19 March 2021

Newsletter Articles

A message from the Principal

My son asked me last week if we could make a special trip to the shops to get the latest, greatest fidget toy. He already has a number of fidget toys, however this new kind, he informed me, was the best. As I explained why we would not be getting a new one this time around, I reflected on whether my parents had the same conversations (or battles) with me. I’m sure they did, however it was probably about yo-yos! They, as I do, want the very best for our children, and providing that without ‘spoiling’ or raising ‘self-entitled’ children, can sometimes be a little tricky.

As parents, we all want more for our children. We want them to be happy, experience wonderful friendships and success and in general, have a better life than we may have experienced. At Shailer Park SHS, we are helping to provide that through education. Everything we do at Shailer Park focuses on Lifting Aspirations and helping our students make those Big Plans and Bold Ambitions a reality.

As parents, every moment is a ‘teaching’ moment: not necessarily in reading poetry or applying chemical equations, however in the way we teach our children how to ‘be’, speak to and treat others, react to situations and view life. Not getting my son the latest greatest fidget toy is as much a lesson in simple economics as it is in having gratitude for the abundance of toys he already has: that is part of doing my job as a parent. Teachers play a similar role in facilitating learning within their classrooms, however with much more specific subject matter.

Shailer Park SHS teachers are always prepared to teach in every lesson. It is only when our students enter the classroom ready to learn, that we really make the most of what can be an outstanding educational relationship, helping them on their way to those bold ambitions. As parents, we also play a critical role in making that ‘better life’ reachable, by ensuring our children’s wild and emotional brain needs are being met, so that when they cross that line of opportunity through our school gates each day, they switch their smart brain on, ready for learning.

Feeding your child’s wild brain needs include:

• Sleeping 10 hours minimum. This means no devices in their room distracting them from sleep. https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/how-much-sleep.html
• Providing healthy food. Have they had breakfast each day before heading to school?

Both tiredness and hunger contribute to a lack of focus and energy.

Feeding your child’s emotional brain needs includes:

• Talking with them. Did you know the average teenager experiences only 11 minutes of talking with their parent/s each day? And often, those 11 minutes are transactional e.g., organising who will collect them, giving instructions, or correcting their weaknesses.

Often, I will speak with some of our students about whether they are feeding their wild brains (the bags under their eyes would suggest they are not), and have found an increasing number responding with explanations regarding being on screens late the night before. Recent studies found that teenagers spent roughly three hours per weekday, and four hours on a weekend on screens. Only 9% of that time was spent on education or research, with a large chunk of the remainder used on social media.

Another report showed that 70% of teens used some form of social media and have a profile on a social networking site. Many visit these sites every day: there are plenty of positives around social media, however there also many risks. Our children do not always make good choices about the sites they are accessing, when they post something to a site or when they engage with posts about others. In particular, students will often say things on social media they would never say face to face as the consequences appear distant in the digital sphere. Whilst we teach cyber safety and use of technology is monitored at school, having a strong partnership between home and school is the only way to truly ensure our students are safe.

Ask yourself:

• Do you know which sites your child is accessing?
• Are you aware of what your child is seeing and being exposed to?
• What group chat platforms are they participating in?
• Do their social media networks build your child up or break them down?
• How often is your child accessing these sites and networks, and most importantly, when?

As our children’s first teachers, it is so important we model appropriate behaviour and put in place clear boundaries in relation to technology use to protect our children, specifically around social media. In particular, placing boundaries around the use of technology in bedrooms is paramount in keeping our children safe, allowing them time to genuinely escape the digital space long enough to feed their wild and emotional brains.

We all want a better life for our children, and sometimes that means monitoring or restricting those things that are actively starving or not feeding their brains appropriately.

