30 May 2025

Year 10

From The Principal

As we journey through a transformative and exciting school year, we’re pleased to share key updates on our curriculum development and evolving approaches to teaching and learning.

Literacy and Numeracy Update

As 2024 has been named the Year of Reading by the Department of Education, our school has taken significant steps to prioritise reading across Years 7–9 through a focused and consistent approach to explicit teaching. We are currently collecting literacy data to better understand our students' needs and to refine how vocabulary is explicitly taught throughout the school.

A major development in our literacy journey has been our collaboration with local primary schools, particularly St George State School, to align reading instruction across the transition from primary to secondary. This partnership aims to build continuity in teaching practices and improve student outcomes. As I write this, our dedicated reading team is preparing to visit St George SS to observe their reading programs in action. This visit will help us strengthen our shared commitment to boosting literacy outcomes across the region.

Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to be planning for the introduction of dedicated literacy and numeracy lessons throughout the week. These lessons will focus specifically on developing core literacy and numeracy skills, distinct from the curriculum content delivered in English and Mathematics classes. This approach is designed to give students the foundational tools they need to succeed across all learning areas. As our planning progresses and details are confirmed, we will keep you informed.

Curriculum: Version 9 Implementation

Our dedicated staff have been focused on implementing Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum and planning for further implementation next year. This updated version offers refined content aimed at improving clarity, reducing duplication, and ensuring students develop the skills and knowledge essential for success in an ever-changing world. Our teachers have embraced this evolution with enthusiasm—aligning their lesson planning, assessment, and reporting practices to meet the new standards.

Senior Secondary Review

In tandem with this curriculum rollout, we’re conducting a review of our Senior Secondary offerings reflecting QCAA changes. Our aim is to ensure our senior curriculum remains rigorous, relevant, and responsive to the diverse pathways our students pursue—be it university, vocational training, or employment.

Shifting the Lens: From What We Teach to How We Teach

With a more aligned curriculum now in place, our focus shifts to an equally important conversation: pedagogy. How we teach is just as vital as what we teach. This new phase invites us to reflect on classroom practice, enhance student engagement, and embrace evidence-based/ data-informed strategies that lead to deeper learning and long-term success.

The Marker Student Process

One initiative we introduce to all classes is the Marker Student Process. We trialled this process last year and refined our approach for a rollout this term. This approach identifies students consistently achieving at a certain level those doing well but with untapped potential for excellence. Through close collaboration with these students, we’re exploring their learning styles and tailoring our teaching to help them push further. In doing so, we aim not only to lift individual achievement but the whole class achievement while gaining richer insights into what effective teaching looks like across different contexts. Specifically, we are looking at moving students from C to B or B to A.

Looking Ahead: Strengthening Our Communication with You

As we come to the end of this edition of our school newsletter, we’re also considering how to maintain and strengthen our connection with families going forward. Open and consistent communication is essential, not only for sharing information, but for building trust, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that every member of our school community feels informed and involved.

To support this, we’re planning to introduce a new initiative: a Principal’s Address. This will serve as a regular, direct line of communication from our school leadership team to families, sharing important updates, celebrating milestones, and offering insight into our strategic direction. While we are still working out the frequency and format, whether written, video, or a blend, we are committed to making this communication timely, meaningful, and accessible.

We look forward to keeping you informed as this initiative takes shape and, as always, we appreciate your continued support as we strive to build a school culture rooted in progress, curiosity, and excellence.

Yours in education,
Thomas J. McKenna

From HOD Maths & Science

This week we said goodbye to Miss Egan our pre-service teacher from QUT who completed her five week practicum. Ms Campbell’s Year 10 and 11 maths classes had the pleasure of being taught by Miss Egan. The students made Miss Egan feel welcome as did our wider school community. Miss Egan enjoyed her time in St George and enjoyed the country life. We wish her well as she returns to university to complete her studies and hope that she may return after graduation to teach in St George.

Calculators

Calculators are an essential item in our maths classrooms. Many of our students are coming to class without a calculator which makes it difficult to complete the work. Last year all students were supplied with a calculator in the stationery pack, please check to see if your student still has this calculator. While teachers do have some spare calculators there are not enough to supply the whole class.  Scientific calculators are available for purchase from the front office.

