29 April 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Friends of Emerald High,

The term has started with a bang and we have welcomed the cooler weather. Some huge events have happened already this term - Maggie Pembroke has led a very successful and enjoyable Year 8 camp to the Capricorn Caves and Great Keppel Island and our Year 7s are currently away on their Year 7 Camp at Seaforth Outdoor Ed Centre, led by Bridget Ryan. My sincere thanks to both Maggie and Bridget - running camps is a huge exercise (but lots of fun).

We also welcome three new staff to our team. Marissa Roberts is our new Community Education Counsellor supporting our Indigenous students and Lisa Richardson and Kathy Ross have joined our super teaching team. We welcome them all to our community.

Our school commemorated Anzac Day with a very special school service led by Leanne Ross and supported by our band, our glee club and by Jacinda Stefaniuk on the bugle. A number of our students and staff also marched on ANZAC Day, honouring the legacy of our Anzacs - well done everyone!

Our amazing musical has also started showcasing the enormous range of talent that we have in our school. Our students and staff have been working hard (and having lots of fun along the way), producing a standard of production that is a delight to behold. A huge well done to our Director, Chloe Prior, and to all the students and staff involved everyone!!

Our teachers have a focus on developing engaging, inclusive and challenging lessons this year and I am delighted to report that we are seeing some sensational Term 1 results. Our A-B rate the highest we have seen in a number of years and our effort and behaviour results exceeded those seen for at least 10 years. Year 7 and 8 results are the highest we have seen for a number of years and all year levels have results that are higher than the same time last year. These results are a credit to our students, our staff and our community - well done everyone. The trick now is to build on this success and to continue to improve and make gains.

Our enrolments are also continuing to grow and we now have 893 students enrolled. With the increased enrolments we have a new HoD position and I congratulate Deanne Lucht who is our new HoD of Student Services (a new role) who will lead our amazing Support Works Team and work alongside our Guidance Officer in the delivery of enhanced support services for our students. Sarah Sommerville has stepped in behind Deanne as Acting Head of Special Education Services.

The one key area that we are not improving is attendance with only 59% of students having attendance over 90%. Ultimately attendance is the single greatest factor that affects student achievement and often students who are not passing also have low attendance. We are keen to support students with low attendance and welcome contact with families about ways we can help.

Parent Teacher Interviews are on in Week 3 and we are very much looking forward to talking with families and working together to support our young people to be as successful as they can be. It is when we work in partnership that we see the very best outcomes for our students.

Our new building has arrived and will open shortly and a new shaded area has sprung up between A and B Blocks, courtesy of our amazing P&C. More shaded areas are being built later in the year next to the new building and near the sails area and 12 new picnic tables will be arriving shortly to enhance student seating around the school.

The basketball court cover is complete and we now eagerly await the construction of the new playing surface - we should be on the courts later in the term!

"Take risks. If you win, you will be happy. If you lose, you will be wise"

Have a fantastic fortnight
Mr. Sean Maher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Middle School

Year 10 Work Experience

Year 10 students have completed their work experience last term and should have handed in their completed workbooks to their VFS (Certificate II Work Skills) teachers as this forms part of their competency checklist.

Year 10 PRE – SET(Senior Education and Training) plan meetings

Over this term, I will be meeting individually with each Year 10 student to discuss their goals for the term. This is in preparation for SET plan meetings in Terms 3 or 4 where parents will be invited in to discuss senior subject selection and appropriateness of course of study for their child.

ACCESSING SCHOOL STUDENT PORTAL AT HOME

1. Go to ESHS website www.emeraldshs.eq.edu.au
2. On the home page of website drop down to where it has the Student Portal and click on this.
3. Once they click on this, they will be prompted to enter their username and password (the same that is used at school)

Students can then access:

1. Student notices
2. Student curriculum
3. Quick links to
   a. OneSchool (timetable and assessment plan)
   b. Webmail
   c. The Learning Place
   d. Wellbeing and Support
   e. Cybersafety
   f. QCE (for seniors)

REPORT CARDS & PARENT INTERVIEWS

All parents should check their emails from last term for a copy of their child’s interim report cards. Parent interviews are being held in Week 3.

NAPLAN - Reminder

Students in Years 7 and 9 at Emerald State High School will sit paper NAPLAN tests in Term 2 from 11 to 13 May. More information was in the last newsletter.

Assembly times

This term we are trialling year level assemblies in alternate weeks. Please see the attachment which shows when these are being conducted. Note, Wednesday June 2 is a public holiday for the Emerald Show.

