14 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Welcome to our second newsletter for the year. Much has occurred this year already in terms of sporting opportunities and excursions. Right now Central Highlands Sports team representative trials are occurring and will continue over the next month. I wish to thank our HPE staff and in particular Mr Deffner, our new sports co-ordinator, for encouraging students to take up these opportunities.

Last week was extremely busy where we commenced much of our staff professional development for the year. We had quite a few teachers out, with many classes covered by relief teachers. This week should be much more settled with students having their normal teachers back in the classroom and we are now pushing our 5 Classroom Standards of Practice and TEEL paragraph writing in every class. Also, we are working through the Positive Behaviour Learning lesson of the week. This last week has been about complying with teacher directions. We are due to teach our new mini-lesson this Thursday

Coming Up

We are to take up use of the hall on Monday 26th of February. There will be still be some further minor work completed to the sound room etc. however the hall itself will be safe to use. This is great news because we will be able to call full school assembles again and return to normal operations. Our HPE department will also be grateful for the expanded shade area beside the hall.

There will be a “Meet the Teachers” sausage sizzle and information sessions including a tour of the new hall, on Tuesday 27th February 4.00 – 6.00pm. Come meet your child’s teachers in a relaxed atmosphere of a BBQ next to, and inside, the school library. All parents are encouraged to attend!

Special Mentions

• Congratulations to Georgia Weatherley and Keith Wells (Year 12s from 2017) who both received scholarship to their respective universities

Please note a message for our Year 11 and 12 students

Some of our senior students are permitted to a late arrival and early departure from school during Periods 1 and 4 only, for specific subjects. This time is not to be used for non-purposeful activities such as visiting fast food outlets, shopping or visiting recreation facilities i.e the skate park. N.B. This arrangement is conditional and will be retracted in the instance that academic requirements for subject areas are not being fulfilled.

“We are imperfect. We cannot expect perfect government.” William Howard Taft

Have a cool weekend,

Ray Clarke
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Junior School

Welcome back to an exciting Term 1. Firstly a warm welcome to our new Year 7 students who have settled in very well over the last few weeks. There have been several changes made to Year 7 and 8 classes over the last few weeks and from this point on there will be no changing of subjects unless there are some exceptional circumstances – this includes students requesting to change subjects. At this point in the term all year 7 and 8 students will be starting assessment or beginning to review to prepare to exams. Students should be actively using their diaries to keep track of homework and assessment dates. The school will also be publishing a list of assessment dates in the coming weeks to help parents keep track.

I would also like to remind parents that the school classifies mobile phones as a banned item and students will be instructed to hand their phones to the office if they are caught using them at school. I would also request that parents keep track of what social media applications their children have downloaded on their phones. Some social media applications are designed to delete messages and images soon after they are sent – I would discourage children from accessing these social media applications. They are often the source of bullying and can cause anxiety in children, which can then affect their attendance, effort and academic results at school. Research has also found that children who have access to their phones at night have difficulty sleeping and this affects their performance at school. Unfortunately, much of my work as a Deputy Principal involves solving problems between children who have used social media inappropriately. Your support and guidance with mobile phones and social media would be greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions regarding year 7 or 8 students please don’t hesitate to contact me at bvanh2@eq.edu.au

Thanks,

Ben Van Hees
Deputy Principal – Junior School

Year 7 News

The Year 7 students are off to a great start at Emerald State High School. Students have been able to recite the expectations of the school and give examples on how to show exemplary behaviour all around the school. I have heard great reports of the Year 7 students transitioning into high school very smoothly and engaging in all aspects of their schooling life. A few reminders to parents:

• Camp is fast approaching. Final packing lists will be sent out this week.
• Immunisations are fast approaching. Students need to bring in their forms to their PC teacher ASAP.
• Textbooks can be left in the classroom at the discretion of their classroom teacher. This will help with the weight of their bags; however, the teachers are not responsible if they go missing.

Please feel free to contact me at the school if there are any issues regarding your child that I can assist with.

Regards,

Kate Deighton
Head of Year 7

Year 12 News

This year is warming up and lots of our year 12 students are getting involved in school events. The SRC is selling gifts for Valentine’s Day and preparing for a whole term of great fundraising ideas. The Student Leader Induction Ceremony is coming up on the 6th of March, and will be in the newly reopened undercover area. Our House Captains did a great job preparing their houses for the swimming carnival, although it was unfortunately postponed until week 10. The year 12s are doing a great job so far at participating in school events and demonstrating their potential as school leaders.

From the Head of Department – Mathematics

A very warm welcome to the 2018 school year. I hope that everyone had an enjoyable time with friends and family over the holiday break.

