16 March 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Friends of Emerald High,

The end of term is approaching fast and students are again involved in assessment in many classes. The term has flown past!

Last Friday night saw our senior Drama students perform a series of short plays at the Emerald Little Theatre as part of their assessment. Their acting was amazing and the evening was very enjoyable! Thank you to Ms Franklin for making this opportunity possible.

Last week also saw our Student Representative Council (SRC) conduct a lunchtime handball competition, which was heaps of fun for all involved. Great work to the SRC and to Ms Whybird and Ms Ross for leading this event.

Our boys Rugby Union teams were in action on the weekend in the 'Champagnat Cup' playing against a number of local sides. The final result left our U13s in 3rd place, our U15s in 2nd and our Opens in 3rd also. Well done players and to Mr Beatty and Mr Blunt for their work in coordinating this event!

Some more amazing student news - 2021 School Captain, Madi Iles, has been awarded a TJ Ryan Memorial Medal and Scholarship program Merit Award. There are only 20 awarded in the state across all schooling sectors, both public and private. This is an outstanding achievement - well done Madi!!

The P&C AGM was held last week and the Executive for 2022 has been decided and is as follows:

President - Renee Firth continues with her outstanding work leading our P&C.

Vice-President - Sarah Challacombe also continues her fantastic work supporting Renee in the leadership of the P&C.

Vice-President - We welcome Beth Burnett to the team as a second VP. It is great to have you on board Beth!

Treasurer - Helen Reinke also continues in the role of managing the P&C finances with here characteristic thoroughness and attention to detail.

Secretary - We welcome Lesley-Anne McDowall to the role, replacing Karen Bray who is stepping aside, although she will be supporting Lesley-Anne during the transition. Welcome to the team Lesley-Anne!

Karen Bray has been our P&C Secretary for many years and has served our school community with dedication and commitment in a wide variety of ways, both as secretary and as an integral member of the many fundraising and support projects that have occurred over her time. She has made a huge difference! Thank you, Karen, for all you have done over the years supporting our amazing school.

The installation of CCTV cameras in the school has just been completed to help promote a safe environment and to minimise incidents of vandalism, mainly during out of school hours. There are some key rules around the use of CCTV cameras that we abide by. They are:

• Cameras are positioned so as not to record footage outside the boundary of the school grounds.
• CCTV have been placed so that it covers entry points to the school grounds, areas of the school in which unauthorised activity such as trespass or vandalism is likely to occur, or areas where such activity has regularly occurred in the past (particularly foot-traffic flow through the school grounds out of school hours).
• Approved signage has been installed at entry points to the school grounds advising that CCTV is installed.
• Footage can only be viewed by a limited number of authorised staff (Principal, Business Manager and Deputy Principals only).
• In line with Departmental Procedure, Emerald State High School has completed a CCTV Use Policy outlining the purpose and management of the CCTV equipment.
• CCTV are not used for monitoring toilets, change rooms, classrooms or staffrooms.
• “Dummy” CCTV cameras are not permitted and have not been installed.

A number of solar panels are in the process of being installed on top of F Block and K Block to help make our school even more environmentally-friendly.

And a final reminder that regular attendance is particularly important with the following attendance rates providing a guide to the impact on academic success.

• 95% attendance = 1 day a month (minimal impact)
• <90% attendance = 1 day a fortnight (noticeable impact)
• <85% attendance = 1.5 days a fortnight (very significant impact)
• <80% attendance = 1 day a week (critical impact)

Have a fantastic fortnight
Mr. Sean Maher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Senior School

It has been pleasing to see that our senior students have settled well into the new school year. They have taken up the many extra curricula opportunities given to them.

Attendance

As you are aware it is an expectation that students in the senior school have an attendance rate over 90%. The biggest reason for this is that research shows a student’s attendance is linked to their performance. We see the correlation between them when we review report cards at the end of each term. Please help support your child’s education by ensuring they are at school each day and are on time. Please also encourage them to bring a filled water bottle to each class, to limit the need to leave during lessons.

Homework

At ESHS students in the senior school may not receive formal homework each week. It is an expectation though that they are studying work they have learnt at the end of each day. At a minimum, students should read over their notes. I would also suggest that they complete any activities that they didn’t finish in class and read through the relevant chapter of their textbooks.

2022 Next Step survey

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual state-wide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2021. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2022.

Further information on Next Step, including results from previous years, is available online via the link below or on toll free telephone 1800 068 587.

Regards
Mrs. Tanya Shaw
Deputy Principal – Senior School

From the Head of Year 7

Can you believe that Term 1 is almost done? It has been an exciting few weeks for our Year 7s as they have found their place at Emerald SHS. I’m extremely impressed with the behaviour and effort of our Year 7 cohort so far – I have had very positive reports from all their teachers!

