occurring in week 5, Tuesday 10 May to Thursday 12 May. Leading up to NAPLAN students are practicing their literacy and numeracy in all of their lessons, to put them in the best possible position for those days. Of our 3P’s POLITE is a key focus this term. Students will be reminded at year level meetings and during PC what polite can look and sound like.

Congratulations to the following students for being nominated for PC Captains and Vice-Captains:

• 7A: Captain Eduan Ruthvan, Vice-Captain Charli Ryan
• 7B: Captain Paxton Hayes, Vice-Captain Maya Barnes
• 7C: Captain Sean Salvador, Vice-Captain Maddison Wilson
• 7D: Captain Kaitlyn McGrath, Vice-Captain Takara Delahunty
• 7E: Captain Brodie Christian, Vice-Captain Zara Schultz
• 7F: Captain Zara Smith, Vice-Captain Zoe-Jayne Cilliers

These students have been elected because they have shown their classmates that they can uphold the high expectations of the school, set a good example for others inside and outside the classroom and uphold the 3P’s. In this role, they have the opportunity to work with the School Leaders during some upcoming events.

Year 7 attendances so far this year have been excellent. It is important to remember if your student is going to be away that the school is contacted that day to let the administration team know.

Here’s looking forward to a safe and successful term 2! For any questions or queries, please contact the school on 07 4988 2222, or myself at mshar155@eq.edu.au.

Megan Sharman
Year 7 Manager

Year 12 News

Welcome back everyone to Term 2! I trust each family had a fun and relaxing holiday, all recharged for the big term ahead. A reminder to all families that this term is 11 weeks long and I would like to encourage each student to set a clear study plan for the remainder of the semester. Being Year 12, it is imperative that you take each opportunity you can get when delivering assessment items, as it will all count towards your OP score and Certificate qualifications. This also includes staying healthy in body and mind. Ensure you are getting sufficient rest each night before school so you can learn at the best of your abilities.

Another hot topic at the moment is Senior Jerseys. The jersey order has been placed and they are currently being made. Due to the large quantity of jerseys ordered, the administration team will not be sending out invoices for these, but a record of the quantity ordered for each student is available through our office. Each jersey is $73 and needs to be paid before the end of Week 8. Students will be unable to collect jerseys once they arrive if they have not paid, or there are outstanding school fees. If a student’s absenteeism is of unacceptable rate, we will hold onto the jersey until this is improved. If you have any further questions regarding senior jerseys, please contact me on 4988 2222 or on my email – kcurd9@eq.edu.au.

One last message! Parent/teacher interviews are occurring 27th Wednesday evening in our school Library. Please ensure you book your meetings with your student’s teachers as available timeslots will fill up quickly! This is a really great chance to see how your student has started their year 12 school adventure, look at the areas in which they need to maintain and improve in the remaining terms to come and how can you assist their progression from home.

I hope you all have a great term!

Kind regards,

Kris Curd
Year 12 Manager

From the Head of Department: The Wonderful World of Maths

What a jam packed first term we have had and there is more to come in term 2! Over the last term in Mathematics we have had a focus on numeracy for all students. We have been working towards building the skills of problem solving as well as consolidating the foundations of mathematics. This means going back to the basics. This is not only for the upcoming NAPLAN tests for years 7 and 9 but these are skills that can be used in everyday life. It is important that these skills are practiced regularly. I encourage all students to set aside some time each week to practice skills such as time differences, 2 digit multiplication without a calculator, graphing of coordinates and numerical work including fractions and decimals. Having these skills on hand will allow students to focus on each task at hand more effectively during problem solving.

At this time I would like to promote the need for students to consistently be prepared for class which includes bringing their scientific calculators and relevant textbook. These resources are vital to their learning and help them to extend themselves further in class.

NAPLAN is coming up quickly at midterm and so this is the last chance for the year 7s and year 9s to gain that last bit of knowledge. During this time having the students trying their best and participating in class will give them the best opportunity to receive a high score. To aid in the engagement of students in junior classes, our department has purchased many concrete resources for each of the junior teachers to utilise in the classroom. This is providing opportunities for students to do hands on activities in their learning.

In the senior school, this is an important time to reflect on how the students are achieving. I encourage all students to talk to their teachers about how they are going at the moment and which criteria they can focus on to improve. It is essential, first and foremost, that all working is written down as well as explanation and justification of decisions made in the problem solving process. This is a timely reminder as already some senior maths classes have their next piece of assessment.

As I did at the end of my last article I will leave you with a maths problem solving puzzle.

You can find the solution and more of these brain teasers at

Tiff Brennan
Head of Department: Mathematics (Acting)

From the Head of Department: Humanities

Hi all, welcome back to term 2. On Wednesday night we had a fantastic round of debates hosted by the High School. Thank you to all those students, parents, teachers and adjudicators who attended. Our students performed very well with the year 7 team of Anabelle Vanderpool, Jeni Vanderpool and Madison Isles only losing by two points, the year 8 team of Tereiti Simmonds, Savannah Docherty, Eddie Cunning and Benny Mundt only losing by three points, and the year 9 team of Jack Van Hees, Paris Garside, Kristy Martinez, Hayley Cavanagh and Mikayla Long winning their debate. My sincere thanks and congratulations goes to all of these students for their commitment to attending practice and presenting on the night. We learnt a great deal from the feedback provided by the adjudicators including the identification of some areas to work on such as: using specific facts to support arguments, increased confidence when speaking and being aware of the whole team’s argument. Our next debate will be on Wednesday the 4th May at Marist with Emerald teams arguing the negative side of “that TV is better than books”. Pictures of the competition will be posted on our Facebook page. Please come along and show your support for this competition.

