BNSHS Newsletter 31st August 2022

From the Principal's Office

Since our last newsletter there have been a number of excursions and opportunities that students have been involved in across the school.  Congratulations to all the RAS classes who participated in the ‘Spirit of North’ day on Tuesday 23^rd August.  The 'Spirit of North' day was an initiative by our School Captains and culminated in the production of a wonderful mural that will be displayed in the hall.   Thank you to all who were involved.

Congratulations to a very excited Junior Optiminds team who came first in the Language and Literature Division 2 section of Optiminds on the weekend.  Our team of 4 junior girls will be competing in Brisbane in Term 4.  Congratulations girls.

We have had students attend RYDA driver education, the Wide Bay Athletics carnival, Girls in Engineering day, Dorrie Day and some students participated in the international PISA testing.   Students are currently working toward completing term 3 assessment and progress reports will be issued at the end of term.

Over the past year, our school has been codesigning a project plan with community consultation for supporting our First Nations students and to build capacity and awareness of First Nations culture and history across the school.  Soon we will be launching the plan to the school community.

The year is quickly coming to an end for our Year 12 students who are preparing for their external examinations and final assessments.  The year 12 students complete their final face to face class on October 21 before entering the four week external exam block.  Students should be preparing now for their final assessments and making plans with their teachers to check their progress to ensure they are on track to receive their  Queensland Certificate of Education - QCE.  We wish our Year 12s all the best for their final assessments.

Robyn Kent, Principal

Friday 5 registration - Term 3

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

Arts Night 2022 - 7th September

“ARTS NIGHT 2022 IS COMING UP SOON!!! Come along to see all the talent that the school has to offer, from singers to comedy acts, to student films and art. We are excited to present this to the school community on Wednesday, 7^th of September 2022.

Come with a gold coin donation and be dressed up to fit our theme; ‘THE WEIRD AND THE WONDERFUL’ and enjoy everything this night has to offer! See details below.

We look forward to seeing you there!”

The Watson Report

HIGH EXPECTATIONS – ATTENDANCE AND ASSESSMENT

As we approach the last two weeks of term 3, it is essential for students to maintain high standards and motivation. All students have assessment to complete and must remain committed to their school routine. What does your child’s school routine look like? A school routine is what students need to do to be successful at school. This includes:

• Weekly study plan – time for school, study, work and extracurricular activities
• Attending school every day and arriving at school on time
• Having the correct equipment and resources for class
• Putting in effort for every task
• Knowing when assessment is due and what is required
• Handing in drafts and using feedback
• Asking for assistance when needed.

To assist with assignments and study, please see the attached ‘Study Skills to Improve my Next Results’ with suggestions. Ask your child:

What assessments do you have this week?

Have you got the draft ready for ….?

How will you revise or study for your exam?

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s upcoming assessment, please contact their RAS Coordinator on 4130 0222.

RECOGNISING POSITIVE STUDENT BEHAVIOUR

Orange Gotchas have arrived!

New orange Gotchas are now in circulation. These Gotchas are a little different to previous Gotchas with a focus on one of our school values. Students have been asked to identify what is different about the new Gotchas, and I have had many students correctly identify the link to respect. The new orange Gotchas all have sayings/quotes about respect. Have a look below at some of our students with new orange Gotchas! Some students have been collecting their Gotchas and are saving for new rewards!

New reward vouchers!

200 Gotchas = Sausage roll

300 Gotchas = 4x Chicken nuggets

300 Gotchas = Potato wedges

When students have collected enough Gotchas, they take them to their RAS HOD/Coordinator to 'cash in' for a reward. Please note that students need to present their voucher to Jacky at the tuckshop before school.

Reward Day is coming!

This term Reward Day is Friday 16 September. Student attendance contributes to determining a student’s eligibility for Reward Day each term. This term Students who have achieved at least 90% attendance with no unexplained absences and no suspensions, will have a choice of:

• Pizza Party
• $5 tuckshop voucher
• Bargara beach trip.

Students who qualify will be asked to select their preferred reward. Students who select the Bargara beach trip will be given a permission note to get signed by a parent/carer. Year 10 students have work experience, so will not be able to attend the beach trip. They can still select either the pizza party or tuckshop voucher, with arrangements so they receive their reward at the end of week 9. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Mrs Watson, Deputy Principal

Opti-MINDS Winners!!!

Caitlyn, Jaide, Cassie, Addison and Sophie are Bundaberg North State High School’s 2022 Opti MINDS Champions. They competed in the Wide Bay Regional competition on Saturday 27 August and were winners of Division 2 Language and Literature, combined with their results from the Spontaneous Challenge. 

The students presented an original play about Rising Above – a situation which changes our life in some way, and being able to change our thinking. Their creative play needed to have 2 clearly defined characters who embraced change; this saw Cinderella have her leg amputated at Prince Charming’s castle during an earthquake, and Mary Poppins assisted her to Rise Above. To make this happen, the students sacrificed lunchtimes, after school and weekends over 6 weeks; to create the script, costumes, props and backdrops from sustainable materials.  

All of their hard work, commitment and passion has resulted in the group receiving an invitation to compete in Opti-MINDS 2022 Queensland State Finals in Brisbane, 22 October held at the University of Queensland. They must present an idea in a forum as well as create another Language Literature Challenge, in a supervised locked space in 3 hours.  

