17 February 2020

Newsletter Articles

A message from the Principal

I hope each and every one of you enjoyed some time to recharge and relax together during what was a hot and at times, tense summer break for our country. The resilience we have seen displayed over the last few months has been inspiring to say the least, with the rains over the past weeks a welcome respite. I have enjoyed welcoming your children back through the gates of Shailer Park, and am glad to see so many of our fantastic students return to the 2020 school year looking refreshed and focussed on the terms ahead.

This year marks Shailer Park State High School’s 40th anniversary. Four decades of education provided for the young people of this community. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page and upcoming Newsletters for information on celebrations. You can help us celebrate by sharing your memories of Shailer Park SHS, donating $40 to our P&C for our 40 years and attending our Gala evening in Term 3.

We began the year by welcoming 220 Year 7 students to the Shailer Park SHS community, who have experienced a number of orientation activities to get them into the swing of life at high school. The rains of last week were welcomed by the entire country, however unfortunately did not represent fantastic timing for our Year 7 students and staff who attended camp on Mt Tamborine in the latter part of last week. By all reports, these Year 7 students are made of resilient stuff! The inclusion of these new members to our student cohort see our school enrolments at approximately 1100 students. This provides us with an excellent opportunity to further develop the strong sense of camaraderie, belonging and support our school has become recognised for, where Lifting Aspirations is a whole school effort.

The end of the 2020 seems incredibly far off into the future at this early stage of the year, however committing to starting strong will ensure every one of us will finish strong. Renewing our effort to this commitment involves reminding yourself that you cross the line of opportunity each day as you enter the school gates. Each day is important, each lesson matters and each effort you make to be the best you can be will propel you that little bit closer toward those end goals. Starting with the end in mind is an essential step toward those Bright Futures. It has been an absolute delight to have our 2019 Year 12 graduates check back in with Shailer Park SHS and tell us of their outstanding achievements and exciting plans now they are out in the big wide world, some of which have been posted to our Facebook page.

For those graduates, their Bright Futures are in the here and now, direct results of starting strong and committing to their goals. For current students, our Positive Change Highway offers a helpful framework for us to think about learning and how we can navigate our way to success. We should expect roadblocks and speedbumps as a normal part of the learning process: only through these do we really manage to learn and grow. Most importantly having a plan that considers what we can do when we approach these roadblocks or speedbumps is vital in developing our reaction to them. Coming to a complete standstill at a speedbump isn’t particular helpful in trying to get to a destination, just as blindly continuing on through a roadblock will result in damage right then and there or further down the track. The steps and strategies which help us to negotiate these types of learning barriers and difficulties are just as necessary as the kinds we take on when absorbing the road rules: negotiating bumps in the road is a part of life! By helping students to develop the steps and strategies to overcome those speedbumps in their learning, we will help them not only to remain resilient during their journey through high school, but on into adulthood.

If we can understand how to learn at our best and put that into action every single day, those Bright Futures are assured. I believe that most students can tick at least one of these aspects of 4Rs listed below, however our aim should be to tick them all! Which learner fits your student best and where could they focus their energy on improving?

Resilient Learners (stickability):

• Have a plan.
• They develop routines that support them to be balanced e.g. sleep, study, physical activity.
• They manage distractions.
• They understand that learning is ‘tricky and uncomfortable’ and have the perseverance to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Reflective Learners:

• Revise and adapt along the way.
• Learn from mistakes.
• Understand themselves as a learner – how you learn best.
• Future focussed – have a plan worked out.
• Seek feedback.

Resourceful Learners:

• Seek help.
• Think rigorously and methodically.
• Question, think critically.
• Learn from others.
• Find ways to overcome challenges – problem solver.

Relational Learners:

• Understand that learning is social.
• They value other perspectives.
• Listen and seek to understand.
• Pick up other’s habits and values.

Understanding where you are succeeding or need help to improve in the 4Rs is an excellent way to approach learning, however our wellbeing also needs to be addressed for this to be successful. We can all arrive at work and know exactly what we have to do, however if we feel angry or frustrated, our tasks are difficult to perform, we make mistakes, feel even worse about ourselves and then slip even further down into the slump we started the day with. It is no different for our children.

