BNSHS Newsletter April 29th

From the Principal's office

Welcome to our first newsletter for Term 2.  I hope that you enjoyed some time with family and friends over the Easter break.

Throughout this term you will read in our newsletter that we will be focussing on explicitly teaching students about the importance of providing a positive school environment where students feel safe and supported.  We aim to improve concerning behaviours across the school by teaching students the behaviour expectations and having a focus each week that is linked to student rewards.  Please see the article within this newsletter for more information.

Last week we held an ANZAC ceremony at school on Friday and then students volunteered to march at the Bundaberg and Moore Park ceremonies.  Thank you to the students who gave up their time to represent the school and march. Please enjoy the photographs below.

On May 13^th we will be holding our first Student Progress Conferences for parents and students to meet with teachers to discuss term 1 progress.  I would encourage all parents and students to attend.  15 minute interviews will be held and parents will be able to request interviews with their students' teachers.  Please see the information later in this newsletter.  We hope to see many parents taking the opportunity with their children to speak to our teachers.

On the 8^th May the P&C will be holding a Cent Sale at the Railway Hotel, North Bundaberg.  Doors open at 11:30am for a 1pm start.  Please come along and enjoy a fun afternoon.  You can book a table by calling our office on 41300222.  Money raised will go toward enhancing resources for our students.   I hope to see you there.

Robyn Kent, Principal

ANZAC Day 2021

Friday 5

Thank you to all families for your cooperation with the introduction of Friday 5 at North High this year.  Friday afternoons in term 1 ran very smoothly. 

If your student will be leaving school at 1:10pm each week you do not need to do anything at all.  

If your student will be remaining at school until 3pm on any Friday in term 2, we ask you to complete the registration for each student using the form below.  

When you register your student to attend Friday 5, rolls are marked to ensure that they are here at school.  You will be advised if your student is not in attendance.  Please contact the school if you wish to discuss the Friday 5 process.

Friday 5 - Students remaining at school until 3pm.

NAPLAN online

NAPLAN testing for students in years 7 and 9 will occur from 11 -20 May. This year, NAPLAN testing will take place exclusively online, for which students have been practicing using the online platform. Students are asked to bring headphones during the testing period. Headphones must be wired, with a standard headphone plug. If students do not have headphones of their own, headphones will be provided by the school for the duration of the testing period.

A demonstration of the online testing platform is available for parents at the Public demonstration site https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

If you have any questions about NAPLAN online, or wish to have your student withdrawn from the test, please contact the school and ask to speak to the NAPLAN administrator.

Mr Wright, Deputy Principal, Senior Schooling

Guidance Officer week

27^th April – 30^th April is a time to say thank you to our Guidance Officers and for celebrating their never-ending contribution to the wellbeing of students, parents/carers and staff at Bundaberg North State High School. We are very lucky at Bundaberg North SHS to have two amazing Guidance Officers, Judith Hellmuth and Helen Coulton. Together, they support the staff and students in a variety of ways.

They play an active role in leading the school's wellbeing agenda and ensuring that we are all working towards being our best selves. Our students value their time with our Guidance Officers, whether it be for career guidance and assistance with subject selections, or help with social and peer group interactions. Their jobs are varied and their expertise is always in high demand. We would like to say ‘Thank You’ to Mrs Hellmuth and Ms Coulton for all of their hard work!

'Reach for the Sky' awards

Bundaberg North State High School acknowledges, rewards and celebrates the contributions of those students who are demonstrating ongoing positive effort and behaviour. Our school uses our Behaviour Matrix found in our Student Code of Conduct for establishing the social and cultural behaviours needed for our school to have a positive and effective learning environment.

A key aspect of our behaviour policy is to acknowledge and reward students demonstrating positive behaviour & effort as encouragement and influence to all students. A number of school procedures are established to encourage and reinforce positive student attitude, behaviour and attendance.

This term one of our acknowledgements of positive effort and behaviour is our ‘Reach for the Sky' awards.  These awards are not based on attendance or academic excellence but instead highlight our school values of Responsibility and commitment to learning and Right to Learn in a safe and supportive environment to produce Outstanding Learners, Outstanding Achievements, and Outstanding Futures.  