Calendar

A message from our Senior Schooling Deputy Principal

Staff Excellence Awards

We recently held our Annual Awards Ceremony for 2020. A very exciting part of our awards ceremony is the Staff Excellence Awards. The staff at Shailer Park State High School work so hard for the school. Valuing the high level of professional knowledge, practice and engagement of teachers at Shailer Park State High School is a driving factor towards developing our school values of relationships, resilience, reflection and resourcefulness amongst the students and school community.

It is through the high standards of our exceptional staff that students are better equipped to Lift Aspirations through Big Plans and Bold Ambitions towards a Bright Future. We recognised these staff in front of their peers at a celebratory breakfast the day after the ceremony.

Excellence in Support Staff - Tim Farrington

The winner of this award has been at our school for a number of years. He works hard behind the scenes supporting our Trade subjects and has been instrumental in building projects that support our growing school.

Excellence in Early Careers Teaching - Jemma Oxley

This award goes to a teacher who is in their 3rd year of teaching. She strives to build a community of well-rounded learners in her classrooms and has been a trailblazer amongst her colleagues in her work on designing and implementing ways for students to monitor and reflect on their own learning. She is committed and focused on supporting the mental health and well-being of both students and staff.

Excellence in teaching - Robyn Innes

Excellence in Teaching involves more than just being an excellent teacher. The winner of this award draws on a wide range of professional knowledge to create a classroom environment which promotes learning for all students. She sets an inspiring example to her colleagues and tirelessly supports both students and staff to perform at their very best. As a member of the NEXUS team she is always challenging students and setting high expectations for all. She is also a leader in many extra programs across the school such as mentoring beginning teachers and the Future Teachers Program which links students with university.

Excellence in Leadership of Teaching and Learning - Danielle Baldwin

Our Head of English focusses on leading colleagues to develop their teaching and learning, to evaluate their practise and allow for differentiation across a range of abilities. They demonstrate exemplary practice and high expectations of both themselves and the people they lead. They initiate collaboration and support staff development. They work with staff to review, modify and expand their repertoire of teaching strategies and are at the forefront of the latest research and practice to improve the outcomes of our students. The winner of this award leads the way through her exemplary practice and highly effective leadership that has led to outstanding results across her very large faculty which is responsible for every student in the school.

A message from our Junior Schooling Deputy Principal

It has definitely been a busy term! Our Year 7 students have been particularly busy at the start of the school year and may be feeling particularly tired as they approach the holidays. They have definitely earnt this holiday break.

Starting secondary school can be a difficult and exciting time for students. Things students may have found manageable in primary school may start to feel quite challenging, which can, in turn, impact on their confidence, motivation, and levels of stress and anxiety. While we are always interested in partnering with families to support our students, there are other resources that students and families can access. The link below is a particularly useful website for students and parents that supports students’ transition to high school. This website provides free, user-friendly resources that can be used at your own convenience.

How can you best manage change?

1. Find out more information. Are there things that you just need to know more about? What are these things and who could you ask?
2. Accept and reframe your own thoughts. Think about how much you have already learnt and grown. Think about how much more you are going to learn and grow.
3. Celebrate the positives. Even though it can be a tough ask, focusing on the positives can really help you manage change. While the positive aspects of a situation might not be obvious to begin with, it’s worth seeking them out – no matter how small they might be. At Shailer Park SHS, we call them Bright Spots!
4. Take action. Focusing on the problem at hand, developing a plan of action, and asking for advice are useful active strategies.
5. Manage your stress. Remember to feed your Wild Brain and Emotional Brain so that you can access your Smart Brain.
6. Seek support if needed. Consider asking teachers, friends and family for help or support.

NAPLAN 2021 – Let’s do this!

Our Year 7 and Year 9 students will be involved in the NAPLAN Tests in 2021. This year, the NAPLAN assessment window starts on Tuesday 11 May and finishes on Thursday 13 May 2021 (Week 4 Term 2). In 2021, our Year 7 and 9 students participating in the NAPLAN Tests will be using the current paper-based NAPLAN. The plan is for all schools in Australia to transition to NAPLAN Online by 2022.

