28 October 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear friends of Emerald High,

We are rolling rapidly through Term 4 and our Year 12s are now busy completing their External Exams. We wish them all the very best as the complete one of the final phases of their schooling.

Most of our senior school leadership positions for 2021 have now been filled with the rest to be filled shortly. Please join me in congratulating the following fine young people on being our next generation of leaders:

The positions of SRC Secretary and Publicity Officer and House Captains for Sapphire and Zircon and one more for Garnet are yet to be filled.

Our new leaders attended a day of leadership activities at Camp Fairbairn - thank you to Ms Fehlhaber for her work in coordinating this event for them.

'Bookweek' was celebrated last week, with a range of activities occurring to promote the value and joy in reading. Thursday saw the culmination of the event with staff and students dressing up as their favourite book characters. There were dozens of amazing costumes with Harry Potter well represented alongside characters as diverse as dinosaurs and super heroes. Thank you to Kate Hume, Gabby Hunt and Kaz Van Hees for their work in creating this magical event.

Preparation for our musical 'Grease' is well underway with some amazing singing and performing talent on display - this will be a musical to remember!

In the Western 7s touch competition that was held on Saturday 17 October, our students excelled with some amazing results. Hady Whittaker was named player of the tournament in U13 Girls and Shannon Bean named player of the tournament in U15 Girls. Both the U13 Girls and U15 Girls teams were undefeated champions and the U15 Boys side was placed third. This was a great outcome in a great tournament. Thank you to Maggie Pembroke and all of the staff who coordinated our participation in this event.

Many of our Art students have some of their terrific art work on display at the Emerald Art Galley as part of the 'Creating the Future' Art exhibition. The display will remain open until 17 November and is well worth a look to catch a glimpse of the artistic talent of our students. Thank you to Amy Cochrane and Lucy Ferrara for their work in leading this opportunity for our students.

We have so much academic, cultural and sporting talent in our school!!

This Friday we celebrate "World Teachers' Day" - a day to acknowledge the sensational work that teachers do in our community to support our young people as they start on life's journey. We have an amazingly dedicated and professional teaching team at Emerald High who regularly go above and beyond to help our students to achieve. Thank you teachers for all that you do!

'Day for Daniel' is also on this Friday, a day on which we remember the importance of child safety in our community. Students are invited to wear an item of red with their school uniforms on that day.

Next year we are making some minor adjustments to the daily timetable as follows:

• With the expected construction of a bus interchange on Moody Street, students will have further to walk to catch their buses. School will finish at 2:50pm to allow students this extra time to get to the buses so they don't miss them.
• A five minute changeover time will be scheduled between Pastoral Care (PC)/Period 1 and between Period 2/Period 3 to allow students a set time to transition between classes.
• Both lunch breaks will be 30 minutes long.
• There will be no change to the start time of school which will remain at 8:50am.

Our PBL focus lately has been 'Come Prepared for Class". Bringing the correct learning materials is essential and students who do not bring the required equipment to class create roadblocks for their own learning. I ask for the support for all parents in ensuring that students have the required learning materials and are reminded to bring them - this way we can help optimise the chances of success for everyone.

Finally, I have had a request from some residents of Fraser Street asking that care be taken when parking on the corner of Fraser and Donaldson Streets at the end of the school day to help avoid traffic issues on that corner.

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.

• Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a fantastic fortnight
Mr. Sean Maher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Middle School

New Timetables

With Year 12 students currently on External Exams in the Resource Centre for the next three weeks, all year 7-11 classes that had been scheduled in the AV rooms have had room changes. Paper copies of their timetables were issued on Monday 26th October, and all students have had this emailed to their school email accounts.

Assessment Calendars

With so many new enrolments in the past few weeks in Years 9 and 10, I have re-issued all students with their Assessment Calendars. This will help them get organised leading up to their final assessment. Parents who have Q-Parent access, are able to see both student timetables and assessment calendars via this APP.

Email Access at Home

Students can access their email (via Webmail) at home. The easiest way to do so is:

1. Go to our website https://emeraldshs.eq.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx

2. Scroll down on the home page to Student Portal (situated under the Upcoming Events).

3. Students click on this and they will be required to enter their Username and Password (the same ones that they use at school).

4. The Student Portal list Student Notices/ Curriculum.

5. The Quick Links Webmail is where students have access to school email.

6. OneSchool is where subject selection occurs and students' learning evaluation and goal setting and Year 10 SET Planning can be found.

