1. education
2. school

37 Maryborough St
Bundaberg Qld 4670
Website: https://bundabergshs.eq.edu.au
Email: the.principal@bundabergshs.eq.edu.au
Phone: 07 4154 5333
Fax: 07 4154 5300
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27 February 2015
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT:
As we move to the assessment end of Term
1, I would like to thank our staff and
students for their combined efforts to
ensure that our students perform to their
best in their first assessment items for the
year. Our staff constantly works with our
students to ensure they understand key
areas of their learning process. Teachers
typically follow a process that ensures students have clarity
around various components within each lesson/unit. They:
• discuss the lesson learning goal with students at the
start of each lesson
• check for understanding to ensure students can link
information appropriately
• thoroughly explain the intent of each assessment
task, and discuss the key elements with students in
each criteria – in the hope that students will earn
results that will demonstrate their skills/knowledge
that is reflective of their ability
• give Feedback to students once the task is assessed
to enable “learning through assessment”
As students move through school, it is essential they
understand the challenges they will face, and their
responsibilities as learners. This is particularly the case as they
move into Year 12.
YEAR 12 – THE YEAR AHEAD
For some families, Year 12 is a new experience. It is essential
that students remain focussed on their learning throughout Year
12 - every assessment item can make a difference to your son
or daughter’s overall performance.
At this point, given the strict guidelines around OP (Overall
Position) and QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education)
eligibility, our Year 12 students will stay in their subjects for the
rest of this semester, as they must complete a full semester
of class work to meet QSA (Queensland Studies Authority)
requirements.
It is imperative that all students continue to keep track of their
Vet or OP, and QCE eligibility as they progress through Year
12. We have systems in place to assist students in this process
and this year have added goal setting to the process to further
encourage students to plan for their learning outcomes. All
students have been reminded of senior systems and students
should monitor their eligibilities constantly. Our HODs Senior
School continue to check individual student learning account
credits with students, and any students “at risk“ have been
provided with intervention options that provide them the chance
of meeting all our requirements prior to the end of year and
each student has had their SET Plan meeting with a key staff
member to ensure they are on track.
A BRIEF SUMMARY
OP eligibility (to determine University entrance opportunities)
is determined by the number of Authority subjects that your
student is enrolled in across Years 11 and 12:
• If they are enrolled in a minimum of 5, they are
automatically OP eligible and must sit the QCS test in
2015. (Provided they have 20 Semester credits
across the two years, and have completed at least 3
subjects for 2 years etc.)
• If they are enrolled in less than 5 Authority subjects,
or predominantly VET subjects, or do not complete
20 Semester units, students are NON OP eligible, but
may sit the QCS test in 2015 and receive a RANK
entry for possible University entry if they choose.
QCE credit is determined by the number and type of courses
studied from Year 10. Students must complete set types of
courses from a set pattern to ensure they meet all criteria for
a QCE. QCEs can be completed after school study has been
completed. To obtain a QCE, students must:
• exit subjects with a pass (see detail in QCE info)
• keep at least 3 CORE subjects the same across 2
years
• pass the literacy and numeracy requirements
• achieve 20 credits at school or through other
institutions, provided they meet the criteria
All final OP and QCE results are dependent on student results
and the processes around these, and students will be reminded
frequently that they must continue to work hard in Year 12 in
order to earn the results they deserve.
Swimming Carnival Success
Thanks to the support of the P and C, our swimming carnival
went ahead this year for 7-9 students in the morning and
seniors in the afternoon. Our students certainly showed their
winning spirit on the day and thanks to all staff who assisted in
the preparation and delivery of the event. Age champions are
listed later in this newsletter, and I congratulate all of you for
supporting our great school and of course your house.
Day 8 Staffing
I am pleased to announce that Day 8 figures enabled the school
to receive additional staffing and we have chosen to ensure that
our new student year levels (7 and 8) will be further supported
to ensure we assist with their academic progress as much
as possible. Over the next week, staff will be speaking with
parents/carers of selected students who we believe may benefit
academically from further literacy /numeracy support as we
scaffold their learning opportunities to ensure we value add to
their school experience. In contrast, some parents will receive
phone calls regarding suggested movement of their child to
enhance their academic stimulation. It is wonderful that we have
this chance to further support our students in a way that best
suits them.
Our First P and C Meeting for 2015
A big thank you to all staff, parents and students who attended
our first P and C meeting for the year. I have pleasure in
announcing our committee for the next year.