To receive these awards students must meet the criteria listed below; 

Gold – 6 or more Excellence results for Effort, 6 or more Excellence results for Behaviour (in their core subjects and chosen electives) 

Silver – 5 or more Excellence results for Effort, 5 or more Excellence results for Behaviour (in their core subjects and chosen electives) 

Bronze - 4 or more Excellence results for Effort, 4 or more Excellence results for Behaviour (in their core subjects and chosen electives) 

These awards are very difficult to accomplish and the students who have achieve these awards deserve to be recognised. 

We will be holding the ‘Reach for the Sky Awards’ at our Week 3 Whole School Parade on Tuesday, 4^th May. As we are unable to social distance adults in our hall parents will not be able to attend; however, we will take group photos of all students, (with the appropriate media permission) and post them to our school Facebook page and in our next newsletter.

Mrs Arnold, Deputy Principal, Junior School

Focus on student behaviour

A positive school environment belongs to us all

A positive school environment is where all students are included and feel safe and supported so that student learning outcomes are optimised.

Every member of the school community (school staff, parents and students) has a role to play in creating a safe, supportive and disciplined school environment, where students can learn and achieve.

As part of our commitment at Bundaberg North State High School to ensuring a positive learning environment, we acknowledge that the best way to turn concerning behaviour around is by teaching students acceptable and appropriate ways to behave so that they get what they need.

This term we will be having a different behaviour focus each week. We will be communicating the focus of the week to our community via our Facebook page, newsletter, parades and student notices. Student’s will be explicitly taught the focus each week in class and reminded of these prior to leaving the classroom each lesson. We will be rewarding students who uphold these focused behaviours in line with our North values through student of the week nominations. At parade each week one student from each year level will be recognised as our overall student of the week.

We look forward to the positive change that this new process will have on our school as a whole and look forward to celebrating the great achievements of our students throughout the year.

Week 2’s Behaviour Focus will be – Respect in all settings.

In class this week, classroom teachers will be explicitly teaching students how they can show respect in all settings, including to and from school. I would ask all parents and carers to reinforce this message at home. I have listed the examples of respect that we will explicitly cover with your students below:

• Follow staff directions
• Use language and a voice that everyone can be comfortable with
• Use your body in ways that everyone can be comfortable with
• Let other people have space and privacy
• Respect the school environment by keeping it clean and tidy
• Put away devices when they aren’t needed
• Value yourself through all your interactions, being mindful of the image you create for the school

Week 3’s Behaviour Focus will be – Responsibility in all settings.

In class in week 3, classroom teachers will be explicitly teaching students how they behaviour in a responsible manner in all settings, including to and from school. I would ask all parents & carers to reinforce this message at home. I have listed the examples of behaving responsibly that we will explicitly cover with your students below:

• Behave in a manner that upholds and promotes the good reputation of the school
• Wear your uniform correctly and with pride
• Be honest and take responsibility for your words and actions
• Know and understand the rules
• Be in the right place at the right time
• Actively listen and engage in the task at hand

If we look closely we can see that ‘child’ behaviors are human behaviours, kids just need to practice them a whole lot more because they haven’t yet learned a more effective means to get their needs met, or haven’t yet undergone the development necessary to practice a better coping strategy. – Angela Pruess

Mrs Arnold, Deputy Principal, Junior School

Student Progress Conferences - 13th May

On Thursday 13th May, Bundaberg North State High School will be holding Student Progress Conferences from 3:30 to 6:00pm. These are an opportunity for parents to discuss their student’s progress in particular subjects. Bookings will be made via the SOBS booking system. 

On the evening itself, we ask that you use the main entrance to the school, where staff will be available to direct you to your interviews. Conferences will be held in classrooms, so you may wish to account for travelling time in your bookings. If you are unable to attend a progress conference, please make contact with the school and request the arrangement of a phone conference on the evening.

We look forward to discussing your student’s progress.  Book now using the link below. 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact the school on 41300222.

Valuer visit to General Maths

Year 12 General Maths students were very fortunate to have a visit from Ben Harnell, a valuer from Herron Todd White Bundaberg who provided an interactive insight into a potential field of work for General Mathematics graduates.

Ben shared his experiences of going through school and deciding to become a valuer, and explained his role to the students and how he typically uses mathematics to calculate the area of houses and use this information and other statistics to advise his clients about the value of a property.