Staff

We welcome Mr.Rajiv Bhar and Mrs Samantha Hokins into our Maths Department. Mr. Bhar is a first year teacher specialising in Mathematics whilst Mrs Hokins is a returning Maths/Science teacher.

Curriculum News

Years 7-9: All students in years 7, 8 and 9 are accessing curriculum resources that are in perfect alignment with the Australian curriculum. More specifically, our junior school Maths students are accessing C2C assessments. C2C is a resource created by the education department to help with the implementation of the Australian Curriculum.

Year 10: Our year 10s are now accessing our preparatory courses namely: Essential Maths, General Maths, Mathematical Methods and Specialist Maths. These subjects have been designed to prepare our students for the new Queensland curriculum to be implemented in 2019 starting with our Year 11s (present year 10s).

Years 11-12: The senior students are well settled into their particular subject choices. With 3 weeks of teaching now finished, our students should work on completing a study plan. These plans will ideally guide them to prepare for their upcoming assessments.

SATE: Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance Systems

The Queensland Government is introducing new senior assessment and tertiary entrance systems. The new systems will commence for students who enter Year 11 in 2019. Commencement in 2019 will ensure teachers, students and parents have time to understand and familiarise themselves with the new arrangements. Students and parents will be aware of new senior subjects and assessment arrangements as they plan their senior subjects and pathways.

What are the key changes?

The new systems will include:

• a new senior assessment model that combines school-based assessment developed and marked by classroom teachers, with external assessment set and marked by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA); and
• a move from the current Overall Position (OP) tertiary entrance rank to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), as used by other Australian states and territories.

Please refer to the above website regarding SATE as the document is a very good summary of changes that will occur to our school systems. In preparation for the implementation of SATE at Emerald State High School, our teachers are receiving continuous professional development. Together with this, our school has formed partnerships with schools in the Mackay region. This partnership enables active collaboration that is subject specific and very efficient.

How can I help my child at home?

As busy parents and guardians, it can sometimes be challenging to keep up with our children’s day-to-day school life. Some strategies that may help on a general basis is to have routines in place for our children whereby they do homework, study, reading or other necessary work. Study timetables are a good start. Homework club is also available at our school. Prior arrangements with teachers will ensure students always have Maths help in those times. Number facts, multiplication tables and an awareness of where mathematics appears in real life is a great compliment to what a student learns at school. For example, trying to estimate the cost of items mentally while out shopping on the weekend with parents is a way of “doing” maths in real life. Psychologist Angela Duckworth has done a lot of research concerning the best predictors of success in schools (and beyond). The following link is approximately a 6-minute video of very valuable information! I would strongly encourage everyone to watch this.

I would like to thank you for your continued support and I look forward to a productive 2018.

Nahroon Nazim
Head of Department – Mathematics

From the Head of Department – English

Welcome to the 2018 schooling year. I hope you are well rested and had the opportunity to enjoy a festive Christmas with family and friends. It has been great meeting many of our new students this past fortnight and I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new families, as well as the new staff who have joined our English faculty this year.

F Block Family

We welcome Miss Crystal Brunetto who has just completed her university studies and has joined Year 9 English. She will also be teaching our senior students in Year 11 and 12 English Communication. Mr Riley Niell is also a new member to our school. He will be supporting our Year 11 and 12 English Communication students with literacy and their assessment tasks through additional English support classes. We also welcome back Miss Kate Deighton and Mrs Karen Galea to the English team.

Curriculum News

C2C- All students in years 7-9 will be studying units and completing assessment tasks from C2C. C2C is a digital resource created to implement the Australian Curriculum. Many resources are designed specifically to compliment what we have already been teaching here at Emerald State High School.

SATE- In 2019, our year 11 Board English students will be the first students to experience the change to Queensland’s system of senior assessment. There will be:

• new processes to strengthen the quality and comparability of school-based assessment;
• an external assessment introduced in English, as well as other subject areas; and
• a move away from the Overall Position (OP) rank to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

These changes will improve the validity and reliability of subject assessments and increase confidence in the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). Staff in the English faculty commenced training in 2017 and will continue to upskill and attend professional development in preparation for the change in 2019. Staff will continue to travel to Mackay this year to work collaboratively with the Mackay cluster of schools to develop units of work and assessment tasks. More information regarding SATE will be released throughout the year.

TEEL paragraph writing

Last year, the TEEL paragraph writing structure was introduced across all curriculum areas. This is a whole school literacy focus established to improve paragraph writing. This term we will be specifically targeting punctuation. Below is a copy of the TEEL peer conferencing checklist that is used in class. Students and staff are able to provide timely feedback in response to a writing task.

