17 May 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome to this fortnight’s newsletter. As we move into autumn and winter we do encounter cool days. I have already advised students to put their orders in for winter jackets and they are very reasonably priced. Speaking of uniform, the P&C has undertaken an exhaustive 18 month review and is recommending changing the girls’ skirt from cotton to tartan. This would be phased in over an extended period. Come along to the next meeting on Tuesday night and have your say.

At this time of the year there are usually a significant number of extra-curricular activities going on. This year is no different, we have the musical rehearsals going hard as they prepare for production early next term. Many students are still trialling to make Capricorn teams to participate in state trials. There are also a significant number of school excursions occurring now and during the next few weeks. On top that we have several short weeks coming in the next month. So my point is that it is important that students focus on their attendance and seek to catch up on work if they have been away. This will assist them to maintain their grades and help them avoid stressing about assessment deadlines.

National testing of year 7 and 9 students (NAPLAN) commences this week from Tuesday to Thursday. Friday is a catch up day. We will be putting on breakfasts for both year levels before school for all 3 days. We wish our students well as the NAPLAN tests do give us an effective gauge on their long term academic progress.

Reminders

• Tickets for the 50 Years Jubilee Event on Friday 28th June are now on sale. To purchase a ticket download the Qkr App, search for Emerald State High School, set up your profile and purchase your ticket.

Special Mentions

• Congratulations to those students who have already gained representation into the Capricorn schools sport teams
• Congratulations to Mr Bahr and all the maths students who competed in the Central Qld Regional Maths competition (one of our teams came second overall) in Rockhampton.

“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.”
Margaret Carty

Have an enjoyable weekend.

Ray Clarke
Principal

From the Head of Year 8

Welcome to winter! As the weather begins to get cooler, students are reminded to ensure they are wearing the correct uniform. Jumpers are expected to be emerald green or black with no logos. Hoodies are not to be worn, they are against uniform policy. Furthermore, labelling your clothing can assist with finding lost property, as students tend to shed their jumpers as the afternoon warms up.

As we are nearing the middle of the term, assessment will start to roll in. Students are encouraged to work diligently to hand in drafts and assessment tasks on time. They can be found on their assessment planner. If students are struggling with a subject, homework club is available every Monday and Wednesday from 3pm-4pm. They just need to approach their teacher and ask if they can head over during those times to help.

As the term goes on and everyone starts to get tired, it is essential that students continue to follow the 3 Ps at school. Students are required to be polite, prepared and to participate. If everyone follows these rules, the rest of the term will run very smoothly. There will be a mixed netball comp starting in the next couple of weeks during lunch. Students are encouraged to keep an ear out for that and participate in this.

In closing, I’d just like to leave a few sentences from Thomas Edison: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Kate Deighton
Year 8 HOY

From the Guidance Officer

Due to news coverage and social media, it is impossible to ignore disasters and tragedy in our global community. The following are selected tips from the Australian Psychological Society (APS) that may help us to respond constructively to disaster, tragedy or injustice.

• Talk about the issues that the event raises. By talking to each other, we can come to recognise and acknowledge the very real, appropriate and adaptive concerns that we have about violence and injustice.
• Challenge stereotyping, narrow analyses of the problem, disaster or crisis, and blaming of whole groups for the actions of few.
• Talk about how to treat others and share values about what sort of a society you want to have.
• Promote understanding of people from different groups.
• Discuss the importance of encouraging peace and non-violence at all levels of society.
• Find ways of helping more and showing acts of kindness to others in your community or in other parts of the world.
• Show increased appreciation for relationships and loved ones.
• Stand up for and speak up for others who you see being bullied or targeted.
• Remind yourself and others of the goodness of people. The world is largely a safe place, people are usually good, and life is worth living.

Visit the link below for more information about disaster recovery resources from the APS.

Valda Fitsgerald
Guidance Officer

Languages Department News

Studying Japanese is not just about learning a language; it is also about understanding and appreciating other cultures and ways of life. While giving students the ability to look at, and understand the world from different perspectives.

The Year Sevens spent term 1, learning basic introductions and learned how to introduce themselves. They also reflected upon and communicated the things in their life that were most important to them – things like family, sports, pets and hobbies. This term they are learning about Japan’s geography, landmarks and traditional culture. With this, they will learn to talk about the places they would like to travel to and find interesting.

