29 May 2020
Newsletter Articles
|
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING FOCUS Be Safe – Follow Safe Personal Hygiene Practices |
From The Principal
1. A Great start to the return to school
My thanks to all families for making the return of our students to face-to-face learning so successful. It was wonderful to see students eager to be in class, catch up with their friends, and get back into the swing of full-time school again. My thanks also to all families who ensured the children were wearing the correct uniform from Day 1.
2. Assessment calendar
The assessment calendar for the rest of the term has been completed and was handed to all students on Wednesday. A digital copy will be sent to all parents for their record by the end of the week.
3. Lunchtimes
I need to remind all parents and carers that any visitor to the school must report to the office once they enter the school property. This includes persons dropping off food to their children. Students do not have permission to access their mobile phones during school times unless they have the express permission of their class teacher and they are working on curriculum matters. This means they cannot send or receive text messages during school hours. Parents wishing to communicate with their children are asked to contact the school office so that this message can be delivered to their child.
Our lunch times are:
|
First break: |
11:20-12:05 |
45 minutes |
|
Second break: |
1:20-1:40 |
20 minutes |
Mr York McFadzean, Principal
From Hod Senior Secondary
Welcome back to all students. It has been wonderful to see students return to school with the majority of students ready to learn. Now that all students have been in classes, they have had some feedback from teachers about what they need to have completed.
Year 10
This week you should have received a letter informing you of Senior Education and Training Plan interviews. SET Plan appointments are scheduled for Friday, 26 June 2020. This is an important interview where your student’s future career pathway is discussed in detail. Each interview will take approximately 30 minutes and will require students to select their subjects for 2021/2022. Attendance at school for all Year 10s on this day is only required at the scheduled interview time. Students should use this day to ensure they have well researched and planned their senior and post school pathways. Please organise your Interview time on SOBS, using the following link, from Monday 1 June.
https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70339
The other event outlined in the letter is subject information and future pathways, as we cannot have the event at school due to the pandemic this year I will be releasing this information on Facebook and also on our website where possible.
Year 10 students started the process of looking at what they might be interested in and what skills they already have for their future pathways. This work will continue over the coming weeks to ensure students are ready for their interview in week 10.
Year 11
Students are working well and making sure that they are completing all set work. If you have noticed that your student doesn’t have much homework please remind them that they can always revise the topics or make an early start on assessment.
Year 12
Please see the External Exam timetable below. The current decision is that all Year 12 students will be required to attend school and that their classes will turn into tutorial style classes where they can work on assessment and study for External Exams. The next newsletter will also include the assessment dates for Applied and Essential subjects.
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, HOD Senior Secondary
From Hod Junior Secondary
Welcome back to at school learning for Term 2. We know this has been an unusual and challenging time for students and parents. I would like to thank everyone for doing their best during this time.
Teachers have been treating this week as a restart for all students, particularly in Years 7-10. We have been using the time to reset expectations around transitioning into the classroom after bells, basic classroom routines and expectations, homework and bookwork processes. The majority of students in these year levels have been responding well to being back at school and are handling the reintegration into school life well.
Parents are reminded that uniform processes will continue in Term 2. Students are required to wear winter uniform for Terms 2 and 3. This means that formal uniform is not required, unless at the special request of the principal.
Parents are reminded that students should be wearing white socks and maroon jumpers. These can be plain maroon jumpers or school maroon jumpers may be worn. Hoodies or other jumpers may not be worn under shirts. Plain white, maroon or grey long sleeve shirts may be worn under shirts. Parent contact and detentions will apply if students do not follow the process of getting a uniform slip in the mornings from the Year Level Co-ordinator office. If you are having trouble getting a piece of uniform, please don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know.
Amy McKenna, HOD Junior Secondary
What’s Cooking In Home Ec
Year 9 Home Economic boys (& 1 girl) had the task of designing the Home Ec veggie garden in Term 1. The garden had died from lack of water over the Christmas holidays and as a design task they had to decide what students would use in their cooking and what to plant, research the needs of those vegetables and sketch a design of where things would be best placed. By middle February, just before Corona madness struck, it was just starting off. With a few weeks of loving care (and no interference by nosy students) it is now looking like a jungle. Students can use rosemary, parsley, mint, coriander, basil & dill with lebanese cucumbers, baby eggplants, snack capsicum and tomatoes just starting to produce. Pumpkins, zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli will take a little longer. Aloe vera is flourishing and some baby plants are available. The compost bin is starting to turn into usable soil & the frangipani flowering just adds to the prettiness. A design task taken to successful fruition.
