newsletter-2016-03 - Home Hill State High School
Transcription
newsletter-2016-03 - Home Hill State High School
Home Hill State High School LEARNING – PERFORMANCE – CITIZENSHIP First Street Home Hill Qld 4806 Phone: (07) 4790 5666 Fax: (07) 4790 5600 www.homehillshs.eq.edu.au Newsletter March 2016 Principal’s Report With the first Term more than half-way through already, a number of programs are well underway and there has been a great deal achieved. Student learning has been at the forefront (as always), with the school making a concerted push to reiterate academic diligence as one of the key school values which applies to everything we do and to all of us at the school. After all quality education is our core business. I have been very pleased with the manner in which students have settled into their classes this year and are working towards the completion of assessment items in line with the assessment calendar that students have received. There has been a very positive tone about the school all term and I am sure that will continue throughout this year. Next P&C Meeting - AGM The March meeting of the P&C will be held the AGM and held on Tuesday, 8 March at 7.45 pm in the Staff Common Room. All are welcome to attend. Dates to Remember Sunday 6 March – Clean Up Australia Day Tuesday 8 March – P&C AGM Friday 25 March – Good Friday holiday 26 March - 10 April – School Holidays Monday 11 April – School commences Our school acknowledges the Juru Community as the first owners of this country. Today, they are still the custodians of the cultural heritage of this land. Further to this, our school acknowledges there are other Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Island people have lived, worked and contributed to the cultural heritage of our community. Personally, I have also gained a good insight into our school’s ethos through those school events that have already taken place; • The Senior and Leadership Induction provided a great insight into the calibre and quality of this core group of our student body • Our swimming carnival was a great success, particularly as a result of the level of participation by students on the day. It was a long, very hot day with a great deal of intense competition and tremendous school and house spirit. • The Junior Secondary Meet and Greet BBQ, well attended by teachers, parents and students was the perfect opportunity to meet a number of parents, and begin to put a few faces to names. Around the school a number of building enhancements are about to start, or on the way to completion. A new AstroTurf cricket pitch on the running track oval is almost completed thanks to great community support. During the Easter holidays a start will be made to a comprehensive refurbishment of B Block which, whilst somewhat disruptive, will improve these classrooms greatly. I wish I could report similar progress on our focal building project (Multi-Purpose Hall), but there is no word on that as yet. This really is the main priority in the facilities area, as the lack of suitable covered and shaded space at our school has been really noticeable in the incredibly hot, sunny days this year. It has been a pleasure to settle into Home Hill State High School and find a school that really measures up to the high reputation it holds and I look forward to what the rest of this term and the year will bring. Save the Date! Home Hill SHS FETE Friday 6 May 2016 Page 1 March 2016 On Thursday 11 February, parents and friends were audience to a well-executed Leaders’ Investiture ceremony at the Burdekin Memorial Hall. Our students conducted themselves in an exemplary manner and should be proud of the way they represented the school. Special guests included Mayor Bill Lowis, Home Hill Primary School Principals and their representatives and P & C President Mr Richard Wall. Badges were presented to our Seniors, Student Council Executive and Form Representatives, Junior and Senior House Captains, Indigenous Leader, Junior Secondary Captains and finally, School Captains Andi Gelling and Sam Marano. Emily Cannavan, Andi Gelling and Jacklyn Walters entertained the audience with their musical talents. At the end of the proceedings, a scrumptious afternoon tea was provided by Mrs Kerr and her Hospitality students. Thank you to Ms Mavanna, for the wonderful job of organising the ceremony and to all our guests for making the time to come along and be part of the presentations. Your presence was greatly appreciated. School Captains Sam Marano & Andi Gelling Junior Secondary School Captains Joseph Forno & Libby D’Alessandro Mayor Bill Lowis with Indigenous School Captain Bryony Williams Year 7 – 9 Student Council Representatives and Executive Nominees Year 10 - 11 Student Council Representatives Student Council Executive, Secretary Mikaylah Wall, Presidents - Tamokai Kupenga & Dana Falco, Treasurer - Georgia Dahlenburg Page 2 March 2016 Senior Junior Course/Assessment Planners Students have now been given their personalised