Tonight two of our students: Paris Garside and Shara Van Hees will travel to Dysart to compete in the Rostrum Voice of Youth Competition. This is a national competition and will allow students to continue onto the next round if they win.

The debating competition was open for any 7-9 students to join, and the Rostrum competition was open to the whole school. I spoke about them on Whole School Parade on several occasions. It would be great to see more students showing an interest when the competitions are offered. If you as parents wish to encourage your students to improve their writing and speaking skills these competitions will run again next year, so please encourage them to join in the fun.

Thanks

Ben Van Hees
Head of Department: Humanities and Honours

English News

Welcome back to Term 2!! Junior English this term will see all students learning and building on their persuasive writing skills, as well as preparing for NAPLAN. In week 5, year 7s and 9s will be completing the official NAPLAN test and year 8s will complete a practice version to help determine their skill levels. The Junior English persuasive writing unit will see students writing persuasive texts, as well as presenting persuasive arguments in class. Senior English students are currently undertaking either poetry or letter writing skills. Each week all English students will develop and enhance their skills in reading, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. We are looking forward to another exciting term!

Hospitality, Home Economics & Early Childhood Studies News

Our second ‘batch’ of year 7 home economics students are about to learn some basic kitchen safety and hygiene skills while cooking and flavouring popcorn. This term they will also apply their new skills to recipes such as omelettes, stir fries and fried rice.

Year 8 Home Economics students are continuing as per the schedule for last term. These students are about to begin their first assessment task for the semester which requires them to design and produce a unique savoury product encased in pastry.

In year 9 Home Economics, some students are enthused about their new textiles unit titled, ‘Tips and Tricks for Textiles’, focusing on basic sewing skills to make a pin cushion and utility roll. Fast finishers will learn some tricks about adjusting clothing. The year 9 Home Economics students studying foods are exploring baking this term. We aim to teach them practical skills while emphasising management and creativity.

Year 11 Early Childhood students should have by now received back their first assessment task. The girls produced a newsletter, showcasing their knowledge acquired so far in relation to staff qualifications, national frameworks and legislation and healthy lunchbox policies.

The end of term is always exciting and busy for senior hospitality. The assessment block is the time when functions are held and both Certificate II and Hospitality Practices students demonstrate all of the skills and knowledge they have acquired in classes. During the last week of term year 12A held a pop up Smoothie Bar and whipped up in excess of 90 healthy and delicious smoothies for their customers. It was a great way for the hospitality students to experience the pressure of a faced paced service period and the satisfaction of happy smoothie slurping customers. The year 11/12 composite class provided a mocktail party for teachers and guests. The year 12s created some beautifully presented non-alcoholic beverages, while the year 11s served up a delicious finger food selection. There was lots of tray carrying and drink pouring practice in the lead up to the party and the students displayed a high level of skill on the day. The year 11 Hospitality Practices class prepared and served a buffet selection of sandwiches and salads in the school restaurant. Their delicious steak sandwiches and superfood salad were crowd favourites.

Instrumental Music News – State Honours Ensemble Program

Ten instrumental music students have just returned from spending a weekend of making music at the annual Central Queensland State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) at Rockhampton.

Capricornia SHEP 11-13 March

Yath Saravanan

Middle School SHEP 18-20 March

Dani Challacombe
Emily Stoneman
Joseph Stoneman
Ryan Spargo
Kynan Shields
Tiffany Stirratt
Katelyn Hunter
Chloe Gray
Corey Strike

Students from 38 schools were involved in the program. Our students were accepted to attend on their achievement level. It was wonderful to have so many Emerald State High School students to be accepted into this wonderful program. Year 8 student Dani Challacombe was also named as Principal Clarinet, which was a fantastic achievement for her to be recognised for her talents. Three days of rehearsals under the tutelage of renowned conductor Ms Maureen Cameron and Mr David Law resulted in wonderful performances held at the Performing Arts Complex held at North Rockhampton State High School. Students have returned with much excitement and enthusiasm. It was a wonderful experience for them all. Congratulations to all of our awesome students who attended and represented our school so well.

Attending Middle School SHEP at Rockhampton from left to right: Conductor Maureen Cameron, Dani Challacombe, Ryan Spargo, Emily Stoneman, Kynan Shields, Tiffany Stirratt, Chloe Gray, Joseph Stoneman, Corey Strike, Katelyn Hunter.

Upcoming on the music calendar will involve performances at Anzac Day Ceremony and Fanfare Competition. Students will also be attending band workshops in May at Yeppoon.

News from the Library

Textbooks

A reminder that when students’ fees are paid, either in part or in full, they are to come to the library to collect their textbooks. Students in Years 7 to 10 are also able to collect their password to be able to download an electronic version of their textbooks to their electronic device.

This week students have been given overdue notices for items that they have past the due date. Please check with your child if they’ve received a notice, and if so, please remind them to return the items to the library promptly. Many of these items are textbooks for previous years which are no longer needed by those that borrowed them but are needed by the next year level.

Competitions

Permission forms are now available for students wanting to complete the Writing ICAS on June 17th. It will only take 1 lesson and assesses students’ writing skills demonstrating ability regarding language choices that enhance writing, spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar, text purpose and structure. From this, each student will receive a certificate along with an explanation of their results. If your student is interested, they need to collect a permission letter from Mrs Galea in the library and ensure that it is returned to her along with the $18.70 to the office by May 12th.

There are also a number of writing competitions currently open, most with cash prizes:

Students should see Mrs Galea in the library for more details & to submit entries. Entering into these competitions earns students vivo points.

The BILBY (Book I Love BEST Yearly) Awards shortlist has been announced at link below. It is suggested that students read through the shortlist and then cast their vote for their favourite by June 17th. Happy reading!

Miss Showgirl

Rural Ambassador

QLD Junior Rugby Union Country Muster