31 July 2020

Newsletter Articles

A message from the Principal

It has been a smooth start to Term 3, and I’m delighted to see the return of familiar routines within Shailer Park State High School. In particular, the resumption of face to face teaching has provided everyone in our schooling community great comfort. Schools are the backbone of a community and provide a focal point where we can nurture our greatest resource: the next generation of leaders and achievers. Here, we are Lifting Aspirations so they can be inspired and develop the skills to lead and work within the communities of the future, a future which is as unpredictable as it is exciting. One of the best parts of my day is talking with these adults of tomorrow, and watching them develop the ability to maintain resilience in the face of adversity, apply resourcefulness to roadblocks in their way whilst being reflective on their efforts, something which we’ve all been given the chance to do by the bucket load over the past few months. To say I’m proud of the way our students have overcome these challenges would be a gross understatement.

However, to presume we are out of harm’s way in regards to COVID-19 would also be an understatement, with the effects of this pandemic reaching every corner of our community regardless of whether the actual virus is here or not. In this regard, Shailer Park SHS continues to prioritise checking and connecting with students:

We understand that COVID-19 continues to impact families in a variety of ways and that students need support to cope with these challenges. As always, the best way to provide this support is through a partnership approach between school and home. Please get in touch with your child’s Head of House if your family is facing issues, hardships or complexities that are impacting your student. We are a community and only together can we support each other to realise those big plans and bold ambitions.

One of our most important communications between home and school are student reports. Reports were recently received by parents via email, and are an excellent way of encouraging a positive discussion on the improvements your child has made and how they have grown over the past semester. These conversations are vitally important in supporting them to be a successful learner, by reflecting on their strengths and how they intend to continue to progress.

Additionally, communication will be sent out regarding revised parent teacher conferences. Assessing students to see how they have progressed is a tried and true educational analytic, though of course, it rarely tells the entire story of how a child is improving and developing. Parent teacher conferences are therefore another important conversation which allow the partnership between home and school to be further developed, supporting our young people to achieve their best. We will be offering teleconference opportunities again. Please look out for this email for further details and to book in your preferred time with your child’s teachers.

This term, we have started reflecting on our habits, those things we do again and again, sometimes with little to no thought.

Identifying habits that are productive and should be maintained, as well as those that are harmful to productivity that we would like to change, is an incredibly useful tool for them to have. During our recent assembly I encouraged students to consider one new positive habit that they would like to build and one counterproductive habit they would like to stop. Importantly, there is a simple science sitting behind habits that helps us to start new ones or get rid of old, unhelpful ones, based mostly on whether the habit is ‘attractive’ or not. We usually pick up habits because the initial action (like eating a small piece of chocolate) feels good. Once we’ve eaten an entire block of Family Sized Roast Almond Dark Chocolate in one sitting whilst watching a reality television show of very dubious quality (*an example from a friend), we don’t feel good anymore, just sick in the stomach. Doing this once might be fine, however if we continue to engage in this night after night, this becomes a habit which is obviously detrimental to our physical health and even our emotional and mental health.

During the discussion with our students, many identified that they would like to generate new positive habits for a nourishing breakfast to better feed their wild brains. We also heard students identify daily exercise as a habit they want to build. What an amazing reflection! I believe most of us have more productive habits we’d like to develop, and I encourage parents to talk with their child about their positive and counterproductive habits, perhaps you’ll even find one or two of your own to develop. The framework below offers us a simple way to understand the science of habits so that we can kick the negatives and better form the productive ones!

With COVID-19 restrictions easing, many of our school activities can resume. We are excited to be recommencing some of our extra-curricular activities including sporting competitions and performances. Following physical distancing requirements, health and hygiene remains vitally important.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate our students on their continued efforts at Shailer Park SHS after what has been an incredibly uncertain year. I know they will continue to make me proud with their hard work and positivity as we navigate our way through the rest of 2020.

Calendar

Please note many events have been postponed or cancelled. Please contact event organiser with any queries. Event dates will be updated in the calendar when new dates are able to be scheduled.

