1 September 2016

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Welcome to this edition of our newsletter. Again it has been a productive fortnight for our students. On August 15, Mr Van Hees coordinated our Year 7-9 Literacy festival. It was an excellent learning experience with plenty of fun as well. On August 17 our Year 10s participated in their SET planning day and I wish to thank all the parents and staff who made this a worthwhile and beneficial endeavour. We also received excellent feedback about our students at the Relay for Life event. Last week our year 8s and 9s enjoyed a memorable camp at Emu Gully with the military instructors who commented on how fast, efficient and pleasant they were. Well done students and teachers. Our student council have been fundraising and last weekend Mrs Ross went into lockup as part of the PCYC fundraiser at the Multi-cultural Festival. On Friday many of our Year 9s&10s attended the Agricultural College Careers Day.

During this last fortnight our school also completed a review of our curriculum progress and I am pleased to announce we have made good progress with our Positive Behaviour Learning program as well as our classroom standards of practice professional development program. This is the heart of our school improvement agenda; this is how we will improve our students' results at a whole school level. If you ask your child I hope they can tell you about these pushes.

Special Mentions

• Congratulations to our Year7s and Year 9s in NAPLAN. Our students are achieving at the same rate as the nation in the highest levels of achievement (Upper two Bands). This is a landmark achievement! Well done!
• Thank you to all the teachers who took our students on the Emu Gully camp (Ms Prior, Mr Smith, Mr Norman, and Ms Wilcox).
• Thank you to Mr Van Hees and for coordinating the Literacy festival.
• Thank you to Mrs Galea for coordinating Book Week.
• Mrs Dyer will be acting Principal at Emerald SS for the last two weeks of this term.
• To our year 12 s who really are "putting in the big hours" with study!

You are not born a winner!
You are not born a loser!
You are born a chooser!

Have a safe weekend.

Ray Clarke
Principal

From the Deputy

NAPLAN results:

Emerald State High School has received its best ever results in NAPLAN. A record number of our students achieved in the Upper Two Bands making our school statistically similar to the nation in all testing areas across Year 7 and Year 9. This is a huge credit to the teachers and students at the school who have been focusing on developing their literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. Every student in Year 7 and Year 9 who sat the test has been given their results to bring home. They are experts in explaining what their individual results show. Please make sure you ask your child to explain to you how they went.

Year 8 Camp:

Year 8 and Year 9 students recently went to Emu Gully camp near Toowoomba. Day one saw the students leave the school at 3am to begin their trek south. Ms Claire Prior kept us updated on Facebook about their progress. Search for Emerald State High School and follow our page to see what our students have been up to.

Relay for Life:

A record number of Emerald State High School students attended the Central Highlands Relay for Life on August 20-21. Students walked in teams for 18 hours covering an exceptionally long distance in the cold of Saturday night. The event raised over $51,000 for the Cancer Council which is a credit to the support of the local community. Thank you to all of the teachers and students who gave up their time to support this event. We were the only school represented at the relay which is a huge credit to our community spirit.

Mathletics and Kahn Academy: Homework???

Emerald State High School pays for every member of our school to be a registered participant of Mathletics. Mathletics is a program that allows your child to focus on specific areas of their mathematics and numeracy skills using an online platform. If your child is telling you that they don't have any homework, ask them if they have logged in lately. Kahn academy is another online (free) mathematics support program. I encourage everyone to download the App and have a look at how it could support their maths knowledge.

Hayden Ryan
Deputy Principal – Years 7 & 8

Year 10 News

It has been a busy time in recent weeks for Year 10 students. They have all completed their SET plans and subject selections and are now looking forward to transition into year eleven and senior school. Students should now be focusing on creating good study habits and solid foundations for years eleven and twelve.

The Cape Curesaders were a great team at the Relay for Life on Saturday the 20th August and made a valuable contribution in their commitment to complete the relay and raise funds for a worthwhile cause.

Last week a group of year ten students participated in the Agricultural Careers Open Day at the Emerald Agricultural College. It was a very informative and enjoyable day at the college with campus tours, working dog and horse demonstrations and information sessions from a wide variety of employers.

Our Art, Drama and Music students are involved in the showcase event on Friday the 2nd of September where they will be exhibiting art and performing. We would love to see you in the audience.

All year ten students are currently working hard to complete and submit all assessments before they head out to work experience placements from the 5th of September to the 10th of September. This is the last opportunity for work experience placements this year so it is important to have all forms returned immediately.