copy of their course/assessment planner for semester one. This planner outlines the topics they are studying in each of their subjects and draws attention to assessment dates. Students may also get an online copy of their course/assessment planner by going through the OneSchool website, either at school or at home. The OneSchool logon is oslp.eq.edu.au. Page 3 March 2016 During the first week of term, Home Hill State High School celebrated the International Year of the Pulses during the annual Australia Day Ceremony. Guest speaker, Mr Evan Shannon from Farmacist Burdekin, gave students a brief overview on the importance of pulses and certain legumes and beans surrounding the Burdekin region. Relating to the International theme, year 12 Art students, Emilee Gibson and Katherine Free, presented Mr Kingma with an artwork related to the year of the pulses. Also in recognition of this theme two year 7 students, Lachlan Dobe and Chloe Profke planted a tree within the school as a memorabilia for 2016. Buddy Club One of the year 12 Student Committees is the ‘Buddy Club’ which is held every Wednesday lunch time in the Library. Students of all year levels are invited to join in colouring-in, board game play and homework help under the guidance of the year 12 students who run the Buddy club, along with supervision from Mrs Coldstream and Library staff. The club has become very popular with many students joining in each week and enjoying the therapeutic and social benefits of the Buddy club. Right - Kheisha Whitley, year 7, was one of the winners of the Buddy Club’s Colouring-in competition. Page 4 March 2016 The new BSS shirts are now available at Eathorne’s for $33. If students make a Burdekin team they are compulsory. Building Fund Our goal is to build a hall or undercover area where our students can play sport out of the sun, and for school and community events. Our concept plan is below: We have a building fund established and donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to assist in the funding of this long-overdue project, please see the form included with this newsletter and return to the High School. We greatly appreciate your donations! P&C Funding for Sporting, Academic and Cultural Representation If your student is representing the school in sporting (e.g. NQ sport), academic (e.g. NYSF) and cultural pursuits (e.g. Rostrum state final), the P&C are prepared to consider applications to provide financial assistance with the associated travel costs. To apply for assistance the student must submit a written request prior to their travel together with the detailed costings of the travel. Approval is granted upon consideration by the P&C. After the student has participated in their event a further requirement is that they submit a brief oral report at a P&C meeting. Page 5 March 2016 Junior Secondary Meet & Greet BBQ On Tuesday 16 February at 6pm, parents of year 7 and 8 students at Home Hill State High School were invited to the schools’ official “Junior Secondary Meet and Greet BBQ”. During the day these students were treated to brilliant images of flames and prominences of our Sun through astronomer Rob Black’s scopes. These scopes have filters so that the Sun can be viewed safely. The barbeque was to be followed by an astronomy evening gazing at the stars. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties with the main telescope, and swarms of mosquitoes on the school oval, the astronomy aspect of the night had to cut short and postponed, however the barbecue continued on. The main intent of the evening was for parents to meet and make initial contact with teachers in an informal setting and get some feedback to how their student is settling in for 2016. The event was well attended by both teachers, parents and students as it was the perfect opportunity to put a few faces to names and also to meet the recently appointed principal. The casual atmosphere on the night provided an appropriate setting for the purpose of a most productive “Meet and Greet”. Finally, a big thank you also needs to go to Mr Robert Scalia and Mrs Roslyn Gall for their organisation of this event and for the catering, as these events require considerable ‘behind the scene’ preparation. Progress report cards will be issued to students on Monday 14 March. The Mid-Semester 1 report card is a report on your student’s progress, with the teacher making a judgement on their progress based on class work, teacher observation, and in some cases diagnostic or formal testing/assessment. Students will not receive a level of achievement but there will be a rating for effort and behaviour and a rating for overall progress in the subject. Issued with the report will be information about the parent/teacher interviews and a booking card for your appointments. Parent/teacher interviews will be held on Wednesday 23 March from 3:20-6:30pm. The interviews will take place in F block and in the school library. Parent/teacher interviews are an opportunity for