Why do students do NAPLAN?

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance.

What can parents do to support their child?

On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for and students are not expected to do so.

You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program, and by reminding them on the day to simply do their best. Our classroom teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance. If you require any specific information regarding special provisions or the process required to gain a formal exemption, please contact me in Administration.

Some brief details about the 2021 NAPLAN Test schedule are:

Sun Safety Reminder

Acting sun safe is an important, protective action we can all do on a daily basis. Our classroom teachers, particularly in practical subject areas such as HPE, regularly remind students to wear a hat and sunscreen, even when they are teenagers. We understand that this is sometimes a challenging conversation and appreciate the support of many parents who keep reminding their children. Thank you.

Messages from our Student Services Team

Student services team members can be contacted via email or 07 3451 2745. Email addresses can be found on our website at the link below.

• Deputy Principal of Engagement
• our four Heads of House
• Student Services Officer
• Guidance Officer
• Attendance Officer
• School Nurse
• School Chaplain and
• Youth Support Coordinator.

Please contact Student Services Officer on 07 3451 2745 directly for

• lost property
• sickbay
• uniform issues
• appointments with members of student services team

Please contact Attendance Officer on 07 3451 2739 directly for

• student absences
• late arrivals
• early departures

Messages from the Heads of House

Year 7 Camp

Thank you to all our staff for their flexibility to accommodate Year 7 camp. The camp is very valuable in providing a huge leap forward with assisting our new students with a smooth transition into high school. Our students dove in to new experiences and pushed their limits, creating lasting memories and friends.

A big thank you to the staff who attended camp and looked after our new students, supporting and guiding them to try new things.

Student Leadership Team

Our Student Leadership Team have been busy organising Harmony Week and the National Day of Action Against Bullying. They have organised a number of activities to embrace and celebrate all cultures. It’s a way for everyone to express their unique cultural traditions, foods, performances and more. Highlights of the week include:

• Cultural food from around the world, prepared by our very talented Year 12 Hospitality Students
• Chalk affirmations
• Pledges
• -Cultural Performances
• Lolly Lei workshop
• Mapping where we are from because we all belong
• Wearing a splash of Orange day to show support for the week

We look forward to reporting back in the next newsletter regarding the success of the week.

Breakfast Club

Attendance and Points Update

Since our last newsletter we have seen a change in the standings for house points. Each house is doing their best to gain as many points as possible. Our term one challenge has been on Showbie. The challenges each week have been varied - sometimes testing students’ math’s skills, observational skills and solving riddles and puzzles. Francis and Bilin Bilin have battled out some very close results each week providing for some great competition. In addition to our Showbie challenge, we have had ‘bonus live challenges’ that have involved a number of students from house care groups battling it out. The most recent challenge that provided a lot of excitement was our ‘bottle flip challenge’. This involved a team consisting of one student from each year level from a nominated House Care Group to represent their house. Francis were the victors! This, in addition to their great participation in Showbie, has enabled them to overtake Barnes and hit the lead. With a couple of rounds left for the term and our Cross Country coming up on the last day, anything is possible.

Health Nurse

Self-Care

It is different for each one of us. It may be many strategies, it may be a few.

It is a combination of many things that we choose to do so we can happy and healthy.

It’s caring for our bodies- It’s making sure we have a good diet, look after our body- hygiene & brushing our teeth, regular exercise: these are all needed for our bodies to grow, develop and heal.

It’s making sure we get a good night’s sleep so we awake with energy for the following day.

It’s making sure we balance work and play. It’s having goals and making the steps to achieve them and prioritise our needs so we know what we want and where we want to go so we can stay focused on our bigger picture.

It’s making sure we make choices that will keep us safe, having skills and people to go to for help when we have difficulties or obstacles.

Its making sure we stay connected with our family and friends.

