28 May 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Friends of Emerald High,

Over the half-way mark for the term and students are now preparing for assessment. Students who are aiming to achieve highly are attending regularly, have a study plan in place and are using every second of class time effectively to learn and to grow. I am delighted at the large number of students who attend Homework Club to get the extra help they need to achieve their best and I thank Jess Ralley for her work in coordinating this event and also thank the many staff who give up their time to attend and assist.

Our basketball courts are edging ever-closer to completion with the bitumen underlay now down and curing with the top surface to go on in a few weeks. We should be right to go for the start of Term 3 which will be very exciting for our students!

Our PBL focus over the next few weeks will be on 'Following Staff Directions" and the PBL team have developed a heap of resources and activities to ensure that students understand the reasons why following directions is important and how this expectation links into the real world. Teachers will be using strategies based around restorative practice and a process for students to use if they feel they have been treated unfairly has been introduced.

My clear expectation is that students follow the directions of their teachers at all times so that teachers can focus all of their energy on the primary business of schooling - learning- and so that classrooms are calm, orderly and productive.

Many of our students had the opportunity to visit the Careers Expo at the CQU campus and get an experience of the wide range of post-school options available to young people these days. As usual, I was impressed with the conduct of our students at the event and thank Alarna Wills and Annette Carter for their work in coordinating this activity.

Our footballers played a series of hard-fought games against Marist last week. I was very impressed by the teamwork, effort and sportsmanship displayed by all players and the large number of our students involved. Thank you to James Fitzpatrick and Bailey Cox for their work in coaching and supporting these teams.

My sincere thanks to all parents who are ensuring that students are in correct uniform, particularly as we head into the cooler weather. A reminder that a plain black jumper with no logos or hood is acceptable as part of our dress code.

Thank you also to everyone for your ongoing support of our amazing school.

"Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude."

• Ralph Marston

Have a fantastic fortnight
Mr. Sean Maher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Middle School

Year 10 Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways

Students have now been allocated into their interest group for this class and the learning experiences are tailored to the students’ interest. Some great things were happening in classes today!

VIVO

Part of our positive reward system, is our VIVO program. Each time a student gets a VIVO from a staff member, they are in fact receiving 5 points. Once the student has accrued 250 points – this equates to $5. So, 500 points = $10. Students can “save” this for senior rewards, such as putting towards the cost of their senior jersey or formal, or can purchase vouchers that they can redeem from local businesses as well as ESHS bites or from the VIVO store.

Meningococcal ACWY Vaccination

All Year 10s should have received their consent forms for this vaccination. Unfortunately, we only received the exact number needed, so if you child loses theirs you will need to contact Queensland Health for extra forms.

Upcoming Events

• Show Holiday – Wednesday 2 June is a public holiday to allow for all residents to attend the show in Emerald.
• Athletics Carnival – Friday 11 June is the date set for ESHS Inter-house Athletics Carnival. It will be great to see students participating and cheering on their teammates.

Year 9 NAPLAN 2021 Feedback

Students who were present at school during NAPLAN week last week worked well. However, a large number of students were not prepared and didn’t have a HB pencil, an eraser, sharpener nor a calculator.

Regards
Mrs. Gaye Saunders
Deputy Principal – Middle School

From the Head of Year 11

Hello everyone! I hope you all have had an enjoyable start to the term! It is flying by, I cannot believe we are already over halfway through!

Our PBL focus for the last fortnight was to ‘Be in Class, Every Day, Every Lesson’. This is a really important focus as it is crucial for our students to not be missing any lessons. It is vital that if a student is sick or unable to attend school for a period of time, that contact is made with the school.

Also, a friendly reminder that the cooler weather is coming up and below is a quick reminder of the uniform policy and expectations at Emerald State High School.

The requirements for the uniform at ESHS are as follows:

A. Closed in shoes with laces
B. ESHS shorts OR PLAIN black mid – length shorts with NO logos or symbols
C. ESHS polo shirt
D. ESHS bucket hat

WINTER:

A. ESHS tracksuit pants OR PLAIN black tracksuit pants with NO logos or symbols
B. ESHS jumpers OR PLAIN black jumper that does not have a hood or logo/symbol of any kind.
C. NO beanies and headwear

If there are any concerns with the uniform policy and expectations, please do not hesitate to contact me via; cprio0@eq.edu.au

Final note, the 2021 Leadership Camp has been booked in Term 3 for the 4th – 6th August 2021. Stay tuned for more information coming soon.