Each day and each lesson we check in and connect with students using our 5 Faces Framework, asking students to consciously assess whether they are ready to put the 4Rs into practice and commit to their best learning. This strategy is an excellent way of getting our children to understand how what they are feeling is affecting their ability to learn, communicate or complete a task. I would encourage families at home to also use this language to strengthen the balance between home and school, as well as supporting the connections students make between wellbeing and learning. Try it at home and compare how your student completes tasks they consider to be easy and fun with those more difficult or boring when they are operating at different ends of the 5 Faces. It becomes clear very quickly, that approaching a task with a positive mindset will always end in a better outcome regardless of the challenges that task presents. Asking students to identify their readiness for learning on a scale of 1 to 5 supports them to develop their ability to self-regulate and learn those proactive strategies which are essential for managing their own wellbeing.

Our frameworks are lifting the aspirations of our students, helping them to become better learners who are more resilient and have a healthier sense of wellbeing. Using this language and these concepts at home can only help to improve those Bright Futures for your children!

Calendar

A message from our Senior Schooling Deputy Principal

We have really hit the ground running in senior school this year. The Year 11s and 12s have returned to school with a strong sense of purpose and they are making very deliberate decisions regarding subjects and use of study time. With all senior now working in the new QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education)/ATAR system we have plans in place to run some lunch time and after school Q&A sessions for both students and parents on the following topics:

• ATAR
• QCE
• Organising my study time
• Using drafting and feedback effectively
• Future pathways

If you have any other topics that you would like me to add please contact me on kryan30@eq.edu.au with your suggestions.

There is also a wealth of information in the QCAA (Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority) website for parents and families in regards to Senior Secondary.

21st Century Skills

The Senior Curriculum is underpinned by the 21st Century Skills required for all adults to be successful in the future workforce.

Young Queenslanders in the 21st century need to be:

• innovators
• entrepreneurs
• lifelong learners
• responsible global citizens.

QCAA General Syllabuses are underpinned by the skills students need in the 21st century:

• critical thinking
• creative thinking
• communication
• collaboration and teamwork
• personal and social skills
• ICT skills.

Year 12

This week our Year 12s received their senior jerseys. For some more great pics jump onto our Facebook page to see many of our seniors modelling the new addition to their school wardrobe.

All seniors

Our Senior School Data Team continue to meet weekly to ensure that every senior student is on track and has the support required to fulfil their Big Plans and Bold Ambitions. Myself and our Dean of Studies, Mr Shane Albertson, will be meeting with students and parents who may be at risk to ensure that they are on the right pathway and getting the support that they need for a Bright Future. Feel free to contact the office and organise a meeting with me if you ever have any concerns regarding your students’ academic progress.

A message from our Junior Schooling Deputy

Positive Learning Behaviours

At Shailer Park State High School, we know that positive learning behaviours optimise students’ ability to reach their learning goals. The ways in which a student manages their learning time, resources, homework and study schedule and conduct in class can tell us a great deal about their attitude to learning, including their perspective on with whom lies the ownership of one’s learning. Three key areas of focus this year are: bookwork and resources management, homework, and learning processes and procedures in the classroom. These areas of focus are important because:

• establishing, contributing to and maintaining a positive, productive and meaningful learning environment is everyone’s responsibility
• adhering to clear and consistent learning procedures, protocols and classroom behaviour development strategies can lead to increased engagement, improved relationships and an increased sense ownership of learning by the student
• we know that when we are ready to learn, feel pride in our work, present our work as best we can and can share our work with ease and integrity, learning is more engaging and productive
• a student’s standard of bookwork reflects their overall attitude to school and their sense of ownership of their learning, as well as the way in which they expect to interact with others as they learn
• a homework and study schedule and routine provides students with opportunities to consolidate their classroom learning and develop positive learning behaviours, while also achieving balance by being involved in other activities outside of school life.

Please access our website for detailed information on our policies which prioritise building a positive classroom context to enhance learning, including through routines regarding bookwork and homework, please visit our school website:

Subject Selections

All students in the Junior School have now been allocated their electives for this semester. Unless there are extensive or critical extenuating circumstances, there will not be any subject changes. It becomes difficult to pick up a new course of study after the initial couple of weeks of implementation.