A message from our Senior Schooling Deputy Principal

The 4Rs and how they relate to Senior Schooling

In my last newsletter I talked about the importance of home based study and suggested a way to break up your nightly study into manageable chunks. This time I want to focus in on the 4Rs and in particular how you can relate them to your latest report card.

When it comes to reviewing how your child has done in their most recent report card it is helpful to focus in on the effort and behaviour grades because if they are as high as they can be then you can be rest assured that your young person is getting a grade that reflects their actual ability.

For example; a student could receive a B in a subject and a ‘needs improvement’ for effort, which suggests that they may be capable of an A, or a student may receive a C in a subject and a ‘very good’ for effort which suggest that they are working their hardest.

As a parent, encouraging your child to keep trying even when it is hard will help them become more resilient. Sometimes we can have a tendency to blame others when things do not go our way or our results are not good. Taking responsibility will help build resilience.

Do you know how to contact them to check in on progress or advise of something that might be holding your child back? Research shows that cultivating a positive relationship between teachers and parents results in much better outcomes and a higher level of satisfaction and general well-being. You can find all of our teacher email addresses on our website.

This may include stationary, equipment such as a calculator and a healthy lunch to feed their wild brains and allow greater access to their smart brain. Being resourceful also includes knowing what to do if you forgot an item, or have lost your timetable, or your class has moved. Figuring things out and problem solving when things do not go as expected builds resourcefulness.

Quite often I hear of students not using the drafting process effectively or at all. This is one of the most powerful opportunities for growth and something that teachers work very hard on. Reflection also involves looking at how you went last term, last month, last week. This can also improve our relationships. A reflective person has a growth mindset and is interested in always looking to better themselves to achieve a happy and healthy life.

Academic Review

Over the next few weeks I will be meeting with parents and students in Year 11 who have not passed 2 or more subjects from their Unit 1 (semester 1) results to discuss ways to improve and possible changes to subjects or pathways. I find these meetings very positive and productive and look forward to seeing the improvement made from goals set in these conversations.

Final term for Year 12

As the year 12s move through their final ever full term of formal schooling we are looking at ways to keep them focussed and motivated on the end goal, during a final year where they have had to face uncertainty and change. We have mock block exams planned for the final week of term to allow students in General subjects to practice their exam skills and endurance. We also have plans for positive (COVID safe) activities to ensure they know we are focussed on them and their well-being while supporting them to achieve their highest possible results. This will ensure that they have many doors and opportunities open to them when they are ready to decide what 2021 will bring for them.

A message from our Junior Schooling Deputy Principal

2021 Year 7 Enrolments – Applications due 28 August.

We invite enrolments from current Year 6 students for Year 7 in 2021. Enrolment applications close August 28, 2020. Enrolment packages are available online or can be collected from our front office and at our major feeder schools.

Siblings of current students are invited to enrol and are eligible to attend our school as if in catchment. For further information on our enrolment process and enrolment catchment map, please go to our website by accessing the link:

Most enrolment interviews are being scheduled during Term 3 and 4 as enrolment packs are submitted and completed. As these enrolment applications start to increase, however, an Enrolment Interview Day for Term 4 may be organised.

Our Virtual School Tour will be available on our school website in August. This Virtual School Tour will allow your child to visit our classrooms and school facilities at any time. This tour of our resources will be expanded with the opening of our new building in 2021.

For our students who have completed the enrolment process, Orientation Days are currently scheduled for the last week of the school year. Further details will be emailed to these students and their families later this semester. During these Orientation Days, students will experience high school subjects, meet some of their new teachers and peers, choose their elective subject preferences and become familiar with the school site.

We encourage all families to submit enrolment applications now and look forward to meeting with you and your child during the enrolment interview.

A message from our Deputy Principal of Engagement

As we pass the midpoint of the year, we should take time to reflect on how much we have achieved so far in 2020, although this year has been a very challenging and unusual one so far. The Student Services Team is honoured to be supporting students to achieve Empowered Engagement – to become Resilient, Resourceful, Relational and Reflective lifelong learners, even when times are tough.

