22 April 2016

Newsletter Articles

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

From the Principal

14/04/16

Welcome back to all our families for term two! We certainly have a packed term planned and are very determined to see all of our students on a pathway to success. Our finish to last term was quite spectacular, with our Harmony Day celebrations and our Rewards Day events. Harmony Day was a magnificent celebration of the many different cultures and backgrounds that make up Shailer Park High. The message was a very clear one – everyone is welcome at Shailer Park High, and we are united by our values which are “we are safe, we are respectful, we are responsible.” Harmony Day was a wonderful demonstration of the value of being “respectful” and of the respect that we all hold for each other in our school.

Rewards Day was an occasion to honour and celebrate with those students whose attendance was greater than 92% and who had one or fewer reported behaviour incidents. The students involved had an enormous amount of fun, especially when they were able to dunk their teachers! This is something that all students can strive to be part of during term two.

This term, our Yr 7 and 9 students will be participating in NAPLAN testing on 10-12 May. NAPLAN tests provide parents, students and schools with nationally benchmarked data and are a valuable tool for giving feedback on students’ skills. All relevant students are encouraged to participate in the NAPLAN tests to allow them, their families and their school to receive this important feedback on their progress.

For our senior students, especially our Yr 12s, term two represents a time to study hard, with extra vigour, as the results represent students’ “fullest and latest” pieces of assessment and are highly important to their overall outcomes. The teaching staff have been very impressed with a group of our senior students who have been staying back after school and arriving early to put in extra study. Their results are showing the benefits of this dedication!

As we approach the cooler months, families are reminded that only a senior jersey, school logo-embossed jumper, or navy blue jumper are acceptable at school. Please ensure that students have the correct uniform for any sudden cold snaps and are equipped for winter.

Parents will soon be issued with term one report cards. All parents are strongly encouraged to sit down with their students to read and discuss the results, and to make plans for the coming term and year. Parent-Teacher interviews will be conducted on 26 April and are the time where parents can ask specific questions regarding students’ progress. I strongly encourage all parents to attend parent-teacher interviews and look forward to seeing you there.

Mr Ascott getting dunked at Rewards Day

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL:
YEARS 7, 8 & 9

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) commenced in Australian schools in 2008. All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are assessed annually using common national tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy.

For those families of students in Years 7 and 9 the NAPLAN test dates for 2016 are Tuesday 10 May, Wednesday 11 May and Thursday 12 May. Further information can be found at:

HOTHOUSE PROGRAM FOR HIGH PERFORMING STUDENTS

At Shailer Park State High School we like to challenge our high performing students. Therefore we have identified high performing students in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy and these students are being challenged fortnightly in our 1/2 day Hothouse Program. Students work intensively unpacking high level skills and are challenged regularly to complete time framed activities that put their skills to the test.

Research indicates that students who achieve in the upper two bands in NAPLAN are most likely to receive an OP between 1-5. This means that these students are will have a wide range of further education and job opportunities as they progress through their life. We congratulate the students who have been chosen so far for the HOTHOUSE program for accepting the challenge and look forward to tracking their progress throughout their time at Shailer Park State High School.

HEAD OF YEAR 12

Year 12 Head of Year Report

I would like to welcome everyone back to term two, recharged and ready to go! This term will see the continued development and consolidation of work across all subject areas.

I am very pleased to say that the Year 12 cohort maintained an impressive attendance rate throughout term one which has given them a great start. We know that achievement is directly linked to attendance and continued efforts to maintain this high level will provide the very best platform for success. It is important to keep in mind that that in order to maintain a minimum 92%, students must not be absent for more than three days for the duration of the term.

The last day of term one was our Rewards Day for those students who did maintain this wonderful attendance rate. Students that were invited to attend had the pleasure of dunking those teachers brave enough to volunteer for the dunking machine. A special thank you must go to Mr Piri and Mr Thai for being dunked in their full formal clothing! Stefan, our school captain, led the way on the karaoke machine while others re-lived their childhood in the jumping castle. All students were provided with a sausage sizzle which certainly hit the spot. A fun time was had by all!