Year 7 Meet and Greet Night

We are looking forward to welcoming our Year 7 Families to our annual Meet and Greet Night. This event is an opportunity for parents and carers to meet their Year 7 child’s teachers and make connections with other families. The program for the evening is as follows:

• 4.00pm-4.30pm Parent iLearning Workshop
• 4.30pm-5.15pm Meet and Greet
• 5.15pm-5.30pm Year 7 Information Session
• 5.30pm-6.15pm “9 Ways to a Resilient Child”, presented by Dr Justin Coulson
• 5.40pm-6.10pm Parent iLearning Workshop (repeated)

We have the pleasure of hosting Dr Justin Coulson, who is partnering with us for another year. After a successful radio career Justin returned to school in his late 20's where he earned his psychology degree from the University of Queensland and his PhD in psychology from the University of Wollongong. Since then he has written multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly book chapters, as well as several books and ebooks about parenting, including the 21 Days to a Happier Family (Harper Collins, 2016) and 9 Ways to a Resilient Child (Harper Collins, 2017), which will be the focus of his presentation. Please go to the link below for more information about Dr Coulson and his work.

Ms Dunleavy and her team will also conduct a Parent iLearning Workshop as part of our program to support families in navigating their child’s use of the iPad as part of their learning. This workshop will be scheduled prior to the Meet and Greet, and repeated later during the evening.

A message from our Deputy Principal of Engagement

Welcome to 2020. Now that I have been here a year, I continue to be energised daily by the warmth and friendliness of students and staff alike, and after more than twenty years as an educator, sixteen of which I have spent in Logan schools, it is a great privilege to be a member of the Shailer Park SHS community.

The Student Services Team are excited and proud to be leading innovation that enables student wellbeing to be at the centre of all learning.

The Student Services Team consists of:

The four Heads of House – Melissa Dodd (KARLE), Luke Simpson (BARNES), Anne-Maree King (BILIN BILIN) and Angela King (FRANCIS).

Lynne Grimes, Student Services Officer, who supports our students as the face of F Block’s Student Hub;
Nathaniel Tickle, Guidance Officer;
Jacob Johnson, our Engagement Officer;
Sarah Mitchell, our School Nurse;
Jeevan Soares, our School Chaplain; and
Michelle Lane, our Youth Support Coordinator.

This team is based in F Block, our Student Services Hub, which is a ‘one stop shop’ for all Shailer Park SHS students. Late? Uniform issues? Need an appointment? Lost property? Want to connect with your Head of House? Students just need to remember to report to F Block for any of these. There will always be an adult in F Block who can assist our students.

The Shailer Park SHS community is excited to continue to develop our House system, of which we are rightfully proud: Go Bilin Bilin; Karle; Barnes or Francis!

These Houses are each led by a Head of House and Student House Leaders, whose focus it is to build a strong sense of belonging, connection and identity within our school. We are continuing to perfect our war cries, held team building afternoons and participated in house challenges.

Our Multi-Age House Care Groups – every morning, students Check and Connect with their House Care Group, consisting of a teacher and students from Year 7 through to 12. This allows our younger students to aspire to their in-class senior role models, and our older students to rise to the expectations and responsibilities as leaders and mentors in these groups. Staff are able to connect with students outside of their faculty, using Signature Practices such as ‘The 5 Faces’, and this time helps us to build a stronger sense of community and pride in our school.

Our LIFT (Lifting Individuals, Flourishing Together) Classes – all students are engaged in a seventy-minute lesson each week focusing on wellbeing, health and life skills - facilitating learning about themselves, others and the world around them. This lesson also supports the reinforcement of our 4Rs: building resilient, reflective, relational and resourceful learners.

Please take a moment to speak to your students today about the 5 Faces, their House Care Group and their House. Our community will become even stronger if we are all engaged in this change.

With an exciting start to the year, including Year 7 camp, UPLIFT programs and Valentine’s Day fundraising efforts by student leaders, not to mention some incredible weather patterns, 2020 is looking great from here! I am thrilled and honoured to lead the development of student wellbeing that supports student achievement and would love to hear from both parents and students throughout the year.

