17 June 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome to this fortnight’s newsletter. We are now in the busy time of the year. Year 12 s commenced their exam block on Friday and we still have some excursions (Stem Girls Years 9 & 10 and Readers’ Cup) running this week. Our library is close to finished and will be ready for the Jubilee and the air-conditioning project is well underway. A giant thankyou to our P&C who are doing grounds work most weekends now.

Our staff are working hard now implementing the new Year 11 Curriculum and planning for the 2020 Year 12 curriculum. So please be patient if they are a little behind with regular communications. Thankyou in anticipation.

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 our P&C group led by Renee Firth for all their efforts at ESHS.
• Special Thankyou and congratulations to Samantha Elsden for her massive commitment to the 50th Jubilee on 29th June.

Is your child getting the flu?

The signs and symptoms of influenza in children could include a sore throat, fever, chills, headache, stomach and body aches, feeling tired, coughing, a runny nose, no appetite, or diarrhoea. If your child is ill, parents and carers are reminded to keep them at home and contact the school to let us know. If you have any concerns about your child’s health, please seek medical advice.

Enter the Farm Safety Calendar drawing competition before 28 June for a chance to win a $250 voucher and $500 for your school. 12 winning drawings will be published in the 2020 calendar at the below.

“Pay with compliments and you willalways be wealthy” - Mike Dolan

Have an enjoyable week.
Ray Clarke
Principal

From the Head of Year 9

A big hello to all year 9 parents, caregivers and guardians!

We are at that time of term again where our year 9 students are gearing up for their assessment and exams before they go on the June/ July holidays. Students need to ensure that they are still keeping up with their studies showing participation by completing assessment and class work required, being prepared with all equipment that they need and submitting assessment on time as well as being polite as we all become tried and drained by the end of term!

As we are moving into the winter month’s students need to ensure that they are keeping themselves warm while also following the uniform policy. Next term there will be the introduction of a new uniform process that all students need to adhere to school uniform expectations. To be prepared for this please guarantee that your student has a school approved jumper. These jumpers are either the school jumper- available for purchase through the uniform room (new stock has arrived with a fleece lining) or a plain black jumper without the hood- you can find these at Big W or Peter Taylor’s in town. The new process will begin in Term3, please keep an eye out in the newsletter, Facebook and out website as these details comes through.

I am sure we will see some great work come out of the year 9 cohort this year and look forward to seeing what they produce!

Caitlin Ross
Year 9 HOY

From the Head of Department - English

As we reach the end of Semester 1, things are very busy in the English department. We should have all assessment finalised by the end of week 8. Please check in with your children to see how they are progressing with assessment. Another set of eyes to check over there work is always helpful.

If your child is one of the lucky ones that has already completed their assessment for this term, we encourage them to use their homework time to read. Research tells us that the act of reading has the following advantages for us:

1. Reading allows us to experience more sensations
2. It makes us more empathetic
3. Books provide plenty of mental stimulation
4. We become less stressed
5. It can improve our memory
6. It can dramatically improve our vocabulary as we access more and more words

As we collect our semester results, I will be contacting home to chat about subject choices. We want all of our students to do their very best, and sometimes this means changing subjects. From Year 10 we offer two English subjects- General English and Essential English. These subjects replace English and English Communication completely in 2020, but have started for our Year 10 and 11 cohorts. The main difference with the new subjects is that Essential English can be the English requirement for some university courses, unlike English Communication. For exact information on this, it is important that students book time in with our Guidance Officer.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks,
Gabby Hunt
Head of Department- English

From the Head of Department - HPE

A quick reminder from all the sport teachers: even though it is cooler now, all students still need to have a hat and a water bottle for practical classes. Please ensure that your student has these for their classes. If your student is unable to participate in sport, please ensure you have contacted the school (note with the student, email or a phone call) to inform their teacher of the situation.

School Representative Sport

This term we travelled to Blackwater with three girls rugby league teams to play in the Karen Murphy cup competition. All the girls played well and gave it 100% of their effort on the day. It was a great display on commitment and team spirit. Unfortunately we didn’t come away with a win at the end of the day but was a great learning experience for all players. Netball and touch teams are starting to train for Vicki Wilson cup and All Schools Touch tournaments later this year. We wish them all the best.

CH Representative Sport

Let me begin by saying congratulations to all the students that have represented Emerald State High, The Central Highlands and Capricornia this semester. We have had many students achieve great success in a variety of different sports. Congratulations to all the students who have represented the school and region for the first time this semester. All the best to the students who have been selected in teams that play later this year.