Regards
Miss. Chloe Prior
HOY – 11

From the Head of Year 12

The year is moving very quickly and before we know it, the Year 12s will be entering the next chapter of their lives.

Some of our senior leaders will be attending the Mayoral Summit on Friday 4th June. The Mayoral Summit provides our leaders an opportunity to engage with a guest speaker, as well as present to and work with, other fellow leaders from around the region. If students have been invited, they would have received an email and a permission letter.

Formal prep has begun! The formal is a huge event for the Year 12 students, so make sure you have kept 16th September free. So far, the formal committee have created theme options for the Year 12 cohort to vote on. Just a reminder as this is an extra-curricular activity, it is important that students are aware of the criteria for receiving an invitation:

• School fees must be paid in full
• Attendance rate must be 90% or greater
• All assessment must be completed

Once a student meets the above criteria, they will receive an invitation for themselves and 2 parent guests. Any changes to the guest requirements can only be approved by Mrs Shaw.

I encourage all Year 12 students to ensure they are keeping up with their studies and seeking assistance when required. It is important that students are preparing for the external exams held between 25th October and 16th November. More details in regards to the mock exam block timetable and external exam block timetable will be provided to students in due course.

On another note, if students are looking for early acceptance to university or wish to find out more information about university options, I encourage them to seek assistance and advice from the Guidance Officer.

I look forward to working with the Year 12 students for the remainder of the year, and should you 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
Mrs. Jacinda Stefaniuk
HOY – 12

Student Messages & Perspectives

I really enjoy bringing my imagination to life and being able to enjoy myself within my hobbies. I’ve chosen the arts subjects in school including; Art, Music and Drama. In these subjects I get to bring my imagination to life on stage and across multiple canvases. Currently in Art, I’m having an absolute blast painting a beach scene onto an old car bonnet for my current assignment. Scenery is sort of out of my comfort zone and this has really given the opportunity to challenge myself and I’m pretty happy with how it’s turning out. In Drama I get to create performances in which I really get to express myself on stage and have fun taking on completely new and different characters. I really love all aspects of music in life. I really love playing instruments, singing, making my own music and I listen to music frequently, and all of this allows me to really enjoy the subject at school. In Literature we’ve been given a new perspective for writing fictional stories and it has really given me more opportunity to be really creative and really bring out my imagination within my stories. Whereas before, I used to be limited to what I was allowed to write, now I’m free to guide my creative writing without boundaries. Outside of school, it’s really brilliant to be part of the first ever eSports team in the region and am extremely grateful to the school and Mr. Praed for helping us to create this team and have a new extracurricular activity. For work outside of school I work as the McCafé crew trainer and really enjoy my job and I have been given the opportunity to complete a school-based Certificate III in retail in preparation for my future aspirations and it’s given me the chance to learn all sorts of different things, as well as experience a different kind of learning in the workforce.

Regards
Miss. Miesha Greentree
Year 11 Student 2021

From the Cooee Corner

This year our Special Education Program is undergoing some changes. I have been the Head of Special Education Services for the past 10 years, but I am now moving to a different role within the school and handing the reigns over to Sarah Somerville. I am still working in the school, but will be working in Support Works, in the role of HOD of Student Services. Miss Somerville is well known to the students as she has been at Emerald State High for almost 7 years and an integral member of the team. She has excellent knowledge of the students in her care and will work with the staff at the school to provide them the best possible outcomes and opportunities.

2021 has also seen changes to the way in which the curriculum is being delivered to students across the school. You will have noticed that your students are participating in larger classes across the school and involved in a much more inclusive manner. The building “N Block” is no longer primarily used for classes and is now being utilised as the centre for Learning Support and Intervention. With this change of purpose has come a name change to the “Cooee Corner”. “Cooee” was chosen as a term for asking for assistance and for bringing people to you. The Cooee Corner will still be the home base for support staff and resources for all students with diverse learning and support needs. The teachers, teacher aides and therapists (e.g. Julie our Speech Language Pathologist) will still be in the building and will still support our students in the same way, both in and out of classrooms.

A big shout out to our amazing teacher aides who ensure that our students get the best support possible around the school. Our dedicated aides bring a wealth of experience and talents that they share with the students of Emerald High. Many support your children outside of school also, through sporting groups or by volunteering in the community. At school, our teacher aides support your children across all faculties and often know the student’s strengths and lesser strengths as well as the classroom teachers. When it comes to looking after the student’s holistic wellness, the teacher aides on our team are second to none. I would like to thank each of them for their patience, care and advocacy of our students.