Before and After
Mrs Julie Worboys, Home Economics
Down At The Ag Plot
What's happening in the Ag Plot?
While students have been away from the school our orchard has been producing beautiful mandarins and figs. The oranges and lemonades are almost ready to devour - we are just waiting on the frost to sweeten them up. While students have been learning from home in Term 2, the Ag students have been exploring all things plants! Since returning back to school, students have studied a range of topics from root systems to growth and germination rates and maintenance in the agricultural plot. In the vegetable patch we have grown a bumper crop of zucchinis, cherry tomatoes, garlic and some watermelons are coming on strong! This week the Year 11 students made some climbing trellis’ to plant out snow peas and the Year 7-10s have been weeding and planting seeds ready for the cooler months. The Year 12 Ag Science students have been investigating competition between oats, and have been keeping a close eye on their germination rate. Just before the last shower of rain, two hectares of oats were sown in the front paddocks. The sheep and cattle are happy to see the students back and have been spoilt from the hay that has been cut and bailed, as well as the vegetation growth from the wonderful rain greening up the paddocks. The two cows with the embryo transfers are due to deliver in August, and we are expecting the sheep to start lambing in the next month or so.
Kylie Whitaker
Watsons Workshop News
It's great to see the workshop back in full swing with the return of students. This has seen the new group of Year 8s for the first time who haven't been in the workshop. Building their skills before they begin to make a wooden toy truck. Year 9s are busily continuing with the LED display sign that some started in Term 1, while the 10s are making a lolly dispenser. ISK has 11s and 12s putting their joinery skills to the test making a bedside table. ESK students have been busy with 11s fabricating a cantilever toolbox as the 12s build their metal engineering vice.
Kylie Whitaker
From The Guidance Officer
Week 6: Looking into the future!
The year 11 and 12s have now been with us for almost 2 weeks and have settled quickly into learning at school with their teachers.
For our Year 12s particularly, this has been a trying time as they have managed their final year of study through the challenges of Covid-19. To acknowledge this disruption QCAA have removed one of the assessments required of them this year.
Throughout the following weeks, each Year 12 student will meet with myself for an individual careers appointment. This is the beginning of one of the last steps in their schooling life, where we begin to prepare them for graduation and explore careers through work, TAFE and University. During this appointment we will discuss their QCE eligibility and steps towards post-school pathways.
For those students hoping to further their studies next year through TAFE or University they will be required to create a list of 6 preferences. These will be entered into QTAC and determine their offers from University or TAFE.
This is both an exciting and daunting time for our seniors. As we get closer and closer to the finish line for many this means an increase in stress levels. I encourage all students to consider the following in managing stress levels:
- Manage your time. Create ‘to-do’ lists and prioritise.
- Sleep. Sleep is the most essential food for the brain and body. Avoid caffeine or screen time late at night. Attempt to go to bed and get up at the same time every morning to create a sleep routine.
- Relaxation. Often between school, study and part-time jobs it can feel like there’s no down time. Schedule in time to do the things you enjoy (a river walk, seeing friends, reading a book).
- You are more than your score. Keep things in perspective – Year 12 is important, however you will have many important years in your life. Your score does not control your future success or happiness.
Miss Kelly Lawton, Guidance Officer
New Staff
Welcome to Melissa Reeves who is working with students as one of the schools valued Teacher Aides.
And also a huge welcome to Julie Davies as Melissa Scriven’s replacement in the school Library. Please welcome our new staff members should you see them out and about.
P and C
President – Scott
Brimblecombe
Vice President – Scott Armstrong
Secretary – Alison Fisher
Treasurer – Ruth Beeson
Email: pandc@stgeorgeshs.eq.edu.au
Uniforms are available for purchase 8am-9am from Tuckshop
Cash or Chq ONLY
The Executive Committee is currently reviewing all its processes for the Tuckshop in order to make it viable. Current price list from 26 May 2020.
Community Notices
Violin Lessons St George