References: Cars R us; Headspace; Beyond Blue & Kids Health

Messages from our Student Leader Team

This year, the student leadership team have come together with a strong sense of school spirit, events and building community connections. A number of committees have been introduced to capture interests in Academic, Sport, Community and Cultural connections across the school and our community. Among the 30 leaders, they are excited for the year ahead with various events, increasing visibility of academies, developing reading groups, building a sense of belonging and partnering up with community charities, sporting academies and cultural groups.

Academic Captain – Aisha Barry

The meaning of an academic School Captain at Shailer Park SHS to me is not about the title and good grades. With my eagerness to stay positive and motivated, I am determined to promote a loving and comfortable environment to encourage our community to step out of their comfort zones and be the best version of themselves. This year I’ll be helping organise many exciting events including our recent International Women’s day celebration.

Dakotah Hall – Cultural Captain

Being the cultural captain, or any captain in general, faces many challenges. However, these challenges come with rewarding achievements, such as bringing our school community together and enhancing our school culture through many different exciting events throughout the year, such as Harmony Day and Bullying No Way day. Being the cultural school captain is an amazing opportunity for me to be able to really bring out what I believe is the best at Shailer Park State High School. I want to be able to bring our diversity together and be able to see each other equally, and not be ashamed of who we are or what we represent. I want to be able to create a safe, accepting school culture while developing kindness and relational values towards each other.

International Women’s Day

We had a huge success with last weeks International Woman’s Day celebrations. IWD celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of woman. This years theme was #choosetochallenge so we were lucky enough to have our local Cr Miriam Stemp speak to our teachers and student leaders whilst we were selling delicious biscuits- thanks to sweetly spoken treats for making the wonderful treats. We also had some merchandise such as pens and key rings on sale with all profits going to UN woman; a not for profit organisation aiming to uphold standard for gender equality and help girls to exercise their human rights. We are pleased to say that we donated $250 towards the UN woman charity with a very worthy cause.

Valentine’s Day

During the Shailer Park State High School Valentine’s Day fundraiser, a total of $168 was raised for The Centre Of Women & Co. An assortment of foods and lollies were sold, and a large number of fresh roses were also sold throughout the day.

Photos were taken during the fundraiser to celebrate, while cheesy music was played during this wonderful event.

A message from our Dean of Studies

Assessment and Reporting

All assessment calendars for 2021 have been sent to students and families and are available on our website. We encourage all students to put relevant dates in their resislience planners in ordger for them to plan for effective study.

Upcoming Webinars

myfuture

The myfuture team is conducting a webinar for parents and carers – Supporting your child’s career development: tips and tools from myfuture.

Webinar details are:

Elevate

You may recall that parents of Shailer Park State High School have exclusive access to Elevate Education’s Parent Webinar Series for Term 1, 2021. The recent webinar was on Tech Devices - setting boundaries and promoting self-regulation with teens. It aired live on Wednesday 10th March, but you can access the replay.

The next webinar is on Wednesday 24th March, and covers Note Making Strategies – how to favour understanding over rote.

Excellence Academies

Academic Excellence Academy

What a start we have had to 2021! In Academic Excellence we have hit the ground running and have formally welcomed our new Year 7 students on our Extraordinary Event day. The focus of our first incursion is to form new relationships, collaboration and to use creative and critical thinking skills. The day started with the Director’s of the Extraordinary leading the students through the Puzzle Masters game, with one of our teams completing all of the challenges – something that they had never seen before!

In the second half of the day, our students engaged in a pandemic challenge, which saw them have to use mathematical, scientific, geographical and inference skills in order to solve the problems presented to them.

Should you have any questions related to Academic Excellence, please do not hesitate to contact Emily Dunleavy eddun0@eq.edu.au

Sport

CAST

Access our CAST timetable via the link below a nd get involved.