parents to become more informed about their student’s progress and behaviour in class. In some cases your student’s report card will indicate that their teacher has requested a parent/teacher interview. Please encourage your student to bring their booking card to school on Tuesday 15 March, and to approach their teachers to request an appointment time. Page 6 March 2016 DISCO 2016 On Tuesday, 9 February, students from Home Hill State High School attended the first disco for the year. This saw many students dressed up in the theme, ‘Two’s a Party’. Game favourites such as ‘Coloured Corners’ and ‘Nights, Mounts and Cavaliers’ just to name a few, were played during the night. Dana Falco and Madeline Fabbro were the winners for best-dressed in the year 11 & 12 division while Tayla McKaig and Imijen Cazzulino won bestdressed for the grade 7-10 division. With many other prize winners on the night, students thoroughly enjoyed the disco. A massive thanks must go to Mrs Armstrong who organised the disco and all the other teachers that helped out on the night. We hope to see you all at the second disco for the year which will be held next term on 26 April. Naomi Loizou AGRIBUSINESS 2016 Discussions are well under way between teaching staff and community members, to make this year a memorable one for Home Hill State School as an Agribusiness Gateway School. To start the year we will see our year seven students once again experience the agricultural exploits that have put our community on the map. Students will have the opportunity to listen to experts explain the processes and planning that go into the production of cropping in the district. They will then get valuable hands-on experience by planting and harvesting these crops. More activities will follow during the year, with the added inclusion of Agribusiness for our year eight students in LPC (Learning, Performance, Citizenship) week. Agribusiness opportunities will span our entire student cohort, giving our young people knowledge of the industry and those services that support it. Adele Armstrong Agribusiness Coordinator Our year 7 students at planning time 2015 STUDENT LAPTOPS – BYOX PROGRAM A number of students have now had their personal laptops connected to our school network. If your student would like to bring their own laptop to school and use one of our laptop lockers, it is not too late. They must: Get a copy of the student charter from the office Return the signed charter together with $35 to cover the cost of hiring the laptop locker and internet access See Mrs Gall to arrange for a connection time. Page 7 March 2016 Senior science students working on their Extended Experimental Investigations, are well under way already this term. In Biology, students are investigating factors that affect enzyme action. They extract enzymes from common food products such as pineapple, potato, yeast and junket and design experiments by changing the temperature, pH or surface area to test the parameters under which the enzyme will work. In Physics, students are investigating Rockets. They have been arriving at school extremely early in the morning to launch rockets on the playground whilst conditions are optimal. Altimeters record the height reached by the rockets, and students experiment with different shaped rocket heads to investigate which give the best launch statistics. In year 9 science, students are heating elements to test the resistivity of different metal wires, or different lengths of metal wire. Students are then required to apply their understanding of these metals to everyday life. For example, transport of electricity from power stations to their homes. Students will then be required to submit scientific reports analysing their findings and drawing conclusions. Our best fundraiser each year is our school Fete. Please keep Friday May 6 free for a fabulous fun-filled event with raffles, amusements, entertainment, prizes, food and drinks for all the family. Students in each class run a stall and donate items as follows: Year 7 Year 8 & 9 Year 10 & 11 Year 12 ALL STUDENTS Treasure Tray Prizes (eg. small toys, novelty items, hair ties, stationery) Bottles (eg. jams, olives, sauce, juice, stationery, lollies) Cakes, Slices, Biscuits or Ingredients Cent Sale Prizes Groceries for Wheelbarrow Raffle Form teachers will provide more details of donations required. Students, staff, parents and members of the community are able to work as a team to assist in the preparation, advertising, setting up, running and clean-up of the Fete. Generous local businesses also donate fantastic prizes each year. If you have any suggestions or offers of assistance in the running of the Fete please contact Lisa Todeschino at the school or via email on ltode1@eq.edu.au. Page 8 March 2016 The skies were blue, not a cloud in the sky… and so hot! The Interhouse Swimming Carnival was finally here on Friday 19 February. The Home Hill Swimming Pool was swamped by students keen to compete for their houses and