31 May 2019

Newsletter Articles

Leichhardt wins Track & Field Carnival

Athletics carnival was a great success, with many students participating and giving events that they have not tried before a red hot go! The day ran smoothly, with staff and students alike ready to help out in order to ensure as many people as possible got to have fun playing sport in such spectacular weather conditions. Congratulations to all students who broke records, won age champion, and, just as importantly, cheered for their friends and peers throughout the entire day. An athletics carnival is like no other when the noise and cheers are deafening as the sprinters come hurdling down the 100m track, or when someone is attempting to break the school record, or when students congratulate each other for running the entire 800m track! Congratulations to the mighty Leichhardt house on winning the house trophy for athletics!

Mr Luke Basile

St George Show

The St George State High School Show Team participated in the local show on Sunday 5 May and we had two students travel to Dalby to participate in the next level of the judging competition. If you have not yet had an opportunity to see the short video of our sheep being led across the zebra crossing on their way to the show, then take the time to log onto our Facebook site and view this wonderful video that has gone viral!

Well done to the Show team, Miss Ives and Mrs Addison for videoing this delightful piece.

Seed to Crop Excursion

Lorinda Otto, Senior Field Officer with the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, organised an interactive tour of some of our local agricultural workplaces. The students who attended enjoyed asking questions about what the employers were looking for in employees. This tour included tours to Riversands Vineyards, Moonrocks, the Cotton Gin and local cotton farm owned by Mr Craig Saunders, led by Mr Scott Brimblecombe.

The students showed a keen interest, with some now completing work experience in the industry or looking at gaining employment there as they finish year 12.

Thank you to Lorinda for organising such a great day and showing us opportunities that are available right in our own backyards.

From the Principal – York McFadzean

Term 2 is always a very busy term at schools. We have had a number of great opportunities to present and report on the success of our students these past few weeks.

Staffing Update

I am pleased to announce to the school community that Ms Nicole Hyland will take up duties as the Deputy Principal at St George State High School at the commencement of Semester 2. Please join me in welcoming Nicole to St George as she takes up duty following many years as a Deputy Principal at Malanda State High School in North Queensland.

Ms Shelley Daylight has been transferred to another school and will be replaced currently by Mrs Henare who has worked as a District Relief Teacher for this term. We welcome Mrs Henare to the staff of the school and wish her well.

Parent Teacher Meetings

Our parent teacher afternoon was held in Week 3 and I would like to take this time to thank all staff and parents who participated in this valuable opportunity to talk about student progress. Like most schools, we need to reflect on how better to maximise parent and carer participation in this process. Stay tuned for a survey being developed for all parents and carers so we can find out school community needs to improve the quality of this time together.

Year Level Assessment Calendars

All students have been provided with a copy of their own year level assessment calendar for the term. Please use this to discuss with your child their study and work routines as we get into the busy stages of assessment move the next few weeks.

Mobile Phones

I must commend all students for their willingness to participate in the new process that attempts to allow students to focus on learning and friendship patterns while at school, away from the distraction of mobile phones. This new process allows the school to have a “phone-free” zone for the duration of the school day (8.45am to 3.00pm) which allows students to concentrate on their studies and interacting with their friends during the break times.

School Air-Conditioning

The air conditioning program is moving along with L Block, the Health and Wellbeing Centre, most of the Manual Arts area having work begun or completed. Walls are now up in G Block, the next areas are the Library and J Block.

Balonne Sports Carnival

We hosted the Balonne Sports Carnival in Week 3 after we had our own successful Athletics Carnival. Can I thank you to the P&C and Michelle for their work in running the canteen in the Clubhouse for the Balonne Carnival and Mr Luke Basile for organising a very successful Athletics Carnival. I was particularly impressed by the participation of the girls that day who well and truly provided the boys with a great example of what it looks like to get out there and have a go for your House.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN has been completed for this year. From all reports the Year 7 and Year 9 students who participated in this important annual testing went well. Thanks to Mr Chris Delroy for managing the three days of testing. It will not be too far away that these tests are completed on-line as a number of schools in the region have trialled this format this year.

Visitors made welcome to the School

In Week 5 we welcomed Mrs Maryanne Walsh, Principal of Centenary Heights State High School and her staff for their visit to the school for a few days. Maryanne and her staff have begun a process where they come to work with our staff and our staff will visit her school to provide real professional collaboration and support. This is a wonderful opportunity to build those very important collegial opportunities across the region.

We also welcomed our Regional Director, Ms Leanne Wright and Assistant Regional Director, Mr Adam Myers, who spent time in the school as part of their tour through the region, meeting staff and school communities.

Finally, we also welcomed the presence and engagement of Regional Indigenous support staff who worked with our students towards the development of a student commitment agenda for our school. Huge thanks to these staff for the work being done in this space this week.

School Priority Support Review

Our School Priority Support Review will be held over three days from Tuesday 4 June until Thursday 6 June this year. Over this time a panel of three experienced educators will come to the school and review our practice and programs. An important part of this is to take the time to speak to representatives of the P&C and to parents. To that end there have been two sessions of 30 minutes each day set aside for the review team members to meet with P&C members at school and two sessions for parents to speak to the team via a phone call. You will see a separate notice in this newsletter (below) that explains this process more fully. I encourage parents who wish to participate in this process to contact the school office and register their details so members of the review team can arrange to contact them. The outcome of their review will be the development of an improvement plan that will see them return to the site over the next 12 months, each quarter, to chart and track our progress.