The students and teachers were very interested in this presentation and we look forward to Ben returning to visit the class later in the year to discuss annuities and perpetuities in property valuation contexts.

Andrew Duncan – Head of Mathematics

CQUniversity Excursion

Year 12 students from Bundaberg North High and across the Bundaberg region attended an excursion at CQUniversity to experience life as a university student. Students attended classes from a personalised timetable and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about potential study areas and careers. 

Miss Coulton, Guidance Officer

From the Sports Desk

2021 Cross Country

The 2021 Cross Country was held on Tuesday 30^th March. Around 70 students battled either the 3km, 4km or 6km circuit. The open course provided a great spectacle as the runners made their way through variety of terrain around the school and neighbouring fields. With house pride on the line, many athletes pushed themselves to the limit in order to complete their race, while others took the more social approach, but still gained valuable house points.

 As a stepping stone to the District Cross Country, many competitors returned to the course with some retaining their age champion medal, Paige, Liam, Brayden. The race also threw up a few surprise results for age-champions. Well done to all age champs

 The 2021 House Trophy was won by a large margin, emphasising how much ‘team spirit’ and ‘having a go’ can really make a difference! CONGRATULATIONS to TIRROAN House who were triumphant on the day.  

Students wishing to compete in the Individual Cross Country event at Gin Gin SHS on 4th May, should see Mr Thatcher to nominate.  Students can run 3km, 4km or 6km and a bus will be provided to and from Gin Gin.

Mr Thatcher, Sports Coordinator

AGE CHAMPIONS

North High School Uniform

As the weather begins to cool, you may be looking for a school jumper or pants to keep your student warm at school.  Please see the price list below and follow the link to view the North High uniform requirements. 

P&C News

The next P&C meeting will be held tomorrow, Thursday 10th June.  We would love you to join us: 6pm at the Administration block.  

North High school back packs are still availabe for purchase through the school canteen.  These bags are large, tough and have a lifetime guarantee.  They are a great buy for just $70. 

Have you thought of using the QKR app to pay for your students tuckshop orders?  You can order and pay in advance, or even order for a whole week ahead.  

Tertiary information for seniors

Griffith University invites you and your family to get clarity and advice about transitioning to university at their Parent and Student Information Webinar on Thursday 29 April from 5.30-7 pm. At this event, you'll find out about the experiences, opportunities and support available to Griffith students, hear from QTAC on the application process and how to make the most of your preferences, and get your questions answered during a Q&A session. 

The session will cover,

• Degree information
• How to apply - including pre-requisites and alternate pathways
• How to get the most out of QTAC preferences
• Scholarships
• Opportunities available while studying, including internships and study abroad experiences
• Transitioning to university 

Reserve your place at griffith.edu.au/info-webinar 

UQ, Union College

We have an opportunity to meet with the Deputy Head of Union College, Bernadette Yates on the 13^th of May, during lunch time in the G block conference room. 

Bernadette would like to speak about Union College as an accommodation and the benefits of staying at a residential college. Some of Norths past students have stayed at Union. 

The University of Queensland Union College is an independent, co-educational residential college located on the St Lucia campus of The University of Queensland, (UQ) Brisbane, Australia. Staying at a residential college is extremely beneficial, especially to those entering their first year of studies and eases the transition into university life.

Here are some of the benefits:

• Provides a secure and supportive environment where residents may pursue their academic endeavours
• Can enjoy a wide range of cultural, sporting and social opportunities not available to off-campus students.
• Individuals forge strong personal bonds and establish professional network opportunities through living and studying together.
• Union College is proud of its ethos of respect for equity, diversity and difference – where every individual can pursue their own academic goals and personal interests.
• Our core values of personal accountability, always respecting others, and being mindful of their needs ensures a harmonious college community.
• Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are included
• Room cleans once a week

If you are interested in attending this - please secure your place by email or speak to Miss Coulton.

Important dates

TALKING FAMILIES:Are you having one of those weeks where you feel like you haven’t quite got this whole parenting thing figured out? Don’t worry, you’re far from alone. Check out some practical ways to reframe our thinking and realise we’re all in this together.  Click on the link below for more information.