1 March 2023

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report.

Dear Friends of Emerald High,

Over half way through the term and students are starting to get into assessment in many subjects.

A reminder that students can now access their Assessment Planners through One School, showing all of their assessment dates for the semester. This is a very important tool to help students (and parents) plan study in a way that is effective and time-efficient.

Some sensational student news…

Georgia Barnes in Year 12 is the first of our enrolled students to successfully complete a Senior Astronomy course through the University of Southern Queensland. Georgia has completed this qualification alongside her normal studies - an outstanding effort!

I am also delighted to advise that Ashley Sprought and Matt Pese have both been selected to represent Capricornia School Sport in 2023. Ashely is representing in swimming and Mathew in Tennis. Well done to both of these fine young people.

I am also very happy to announce that over 1500 Positive Postcards have been sent out by teachers this year to acknowledge the quality work ethic and behaviour that is occurring across our school. The vast majority of our students are doing an amazing job and are on track for success. Well done students - it has been a super start to the year!

NAPLAN tests for Year 7 and 9 students are occurring early this year, commencing on 15 March and running for around four days. An email has been sent to all parents of Year 7 and 9 students that provide more details.

The school and P&C will be conducting a special 'Meet the School Leaders and P&C' on Thursday 9 March between 4:30pm and 5:30pm. This will be an opportunity for new and existing members of our parent community to meet the Principal, Deputy Principals, HoDs and P&C Executive. The afternoon will include a free barbeque, an informal 'meet and greet' and a tour of the school. The P&C Annual General Meeting follows on for anyone interested.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

- Mark Twain

Have a fantastic fortnight
Mr. Sean Maher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal – Middle School.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Emerald State High School is a Positive Behaviour for Learning School. We have 3 basic expectations of students and we expect all students to follow our 3Ps:

Be Polite – Be honest and courteous in their interactions with others. Value diversity and treat all members of the school community respectfully. Use positive and appropriate language. Seek to resolve problems in a proactive manner, in a non-abusive and non-violent manner. Promote a positive school image and act as a positive role model for all.

Be Prepared – Take pride in their personal appearance and wear the school uniform correctly. Ensure they have all necessary equipment for each lesson and plan to be ready for every lesson. Follow directions/routines of the school.

Participate – Regularly attend school to achieve his or her academic potential. Not leave the school grounds during the day without approval. Be punctual to all scheduled lessons and events. Have a go at all tasks. Get involved in school and community activities. Comply with the assessment policy. Actively and positively participate in their learning by completing all classwork, homework and assessment items.

This week’s PBL focus is to “Be in Class: every lesson, every day, on time”.

This looks like:

• Being at class on time, waiting to enter the classroom when your teacher opens the door
• Being ready to learn with all our equipment
• No longer eating and ready to learn
• Already been to the toilet & had a drink (or have a water bottle filled).

This is important so that:

• You don’t miss important messages, information and class tasks
• You don’t disturb the learning of other students by interrupting, leaving the room, arriving late

• You are safe
• You get a reputation as someone who is reliable.

To help you do this:

• Get your resources ready the night before
• Set an alarm to get you up early enough to be ready
• Know your timetable and where your classes are
• Listen to notices in PC in case of room changes
• Fill your water bottle up at first or second break
• Move to class when the first bell goes.

“I want to hire someone who turns up late!” said no employer ever!

Subject Changes

Since the start of the year we have had many students making changes to their elective subjects. Hopefully now that most students are in the subjects of their choice, there will be very little movement. Students wanting to make further changes should either see me in their lunch breaks or send me an email. This will now require that they complete a subject change form and have it signed by their parents and the HODs involved. Subject changes are still possible, but will be dependent on availability in the subject requested. Please understand that some of these classes are at capacity and adding new students is not always possible.

Assessment Planners

At the end of Week 4 Assessment Planners were emailed to all students via their student email accounts. These are also available on Q Parents. These planners list the due dates and assessment type for all assessment for all subjects that your student is enrolled in. They are listed in chronological order of the date they are due and are a handy tool for you and your child to monitor and plan for assessment tasks to be completed on time.