As we are now over half way through the term, students are working hard on assessment pieces for a range of subjects. Please ask them what they are working on. Some tasks you will see at home and others are completed in class. Sometimes this assessment is the homework task set at this time of the year. Homework provides students with opportunities to practice and consolidate new skills and involve family members in their learning. If you have concerns about assessment or homework, please contact your child’s teacher for that subject or their case manager. There will be lots of work to do in the next 4 weeks, but the reward of the June School holidays will be worth the effort.

Regards
Mrs. Deanne Lucht
HOD Student Services

From the Science team

The sciences are in for an exceptionally fun term! Many of our students are working and thinking hard about their current projects. Almost all grades are working towards the completion of a student investigation. Year 10 are working on rate of reaction experiments, Year 9s are looking into multi-cellular organisms and Year 8 are doing a presentation on Earth and Space. So much going on!

In the senior space, the Year 11 Biology students are investigating multi-cellular organisms and the Chemistry students are experimenting with molecular interactions. The staff at ESHS would like to give a huge shout out to two individuals who make this all happen. Our Lab Technicians; Damon Calvert and Carly Hebbard. Without these two, our students would not feel as supported as they do and everyone would be just that little more stressed.

In the extra-curricular world, the science club is up and running and the astronomy club will be happening very soon so we would like to encourage all students to get involved.

If any student is feeling overwhelmed, or under pressure on their return back to school. Every Wednesday afternoon from 3pm there is an opportunity to come to study club. At study club teachers from many different faculties give up their time to help where ever they can. It can be a valuable resource. If a student is looking for a particular teacher, be sure to ask them so they are aware.

Regards
Mr. Jaksen Brose
Teacher

From the English team

I wanted to take this opportunity to go through some of the frequently asked questions that parents have for Senior English. This is especially important after Term 1 report cards. It also answers any questions that parents of current Year 10 students might have, as they begin to think about their senior subjects for next year.

What English subject should I choose?

Each strand of English is different. Students need to consider their interests, their abilities and what study, if any, they wish to enter once they complete Year 12.

Essential English is an Applied course that is suitable for those who did not achieve a pass in Year 10 English. Students can do Essential English and get an ATAR, but most university courses require students having the prerequisite of General English, so students need to check the prerequisites for their courses before choosing this subject.

General English is suitable for those who wish to receive an ATAR score. It is a broad but academically rigorous course, which includes novels, plays, poetry and visual texts.

Literature is also suitable for those who wish to receive an ATAR score, but students must consider the heavy reading load when selecting this subject. Each assessment responds to a core text or texts. This includes novels, plays, films and poetry.

Based on my Year 10 English grades, which strand of English should I choose?

General English: It is advisable that students have passed Year 10 English, in order to succeed in General English. General English engages with social issues, current and historical events and contexts, and different perspectives in texts. It is advantageous to read and view a wide variety of texts—both fiction and non-fiction.

Literature: Students who have received at least a ‘C’ in Year 10 English may select Literature. Students who enjoy reading, creative writing, and analysing texts would enjoy this subject. There is a heavy reading load in this subject. It is also advantageous to read and view a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction texts.

Essential English is an Applied course and is recommended for students who did not pass Year 10 English, or who do not need English as a prerequisite for further studies. This program centres on student-interest topics and relevant real-world issues and identities, with a focus on identifying and explaining language and textual features.

What is the difference between Essential English and General English?

General English explores concepts, identities and perspectives that inform the conversations that arise from texts. The course material largely includes novels, poems, plays and documentaries. The assessment items vary from written pieces for magazines and spoken pieces. The language choices, organisation and ideas are very audience-specific and change with each assessment. The program builds on the work completed in English in Year 10.

On the other hand, Essential English allows for more student choice and flexibility, with students able to choose their focus topic before moving into texts about the ‘real world’; units and texts reflect popular culture and current issues and events. The course texts largely include media articles, blogs, documentaries, advertisements and TED Talks. The course heavily focusses on identifying language and textual features and explaining how they shape meaning in a text. There are also a number of oral presentations to be completed throughout the course, however students are able to pre-record these orals at home and submit a video file.

What is the difference between General English and Literature? Can I do both?

At Emerald State High School, students can only choose one of these subjects to study. If students require an ATAR they can select either General English or Literature.

