3 September 2021

Newsletter Articles

A message from the Principal

As someone who has taught in the classroom and been involved in schools for years, the past few weeks have taken a little getting used to. I am so pleased to see our schooling community take the mask wearing mandate seriously, nonetheless it is a very visual reminder of the current pandemic. Part of the joy of being an educator is seeing our students’ faces light up as they grasp a concept or learn something that delights them, though keeping them safe and healthy is also our priority. I have also been pleased to see our students and staff display empathy and concern for the plight of others overseas, especially in the current unrest in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the scale and ramifications of this event can instill a sense of hopelessness and overwhelm even here in peaceful Shailer Park.

It seems there are adversities everywhere we turn at the moment, both here and abroad. As adults, the daily images we are faced with on the news can be a lot for us to process. We must remember that our children are consuming this same news, and as parents, it is our job to help our teens cope with this negative information.

We spend much of our parenting lives keeping them from getting hurt or sick, soothing their troubled emotions, and helping them navigate their teenage fears and worries. Instinctively, we try to keep them in a bubble when global climate is one of chaos. Sadly, we can not always do that. Things happen in the world that are completely outside of our control.

How can we explain current events to our children in a way that does not cause stress, anxiety or overwhelm, and allows them to process the information in a healthy way?

• If you tend to watch the news and your teenager is exposed to this, consider watching it with them and discussing the events as you do.
• Help them put events into perspective, context and gauge their level of awareness.
• Be upfront and honest with them in an age appropriate way.
• Importantly, ask them how they are feeling and spend some time talking with them. Often, simply listening to them will reveal what they need from you.
• Sometimes our teens do not know how to feel and might ask, ‘Should I be worried?’ If you don't know the answer to one of their questions, admit that you do not know and research the answer together.

Other simple strategies include practicing gratitude and getting in touch with or giving to a charity whose focus is helping those involved in the event. Often, our children just want to know how they can help.

Amongst all this seriousness, it was an absolutely pleasure to celebrate our Year 12 Formal last Friday at Sirromet.

What a wonderful celebration with all of Shailer Park’s young men and women looking dazzling and glamorous! Students enjoyed entertainment by ‘Mr Hollywood’ the magician extraordinaire and tunes by our DJ.

We hope you enjoy some of the lovely snapshots from the evening.

We have a number of works planned for the remainder of the semester on campus, which aim to improve Shailer Park SHS even further. Enhancing ‘Our Place’ is a priority of our school strategic plan, specifically enhancing our school environment, facilities and our ‘sense of belonging.’

This semester, these include:

• roof repairs,
• a storage shed installed at the back of the MPS,
• water bubblers installed and enhancements to the R block under-croft.

These works are part of the significant infrastructure milestones we have already achieved this year including:

• construction of the new building which opened in January,
• refurbishment of our Multi-Purpose Hall,
• refurbishment of the amenities parallel to the Multi-Purpose Hall,
• refurbishment of the outdoor area in the centre of the school,
• a new entrance at Leaf Street and
• installation of new technologies in the Technologies workshops.

With only a few weeks remaining in Term 3, I have been encouraging students to focus on supporting each other to finish strong. I have noticed in a small number of students the tendency to relax into the break before it is actually here! Keeping our eye on the finish line and maintaining those productive habits of feeding our wild and emotional brain are important to stay focussed with our smart brain switched on. As assessment schedules start to peak, balance is important as is anticipating the holidays ahead! Planning holidays, a fun event or even something small to look forward to over the school holiday break can be a great source of energy and motivation to see through the rest of the term strong.

Calendar

Please access our school calendar for upcoming events.

A message from our Junior Schooling Deputy Principal

NAPLAN – Release of 2021 NAPLAN Test results

In the next few weeks, parents/carers of our participating Year 7 and Year 9 students will receive their child’s 2021 NAPLAN Report. Students and parents may experience a range of emotions at this thought. It is important to keep NAPLAN in perspective.

Preparing for 2022 NAPLAN Online with the School Readiness Test (SRT)

All schools in Australia are transitioning to NAPLAN Online by 2022. As we prepare to deliver NAPLAN Online in 2022, all schools need to conduct a School Readiness Test (SRT). The SRT is designed to test each school’s systems and student devices while allowing for enough time to rectify situations before 2022. Our Year 8 students will be involved in the SRT during Week 10 Term 3. The SRT will be run in one lesson only on this day and is a low-stakes testing preparation situation only.

While this is the case, the SRT is a timely reminder for parents to check your child’s Ipad since this is the device they will use in the 2021 SRT and in the 2022 NAPLAN Online testing window. We would sincerely appreciate your support in checking your child’s device before the SRT. Does the screen need to be replaced? Does the keyboard need to be fixed? Does your child have a set of headphones that connect to their device? Text messages have been also been sent to Year 8 parents with these reminders as we transition to the NAPLAN Online environment.