Work Experience

This term, the Year 10 students have the privilege of completing a week of work placement as part of their studies for Cert II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways. This will happen in Week 9 of this term and the students have been given the forms they need to approach a local business or employer of their choice to see if they are able to complete their work experience there. This is an invaluable experience and something they need to put some thought into. I encourage them to act quickly and secure their spot in the job or workplace that they would like to learn more about. With all of Year 10 seeking placement, the longer they leave it, the less likely they are to get the work of their choice. It is amazing to see the motivation that comes from this week. There is always lots of offers of part time work and school-based apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities that follow this week, once our local employers are aware of the work ethic, commitment and skills of our young people. I would rate this work experience week as one of the most important opportunities our students are given during their time at ESHS. Please encourage them to make the most of it!

Immunisation Program for Year 7 and Year 10

Queensland Health will again provide free vaccinations for all Year 7 and 10 students, as part of Queensland Health’s Annual School Immunisation Program. Information pack and consent forms have been given to all Year 7 students (Year 10 will be much later in the year). Please read this information, complete and sign “Yes” or “No” on the consent form and return to the school as soon as possible. It is requested that ALL families complete the consent form, even if they do not want their child vaccinated at school, as this allows us to confirm that the immunisation offer was received.

Your participation in the Immunisation Program is entirely up to you. Under no circumstances would the school be allowing vaccinations of any type, without parental approval in writing.

If your child misses the school immunisation day, there are nominated catch-up days shortly after. Alternatively, you can make a private appointment with your GP.

School Diaries

On the first day of school, each student received an ESHS 2023 student diary. Ask your child to show you their diary. It contains lots of information on the routines and expectations at ESHS. All students must have their diary with them every lesson and will use it as an organisational tool. Please use the diary as a means of communication with teachers also if you choose.

Communication

The main way we communicate to our parents is through the school’s newsletter and via email. We also post messages on the school’s Facebook page. If you have questions, we would love to hear about them before they become concerns. Keeping open lines of communication between families and classroom teachers will help everyone stay more informed and on-track for a great year. I encourage all students to regularly check their school email account and use this email account to check in with their teachers as needed. If parents wish to contact teachers, email is often the easiest means, however, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give any teacher a call if this suits you better.

I wish you all well for the rest of Term 1.

Regards
Mrs. Deanne Lucht
Deputy Principal – Middle School

From the Head of Year 11.

It has been a wonderful start to the term. It has been great to see students settle back into the routines of school. We have welcomed a number of new students and families to the ESHS community and it is encouraging to see these students making a positive start to the term. There are a number of Year 11 students completing traineeships or certificate courses and with this extra responsibility, it is important that students are completing curriculum tasks. Alarna Wills does a great job to connect students with opportunities, so if your child is interested, please encourage them to speak with Alarna about opportunities.

The research tells us that for students to have success in their learning, every day and every lesson counts. If students are missing a day a week or a day a fortnight, it can have significant impact on academic results. Unless your child is unwell, they should be attending school. If your child misses school or needs additional help with their subjects, they can attend homework club in the library every Monday and Wednesday from 3-4pm. Students can ask their teachers to attend to help them with certain subjects.

Regards
Mr. Peter Sanson
HOY – Year 11

From the Science team.

Year 7

The students are exploring classification through dichotomous keys. Students completed their Part A exam in Week 4, and are now looking at food webs ahead of their Part B exam in Week 8.

Year 8

Science classes are focussing on elements, compounds and mixtures in their chemistry unit this term. Students will be completing a student experiment in the coming weeks, completing a written report in class, which will be due in Week 8.

Year 9

Science classes are working on their Earth and Environmental Sciences unit, completing a research investigation. Student will be researching the effects of human impacts on orangutan populations or rates of antibiotic resistance in order to complete a report. This assessment will be due in Week 9.

Year 10

Science classes are looking at genetics and evolution, with their first exam in Week 8.

Year 11

Year 11 Chemistry have just started their research investigation (due in Week 9) after examining the fundamentals of atoms. Students will research and analyse information related to a research question they develop. Year 11 Biology have begun their first unit, focusing on cells and multicellular organisms. This will culminate in a data test in Week 7. Students will then begin content for their second topic for the unit. Year 11 Physics are focusing on thermal physics with data test to be completed in Week 9. Science in Practice students have also begun an experiment, focusing on investigating water quality, which is due in Week 8. These students will be going on an excursion to different parts of the Nogoa River, to test water quality at different sites. Psychology students will be completing their data test in Week 6, for their Unit 1 Individual development, Topics 1 and 4.

Year 12

Year 12 Physics students are focusing on electromagnetism, and will complete a student experiment, due in Week 3 of Term 2. Biology students are finishing content in Unit 3 and have already submitted their IA2 assessments. Their second assessment, a data test, will be held in Week 9. Chemistry students are completing a student experiment on equilibrium, acids and redox reactions, due in Week 10. Psychology has their data test in Week 6, focusing on individual thinking. The Science in Practice students are also doing a student experiment, investigating reaction processes in beer brewing and yeast fermentation.