It has also been fantastic to see so many Year 7 students getting involved in our school events! I was very impressed with the Year 7 turn-out to the Junior SRC's Handball Competition in Week 7, and it’s been amazing to see so many kids signing up for both school and CH sport! A large number of students have also become involved in the school choir, the Student Theatre Company and we have a regular group visiting the library at lunch to read or play board games.

We have two major events coming up before the end of Term 1: Cross Country and the Swimming Carnival. The Cross Country will take place on Wednesday of Week 8, and our annual Swimming Carnival will close out the Term on the Friday of Week 10. I’d love to encourage all students to attend the Swimming Carnival on the last day of school – it’s a fun day, a fantastic opportunity to show some house pride, (Let’s go Sapphire!) and, as an added bonus, all students who have zero negative behaviour records will be receiving a slushy from the canteen on the day as well!

Regards
Miss. Michelle Watkin
HOY – Year 7

From the Head of Year 8

Welcome to Week 8 and fast approaching the end of the term. Our Year 8s have been involved in so many activities throughout the school from footy, and cross country to our school band.

A couple of weeks ago we held a lining up in alphabetical order competition, in which students were timed to get in order from their seats in their classroom. I would like to congratulate both 8A and 8F for getting less than 8 seconds, which is pretty impressive!

Next term we will be holding an inter-house basketball competition and the House Captains will be looking to have try outs. For those that wish to participate please look out for the notices.

As a reminder, if your student is away for any reason they can still access all of their classwork on the student portal. This can be found on the Emerald State High School website. It is imperative that they don’t get behind with their work. If you have concerns please touch base with your student’s subject specific teacher to assist you.

Should you have any concerns regarding the welfare of your child please do not hesitate to email me on lxcor8@eq.edu.au

Regards
Mr. Leon Coromandel
HOY – Year 8

From the Head of Year 9

A big hello to all Year 9 students and the whole community at Emerald State High School. For those who might not be aware, my name is Rickilee Venardos and I am Year 9 Head of Year. My role as Head of Year is to monitor student attendance as well as monitoring student welfare. It is my aim and hope to see all Year 9 students, not only attend school daily, but to use their words to promote kindness and to always believe in their capabilities. It is fantastic to be able to stay with this cohort for another year.

This year has been off to a busy start with the Year 9s as students start exploring their different academic pathways within their electives. To assist students in gaining success at school, there are a number of strategies in place within the school environment. Students participate in fortnightly Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) focuses. Our current focus is ‘be in class on time everyday'. This focus is really important because students might miss important messages, information and class task. Also, arriving 5 minutes late to one lesson a day equates to 50 minutes over the course of a term, which is a total of more than 3 hours of school missed per year. It will also help prepare students for future employment.

As sports start to ramp up, we recently had a number of Year 9 students who participated in an interschool Rugby and Netball competition at Marist Catholic College which was a success. Congratulations to those students who participated. Cross Country commences this week and the swimming carnival is just around the corner also in Week 10 of this term. A reminder for students to be listening for student notices as there are many sports program training sessions beginning for various sports and lots of opportunities available for students to get involved and represent their school in upcoming events.

Regards
Ms. Rickilee Venardos
HOY – Year 9

From the Maths team

In Maths this fortnight, Mr Bhar will be recruiting students to participate in the Maths Teams Challenge in Rockhampton next term. The competition is for teams of 5 from each year level. Students who love solving maths problems with others should tell Mr Bhar that they are interested!

Junior Maths

• Year 7s are working through their garden assignment focussing on Measurement and Geometry.
• Year 8 have an exam coming up that will be covering Percentages and integers.
• Year 9 have been focussing on direct proportion and surface area culminating in their end of term exam in Week 9.
• Algebra is the word in Year 10 Maths this term. Whether it’s linear or simultaneous equations they are solving it!

Senior Maths

• Year 11: Unit 1 assignments have been handed out and these will be due at the end of the term.
• Year 12: Unit 3 exams are approaching! Students should be revising the content for this exam.

Regards
Mr. George Brown
Teacher

From the HPE team

In the HPE department we are currently busy getting into our assessment for the term and finalising our preparation for next term. Most of our CH and Capricornia trials are now complete – well done to those students who have made the teams they tried out for.

This year we will be engaging in regular interschool sport with Marist College, in an effort to increase the opportunity of school sport in our area. The sports included in this competition will be rugby league, rugby union, soccer, touch football, netball, volleyball, basketball and eSports. This is an exciting opportunity for our students and we are looking forward to seeing as much participation as possible (and it would be awesome to beat Marist too).

Regards
Mr. James Fitzpatrick
Teacher

From the Arts team

Drama – Miss Franklin and Miss Zahner

Year 7 & 8 Drama

Year 7 and 9 Drama are working on performances of ‘10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse’. There’s lots of skill building and learning about the elements of drama as they build their confidence in performing.

