30 March 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report.

Dear Friends of Emerald High,

A very unusual Term 1 is closing which has been, despite the COVID disruptions, a lovely calm and productive term, with lots of engaging learning evident in our classes.

The last few weeks in particular have been disrupted however, with significant numbers of staff away with COVID or as close contacts (myself included).

Despite this, our staff have stepped up to fill gaps and do what needs to be done – they have all gone above and beyond to keep quality learning happening. I have been so proud of the no-fuss way they have all worked together to keep classes running. Thank you all!

Our students have also had a great term and I have been impressed with how well students have adapted and supported their teachers and class mates. Great work students!

I would also like to thank parents and carers for your understanding and support over the term and express my appreciation for the way you have got behind us. Thank you everyone!

Finally, I would also like to acknowledge our tuckshop ‘Bites’ team who have also gone above and beyond to keep ‘Bites’ open and providing their high-quality meals despite managing significant staffing complexities themselves. You are amazing!

Solar panels are now installed on two more buildings, the bus zone will be completed early in Term 2 and D Block will be getting a paint over the holidays. Lots of things are happening!

The term will finish with our swimming carnival this Friday, a wonderful way to close off the term and an opportunity for students and staff to relax, have some fun and swim hard for those house points. It will be a great day!

I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Easter break and look forward to welcoming everyone back after the break!

Keep well and travel safely!

Have a fantastic holiday
Mr. Sean Maher
Principal

From the Head of Year 10.

Well, to say this term hasn’t had its share of vicissitudes would be an understatement. While we may have experienced interruptions, it has been great to see students demonstrating resilience and adhering to our key values in the way they have conducted themselves throughout the term. I have been impressed to see students participating in their learning and following teacher instructions. It has been great to watch the Year 10 cohort as they mature and settle into the senior school. It is inspiring to see students with a positive attitude towards their learning and setting the example for the junior school.

Term 2, Week 3 will see the Year 10 cohort undertake work experience placement. This is a great opportunity for our students to shine and represent our school with pride. For many of our students this opportunity can provide a foot in the door with prospective employers. Please ensure relevant documentation is submitted and if you have any questions please direct them to the Head of Department for VET, Jacinta Stefaniuk, jfehl8@eq.edu.au

Finally, with the commencement of Term 2, we will slowly see the start to cooler weather and I take this opportunity to provide a reminder about correct uniform students must ensure they wear to school. Please ensure your child is attending school in the correct uniform and if they are not then the process is that they will be expected to change.

I want to wish you all a happy and safe Easter and if you are travelling away I urge you to stay safe.

Regards
Mr. Peter Sanson
HOY – Year 10

From the Head of Year 11.

The end of Term 1 is near. We have all survived our first term of senior studies.

I am so impressed by the standard the Year 11s are putting in to their studies. Many have now completed at least 1 assessment in their subjects and have exceeded their own expectations. Mrs Shaw and myself are extremely proud of the work ethic most students are showing.

Report cards will be released soon for Term 1. Please ensure you look carefully at these, in particular in your students’ effort and behaviour results. If they have a high result for effort and behaviour, the teachers can ensure to support their academic results. We will be doing a review of all the Year 11 students’ effort and behaviour results, as we believe these are extremely important to track their future success. Parent teacher interviews will be held on Tuesday the 3rd May (Week 3, Term 2). We would love to see as many parents as possible checking in with the teachers, to ensure our students are achieving.

As you are probably aware, Emerald SHS is a Positive Behaviour for Learning school (PBL). This means that we like to reward those students who are consistently doing showing our 3Ps (Polite, Prepared and Participate). At the end of each term, we look at the behaviour and attendance data and students who have consistently shown the 3Ps are rewarded. At the end of Term 1, students will be rewarded with a free slushy at the swimming carnival. Please support us by reminding your students of these potential rewards and encourage this positive behaviour.

Should you have any concerns regarding the welfare of your child please do not hesitate to email me on ljarv26@eq.edu.au

Regards
Mrs. Lauren Jarvis
HOY – Year 11

From the Head of Year 12.

