BNSHS Newsletter July 22nd 2020

From the Principal's office

Welcome to the first newsletter for Term 3.  As we watch the development of the second wave of COVID restrictions in our southern states of Victoria and NSW, we are hoping to still continue the relaxation of restrictions in Queensland.  We are continuing to encourage students to wash their hands regularly throughout the day and to use hand sanitiser in classrooms.  We are following COVID safe plans for the introduction of interschool sport planned for week 4 – an email was sent to all parents last week outlining the Bundaberg District guidelines.  As we have to manage numbers at each sport, there can be no spectators – parents, friends, family etc attending the games unfortunately.  Students should come dressed to their games and leave immediately after.  We are hoping that we will be able to conduct a Winter Finals day in week 10 but this is still to be arranged following the latest COVID guidelines.
Thank you to the many parents who completed the School Opinion Survey online.  Your feedback will be most useful when collating our whole school results.
We are presently collecting information for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) process that happens annually. NCCD enables schools to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can best support them. Parents/carers were emailed a letter about NCCD and you will also find a copy later in this newsletter.
This semester we are developing our 4 year Strategic Plan for North High and will be drawing upon the recommendations provided by the school review that was conducted in term 1.  We are also working on a new Student Code of Conduct that will replace the Responsible Behaviour plan for Students.  The Student Code of Conduct will be in operation for 2021.
Semester one reports will be issued in Week 3 and will be providing a level of achievement only for each subject area that reflects work from Term 1 and home-based learning in Term 2.  I would encourage all parents to take the opportunity to engage in a Progress Conference with their child and teacher/s to discuss overall progress and improvement/support strategies.  As we were unable to conduct conferences in semester 1 it is our first opportunity for parent engagement about academic progress.  You will have received information about booking an appointment and I would like to thank those parents who have already secured their conference .  I hope that many parents will take the opportunity to attend.
Next Wednesday we are holding our Reach for the Sky Awards during parade. Due to the COVID lockdown we missed celebrating the Term 1 achievements so this term we will combine Term 1 and 2. I want to congratulate all students who achieve an award. Due to the ongoing restrictions we will not be able to have parents attend; however, we will be publishing photos of cohort recipients to our school facebook page. If your student does not have media consent we will take a separate photograph of them and an electronic copy will be available on request.  

Robyn Kent

PRINCIPAL

Student Progress Conferences

On Thursday 6th August, Bundaberg North State High School will make progress conferences available to the parents of all students. This is your opportunity to meet with your child’s teachers and discuss their learning progress. Due to the COVID-19 disruption, these conferences will operate differently to previous years, parents will book with the specific teachers of subjects.
Our priority will be to give all parents a clear idea of progress at the halfway point of the year, celebrate the success so far, and set goals to work towards in semester 2.
Conferences bookings run from 3:30pm through to 6:00pm and can be conducted face-to-face, or via phone by request.  You can book your students Progress Conference using our SOBS online booking system.  By following the link below you can register your student and then book with any of their classroom teachers for a 15 minute appointment time.  If you would prefer to have your meeting via phone instead of face to face, when you have chosen the time slot and clicked 'save', you will see three small horizontal lines to the right of the booking.  Click on that icon and select 'Start a conversation with the staff member'  and in the text box, please type PHONE MEETING.  This message will be sent through to the teacher.  Please note that if you do not request a phone meeting, the system will assume you will be attending a face-to-face conference.  

To make a booking, click on the SOBS online link below

1. -Follow the prompts to register your details
2. - Enter your student/s name and year level
3. - Select the teacher/s you wish to book a conference with, the click SAVE
4. - If you choose to have your conference via phone, select the edit icon and 'start a conversation with the teacher' and request PHONE MEETING.  
5. - Repeat with each student until you have booked all of your conferences.

Please feel free to contact the school office on 4130 0222 for assistance.