Year 9 & 10 Drama

Our Year 9/10 Drama students are about to sit their first assessment item for the year - an exam in response to the recorded production of Tom Wright's, 'Black Diggers'. Students have been investigating Australian Theatre with a focus on the Indigenous perspectives from WW1. Students have viewed snippets of the production and are responding to the performances use of the Elements of Drama, Skills of Drama, conventions of Australian Theatre and Stagecraft to portray the experiences of Indigenous soldiers.

Year 11 Drama

11 General Drama have just finished their IA1 Performance Task of Robert Kronk's, 'Fly-In, Fly-Out'. Students performed as an ensemble to portray an excerpt from the play. Year 11 Drama attended an excursion last Thursday 10th of March to the Emerald Little Theatre to engage in a professional industry setting and enable professional outcomes for IA1.

Year 12 Drama

12 General Drama have also just completed their IA1 Performance Task, demonstrating their knowledges and engagement with Theatre of the Absurd. Students performed excepts from both Samuel Beckett's, 'Waiting for Godot' and Daniel Evans, 'Opening a Fuzzwollop's Frame of Mind'. Students engaged in an excursion last Thursday 10th of March to the Emerald Little Theatre to engage in a professional industry setting and were lucky enough to engage in professional use of technical equipment. Students also held Emerald State High School's first 'Performance Evening' on Friday 11th of March for their IA1 Performance Task, with several school staff and student family members present as live audience members. A huge congratulations to these students for presenting most memorable performances.

Visual Art – Miss Cochrane, Miss Myers and Mrs Eagles

Year 7 & 8 Visual Art

The Year 7 and 8 Visual Art students are currently exploring the unit ‘More than just a face’. Students have just completed their experimental folios, in which they explored the techniques of continuous-line drawing and watercolour. They are now undergoing preparation for an artwork critique of Vincent Namatjira’s ‘Stand strong for who you are’. This will be completed in test conditions.

Year 9 Visual Art

Students are exploring the concept of ‘Self’, completing their Experimental Folio and then moving onto their exam preparation.

Year 10 Visual Art

Students have commenced their first unit for the year, which is focused on Street Art. They are finalising their Experimental Folio this week and will then move onto exam preparation.

Year 11 & 12 Visual Arts in Practice

Students are currently undergoing the unit, ‘Storytime’, in which they are to investigate and explore children’s storybooks. Students are progressing through the planning phase, before making their own re-creations of their favourite stories, using 2D mixed-mediums.

Year 11 & 12 Visual Art

Students have just submitted their IA1 task in response to their authentic experience and will now commence making.

Music – Mrs Stefaniuk, Ms Ferrara and Mr Leahy

Year 7 & 8 Music

This term our Year 7 and 8 Music Unit is "Rock Around the Clock." Both Year 7 and 8 classes have been analysing many popular rock songs by influential artists (e.g. Steppenwolf, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi) and are working hard creating a rock song for their upcoming composition assessment.

Year 9 & 10 Music

The Year 9 and 10 students have been working hard on their popular music compositions. Students have chosen to either create their compositions on Sound Trap or record their creation on a chosen instrument. Popular music is a broad genre of music and it has been exciting to hear all students’ compositions as they are all very different.

Year 11 & 12 Music

The Year 11 and 12 students have been focusing on their first piece of assessment for the year – performance. COVID has unfortunately put restrictions on holding live performances, though hopefully later in the year we can hold a live event for performances and compositions.

Once students have completed their performances, they will move onto creating their own compositions.

Regards
Miss. Kate Myers
Teacher

From the Humanities team

As a school, we are now well and truly passed the middle of the term. The students are still working diligently and soon their hard work will be assessed. For the humanities classes this means an investigation into a great number of topics.

Year 7 students will be close to wrapping up their research into Ancient Egyptian mummies and pyramids. Year 8 History students have just completed their exam on the Black Death and the resonating effects in middle ages Europe. Soon, these same students will take a turn on their historical journey and learn about Shogunate Japan and the power of the Samurai. Year 9 students are delving into one of the most exciting times in history, the industrial revolution! Whilst Year 10 history students are now one week into their source investigation surrounding the cause and effect of World War 2. Please remember to support these students as this is a new topic of study.

Finally, our seniors in History have now submitted their first externally confirmed piece of assessment and our teachers are very proud of their hard work. It’s heart-warming to see students so passionate about something they are learning.

Regards
Mr. Jaksen Brose
Teacher

From the Science team

Last week, four of our Senior students attended the Kestral International Women’s Day breakfast at the Gateway. It was a great morning where we watched a livestream of the of the WIMARQ (Women in Mining and Resources Queensland) breakfast in Brisbane which was focused on diversity in mining and the achievements of women in the resources sector. Safe to say it was a great opportunity for the girls to see what areas they can be a part of in their future careers.