General English and Literature share the same assessable objectives. The difference is in the course organisation and assessment types. General English assesses students in persuasive, analytical and creative genres. Literature assesses students in analytical and creative genres only.

General English requires students to write and speak in real life contexts. These vary from written pieces for magazines and spoken pieces for television or YouTube audiences. The language choices, organisation and ideas are very audience specific and change with each assessment.

Students who particularly enjoy analysis and creative writing should consider Literature. The course requires the reading and critical interpretation of important canonical texts. Assessment undertaken in this course requires students to examine, understand and appreciate the continued relevance of these texts today. Students communicate this understanding in both academic and creative contexts.

Both courses require students to complete spoken assessments. In General English these are persuasive tasks—a familiar genre. The spoken tasks in Literature are Creative Imaginative Multimodal tasks where students reimagine elements of texts studied. Spoken tasks in both courses cane be pre-recorded or live.

What will help me to be successful in General English and Literature?

Both the General English and Literature courses are demanding. Students must be well-organised and prepared to complete the requisite two hours of homework per week on additional reading, writing, drafting and consolidating ideas.

Engaging in class discussions, and being open to discuss and research new ideas is helpful. More importantly, being prepared to commit time to the craft of writing is essential for success in both subjects.

It is recommended that students engage in wide reading and viewing of both fiction and non-fiction texts, beyond those covered in class. Because General English often draws from topical and historical contexts, knowledge of current affairs is helpful.

Are there any excursions or extra costs for this subject?

At present there are no excursions or additional costs for any English subjects. This may change in the future, but our parents will be given fair warning.

If there is a text I would prefer my child not to study, what do I do?

Most (but in Year 12- all) of the senior texts we study come from the QCAA prescribed list for English and Literature. From this list, we have chosen the ones that best suit our students. We understand that some of these texts are controversial in nature. For Year 11 students (like in 7-10), we give our community the opportunity to contact us regarding these texts. In 2021 we created an alternative list of texts. These are the only alternative texts we will offer now to ensure all our students have access to quality teaching. We have also purchased multiple copies of these texts so that parents do not have to.

Should you wish your child in Years 7-11 to access an alternative text, you are asked to contact me (Gabby Hunt- ghunt55@eq.edu.au) at the start of the year, once the English letter containing the texts has been sent home. We will also make contact about any supplementary texts we might use. We now use an “opt out” process for any permission letters. We send this via email and paper copy to ensure you receive this information.

At present, we do not offer alternative texts for Year 12 students because of the QCAA endorsement process, but we have carefully selected these texts to match our community’s needs.

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards
Mrs. Gabby Hunt
HOD

From the Hospitality and VET team

Certificate II Skills for Work and Career Education Update

All Year 10 students visited the CQU Careers expo on Friday 14th May. Amongst many great vendors including Universities and Training Organisations, Drone Training Solutions with John and also, David Mann - General Manager of UAVAIR were speaking to students about careers in the Drone industry.

Our students were awesome! They were very engaged and asking many questions about the technology.

These students are now completing assessment and competencies required for their dual course program of Certification II Skills for Work and Short Course Career Education in classes streamed to student career interest. Assessment due by the end of Term 2 are Workplace Numeracy booklets.

Hospitality update

Hospitality Practices and Cert II Hospitality kids are doing their first function of the year on Friday, putting on a two-course meal for teachers. We hope to have many more functions in coming times as COVID restrictions lift.

Early Childhood Studies update

Year 10 and 11 students recently took part in ‘Barefoot in the Park’, an event run for under eights week here in Emerald. The students ran fun and engaging play-based learning activities for children who attended the event. They did our school proud with their preparation and participation in a great event.

Business update

The Office of Fair Trading visited and presented to interested students in grade 7 to 9 about buying smart online. Students gained great information about consumer rights and how to avoid some of the pitfalls associated with type of retail purchasing.

Regards
Mrs. Annette Carter
HOD

From the Digital Technologies team

This year has seen big changes in Digital Technologies at ESHS, as we shift towards a coding focus that aligns with a world that is becoming increasingly digitised and automated. In Digital Technologies we are examining the evolution of these systems in terms of their wellbeing and sustainability of the economy, the environment and society, and that the benefits of information systems are exploited ethically.

Students in Years 7 and 8 are currently being introduced to the subject on a rotational basis, where they are beginning to understand operating systems and how they control elements in a computer. This term, they will explore the properties and use of popular programs in the Microsoft Office suite. Afterwards, they will briefly look into the world of game design by creating a racing game, which utilises the popular block-coding program Kodu.