2022 ENROLMENTS – Is your child an enrolled Year 7 student for 2022?

Enrolments for 2022 are well and truly picking up pace. As the end of this school year quickly approaches, our Orientation Days are now on the horizon. This 2-day long Orientation Program is a particularly important part of the transition process that our incoming students and staff greatly enjoy.

It is important to note that ONLY ENROLLED STUDENTS are invited to attend the Orientation Days in Week 9 Term 4. To become an enrolled student, parents / carers need to submit a completed Enrolment Pack and attend an enrolment interview with one of our staff members. These two steps are crucial for supporting a successful transition for your child and we are particularly grateful to those parents/carers who have already completed them. Enrolment interviews have begun for in-catchment and Academy enrolment applications. Our main 2022 Enrolment Interview Day is on Friday 3rd September 2021 and we enjoy meeting our incoming students and their parents.

Elective Subject Selections for 2022

Our school community works together to ensure each student has a Big Plan and Bold Ambition for a Bright Future.

At Shailer Park State High School, we are relentless in our focus on developing students who are Resilient, Resourceful, Relational and Reflective. A Reflective Learner is ready, willing and able to become strategic about their learning. This encompasses their ability to reflect upon what they have done, what outcomes they achieved and what they would like to do differently next time.

Year 7s – Earlier this term, our Year 7 students were introduced to their Track Ed Report and were given an opportunity to develop personalised SMART goals. We encourage parents to review these goals with their child as they begin making decisions about their elective subject preferences for 2022. The required 2022 Elective Subject Selection form (yellow form) was given to all Year 7 students on Monday 30th August 2021. If your child has not yet received one, they can collect one from the Administration Building. All relevant information is provided on this form which needs to be returned to the Administration Building by Wednesday 15th September 2021.

Year 8s - This week our Year 8 students have also reflected on their academic progress as they prepare for the 2022 elective subject selection process. 2022 Elective Subject Selection form (green form) was given to all Year 8 students on Tuesday 31st August 2021. If your child has not yet received one, they can collect one from the Administration Building. All relevant information is provided on this form which needs to be returned to the Administration Building by Wednesday 15th September 2021.

Year 9s - Our Year 9 students have engaged in a more complex reflection process during their Term 3 LIFT unit as they prepare for senior secondary school. By the end of this term, all Year 9 students will have reflected upon their achievements in Yr 7, 8 & 9 and engaged in research on preferred future pathways. They will have used these reflections and research to complete their JET Plans. The JET planning process culminates in the JET Planning Day (Tuesday 31st August 2021) during which our Year 9 students and their parent/s attend a scheduled interview to review and endorse these JET Plans for Years 10, 11 & 12. This is often an exciting stage for our Year 9 students as they explore and consider a number of future opportunities. We would like to thank all of the staff, students and families for partnering through this process in such a proactive and positive manner.

Messages from our Student Services Team

Messages from the Heads of House

Well what a year for competition! It was right down to the final event to determine who the winning house would be. In a very, very close competition, Francis have once again claimed a narrow victory of only 2 points ahead of Barnes.

The final day of Term 3, Friday 17th September, will see all houses celebrate in our House Spirit Day. The allocation of rewards has now been completed and you can see below the activity that your student will be participating in. Your student by this stage should have received a permission letter for their designated reward day. Could we please ask that you sign this immediately and have it returned to the main administration office so that they do not miss out on all the fun!

Messages from our Student Leader Team

Student Leadership Nomination Information for 2022

As this term draws to a close, we are in the process of collecting nominations for 2022 Student Leaders.

Students are challenged and will be expected to work collaboratively to inspire and motivate others in promoting a school culture of pride and belonging. We encourage students to join some of our many Student Leadership Councils next year whether they wear a leadership badge or not. Nomination forms for all leadership positions are due by September 13 and speeches will be conducted as well as voting early next term.

Jeans for Genes Day

Jeans for Genes Day is a day dedicated to help fund treatments and cures for genetic illness that affect millions of people worldwide. Shailer Park State High School Student Leader Team helped this cause by fundraising on Friday the 20th of August. Students were asked to wear a piece of denim in exchange for a gold coin donation. Throughout the week, there were also competitions including designing Jeans and a fun House Challenge of pin the jeans on Johnson. Mrs Sheppard also created a video on her experience with the cause. As a school, we raised a great total of $435.05 which goes straight to the Children’s Medical Research Institute! Thank you to everyone who participated and donated.

Year 10 Representatives

Year 12 Yearbook

As you may know we are very close to the end of an amazing year and we all want to make sure we finish strong and most importantly share the amazing memories of the graduating class of 2021.

