BNSHS Newsletter 25th May 2022

From the Principal

Welcome to our mid Term 2 newsletter.  Since our last newsletter our Year 7 and 9 students have completed their NAPLAN assessments and we have officially opened our GP in schools clinic.

Over the next few weeks, students will be completing assessment and should be following their assessment schedule to organise and plan their time.  Please contact class teachers by phone or email if you have any queries about upcoming assessment.

It is important that students are bringing necessary equipment to school each day.  As parents/carers can you please ensure that your child/children is bringing exercise books, any texts, writing equipment and their laptop each day.  They should also be bringing and using their homework diary.  Being prepared for class assists students in the learning process.  We are happy to assist any families having difficulty in providing equipment so please contact us.   If your student is feeling unwell or has symptoms of illness, we ask that you keep them at home until they feel well again.  

As you may be aware, Queensland, across the state, is experiencing a shortage of teachers and at North High, we currently have several vacancies unfilled.  This has resulted in some classes not having a regular teacher.  We are continually working on engaging teachers and in the meantime work hard to provide the best class instruction that we are able to, given limited resources.  Students at all times are able to seek assistance from Heads of Department and RAS Coordinators if they have concerns or queries.   We want to be able to assist students as they prepare for their assessments so please do not hesitate to contact us if your child is in need of assistance. 

In the final week of this term we will be holding our Athletics Carnival.  On Thursday June 23 we hold events at school and on Friday 24^th June we travel by bus to the Bundaberg Athletics ground to hold our carnival.  You will be receiving information soon to give permission for your child/children to attend the carnival.  Please look out for this and provide consent for your student using our online form.  It is a great day and an enjoyable way to finish the term with students getting involved in the Athletics events. 

Have a good week. 

Robyn Kent, Principal

Friday 5 registration - Term 3

Friday 5 - Students remaining at school until 3pm Term 3, 2022

The Watson Report

ATTENDANCE

Every day counts! It is vital for students to attend school each day. Did you know that if a student has one day a fortnight absent from school, this equates to five days a term, which is one whole week a term away from learning. It is also important that students arrive at school on time. At Bundaberg North SHS the school days starts at 8:40am. Support your student to be at school each day and arrive on time by establishing good routines, which includes:

• encourage your student to have a weekly schedule with set times for study, homework and assignment work
• have a set time to go to bed
• have a set time to get out of bed

• have uniform and school bag ready the night before
• have a set time for starting and finishing breakfast

• speak about school positively.

If you require further information or support, contact the school and speak with your student’s RAS Coordinator.

RECOGNISING POSITIVE STUDENT BEHAVIOUR

Student attendance contributes to determining a student’s eligibility for Reward Day each term. Wednesday 22 June is Reward Day. Students who have achieved at least 90% attendance with no unexplained absences and no suspensions, will have a choice of:

• Laser Skirmish
• Rotational games
• $5 tuckshop voucher.

Have you seen a pink Gotcha? Student leaders have been recognising positive student behaviour with pink Gotchas. Teachers have been recognising students with green Gotchas!  Some students are collecting their Gotchas, saving them for upcoming prizes, other students choose to hand them in weekly. Either way once handed in they contribute to RAS House totals. All houses are doing well. Who will achieve the greatest total this term?

Reminder: Hot Chocolates now available!

Students can ‘cash in’ 30 Gotchas in exchange for a Hot Chocolate voucher. Students take their voucher to the tuckshop or to the Coffee Shop to receive a free hot chocolate. Yum!

Available times at the tuckshop:

Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday 8am – 8:30am.

Available at Coffee Shop – starting next week. Times to be confirmed. Listen to daily notices to find out more!

Mrs Watson, Deputy Principal

Enrolment

Intention to enrol at BNSHS - 2023

'Business' business.

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

On Monday, 23rd May our Year 12 Business students travelled to Bundaberg Brewed Drinks to tour their factory and to learn all about their new brewery currently under construction.  Students learned about marketing and total quality managment/operational strategies, the business users in order to assist them in completing their current assessment piece.  

Starting up a business

A huge thank you to Tracey McPhee, owner of Alowishus Delicious. Tracey spent a lesson talking to our Year 11 Business students about the many strategies, processes and concepts utilized in the start-up stage of her business. The students thoroughly enjoyed Tracey’s insight into the world of business and are now well and truly prepared for their next assessment piece.

Mrs Keri Jensen, Business Teacher

Stymie - #saysomething

What does Stymie do for young people?

Of every 30 young people in Australia seven will be dealing with a mental health issue, yet only two will reach out for support. Stymie works with you to give the young people you are working with, the power to say something or ask for help. We are an early intervention initiative that changes and saves lives.

Stymie empowers young people to ask for help when they need support, or if they are seeing or experiencing harm.