A message from our Dean of Studies

Welcome back to another busy and productive year at Shailer Park State High School. As the Dean of Studies, I am lucky to work with all of our students, Years 7 to 12, to assist them in developing strong study and assessment habits that supports them achieving their Bright Future.

This year we have a couple of new initiatives that are designed to help our students develop those study and assessment habits.

Learning Policy

Shailer Park State High School’s Learning Policy is a comprehensive document that details all of the processes that are implemented here at the school in the areas of learning environments, lesson and assessment design, drafting, feedback, moderation and assessment adjustments. The whole document can be found at:

A quick summary of a couple of main points

• Drafts are compulsory and must be handed in on the due date. Students deserve feedback on their work before they hand in the final copy. The best and most effective method is for all students to hand in their drafts so that teachers can provided that feedback.
• Attendance on days when assessment is due is compulsory. If a student is too ill to attend school on an exam day, they must visit a doctor and obtain a medical certificate and fill in a missed assessment form (available from SSSSSS.COM.AU). If there is another extenuating reason for a student to be absent on an assessment day please contact me directly, salbe7@eq.edu.au
• Technology issues should not stop a student handing in their assessment. Students should be saving their work in a number of places (USB, home computer, school network, cloud) and therefore if one is unable to be accessed students can access the copy.

Assessment Planners

This year we are trialling the use of a single assessment calendar for each year level. This will allow students and parents to plan out their semester and know when peak periods of assessment are due. Students can then plan their study loads and extra-curricular activities accordingly to ensure they are putting the best efforts into the work that is required. I suggest that a copy of the assessment calendar goes to a prominent position in the house so that everyone is aware of due dates.

School calendars are difficult and complex, there may be times when these assessment may need to move to accommodate the learning of our students. We will discuss this with students and parents if these movements make an impact on the student’s assessment planner. Up to date calendars will also be found at:

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via the school or email salbe7@eq.edu.au

Shane Albertson
Dean of Studies

Messages from our Student Services Team

Student Services Hub in F Block

Student services is where students can go for all their concerns at school. Below is a list of staff in our Student Services Team who are able to help our young people. Staff can also be contacted via email.

• Deputy Principal (Engagement) – Kerri Sheppard
• Guidance Officer - Mr Tickle
• Engagement Officer – Mr Johnson
• Chaplain – Jeevan (aka Chappy J)
• Nurse – Sarah
• Youth Support Coordinator – Ms Lane
• Student Services Officer - Student Reception – late passes, passes to leave early, uniform passes and uniform items, confiscated items, letters and notes, lost timetables and general support

The Main Office in the Administration building is for timetable changes only.

A message from the Heads of House

We have been busy welcoming the Year 7’s and helping them settle into high school life and this commenced in week 2 for camp. There have been new student support programs including AMAYDA, Blue Edge and Chasing the Sun. Also, our Student Leaders have begun fundraising as their first community project.

What a fantastic end we had to week one, officially known as O Week! All houses came together to celebrate and further develop their house spirit. New war cries were learned and practised and then each House Care Group participated in some friendly competition between one another. This has built upon the wonderful work that was initiated last year. The day culminated with a whole school assembly where each house proudly performed their house war cry. It was a wonderful way to end the week and set a positive and exciting tone for the year ahead.

Year 7 Camp

Congratulations to all of the Year 7 students who attend camp on the 5th to the 7th of February. The three days and two nights gave us all the opportunity to build our schools 4Rs.

The first day provided the students the opportunity to meet other students in their houses, get settled into their cabins and become familiar with their environment. Students were broken up into 6 groups and attended their first activity. Activities included Tree Top Challenge, Raft building, Game incentives, Mud Challenge, Catapults building and Fossicking for Thunder eggs. Over the 3 days, every group got the opportunity to complete every task. As the students settled for dinner and dessert, the staff noticed tired eyes, time for bed!

On the second day, the students completed more rotations through the activities set, unfortunately due to the weather we had a break for 2 hours as the rain went from drizzling to torrential. The students gathered in, had hot showers and watched a movie inside as the rain passed over. Luckily enough, the rain stopped and the activities continued. On the second night the students formed groups and competed in trivia against the teachers and met the Aboriginal elder Uncle Boomerang. On the final day, the students were given a few extra hours to sleep in, pack bags and come together in the common room for the final breakfast.