Regards
Miss. Annabel Wyatt
Teacher

From the Technology Club

The Technology Club will be starting up soon, with restrictions being lifted and school life coming back to some normality. Please ensure you listen and look out for Student Notices in the coming weeks of WHEN and WHERE clubs are happening.

HPV

Emerald High’s Human Powered Vehicle Program (HPV) is an exciting competition that challenges Junior and Senior students to race recumbent style bikes around a grand prix street circuit. Teams of eight, work together as they compete against other schools from across Queensland at various endurance races. Boys and girls who are cycling enthusiast, or like being bike mechanics, feel free to join up.

Robotics

Robotics Club is a new Club that we are trailing this year. Emerald State High School is looking at nominating a team in the RoboCup Challenge. This is a project-oriented educational initiative that sponsors local, regional, and international robotic events for young students. It is designed to introduce RoboCup to secondary school children. Created in a true cooperative spirit, RoboCup encompasses not only vital STEM skills, but extends right across a school curriculum. The competition also addresses social development by encouraging sportsmanship, sharing, teamwork, understanding of differences between individuals and nations, cooperation and organisational skills.

There are three main challenges on offer – OnStage, Rescue, and Soccer.

Coding (including Esports)

META Esports League of Legends Tournament is a competitive online environment for aspiring esport players to compete against students from Australia and New Zealand in League of Legends, Rocket League and NBA2K.

The aims of the activity are to develop student resilience, communication, teamwork and discipline. Through the META tournament students are able to work with teachers, parents and schools to improve critical life skills and achieve educational outcomes through their passion for esports and gaming.

Students train and learn together within their school environment, then participate online at home in local and national leagues where participants can compete and challenge themselves in a safe environment. The league culminates in a Grand Final, hosted at the Melbourne Esports Open.

Build your own device

Since the end of last year, students have had the opportunity to build a PC from scratch from stock just over three years old. From the disassembled PC students are given, they will be able to follow step by step instructions of installing RAM, HDD and cabling etc. After the hardware has been installed students will then install an OS and other apps as time allows.

Dates are yet to be confirmed but once again students will have the opportunity to “Build Your Own Device” as part of Central Queensland University’s linking program. The aims of the activity are for students to build a desk top computer from 3-year-old stock from CQU, with groups limited to eight. More details to come in the following weeks.

Regards
Mr. Noel Cavanagh
Club Coordinator

From the Indigenous Education team

We are pleased to welcome Miss Mckeon to the Indigenous Education Faculty again this term, to provide extra support for respective students in Years 7-10 in regards to English and Maths. The in-class support started in Week 6 and it is working well, and the respective students are benefitting from her assistance. Miss Mckeon is here on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Please congratulation the following successful QATSIF (QCE scholarship recipient) students as of this year:

• Lenard Taylor – Year 12
• Cody Taylor – Year 11

Both students will receive their certificates on their Year Level Assemblies later this term.

Any Year 12 Indigenous students interested in being involved in this year’s NAIDOC Elders Luncheon which is organised by the ESHS Indigenous Education Faculty with other high schools in the region as well as outside stakeholders and the wider community, please see or email Miss Ferrara by the end of this term. There will be meetings scheduled throughout next term in preparation for this event.

Have a great 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 7 and 8 of this term.

Behaviour Focus

Our current behaviour focus is “Be in class on time everyday.”

Student of the Week

Week 7

Year 7: Ruby Smith For always being polite, prepared for class and actively participating in activities.

Year 8: Lachlan Rapmund For always participating to their best in class as well as helping and supporting others.

Year 9: Emily Agius For always being willing to participate and giving everything her best go! A fantastic edition to our class.

Year 10: Lillia Renwick For completing set work to a high standard despite her recent absence.

Year 11: Ethan James For always being polite and inclusive of all students.

Year 12: Zayden Woods For exemplifying the values of ESHS in everything he does.

Week 8

Year 7: Ellah-Ray Snowden For always being on time, prepared, polite and thinking outside the box.

Year 8: Aimee Truong For always working to the best of her ability and seeking feedback when needed.

Year 9: Cyrish Arconada For consistently participating in class and producing high quality work.

Year 10: Lucas Verzeletti For his polite and hardworking attitude in class, he is a role model for his peers.

Year 11: Sky Ribbon For always being polite and inclusive of all in our school community.

Year 12: Ebony Ballard For being polite & caring for your classmates.

Community Notices

Student Employment Opportunity

Wendys Emerald, currently have two junior positions (14 years) available for students & any students interested can ask about the opportunity at Wendys.