10 May 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Welcome to this week’s newsletter. With the arrival of term 2 this year has come the Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance (SATE) planned changes for 2019. Our school staff have spent a considerable amount of time and effort planning for these changes. It is important that all parents have some understanding of these significant changes in the senior subjects.

When I completed Year 12 we had external examinations and received a senior certificate as well as a TE score if you wished to attend university. By 1990 the system changed and Queensland stopped external examinations and commenced using OP scores for students who wanted to go to university. It also introduced the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) for senior students to achieve upon exit.

Now Queensland is changing to align with the other states, and will offer an ATAR score for students who want to go to university. Instead of having internal assessment, these students will have their final assessments as external examinations. There will be no more Core Skills Tests and OP scores. After their external examinations, student who wish to apply for university will receive an ATAR score. For all Year 12s, the QLD Certificate of Education (CQE) will remain as the major certification for successful completion of year 11 and 12 studies.

Our school will continue to hold SATE workshops and information session for parents throughout the coming year as part of our parent and community engagement program.

Mindfulness training at ESHS – 19th May

Sharn Rocco will be running a one day retreat on mindfulness, all day at Emerald SHS on the 19th of May. More details are posted on Facebook. The training is free for students and parents however outsiders will have to pay a cover charge of $50.00. Follow the link below to find out more about the day:

Spirit Week and Emerald Shines.

Well Zircon came out on top at the end of Emerald Shines but what a fantastic week! Great dance and fun games every break throughout the week, scoring house points and then Emerald Shines Evening. It was a great evening where students and staff demonstrated their talents, sang, danced, told jokes and had good old-fashioned fun.

Special Mentions

• Congratulations for students who gained Capricornia representation to compete in the state titles. We wish you all the best
• Special thankyou to all the teachers who are coaching teams this year, they keep sport strong in the Emerald area.
• Huge thank you to your P&C president, Renee who mulched and created a new garden in front of the library this weekend.
• Mr Sanson who initiated and lead the Emerald Shines Week along with Ms Fehlabher, Mrs Jones, Mr Tyack, the Arts Department staff , the Home Economics Department, F Block staff, and all the staff who contributed to this wonderful night.
• To our senior leaders who all starred at Emerald Shines and conducted games throughout the week. Well done guys!
• Congratulations to Beau Ingram & Kynan Shields on winning youth passes to the Gems of the Outback Photographic Conference on the weekend! Thank-you to Emerald Photographic Club & your sponsors for providing our students with this wonderful opportunity. Congratulations to Beau Ingram & Jordan Spargo for speaking at the photographic conference in front of over 100 people! Well done!

““Every child is an artist until he's told he's not an artist.” ~John Lennon, 1969 interview

Have a great weekend,

Ray

Ray Clarke
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Middle School

NAPLAN 2018

Week 5 – plan for NAPLAN for years 7 and 9.

The hot breakfast will be cooked by the Senior Leaders and Heads of Year. There is no charge for this. Bacon, eggs, sausages, bread, juice will be provided. Students who miss an exam due to illness, will catch-up on Wednesday per 2 in AV01, Thursday per 2 in AV01 and Friday period 1 & 2 AV01. Students who have been exempt or withdrawn by parents by completing the necessary paperwork, will be required to go to AV01 during the lessons that NAPLAN tests are running. Any parents yet to complete this need to have this to the school by Monday 14 May, 2018. For any more information or clarification, please contact either Mr Ben Van Hees (bvanh2@eq.edu.au) or Mrs Gaye Saunders (gsaun25@eq.edu.au) Preparation for this at home is making sure your child has 2B or HB pencils, a sharpener, an eraser and a calculator.

Thank you,

Gaye Saunders
Deputy Principal – Middle School

Year 8 News

Shines, held last week, was a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their talents. I was delighted to see so many of our Year 8 students participating in Shines by performing or attending in support of their peers. As you are aware, participation is one of our positive behaviour goals and student participation in Shines is another example of how we create a positive environment for our students to be a part of within the school community.

As the colder weather creeps in, students are reminded to ensure they are wearing the correct uniform, particularly jumpers and long pants. The uniform shop has recently received new uniforms in a variety of sizes.