Year 12 Essential Maths

Our Year 12 Essential Maths students will be sitting their Common Internal Assessments next Wednesday, 2 June. This week the students sat a trial exam in the Skill Centre to familiarise them with the task. Please support our student as they revise and remind them to be at the school by 8:50am on the day.

DDSW E-STEM Camp

Last week Year 10 students were sent an email with information about the 2025 DDSW E-STEM Camp.

Columboola Environmental Education Centre (CEEC) is calling for applications from Year 10 students from across the Darling Downs South West Region (DDSW) to participate in the DDSW Students in E-STEM 2025 residential camp. The selected students will be invited to attend a 3 day / 2 night residential camp at CEEC on Wednesday 16 July – Friday 18 July. We offer only 25 places available for this camp. Students will engage with both female and male scientists in several workshops and career chats designed to:

• Engage with E-STEM professionals in a variety of hands-on workshops.
• Explore career opportunities within E-STEM fields, pathways into senior E-STEM

subjects and graduate E-STEM degrees.

• Deepen their knowledge and understanding in a variety of E-STEM related fields.
• Connect with lecturers and E-STEM Ambassadors/Universities.

Any interested Year 10 Students are to see Ms Campbell in the HOD office to obtain an application form.

Angela Campbell

From HOD Agriculture, Technologies & Arts

As we head into the second half of the term, all elective classes are well underway with their practical tasks and beginning theoretical assessment as well. On my visits to classes, it is great to see students engaging in practical learning across the Ag, Technologies and Arts subjects and demonstrating safe ACE behaviour.

The students have been loving getting into the kitchen as part of 'Paddock to Plate' focus in Ag lessons. Last week the Year 9s were in the kitchen looking at breaking down whole fillets into steaks and of course enjoyed cooking and eating Rib Fillet for lunch. The Year 7 Ag class have also loved being able to cook and prepare burgers with the salads grown in the ag plot greenhouse as part of their 'Build a Burger' unit.

Week 10 will see us off on more camps with shearing camp heading to 'Nelyambo' and Warwick SHS students visiting for another AWE camp in the shire. If your student is interested in attending either of these camps, please let me know and I will distribute further information.

Caitlin Crowe

From HOD Student Services

Encouraging a Love of Reading

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we near the halfway point of the school year, I want to take a moment to encourage you to continue supporting your child’s reading journey at home. Reading is one of the most powerful tools we can give our young people, not just for academic success, but for building imagination, empathy, and confidence.

Research consistently shows that students who read regularly perform better in all areas of their schooling. Reading improves vocabulary, comprehension, critical thinking skills, and even wellbeing. Whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, or graphic novels, every minute spent reading helps our students grow.

We are excited to be part of this year’s Premier’s Reading Challenge, which runs until 22August. This initiative is a great opportunity for students to set personal reading goals and celebrate their progress. We encourage all families to get involved by talking about books at home, visiting the local library, and helping students log their reading.

Even more exciting, our new school library is nearing completion! This purpose-built space will soon become the heart of our school’s reading and learning culture. It will be a welcoming environment where students can explore a wide range of books, research topics of interest, and find a quiet place to read and reflect. We can’t wait to open the doors and see our students diving into new adventures through reading.

Thank you for your continued support. By fostering a love of reading at home, you are helping your child develop skills that will benefit them for life.

Peter Chandler

From HOD English & Humanities

Shake and Stir Theatre

Shake & Stir is one of the country’s leading contemporary theatre companies. Shake & Stir offer in-school travelling theatre productions. St George State High School students greatly enjoyed their visit to our school in Week 4 of Term 2. Year 11 General English & all Year 12 students watched a live production of Macbeth; Year 10A English students enjoyed Romeo & Juliet. An engaging performance was certainly delivered by the Shake & Stir cast.

Word of the Week

Students in Year 7-10 have a focus word of the week for all subjects each week! Ask your student what new words they are learning about in their classes… Bildungsroman, disillusionment and intricate are just some of the words your student may be learning this week!

Jessica Murray

Homework Club

GP’s In School

School Calendar Term 2

Community Notices