Our House System, now eighteen months old, has created a great sense of belonging, as we embrace our school’s past and continue to explore our Big Plans and Bold Ambitions for a Bright Future. Every day, every Shailer Park SHS student checks and connects with their House Care Group teacher and classmates from across each of the year levels. This gives our students an opportunity to belong, to connect and to reflect on their own choices every day. If you have not already, please take time to chat to your student about the 5 Faces, and the connection that is taking place in House Care Groups daily.

If getting to school on time is a challenge for your student, they are missing out on a really integral part of Shailer Park SHS life – House Care Group. It is so important that our students become future ready by turning up to school on time, and staying all day, every day. Our school’s Attendance Target is 95%. Did you know that even with 90% attendance, a student will miss 4 school weeks every year?

For students with part time jobs, ask them to consider what might happen if their attendance was at 90% there – that is, that they called in sick for one out of every ten shifts. What would their employer do, and how much this would impact on their wages? There is a direct relationship between attendance, learning outcomes and future prospects both in terms of employment, and health and wellbeing. Please contact your student’s Head of House if you need support with your student’s attendance.

This has been a challenging year for many families, emotionally, financially and physically. Having periods of lockdown and learning from home, as well as much uncertainty and a media focused on the COVID-19 pandemic means that for many, maintaining mental health needs to be a priority. On our school website, there are links to many organisations that can support your family at this time. Our Student Services Team, located in F Block, is here to help. It is OK to not be OK – and we must ensure that we seek appropriate support.

A message from our Dean of Studies

Semester 2 assessment planners

Assessment plays an important role in the academic development of all students here at Shailer Park State High. Each semester we develop our assessment schedule that best supports learning of all students. This week students will be provided during their LIFT classes an individual printed copy of their Semester 2 Assessment Planner. We ask that students put this planner in a very prominent position to assist in keeping them 'on track' with their due dates.

Parents and carers can access the assessment year level planners directly from the school website via the Testing and Assessment page:

Learning policy

Our learning policy is an important document that details the conditions and expectation of our assessment at Shailer Park. If you would like to access the document it can be found on the Testing and Assessment page of our website.

I’d like to take this time to reminder our community about a few key points.

• If a student is sick for an exam there must be a medical certificate supplied that covers the day of the exam. These need to me sent into the school with the ‘Misadventure’ form, found on the Testing and Assessment page:

• Family holidays should not be organised during the school term. Extensions to assessment deadlines cannot be granted if the student is away from school due to this reason. Travel for family reasons (bereavement for example) will of course be considered.
• Technology failures. Students are encouraged to save their assessment work in multiple places to avoid any loss if their technology fails. Extension may not be granted if their work is lost.

Semester 2 reporting

Semester 2 reports will be issued to parents and carers via email on these following dates

• Year 7 - Wednesday 9 December
• Year 8 - Wednesday 9 December
• Year 9 - Wednesday 9 December
• Year 10 – Wednesday 2 December
• Year 11 – (Unit 2 progress) Wednesday 9 September
• Year 11 – (Unit 2 final) Wednesday 18 November
• Year 12 – (Unit 4 progress) Wednesday 9 September
• Year 12 – (QCE final) 19 December issued via the QCAA myQCE portal

Year 9 JET Planning and Year 10 Confirmation

Our Year 9s are currently busy in LIFT undertaking the first steps into their subject selections for 2021 and beyond. On the Thursday of week 7 all Year 9 students and parents will attend the JET planning meeting. This will be an ‘at home’ day for the Year 9s, only attending for their scheduled meeting. At the meeting, students will complete their senior subject selections and choose their pathway into our senior school. Further booking information will be sent directly to our Year 9 parents/carers soon.

In week 5 our Year 10s will be completing their Senior Subject Confirmation meetings. These will occur throughout the week with the student only coming out of class at their prearranged meeting time. At the meeting, students will confirm their chosen pathways and make any changes before they move into their Year 11 studies. Parents and carers are invited to attend the meeting via phone, booking information will be sent home soon.