To be prepared, students should have a pen, pencil and book for each subject. It is disappointing that a number of students attend class, without these items. Your assistance in ensuring students are prepared for class is greatly appreciated. Being prepared ensures greater participation and less distractions during class time.

We are focused on encouraging our students to be polite, to use their kind words and be more considerate of how they treat others. On the whole, this is improving, with some Year 8 students reporting positive stories of their peers supporting one another. Students have been informed that inappropriate behaviour should be reported to Ms Gibson (HOY 8) or Mr Van Hees (Junior Deputy Principal). Ms Fitzgerald (Guidance officer) is also a support person who is able to assist students if they are experiencing difficulties. It is important that students feel part of a positive school community and we endeavour to foster that amongst our students.

Students are reminded to continue to use their diaries and assessment calendar to ensure they are submitting their best work when it is due. Year 8 English students have recently finished their short story unit and should have submitted a final copy to their teacher. Your assistance in checking your child is working on assessment and submitting work on time is appreciated.

Mia Gibson
Head of Year 8

From the Head of Department – Humanities & Honours Program

It has been a busy start to term two with ANZAC Day and the official opening of our history museum in the library. A huge thanks needs to go to Mrs Leanne Ross and her merry band of helpers from her history class who have been working tireless to catalogue the display. The cabinets housing the many, many artefacts were purchased from a DVA grant won by the Honours year 9 students for the “best use of technology”.

Junior Secondary

Our year 7 Geography students will be attending a local field trip in week four. 7F will be on excursion on Wednesday the 9th May, 7E is on excursion on Thursday the 10th of May and our 7D class will attend on 11th of May. Whilst on excursion the students will evaluate the liveability of Emerald with particular focus on Egerton St and the Capricorn Highway. Students will also get to do a tour of the Council Building and will have a follow up visit with a member of the council in week 5 with a question and answer session in class.

Senior Secondary

Our senior humanities students participate in a variety of assessment techniques and it is important that they are constantly reviewing work covered in class to ensure they understand the content and skills being covered in class. When completing reports and essays it is vitally important that the students hand in full drafts to gain feedback from their teachers and then implement this feedback in their good copy. Much of this requires good time management skills. I encourage all students to have a study plan especially during busy periods of the term.

Regards,

Kaz Van Hees
Head of Department – Humanities & Honours Program

From the Head of Department – English

I hope that you all enjoyed the break away and had a wonderful Easter holiday. I am envisaging that this term will be another very busy yet productive one. We have a number of short weeks due to public holidays so it is vitally important that our students are attending school every day. Our parent teacher interviews were held last week and students should have all received their interim reports before the holidays. Please contact the office if you have not received one. Students in years 7 and 9 will be participating in NAPLAN testing in week 5. This will occur on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Junior Secondary

Reading

Have your children been reading at home this week? Students across years 7-9 are now expected to read 3-4 times per week as part of their homework. Research clearly shows that there are numerous benefits if children read every day.

This term we are focussing on how to infer or make inferences. Teachers will be using the ‘think aloud’ strategy and explicit instruction to model how to answer questions that require students to use information from the text and their own knowledge. We will continue to focus on this strategy for the remainder of the term.

Students in years 7-9 will continue to use the Literacy Box kits to reinforce their reading comprehension skills, vocabulary and grammar. Some students have been using the SRA kits to challenge their reading and comprehension skills.

Homework Sheets

Students in years 7 and 9 will have received additional homework sheets last week that target improving reading comprehension, spelling and grammar. Please ensure that your child is spending the time to do this with accuracy. Classroom teachers will be collecting these sheets and monitoring student progress.

Senior Secondary

Drafting and Feedback

All students have now received an interim report card which indicates their level of achievement, effort and behaviour throughout Term 1. A number of students in Senior English, whether it be English Communication or Board English, did not receive satisfactory results for their English subject.

After several discussions with teachers and students, two clear factors were identified.