Year Eight are reflecting upon and discussing all about friendships, by looking at what qualities people look for in a friend, how people make friends, and what sort of cultural aspects are important to consider when making friends. This will culminate in students writing advice about making friends in Japan. Because this is a writing task all students will benefit from practice their hiragana in during their study time.

This is the first year in a couple that we have a Year 9 class, which is great news. The class has been excellent so far this year and we are very happy with their progress. The difficulty of language increases quite dramatically between Year 8 and 9 but the students have risen to the challenge, which is wonderful. Last term they wrote biographies about famous personalities that they admired from Olivia Newton-John, Mark Zuckerberg, to YouTube Vlog stars. This term they are learning about social issues that affect young people like, Bullying, mobile phone use, social media, and some other issues unique to Japan. By the end of term, they will create a presentation in Japanese, raising awareness about a social issue of their choice.

Study tip: being an effective learner in Japanese is about consistency not quantity! All students will benefit studying from just ten minutes a few times a week. Even doing this will see students language retention greatly improve. Quizlet.com is a very useful tool for practicing vocabulary – If your child creates an account, they can be added to my virtual classroom.

Riley Neill
Japanese Teacher

Arts Department News

The Arts Department has had an awesome start to the year, busy working towards our upcoming production of, High School Musical. This will be held at Emerald State High School, on Thursday 1st, Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd August 2019 (Term 3, Week 3). Please save this date, as we would love to have as many people there supporting our cast and cheering us on. There will be more information regarding our upcoming production very soon. Watch this space.

The musical staff and students have been busy holding numerous after school, lunchtime and weekend rehearsals. We will also be having two holiday rehearsals, Sunday 30th June & Monday 1st July. The cast have been working extremely hard and are very enthusiastic and excited to see all the hard work pay off. We have been sourcing back stage crew and have been busy creating sets, props and costumes.

We have also been holding some awesome fundraisers to raise money for the upcoming production. We held a pie drive, which was incredibly overwhelming with the support we received from this fundraising event. We are also hosting a Trivia Night this Friday night. It starts at 6:30pm and we would love to see you all there. It will be $10 per person with a maximum of 10 people per team. It is going to be musical themed, so please come dressed as your favourite musical character and bring decorations to bedazzle your tables. There will be prizes for best dressed person and best decorated table. There will also be a multi-draw with some great prizes up for grabs on the night.

We are really looking forward to this jam-packed night full of trivia and laughs. We look forward to seeing you all there to support our hard working cast.

Chloe Prior
Drama Teacher

From the Sportsmaster

RESULTS FROM THE 2019 EMERALD STATE HIGH SCHOOL CARNIVAL

AGE CHAMPIONS

12 YRS GIRLS

12 YRS BOYS

13 YRS GIRLS

13 YRS BOYS

14 YRS GIRLS

14 YRS BOYS

15 YRS GIRLS

15 YRS BOYS

16 YRS GIRLS

16 YRS BOYS

17 YRS GIRLS

17 YRS BOYS

13-19 YRS MULTICLASS

STUDENTS ATTENTING CAPRICORNIA TRIALS

CROSS COUNTRY – 13 YRS

Regan Bryson
Toby Rugendyke

CROSS COUNTRY – 14 YRS

Tommy Green

CROSS COUNTRY – 15 YRS

Jaxon Rugendyke

RUGBY UNION – 15 YRS

Alenna Whipp
Jaidyn Cody

BASKETBALL – 15 YRS

Mohamad Al A Hassan
Blake Shields
Mitchell Brewer
Daley Catip
Tamsyn Bock
Claire Reinke
Mia Day

UPCOMING TRIALS NOMINATION DUE DATE.