President: Tania Stevens
Vice President: Shane Symonds
Secretary: Bronwyn Bonser
Treasurer: Renee Barrett (great to see our new
parents getting involved straight away)
For those parents who know our now ex – treasurer Maurie
Wilson (who has also held many other positions over the
many years he has supported BSHS) I am aware that Maurie
has been a great supporter of both the school and P and C and
on behalf of our community, I thank Maurie for all the work he
has done during his time on our committee.
I will meet with the new exec in the next couple of weeks to
talk about our way forward and plan for our key projects for
2015 and the support the P and C will provide us to ensure our
key projects are completed. If 2014 is anything to go by, we
must all be grateful for the endless hours our volunteer parents
contribute.
Leadership and Teamwork Opportunities
In the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of meeting many
very proud new parents an grandparents (many of these ex
Bundy High students) through their attendance at our Junior
and Senior Investitures. I have been so impressed by our
leaders across the school and the passion they have shown
for their roles. Leadership teams are important and our 2015
leaders have started to put effective plans in place to make
sure they not only work together across 7-12, but make a true
impact on our school. None of these activities occur without
hours of behind the scenes preparation from dedicated staff
and I thank all staff who were involved in preparing the
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investiture ceremonies under Holly Tardent or Jo Findlay’s
guidance. Similarly, if you are a Year 7 parent, I am sure last
week you would have had your student return home from their
Year 7 camp with many tales of fun activities designed to
encourage our students to get to know each other and the staff
they will be mentored by at various points during their time at
Bundaberg State High School. Ian Tranent and Jess Medley
did an amazing job putting together a wonderful program and
were fully supported by a fantastic group of staff. Unfortunately
the Year 8 camp was postponed due to the impending weather
predictions. This has now been rescheduled and information
will be forwarded shortly.
Nanning visitors welcome
Families who have been with the school for a few years now
will be aware that we have sister school relationships with 2
Nanning (China) schools. This is based on the relationship our
Council and key businesses have been developing over many
years in the hope that we can do genuine business with the
region in future. On Monday we were fortunate to have visitors
from the Nanning performer’s entourage who have visited us
from China as part of New Year celebrations. 8 of our students
across 7-12 assisted with the visit along with Shayna Kitic, our
Chinese teacher, and the guests were suitably impressed by
what they saw.
Mrs Karen McCord, Principal
COURTICE TIGERS A ROARING
SUCCESS:
Congratulations to Courtice house – winners of the Bundaberg
State High School Inter-house Swimming Carnival on Monday
23 February. Courtice dominated the pool and novelty events
edging out second place Hinkler by a sheer 28 points. Krone
and Loney also performed well and it was a day enjoyed by all.
OVERALL RESULTS:
1st Place
Courtice 1511.5 points
2nd Place Hinkler
1483.5 points
3rd Place
Krone
1206.5 points
4th Place
Loney
1093.5 points
SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AGE
CHAMPIONS:
12 Years Sophie Orpin and Harlan Cottle
13 Years Hayley Perry and Macson Cottle
14 Years Marissa Orpin and Indy Burt
15 Years Natalia Frick and Matthew Eichmann
16 Years Kirra Norgrove
18 Years Madison Young and Darius Towner
These students will be awarded their champion medallions and
certificates at the annual awards night later in the year.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL STUDENTS REPRESENTING THE
SCHOOL AT THE DISTRICT SWIMMING CARNIVAL ON 2
MARCH AT THE NORVILLE POOL, STARTING AT 5.30PM.
MATHLETICS PASSWORDS:
Every student at Bundaberg State High School will receive a
username and password for Mathletics.
Mathletics is an online resource that is tailored to students'
individual needs. The content is linked to that being taught in
class and allows students to work at their own pace to develop
mathematical skills. Teachers will have distributed usernames
and passwords to their students to allow them to access the
website. As part of the Mathematics curriculum, students will
be set one or two activities from Mathletics every week as part
of their homework in Year 7, 8 and 9. These activities will take
no more than 10 minutes throughout the week and will be
used to supplement other material in class and for homework.
All students can use the website however to consolidate their
skills.
To access the site, go to the following address in your web
browser: http://www.mathletics.com.au
If there are any questions or concerns about access to the
website, please contact your student's teacher, or Mr Johnson,
the Head of Department - Mathematics.
Mr Colin Johnson, HOD Mathematics
Keep up the great work leaders.