School Review set for 4-6 June 2019

Every Queensland state school is reviewed by the School improvement Unit (SIU) at least once every four years. The reviews are an important part of how the department supports and monitors schools.

The reviews provide schools with independent feedback, tailored to their context and needs.

Principals use the review findings to work with their school community and assistant regional director (or principal supervisor) to develop clear actions to move the school forward.

Review process

Reviews are conducted by experienced educators trained in the use of the National School Improvement Tool, a nationally-recognised framework for reviewing teaching and learning practices.

Each review team generally consists of two to four reviewers, but the number of reviewers and length of review depends upon a range of factors, including the size and context of the school.

Reviewers look closely at each school’s performance data and speak with a wide range of staff, students, parents and community members to get an accurate picture of the school.

Unlike many other review systems, schools aren’t ranked or given a performance rating. Instead, the school is given a comprehensive report for consideration.

The report details key findings and recommended improvement strategies to maximise student outcomes. Principals are encouraged to share this information with their staff and school community to help shape the school’s strategic direction.

Parent and community participation

Feedback from parents and the community is an important part of school reviews, with everyone encouraged to have their say.

St George State High School will be reviewed from 4 to 6 June.

To register your interest in participating in the review, please contact your school office on 4620 8222 or email the SIU at siumb@qed.qld.gov.au.

More information

For more information about school reviews, please visit the School Reviews website at the link below or contact the SIU on (07) 3035 2217 or at siumb@qed.qld.gov.au.

Mr York McFadzean

From HoD Senior Secondary – Deborah Addison

The half way mark for Term 2 has signalled the end of Unit 1 for Year 11 subjects. This is also the time that students have the ability to change classes if they want. Please be mindful of having a conversation with your student when they fill out the subject change form. This form is done in consultation with the current teacher, new teacher, HOD and parent.

The Year 10 Work Experience forms have started to be distributed to students and will need to be returned as soon as possible. There are 10 spots available for Deadly Recruit’s camp happening at the same time. I have had conversations with all students who are eligible to attend and would like those forms returned as quickly as possible and we will organise these students to have work experience at a different time throughout the year.

Year 10 camp consent forms have been issued and they need to be returned with $100 deposit by 26 June, that’s Wednesday of Week 10.

All senior students need to remember to keep up their attendance as we come into the cooler months. If your student is unwell or there is diagnosed contagious illness in the house please get a medical certificate and keep them at home until they are better.

Mrs Deborah Addison

From the Guidance Officer – Kelly Lawton

Firstly, I need to say a big thank you to students, staff and community for welcoming me so warmly into the St George community.

Currently, I am the Guidance Officer for 10 schools within the Balonne region. The region is a particularly special place for me as my Pop called both Thallon and St George home for the majority of his life. This gives me great joy to be able to come back to these communities that hold such special memories for me.

The role of the Guidance Officer is to work with students, teachers, families and community agencies to help develop and promote the wellbeing and success of our students. It has been a pleasure to get to know the students of our high school and spend time listening to their stories, understanding their strengths and needs and begin developing strong working relationships.

This term I have also started meeting with some of our senior students to discuss their post-school options and pathways as they prepare to make the transition from secondary school to tertiary education and employment.

I look forward to continuing to work with St George SHS in ensuring the successes and wellbeing of all our students.

Each year, Universities host open days, which are a great chance to see their programs on offer and visit the campus. Please check out the individual university websites for further details of time and events for the days. University Open Day Information:

Ms Kelly Lawton

High Achiever’s Morning Tea

Term One Reports have been sent out and a morning tea was held in Week 4 for those students whose academic successes across all subjects should be congratulated. Mr Phil Carrello and Ms Bronwyn Knee have volunteered to work as mentors for this group that they can meet on a semi-regular basis for peer support and feedback to staff on how we can better support these students.

Sport

Students from St George State High School have participated in many and varying sports over the past month. The Balonne Athletics Carnival was held at the high school on Friday 10 May with St George State High School winning the trophy. Congratulations to those students in Year 7 who competed.

Well done to Emalie Hams who has been selected into the U12 South West team for netball. Congratulations to all of the St George State High School girls who represented us at the trials in Roma.

Kallum Oliver and Lachlan Wilson participated in the 12 Year boys Rugby League in Roma.

Library Activities

The library is not only a place for keeping books and locating resources. In the week leading up to Mothers’ Day, students were able to make cards during their lunchtimes.

Many free activities are offered to students to keep them occupied and challenged throughout the school terms.

P&C News

Wow, what a busy month for the P and C members. A huge thank you to all who helped, cooked and contributed to the School Athletics and Balonne Athletics Canteens organised and run by Michelle Harrison. We appreciate the time and effort parents put into home bake and volunteering.

The show gates, organised by Rochelle Ferguson was a hit as well. Thank you to all the parents who helped at the gates, a little help goes a long way. This is a great fund raiser for the P and C and brought in some well-deserved funds.

As a result of the last few months, we now have funds starting to come in to apply to projects the P and C are supporting.

We look forward to the next P and C meeting on 18 June 6pm at the Library. We look forward to seeing as many members as possible at the meeting.

Scott Brimblecombe, President

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