1 February 2023

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report.

Dear Friends of Emerald High,

A huge welcome back to 2023. It was wonderful to again have the school full of young people ready to work within our school community to build meaningful and worthwhile futures.

The school has continued to grow, with our numbers now at around 920. This means increased funding, increased numbers of staff and some more facilities.

I am also delighted to report that last year's academic, effort and behaviour results were the highest on record, a testament to the super work of our young people, their teachers and the support they have received from home. To infinity and beyond!

This year we have again welcomed some new staff to our school:

• Brandon Armgardt from QUT
• Anna Betts who continues with us from last year
• Ashleigh Fogwell who joins us from Chancellor State College on the Sunshine Coast
• Kate George who has joined us from Centenary SHS in Brisbane
• Hayley Pike from UQ
• Anna Rogash from QUT
• Mickayla Willie from QUT
• Sanny Fletcher who will be an extra Chaplain
• Rhonda Martin who joins our cleaning team

To help parents negotiate the myriad of dates of school events and to plan ahead, we have emailed a letter to all parents showing all of the key dates in the year, including dates of P&C Meetings.

As you are probably aware, this year will see the construction of a Trade Training Centre at the school, the development of a quality gym and an extension of our administration building. We will also see the Basketball Court covered area doubled in size. It will be a big year of building!

Some exciting student news to start the year - Sophia Wright has been invited to attend the USYD Indigenous U16s Rugby 7s camp to be held at the University of Sydney from 3rd to the 4th of March, 2023. This will be an amazing opportunity - well done Sophia!

Some more sensational news. One of our super teachers, Kate Deighton, was awarded the Senior Sportsperson / Sports Administrator award at the Australia Day awards last Thursday. Well done Kate! This is a great achievement. Additionally, Head of Department Jacinda Stefaniuk and teacher Leanne Ross were nominated for 'Citizen of the Year' awards and the school's Interact Cub were nominated for the 'Community Event of the Year' award for their 'Haunted House' event. Great work students and staff!!

This year is also special as it is a Musical year and rehearsals are well underway. It will be something magical indeed with lots of talent on stage.

To start the year on a high I would ask parents to ensure that kids are bringing the correct equipment to school to help maximise their chances of success in their classes. When students do not have the correct gear, valuable learning time is lost.

With another year of study now underway, I spoke with all students on assembly about the importance of the three things that they can influence that make the biggest effect on academic and life outcomes - Effort, Attitude and Attendance. If we do these things well, success is guaranteed!

2023 will be a super year!!

“Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfil your own purpose and potential.”

- Kerry Washington

Have a fantastic fortnight
Mr. Sean Maher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Junior School.

What a great first week, I have been into all classes in Years 7 and 8 and have seen excellent work occurring. The uniform has been outstanding and behaviour in class has been the best that the Junior School has seen in many years.

In the Junior School we started the year with a strong focus on classroom routines and bookwork. I have included a copy of our bookwork expectations below, please assist our teachers by checking your child has a book for each subject and that they are following the bookwork expectations. You will also be able to find some feedback from teachers in each of their books. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns.

Regards
Mr. Ben Van Hees
Deputy Principal – Junior School

From the Head of Year 7.

To our brand-new families to the school, welcome, and to our returning families, welcome back! My name is Leah Cordwell and I would like to introduce myself as the Year 7 Head of Year for 2023. I have to say that this year is already starting to be better than past years.

My primary role in 2023 will be to monitor attendance, uniform and student wellbeing for the Year 7s. I will work closely with PC teachers, Class Teachers, HODs, and our Deputy Principal to ensure that every Year 7 student is known, cared for and respected.

During 2022, I was fortunate to have met majority of the Year 7 cohort during visits to the local primary schools. I worked with Ben Van Hess (Deputy Principal) and a variety of other staff members, as well as Emerald’s Year 6 teachers, to design our transition program, to set the Year 7 class lists and to organise our enrolment nights. The feedback from our transition days shows that students greatly enjoyed these opportunities and are excited to come to High School!

All year 7 students completed an induction program on their first day of high school where they were exposed to numerous school procedures and policies around their bookwork, the use of ICT and PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning). Students have now commenced their normal classes and have met all their teachers.

Next week, students will be getting to know each other and the school more and more and will start finding their friendship groups and developing a deeper understanding of where they want to go and who they want to be.

I look forward to supporting the cohort through their transition from Primary School as they adjust to the differing demands of High School. Should you have any concerns regarding the welfare of your child please do not hesitate to email me: lacor1@eq.edu.au

Regards
Miss. Leah Cordwell
HOY – Year 7

From the Head of Year 12.