Mrs Findlay and Mrs Tardent, JRC & SRC
Coordinators
OP PREPARATION COURSE:
Year 12 OP eligible students participated in a one day intensive
workshop coordinated by staff from the Mighty Minds
organisation. The program was developed in response to the
students’ performance in the QCS Practice Test conducted at
the end of 2014, and was tailored specifically to extend student
knowledge around the core curriculum elements that extend
across the Senior curriculum. These elements encompass the
processes and skills which students use to demonstrate their
thinking including analysing, synthesising, creating, judging and
justifying. These elements are taught explicitly and implicitly
across the curriculum and form the basis of the skills and
processes examined through the QCS test. Students in Year
12 also participate in weekly test preparation lessons and will
sit another full two-day practice QCS test on 27 and 28 April.
If you would like more information about the QCS test or our
preparation program please contact Mrs Schuch, HOD Senior
Schooling. Some general parent information is also attached
below.
Year 11 OP eligible students are participating in a Testwiseness
Program in preparation for completing a practice QCS Test at
the end of the year.
LEADERSHIP INVESTITURE 2015:
Mrs Schuch, HOD Senior Schooling
The Bundaberg State High School Leadership Investiture took
place in week 4. All Year 9 and Year 12 students attended,
as well as staff, parents and invited guests. The investiture
formally recognised all of the Junior Representative Council and
Senior Representative Council members by presenting them
with their badges. Both ceremonies were coordinated by the
School Captains and the Junior Secondary Captains and I
would like to commend them on their professionalism and
commitment to the event.
Year 12 SET PLAN INTERVIEWS:
I would like to congratulate all members of the Bundaberg State
High School leadership team again and applaud you on your
efforts to date this year. These students have already been
involved in a number of initiatives within the school to assist
our Year 7 and 8 cohorts settle more comfortably into the
high school routines. Their presence at the school swimming
carnival was obvious with many students running alternate
activities and assisting with setting up and packing away. The
buddy class system and equipment hire facility for the junior
school has been a valuable asset for our Junior Secondary
students. The Senior Representative Council have been busy
planning the Clean-up Australia Day event and I am sure this
will be another well organised and successful event.
All Year 12 students are currently having interviews with a
member of the Administration team or HOD/Guidance Officer.
The purpose of these interviews is to:
• review their progress including attendance in Year
11;
• check that all students are on track for attaining a
Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) at the
completion of Year 12;
• check that OP students are on track to achieve their
best possible OP result;
• ensure students are thinking about “beyond the end
of school” before it is too late; and
• ensure that students have more than one plan –
“don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.
Each student is receiving a profile of their performance from
Year 11 to use as a reflection tool. Students will have another
interview in July to again review their progress from this
semester.
Mrs Schuch, HOD Senior Schooling
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STUDENT SERVICES:
What a brilliant start to 2015 we have had in Student Services.
It is amazing how many students walk through our doors daily.
It is lovely to see them leaving with a smile.
I just wanted to reiterate the pride Bundaberg State High
School staff have in our 5 QATSIF scholarship recipients. Noa,
Vanessa, Jamie, Letitia and Maria all have been awarded this
scholarship due to their hard work and commitment to
Bundaberg State High School and their education. It is
wonderful that something so positive can come from a dark
part of our history – ‘the stolen wages’. Congratulations again
to these students.
In Term 2, Clint and myself will begin working with our
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on their 2015
applications. We will be looking at student’s grades, effort,
behaviour and commitment to their community and history.
If you would like any further information on QATSIF and the
scholarship process, please do not hesitate to contact me at
school.
Please find below two parent newsletter articles from The
Learning Curve.
To build students’ independence and growth mindsets to learn
alone it is essential that their learning extends to settings well
beyond the classroom. One of these learning environments is
at home. For students to reap the maximum possible benefits
from their learning at home, a special place to study is highly
desirable. See the below for the full article.
Note Taking should be much more than purely writing. To build
students’ resourcefulness as a habit, we should encourage
them to gather information by hearing, seeing, feeling and
sensing it using their dominant Multiple Intelligences and
Learning Styles. See the below for the full article.
Below are two articles from Parenting Ideas Insights who are
about building parent-school partnerships and are written by
Michael Grose.
So far this year we have had a ‘come and try day’ at the
Bundaberg Rowing Club with a tremendous amount of interest
from lots of new potential rowers. To date, we have just under
forty new and returning rowers so it is looking like a bumper
season. Unfortunately with the flooding of the Burnett and
Kolan rivers, training has been limited to land based Ergo
rowing machines but as soon as the pontoons are back in place
we will be back on the water.
Coming up in mid-March there will be a rowing camp at the
Bucca Rowing Centre.
Rowing is one of the hardest sports in existence. Everything
else is just a game. Rowing is not to be confused with sculling,
in which each person holds 2 sculling blades compared to just
one in rowing.