As the cooler months are now approaching, the students are now able to wear their jacket/jersey as part of their winter uniform, this will make them very happy indeed!

HEAD OF YEAR 10

Legal Studies in the Real World

On Thursday 14 April, the year 11 Legal Studies class attended an excursion to the Brisbane District and Supreme Courts in Brisbane City. This excursion is a vital part of the Criminal Law unit currently being studied. The students had the opportunity to view the sentencing of two criminal cases. It was particularly interesting to see the barristers for Prosecution and Defence examining precedent cases and providing submissions to the attending Judge. It was fascinating to see our system of justice at work and the students enjoyed experiencing the law in a practical, hands-on manner. The year 11 students conducted themselves in a mature and polite manner at all times – they were keen to learn from the valuable insights of those already involved in the profession.

This excursion forms the basis of the next assessment piece which is a written investigation into the Theories of Punishment used in the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld). Students will apply the facts from the cases viewed to their individual assignment which is due in week 9 of term two. There were many aspects of the legal proceedings viewed that students will be able to utilise in their assignments.

Thank you to the year 11 students for your neat presentation, enthusiasm and impeccable behaviour on the day. Thank you to Ms Glenda Walsh for accompanying me on the excursion. A lovely day was enjoyed by all.

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

All senior students are busily working and planning for their next pieces. Art students are continuing their ‘Bodies of Work’ on their individually chosen focus while the Visual Art Studies students are developing designs for the creation of a ceramic platter. They are very busy indeed!

Year 11 Art students have selected an item or object they are obsessed with and are working on a series of drawings experimenting with and manipulating a range of media. This little cat of Cassidy’s is currently sitting in “Facets” our art gallery. The Arts in Practise students have been working on a “Flip Book” of 16 pages. They have been very conscious of composition of images and are now extending their view into an A4 Watercolour format.

The Year 10 class has been examining local and world issues as demonstrated by the accompanying drawings. Sophie is concerned by the debilitating effect of fear, Isabelle’s focus is on the damage wreaked by the fashion industry.

Rohan has concentrated on a topic that is attracting massive media publicity as shown in his work pictured below and Jia’s drawing that is underway demonstrates the student’s concern over international events.

Instrumental Music

As part of the school’s partnership with the Qld Symphony Orchestra, a percussion masterclass was held at Shailer Park High on March 23.

The masterclass was conducted by QSO principal percussionist David Montgomery, and was attended by instrumental students from SPSHS, their families and percussion students from feeder primary schools. David conducted the SPSHS percussion ensemble, workshopping a piece called WALK IN THE PARK by Donna Bohn.

Pictured with David Montgomery are SPSHS percussionists Kyrah, Duana, Nikhil, Paul and Paige.

GUIDANCE

Skills and qualities that help children cope with life’s ups and downs

• Trust - that the world is safe and that there are caring people to help them.
• Belief - in their ability to do things for themselves and achieve their goals.
• Feeling good - about themselves and feeling valued for who they are by their parents and carers.
• Optimism - that things generally turn out well.
• Regulation - Ability to manage their feelings, thoughts and behaviours.

How are your child’s resilience skills developing?

Resilience is the ability to cope with life’s ups and downs. Children’s resilience is enhanced when they:

• Are loved by someone unconditionally
• Have an older person outside the home they can talk to about problems and feelings
• Are praised for doing things on their own and striving to achieve
• Can count on their family being there when needed
• Know someone they want to be like
• Believe things will turn out all right
• Have a sense of a power greater than themselves
• Are willing to try new things
• Feel that what they do makes a difference in how things turn out
• Like themselves
• Can focus on a task and stay with it
• Have a sense of humour
• Make goals and plans, both short and longer term.