In exciting news, the science department has purchased a class set of virtual reality googles which will be rolled out soon. Watch this space for more updates!

Regards
Miss. Jess Whybird
Teacher

From the English team.

Here are some of the latest updates for Term 1 English at Emerald State High School:

Year 7

Students have been completing a skill unit in reading and writing as they settle into high school. Very soon they will begin reading our novel for the year Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. They are completing a folio of task at school, to show their skills in a wide variety of areas.

Year 8

We have been engaged with the film ‘Remember the Titans’ and focusing our learning on themes, symbols and characterisation, along with film techniques. Students will write their very first Analytical Essay later this term.

Year 9

Students have been reading and viewing a variety of Sci- Fi texts. They have been focusing on the ways authors create these types of texts. At the end of the term, students will complete a short response exam that tests their skills in creative writing and comprehension.

Year 10

The focus in this unit has been how war is represented in a variety of different texts. Soon, students will be begin writing a feature article that examines a film, a poem and a song, and how these texts have portrayed war in a variety of different ways.

Year 11 General

We have read the play ‘One Day of the Year’ which investigates the meaning of ANZAC Day. Later this term, the students will write an analytical essay under test conditions.

Year 11 Literature

Students have read the play ‘Terror’ and, like the general students, will be writing an analytical essay in exam conditions later this term.

Year 11 Essentials

Students are preparing a pitch, similar to Shark Tank about a product that will benefit a work place. The focus has been on the industries in our local area.

Year 12 General

This year, students have engaged with two texts, ‘Macbeth’ and the new film ‘Elvis’. Students have been investigating the similarities between these two texts; ambition and power.

Year 12 Literature

Students have been reading the play ‘Constellations’. They will be creating an imaginative spoken/multimodal piece over the next few weeks.

Year 12 Essentials

Students are finalising their first assessment piece for the year. They have been working hard on a persuasive speech about a local, social issue which needs more funding and attention.

Regards
Mrs. Gabby Hunt
HOD

From the Hospitality & VET team.

It has been an exciting start to the year. With Covid19 restrictions lifted, our Year 11 students in Early Childhood Studies have been able to return to the kindies for some practical hands on experience with little people. We had our first excursion in Week 3 to Borilla Kindergarten with our focus being on developing positive and respectful relationships with young children. The Year 11s showed a natural ability to connect with these little people, with their only complaint being that the time went too quickly. We will be returning to Borilla Kindergarten again in Week 5, Week 6 and Week 10.

The Year 11 and 12 students completing their Certificate III in Early Childcare are doing a great job. They are continuing to work hard to complete their compulsory 18 assessment modules, whilst also completing a minimum of 160 hours of work experience in the industry. The Year 12 students are on the homeward straight, with the goal of being eligible for employment in the Early Childhood Industry by the end of Year 12 with the completion of their Certificate III.

Keep up the great work Early Childhood students!

It has been exciting to see the Year 12 students in Early Childhood Studies working towards the completion of their course. Unfortunately, the situation as it was with Covid19 has put a hold on all kindergarten visits. However, the end is in sight for these girls so they are all working well to complete required assessment. This term we have been looking at ‘Healthy Kids’. Students came up with their own healthy eating activity that would support young children to eat healthy foods.

Regards
Mrs. Debbie Gellatly
Teacher

From the Technologies team.

Digital Technology

The Year 10 Digital Technology class are learning about designing a web page concept. Dreamweaver is an application that lets you design, code, and manage websites. What is interesting about the software is that it offers both the possibility to write code, as well as make a website using a visual interface.

Tools, Materials & Technology

This term in Tools, Materials & Technology our Year 9 class will attempt to design and produce a serving tray similar to the one below. For some, it will be their first time exposed to the workshop environment, learning about hand tools and general workshop safety.

Our Year 10 learners will be building a fold-up camp stool from a working drawing. Although there’s not a lot of freedom for design and creativity, this project is more about industry standards and timber joints with hand tools.

Design & Technology

This term, the DAT Year 9 and Year 10 classes will explore the world of graphics, specifically getting to know the Autodesk program, AutoCAD. The Year 9 & 10 class will start off with sketching techniques and how to render and add depth to images. They will then move onto orthographic projection, where they will duplicate different views of sketches into AutoCAD and produce a folio of work for their term mark.