Stymie provides online reporting for schools. Encrypted, anonymous notifications are delivered within seconds to authorised recipients, who respond according to their wellbeing framework. The notification provides the option to include screenshots or images that validate the notification.

Being able to anonymously report, relieves feelings of helplessness for those who want to help their peers but don’t quite know how. Our purpose is to support you in creating an environment where harm can be minimised and effective action can be maximised.

Stymie can be used by anybody. It does not have to be a student at our school. The link to make a notification is on the school website front page

School improvement

As part of the ongoing refurbishment at North High, construction has begun this week on the new long jump pit and running lanes. The completed work will include a two lane track, and a covered 9M x 6M pit. It is hoped to have the construction completed, dependent on any weather interruptions to the construction schedule, for its first use at the Athletics Day on 23 June.

This work follows significant changes to infrastructure around the school which includes comprehensive redevelopment of the car park with the addition of a turning circle, development of a student eating area, re-painting of classroom blocks and more.  Our Business Manager, Calvin Boon has been instrumental in the ongoing upgrade and improvement of facilities at North High.  

Student Council - Publicity Reps.

Hello students, staff and parents of North High. Our names are Ebony and Chanise, and we are your 2022 Student Council Publicity Reps. You’ll probably hear from us from time to time as we talk about what is happening around the school and how the students are feeling. Now I'm sure everyone has heard by now, but year 7 camp was a blast (according to many of our sources). The year 7’s loved kayaking and building billy carts, some of them doing it for the first time. Students made lots of new friendships and had lots of new experiences. Look out for the Free Dress Day next Tuesday - the theme is 'Pyjama Party' so it should be fun.  Students, don't forget a gold coin to wear your pyjamas!  Anyways, until next time, this is the Publicity Reps signing out.

Shanise and Ebony - Publicity Reps

ADF

On Tuesday the 17^th May, a representative from the Australian Defence Force spoke to interested students on the many jobs and careers in the ADF. All year groups were invited to find out more about entry methods, degrees available, the people and technology, gap year opportunities, joining as a graduate and the financial, career, and lifestyle benefits.

For more information visit - https://www.defencejobs.gov.au/jobs?page=1&perPage=21&query=&jobStates=full-time

Ms Coulton, Guidance Officer

GP bookings now open!

Appointments are now available to visit the GP each Tuesday at North High.  Students can make bookings by scanning the QR code above, which takes them to the school webpage, where they click on the MAKE A BOOKING box.  Alternatively appointments can be made simply by emailing GP@bundabergnorthshs.eq.edu.au.  

Bookings are completely confidential, as are all emails sent to this address.  So, if you would like to provide feedback you can also do this by emailing GP@bundabergnorthshs.eq.edu.au

International Opportunity

Japan’s Hakuo High School Students are Coming this Year  

It has now been confirmed that a group of 20 students aged 14-17 years old will be coming from Japan during the fortnight 27^th July – 8^th August 2022.  They will spend 5 days in our school, 3 days at CQU and a day trip to Isis’ Snakes Down Under to cuddle a snake and take a photo with a koala. It will be good to have the international friendship after not being able to do so over the past two years. Our students may be involved as host families or school buddies; be part of classes with Japanese students in attendance. It is all part of the experience for both our North High and the Japanese school students.

We’ve had a good initial response to our request for host families but more are needed. “Families” may be from students at this school or from the wider community who would like to participate. Perhaps there is someone that you know, extended family or friends, who has a spare bed and would be good at hosting an international student for the fortnight. Please note that host families will receive a small payment for hosting students and are responsible for their food and transport to school.

It is planned for this to be an annual event so if you are unavailable this year but would like to be considered as a host family, for future events, please let us know so that you may be added to our registry of host families.

We will select families by:

1. Homestay Family application form
2. Blue card check (school can organise a card at no cost to you – needs to be done a.s.a.p.)
3. House inspection (guests need to have their own bed but may be sharing a room)
4. Matching students with families eg. interests, non-allergies to pets ..

To express your interest or to proceed further with application forms, please email krayn24@eq.edu.au or phone 41300315

Katrine Rayner

HOD Humanities/LOTE/International Relations

Katrine Rayner, HOD Humanities/LOTE/International Relations

P&C News

Our tuckshop is looking for volunteers. Please email Jacky our convenor if you are able to offer any help jburt144@eq.edu.au 

We are always looking for new Committee members. The P&C meets once each month to discuss matters of concern to the school and the school community.  If you would like to connect to the P&C but are not able to attend meetings in person, we are happy to have you join the meeting via Teams or phone.  Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month in the conference room in A Block and commence at 6:00pm.  You will find meeting dates on the school websites event calendar. 

www.facebook.com/bundabergnorthhighpandc

pandc@bundabergnorthshs.eq.edu.au

Mrs Shelley Hansen, P&C President 

Support for families & community

Important dates