Feeling optimistic and hopeful are key parts of mental health and wellbeing.

Nicky Stone
Guidance Officer

HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION & SPORTS

Welcome back to what I anticipate to be a very busy and eventful term 2. Below is a snapshot of upcoming programs/events taking place across Term 2. Following the great start that students across the HPE and Sport faculty made in Term 1, we look forward to building upon these foundations to achieve even better outcomes.

Cross Country Carnival:

On Wednesday 23rd March all students participated in the Annual Interhouse Cross Country Carnival. The atmostphere was electric and the competition was fierce.

Results for the Carnival are as follows:

4th place 95 - TROJANS
3rd 128 - VIKINGS
2nd 177 - SPARTANS
1st 193 – GLADIATORS

2016 Age Champions

12yr Boys – RAFFERTY RUSSELL 13 – KYLE McCLURE 14 – JORDAN BOXELL 15 – LANCE SMITH 16 – JAMIE COLE Open – HAYDEN BOLGER 12yr Girls - MICALAH BICKERDIKE 13 – KATH HUGGINS 14 – JESSICA CLOTWORTHY 15 – TARLY BRINDLEY 16 – SHENTIA CHOW Open – ZOE QUARRY

Please see attachment for an up-to-date list of upcoming Sporting events for 2016.

HUMANITIES/JUNIOR SCHOOLING

Welcome to Term 2. After a very successful Term 1 that ended in a fantastic rewards day students seem enthusiastic as the teachers to be back. The Year 7s have well and truly settled into our school community and are approaching their study with a great deal of commitment.

This term sees the continuation of our exciting lunchtime activities and other extra-curricular activities that students have the opportunity to join in, if they so choose. It is also wonderful to see all students wearing the correct uniform and doing so with pride.

It is a delight to walk around the school and see all students engaged in learning and gaining so much confidence in their ability to achieve.

We have had a great start to the term with students in Geography getting immersed in such a wide range of engaging units. This term the Year 7s are enjoying the study of Liveability, Year 8s are getting engrossed in Changing Nations and the Year 9s are taking a journey around the world with Globalisation. Students should have bought home their assessment calendars for this term so please keep an eye out for those. All this information is also available on the website.

It is evident this term at Shailer Park State High School that there is an air of excitement and enthusiasm as you walk around the school. The great culture within our school community will no doubt set the foundation for a fantastic term 2 with great outcomes for all our students.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/SENIOR SCHOOLING

SENIOR SCHOOLING

Getting Organised

Prior planning prevents poor performance. Being organised, using a calendar and diary to help plan when assessment is due and organising time every day to do school work – little and often – really are strategies that can help you achieve.

A reminder to students and parents that Term Assessment Calendars and Tutorial Timetables are distributed to students each term and can also be found on our website:

A reminder to students and parents that the school Calendars can also be found on our website:

Important dates for your diary include Parent Teacher Interview Evening on 26 April 2016 from 3.30pm.

QCS Session

We were fortunate to welcome Dr Terri Bourke from QUT in Week 1 this term. Dr Bourke lead a session on Visual Literacy for our QCS students at SPSHS. This experience is invaluable as Dr Bourke has vast experience and expertise with the Core Skills Test and analysis.

QCS Sessions will begin in Week 2 – EVERY WEDNESDAY afternoon from 3.15 – 4.15 in F4 for Year 12 students doing the QCS test later this year. All students are expected to attend. If you have other commitments then please see Ms Winkeler for resources. This term our focus is on the Short Response Questions and Written Task.

Evidence shows us that these are the areas that we need most practice with. We have guest presenters working through skills and topics with us, so it’s not all just practicing questions like last term – we are strengthening your skills and increasing the challenge.

STEM and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

According to recent statistics 75% of jobs in the future will require STEM (science, technology, engineering & maths) skills and these facts require a targeted and informational focus on what is required to educate the children of the future.