Our senior students are almost at the end of our first term and have done swimmingly! I have some exciting and important information to give you about our senior leader induction and attendance. Before I do so though, I would like to remind students and families that if and when students are away from school due to illness or isolation, they are to be contacting their teachers and accessing work via the Student Portal, so that they are able to be kept up to date and won’t fall behind. This is imperative in their final year, to maintain consistent grades.

Senior Leader Induction

On Monday the 28th Emerald State High School held an induction for the senior leaders of 2022. Usually this is held towards the start of the year but due to the unconventional start schools in Queensland had we have been unable to adhere by this timeline. Each student was invited to bring two parent guests to celebrate this occasion. The induction began at 9:00am in the undercover area with doors opening at 8:45am.

Under Education Queensland’s guidelines, it is necessary that all visitors to the school have proof of double vaccination. As such there was a check in gate at the entrance to the undercover area.

After the event all visitors were welcomed to join the student leaders and staff for a light morning tea in the amphitheatre.

Senior jerseys

The 2022 polos arrived at the start of the year and look fantastic. A big hit with the students. I am chasing up tracking information regarding the senior jerseys and my contact at Struddy’s has advised me that the pandemic is still affecting international freight, with customs and now the floods in SEQ, not allowing the ship to dock. When the container is received in Brisbane it will be sent out to us on the same day.

Attendance

The Year 12 welfare team have just run the attendance data for our seniors and are pleased with the high number of students whose attendance is above 90%. This is a requirement for students who wish to attend school events such as the formal towards the end of the year.

If you child is away for whatever reason, please be sure to provide a medical certificate for them and this will be put on file. I am aware that some of our students been away due to illness, either your own or another family member and these individual situations will be considered. If your child’s attendance is lower than 90% the good news is, they are able to improve their attendance throughout the year if they follow a few simple steps:

1. Provide medical certificates when away
2. Avoid arriving late to school
3. Sign in on time from flexi periods.

Other important dates of note

• School photos - 13th of May.
• External exams – 14th of October until the 16th of November.
• Mock exams – 29th of August until 9th of September.
• Graduation & final day – 18th of November.
• Formal – 15th September.

Regards
Mr. Jaksen Brose
HOY – Year 12

From the Cooee Corner.

The first term of 2022 has gone by very quickly. I am a new staff member at ESHS and have enjoyed the process of getting to know the students and staff here. We are all looking forward to the Swimming Carnival, to be held on the last day of term. “Under the Sea” is the theme, which should produce some interesting costumes. Cross Country was well supported and there were some hot and tired students (and staff) at the end of the event.

ESHS has a policy of inclusion, which means that Cooee Corner is used mostly as a learning support space and where small groups of students can receive support in areas of need. It can also be a relatively quiet space where missed exams can be caught up on.

William is a new student this year, who is participating in the same classes as his Year 7 cohort. Cooking is obviously very popular with William, who is always smiling in these lessons.

Regards
Mrs. Stephanie Begg
Teacher

From the Science team.

As we approach the end of Term 1, students are busy completing their first summative assessment task for the year. In some cases, the Term 1 interim reports will reflect the results obtained from this task.

The table below outlines the assessment items students will be doing during Term 2. Semester reports for Years 7-10 will be based on both Units 1 and 2 work, while the Year 11 and 12 students will get their reports upon completion of Unit 1 or 3.

EDROLO for year 12 General Sciences

Edrolo is an online teaching and learning platform available to Year 12 students doing General Science subjects (Chemistry, Biology and Physics). Edrolo offers:

• Video theory lessons available 24/7
• Practice questions, progress checks and exams
• Video solutions and instant feedback.

Students are encouraged to use Edrolo to reinforce their learning for Units 3 and 4. Parents can find more information on Edrolo by clicking on this link below:

Regards
Mr. Aneel Dewaan
HOD

From the English team.

After an usual start to the school year, we have finally reached Week 10 of Term 1.

Even in these unprecedented times, students were still able to navigate their learning either in person, or via the Student Portal. Students were very busy this term studying the classics, examining representations of Australian identity and war and understanding messages in advertising, just to name a few topics. They also had a go at responding to stimulus in exam conditions, presenting persuasive speeches and creating engaging feature articles.