7. Teacher Email addresses lists all teachers and their email addresses.

8. ClickView is our library of videos.

9. Wellbeing and Support is very useful for students who are not feeling the best and need some help.

Year 10 SET Plan Interviews – COVID style.

All parents of Year 10 students should have received an email from me, with regards to the preparation for SET Plan interviews. As parents, we ask that you discuss your child’s information as per the career tab in their OneSchool account. Information on how to access this is found in the document emailed last week.

Regards
Mrs. Gaye Saunders
Deputy Principal – Middle School

From the ESHS PBL team

At Emerald State High School, we are Polite, Prepared and we Participate. This is a message that all parents and students acknowledge and sign, upon enrolment.

In order for your child to have the best possible chance of success, we ask that your child comes prepared for every lesson.

By being prepared students must bring to each lesson:

1. A separate book for each subject.

2. Textbook or novel where applicable.

3. Student Diary (all students were given one of these upon commencement at school).

4. Pencil case which contains all of the following:

5. A water bottle is advisable – particularly as the weather warms up.

6. I have attached the 2020 booklist for specific requirements of some elective subjects below, which can also be found on our website:
https://emeraldshs.eq.edu.au/supportandresources/formsanddocuments/documents/enrolment%20forms%20and%20information/2020-booklist.pdf

We look forward to your children having all of the necessary equipment ready for class.

Regards
ESHS PBL Team

From the Head of Year 10

Crazy to think it is Term 4 already! Some might say that the year has flown by, others might say otherwise! However, it won’t be long until our next block of holidays! The countdown is on!

PBL FOCUS

Our PBL focus this fortnight is ‘Be Ready to learn and come prepared with all necessary equipment’. It is vital that students are coming to each class prepared and ready to learn! Each class requires different equipment ranging from; calculators, hats, exercise books, pencil cases, laptops or computers. A diary is a perfect tool to help organise your day!

Love Bites

A big thank you and congratulations to all who were a part of our Love Bites incursion! It was a great success with our Year 10s and they really impressed our presenters. They were so pleased with their participation and enthusiasm and really enjoyed delivering the program to them. Below are some images from the day!

Student Attendance

It is vital your child is attending school every day. If your child is missing lessons often they are missing out on big chunks on their education. If your child is unable to come to school please make sure you contact the school and let us know.

VFS|CES

As we near the end of the year, students are edging closer to completing their Short Course in Career Education and achieving their Cert II Skills for Work. It is crucial students are keeping up will tasks in order for them to achieve competency. It is now up to them to continue working on assessments in their own time. A reminder that their teacher is there to help.

I hope all Year 10s are getting excited to enter their final years of schooling! Please remind them that I am here to help them if needed. I wish you all a fantastic term!

Regards
Miss. Chloe Prior
HOY – 10

From the Head of Year 11

As we draw closer to the end of 2020 and the Year 11s complete Unit 2 of the subjects they are enrolled in, it is important for students to continue to stay focused and uphold the school values. Please encourage students to stay prepared and seek assistance from their teachers where needed.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the RAAP Driver Safety presentation had to be cancelled for this year. We are working with the Emerald Fire Department to ensure we provide this opportunity in 2021.

Congratulations to all students who have been elected into a 2021 Senior Leadership position. The second round applications for the vacant positions are underway. The students have completed the interview and are preparing their speeches to record and present to the students of ESHS. Good luck to all students involved in the second round – I congratulate you for applying for a position and going out of your comfort zone. I look forward to working closely with the 2021 Senior Leadership team next year. I encourage all students, whether elected or not, to work with the Senior Leadership Team and put their thoughts forward in 2021.

The ten students who have been elected into a position joined myself and Mrs Janene Vale out at Camp Fairbairn on Monday 26th October to trial the new high challenge the camp and staff have to offer. The students worked together as a team and encouraged each other through the challenge.

If you should have any questions, myself (jfehl8@eq.edu.au) or Tanya Shaw (tshaw20@eq.edu.au) can be contacted via email or by phoning the school on 4988 2222.

Regards
Miss. Jacinda Fehlhaber
HOY – 11

From the Maths team

Last week was extremely exciting, not only for the Maths Department, but for the whole school. Jada Roberts (7F), Lillian Goodwin (8F) and Ella Job (8F) represented Emerald SHS in the State Final of QAMT’s Year 7/8 Maths Quiz!

Emerald SHS took their place alongside 15 other schools in the virtual State Final, which was held via Zoom. To get to the Final, the team had won the Local Round and then placed second in the Rockhampton region. In the final, they were facing some of the top young mathematical talent from across the state, including perennial finalists Brisbane Grammar School, Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie), Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT) and Matthew Flinders Anglican College.

