13 May 2022

Newsletter Articles

A message from the Principal

I’d like to begin by congratulating all our students and staff! We have had a wonderful and positive start to Term 2, with a strong return to routines and readiness to focus on learning. Our students are crossing that line of opportunity each and every day, and this is setting them up for success.

As a school community we define success as a ‘Future Ready Learners who are resilient, reflective, resourceful and relational.’ We invest significant resources into developing students’ capabilities in the 4Rs across all Shailer Park SHS classrooms. We know that the experience of our students in the future is not something we can predict; therefore, it is important that we prepare them for the agility that is necessary to thrive through change. I strongly encourage families to talk with their student about how they define success and to invite a variety of perspectives to help our young people think critically about ‘how they want to be.’

We know from the research that supporting teenagers to develop a deep sense of self is critical for their wellbeing. It supports them to have the courage in tough situations to do what they know is right or in alignment with their values and ethics. These conversations are happening at school and we encourage families to invite these conversations to the family dinner table too. We know that sometimes teenagers don’t offer much when we inquire about their school day and one-word responses are typical. Here are some helpful conversation starters for the dinner table:

• What would you do if … (provide some tricky situations e.g., you friend was stealing at the shops)?
• What do you think about this… (provide a stimulus e.g., news headline)?
• What’s the best thing that happened in your day?
• Did you see anyone show kindness today? How did you feel when you saw this?
• Did you have the chance to be kind to someone else today? What did that feel like?

When we openly explore with our teenagers their sense of self, we encourage them to become clearer about who they are, what they stand for and therefore develop the confidence to be their authentic self. As parents, it’s important to remember that developmentally, it is very normal for teenagers to value their peers more than their parents over time. This is reflected in their ideas, which may begin to differ markedly from yours. As adults, it’s our job to remain calm and interested during these conversations which, I know, is not always easy to do.

We know that creating a safe and supportive environment that our adolescents can always return to means they are supported to explore, take appropriate risks but also know that when they make a mistake, we will be there to help them learn from the mistake. Asking questions like, ‘What would you do differently next time?’ or ‘What can we learn from this?’ are much more effective than, ‘What on Earth were you thinking?’ or ‘I don’t care what happened, you’re grounded for the rest of your life!’

When our children make a mistake, a calm and measured response is integral if we want to make them come to us during these tricky times. If we respond with anger (usually stemming from fear: as parents our instinct to protect is strong) we shut down our teenager. Additionally, if we go into ‘fix it’ mode, we don’t allow them to problem solve, nor develop the skills, including resilience, to work through a tricky situation and accept the consequences of their decisions. The reality is, all teenagers will make mistakes, it’s how we respond that is important.

So when your student’s Term 1 report card lands in your inbox, how will you use this as an opportunity to engage them in developing a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, strengths and challenges? How will you support them to set themselves up for future success? Parent teacher conferences are an excellent way of starting those conversations in a calm and clear manner. We would love to see all students attend the upcoming parent teacher conferences, and even invite your student to take the lead in those conversations.

The most important thing is to open those conversations up in the first place.

Calendar

Please access our school calendar for upcoming events and CAST activities.

A message from our Junior Schooling Deputy Principal

2023 ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN!

Enrolment Packs for 2023 are now available from our Administration Building and our school website. Inside these Enrolment Packs, you will find details regarding the overall enrolment process and specific information about the trial process for The Academies. It is lovely to see so many eager applicants for the Altum / Nexus trials already submitting their EOIs for the Big Thinkers’ Day on Tuesday 17th May 2022. Exact trial dates for the Volleyball, Futsal and Dance Academies are still to be confirmed with the new coaches from Brisbane Sport Institute (BSI) though these will be published as soon as possible.

For all students, however, parents/carers play a very important role in supporting their wellbeing as they transition to high school. This transition is a significant milestone in their lives and may cause a range of emotional responses – for students and for parents. An important support strategy is to involve your child in the enrolment process as soon as possible. Ultimately, the goal of this enrolment process is for our school to know as much as possible about how we can support your child’s learning and engagement. The more we know, the better.