Cross Country

News from our Library

Reading in March – IN THE BIG RED ARMCHAIR

We all know that there is a strong correlation between reading and academic outcomes. March is the designated reading month which aims to spread the word about just how wonderful reading can be, not only from a scholastic point of view, but also for one’s mental and emotional wellbeing. Many teachers have kindly put their hand up to read to a student audience during their second lunch breaks and what it has shown is that children are never too old to be read to. It is superb seeing students actively listening and engaged in such a wonderful activity and I thank all of the volunteers for supporting this special project. Their reward was the opportunity to sit in the Hive’s grand red armchair, just like in grandpa‘s days! Parents and Carers, please encourage your children to read often and widely – it opens up new worlds and stimulates creativity and imaginations.

Vocational Education

Information Technology Traineeship

First steps into the world of IT!! Congratulations to Year 11 student, Christopher L who today was signed up into a 2-year IT Traineeship with OSMAC Apprenticeships.

Certificate III Barber apprenticeship

Stylish hair will be the go for our new apprentice Barber, Dane S who was signed up into a Certificate III Barber apprenticeship with Barbertects Co. today. The apprenticeship will run over Year 11 and 12 and then into full time employment once he finishes school.

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

2021 STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME (SRS) FEES AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR LEVIES

The 2021 School Resource Scheme (SRS) fees include a:

• Junior SRS fee (Years 7-9) of $320 per year;
• Senior SRS fee (Years 10-12) of $360 per year.

The School is pleased to announce the Senior SRS fee will now encompass both the ATAR and VET Career Ready Programs. For students to remain in VET programs, fees must be fully paid. The fees provide value to students as the School is able to source economic pricing for textbooks and consumable resourcing. Further information on the SRS inclusions and exclusions can be found on the School website using the link above.

All fees for the SRS, Instrumental Music and The Academies are now overdue. Please email finance@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au to commence a payment plan.

BPOINT PAYMENTS

Please ensure you insert the 5 digit invoice number when making BPOINT payments via the statement to avoid processing delays. This will ensure the funds are correctly applied to your student’s invoice. Also, to avoid overpaying your account, please check the updated balances on statements for the correct amount owing. For a statement re-print, please email finance@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au.

CANTEEN

The Canteen is open each day from Monday to Friday at first break only. Payments can be made with EFTPOS or orders can be placed using the Canteen menu on Qkr.

A vending machine with drinks and healthy snacks is also available for contactless EFTPOS and pre-paid debit card purchases only. Debit cards can be purchased from supermarkets and department stores.

Volunteers are invited to assist in the Canteen. Please contact the Office if you are able to offer your time.

Messages from our Parents and Citizens

Meetings

Thank you to all those who attended our most recent Meeting. Our executive team can be contacted via email pandc@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au.

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is our Annual General Meeting, to be held on Tuesday 30 March 2021, at 6pm in our new building – R Block. We will be electing the executive team for the next 12 months.

We also welcome all new members - you can be involved as little or as much as you want to. Join the committee and attend meetings to have your input.

Please go to the P&C section of our School website for more information.

Below is our membership form and 2021 meeting dates for your calendar.

30 March AGM
20 April
29 May
15 June
20 July
17 August
19 October
26 November

Announcements

Facebook

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

Partnering with us

Shailer Park State High School values partnering with our community to ‘Lift Aspirations through Big Plans and Bold Ambitions for a Bright Future’. Working with parents and families of students is essential in strengthening educational outcomes. We respect that parents and families have different needs and therefore engagement with families is based on individual circumstances.

Please access our Partnership document on our website for detailed information.

If your enquiry relates to the classroom, your first point of call should always be the classroom teacher. You can contact them via email.

If your enquiry relates to the playground or is in relation to a pattern perhaps across several classes or it is an inquiry relating to behaviour, attendance, uniform or your child’s well-being, your first point of call should always be the Head of House or Case Manager.

If the staff member is unavailable, they will contact you within a reasonable and appropriate time frame (2 business days).

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.