Thank you to all of the staff who attended, we are excited to see how the students apply the skills learnt at camp back into the classroom.

UPLIFT programs

Student Services have also been working hard to provide our students with opportunities to partake in a range of new and exciting programs. All our Year 7’s have completed 2 weeks of their AMAYDA Program that empowers students to become Resilient, Resourceful, Relational and Reflective. Our students have been learning to be an “Upstander” and other valuable life skills such as patience, discipline, positive decision making and hence creating a life of choice not chance through learning Martial Arts. The 22 AMAYDA mentors are very impressed with the efforts and participation of our Year 7 students.

Another program that Shailer Park welcomes this term is Blue Edge. Blue Edge is a program that is run by Queensland Police Service and the PCYC that takes a proactive, hands-on approach to showing young people to take control of their own lives, to make smarter choices to ensure a brighter future. This group has been kicking some goals in fitness, team building nutrition, and in their life skills sessions with well know local guest speakers.

Chase the Sun is another program that Student Services are running on Monday afternoons for a group of our female students. This program is about empowering students, relationship building, and building positive self- esteem.

Student Leadership

This year, the student Leadership Coordinator is Ms Timms in collaboration with Mrs Dodd.

Students are challenged and expected to work collaboratively to inspire and motivate others in promoting a school culture of pride and belonging The vision is to make a positive difference in their own and other people’s lives.

Below are our Student Leadership Team. We are yet to confirm Year 7 Leadership positions as we are currently in the process of interviewing. Nominations have been underway for the Year 7’s to apply to be part of our Leadership team. Names will be announced on Face in the next newsletter.

Valentine’s Day

The first Student Leadership initiative is a Valentine’s Day stall set up to sell hand delivered love notes to those who are near and dear to students in House Care Groups on Friday. It was really well received and the students also set up a photo booth with the smooth sounds of Barry Manilow. All proceeds of this stall will fundraise towards our school air-conditioning fund and White Ribbon Foundation. Well done students for leading this loved up fundraiser.

This year has certainly started with a bang! We look forward to continuing to build upon the groundwork that was laid last year. We are all very excited to see what this year brings.

House Competition 2020

Last year we finished the year with our ‘secret sound’ competition. This year we are going to go the extra step in the house rivalry! 2020 is going to allow you to contribute more to your house, and enjoy the benefits….. Provided that you win!

House points will be earnt and collected every week

Every fortnight, on Monday House Assembly, points will be given to each house. At the end of each semester the house with the most points win! What's in it for you if your house wins? Your house votes on what you wish to do in your time off classes.

House Points Week 1

1 point for every 10% attendance rate + 1 point for each % over 90

*Always rounding up to next whole percentage

CAST

Vocational Education

Student Success

Alex

Year 11 student, Alex B. has secured a 2-year School Based Traineeship with Queensland Childcare Services at their Hyperdome Early Education Centre. Alex is undertaking a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, working with children in the 0 – 5 early childhood settings. Congratulations Alex!!

Katelyn

Year 11 student Katelyn D. has secured a 2-year School Based Traineeship with Lions Club, Springwood undertaking a Certificate III in Hospitality. Katelyn will be focusing on the service aspects associated with the Club over the next 2 years and we’re sure she’ll learn a lot! Congratulations Katelyn!!

Demi

Congratulations to Year 12 student, Demi H. who completed her 2 year School Based Traineeship with McDonalds achieving a Certificate III in Retail – well done Demi.

Opportunities and Vacancies

Access to School Based Traineeships / Apprenticeships, TAFE courses and work experience for Vocational Students in Year 10, 11 and 12 is subject to the Traffic Light System.

The school reserves the right to refuse participation in an activity if any of the criteria falls within the Red Zone. The Student will be given a period of time (evaluated on a case-by-case basis) to adjust the criteria into the Amber or Green Zone.

Please access the Shailer High website for current opportunities and vacancies, including apprenticeships, traineeships, TAFE trades and courses. Visit our Vocational Education page for further information and vacancies.