In Year 9 Digital Technologies, students have finalised a unit in clay animation where they’ve applied the principles of animation, in a project that demonstrates their understanding of an array of editing skills and software. This term, they are designing a mock-up of a mobile application in Adobe XD that investigates and solves a local problem at the school, making use of user-experience design and how people behave through use of digital devices.

Our Year 10 cohort have completed their coding program, where they explored creating user interfaces for popular digital programs using Python. Currently, students are evaluating the effectiveness of popular script languages, such as C# and Python, and how they are used to create interactive games.

The senior Information Communication Technologies class has finished their animation unit where they recreated popular nursery rhymes through Adobe Animate. Students had to illustrate the nursery rhyme for television, adding video effects and sound elements, and communicate the importance of inputs and processes in the design process. They are now moving into their interview module where they look at popular methods of capturing and recording human stories, where they will need to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of software to produce an informative video.

Outside of the subject, we have created two eSports teams that are competing in an Australian tournament, which fosters the rise of competitive computer gaming. Our two teams currently participating, are entered into the League of Legends and Valorant tournaments, where games are played on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons respectively. This is a great opportunity for students to develop social skills and pro-social values, in a non-traditional competitive sporting environment.

The introduction of gaming club during lunch times on Monday and Tuesday lunch times has been a big success. We have seen a number of students from different year levels coming to enjoy a variety of games from large PC and console titles, to popular tabletop and card games. We welcome everyone who wishes to come along.

Regards
Mr. Lachlan Praed
Teacher

From the Sports Master

Term 1 Highlights

Last term was a busy one for sport at Emerald State High School. There were a few highlights in particular and I have included some photos for good measure!

2021 Sports Photos

Saturday: Emerald Park Run takeover

In support of National HPE week, ESHS staff and students jumped into the volunteer positions at park run. It was an awesome morning on course and I had many members of the park run community rave about how great the encouragement was. I hope this is a tradition that continues!

Week 7: Inter-house Cross Country

In Week 7 we held our inter – house cross country at the Emerald Gardens. The tough course wasn’t for the faint hearted and Topaz proved that they were once again dominant. Congratulations to all our age champions and top 6 runners who were given the opportunity to race at the CH trials in Springsure.

Week 10: Inter – house Swimming Carnival

On the last day of last term, both staff and students pulled on their ‘Aussie’ attire for our inter – house swimming carnival. There was a wide range of novelty and competitive events on offer. It was an epic end to an action – packed term. The day even bought a changing of the guards as we saw Sapphire dethrone Topaz.

A big congratulations to the 2021 house leaders who drove the success of the day.

Term 2 Highlights

This term we have seen many students represent the school in the red and yellow colours at CH and CAP trials. However, last week we got to witness their excellence in our own backyard. With the games played at Marist our U13, U15 and OPEN boys pulled on the green and yellow jerseys with pride. It was awesome to see our students display great sportsmanship, grit and determination. While Marist got the better of our U15 and OPEN boys, the U13s bought home a smashing win.

We would like to thank Marist for their sportsmanship and for providing our students with opportunities to represent the school in a local setting.

Athletics Carnival

Friday Week 8, 11/06/21 is our inter – house athletics carnival. The day will be held on our school oval with all staff and students attending. Students will be able to compete in any events they wish on the day. However, we will be running a few pre – events next week due to time restrictions on the day. If your child wishes to compete in any the following events they need to nominate with Miss Pembroke in J Block staffroom or via email mmpem0@eq.edu.au by Tuesday 01/06/21 3pm. The top 2 students in each age group will have the opportunity to trials for Central Highlands selection early next term.

2021 School Sporting Achievements:

Finally, I would like to recognise students who have excelled in their chosen sport this year. Their representative honours are a token of their hard work, commitment and perseverance to excel in their sport. If I have missed someone, or you would like to dob someone in for achieving something great in school sport please shoot me an email: mmpem0@eq.edu.au.