1. Minimal evidence in the drafting stage and not acting on the feedback given from teachers.
   Drafting is a vital part of the assessment and feedback process. All assignments have a draft date. Drafting is a process to provide students with feedback on their assessment piece and provide you (parents/carers) with feedback. Teachers also use drafting to ensure that they have a tentative result for students, well before the due date.
   One of the most critical parts of the learning process is feedback. Feedback is systematic, specific and aimed at showing students how to improve. It is important that feedback is acted upon as it gives the student specific recommendations as to what needs to be improved or if more evidence or analysis is required to enhance their assessment task. Feedback is often written after the draft has been submitted and then handed back to the student. Feedback can also be a discussion as to what the student needs to add to their assessment task.
2. Preparation – being prepared and organised is major contributor towards being a successful learner. It is vital that all students use their diary or have a study plan to organise their time effectively. Class time is also valuable and to have success, students need to participate and use this time efficiently. Teachers plan lessons that demonstrate the content and skills required for each assessment task. If students are unclear about their task then it is essential that they seek help and ask for clarification.
   Student absence is also a huge contributor in students not being prepared to complete their draft or assessment piece. Please ensure that your child/children speaks to their teacher to find out if they have missed a vital piece of teaching in regard to their assessment task.

Communication at home

As parents/carers, it is important that we have discussions with our child/children so that we are aware of what they are doing at school. Some of the questions that you may like to ask this term may include:

Before Draft Date:

• What is your assessment task this term in English?
• What are you learning in English? What is your topic?
• When is your draft due?
• Can I see your draft?
• Does your draft meet the required word limit that is on your task sheet?

After Draft Submission:

• Can I read your feedback?
• What advice has your teacher given you to improve your assessment task?
• How have you changed or improved your assessment task before you submit your final piece?
• What feedback did you receive on your final assessment piece?

In my role as Head of Department, I will continue to monitor students and have conversations regarding drafting and using feedback effectively with all senior students throughout the term. I too will be asking students some of the questions provided above. I would encourage all parents/carers to ask your children about their assessment tasks and when their drafts are due. I would also like to ask you to read the feedback that our teachers spend many hours providing your child/children so that they can enhance their assessment tasks and enable students to have a greater chance of success.

Until next time,
Regards,

Terri Weatherley
Head of Department – English

Head of Department News – Vocational Education & Training

All students in years 10, 11 and 12 must have a USI (Unique Student Identifier) number provided to the school. A USI is effectively an account that assigns students with a unique identifier which will track all of an individual’s VET training records that will stay with the student for life. Students should note that they will be unable to undertake a VET qualification without a USI, so it is critical that they register for one as a matter of urgency. Please remember that we cannot issue certificates and statements of attainment for students without USIs and that will affect QCE and student records if they transfer. I have attached a USI information sheet for your information. If you have difficulties registering for a USI please see Mrs Carter or Mrs Wills in the library staffroom.

There are a few important date claimers for Term 2. On Monday 14th May we are holding a Futures Expo in the UCA during P3 and Second Break (12:05pm – 1:45pm). This event brings a variety of career representatives along with tertiary institutions together and students have the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable insight in a variety of fields. Parents are welcome to attend this informative event.

In week 9 of this term (11th – 15th June) our year 10 students will undertake work experience as the 2nd block of their Certificate II Workplace Practices course. 80hrs of work experience is not only a requirement for the course but provides students with a taste of different careers. Please ensure your student has returned the necessary paperwork to Mrs Wills in the library staffroom.

As the time is drawing closer for year 10 students to choose their senior subjects, it is important for students to be considering their future careers. The Australian Government has produced a booklet “Parents Talking Career Choices”. The booklet gives parents helpful hints in guiding your child through career development.

If you require any further information regarding what has been discussed, please do not hesitate to contact me through my email: acart163@eq.edu.au or phone: 4988 2222.

Kind regards,

Annette Carter
Head of Department – Vocational Education & Training (Acting)

Robotics News

This term, the Robotics classes in Years 8 and 9 are learning fundamental skills in coding through the use of the Mindstorms programming language. The students have been building a range of robots each lesson to solve a problem that would be encountered by the Mars Curiosity Rover. So far, the robots have been saved from certain destruction by not falling off precipices, avoiding obstacles in their path and negotiating a range of slopes, all while prospecting for precious minerals. The students will be designing and constructing a robot that moves without the use of wheels or tracks, as well as building a robotic claw. The students are preparing to attend the regional Robocup Junior challenge in Rockhampton early in Term 3.