Assistance is available. Please contact our Industry Liaison Officer, Annette Lee in A02, main administration building, on 3451 2782 ilo@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au

A message from the Business Manager

BPOINT PAYMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE NOW

BPOINT - SINGLE PAYMENTS USING A COMPUTER OR PHONE APP:

• Emailed invoice - click on link on bottom left hand side to auto populate fields on BPOINT screen.
• Visa or MasterCard (debit or credit card) accepted.

BPOINT – SINGLE PAYMENTS USING PHONE OPTION:

• Call the Queensland State School Bill Payment Service 24/7 on 1300 631 073.
• Enter CRN, invoice number and amount paying, using the details on the invoice.
• VISA and MasterCard (debit or credit card) accepted.

BPOINT - REGULAR DEDUCTIONS:

• Contact the Office on 3451 2777 to set up regular weekly or fortnightly deductions.
• BPOINT - transfer from bank account or pay by Visa or MasterCard (debit or credit card).
• Centrepay will remain available – deducted from benefit.

Please note – payments can be made in full or by instalment. Please do not pay more than the invoiced amount. If you are making instalments and wish to check your remaining balance, please email office@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au or phone the Office 3451 2777.

RECEIPTING DAY - 2020

This year the School will no longer process cash payments. The Finance Office will be open for EFTPOS payments on Fridays from 8am – 3.30pm.

QKR APP FOR CANTEEN PURCHASES

This easy-to-use mobile app for iPhones and Android smartphones makes school payments a breeze. Qkr provides a flexible option to pay for non-invoiced items such as canteen lunch orders and activities including breakfast and lunch specials through our restaurant, Sapphires. Payments for P&C fundraising activities and events such as pie drives, raffles, and sausage sizzles will also be processed using Qkr.

STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME (SRS)

Thank you for processing these payments promptly to ensure the timely provision of student resources. Please see our Website’s payment page for further details:

Business Manager

Messages from our Parents and Citizens

We are back!

We’d like to welcome all our new staff and students and hope you are starting to settle in and feel at home.

Just a couple of brief updates to start off with for 2020.

Year 7 Meet and Greet

The event was postponed this week so the P&C will be there on the new date of Thursday 27 February. We’ll be selling soft drinks and chips on the night if you’re peckish, and talking with our new families. We’ll have a desk of membership forms and ‘Just one thing’ forms. This is a new campaign this year to encourage our entire community (including you) to pick ‘Just One Thing’ or event, to volunteer at this year. We’d appreciate you being a part of our P&C by being a member of the committee or simply helping out at one event.

Containers for Change

The answer is YES, we are still doing collections. Containers for Change Scheme number C1008 1080. The student leaders for 2020 are still working on their roster for collecting from staffrooms. We really appreciate those of you who are actively promoting this. Last year, in the 9 months of collecting, we made over $5000! Just fabulous. To clarify, it is basically every drink container with the exception of a few like, wine bottles, plain milk (1lt and above) and spirit bottles. All others are included. Basically if it has ‘10c collection’ written on it, it’s eligible!

Next meeting

Our first committee meeting is next week, we would love you there if you can make it. Tuesday 18 February @ 6pm, Library. We’re talking about air conditioning (to save us all), events calendar, house t-shirts and some more exciting things! We’d love your input.

Our executive team can be contacted via email pandc@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au. We welcome all new members. Please go to the P&C section of our School website for more information.

Announcements

Facebook

Please follow us on Facebook to keep up with student successes and reminders.

Zumba Fitness

With Hayley & Robert at Shailer Park

There is no place quite like our Tuesday night Zumba class.

For 7 years, we’ve seen you guys grow and we’ve grown as instructors and people (and from two to three).

But yet that after class feeling of pure joy never changes and that is all because of you guys!

Thank you so much for joining us every Tuesday! We can’t do what we do without YOU!

Here’s to the next 7 years

Pilates Fusion

Pilates and Boxing Group Classes at affordable prices, no upfront payments no locked in contracts. Transform your body, mind and spirit with Pilates Fusion.

• burn calories
• build long lean muscle
• tone your entire body
• increase your flexibility
• improve your overall health.
• Suitable for all fitness levels.
• Classes $10-$15
• Held at Shailer Park High School

For more information visit the below website or contact Ellyse 0404 404 102

Junior Rugby League