ESHS Homework Club

Homework Club is a great initiative established by our generous and caring staff to assist students after school. This is an opportunity for students to receive additional help and support each Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 3-4pm in our Resource Centre. Homework Club is helpful and welcoming, so why not go along and check it out?

How can I help my child at home? Helping your child with literacy – Junior Secondary

Literacy is an essential skill that children need to succeed in their everyday lives. As a parent or carer, you will have already made a significant contribution to supporting your child’s learning from an early age. Here are some simple yet effective activities you can do with your child to help them apply the literacy skills they learn at school:

• read some of the same books as your child and talk about characters, storylines and themes;
• when assembling a newly purchased item, ask your child to assist with the reading of the instructions and interpreting diagrams;
• read the newspaper with your child each morning — choose an article to discuss and ask questions such as ‘what is the report telling you?’ and ‘what does this word mean?’;
• use language that encourages thinking and reflection such as ‘do you agree with what was written in that newspaper article or story?’ — have your child locate sources within the story or text to support their point of view; and
• talk about movies you have seen — discuss why a filmmaker may have created a movie in a certain way, the purpose of the film, the intended audience and what points of view or values are conveyed. Talk about language choices and why characters are represented in certain ways.

Helping your child with numeracy – Junior Secondary

Numeracy is an essential skill that children need to succeed in their everyday

lives. As a parent or carer, you will have already made a significant contribution to supporting your child’s learning from an early age.

Here are some simple yet effective activities you can do with your child to help apply the numeracy skills they learn at school:

• use numeracy decision-making opportunities in everyday life, such as a car trip — calculating how much fuel is required, estimating travel times and distance travelled/remaining, interpreting maps to calculate distances and the shortest route to take;
• when out shopping, estimate the final cost of discounted items, for example, the cost of an item with a 25% discount;
• help your child plan and create a budget and discuss how to maintain it — you could focus on saving for a particular item that they would like to purchase;
• when choosing a family holiday destination, ask your child to analyse a brochure or advertisement for the destination — discuss the type of language used in the brochure and get your child to compare or calculate the cost of the holiday, including air, bus or rail fares, petrol, accommodation, food and entertainment to see if it fits within the family budget; and
• play card and board games together.

Helping your child with literacy and numeracy – Senior Secondary

• work with them to develop a timetable to ensure a balance of study and work commitments, home life and social activities;
• look together at numerical information, statistics and data in newspapers and thinking critically about the author’s purpose;
• discuss time-management skills such as planning and setting priorities;
• talk about household bills, such as telephone, electricity and rates — analysing graphs and discuss costs and ways to reduce energy consumption;
• compare the cost and value of various mobile phone plans and providers to find the most economical option based on call costs, calling patterns, your teenager’s phone usage and analysing previous bills;
• discuss why a filmmaker may have created a movie in a certain way — what was the purpose, who was the intended audience and what points of view or values were conveyed? Talk about language choices and why characters are depicted in certain ways;
• help them develop and implement their Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan; and
• encourage them to monitor their progress towards attaining a Queensland Certificate of Education or Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement by checking their online learning account through the Queensland Studies Authority’s Career Information Service website.

For more information about how you can help your child with numeracy and literacy visit the link below.

Assessments and Extensions

Please ensure that you are familiar with our Assessment Policy. Extensions are permitted under special circumstances. Please ask your child to see Mrs Weatherley in F Block if they believe they require an extension. Orange forms need to be completed by the English teacher and parent before an extension is considered. Orange forms are available at the office.

Until next time,

Terri Weatherley
Head of Department – English

Arts News

Our department was sad to say goodbye to Ms Claire Prior who left us at the end of last year. However, we welcome Ms Chloe Prior to our team and are impressed with her efforts in setting up the store and drama room. Ms Royal has been appointed as our regional Creative Arts Generation curator and we would like to congratulate her on this achievement. Ms Felhaber has been awarded with the Young Citizen of the Year in Emerald and we are so proud of her. This term we are fundraising for our Arts Camp in term 2 by doing a Pie Drive. Please have your forms in by no later than week 4. There are lots of exiting events coming further down the track. Be sure to watch this space.

ITC News

BYO Devices

Regardless which subjects your child is doing or even what year level they are, it is a good idea to have your own device. Students will be researching for specific subjects and completing assignments. Here are a few things to consider before you purchase your device:

• Battery Life: Your device should have enough battery life to last a whole school day, generally speaking this means at least 5 hours on a single charge.
• It needs to be able to output through a VGA port to a projector, this may mean on some devices you need to purchase an adaptor if a VGA port is not built in.
• Currently the school BYOD program only supports Microsoft Windows (7 and later) and Mac OSX. There’s No Chrome OS or Linux support at present.