Annette Carter
Head of Year 10

Year 8 & 9 Camp News

On Sunday the 21st of August, 2016, 45 brave year 8 and 9 students met at 3:40am to begin their journey to Emu Gully Adventure Camp. The students may not have been wide-eyed and bushytailed, however, they were in good spirits and ready to have a great time. When we arrived at Helidon, the students were informed that they would have to build their own tents, cook their own food and even heat their own water for showers.

The students had a magnificent attitude and started the camp off to a very high standard. There were some key values that the students learnt about, explored and had to employ in their day-to-day living: mateship, uniformity, respect and courage. The Adventure Camp is based on the core values of the ANZACs and the students were constantly exposed to a range of inspirational stories and recreated experiences of war. We didn't know learning could be so much fun!

One of the highlights from camp, was the Templeton's Crossing activity. Students were expected to trounce through mud whilst carrying boxes of 'ammunition', ensuring that they didn't touch the ground, lend each other a helping hand when climbing up and down the very muddy slopes and even making sure Jimmy or Bobby (the casualty) didn't fall off the stretcher and was carried to safety. The students had to rely on each other to make their way through the course as well as maintain an optimistic attitude.

Templeton's Crossing Having some fun in the mud

Another highlight was driving the Buggies through an outdoor course. The students were able to jump in the driver's seat and zoom around the corners, dodging obstacles and kicking up some dust.

Buggies and some very dusty faces after a couple of laps around the track.

On one of the evenings we went on a Night Walk Adventure as we learnt more about the trenches used and trench warfare. It was a really great opportunity for the group to get a sense of what the ANZACs went through. All of the activities were really wonderful opportunities for students to demonstrate leadership, learn about communication and different communication styles. Our students really excelled in these tasks and developed these skills so much as the camp progressed. Some of the challenges included, building a bridge over water using a canoe, towing a 6 tonne truck, tackling a mountain on bicycles, with a blind-folded person or even sliding down one of the many epic slides. Other activities involved the students hauling a buggy out of a ditch and running through a flour bomb gauntlet. One of the biggest challenges our students had to complete was the Stealth Mission. Students were required to move from one side of the dam to the other in complete stealth mode – no talking or making any other noises were allowed. The teachers thought the students may struggle with this, but both groups did incredibly well.

Buggy Haul. The group getting the induction on what is required of the challenge: to pull the buggy out of the ditch, but first they need to fill it with bags of sand.

Stealth Mission

Truck Pull. All of the students jumping in to work together - they had to work together and definitely put their communication skills to the test.

Water Carry challenge: students proving that they are willing to trust each other.

Building a bridge: students having to work together to ensure a safe and sturdy bridge to cross the water.

We had a stopover in Toowoomba, before the big drive home. We were lucky enough to stay at Darling Heights State School who were so hospitable and accommodating. They had never had another school have a sleepover before and were very excited. We also decided to test the skills of our students on the bowling alley.

The Emerald State High students conducted themselves in such a respectable manner and displayed a great attitude to all the tasks, activities and challenges set. The staffs at Emu Gully was very impressed with how awesome the students were at giving things a go, challenging themselves and persevering, even when times were getting a little tough. All of the teachers involved had a wonderful time and it was such a great chance to see so many students demonstrate and develop so many leadership skills. A massive thank you must go to Mrs Elyse Gilbert for all of her work in the organisation of the camp. Also, Mr Norman, Mr Smith and Ms Wilcox, thank you for your time, effort and enthusiasm before, during and after the camp. It is very much appreciated.

Claire Prior
Year 8 Head of Year

From the Head of Department: Arts, Indigenous Students & Year 9

As we near the end of term three, we have been very busy with events. I commend all students who have participated in any of the recent events here at Emerald State High School; your behaviour and attitudes have been exemplary!

Year 9

Our Year 8 and 9 camp to Emu Gully down near Toowoomba was definitely a highlight over the previous weeks. The students were challenged both mentally and physically and really stepped up to the mark. The camp facilitators were very impressed with our students. A huge thank you to all staff who were involved in the planning and running of the camp – without you, our students would not have had such a fantastic opportunity to grow.

Indigenous Education

This week some of our students are off to participate in the annual ATAP (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Talent and Aspirations Program) competition which is going to be held at the Emerald Town Hall this year. Our students spent last Friday fine tuning their work and are ready to show the region how talented they are. We look forward to announcing how we went in the coming newsletter.