Selected to represent Capricornia at the State Titles:

Selected to represent at the Regional Titles:

Regards
Miss. Maggie Pembroke
Teacher

From the Indigenous Education team

We are pleased to welcome Ms Marissa Roberts to Emerald State High School as our new Indigenous Community Education Counsellor. She will be working on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Her Indigenous C.E.C. role at our school will involve:

• Building relationships between students and teachers
• The induction of new families to our school
• Liaising with Support Works staff, when needed
• Assisting the Head of Department with programs e.g. NAIDOC and AIME Mentoring Program
• Liaising with external organisations to further support our students
• Providing in-class support, when needed

Due to clashes with other lunchtime activities, NAIDOC Club will now run on Wednesdays at First Break in G002 (art room) with Miss Whybird and myself. We are in the planning stage for this year’s NAIDOC 2021 Celebrations at ESHS and we would like as many students as possible to join this club, and help us plan the student activities. We hope to see you at NAIDOC Club!

Have a fun-filled week.

Regards
Ms. Lucy Ferrara
HOD

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 5 and 6 of this term.

Behaviour Focus

Our current behaviour focus is “Be in class, every day, every lesson”.

Student of the Week

Week 5

Grace Hand She is always polite and uses her class time effectively. She is an amazing student who tries hard and has perfect behaviour.

Brayden Claxton 8C For always being polite, prepared and participating to the best of his ability in all tasks.

Lillia Renwick 9A For always having a positive attitude in class and being willing to help others.

Amity Newland For being consistently polite both inside and outside of the classroom and being a role model for others.

Brock Hodges For always participating in Sport & Rec and supporting fellow team mates.

Wyatt Thomson For applying himself in all aspects of his studies inside and outside the classroom.

Week 6

Shuvandi Pretorius 7E For always being polite in interactions with students and teachers.

Matt Morgan For excellent attitude and participation in all tasks this year. He is considerate and kind to his classmates.

Bailey Fielder 9A For always exceed expectations and has high standards in relation to completing tasks.

Regan Bryson For participating in every lesson, every day, and for encouraging and assisting her classmates.

Deegan Smith For engaging willingly and actively in independent and collaborative activities.

Nicholas Gakowski For displaying a polite and courteous manner. He is a very reliable helping hand.

Community Notices

Outback Exploratorium

Bookings through the link below:

Air Force Cadets

Proposal of opening an Air Force Cadets unit in Emerald

Hello Emerald SHS community,

My name is John Franke, I’m presently teaching at Capella State High School, and I am a former Army Cadet and an Air Force Cadets adult instructor. I have been making inroads with the communities around Emerald with the hope of establishing a cadet unit. After consideration and discussion, I have decided to approach the Australian Air Force Cadets.

What is Cadets?

Cadets is a government-funded and government-sponsored, Defence-based youth development organisation for school-age students (13-19). Cadets are based upon and supported by their parent service (Navy, Army and Air Force) and by a committed team of adult supervisors, both volunteers and trained and uniformed Instructors and Officers of Cadets. Cadets engage in a range of military-like activities, such as ceremonial drill (with and without arms), traditional land navigation with a map and compass, camouflage in the field, living in the bush, telecommunications with radios (ratel) and various activities based on the priorities of the parent service.

Why Air Force Cadets?

The Australian Air Force Cadets is a youth development organisation funded and sponsored by the Royal Australian Air Force. Its members follow the traditions and protocols of the Air Force, and Air Force Cadets engage in aviation-related youth activities, ranging from classroom theory about aviation, to even unpowered and powered flight. The Air Force Cadets is also establishing a program to support the growing community interest in Unmanned Aerial Systems (aka ‘drones’).

What can the Cadet Program offer my child, and the community?

Cadets has been part of Australian society since the 1860s, when the first Army Cadet unit opened in Sydney. Since then, the Navy and Air Force have created additional programs. Collectively, the Cadet Program has taught the young people of Australia vital life skills in the form of discipline, respect and knowledge about things that they might not have the ability to learn in any other organisation. Many cadets have gone on to become important community figures, including Prime Ministers, Governors-General, leaders of business and industry and people within your community.

If you are interested…

If you have any further questions, I am more than happy to answer them for you. Please send me an email at jfran387@eq.edu.au if you have any questions, or are interested in perhaps enrolling your child into the cadet program.

Currently, there is not a cadet unit running in Emerald, and I am in the process of talking to members of the community, and with the Air Force Cadets, about establishing a cadet unit in Emerald. At this stage, I am required to submit a formal proposal to the Air Force Cadets, and as such, I need to prove that we have the interest of the community. Likewise, if you, or someone you know, might be interested in volunteering to help administer the cadet program, please send me an email. The more interest, the greater our chances of securing a cadet unit for the Central Highlands.