Arts News

Term Two has seen our Arts students hit the ground running. All students have been diving head first into their theory and practical assessments. Senior Visual Arts students have just submitted their first making assessment for the year, creating some very high calibre work.

Many of our Arts students performed and assisted in the recent SHINES evert co-ordinated by the SRC, Mr Sanson and Mr Tyack. It was a great night that allowed many of our students to Shine!

Our 2018 Arts Camp to Brisbane is coming up quickly. This camp will see Arts students experiencing a variety of Arts subjects in real world contexts including University tours, The Gallery of Modern Art, QPAC, Ballet and Southbank Cinema.

Please see the following important dates around this:

• Final payment of $180 is due Friday 11th of May.
• All paper work to be handed to Ms Wilcox by the 11th of May.
• Camp will be from the 1st – 3rd of June.

If you have any questions or concerns about these please make sure you contact the office. Make sure you keep an eye out on the school Facebook page for more information around The Arts Department’s upcoming events.

Guidance News

Helping students deal with test stress

As NAPLAN testing is next week, 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 may 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” or “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 aloud 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 practices

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.

General information from Support Works

A warm welcome to our additional School Chaplain Colin Hercott who is working four days per week with the school Support Works Team this term. For two of those days he is replacing Chaplain Ross Grierson who is on long service leave enjoying a well- deserved holiday. Next term both Chaplains will work two days each at Emerald State High School. Colin is looking forward to getting to know our school community and has been in Emerald since last September having moved with his family from Hobart.

Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC)

QTAC is at Emerald State High School on Monday the 14th May for students in Year 12, Year 10 and their parents. Our school has organised for a QTAC representative to visit to talk to students and parents about tertiary admissions in Queensland. There will be two sessions held at the library:

• Monday 14th May 2:00pm-3:00pm (Year 12)
  A session dedicated for current Year 12 students and parents about how to make the best of a QTAC application. All you need to know about applying for tertiary study in Queensland!
• Monday 14th May 3:30pm-4:30pm (Year 10)
  This session focuses on ATAR 2020 and the changes coming to Queensland schools. We strongly encourage Year 10 students, parents and teachers to attend this session.

Sports News

Nominations

Students are reminded to keep listening to notices for representative sports trials announcements and come to J Block Staffroom to register and receive notes. A reminder that we are under tight deadline schedules for nominations and are not permitted late nominations.

Athletics Carnival

Athletics Carnival is on Thursday Week 6, 31 May.

Representative Sport Achievements

We have seen many great achievements in the sporting sector of our school. So far the following students have been successful in becoming selected in representative teams.

Emerald Representatives

Cross Country: Nat Mackay, Tegan Sprought, & Patrick Whipp.
Netball: Jessie Bridgeman, Samantha Dudman, Madison Powell, Ava Thiemann, Gabi Williams, & Andrea Yates.
Rugby League: Hayden Mann, Declan O’Sullivan, Hayden Walsh, Patty Whipp, & Kane Witkowski.
Rugby Union: Jacob Job, Hayden Mann, Declan O’Sullivan, Hayden Walsh, & Patrick Whipp.
Touch Football: Caitlin Edwards & Hayden Walsh.

Central Highlands Representatives

Basketball: Clay Catip, Cody Donnelly, Callahan Howard, Angus Rayner, & William Shaw.
Cross Country: Ethan Edwards, Lacey Flynn, Macayla Grigg, Riley James, Nat Mackay, Ashlee McDonall, Bella Wass, & Jett Williams.
Football: Jason Lilje.
Netball: Jessie Bridgeman, Taylah Chant, Zoe-Jayne Cilliers, Samantha Dudman, Celine Eri, Claudia Firth, Teisaki Lohia, Charli Ryan, Darci Ryan, Jordan Spargo, & Ava Thiemann.
Rugby League: Blake Anders, Rohan Mann, Declan O’Sullivan, & Coby Williamson.
Rugby Union: Paxton Hayes, Jacob Job, Hayden Mann, Rohan Mann, Braydon O’Sullivan, Declan O’Sullivan, Patrick Whipp.
Squash: Ryan Spargo.
Touch Football: Blake Anders, Shannon Bean, Harrison Bray, Caitlin Edwards, Rohan Mann, Dekoda McGhee, Nick Parker, & Andrew Van Zanden.