The team did not get off to a great start, failing to get a question correct in the first of five rounds. However, inspired by the arrival of Principal Sean Maher, the team lifted their game and finished strong. An example of a question they got correct was:

• What is the only number between 20 and 30 to have an odd number of factors? Give a reason.

The students had 20 seconds to write their answer on a mini-whiteboard and hold it up to the camera.

While the final results are still being confirmed, the community should be proud of the way Jada, Lillian and Ella adapted to all the changes made to the Quiz this year due to COVID-19 and how they represented the school at the state level!

All of us at the Math Department would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Bahr and his hardworking team for their effort putting ESHS on show.

In other news, we would like to wish our Year 12 students the best of luck in their final exams, it has been a pleasure teaching this fantastic cohort.

Regards
Mr. Ben Mawson
Teacher – Maths

From the HPE team

This term in Health and Physical Education, we have had a successful Swimming Carnival. It was a little bit different this year due to COVID-19, though we were excited to see so many students getting involved in the races and novelty events. Western 7’s was also a success with the U13 and U15 girl’s teams bringing home first place!

In classes, we still have our additional measures in place (e.g. washing of equipment at the end of every lesson) to meet the COVID-Safe requirements during all of our practical lessons, as well as hand sanitiser available before and after classes.

In the Junior School we spent last term honing our court sports skills. This term we are focussing on ‘Bat and Ball’ sports such as Cricket and Baseball in our practical classes. Year 10 are focusing on ‘Ultimate Disc’ and fitness testing. Year 11 and 12s are utilising the school’s gym facilities to plan and execute their own exercise plans.

We continue to encourage students to focus on their health and wellbeing. Although we are back at school and some restrictions has been eased, we encourage students and families to continue the healthy habits they have had during isolation. Keep going for that walk, riding the bike, walking the family pet and anything else that helps with your health and wellbeing.

Regards
Mr. Louie Beatty
Teacher – HPE

From the Arts team

ART

7 Art: The 7A students are currently exploring drawing techniques in preparation for their personal object lino-printing.

8 Art: Students are researching, planning and designing and environmental inspired work in preparation for lino-printing.

9 Art: Personal directions are being made as students create artworks based on the concept of ‘The Human Condition’.

10 Art: Students are engaged in a unit which reflects the senior Visual Art in Practice unit which gives them the opportunity to either recreate illustration for an existing children’s book or create a series of jewellery items.

Year 11 Visual Art: Students are currently preparing for their extended response exam.

Year 11 Visual Arts in Practice: Vessels are the focus this term with students working with air-dry clay, Papier Mache and wire.

MUSIC

Year 7 Music: Students are composing and performing this term.

Year 8 Music: Students have recently submitted assessment and are now moving on to a performance exam, later in the term.

9 Music: Students are preparing for their performance draft in Week 5 and will then focus on their exam which is in Week 7.

10 Music: The IA3 Narrative assessment is currently the focus for these students.

11 Music: Students are currently working on their Identities unit assessment task.

DRAMA

7 Drama: WELCOME 7C to Drama! I am really looking forward to this term of script writing and performances! It will be great to watch the students grow and develop confidence over the term!

FILM, TELEVEISION and NEW MEDIA

11 Film and Television and New Media: Students are preparing for their extended response exam.

YEAR 12 STUDENTS

Week 3 was certainly both bitter and sweet as the Year 12 students completed their final lessons. The Art department would like to wish the Year 12 students the best of luck with their exams. Please remember to breathe and know that you’ve got this!

EXTRA CURRICULAR

Multi-schools Art Exhibition: A huge congratulations must be given to the 39 exhibitors in the Creating the Future, a multi-schools exhibition which will be on display at the local Emerald Gallery until the 17th of November. Your work is well polished, original and thought provoking, you should all be proud of your efforts!

The Musical: Musical polo shirts have been designed and ordered! Very much looking forward to our cast wearing their shirts with pride! Rehearsals are well underway and have just had our first weekend rehearsal! This was a successful rehearsal with quality time being put into bringing together our masterpiece.

An amazing opportunity has been organised for students who are musically orientated to take part in creating a school song. The project will take place from Monday to Wednesday of Week 9. If students are interested, they should see Miss Fehlhaber for more information and a permission form.