Arts

This week our senior arts students prepare to present their final bodies of work at our annual Arts Showcase. The students have been working tirelessly to ensure their work is of a very high standard. We would love for you to come and support us. It is on Friday 2nd September starting at 5pm in the UCA. There will be art displays, craft items for sale, music and drama performances and light refreshments. We look forward to seeing some welcoming and supportive faces in the audience.

Rachelle Wilcox
Head of Department: English

From the Head of Department: Vocational Education & Training

Last week I attended the Central Highlands Region VET Schools Cluster meeting. At this meeting there are representatives from each of the Central Highlands high schools, local RTOs such as CQ Uni, and employment bodies such as Busy at Work and MRael. In the past month there has been a school-based traineeship in business and two positions for spare parts interpreters available. The question was asked "Why has there been so little interest in this position in today's market?" The room came up with a myriad of answers, 'laziness, wanting something better, fussy, unmotivated, lack of knowledge, lack of aspiration'.

As a parent of a child, one who has a definite career path in mind (very narrow focus) and one who changes their mind with the wind, I listened intently on a solution rather than the cause. The room was in agreement that students need to be given the tools to access career information when they need it and need to have access to role models who demonstrate appropriate work ethic skills.

Below are is list of resources that are helpful in this job quest:

• Be Work Smart – (see attachment) developed by Queensland Government, this book outlines the 6 qualities valued by employers and a few desirable qualities. The book has self-test questions at the end of each section.

• MyFuture - https://myfuture.edu.au/ - a website that reviews students interests, skills, educations and knowledge to identify possible career options that fit that profile.
• Fee-free training Year 12 graduates – year 12 graduates are eligible for fee-free training in high priority areas within the calendar year following their completion of year 12. https://training.qld.gov.au/training/incentives/year12-fee-free
• Cert 3 guarantee - The Certificate 3 Guarantee supports eligible individuals to complete their first post-school certificate III qualification. It also supports school students to access training and Queensland's Year 12 graduates to transition to employment by providing fee-free training in high priority qualifications. https://training.qld.gov.au/providers/funded/certificate3

The school also offers support through the Guidance Officer, School Work Placement Officer and within the Cert II in Workplace Practices that students complete in year 10.

There are still a large number of students in years 10 to 12 who have not given the school their USI number. The USI allows us to link information about a student's VET achievements, regardless of where they studied, therefore making it easier for students to find and collate their VET achievements. It is very important that every student provides the school with their USI as certificates cannot be issued without this.

Tanya Shaw
Head of Department- Vocational Education & Training

Digital Technologies News

Junior Digital Technologies

The digital technologies subject area at Emerald State High School has undergone a refreshing upgrade seeing our junior curriculum offering the students a fun filled, engaging array of topics for them to engage with throughout the year. This term the Years 7 & 8 classes have both been engaging with an introduction to game coding using Kodu. The classes have been busy learning the software and producing some awesome entertaining games, while learning the skills of basic design and coding. Year 9 tech students have also been looking into the field of robotics with their class delving into the coding behind robotics. Under the watchful eye of Miss Royal our year 9 students have been building robots using our new Lego Mindstorms robotics kits and coding simple task and procedures for these robots to carry out.

Senior Digital Technologies

The junior students aren't the only ones having fun with technology. Our year 10 technologies program has also seen a slight overhaul seeing our students complete a Certificate 1 in term 1 of year 10, then moving into a more rigorous program preparing them for year 11 & 12 technology based subjects. This term our year 10 students have engaged in learning the Adobe Flash Professional to make non-linear interactive learning objects with a numeracy or literacy learning component. The students have designed, created & coded a learning object in the software that target crucial literacy and numeracy skills.

Year 11 students in our ITS offering have been hard at work designing, creating & coding their own games using the popular software package GameMaker. They are currently hard at work finalising their assignment which sees them design and create a game from scratch using GameMaker. Whilst our year 11 Cert II Students have been tackling the task of brushing up on their Microsoft Office skills and producing an array of professional business documents.

Finally, our year 12 ITS students are busy putting the finishing touches to their major project of the year: their interactive yearbook. Students have taken on various roles to produce their cohort's yearbook with students creating Individual Profile Pages for students & teachers as well as various videos to help keep their school memories alive. Our year 12 Cert II students are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with most students finishing off their final competency for the certificate. They have been busy learning the ins and outs of database software by designing & creating various databases using Microsoft access.