have a chance to cool off. Themes for the houses this year included Beachmountians – Tradies, Upstartian’s – Aussie Beach Party and Inkerman’s – Mexican Fiesta. The swimming carnival was a massive success with many students participating at their highest level and numerous records broken! In a nail-bitting finish, Beachmount just managed to retain the title, defeating Upstart in the last race of the day. The scores were the closest in recent memory, Inkerman placing 3rd with a total of 489 points, Upstart in 2nd on 804 points, which left Beachmount with a 1 point lead and 805 points. Congratulations Beachmount! The house captains, seniors of all houses and junior secondary house captains should be congratulated on their high spirited chants, general organization of their younger charges and motivation levels. We cannot go without thanking newly appointed subject area co-ordinator – Mr Justin Wade, without him this day wouldn’t have run as smoothly. Therefore on behalf of Home Hill State High School and the house captains, we would like to give a big thanks to him and the other teachers for making this day as enjoyable as it was. Also, a big thanks go to the managers at the Home Hill Pool – Jo and her team and the Home Hill Swimming Club for letting us use their equipment. Also, a special thanks must go out to the parents who attended to support and to the students themselves for an excellent day in the water. The age champions for 2016 were: Boys 12 years Girls 12 years Boys 13 years Girls 13 years Boys 14 years Girls 14 years Boys 15 years Girls 15 years Boys 16 years Girls 16 years - Lachlan Dobe (Beachmount) Madison Mainwaring-Samwell (Upstart) Thomas Shepherd (Upstart) Leia Vass (Upstart) Liam Cannavan (Inkerman) Danielle Rehbein (Upstart) Callum Ricca (Upstart) Tayla McKaig (Beachmount) David Prince (Upstart) Naomi Loizou (Upstart) - Kyla Falco (Upstart) Boys 17 years - Nathan Tsaousis (Beachmount) - Rory Heatley (Beachmount) Girls 17 years - Dana Falco (Beachmount) Record Breakers Dana Falco and Lachlan Dobe had an outstanding day breaking the following records: Dana Falco Girls 17 years 50m Butterfly in a time of 31.50. The previous record was 33.30 (M Meade 1979). Girls 17 years 50m Backstroke in a time of 33.97. The previous record was 36.02 (B Rossato 2012). Girls 17 years 50m Freestyle in a time of 29.52. The previous record was 30.57 (S Nielsen 1991). Girls Open 100m Freestyle in a time of 1:03.00. The previous record was 1:05.12 (D Falco 2015). Lachlan Dobe Boys 12 years 50m Breast Stroke in a time of 59.34. The previous record was 1:01.62 (F McKaig 2015) Boys 12 years 50m Backstroke in a time of 49.00. The previous record was 59.40 (F McKaig 2015) Boys 12 years 50m Butterfly in a time of 55.94. The previous record was 1:03.50 (F McKaig 2015) Leia Vass set the Girls 13 years 100m Freestyle in a time of 1:16.11 Boys 13 years & Under 4 x 50m Relay – Beachmount 3:06.66 Girls 13 years & Under 4 x 50m Relay – Upstart 2:48.25 Dana will also be representing North Queensland in the state trials. Good luck in Brisbane Dana. Page 9 March 2016 School-based .youth health nurse .. Hi all and welcome again. I would like to know if there are any topics or information you would like covered in the newsletters. Please feel free to contact me a Tuesday or Wednesday on 4790 5666 or email on lgeor61@eq.edu.au. Thanks Leah George (School Based Youth Health Nurse) Tips for good mental health Good mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness. Here’s 8 tips for building good mental health. 1. Build relationships Having good relationships with other people is the most important factor contributing to a sense of wellbeing. This can include family, friends, workmates and others in the community. Investing time and energy in your relationships can lead to great benefits for all involved. 2. Exercise and stay healthy Exercise has been shown to increase wellbeing as well as reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Good physical health is related to better mental health so a healthy diet, avoiding excess alcohol or drugs and regular check-ups with the doctor can all help. 3. Develop gratitude Count your blessings. Try keeping a gratitude journal and write down three positive things for each day. This can lead to increased wellbeing. 4. Identify and use your strengths We all have different strengths and weaknesses but finding out what you are really good at and using those talents can increase wellbeing. A strengths questionnaire is available at Authentic Happiness. Using your strengths to help others or contribute to the community creates a sense of meaning and purpose. 5. Create flow Flow is the state of being so highly involved in an enjoyable activity that you lose track of time. This usually happens when the level of challenge is about right for your level of skill. Flow can happen during work, hobbies, creative arts or sports. 