Capricornia Representatives

Squash: Ryan Spargo.
Swimming: Tegan Sprought.

Tim Deffner
Sports Co-ordinator

Library News

ICAS

Students are now able to collect information letters from Mrs Galea about this year’s Spelling and Writing ICAS tests. The ICAS tests are created by University of NSW and test various areas with a subject to give students personalised feedback on how they are achieving in the subject. Each of these will only take students 1 lesson to complete and they will receive a certificate and explanation of their results. Below are the dates and costs involved.

From Central Highlands Regional Council Library

At CHRC Libraries we have access to a free app called BorrowBox which can be downloaded to a device or used online. BorrowBox is available to all library users and has a huge selection of both audiobooks and eBooks available for customers. There are a large selection of children’s, teen, and adult books, as well as, non-fiction offerings. If there is something specific that you would like to read/listen to, library staff can place a request for that item through Bolinda Digital. All you need to be able to use BorrowBox is a current CHRC library membership.

Another app that Library users can access is Press Reader which provides access to newspapers and magazines world-wide. Press Reader can be accessed from most tablets and smartphones.

For community members who are researching specific topics we recommend joining State Libraries Qld through their online membership. SLQ members can access online resources, as well as request books be sent out to them.

National Library of Australia also offers a number of e-resources which are particularly useful for those conducting research. Memberships can be applied for online -

I hope this information has been of use to your school. At the library we are keen to share our resources with as many people as possible within our region.

instrumental Music News

Our Instrumental Music Program is continuing to thrive with a number of performances already. Students have been involved in the following:

• Band Open Rehearsal (Symphonic Band and Jazz Band)
• Senior Leader Induction Day (Symphonic Band)
• Meet the Teachers Information Evening (Small Ensemble)
• Anzac Day Ceremony (Symphonic Band)
• SHEP Middle School (Lawson Ryan, Savannah Bruton, Eve Agius, Declan O’Sullivan)
• Central Highlands Baton Relay Street Party (Jazz Band)
• Emerald Shines (Jazz Band)

Students are very excited to be heading off on our annual Band Camp 10-13 May to be held at Yeppoon PCYC. Our 44 Symphonic Band students will be workshopping with visiting clinicians and conductors. Many hours of rehearsals are planned. I am very excited to see the improvement in our band at the conclusion of camp.

Upcoming events on our calendar include:

Eisteddfod nominations are now OPEN. Please see Mrs Jones or Miss Fehlhaber in K Block to nominate.

Dana Jones
Band Director

Community Events

St Patrick’s Catholic Church Sacrament Dates

Confirmation – Information Session, 30th May at 3.30pm or 6pm
First Holy Communion – Information Session, 3.30pm or 6pm
For more information contact Mrs Francie Hartley, 49821066 or stpatsem@bigpond.com

Emerald State High School turns 50 in 2019 and we want your help!

The jubilee committee have commenced work on a book of memories from the last 50 years. We would like to invite you to submit your recollections for possible inclusion in the book. We are calling on past and present administration, teachers, teacher-aides, ancillary staff, tuckshop volunteers, bus drivers, P&C members, students and parents to contribute their memories. The first cut-off date for submission swill be Friday the 21st of September 2018. Contributions don’t have to be long, perfectly written or correctly spelt. All contributions will be subject to editing to fit into required spaces and we can’t guarantee inclusion of each and every item. Photos are also very welcome. Scanned and sent by email is preferred but please let us know if we can help you in this process. Please also include the year/s you were present and any names and former names of individuals in your memories/articles. We may also be putting together a short video presentation so please let us know if you have video footage. Please don’t hesitate to contact me by phone or email, if you would like further information or guidance.

Yours sincerely,

Samantha Elsden
Jubilee Secretary
emeraldshsjubilee@gmail.com