GIRLS 11-12 YRS RUGBY LEAGUE - Due 23/5
GIRLS 10-12 YRS CRICKET - Due 20/6
GIRLS 13-15 YRS CRICKET - Due 20/6
BOYS 10-12 YRS CRICKET - Due 20/6
BOYS 13-15* YRS CRICKET - Due 20/6
Sign up at J Block Staffroom :)

Tim Deffner
Sportsmaster

Year 10 Modern History Camp

This past week, the year 10 Modern History class visited Townsville as a part of their World War Two studies. 18 students made the journey north in order to visit a number of museums and important historical sites which played a key role in Australia’s efforts during the Second World War. Due to the recent flooding, the trip was delayed a few weeks and thankfully the weather this year was beautiful as students walked around Kissing Point and boardwalk before exploring both the Army and RAAF museums. One of the more unique stops on the tour is an unassuming residential house which was pivotal to the war effort and code breaking. It wasn’t all work though, with an afternoon exploring the Strand and then laser tag to wrap up the camp. Thanks to Mr Neill whose culinary skill was much appreciated during the camp. The school has such a good reputation due to the students who have attended the last two years that they are planning our return next year.

Leanne Ross
History Teacher

Emerald State High School Garden of Memorial Pillars

Thanks to the generous support of the community and a DVA grant, Emerald SHS has a lasting memorial to the efforts of past Australians and students who have gone to war. Including one ex-student who gave his all in the more recent Afghanistan conflict.

That to the financial support from the Central Highlands Regional Council and Member for Gregory, Lachlan Millar, our school was able to add to the funds from a DVA grant to build a collection of 13 metal pillars that display the names of important conflicts Australians have fought in. The project would not have been possible though without the support of local companies including Coates Hire and A1 Panel and Paint who, despite the short time frame, ensured the plates would be coated in time, ensuring their longevity. Mitre 10 was also incredibly generous donating all the plants and cement needed to finish the task. The success of the project was thanks to Brennan’s Welding who cut each of the plates and worked in ensuring the impact of the design. Without the support of these companies and donations, as well as the volunteers from the P&C, the project would not have been possible.

The school poignantly dedicated the memorial on the 24th April to the memory of ex-student and Commando Lance Corporal Jason Marks, who attended the school in 1996 for year 10 before moving to Capella High for his senior years. He lost his life fighting in Afghanistan in 2008, after also seeing service in East Timor. Andy Plunkett, who had taught him, gave an emotional account of his life after the school’s Anzac Service at the dedication of the new memorial.

As the ground cover and hedge grows, the memorial will become a lasting and fitting memorial to the service of Australian service men and women and a stark reminder as to the extent Australians have been engaged in international conflicts since the 1850s.

Leanne Ross
History Teacher

Attendance and Participation

Finance

Term 2 Payment Fees are due now.
Reminder if you are on a payment plan please make your next payment.
Subjects chosen in Term 1 have been invoiced can you please pay these as soon possible.
Thank you to all the Families who have made payments to date.

School Contact Information

SOBS

Over the holidays the SOBS link for parents access has changed.

The URL to access SOBS as a parent is now:

From the Positive Behaviour for Learning Team

Behaviour Focus

Our current behaviour focus is “Be a Resilient and an Independent Learner”.

Student of the Week

Week 3

Prince Bustillio (7D) for always working to the best of his ability.
Lawson Walters (8E) for consistently participating in class and always trying his best.
Ethan Edwards (9C) for always participating in classroom discussions and giving his best effort in every activity.
Jordan Watson (10C) for working consistently in class and demonstrating the 3 P’s.
Michael Juett (11C) for consistently showing the 3Ps in and out of the classroom.
Hayley Cavanagh (12D) for always being personable and being a great role model for all students.

Week 4

Haylee Symons (7F) for being kind, caring and considerate to other students.
Amelia Smith (8E) for always trying her best in all class activities.
Kiarra Bennett (9E) for coming to class with a positive attitude and participating to the best of her ability. Great work!
Amelia Ruthven (10B) for excellent effort and consistent high achievement in all subjects.
Dalton Bean (11A) for consistently showing the 3Ps in and out of the classroom.
Piper Rodda (12D) for representing the school with pride and by displaying a will to learn.

Emerald State High School 50th Jubilee News

Cheers to Fifty Years Evening - 28th of June 2019

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE VIA:LINK BELOW:

To celebrate 50 years of education, past staff and students are invited to our gala dinner. Ticket includes a night of entertainment, welcome drink, a variety of grazing platter canapes, roving mini-mains and a delicate dessert buffet. Full bar will be operating. Tables and chairs will be available, however no set seating plan will allow for mingling and reconnecting with friends. Dress code is semi-formal. 18+ only.

Community Notices