6. Give to others Making a contribution to the community, however small, increases social wellbeing. Many people feel a sense of contributing through meaningful work, but this could also mean volunteering, helping a neighbour or doing small acts of kindness. Enjoy Take some time to do the things you really enjoy. Pleasant events can lead to positive emotions that can cancel out negative feelings. 7. Spirituality or religion For some people, being involved in spiritual or religious practices can improve wellbeing, help in coping with stress and reduce symptoms of mental illness. This can include belonging to a faith community, meditation, prayer, mindfulness or practices such as yoga and Tai Chi. 8. Seek help If you are struggling to feel happy, cope with everyday life, find meaning or feel connected to others, see your doctor or a mental health professional. One in five Australians will experience a mental disorder at some time in their life; depression, anxiety and substance abuse are the most common disorders. Page 10 March 2016 On Tuesday 25 March year 11 students attended the Burdekin TAFE to participate in the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) Program co-ordinated by the Rotary Clubs of Ayr and Home Hill. By participating in RYDA students were encouraged to take greater responsibility for themselves and their friends before they face the challenges of driving solo or as a passenger of a new driver. RYDA is a one day program, chosen to highlight crucial road safety messages. The program focused on the key government ‘big five’ road safety issues of speeding, driving under the influence (DUI), fatigue, seatbelts and distractions as well as the importance of driving responsibility. Sessions the students participated in were: Speed & Stopping: Demonstrated the physics of stopping and crashing as well as discussion of car safety features. Students experienced through practical observation the relationship between speed and stopping distance. Hazards & Distractions: An interactive session where students strategized about managing distractions and improving their hazard perception skills. The Personality Test: A reflective session designed to show students how personality and mind-state are both important aspects of the total road safety equation. Students self-assessed against five personality areas and used this tool to analyse risky situations in cars. Rights & Responsibilities: A discussion, led by a Police Officer, on key risk areas for young drivers and passengers. Featured hard-hitting videos on decision-making and choices. After the Crash: A powerful presentation by a speaker about the crash that changed their life. It featured a personalisation exercise where students gauged how a similar crash would affect their life and plans. Genevieve’s story: A true and emotional story about a young driver and passenger involved in a road crash. Students analysed the crash and its contributing factors, discussed the ripple effect and developed plans for decision making in risky situations The RYDA program is presented annually to year 11 students and is an Australian wide program which Home Hill State High School is proud to support. Our thanks are extended to the local Rotary Clubs for making it possible. Page 11 March 2016 The Lions’ Youth of the Year Quest is designed to encourage, foster and develop leadership in conjunction with other citizenship qualities in our youth, at the age when they are about to enter the fields of employment or higher education, and provides students with the incentive to pay greater attention to the general qualities, so vital in developing our youths into first class citizens. The qualities sought, apart from academic attainments are those of leadership, personality, sportsmanship, public speaking and good citizenship. This year the Burdekin branch of Lions held their quest on 22 Monday February. Six year 12 students from Home Hill SHS participated, including Savannah Cannavan, Dana Falco, Andi Gelling, Patrick Ryan, Sam Marano and Mikaylah Wall. Throughout the day of competition, each senior student was interviewed by a panel of community representatives at the high school, before delivering a prepared speech and two impromptu speeches in the evening at The Crown Hotel - Home Hill. Prepared speeches included topics such as ‘Climb Every Mountain,’ and ‘Detours’. The judges were most impressed by the entrants, commenting that, each entrant had his/her own set of strengths. Sam Marano was declared Lions’ Youth of the Year for 2016, as well as the winner of the Public Speaking category. Sam will then progress to the next round, where he will compete at the district level of the competition. An amazing achievement. Mrs Viero and a cast of students from year 7 through to year 12 are hard at work rehearsing for this year’s Drama Festival play, “How the West Was Worn”. This play is a spoof of melodrama caricatures, complete with villains wearing black, good guys wearing white, sidekicks, unsuspecting pretty young things, greedy bankers and even a deputy with