Emerald State High School has a huge offering of technology subjects for our students to get them prepared for 21st century jobs that are becoming increasingly more technologically based. We hope to see a continued growth in our technology subjects and continue preparing your students for their bright futures.

Languages Other Than English News

As the year progresses and the four seasons delight the senses across the sea in Japan, students in Year 7 are increasingly appreciating the cycle of festivals which contribute to the annual progression of life in cultured Japan. The most famous Cherry Blossom Festival in Spring is an essential experience for all those who love the floral colours and scents of nature as it heralds the end of winter. Setsubun, the bean throwing festival, Tanabata, the stars that meet once a year and Obon, remembrance of generations gone by add to the rich intercultural understanding of our students. This new knowledge will be included in their Family, Food, Festival writing task over the coming weeks.

Our NT Safari listening assessment in Year 8 deepened the understanding of our Australian wildlife, tourism, and empathetic hosting of Japanese visitors to our unique world view, plus our flora and fauna which so naturally surrounds our culture. Students should all easily know the meaning of "Hora, Hora, kangaruu desu! Takai desu! Rukki desu ne". Ask them where they would take a visitor in Emerald to see Australian animals and view our wildlife… In the coming weeks Year 8s will commence working on a Poster/Brochure/Booklet about an Australian animal, wherein they must select and research an animal of their choice and compile a written presentation, with sketches, maps, images and sentences in full Japanese script. This is in preparation for our visitors from International Sister City – Ichinoseki in northern Japan in years to come.

Parents are encouraged also to appreciate that in studying a foreign language, occasionally words with intriguing meaning, sound or contrast will capture the attention of students. This information is best viewed objectively in context, an intercultural context of being 'different', which is an important benefit of learning of other cultures. Students are encouraged to discuss new words, concepts with their teachers, friends and parents and as in French 'viva la difference' – enjoy the difference!

Industrial Technology & Design News

There have been a few changes in the Tech department recently. Firstly, Mr Chetty has moved on to another school down towards Brisbane and we have a new Head of Department, Mr Mcmullin. A few classes have changed with Mr Mcmullin taking the majority of the junior classes. Some of the jobs students are doing at the moment have changed slightly as well.

The Year 7s will be using the schools new CNC router to engrave custom designs into their LED light projects and the Year 8s are brushing up on hand skills by making wooden pencil boxes that also will have some engraving done, time permitting. The Year 10 furnishing classes are starting construction on their coffee table projects with a slightly different design than last year just to keep things fresh. Year 10 Engineering students are starting to develop skills on the milling machine and metal lathe in producing a small hammer as well as practicing their welding skills in a variety of contexts. Year 11/12 Furnishing studies classes are working on chessboard display cases. The advanced Year 12 Furnishing class are completing their hall stands with progress for most students coming along nicely. We are focusing on job quality to try and complete work to high standard. The Year 12 engineering students are getting to the end of their Certificate course and are getting their finally competencies ticked of in anticipation of graduation next term.

Finally, woodwork club is happening on Tuesdays at first break for all students. They can come work on classwork as a catch up or they can bring in bits and pieces and work on personal jobs.

Humanities News

This term in SOSE and Humanities subjects the junior school is studying Geography while the senior school has a range of subjects depending on the elective chosen. Year 10 students have chosen from Legal Studies, Ancient History, Modern History or Geography as preparation for their senior studies and to give them a sample of some of the options. Year 9 Geography is focusing on biomes and food security, and students are learning exactly what it takes to feed Australia. Year 8 Geography is investigating the landforms and landscapes that make up our country and the rest of the world. In year 7, students are learning about the water cycle and the resources that fuel our cars, houses, and businesses.

As always, coming to the end of term many of these subjects will be assessing students' knowledge of the concepts and skills they have learned this term. Students should now be revising or focusing on the assignments that they have been given to ensure that they achieve their full potential in these subjects.

Instrumental Music News

Festival of Bands

Our instrumental music students recently participated in the Central Highlands Festival of Bands. Over 200 local musicians and singers were involved in the workshops. The 3 days of rehearsals culminated in a gala concert held at Emerald Town Hall. Students were led by acclaimed acapella vocal group "In the Mood Four" along with renowned composer and conductor Dr Graeme Wright Dennis.