Regards
Miss. Amy Cochran
Teacher – Art

From the LOTE team

Welcome back to Term 4! We trust you had an amazing holiday as always! This term, Languages classes will be back as per usual, and our focus for Week 3 and 4 is ‘Come to class prepared with all class equipment’, so please ensure that you are prepared with all your necessary equipment and on time for every class!

The Languages program this term has students studying a variety of topics across Years 7 – 9. These include:

Year 7 –“What are Memorable Places”

In this unit, students will discuss memorable places that they have visited, as well as exploring a range of places in Japan and other countries. Additionally, students will also be given opportunities to reflect on etiquette in Japan and how does it differ or similar to Australians’ etiquette.

Year 8 – “How Do We Celebrate Community?”

Students will explore the concept of community celebration, by learning about different communities in Japan. Additionally, students will also be required to plan and presents their own community celebration, while explain for how their celebration shapes them as a person.

Year 9 – “What are our Global Connections?”

Students will discuss connections with the global community, while also exploring the cultural values expressed in creative texts such as ‘Manzai’ (double act comedy/ stand-up comedy). Additionally, they will also reflect on how interactions with other languages and cultures shapes self-identity and open up future opportunities.

Year 10 – “How Do Youth Subcultures Represent Themselves”

Students will discuss different youth subcultures in Australia and Japan. Additionally, they will also analyse and present information about youth subcultures in Japan. Furthermore, students are required to reflect using their personal identity, while also engaging in discussion about the values that are evident in youth subcultures.

At this stage, assessments for LOTE are due within Weeks 7-9 of this term.

The best way to improve achievement is short but regular review of vocabulary. It is recommended that you also use your spare time to learn Japanese writing symbols and new vocabulary, by regularly using Quizlet. Additionally, book work is as important as always! Neat handwriting and well organised notes is the greatest way to best achieve a desirable outcomes.

Have a great term – we look forward to seeing everyone back in class!

Regards
Mr. Huu Nguyen
Teacher – LOTE

From the Humanities team

It’s been a busy start to the term, especially with the senior students starting their external exams in Week 4. Both Modern and Ancient Histories, along with Legal Studies and Geography, have been preparing their students for the external exams. It has been a new experience for everyone, but it has been rewarding to see the students taking it in their stride and trying their best in Humanities.

Year 11 students are starting their Year 12 work this term. Ancient History is exploring the achievements of ‘Alexander the Great’, while Modern History students are examining the atrocities in East Timor. Legal Students are finishing off their assessment, before starting their new unit on ‘Governance’. Geography is also finishing their data reports on ‘Sustainability’, before starting their new unit.

This time of the year is always busy and this is also the case with all junior classes, which are all starting their assessment next week. Students across the year levels will be starting either their folios of work, research assessment or response to stimulus practice. History students are finishing off their units on ancient China, the Vikings and Shoguns, World War One, ancient medicine and globalisation. Geography students are completing their units on Sustainability and Multi-nationals. Tourism is also having a guest speaker come into the school this week, to help them with upcoming assessment.

There is still a lot to be done this term!

Regards
Ms. Leanne Ross
Teacher – Humanities

From the Glee Club

COVID-19 certainly has not stopped us, as we started the term strong with a collaborative performance with the “Swing Doctors”, which was live-streamed on the schools’ Facebook page. If you would like to see the performance then click on the link below:

Glee Club and "Swing Doctors" performance

Keep an eye out for more as the Glee Club will be participating in Remembrance Day and then the Christmas performance with the Symphonic band in Week 8, which will be live streamed via the Facebook page.

Finally, next year the Glee Club has been invited by Kerry Hayes, Mayor of the Central Highlands Shire to participate in the Australia Day Ceremonies and Celebrations. So, for the remainder of the year, we are going to be busy getting our Australiana on whilst Jingling.

Regards
Mr. Leon Coromandel
Club Supervisor

From the SRC

The Senior SRC students wrapped up their year on a high, with ‘Shave for a Cure’ and a mural for Mental Health Week; both well supported by the students and staff.

COVID-19, this year delayed our Shave for a Cure fundraising. Due to COVID reducing student numbers in Term 1 and then closing things down in Term 2, we made the decision to delay Shave for a Cure. With the formal in Term 3 the senior students decided to restart their fundraising efforts in Term 4. There were five buckets – one for each volunteer – which students were encouraged to fill, indicating which teacher they wished to be shaved. If the bucket total reached $200 then the “winner” would lose their locks. With over $550 raised Kirsen and Mrs. Ross were shown the razor. Mr Maher supported the efforts of our students, by also volunteering to be shaved. It was great to see the students of Emerald State High School getting behind those who were being shaved and Mrs. Wills who volunteered her services.