Athletics Carnival

In Week 8, on Friday 11 June ESHS will hold the annual Athletics Carnival. This will be held on site and all students will be expected to attend and participate and get involved.

Regards
Mrs. Gaye Saunders
Deputy Principal – Middle School

From the Deputy Principal – Senior School

Term 1 report cards were issued via email on the last day of Term 1. If you have not received your child’s report card or would like a hard copy please contact the main office. In the Senior School these reports give a good indication of whether a student is on track for a QCE and if they are meeting our attendance targets. It was pleasing to see the

QCE

For students at Emerald State High School to receive a QCE students must meet the following four conditions:

1. Literacy – students must pass a unit of English subject (either English or Essential English)
2. Numeracy – students must pass a unit of a Maths subject (Maths Methods, General Maths or Essential Maths)
3. 20 credits – students accumulate credits by banking 1 credit per subject each unit where a “C” grade or better is awarded
4. Core Credits – 12 of the 20 credits must come from 3 subjects studied continuously (from year 11 to year 12).

For parents of students in the senior school you can assess your child’s eligibility by looking at the report card and checking:

• have they passed their Maths and English subject (C or better)
• have they passed 5 of their 6 subjects (5 subjects * 4 semesters = 20 credits).

If you have answered no to any of these, then your child is at risk of not receiving a QCE and it is important that the situation is reviewed. Please contact the school to make a meeting time with me to discuss this situation or you can book an interview time with me at Parent teacher interviews.

Attendance targets

The school requires that students attend school at least 90%, this equates to approximately 4 days absences each term (16 days each year on top of the 6 weeks holidays given). At the end of report card the number of days absences are recorded. It is important to note that late arrival or early departure is recorded a ½ day absence. For those students signing in after the first bell this is ½ day absence each time, so being on time does count. Not meeting these attendance targets has an impact on student achievement and may make students ineligible for extracurricular activities such as formal and senior jerseys.

Parent teacher interviews

Information regarding parent-teacher interviews has been emailed home and can be found through Facebook. Parent-teacher interviews are an opportunity for you to meet and get to know your child's teacher. They are an opportunity to share information about your child’s progress, interests and needs and discuss your child’s learning with their teacher. Parent teacher interviews provide opportunities for you to help the teacher understand more about your child and in return give you the opportunity to become further involved in your child's learning and give support where needed. Parent teacher interviews are scheduled for Tuesday 4th of May. To make a booking please use the link below. If you are unable to make a booking or need assistance please contact the school office.

ANZAC service

On Friday 23rd April our school held our ANZAC service. I would like to acknowledge the hard work by students and staff at our school to pay their respects for our fallen soldiers at the school ANZAC Day service. A huge thank you must go to our Modern History teacher, Mrs Leanne Ross, the Modern History students and Year 9 Honours Class for their time and dedication to ensure a memorable service. I would also like to thank those students who represented the school in the town’s service and parade.

Regards
Mrs. Tanya Shaw
Deputy Principal – Senior School

From the Guidance Officer

The world of work is changing. The term career is generally viewed today as a continuous process of learning and development. Globalization and technological change incorporating automation, collaborative and online models of working have meant that students’ future employment opportunities will encompass a wide variety of career patterns and experiences. This may involve a range of jobs and different types of employment over a lifetime.

The following websites from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s (QCAA) career information website (last updated 9th October 2020) contains useful jobs and career information that may help with career pathway planning for students.

• Apprenticeships Info is a 'one stop shop' for information on apprenticeships and traineeships in Queensland.
• Australian Apprenticeships contains comprehensive information about Australian apprenticeships.
• Australian Apprenticeships Pathways lets you find out where apprenticeships are available and follow links to job pathways charts and job descriptions.
• Australian JobSearch helps you find jobs and career information.
• CareerOne provides job listings, career advice, job hunting tips and company profiles designed to help you with your job search.
• Good Universities Guide helps you find courses, explore careers, and search for scholarships at Australian universities, TAFEs and training colleges.
• JobAccess contains comprehensive information relating to the employment of people with a disability.
• Job Jumpstart is an Australian Government tool that will help you investigate your chosen industry or occupation.
• Job Outlook is a careers and labour market research information site covering around 350 individual occupations. It includes an interactive CareerQuiz that helps you identify what types of work you most like doing and matches these to occupations you are most likely to enjoy or be good at.
• myfuture is a comprehensive career information and exploration service. It can help you explore career options based on your skills and interests, and find information about occupations, and the further education and training required for each job.
• MySkills provides information about vocational education and training and connects students with employers and training organisations that best suit their needs.
• Open Colleges Australia contains information, links and resources to help you find the career pathway that's right for you.
• Queensland Skills Gateway provides information on vocational education and training available across Queensland including courses, training providers, government funding and career pathways. The site features a simple questionnaire to help individuals find out if they are eligible for government-subsidised training.
• Queensland Training Information Service lets you search for information on apprenticeships and traineeships approved for delivery in Queensland.
• Seek contains an extensive listing of job vacancies, career development resources, training information and tips on how to look for and apply for jobs.
• skillsone.com.au contains hundreds of videos about getting a trade or skill.
• Study Assist is a website for students about Australian Government assistance for financing tertiary study.