By the end of this week, I will have visited all Year 6 classrooms of the main feeder schools – Shailer Park SS, Kimberley Park SS, Loganholme SS and Carbrook SS - to discuss what they might expect as they move into high school. I always enjoy these classroom visits because the Year 6s have so many questions and it is a treat to visit their vibrant classrooms. At the end of these visits, interested Year 6 students are given an Enrolment Pack for parents to complete. Please keep an eye out for this Enrolment Pack if your child currently attends one of these primary schools. Thank you to the many families who have already completed and submitted their Enrolment Pack already.

NAPLAN ONLINE 2022 – Let’s do this!

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents and carers to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress. Most of our Year 7 & 9 students will be familiar with the NAPLAN Test and should not be too concerned. As always, please let the school know if you have any particular concerns for your child. In 2022, our Year 7 and Year 9 students will be involved in the NAPLAN Online test schedule for the first time. Please watch this short clip: Understanding NAPLAN Online (2 min 11s) for further information. NAPLAN Online is a tailored test designed to adapt to student responses in a more engaging format. In turn, this leads to a ‘tailored’ testing approach and more precise results. Watch the Tailored testing video (3 min 6s).

This year, the NAPLAN Online testing assessment window is scheduled from Monday 9th May 2022 to Friday 20th May 2022 (Weeks 4 & 5 Term 2). Our 2022 NAPLAN Online Test schedule is below:

During this 2-week testing window, Year 7 & 9 students are required to attend school each day and follow their normal timetable. Students have been given this message in recent lessons and will be reminded as the testing window approaches.

What can parents do to support their child?

NAPLAN is not a test that children can prepare for in the same way they might prepare for an end of term test. NAPLAN tests skills that develop and improve over time. These are skills that should be continuously developed throughout the year and not just in the lead-up to NAPLAN. The best way to get your child ready for NAPLAN is to continue to develop literacy and numeracy skills. Follow the link below for a Literacy and Numeracy fact sheet and ideas on how you can help build these skills at home.

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. It would be appreciated if you could remind students about bringing a fully charged Ipad each day and making sure they have a set of headphones that suit their device. Our classroom teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the new online testing format and will provide appropriate support and guidance.

All Year 7 and Year 9 parents would have recently received an email from Mr Albertson (Dean of Studies) regarding parent withdrawal from the 2022 NAPLAN Tests. Please contact Mr Albertson if you wish to do so.

YEAR 7 PARENTS – Special “Meet and Greet” Session

4pm – 5pm Thursday 12th May 2022

Our first Parent -Teacher Connect evening for 2022 was scheduled on Thursday 12th May (Week 4 Term 2). This was the first opportunity that many Year 7 parents meet their child’s classroom teachers to discuss how they have settled into high school.

Our first Parent -Teacher Connect evening for 2022 is scheduled for Thursday 12th May (Week 4 Term 2). This is the first opportunity that many Year 7 parents will meet their child’s classroom teachers to discuss how they have settled into high school.

Embedded into this Parent-Teacher Connect evening, we hosted a “Meet and Greet” Session for our Year 7 parents. At this session, our Principal Ms Dorothea Jensen formally welcomed our Year 7 parents into our school community and discussed our school’s priorities and new initiatives.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to grow our young learners.

Messages from our Student Services Team

Messages from the Heads of House

Welcome back to Term two!

The end of term one was very exciting with the final day seeing our students compete in the annual cross country and inaugural colour run. While much fun was had by all, and some very valuable funds raised for shelters around the school, Karle House were the victors! Congratulations not only to Karle, but to all students who participated on the day.

Our Term two House Challenge kicked off last week….Handball. We had a great response from all houses, both students and staff. Weekly points are being awarded on participation numbers. Wins are being recorded and at the end of term another set of points will be awarded accordingly to the House with the most wins overall.

Our overall house points are really are quite close and creating a healthy competition amongst the houses. Let’s see how it all unfolds over the coming weeks.

Colour Run Update

On 1st April, 2022 we held our Crazy Cross-Country Colour Day as a major fundraising event to raise much needed money for shade sails and seating for our school. Students who raise just $10 will be able to choose a prize!