Just like the last couple of years we are in the process of constructing a YEAR BOOK for the Year 12 cohort.

The first step that we need to take is to collect student QUOTES.

The QUOTE will be next to your name and school photo, however if you don’t have a school photo make sure you get a photo with your formal uniform on.

This step will need to be completed before September 13 and we will keep you updated on the next steps to complete the year book.

Thanks for the cooperation and hopefully we can construct a memorable yearbook.

Thanks,

Science and Health

National Science Week

In Week 7 we celebrated National Science Week.

This year the theme was “Food – different by design”. Students explored how DNA could be extracted from a strawberry. It was great fun to spend some time outdoors observing how easily the sticky DNA could be extracted from the strawberry cells!

Messages from Excellence Academies and Sport

2021 Athletics Carnival

The Shailer Park SHS 2021 Inter-house Athletics Carnival was held on the final two days of Term 2.

Across the two days we saw students earn points for their House through outstanding performance, demonstrating house spirit and overall participation.

Below are results of our 2021 Carnival.

Broken Record!

Our track superstar, Samuel of Year 10, broke the 15 Years Boys 800m record that has stood at Shailer Park State High School since 1991!

Samuel T
New Record 2:05.82

News from our Library

The Hive

It has been a busy month with a lot of activities to entertain and enthuse students and staff. The most notable event has been The Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Week, annually staged to showcase the works of some of Australia’s most talented writers and creators. Their titles are shortlisted and the winners are announced for varying categories. This officially began on Sunday 22nd August and finished on Friday 28th August with the theme being “Old Worlds, New Worlds and Other Words”. Our amazing teacher aide created some spectacular displays highlighting the theme.

Activities included a photo booth with brave participants featured in zany outfits and headgear, as well as a costume parade the Thursday with teachers and students invited to dress up in a book character or illustrate the theme.

Our winner for the best costume was awarded to Dakotta S who posed as Nezuko, a character in the Manga series, Demon Slayer, and she was most convincing in her portrayal! Whilst all of this means lots of fun, and of course, some obligatory teasing, the underlying objective was to spark greater interest in reading because, as we all know, reading serves many purposes from promoting academic success to boosting mental and emotional health.

One of the highlights was our author host, Dee White. Due to current circumstances, she was unable to attend personally, so a zoom conference was organised for interested Year 7 and 8 students. From all accounts, Dee’s presentation was a huge success. The feedback from teachers and students was that she was engaging, entertaining and relevant. In particular, her hints and advice about how to become a successful writer resonated well with her audience, especially her strategy in character creation and building, using the idea of different foods with varying qualities that ultimately create memories, both good and bad – and so with regards to characters in a story - an interesting approach indeed!

A new addition to our games collection is the giant Jenga set. This has been so popular, it is a case of ‘first in, best dressed!’. Then there are jigsaw puzzle addicts who are so dedicated, they are in the library every lunchtime. The Hive has something to offer for everyone. Encourage your child to visit us, and see what might stimulate them.

A message from the Business Manager

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

Thank you to the families who have finalised their 2021 accounts. 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.

2022 STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME (SRS) FEES AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR LEVIES

The 2022 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 Senior fee includes either the ATAR pathway or 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.

Invoices for the Student Resource Scheme fee and Academy levies for the 2022 Year 7 students will be issued in September. All other year levels will be issued in October. Once invoices have been raised, credits on account will be applied and then payments can be made or payment plans can commence. Please email finance@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au to organise a BPOINT plan activation link. Please note that one invoice only for the full amount per student per activity will be raised.

BPOINT PAYMENTS

Please ensure:

• The 5 digit invoice number is inserted when making BPOINT payments via the statement to avoid processing delays so that funds are correctly applied to your student’s invoice.
• The exact outstanding amount is paid. 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

Anyone interested in joining our association is invited to request a membership application by emailing pandc@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au or attending a meeting.

Father’s Day Raffle

Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser and congratulations to all our winners.

Ongoing Fundraisers

We’re very fortunate to have several opportunities for our school community to contribute to fundraising efforts without costing any more than your family’s usual spend.

Together these provide thousands of dollars each year that go towards our fundraising targets. Please share these details with family & friends to help make the most of these opportunities!

Mel Blankley
P&C President

Announcements

Facebook

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

Partnering with us

Shailer Park SHS 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.

2021 Early School Leavers survey

The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual survey of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school in 2020, before completing Year 12. This short, confidential survey collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving school. The results of the survey help provide valuable information to improve services available to school leavers in the future.

Between August and September, these school leavers can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of Next Step post-school destination surveys in 2021.

For more information, visit the link below or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.