For more information on careers, future study and jobs, students and parents can attend the Emerald Careers Expo on Friday 14th of May from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at Central Queensland University (Emerald Campus – Capricorn Highway).

This Expo will feature a wide range of information on study and career options. Future students will have the opportunity to speak with trained staff in various fields to discover study options, industries, and occupations. A range of exhibitors will be present including tertiary education institutions, apprenticeship and traineeship providers, local industry, and local businesses. See the attached flyer in this newsletter. Emerald State High School Years 10, 11 and 12 students are given the opportunity to visit the Emerald Careers Expo during school time with bus transport to the being paid for by James Cook University. Please see the information notes that have been sent home to parents last week.

Regards
ESHS Guidance Officer

From the Musical team

Emerald State High School’s Grease musical performance week has finally arrived. We are so excited about seeing everyone at our performances in our UCA:

• Thursday 29 April, 2021 – Preview Night at 6:00pm
• Friday 30 April, 2021 – Opening Night at 7:00pm
• Saturday 1 May, 2021 – Matinee at 1:00pm
• Saturday 1 May, 2021 – Closing Night at 7:00pm

The students and staff involved in the musical production have been rehearsing for approximately six months and it is definitely a musical not to be missed. See you there!

Regards
Ms. Lucia Ferrara
HOD

Student Work

Year 7 History students with their mummified apples! As part of their studies of ancient Egypt, students have experimented with techniques to preserve fruit, using similar techniques to the ancient Egyptians.

Regards
Mr. Callum Tyack
Teacher

From the SRC

SRC has a busy term ahead of them with ‘Day for Dolly’ on the 14th May and the ‘Annual CQ Pet Rescue Challenge’ occurring throughout the term. The last couple of years, Garnet has taken the cup, so it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself. Students are asked to bring pet food to the library and place them into their house bins. Keep an eye out on the notices to see when this challenge begins.

The SRC have also taken on the responsibility of the ‘Cash for Cans’ program within the school. We encourage all students to drop their 10c containers into the caged wheelie bins in front of the tuckshop so they can be recycled. All money raised will be going towards more seating around the school and an outdoor ping pong table. The more money we raise the quicker the SRC can get on with providing these great resources for the school and we thank the student body for their support.

Student leaders, both Junior and Senior, helped run the school Anzac services and attend the town Dawn Service and march. It is great to see our leaders representing the school and their generation – ensuring the legacy of the Anzacs will continue.

Regards
Ms. Leanne Ross
Teacher

From the Positive Behaviour for Learning Team

At Emerald State High School we are:

• Polite,
• Prepared, and we
• Participate.

Please see the attached power point of the lesson taught on parade and throughout Weeks 1 and 2 of this term.

Behaviour Focus

Our current behaviour focus is “Use respectful language”.

Student of the Week

Week 1

Hayden Farrell 7B For always trying his very best in class with a positive attitude.

Brianna Weeks 9A For her enthusiasm and dedication to completing curriculum tasks.

Lindsay Stevens For consistently completing work to the best of her ability and helping others.

Tori Kavanagh For always demonstrating respect within the classroom environment and a role model in the community.

Olivia Cave For always being considerate and completing required tasks.

Week 2

Xander Botma 8F For being an absoluter trouper on camp. Xander had an awesome attitude towards all take. He showed great participation, resilience and teamwork. He was a pleasure to have on camp.

Emily Hall 9B For always attempts all tasks and strive for excellence.

Mitchell Brewer For your hard work and dedication both inside and outside of the classroom.

Braedon Limbrick For positively applying himself to his senior studies.

Community Notices