STEMed is a one day festival of education for the future. This event will focus on the who, what, when and how of STEM skills, education and career development in this changing landscape. There will be activities for children, parents and educators throughout the day.

STEMed 2016

Registration 10am
Keynote Speaker (10:30am-12noon)
Exhibitors (all day) Sessions (12:45pm-3:30pm)
Workshops (12:45pm-3:30pm)

When : 29 May 2016 - 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM (UTC+10:00)

Location: Royal International Convention Centre, 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills

Website:

and

Technology Staff – Welcome

We would like to welcome Ajay Kumar to the Faculty. Mr Kumar comes to us as an experienced teacher of Technology. He will be teaching IPT, ITN and ICT in the senior school. Mr Kumar replaces Mr Culverwell who has taken a position closer to home, and joins Mrs Wilkie, Ms Tiainen and myself in the IT Faculty.

P & C NEWS

Next Meeting Tuesday, 17 May 2016 6pm

Woolworths Earn & Learn Materials have now arrived.

From the Woolworths Earn & Learn sticker program ran late last year I am pleased to advised that we raised enough points to provide the school with some Science resources ( see attached photos of our mini-beasts ) In addition we were able to get some highlighters & class white boards to support the explicit direct teaching that is being done in our classrooms.

P&C Active Sub- committees

We now have subcommittees formed by interested parents to support specific areas of school extracurricular activities

Music Support, Chair Andrew Huggins, Dance academy Support Chair Craig Croch, Volleyball Academy Support Chair Kelly Taurima.

We also have a as well as a Uniform subcommittee.

Logan City Council election BBQ, Sausage sizzle.

SPSHS P&C run a sausage sizzle at Shailer Park State High School in conjunction with the Local Government Election. The school was used as a polling site for the election. Many thanks to Our Organiser Andrew as well as to our BBQ volunteers Kim, Kevin, Sonja, Wendy, Annette, Troy and Demos for their help making the day very successful for the P&C. The Profit banked was over $900.

Federal election Fundraiser

As the Federal Election may be held on 2 July the P&C will run another BBQ and perhaps a bake sale or sale of donated books/goods. More information will be provided on this as the date is confirmed and we will appreciate support on the day

Loyalty Programs SOME WAYS YOU CAN HELP OUR SCHOOL

Foodworks Loganholme: Shop & Save club .Register in store by completing the Shop & save membership application form and nominate Shailer Park High School as your local school. As a shopper you receive one point for every dollar you spend at Foodworks Loganholme and the school receives half a point also. Once these points have accumulated you can redeem prizes from the in-store showcase and so can the school. If you are not a member ask for a form next time you are shopping! If your child previously attended anther school in the area please remember to advise Foodworks to update your information. From Foodworks points accumulated from your support the P&C were able to supply all the bread for our recent election day BBQ Fundraiser.

Amart sports Loganholme: Community Kickbacks program By joining the Team Amart loyalty program, members will receive awesome benefits throughout the year, like member only sales, exclusive competitions and special events. For every member purchase, Amart will assist our school by allocating 5% of that transaction in the form of an in-store credit to be used by the school & the P&C. Simply register in store & nominate Shailer Park High School as your registered organisation. In late March SPHS used rebates earned to provide over $150.00 worth of Frisbees, Whistles & Marker domes for Lunchtime sports. These are organised by our activities coordinator Ash. The senior students / leaders are getting involved also - helping out with refereeing / umpiring.

Ritchie’s IGA Daisy Hill: Community Benefits Fund (#99436) Ask for a Ritchie’s CB card at the School office These are preset with the Shailer Park High CB number. For every $ you spend, IGA will donate 0.5% to our school. There are also hundreds of weekly specials that have extra discounts for Ritchie’s Community Benefits card holders.

Kevin Thomas
Vice President
Shailer Park High School P&C

Andrew Huggins
Chairperson, Music Support Group
andrew.huggins@bigpond.com

Jo Quelch
P & C Assn President