The senior students also spent a great deal of hours staying back after school, to create a mural in honour of Mental Health Week. A massive rainbow was painted on the end of F Block with logos of organisations students can turn to in difficult times. A seating area will be added to the space in the near future as a gift to the students in years to come. It is also hoped that it will spark some conversations among the staff and students, as many students are probably not aware of all the different organisations they can turn to if struggling. Massive thanks to Dani, Shara, Bridget, Lachlan, Miss Myers and all the senior students, who gave up so much of their time to get this painted before their exams.

Good luck to all the senior students sitting their exams over the next few weeks, and thank you to all the leaders who continued to achieve so much this year, despite COVID-19. You were a fantastic group to work with! Good luck for the future – I know you will do very well.

Regards
Mrs. Leanne Ross
SRC Supervisor

From the Instrumental Music department

Students have returned to Term 4 with much enthusiasm. In Week 2, our Jazz Band and Glee Club had a performance in the UCA, which was live streamed to ESHS Facebook page. Please check it out! Performances have been very few this year, so it was great for our students to be able to share with you all.

The students are to be congratulated on their ongoing commitment to our music program, who have to be acknowledged for their excellent attendance to Symphonic Band rehearsals in 2020. The following students have had 100% record attendance:

• Amber Collie, Stella Nyman, Paxton Hayes, Ayush Dewan, Lawson Ryan, Samantha Dudman, Breanna Davis, Michael Ross, Kelly Hunter, Chanelle Ecker and Grace Chandler-Ashe.

The following students have missed only one rehearsal in 2020:

• Eve Agius, Ella Job, Lillian Goodwin, Lucca Santos, Brooke Shannon, Madi Powell, Bree McDowall, Katie Stoneman, Katelyn Hunter, Seb McHugh and Jett Wills.

The following students have missed only 2 rehearsals in 2020:

• Logan Wright, Joseph Stoneman, Matilda Kerr, Cadence Briggs and Daniela Quiroz.

Congratulations to Sam Dudman who received Honours for her Grade 5 Euphonium AMEB exam. What an outstanding achievement!

Last weekend we had several students attend SHEP (State Honours Ensemble Program) at Rockhampton. Congratulations to Lillian Goodwin, Lauren Green, Bree McDowall, Felicity Pethers Katie Stoneman and Logan Wright for being accepted into the program.

Logan Wright, Katie Stoneman and Bree McDowall at SHEP Rockhampton

It is always exciting to start new students on instruments. Two students have just commenced learning. Mollie Hawkins has commenced lessons on the trumpet and is flying through the book. Grace Chandler-Ashe is now on her fourth lesson on the Trombone and is making excellent progress. It’s never too late to learn an instrument!

Symphonic Band will be having another livestream performance in Week 8 of this term. We are currently working on our Christmas Carol program. ESHS Glee Club will be performing with us again, while the Jazz Band will have their final performance at Grade 12 Graduation.

Regards
Mrs. Dana Jones
Instrumental Music Teacher

From the Positive Behaviour for Learning Team

Behaviour Focus

Our current behaviour focus is “Come prepared with all necessary equipment.”

Student of the Week

Week 2

8F Lillian Goodwin For her dedicated attitude towards curriculum and exemplary conduct when speaking with peers and adults.

9E Kelly Hunter For consistently working hard in class to complete set work to the best of her ability.

10D Declan Neville For always polite and prepared.

11E Brodie Christian For completing all set tasks and being a role model for his peers.

12B Ryan Spargo For always being consistently helpful and efficient.

Week 3

7F Hady Whittaker For being an active participant in class, contributing to discussion, asking questions and always completing all set work.

8F Connor Wieser For an exemplary attitude towards curriculum work, he is a role model for his peers.

9C Lindsay Stevens For consistently being polite and always striving to do her best.

10B Mariella Isabelle Reyes For always coming to class with a positive attitude and completing work to the best of her ability.

11D Tyler Lenske For applying themselves to their school work and working to the best of their ability.

12F Savannah Dockerty For her incredible academic efforts and helping her peers.

Week 4

7 Capriece Johnson For being polite and always participating to the best of her ability.

8F Jorjia Wendt For participation in extra-curricular activities and acting as a role model for her peers.

9A Jessie Bridgeman For consistently being polite and completing all work to the best of her ability

10D Maddy Brosnan For always giving 100% and participating to the best of her ability.

11F Shakira Boon For showing initiative in her school work and pushing herself to do the best she can.

Community Notices