Engineering

Engineering principles and systems in Term 1, sees the Year 9 learners research wind turbines, whilst having a look at the science behind generating “green” energy through wind.

The Year 10 class will enjoy designing and producing CO2 cars from a very soft timber called Balsa. In Week 9, we will race the cars to determine who has bragging rights. This is usually a very fun and engaging project for the learners

Graphics

The senior Graphics students are busy with their projects and practical demonstrations respectively. The Year 11s and 12s are designing an Adirondack chair on AutoCAD. They will research existing models of the chair and then produce their own design.

Furnishing

Term 1 in Furnishing exposes the learners to industry practices and standards when producing timber items. They will start off with a bookend, held together with dovetail joints, and then apply that knowledge to start creating their carcass for their dartboards, which is due at the end of Term 2.

Our Year 12s this term are focusing on constructing a Cape Cod Chair (Adirondack). Students will use various timber types for the chair, depending on their design choices decided upon during their theory work.

Design 12

The Year 12s have just finished their IA1 exam (Human Centred Design) and are starting on IA2 (project) which equates to 35% of their year mark. The challenge: “How might the design of a product, service or environment make the experience of parenting easier and less stressful, and ultimately more attractive?”

Engineering 11

Year 11 Engineering have completed modules on Occupational Health and Safety using the OnGuard website. Along with the safety program students have started theory notes on their Practical Demo (Drift) and Project (BBQ) tasks for Unit 1. Due to the bottleneck of access to lathes students will be working on both projects this semester.

Engineering 12

Year 12 Engineering, along with OnGuard modules, have started their folio on their Unit 3 Project (Machine Vice). This project focuses on the fabrication and machining of multi components to manufacture a functioning engineering tool. Students will be accessing milling machines, lathes and Manual Metal Arc Welders to complete this project.

Regards
Mr. Bennie Olivier
Teacher

From the Learning Support team.

Welcome to 2023 from the Learning Support Team.

This year Lauren Jarvis and Alisa Finn are working with our students and teachers in supporting academic success within the classroom. We are working on transitioning our Year 7s into high school life and all students are to be commended on their positive approach to high school.

We are currently reviewing our ICPs for Semester 1 and ensuring we are supporting all who require it. A gentle reminder that if you believe that your child will need some support in the upcoming assessment period, please get in contact with us as soon as possible.

Are you unsure if your child has a learning difficulty? Did you want to learn more about learning difficulties? Please feel free to contact us at any time, to chat regarding anything Learning Support. If you believe your child may have a barrier in an academic area why not check out Learning Difficulties Australia https://www.ldaustralia.org/information-resources/learning-difficulties/ or Supporting People Experiencing Learning Difficulties (SPELD) https://www.speld.org.au/ . We are members of these associations and find their websites very informative.

Should you have any concerns regarding the learning needs of your child please do not hesitate to email Alisa ( afinn22@eq.edu.au ) or Lauren ( ljarv26@eq.edu.au ).

Regards
Mrs. Lauren Jarvis & Mrs. Alisa Finn
Learning Support Coordinators

From the Indigenous Education team.

We are pleased to welcome back 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 1 and it is working well, and the respective students are benefitting from her assistance. Miss Mckeon is here on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Please congratulation Isabel Badowski (Year 11) for being a successful QATSIF (QCE scholarship recipient) student for this year.

Congratulations also to Cody Taylor who is this the 2023 Indigenous Leader and also received a QATSIF certificate and pin.

Any Year 11 or 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 Mrs Pillay by the end of this term. There will be meetings scheduled throughout next term in preparation for this event.

Have a great week!

Regards
Mrs. Rebekah Pillay
HOD

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.

Regards
Mrs. Lesley-Anne McDowall
P&C Secretary

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, On time.”

Student of the Week

Week 5

Year 9: Mason Stokes For always being on task in class and completing work to a high standard.

Year 11: Sophie Watson For showing clear dedication to completing revision questions outside of class time for her upcoming Maths Methods exam. It is a pleasure to see this level of effort.

Week 6

Year 8: Zaina Haque For always applying herself in class, having a positive attitude towards learning and following the 3Ps.

Year 9: Lilly Stone For always being on task in class and completing work to a high standard.

Year 10: Coen Mayne For giving everything a go and putting 100% into all learning activities.

Year 11: Kaden Quinn-Fitzgerald For upholding the key values of ESHS and being an independent learner.

Community Notices