LIFT for Year 11 and 12

This term we have organised a range of important groups to come and present during LIFT to our Year 11s and 12s on a range of topics.

• RACQ will be presenting to the Year 11s about road safety
• QTAC will be presenting to Year 11s and 12s about pathways to university and the application process
• TAFE and Griffith University will be talking to our Year 11s and 12s about the huge range of various options and pathways available post Shailer Park SHS

If you have any questions please contact the Dean of Studies salbe7@eq.edu.au

Messages from our Student Services Team

A message from the Heads of House

Hands on Learning

It is with great pleasure to share with the support of our community the newest program from Student Services. Hands on Learning is a program to help students achieve their best and enjoy school more. Hands on Learning has currently enrolled 10 students from Shailer Park High School between the grades 8 – 9 to help create, build and inspire the application of literacy and numeracy in the work environment. Each week the students will work on the four foundational pillars of the program: a place to belong, people to belong to, real things to do and a chance to give back. Thank you to Dave Scarlett from Hands on Learning for the opportunity and helping the school establish this program. Over the course of the term, the 10 students will be preparing the Hands on Learning worksite (On campus) so future projects can be worked on. Congratulations to the 10 students who have been selected and enrolled. The Student Services team is excited to see your progress.

The students building their personal workhorses for future projects.

House Points

This term will see us ramping up our House Points after a very disjointed term 2. There are three ways that students can earn very valuable house points – attendance, Showbie challenges and ‘live’ bonus house challenges. Attendance points are allocated on a house basis, so every individual student’s attendance contributes. Our Showbie challenge changes each week and challenges students to solve a variety of puzzles. Once again, points are allocated on a house basis from first through to fourth. The ‘live’ challenges take place each fortnight where one representative from each house competes in an unseen physical challenge. These are well received by our students and are very entertaining. Our challenges are designed to foster participation, create a sense of belonging and build house spirit. It is great to see some very healthy rivalry between both students and staff. The points are all quite close and we look forward to the continued competition.

Shailer Heist

Week 3 has seen the launch of an exciting new engagement challenge for our students to get involved with during their lunch times and before school. Shailer Heist involves our students decoding clues that are released each day to figure out the location of the stolen Heads of House’s favourite memorabilia.

Mr Simpson has had his red hat stolen….

Miss King has had her Foxy Coffee Mug stolen…

Mrs Dodd has had her Kookaburra socks stolen…

Mrs King has had her mascot Horse Head stolen…

Students can work as an individual or in teams with their friends to visit different buildings and staffrooms around the school to compile their clues and solve the mystery location. The prize is a Pizza Party for the first group to find the missing items.

Messages from our Student Leader Team

Meet our School Leaders

Student Leaders and Mentors Morning Tea

Our Student Leadership team met with their mentors over morning tea to discuss upcoming projects they are working on. These include Jeans for Genes Day, competitions, CAST updates and academy updates. We look forward to seeing them flourish over this term.

Youth off the Streets Foundation

What is the ‘Youth off the Streets’ foundation?

Youth off the Streets is a vitally important foundation that supports young people who have fallen on hard times. By providing education, rehabilitation, family support and housing, this foundation helps young people get back on their feet and become members of a thriving community.

Youth off the streets has helped over 70,000 people, including Zoe who was kicked out of her house and was forced to survive on the streets. “The last time I ever saw my dad was the day he kicked me and my brother Ash out. He closed the door on us and that was that. We did not have any family to stay with, we still don’t now.” Youth off the Streets has helped Zoe find a safe place to sleep. Like Zoe, thousands of children suffer from these horrible conditions and with the foundation, these children can be supported to find a safe environment. You can learn more about Zoe’s story and others on the Youth Off The Streets website:

How COVID has affected Youth Off The Streets

While dealing with the current pandemic the foundation has had to alter their services to abide by governments policies. Including, the suspension of volunteering, temporary closing of op shops and limited availability of food trucks to support those on the streets.

