30 May 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome to this fortnight’s newsletter. Currently at the school there is much construction going on and this will continue for the next month.

We have the library refurbishment continuing, the P&C 50th Jubilee pavers and sponsors project happening and the air-conditioning replacement program commenced this week. So whilst it will be a little squashed for the next month, the end results will be certainly worthwhile.

Youth mental health is a significant issue for our community and to support this the school has advocated significantly for the placement of a Headspace office in the Emerald Community. I wish to congratulate the significant number of staff who successfully pushed for this to happen in our community. In addition, we are running a Teen Mental Health First Aid Certificate Program this week for our Year 10s to 12s who wish to gain certification in this area. There has been a good uptake of volunteers for this program. Some of our staff are also undertaking the adult version of this training program this week.

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. You can also can download the link from this newsletter and pay directly

Special Mentions

• Special Thank you to Mr Van Hees for his organisation of the NAPLAN implementation program, it was a huge endeavour and went very smoothly.
• Thank you to our Support Works team led by Mrs Fitzgerald who look after the well-being of our students.

“If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.” Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book.

Have an enjoyable weekend.
Ray Clarke
Principal

From the Head of Year 11

At this stage, families of Year 10 and Year 11 students should have received documents from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) via the school regarding the new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) system. We encourage families to look through this information with their student and clarify any questions they may have about this new system by contacting ESHS.

Some other exciting news for Year 11 students is a proposal for Year 11 students to have more responsibility and flexibility in managing their Period 1 and Period 4 timetabled study classes. In the past, Year 11 and 12 students with study classes in Periods 1 or 4 have been permitted to sign in and out of school at alternate times. That is, sign into school after their Period 1 study class and sign out of school before their Period 4 study class. As our current Year 11s are showing more maturity towards their learning and are demonstrating a greater capability for managing their study load, this flexible arrangement is likely to be made available to them soon. We encourage parents and carers of Year 11 students to stay tuned, as more details, including a permission letter, will follow in the coming weeks.

Melinda Prior
Year 11 HOY

From the Deputy – Middle School

Year 9 and 10

Following mid-semester report cards is a good time to reflect on student attainment. In order to help your child here are some questions that may help you help them.

• Are the results what I need in order to pursue my career choice?
• Have I always been ready to learn?
• Have I handed in drafts and acted on my feedback?
• What else could I do to improve? What else? What else?

Teen Mental Health First Aid Training.

Available to years 10, 11 and 12, the students have been learning the teen MHFA ACTION PLAN and mental health as well as information about different types of mental health problems and mental health crisis situations in young people, and the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The course has been specifically designed to be engaging for this age group and participants will receive a copy of the teen MHFA manual to keep as well as a Certificate of Completion.

Thank you to all the students who have nominated for this.

REPORTING

In preparation for end semester reports (which are emailed on the last day of term), please ensure that the office staff have the correct email address stored for you.

A reminder that if you have changed address, email, phone, emergency contacts this needs to be communicated to the office staff. Students can collect a CHANGE OF DETAILS form from the office to take home.

Gaye Saunders
Deputy Principal – Middle Years

Special Education Department News

This term is off to a very busy start with our students working on Mother’s Day items, For Mother’s Day the students worked on their fine motor skills crating mixed media flower bouquets. They twisted coloured wire and added buttons of monochromatic colour scheme to create splashes of colour. Paper flowers were added to skewers and pipe cleaners twisted into swirls to create a contrast.

Students are working hard towards some beautiful charcoal drawing, photography and Lego creations to enter in the local Emerald Show that is in a few weeks’ time. Please take the time to go to the show and see such an amazing exhibit.

In science the students are learning about habitats of different types of animals and building suitable shelters, from this they are making their show entry out of Lego.

Some of our older students will be completing their DTMR Learner Driver Course on June 3rd here at school, if you think your child is eligible please contact Ms Lucht.

In Life Skills classes the students have been busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen in preparation for the show, you will find their entries in Decorated Biscuits, Decorated Cake, Lemon Butter, Fudge and many more delights.

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.

Mothers Day Art

Ann-Jay Sibley
Special Education Teacher

School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships News

Emerald State High School would like to congratulate the following students on their achievements:

Madison Wilson Jodis Salon Cert III Hairdressing

Bonnie Hoger OSHC Cert III Childcare

Alarna Wills
Work Placement/SATS Coordinator

Attendance and Participation

School Contact Information

SOBS

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 Ready to Learn”.

Student of the Week

Week 5

Kat Hunter (7B) for being a polite students and a delight to teach.
Tommy Green (8A) for making positive choices in the classroom and always giving everything a go.
Mariella Reyes (9B) for consistently challenging herself in class and going above and beyond what is required.
Nathan Milham (10E) for demonstration of responsibility, maturity and respect during parade every single week.
Rebecca Renner (11E) for working hard academically and for modelling the school expectations in and out of the classroom.
Jack Van Hees (12D) for displaying initiative with assisting teachers and demonstrating mature behaviour consistently.

Week 6

Hayden Maguire (7E) for being a role model for his peers.
Amity Newland (8A) for always participating in class activities and being a positive member of 8A
Will Challacombe (9F) for his enthusiasm inside and outside of the classroom, he’s always willing to lend a helping hand.
Lauren Roberts (10B) for participating in class to the best of her ability and considering all aspects of study.
Cindy Aquino (11D) for being hardworking, dedicated and punctual and for always striving for excellence.
Alex Wyper (12D) for always being in class and striving to achieve his best.

Emerald State High School 50th Jubilee News

Cheers to Fifty Years Evening - 28th of June 2019

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE VIA :

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