All the best for the end of the term and a safe holiday from all the in sports department.

Bek Pillay
HOD HPE

Visual Art News

Last year our 2018 graduate Aimee Maddox was selected as one of the 38 students to be featured in the 2019 Creative Generations Exhibition held in the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. In 2018, over 460 students and 120 schools across Queensland submitted their work for selection. Aimee was 1 of 3 students selected from our region to showcase her work in the 2019 exhibition. The Gallery of Modern Art Describes the exhibition as “The 2019 'Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art' recognises and promotes excellence in visual art education throughout Queensland state and non-state secondary schools. The exhibition showcases senior visual art students’ high degree of sophistication in concepts and diversity of technical competence. This year the outstanding achievements of 38 students are on show.”

As part of the 2019 exhibition, they have developed an interactive online catalogue, which you can view below.

Aimee’s work will be on display until the 25th of August so if you are in Brisbane please go by GOMA and view her impressive video work.

Caitlin Ross
Art Teacher

Early Childhood Studies

It’s been a busy few weeks in the Early Childhood Studies classes. First of all the year 11 and 12 students each hosted a play based learning activity at Emerald’s Barefoot in the Park celebrations at Centenary Park on the 31 May. The students sung, danced and created amazing interactive learning experiences for children aged 0-5. The year 11 and 12 students represented the school in a very positive way.

The year 10 students were invited to assist with Under 8’s day celebrations at Denison State School. The students either shadowed a lower school class around the activities or assisted a staff member to deliver a task.

The students did an exceptional job and interacted professionally and positively with the children.

Angela Gilbert
Early Childhood Studies Teacher

Skills for Work News

Students in our Year 10 Certificate II Skills for Work classes have chosen two career options that they have interest in and have now been streamed into those classes. This means that students have the opportunity to learn about career options, math, and communication in their specialised fields. Mark your diaries for 6th of August as career info day will be coming to the UCA! Students will have the opportunity to speak with industry professionals and gain valuable insight on what it takes to succeed in their career, and maybe explore options that they didn’t even know were possible.

Kaitlin Aubry
Skills For Work Teacher

Junior English News

Recent weeks have seen our Junior English students working at their next round of assessment challenges after having completed the Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN tests. The power of words to heal, to question our place in the world and to entertain us, has been explored, across the three different year levels. A major ‘life-changing-event’, has been the focal point for our Year Seven students as they compose a journal entry with reflective detail and present it orally. Analysing the way that a director can not only tell a story, but also elicit various emotions and challenge us to change the past, has been pivotal to the Year Eights’ study of Phillip Noyce’s film, “Rabbit Proof Fence”. Students responded with an in-class essay choosing one of two themes. Their newfound vocabulary of camera angles, audio effects and imagery, would put them on a par with ‘Margret and David’, for sure. Lastly, digging deeply into their creativity and imagination, Year Nines are carving a path reminiscent of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Stan Lee, making the impossible become possible through words. The world of ‘hybrid sci-fi’, allows students to insert media such as sketches, cartoons, pictures, maps or diagrams at points that elevate reader understanding and enjoyment. Central to all three, year levels’ success in writing is the practice of regular daily reading. This is where parents and carers can help the most to make a difference in a student’s life. A gentle reminder of reading for 15 minutes and taking an interest in what your child has read recently will help to elevate the value of reading and expose them to unlimited words and phrases to expand their vocabulary.

Mrs Hawkins
English Teacher

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 “Keep the school environment safe and clean”.

Student of the Week

Week 7

Isobel Badowski (7C) for consistently being polite in class and completing all set tasks.
Matty Hayne (8B) for always trying to improve his work and learn new skills. He is a delight to teach.
Jason Lilje (9B) for always applying himself to the best of his ability and always following teacher instructions.
Kynan Shields (10F) for always doing his best, being organised, managing his time very well and forward thinking.
Rhys Harrison (11C) for being a delight to teach and for completing all of his work to an exceptional standard.
Rave Greentree (12D) for being an active member and role model of the school community

Week 8

Flynn Carroll (7A) for being prepared for class with necessary equipment.
Eve Agius (8C) for constantly being polite and always being on time, prepared and ready to learn.
Crystal Leo (9C) for always ensuring her work is completed to the best of her ability and being a role model to her peers.
Katelyn Hunter (10F) for putting 100% effort into all classroom and extra-curricular activities.
Kaleb Dale (11A) for genuinely having a go and challenging himself in the classroom.
Alex Murnane (12A) for demonstrating mature behaviour and assisting teachers and peers in extra-curricular activities.

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.

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