Well done to all those who fundraised and donated to get us to our goal of $5000. This has resulted in Mr Simpson keeping his incentive promise of colouring his hair pink!

We have currently raised $5700 and the students are now going to be part of a forum to decide the best space for the shade sail or the seating based on the fundraising.

Messages from our Student Leader Team

ANZAC day parade.

On the 22nd of April, our school community commemorated ANZAC day with a whole school assembly. We thank the Plounges representing the Returned and Services League (RSL) and Councillor Miriam Stemp for contributing to the proceedings. We also thank our students in the Army and Air Force Cadets, as well as the Symphonic Winds ensemble led by Ms Erin Thomson for being a part of the event. Lest we forget.

CAST

We encourage all students to be involved in a CAST activity. Check out the website calendar, Facebook and our TV screens around the school to see where you want to get involved.

Messages from The Academies

Sting Sporting Academies

This term, our Sting Sporting Academies have kicked off their training with the Brisbane Sport Institute coaching team. Our students have demonstrated immense camaraderie and eagerness to extend their skills to new levels.

It has been great seeing our students back in action and we look forward to seeing what they produce on the competitive court in the coming months.

District Representatives

Congratulations to our students who have been selected for Pacific District School Sport.

Messages from The Library

Device-free library lunch

On Thursday 5th May, the Hive (library) held its inaugural device-free lunchtime session, hosting a range of fun-filled activities for students to enjoy. Teacher-led workshops (many thanks to these volunteers giving up their precious time) included water-colour painting, cross-stitching, chess, and guitar lessons had a lot of eager participants, who learnt some new and interesting skills.

Other activities that were hit were table tennis, quoits, mindfulness colouring in, boules, bowls, and much more. There was an air of festivity and genuine enthusiasm, evident in students returning for ‘more of the same’ in lunch 2! And surprisingly, they learnt that they survive without their devices for a period of time! It was such a fun time that we are hoping for a repeat session later in the term, for this to become a regular event.

Writers’ Workshop

Coming up is a writers’ workshop by former student, and now published author, Rhiannon Elton, on Thursday 26. The Year 9 Altum English class has been invited in Period 2 whilst a selection of Year 10 English students is scheduled for Period 3. Rhiannon has now authored 9 books, and is an active member of the Logan Writers’ Association. If your child has brought home an excursion permission form, could they please return this to me, in the library, as soon as possible.

Looking forward to a lot of good times ahead.

Messages from our Parents and Citizens

Thank you to the following sponsors for their generous contributions to our Mother’s Day Raffle:

F45 Training Loganholme , Hawthorne Creative , Cosmetic Tattooing by Jacqui King , Bayside Wake Park , Meadowbrook Golf Course , Nadine Nobile - The Mark Coleman Team - Re/Max , Champion Health , Mummy and Me Photography , Forever & Always Hair and Beauty , GEORGES GRILL Seafood & Burgers , Body Generation Therapies , Printing Brisbane , Adeane Tindall Intimo, Sharon's Flavourista , Christopher's Fine Foods , Snap Fitness , The Flower Crew Originals , Bunnings Warehouse Australia , Mosaic Pizza , Guerilla Blasters , The Coffee Club Loganholme , The Petite Lady , Fitzy's Loganholme .

Congratulations to all the Mother’s Day Raffle Prize Winners!

Dance Academy Fundraiser

Support the Dance Academy 14th May 10am-4pm for a minimum 40% off quality beauty products from Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, M.A.C and more. Tickets from the link below.

Remember to link your Ritchies IGA, Rebel Sports and The School Locker loyalty cards to SPSHS for community givebacks.

Election Day Fundraiser

Attend our Election Day BBQ 21st May in support of STING sports academies. If you can help, even for an hour, email teise11@eq.edu.au.

Do you have an idea for a fundraiser or want to be more involved? Simply email pandc@shailerparkshs.eq.edu.au to join our association or attend a meeting.

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

Natasha McVeigh
P&C President

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 from the link below 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.

Helpline