Ladies, please know that all of your school is behind you and we wish you well.  

Miss Crust, Optiminds Coordinator

External exams

External exams will be held for all General Subjects in weeks 4 - 7 (24^th October – 15^th November) of term 4. Year 12 students are only required to attend the relevant scheduled events, such as exams and tutorial sessions. There will be no regular classes for year 12s during the external exam block.

The external exams will occur during two sessions each day:

AM session: exams commence at 9:00am

PM session: exams commence at 12:15pm

In preparation for this event, please discuss with your student how they will manage transport to and from school. The external assessment timetable can be found using the link below. In addition to this, Bundaberg North SHS will schedule tutorial sessions for General subjects, and catch-up sessions for VET and practical Applied subjects. The timetable for these will be published before the end of the term.

If you have any questions about external exams, please access the QCAA website, or call the school and ask for Deputy Principal, Tom Wright.

External exam timetable

QCAA external exam info

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

Theatrical Drama

On Tuesday 23 August, Year 10 Drama students participated in the presentation of their work this term with The Queensland Theatre Company.  The students were part of The Scene Project, an initiative of The Queensland Theatre which enables students in regional areas to have opportunities to work with professional artists through workshops and performances.  Bundaberg North SHS has participated in The Scene Project since its inception, as it is a rewarding experience for students, especially if they are pursuing a future career in the performing arts.

The students begin with a specially commissioned play to use as part of The Scene Project.  The Queensland Theatre Company provides a visiting artist to work with the students to develop a presentation based on the given play. The polished performance is then presented at the Moncrieff Theatre.  After their performance, students watch The Queensland Theatre’s version of the stimulus play. 

The Scene Project is a fun way for students to learn some of the aspects of producing a play and gain insight of the industry from professional artists.

CO2 Dragster Racing

Year 9 Materials and Technologies Specialisations students have had the opportunity design and produce C02 Dragsters that they then raced in the school hall. Congratulations to our Semester 1 school outright champion Ben, second place to Ben H and third place to Ashlee. Congratulations to our Semester 2 school outright champion Savannah, second place to Zahlia and third place to Maddie. A special mention to Savannah and Zahlia whose cars came in at under 1 second for 20 metres.

These students and other finalists will compete in the Queensland Schools State C02 Dragster competition in Noosa on the 1^st and 2^nd of September in the General Division including:

Dermott, Trey, K’Larni, Will, Sarah, Kai, Matthew, Charley, Mathieu and Xavier.

Students competing in the State Outlaw Division are Caleb, Kameron, Kharma, Morgan, Sarah and Logan.

Students competing in the Show and Shine State competition are Braydon, Ethan  and Jack.

Congratulations to all students and good luck for the State Championships!

Emily Kresew, Design and Technologies teacher

2022 Early School Leavers Survey

The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual survey of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school in 2021, before completing Year 12. This short, confidential survey collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving school. The results of the survey help provide valuable information to improve services available to school leavers in the future.

Between August and September, these school leavers can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of Next Step post-school destination surveys in 2022.

For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep/ or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

S.T.E.M.

On Tuesday 16th August, 38 students from years 7 – 10 participated in the Girls in Engineering STEM day. Our school partnered with Central Queensland University and the Cool Aeronautics program from the Royal Aeronautical Society Australian Division to deliver the day. Throughout the day, students experienced what day to day life is like for an Aeronautical Engineer, designed, built and tested their own balsa wood plane and calculated force with the help of jet turbine engines.

Mrs Thornton, STEM Coordinator

Walk with me 4 Autism Inc.

ALL ABILITIES RUGBY LEAGUE 2022

We would like to say thank you for the giving of your time, could you please include the attached flyer in your next school newsletter.

This is an opportunity for ALL young people to be involved in something truly life changing, life changing not only for themselves but life changing for a young person with disability.

It is with immense pride and passion in conjunction with the Northern Districts Rugby League (NDRL) and Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and the support of the National Rugby League (NRL), Walk With Me 4 Autism is kicking off the inaugural modified game of rugby league in the Wide Bay region.

Yes!! It is finally here, young people of ALL abilities from under six to under fifteen get to play a four-week season. Those with a disability play alongside their peers with the support of mentors aiding from behind.

You will be giving young people with disability the experience of a lifetime to build on skills many spend hours in therapy practising, create friendships that can last lifelong, be part of a real team and get an understanding of sportsmanship. All the while giving their families (many for the first time) the joy and elation of being spectators.

Please join us on an amazing journey of uplifting those in our community that tend to be left behind or worse just bystanders.

Our target numbers for our inaugural year are One hundred participating players, thirty mentors, thirty volunteers and one hundred families. We believe this will be the start of an exponential curve for the future.

Be involved.

The sheer joy of accomplishment, elation of achievement, sense of comradery and the feeling of excitement, the pride of sportsmanship will be tenfold. The smiles on the faces of the players will burst your heart. Not to mention the heart melting moments and memories created by their loved ones. Come join us and support ALL ABILITIES RUGBY LEAGUE in our region. Join us in providing Inclusion, Acceptance and Experience JOY.

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

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 

Important dates

Support for families & community