How has our school supported ‘Youth off the Streets’?

Shailer Park State High, normally host an annual sleep out, to support Youth off the Streets however, due to COVID-19 restrictions and government policies this had to be cancelled. As a school we still wanted to raise money and awareness for this important cause. Subsequently, the Student Leaders created an event where students could wear accessories in House colours to, not only demonstrate House pride, but raise money for this worthwhile cause. In total we raised $72.50, we will continue to work with our school community to extend on this effort next year (hopefully Covid free).

How can you help?

You can help youth off the streets by donating, running a fundraiser of volunteering. For more information visit:

Jeans for Genes Day

Genes for Jeans day is a fundraising event organised by our Student Leaders for Friday the 7th of August.

Jeans for Genes was created to help Children’s Medical Research Institute raise money to find new treatments and cures for kids. By bringing a gold coin and wearing a denim accessory or piece of clothing, students are directly donating to the countless hours of research going into helping children who suffer with genetic disorders.

Students can also bring a couple more gold coins to purchase lollies or some scrunchies provided by Shailer’s own Scrunch’N’Stuff made by Kruze, Molly and Jesse in Year Eight.

A special thank you to Mr Strongman who has a personal connection to Jeans for Genes day, and for sharing his brother’s story with the school last week.

The Academies – Programs of Excellence

Enrolments 2021

Enrolments for our extra-curricular programs of excellence The Academies: Cultural and Sport are NOW OPEN.

Current Year 6 students who are interested in trialling or auditioning for our Ignite Dance, Sting Futsal or Sting Volleyball programs, are encouraged to complete the enrolment and assessment process outlined on our school website following the link below:

Hurry, the enrolment and assessment process closes on 28 August, 2020.

Rebooting Queensland School Sport

At the start of Term 3, we saw the welcomed and highly anticipated return of Queensland School Sport (QSS), The Academies Cultural and Sporting Excellence Programs and some CAST activities.

In alignment with Queensland Health advice, the Queensland Governments’ Roadmap for Easing Restrictions and the Department of Education COVID Safe Plan, operating guidelines for the return to sport and extra-curricular activities have been established for our school context.

Below are the finer details our staff, students and community must be aware of:

General

Student safety and wellbeing continues to be our highest priority. As a result, the following measures have been enforced:

• A COVID Safe Plan for each extra-curricular activity established
• All relevant staff completed the COVID Safe Sport Coaches and Officials Certification
• Any student who is unwell must not attend school or their extra-curricular activity. Students should remain at home until well. The school will ask parents/carers to collect their child from school if they are unwell. This extends to excursions and camps.
• Hygiene practices i.e. regular hand washing/sanitation and sanitation of equipment prior to and after use
• All students attending excursions or camps must be temperature tested prior to leaving campus
• Volunteers and spectators will not be permitted to attend training, competitions or events until further notice

The Academies

• Academy students are required to wear their full Academy uniform to all training/rehearsal sessions
• Training and rehearsals has recommenced at a reduced capacity. See Team App for further details

School Sport

As per earlier communications, all school sport events were cancelled for Term 2. This extended to the representative school sport program. Whilst a selection of Queensland School Sport state championships will be conducted in Semester 2, Cross Country and Track and Field remain cancelled. In alignment with QSS, these carnivals will also remain cancelled at a school level.

The QSS revised schedule of events will be published on the QSS website:

Updates regarding the return to sport will continue to be provided to families via our school website, Facebook page and on house parades.

For further information regarding QSS or The Academies please contact Tahlia Eisentrager (Sports Coordinator) at teise11@eq.edu.au or Shae Sawdy (Head of Academies) at swest182@eq.edu.au

Ignite Dance Academy

Each year our Dance Academy students enjoy learning technical skills and performance repertoire from a number of leading industry professionals. Most recently, students have been working with guest artist Demi Jenkins from Raw Dance Company, on their Musical Theatre piece Friend Like Me, from the Musical Aladdin. Students are excited to perform this item for the Phoenix Online Dance Challenge, and the DanceLife Unite online dance competition, later in the term. We look forward to sharing the results with you soon.