Dr Dennis wrote three commissioned works for band and choir dedicated to our local region. They were, "Piano up Tree" dedicated to the local Clermont landmark; "TrainWreck" dedicated to the local Bogantungan rail disaster, and "Emerald is My Hometown" dedicated to how Emerald was named after the property Emerald Downs. The world premiere of these three pieces was performed at the Gala Concert.

Students had a fantastic three days working alongside musicians from all over our region. It was a fantastic concert enjoyed by all.

Kedron High School Concert

On August 11, Emerald State High School had the pleasure of hosting Kedron State High School music students as part of their 'WOW' Way out West tour. We had workshops with Kedron after school and then a fabulous concert was held at our Undercover Area. Our students had a wonderful time playing alongside and performing with Kedron High School. It was wonderful to see a 75 piece combined band perform and to see the wonderful friendships being made. Our thanks go to Kedron State High School for coming to Emerald and for the opportunity to work alongside you.

Central Highlands Senior Citizens Luncheon

Last week the Central Highlands Regional Council held their annual Senior Citizens Luncheon at Emerald Town Hall. Our school was asked to provide some entertainment for half an hour. Year 10 student Brent Rosterolla stepped up to the plate and performed during the luncheon. Brent is a very talented singer/songwriter. Brent performed a number of his original songs during his performance. Brent received very positive feedback on his performance.

Senior Arts Showcase

Our Senior Arts Department will be holding their Senior Arts Showcase on Friday 2 September at the UCA. Our Jazz Band will be performing at this event.

Central Highlands Eisteddfod

Our students are presently working very hard in preparation for the Central Highlands Eisteddfod to be held in Emerald from 6-8 September. Our school has many solo/duet/ensembles and bands performing throughout the three days. If you would like to have a great night out please come along to the Eisteddfod Gala night to be held on Wednesday 7 September 6pm at Emerald Town Hall. Our Jazz Band and Symphonic Band will be performing on this night.

Regards,
Dana Jones

Learning Support

At Emerald State High School we are very fortunate to have a dedicated team of teacher aides who are strongly committed to working with our students in classes. We take this opportunity to recognise and thank them for their hard work in supporting students in their learning and ensuring every student succeeds every day.

Mrs Melinda Prior has started in the role of Learning Support this term. Mrs Prior is taking over the Extreme Literacy Program and working with the English Department to support students who are on an ICP. Melinda has brought some great expertise to the role.

The Learning Support team has been focussing on a number of different initiatives this term.

Individual Curriculum Plans – Our Individual Curriculum Plans (ICPs) for students who are unable to access the curriculum at their year level have now been reviewed for all students in Years 7 to 10. We will continue to provide and review ICPs for those students who benefit from a modified curriculum.

NAPLAN – NAPLAN results have been released and we are extremely impressed by the efforts all students are making towards improving their literacy and numeracy skills.

Extreme Literacy Program - Students in Year 7 and 8 who have been identified as requiring intensive literacy support have been participating in two lessons of Extreme Literacy each week. This term students have been focusing on reading comprehension and paragraph editing skills.

We welcome contact from parents if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's progress.

Regards,
Elyse and Melinda
Learning Support Team

Guidance Counsellor News

Helping Kids Deal with Test Stress

As this term draws to a close and schools are preparing the exam block timetable it is time to think about helping students deal with test stress. Some students may find doing tests stressful. The following is a summary of the article 7 Steps to Success for Tests written by Jocelyne Chirnside. This article can be found in more detail on the Generation Next website. Encouraging students with these seven steps can be a great opportunity to teach valuable resiliency skills that can be applied to all areas of life.