2023 has begun and this means the beginning of the end for the Year 12s!

We have had a really positive start to the year with the Year 12s being great role models for the younger grades. Even though this is our last year, we still need to ensure that uniforms are correct at all times. This means NO football shorts (girls or boys), no tights and NO hoodies. Please remind your students of this.

As many of the students are now driving to school, could you please let them know that they are expected to park on Racecourse Road and walk across the oval.

Formal planning is well underway. We have established a committee with Amelia Smith and Breanna Burgess leading the way. The formal will be held on September 14th, so please keep your diary free! For students to attend formal they are to have school attendance at 90% or above. Some may need to be reminded of this.

Senior shirts have been received and handed to all students. The jerseys should arrive by the end of this term.

If you have any concerns please feel free to email me on ljarv26@eq.edu.au

Regards
Mrs. Lauren Jarvis
HOY – Year 12

From the P&C.

The Emerald State High School Parents & Citizens Association will hold this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 5:30pm, Thursday 9th March, 2023 in the Emerald State High School Library. All staff, parents and citizens of the Emerald community are invited to attend.

Emerald State High School’s P&C’s focus is to support the school, staff and students by providing funding for enhanced services, resources and improvements to the facilities of the school.

At the AGM, there will be:

• A call for membership for this year
• The adoption of the Constitution (if updated)
• The endorsement of the 2022 Auditor’s Report
• The endorsement of the 2023 Student Protection Risk Management Strategy
• The adoption of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and Budget, and
• Nominations and election of the 2023 Executive Committee, positions vacant include:
  O. President
  O. Vice President
  O. Treasurer
  O. Secretary
• Other potential positions, to be discussed and decided at the AGM, may include:
  O. Grants Officer
  O. Fundraising/Events Coordinator
  O Communications Officer
  O. Projects Officer
  O. Container Refund Scheme Officer
  O. Grounds/Facilities Officer

There is no expectation that everyone who attends the AGM will then join as a member. If you are interested in observing what happens at a P&C meeting, please come along.

Drinks and a light supper provided.

Regards
Mrs. Lesley-Anne McDowall
P&C Secretary

From the SRC.

2023 has started off well, with much of the COVID drama of the past few years behind us. The Student Representative Council (SRC) has started off strong, with a calendar of events already planned. Once again, we have an amazing group of Senior and Junior Leaders this year, who support not only the student body, but local, national and international charities.

The first event will be held in the next couple of weeks is Valentine’s Day. The SRC and leaders will be selling both real and felt flowers, food and of course cards to serenade their loved ones for $2. Students can purchase any of the gifts in advance next week, from the Tuckshop Courtyard and Sails area both lunches.

The Student Representative Council plays an important role in the school by running fundraisers, as well as student activities including the Colour Smash for Mental Health Week in Term 4 and the talent competition Shines in Term 2. The SRC also runs house competitions such the CQ Pet Rescue Challenge in Term 2 and the Neighbourhood Centre’s Alms Appeal at Christmas. The new leaders are also excited to run a Multicultural Festival in Term 3.

The SRC will also be relaunching the student led award system; the Ripple Effect. Ripple Effect awards are nominated by students, for students, who have shown to be following a PBL focus during the term. Nomination forms will be available in the library and students can post them in the letterbox on the main desk, which the Art Club has decorated for us.

The students in the Council run meetings each Tuesday at First Break in C8 and coordinate all the events and financial quotes when necessary. This is a huge responsibility and provides students with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills. All students from all year levels can attend these meetings and raise any issues that they feel are important, as the SRC helps create a link between staff and students concerns. It would great to see all students coming to a meeting at some time during the year.

This year, Jess Whybird is coordinating the Junior SRC, while I am continuing to work with the Senior SRC executives.

Regards
Mrs. Leanne Ross
SRC Coordinator

From the Positive Behaviour for Learning Team

At Emerald State High School we are:

• Polite,
• Prepared, and we
• Participate.

Student of the Week

Week 2

Year 7: Jolanie Britz For being an enthusiastic, helpful and respectful towards staff and students.
Year 8: Kelsey Allen For upholding the key values of ESHS in everything she does, Kelsey is a positive ambassador for the school.
Year 9: Wylie Burke For being enthusiastic towards completing curriculum tasks.
Year 10: TeMatauranga Morgan For his hard-working attitude in class and giving everything a go.
Year 11: Hamish Battye For demonstrating maturity beyond his years in class, Hamish is a true leader.
Year 12: Tegan Sprought For always showing diligence to all curriculum tasks, Tegan is a role model for the school.

Community Notices