Nearing the end of Term 1, students are well underway with exploring the beginnings of their new topics:

• Year 7: Folio Task – Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief
• Year 8: Times are Changing – Social issues
• Year 9: Speculative Fiction
• Year 10: Documentary Study – Bias in the media
• Year 11 Essentials: Workplace practices
• Year 11 Literature: Creative multimodal
• Year 11 General: Media issues
• Year 12 Literature: Creative multimodal
• Year 12 Essentials: Common Internal Assessment (CIA)
• Year 12 General: The Great Gatsby

Regards
Miss. Crystal Brunetto
Teacher

From the Hospitality & VET team.

This term in Food Specialisation, we have been learning about a variety of topic and cooking up a storm in the kitchen. All classes are doing extremely well following health, safety and hygiene procedures.

Year 7 & 8 have been learning about healthy eating and making delicious burgers. Year 9s have been learning about the different methods of cookery and have made a variety of food such as beef stroganoff and 5-minute microwave fudge. Year 10s learnt about different food preservation methods and made Bahn mi with carrot pickle and bacon jam.

Students have cooked a variety of other meals such as mini cob loaf’s, chicken Carbonaro, Nachos and tacos, fried rice, muffins, chocolate cake and cookies.

Regards
Miss. Tanya McIntosh
Teacher

From the Technology team.

As the global technology skills shortage grows, the inclusion of the Technologies Learning Area has significant potential to inspire students towards career pathways to meet national workforce and innovation needs. Australia’s future and potential to succeed, requires an understanding of science and technology, including digital literacy and design principles.

It's a high-tech world, and Emerald State High School’s Technology Engineering Systems (TES) program, is helping to develop students’ understanding of engineering systems. Within the Design and Technologies subject area, teachers facilitate students’ knowledge and understanding of the use, development and impact of technologies and design ideas, across a range of contexts focusing on engineering principles and systems. Students use their skills to identify a need, then design and produce a designed solution.

The Technology Engineering Systems program has in the past been mistaken for “going to the engineering shed and welding”. Which is not an element of the program at all.

The delivery method for the program consists of identifying a need and students following the Design Process, allowing students opportunity to discover new concepts and to use problem solving skills. It is a holistic approach to the identification and solving of problems, using components of a system and their interactions and interrelationships.

The Technology Engineering System program is strongly linked to STEM, and is not a gender bias subject.

Year 9 TES are designing a concept to help an isolated community create electricity via wind.

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Year 10 TES are designing a flight concept.

Technology 5.jpg (embed)

Regards
Mr. Noel Cavanagh
HOD

From the HPE team.

Wednesday of Week 8 saw our Inter-house Cross Country happen at the Botanical Gardens. We had a great turn out of over 150 students who came along to run either 3km, 4km or the 5km course. Students gave it their all to break 9 school records! The final house point tally saw Topaz take the win on a massive 474 points followed by Zircon on 260 points, Sapphire with 256 points and Garnet with 242 points.

The top 6 students from each age group who came in within the time frame, will move onto the next round of representation at the Central Highlands trials on the 22nd of April next term.

A big congratulations to the winners listed below:

Regards
Mr. Louis Beaty
Teacher

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 last week 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.

Regards
Miss. 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 9 and 10 of this term.

Behaviour Focus

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

Student of the Week

Week 9

Year 7: Sebastian Litzow For being an enthusiastic participator in all class discussions and activities. He always follows the 3Ps.
Year 8: Finlay Thompson For always participating well in class and giving his best. Finlay also helps others achieve as well.
Year 9: Ava Smith For being exemplary in her work and a role model for other students.
Year 10: Belle Vine For her polite and respectful attitude with staff and peers. Belle is a positive ambassador for the school.
Year 11: Aiden Eagles For always trying his best every lesson - always polite and positive.
Year 12: Takaelia Finch For her hard work and participation in maths.

Week 10

Year 7: Arnav Dewan For his active participation and for always helping peers with difficult concepts.
Year 8: Hayden Farrell For engaging well and taking control of his learning.
Year 9: Hannah Rogerson For always coming to class with a smile and putting in 100% effort every lesson.
Year 10: Hannah Atkinson For her participation in class discussion and maturity with peers and staff.
Year 11: Douglas Bennett For participating in events and trying to encourage others to school sporting events.
Year 12: Ella Quinn-Fitzgerald For working consistently on all of her assignments.

Community Notices