It is recommended that you budget for a carry bag and an external hard drive for backup purposes. Once your child has the device, they need to make sure they have a current account at the school. Students have been updating their passwords during class in the school labs and we have been checking any students that have had their account disabled over the holidays. The first step is to connect their device to the school’s Wi-Fi network. The instructions are can be found when chatting to our Technician Assistant Charles New whose staffroom is B6. He is always happy to talk to anyone who needs assistance.

ICT

Gaming fever has taken over our Junior ICT subjects this term. Both our Year 7 & Year 8 classes are taking quite different challenges of designing and developing games for various audiences. Our year 7 classes have been venturing into Kodu gaming which is a free Graphic Interface Coding System that allows the students to engage with coding on a simpler level without writing lines of code. These students have been successful in making a variety of game styles including capture the flag, racing and battle games.

Our year 8 students have been engaging with Gamemaker, another free game creation software that uses both graphic and physical coding to make various game styles. Our students are challenging themselves to make use of bother coding styles to create games such as mazes and platform games. They have also gone to the lengths of identifying intended audiences an ensuring their games meet the requirements of these audiences.

Instrumental Music News

The Instrumental Music department is in full swing, with a busy start to the year. We have welcomed over 25 new students to the program. Many new students are learning instruments for the first time and are keen and enthusiastic.

The symphonic band has welcomed 15 new members. I am very encouraged by the dedication and enthusiasm of all of the new students, and hope they all have a fun and rewarding time as being members of the music program.

We have a number of students accepted to attend the regional ‘State Honours Ensemble Program’ (SHEP) to be held at Rockhampton in March. I congratulate these students on their achievement in being accepted into the program. I know they will learn plenty at this exceptional program.

There are still vacancies available for any student who would like to learn an instrument. Please come and see Mrs Jones in K Block on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Being in the band is great fun and has many benefits. Believe it or not it is a proven fact that music helps in all other school areas.

Please see this link to ESHS Symphonic Band’s performance with Sara Storer held in October last year at the Capella Cultural Centre. This was an amazing opportunity for our students to work with Sara.

“Remember you don’t have to be smart to learn an instrument but you will be smarter if you do.” Joneda…(famous conductor)

Dana Jones
Senior Instrumental Music Teacher/Band Director

Sports News

Central Highlands and Capricornia Trials in full swing. Thanks to students who have been following the new process of applying for trials. Students are to write their name down on J block staffroom windows, wait for a note in PC Class, return note and payment to office. Swimming carnival has been postponed until Week 10

Important dates

Swimming Carnival – Monday 26 March
Cross Country Carnival – Thursday 29 March

Library News

Textbooks

Last week, students collected their textbooks from the library. When students received their textbooks, there were 2 stickers that they needed to complete:

1. In each textbook, there is a sticker where they record their name.
2. Students were also given a sticker to put in their diary to record which copy of each textbook they have received. Students will bring this sticker back when they return their textbooks for me to sign it off.

This process should reduce problems at the end of the year, as students can be sure that they are returning their copy of a textbook and which items they still need to return. Students need to have paid their SRS fees or begun a payment plan to collect their textbooks. If they didn’t get the textbooks last week, they will need to bring their receipt to the library before school or at lunch time to collect.

Something to check with your child is that they have returned all items that they borrowed in previous years. If your child is unsure whether they have outstanding items, they need to check this at the library. All items will need to be returned so that current students can access them.

Community Events

Emerald Photographic Club is celebrating its 35th Birthday in 2018. To help commemorate this event Emerald Photographic Club is hosting the Photographic Society of Queensland’s Annual Conference from 5th to 7th May 2018. ‘Gems of the Outback’ will be an exceptional event for photographers and creatives throughout the Highlands and beyond. We have in place an outstanding line up of national and international award-winning presenters, who will also conduct workshops and share their extensive knowledge.

STUDENTS CAN WIN A FREE CONFERENCE ENTRY VALUED AT $250

As part of the event, various partners have sponsored the youth of the Central Highlands and are offering high school students invitations to attend ‘Gems of the Outback’ PSQ Conference 2018. The ‘GOTO’ Youth Photography Competition will give entrants the chance to win one complimentary entry to the conference. This competition is for Central Highlands high school students only. Below are the entry requirements and an entry form for any student wishing to participate. This is an exciting opportunity for students to attend a world class event in our own region. For further information please contact emeraldpsq2018@gmail.com or phone 0499 779 946.