1. Understand the power of thinking
   Teaching children to understand the difference between helpful and unhelpful thinking (e.g. "I can do this", "It will be okay") helps children to feel calm and brave and gives them the confidence to 'have a go'. Many children have unhelpful thoughts (e.g. "I'm going to fail", "I can't do this" and "It's too hard"). These thoughts trigger negative emotions that contribute further to the challenges and reduce resiliency. It is important that children learn to reframe unhelpful thinking into helpful thinking. Display helpful thoughts and have children regularly repeat these out loud and to themselves.
2. Learn how to calm their bodies
   When children experience stressful emotions, their bodies release hormones that create a fight or flight response. These physiological responses lead to racing heart rates, sick feelings, headaches, etc. Teaching children to calm their bodies by taking slow breaths or tensing then relaxing their muscles from the shoulders down, reduces the impact of unpleasant body responses.
3. Help them to understand good sleep hygiene
   When stressed many children struggle with sleep which contributes further to the problem. Encouraging them to have good sleep routines such as having a relaxing bath or shower, a sensible regular bedtime and limiting technology in the bedroom prior to sleep helps children develop habits that set them up for a greater chance of success.
4. Connect positively with those around them
   Provide positive opportunities and allocate sufficient time for children to do fun activities with friends and family members who affirm and believe in them.
5. Identify what areas children are most challenged with academically
   Lack of confidence in literacy and numeracy can create further test stress. Students can be given further support by teaching little tricks or games to remember rules or challenging skills.
6. It's okay to make mistakes
   Children who become anxious of not excelling or failing tests may benefit from learning that sometimes mistakes are okay and we can learn through our mistakes by thinking about them and planning how to do things differently next time. Parents need to be aware of responses they are modelling if they are with their children when others make mistakes in front of them e.g. driving in the car.
7. Reassure them their worth is not measured by their test results
   Children's sense of worth is very fragile. Their self-confidence and identity is still growing. As parents and teachers it is important that children know we value them not because of what they achieve but who they are.

Career Information

• School Holiday Program: students 15+ years. The Agricultural Skills and Technology Experience (TASTE) 4 day Program includes cropping, cattle and horses. 25-29 September 2016 at Emerald Agricultural College. Fee $495 (Some scholarships available).
• SCHOOL LEAVERS TASTE Program: 20-25 November 2016 at Emerald Agricultural College. Phone 1800 888 710 for more information.
• Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) Application Fee for year 12 students is $37 till the 30th September 2016. Application fee cost from the 1 October 2016 - 31 January 2017 increases to $138. The first three changes of preference are free.

QMEA News

Spotlight on Energy

A group of Central Queensland students have become energy experts on August 25th in an event run by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).  The 'Energy for the Future' workshop held at Blackwater PCYC challenged students to think about world energy needs by examining the best energy solutions in countries like Japan, Denmark, Australia and Brazil. 'Students employed higher order thinking skills to critically assess the economic, environmental, geographical and social contexts of countries to make decisions on the right energy mix with renewables, fossil fuels and uranium all on the table', said QMEA Director Katrina-Lee Jones. In this QMEA initiative, industry representatives from local companies Wesfarmers Curragh, BMA and Jellinbah got the students thinking critically about how the world will be powered now and into the future.  'Wesfarmers Curragh is pleased to support Energy for the Future. This event is a fabulous extension activity for year 8 students who learn about the realities of energy production and efficiencies. Some of our future leaders were in the room' said Johan Ballot, General Manager Curragh Operations. 'Energy for the Future instils in students an appreciation for the effort involved in producing, safe, efficient and reliable energy in a power hungry world.' said Ms Jones. The QMEA is a partnership between the resources sector represented by Queensland resources Council and the Queensland Government through the Gateway to Industry Schools Program. Students from the following schools were selected to attend based on their aptitude for science:

Blackwater State High School
Dysart State High School
Emerald State High School
Middlemount State High School
Moranbah State High School
North Rockhampton State High School

Industry representatives from the following companies attended:

BMA
Jellinbah
Wesfarmers Curragh

Further information about the QMEA and its programs can be found at

Library News

Book Week 2016

Book Week is a week of celebration of books and reading, starting with an announcement from the Children's Book Council of Australia of the winners of the Book of the Year Award for various categories and then followed by activities in libraries around the country based on a set theme – this year's was Australia: Story Country. The celebration at Emerald State High School consisted of various activities each day in the library, such as writing an acrostic poem based on the theme, answering some questions about stick insect (phasmid) eggs, matching book covers with their blurbs, a crossword based on teacher's reviews of the shortlisted books and a word search. Each student that completed an activity or borrowed a book received an Australia wristband, and some keen students amassed an armful! All students that participated received VIVO points for doing so & went into the draw for a novel. Students that completed all 5 activities will received their choice of book from the shortlist.

Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premier's Reading Challenge is now finished. Students that were attempting to meet the challenge of reading 15 books between May 16 and August 26 need to return their completed reading logs to Mrs Galea in the library so that their achievements can be recorded and certificates can be arranged.

Competitions

There are 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.

BMX Club

Garden Party

Our Rainbow House Fundraisers

Emerald State High School supports Our Rainbow House through our Student Representative Council. Below are some upcoming fundraising activities that they're organising to raise funds for their school in Zambia.

Markets

Duathlon