20 September 2019

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal – Mr York McFadzean

As term three draws to a close I am reminded of the hard work and application of the staff and students at St George State High School. Year 12 students have been involved in exams these past few days and those eligible for an OP have experienced the final QCS test period as we move to a new way to assess our senior students that will begin in 2020 with state wide block exams in senior subjects.

This Friday night we begin our transition for the senior class of 2019 when we host our annual Year 12 formal. I know this is an exciting night for students and families and look forward to the night being a memorable time for all involved.

It is my pleasure to announce to the school community that our Head of Department, Junior School, Mr Chris Smith, will be leaving St George at the end of this term to take up a permanent position as Deputy Principal at Blackwater State High School in Central Queensland. Chris came to St George at the beginning of 2018 and spent a large part of his time here acting in the position of Deputy Principal. I know you will all join with me in wishing him and his family all the best as he begins this new chapter of his career in education. Chris’s departure means that we have a vacancy in his position and I can announce that Ms Amy McKenna will take over this role for the rest of 2019. Amy has worked as Head of Department, Teaching and Learning and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this position.

The Containers for Change initiative has proven to be very successful for us to date. If you have any excess containers and are planning to drop them off at the collection station it is possible to nominate the High School as the recipient of this money if you desire, all you need to do is tell the operator that it goes to the high school number.

Till next time

Mr York McFadzean

From the Business Manager – Mr Ben Lawson

Student Resource Scheme – Accounts Overdue

All outstanding items on monthly statement posted 1st September are now overdue unless a payment plan has been arranged with the school.

Payment options include cash, cheque or EFTPOS via the school administration office, Credit Card online or phone through bPoint (see statement or invoice for details), CentrePay (contact office to arrange) or Bank Transfer.

If you’d like to enter a payment plan for outstanding fees, please contact Ben Lawson, Business Manager on 0746 208 222.

Mr Ben Lawson

From the HoD Senior Secondary – Mrs Deborah Addison

The end of Term 3 is always extremely busy as student’s complete assessments and make plans for their future. The key to giving your students the best start is to make sure they maintain their attendance throughout Term 4.

Year 10

Please find an informative brochure from the QCAA attached regarding Preparing Students for Success. This includes great information and has some good talking points for parents to have with their students.

Year 11

A reminder that any days off will require your student to catch up with the teacher in their own time. All time off can have major influences on students ability to stay on top of their studies so please try and organise holidays and appointments for outside school hours. Please schedule appointments and travel outside of school time where possible.

Term 4 Exams will be Week 4 and 5 for General and Essential subjects and Week 5 and 6 for Applied. During this time ALL classes will continue to run and general classes will be run as tutorial classes leading up to their exam.

Year 12

Formal tonight and I cannot wait to see these students looking flash and ready to celebrate the conclusion of Term 3 and after a few short weeks in Term 4 the end of their high school career. Students will have a chance to complete their QTAC applications with the Guidance Officer, Kelly Lawton, and have had a couple of chances to discuss what their future might hold.

Students need to continue to put in effort in Term 4 as they need to maintain or increase their grades to gain their points to get their QCE and put themselves into the best position for their OP.

For any questions or concerns you may have regarding your Senior Secondary students please email me at daddi4@eq.edu.au or call 4620 8222.

Mrs Deborah Addison

From the HoD Junior Secondary – Mr Chris Smith

Farewell

My time as Head of Department will conclude at the end of this term, as I will commence as Deputy Principal at Blackwater State High School in Term 4. I am looking forward to my new role and the many adventures that lay ahead.

I want to say a big thank you to all the parents, students and staff of St George State High School for all the support they have given me over the last two years. I can truly say that, despite the change over the last couple of years, the school has made some big steps in the right direction and I am proud to say I worked at St George SHS.

Miss Amy McKenna is taking over as Head of Department – Junior Secondary and I know that she will take good care of the students in the Junior School. I wish her and all the staff the very best for a productive Term 4.

Mr Chris Smith

From the Guidance Officer – Miss Kelly Lawton

A big thank you to all those students that dressed up in yellow and donated to the R U OK Foundation on R U OK Day. A great day was had by all. This week on parade we celebrated the students that had been acknowledged by their peers as supportive friends that helped them through tough times. This was an incredibly important event as the day recognises the importance of connection through conversation as a prevention method to suicide.

I want to also wish our year 12s good luck as they complete some of their final exams and assessments. It has been a big term for many of them, who have put in hours of hard work and effort. At the beginning of next term the students applying for QTAC entry will meet with myself and Ms Addison to discuss their application preferences.

Lastly, I’d like to wish all our students both a happy and safe holidays. Term 4, Week 1 is Mental Health Week. The theme for this week is #TakeTime; how do we take time to look after our mental health? The school will host a variety of activities throughout the week promoting positive mental health.

I look forward to seeing you all in Term 4.

Miss Kelly Lawton

Year 12 Chemistry Titrations

It is important that the concentrations of active ingredients in the products that we buy are as stated on their labels. This term in chemistry, the year 12 students were set the task of finding out exactly how much acetic acid there is in a certain brand of vinegar.

They had to design the method themselves and use the technique called ‘acid-base titration’ to work this out. This involved accurately diluting the vinegar and carefully measuring 20 mL of this into a conical flask. An acid-base indicator (called phenolphthalein) was added and then the students added standardised sodium hydroxide solution to the mixture until the colour changed from colourless to pink. If you look carefully at the photo you can see the pink swirls in the centre of the solution as the base is added. They had to get it exactly right – to the last drop – so that they could calculate the concentration of acetic acid exactly.

Titrations – they need your concentration!!

Mrs Karen McKechnie

Year 9 Home Economics Show Case

On Wednesday saw parents invited up to the school for morning tea and to see what the Year 9s have been up to in Home Economics.

R U OK DAY

R U OK DAY was held at the High School on Thursday last week, we had students dress in Yellow to show their support for a good cause, R U OK is a national charity inspiring and empowering everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life. We raised $60 for charity.

Students were asked to “NOMI-MATE” a friend who has helped them get through tough times and place this in our box which was located in the library. We had lots of students Nomi-mated and they received certificates. The Health and Wellbeing team would like to say thank you to all the students and staff for your support on the day.

Mrs Donna Waters

School Based Traineeship

Georgina Waters

Georgina is doing a school based traineeship and is studying Certificate III in Early Childhood and Care at NCC Child Care Centre. Georgina is in Year 12 and has been doing her School based Traineeship since 2016 and will continue until she completes Year 12 at the end of this year.

Courtney Spackman

Courtney is studying for a Certificate III in Business Administration at St George Hospital with Allied Health which she started in 2018. Courtney is in Year 12 and will continue her traineeship until she completes her Year 12 QCE in 2019.

Sam Killen

Sam is studying Certificate III in Engineering-Mechanical Trade at SEB Mechanical. Sam started his traineeship at the beginning of the year and will continue his traineeship after he finishes Year 12.

Donations – 2nd Hand School Uniforms

The phone policy at St George SHS

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