self-esteem issues. With bucket loads of dastardly deeds going on it is hard to tell who exactly the real hero in town is. After all, if clothes make the man, then there is some serious trouble in the town of Burdekin Hill. The Interschool Drama Festival will be held on Friday 15 April commencing at 7.00pm. Tickets for the Drama Festival went on sale Tuesday 1 March for $15 and are available from the Burdekin Shire Council Chambers, the Burdekin Theatre (4783 9800) or online at www.burdekintheatre.com.au. So get in early and avoid disappointment! Page 12 March 2016 Cricket Pitch Overhaul The Pink Stumps Day held in 2015 really brought to light the poor condition of the school cricket pitch. The Home Hill Cricket Club generously offered to provide the labour to upgrade the sunken pitch to a new astro-turf surface. Families, businesses and clubs can ‘Buy a Stump’ to assist with the costs of the upgrade or contribute by making a smaller donation. As explained in the sponsor form attached, all wicket sponsors and donors will be invited to the opening of the new Cricket Pitch upon completion later this term. Thanks to the following sponsors who will receive a stump labelled with their Club, business or family name: Home Hill Cricket Club (double sponsor) Norths Cricket Club, Townsville (double sponsor) Tayla & Flynn McKaig Musumeci Excavations Nathan, Liam, Michael & Lisa Todeschino J & J Davies (in memory of P Schultz) ...(more sponsors required)… Thank you also to the following donors and volunteers Mr Burt Withers (former opening batsman at Norths in Townsville and Colts among others) Home Hill Engineering Doug McCubben, Craig Wilkie, Ross Wilkie, Warren Caspanello, Andrew Wallwork, Mario Musumeci, John Davies, George McLees There are FIVE more Cricket stump donors required. Please complete the form inserted in this newsletter and contact Richard Wall, P & C President if you would like to assist with funding the upgrade of the Cricket Pitch which will be used for School, Interschool, Canefield Ashes and Town of Origin games. Mrs Becke’s year 9&10 HPE Extension class inspects the partially completed pitch & gives it the thumbs up. Page 13 March 2016 would like to know more about these programs, then please don’t hesitate to contact me. Program participation is completely free however spaces are limited. Jennie Dowie LUNCH CLUB SCHOOL CHAPLAIN E jdowi9@eq.edu.au Home Hill SHS Mon, Thurs, Fri T (07) 47905666 On Saturday 9 April (school holidays), Scott McLean and myself will be running an all-day Mind, Body and Spirit Bootcamp for young people at the Home Hill Showgrounds. Cost is $10 per person which includes lunch and a drink. Spaces are strictly limited so contact me quickly if your son or daughter is interested in attending. Get Involved! What’s been happening? Well it has been a busy start to the year. We are over half way through term 1. How fast are the days going? So far this term, I have started several programs at Home Hill State High School including Chappies Chillax room which is a Dance Program; Lunch Club, which is a free lunch once a week for the entire school; and an Icy Cup Reward System. In the next few weeks I will be starting the RAGE (Anger Management) course with a group of students. I also plan to start the Girls With A Purpose (Self-Esteem) Group with students in term 2 ad 3. These programs help me to be proactive in helping young people by teaching them life skills and coping mechanisms. If you feel your child would benefit from participating in either the RAGE program or the Self-Esteem Program in the future and you Upcoming Events Another really important part of being a school chaplain is supporting and encouraging students, parents and staff on a one to one basis. For example, I am often supporting students who are dealing with issues such as anxiety, depression, anger management, peer conflict, parental conflict, stress management, self-harming and low self-confidence and selfworth, just to name a few. If you have concerns about how your child is coping, and you would like me to have a chat with them, then please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am here to help!!! We need your help!!! We need community members who are willing to join our local school chaplaincy committee. Our committee helps to support the four school chaplains we have in 7 Burdekin schools. Our committee currently needs to raise $70,000 a year to maintain the current amount of service school chaplains give to our schools. Anything above this amount, means that we can provide more on-going support to our Burdekin young people and their families and teachers. Raising this amount is a hard task so we need as many people as we can get to help us with fundraising adventures or ideas. If you are interested in joining our committee or you just want to know more, please do not hesitate to contact me. Our committee only meets twice a term for just over an hour. We would love you to join us. Thank You! Chappy Jennie. Page 14