Upcoming events

Our Volleyball and Futsal Academy students have been training extremely hard over the last three weeks in preparation for the Senior Volleyball Schools Cup and Gold Coast Regional Titles which are being held next week (Week 4). We wish all students participating the very best of luck. We look forward to sharing results and stories of success with you after the competitions close.

Exciting news!! Our annual inter-house swimming carnival is scheduled to go ahead at the end of Term 4. All current students in Years 7 to 11, as well as enrolled Year 6 competitive swimmers are invited to attend. Keep an eye out for further information and event details around the school and on our digital platforms.

CAST

Many of our wonderful staff have volunteered to facilitate a CAST activity again this term. Please see the current timetable below.

As part of the staged approach for the return of school sport and extra-curricular activities, this timetable will be reviewed, with the hope of expanding, at the end of Week 4. Version 2 will be published in Week 5. Students are encouraged to check their school email, our school website and Facebook page and parade slides for CAST related information and updates.

Students are encouraged to speak with our CAST Ambassador, Ryken, if they have any questions or ideas to build the CAST program further.

A message from the Business Manager

STUDENT FEES - STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME (SRS) and ACADEMIES, INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC and VET CERTIFICATE COURSES

Thank you to those families who have either paid in full or established a payment plan for the Resource Scheme fees. This will enable the school to source student resources in a timely manner. Payment plans must now be in place for Academy, Instrumental Music and VET Certificate course fees. Please note that Resource Scheme fees must also be paid or a payment plan in place.

Statements providing the balance of fees owing have been issued. Please contact the Office to establish a regular deduction to finalise your account balance.

PAYMENTS USING BPOINT

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.
• Full or instalment amounts accepted. Please do not pay more than the invoiced amount.
• 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.
• Full or instalment amounts accepted. Please do not pay more than the invoiced amount.
• VISA and MasterCard (debit or credit card) accepted.

BPOINT – PAYMENT PLANS:

• 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.

RECEIPTING DAY

The Finance Office will be open for EFTPOS payments on Fridays from 8am – 3.30pm.

CANTEEN

The Canteen is open each day from Tuesday to Friday at first break only. Payments can be made with EFTPOS or orders can be placed using the Canteen menu on Qkr. Due to reduced staffing, cash payments will not be taken. Please contact the Office if you would like to volunteer in the Canteen.

A vending machine stocked with drinks and healthy snacks will also be installed in the Canteen area shortly. Payments can be made initially with EFTPOS only. The school will also be trialling the use of a loadable Student ID card for vending machine purchases, topped up with payments through Qkr. If you are interested in participating in the trial, please email finance@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au or contact Kristin Fiddyment on 3451 2777.

QKR APP

The school utilises the QKR app for payment of non-invoiced optional items such as replacement student ID cards and 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. This easy-to-use mobile app for iPhones and Android smartphones makes school payments a breeze. Instructions to set up QKR are provided below. Thank you for supporting the school as it adopts cashless payment systems.

Messages from our Parents and Citizens

Meetings go online

Please come to our next Meeting:

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.

Hygiene

Contact details

There are times when we may need to contact parents and carers. Do we have your most up to date contact details? If not, please contact the school on office@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au so we can update our records. These details include parent/carer’s name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details. Please remember to contact the school if any of these details change.

Student Absences

Keeping our students safe is our priority. One important way families can partner to keep our children safe is to notify the school prior to 8:50am if your child will be absent via studentabsences@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au or (07) 3451 2766.

If your child is away from school and you have not let us know, parents will receive a text message requesting that you respond with a reason for the absence. It is extremely important that you respond to this text message promptly to enable us to follow up any possible issues.

The safety of students is of paramount importance to us and we take this responsibility very seriously. If you do not respond to this text message a second text message, email or phone call will be made to you. Thank you for partnering with us so that we know our students are safe.