Rowing is about racing between 1000 and 2000 meters. Boats
can range from holding one sculler, to 8 rowers and a cox. The
whole aim of a good rower is to get their blade into the water,
pull as hard as they can and get the blade out again. They have
to do this as efficiently as possible, ensuring their energy goes
into making the boat move forward rather than slowing down.
The stroke a rower takes can be divided into separate parts:
1. Finish, where the rower is sitting back with the oar
handle close to their body ready to move off, with the
blade turned 45 degrees in relation to the water.
2. The hands and arms move out to full extension.
As the requirements for effective parenting shift and there
seems even less time to juggle family life, here are 10 golden
rules to guide you on your parenting journey. See the below for
the full article.
3. The body rocks forward
Adolescence is an age of freedom; an age when taking
responsibility is for someone else; an age of live for today and
let the future take care of itself. Right? Well, not really. See the
below for the full article.
5. The catch, where as soon as the rower reaches front
stops, the blade is placed in the water and pulled as
hard as the cox tells you to.
Cassie Munro, HOD Student Services
ROWING REPORT:
The 2015 Rowing year has started with a bang. This year
we have a new Rowing Coordinator Mr David Lassig and the
work he has put in to get the year started has been fantastic.
Along with Mr Lassig also taking on a coaching role we have
three other new coaches, Mr Troy Madel, Ms Dana Houston
and Mr David Routh. We can’t forget the magnificent work
that Ms Cassie White, Mr Peter Green, Mr Howard Turner,
Mr Nic Lindsay and Miss Karly Pearson did last year and the
outstanding results they achieved with their rowers.
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4. The legs compress moving the body up the slide until
the shins of the rower are vertical. (this is called
catch)
6. Reverse the steps above with the blade in the water,
bringing the blade back round to the body
7. The finish, where the blade is raised out of the water
and feathered to lower air resistance, ready to start
another stroke.
The rowing season essentially never ends, if the weather is bad
outside we do ergo's and weights in the gym. Ergos are soul
destroying, hateful pieces of equipment. If possible stay well
away from them. But the coaches love them. However, rowing
is the most rewarding sport, you will make friends for life from
within your school and crew, and build unrivalled competition
with rowers from other schools that you may only see once or
twice a year.
If this all sounds like it interests you please see Mr Lassig for
more information.
PARENTS DRIVING IN THE SCHOOL
GROUNDS:
This is just a friendly reminder to parents that driving into the
school grounds is not permitted. The only exception is if you
have a sick student to collect from Student Services, you are
able to use the visitor’s car park that is available in the driveway
between the school hall and library.
HOW CAN STUDENTS APPLY FOR A
TAX FILE NUMBER (TFN):
Applying online and presenting POI documents at a
participating Australia Post Office is the fastest and most
convenient way for students to get a TFN. More information
on applying online can be found at ato.gov.au by searching for
’QC27248’
Students who are unable to visit a participating Australia Post
office will need to complete the application form Tax file number
- application or enquiry for individuals form (NAT 1432). More
information about lodging this form can be found at ato.gov.au
by searching for ’QC22604’
SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS:
If you would like your school newsletter to be sent to you
automatically each fortnight, please go to
http://bundabergshs.schoolzinenewsletters.com/subscribe
and fill in your details. You can unsubscribe at any time.
LOOKING FOR HOST FAMILIES:
We are looking for host families to welcome a visiting Japanese
student into their home for the period 16-24 March inclusive.
Year 9-12 Bundaberg State High School students preferred as
this is the age of our visiting students.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
CHILDREN’S SAFETY LUNCHEON:
In recognition of the strong connection between women's and
children's rights, Children's Safety Australia Inc. is hosting an
International Women's Day Luncheon in Brisbane with a focus
on practical strategies to promote children's safety. Speakers
include internationally renowned children's rights campaigner
Professor Freda Briggs, accomplished author Tess Rowley and
internet safety expert Brett Lee.
SENSORY MOVIE DAY EVENT FOR
FAMILIES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:
For more information, or to volunteer, please contact Mrs
Themsen on 4154 5368.
A sensory movie day is being held at Reading Cinemas
Bundaberg on Sunday 15 March and is an inclusive event for
families with special needs.
CLASSROOM MAKEOVER:
BUNDABERG’S SINGING GROUP:
Imagine what our school could do with a $5,000 classroom
makeover from Staples™! The school with the most tokens per
student wins, so help our school by collecting as many tokens
as you can. Token boxes will be located at Q Block, K Block
and the main office.
Come and join Bundaberg’s singing group for young males and
females, Savvi Voce and Bundaberg Voices.
Collect tokens which will be found in the News-mail from 14
February to 16 March.
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