External exams

This year, Queensland high school students in year 12 will be the first cohort to undertake external examinations as part of their assessment program. There is an external exam for every General subject, which will contribute 25% to 50% towards the overall result for that subject. Please see below for an explanation of the difference between General, Applied and Applied Essential subjects.
The external exams will be administered on campus over a 17 day period, starting Monday 26 October (week 4 of term 4). 
In order to facilitate the administration of the external examinations, and provide study time for students undertaking exams, year 12 students will only attend for their scheduled exams, and for special tutorial and practical sessions; there will be no normal timetabled classes for year 12 students during this time. In summary, your student will attend school during the exam period for the following reasons:
• Sitting an external exam for a General subject
• Sitting the common internal assessment for Essential Maths and/or Essential English
• Attending a tutorial session for a General subject
• Attending a practical session for an Applied or VET certificate subject
Assessment for Applied subjects, with the exception of Furnishing Skills and Building & Construction, will be completed by the end of week 3 term 4, and prior to the commencement of the external exam period.

The timetable for General subjects external exams is currently available from the QCAA website.

Meet the new Head of Support Services

Hello, my name is Lynda Ehrke-Malone. I am the new Head of Support Services here at Bundaberg North SHS. 
I am looking forward to getting to know the school and working with you and your child during their educational journey. I would welcome you to have a chat with me, my phone number is 41300264. 

What is the NCCD?
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) is an annual collection of information about Australian school students who are receiving adjustments due to disability.
The fact sheet attached below will assist you as a parent, guardian or carer, in understanding what the NCCD is and why it takes place each year.  A letter has been sent home for you to sign and return to school if you do not wish your students data to be included in this years collection.  You will find a copy of that letter below.
Please contact me on 41300264 if you have further questions.

Lynda Ehrke-Malone

Nationally consistent collection of data

As part of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data - School Students with Disabilities 2020, Bundaberg North State High School is required to collect and download data on the 7th of August regarding students that meet the characteristics of disability as per the following very broad definition. 

DDA (Disability Discrimination Act 1992) defines disability as any of the following:-
• Total or partial loss of person’s bodily or mental functions
• Total or partial loss of a part of body
• The presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness
• The malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body
• A disorder or malfunction that results in a person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction
• A disorder, illness or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgement or that results in disturbed behaviour
And includes a disability that:
• Presently exists; or
• Previously existed but no longer exists; or
• May exist in the future (including because of genetic disposition to that disability); or
• Is imputed to a person

Under the DDA and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 all Australian schools are committed to ensure that students with disability are able to access and participate in education on the same basis as students without disability. Schools assess the impact of the student’s disability in relation to education in areas such as communication, mobility, curriculum access, personal care and social participation. Other areas include: safety, motor development, emotional wellbeing, sensory needs and transitions.

Adjustments reflect the needs of the student with a disability and may be at a classroom level or whole school level. Some students may not require an ongoing adjustment beyond the usual practices of the teachers and school to accommodate diverse needs of their students. The student and carer are consulted to determine the type of reasonable adjustment/s. Evidence of adjustment is documented for the student in individual plans: Individual Learning Plans (ILP), Medical plans, Behaviour plans, Learning Support Plans etc.

The school is required in the National Download of Students with Disability to identify:-
• How many students?
• Which category of disability? 
Physical, Cognitive, Sensory or Social and/or Emotional
• What level of adjustment is required?
 No adjustments, Supplementary, Substantial or Extensive

The information gathered in the National Data Collection will help determine supports provided to education systems in the future around location of facilities, staffing, resourcing and funding and/or grants to specific areas. The National government collects this data every year and information is used collectively, rather than individual student analysis.

Your child may meet one or more of the criteria dot points listed in the DDA definition above, meeting the requirement for download in the disability type of:-

•  Physical
• Cognitive
• Sensory
• Social/ Emotional

Please print, complete and return the form attached if you do NOT consent to your child’s information being included in the Data Collection this year by the 27/07/2020. 
Please contact the school regarding this matter if you require further information or clarification.

Lynda Ehrke-Malone, HOSES

Robyn Kent - Principal
        

Return of the Crummy Cup

The term ‘Crummy Cup’ is making a comeback. RAS classes will battle it out for the much-desired honour of being the Crummy Cup Champions. Crummy Cup is a 6 a side game of football with at least two girls and two juniors per team, on the field at all times. 

The draw starts off with a round robin format with each class playing 3 games against those in their ‘pool’.   The point system is, WIN = 3 POINTS; DRAW = 1 POINT; LOSS = 0 POINTS; FORFEIT = -1 POINT

From this the top 2 teams for each pool progress to the knockout stage.  Games will be held during Monday and Friday lunchtimes starting at 1:05pm and 1:30pm on the two small pitches on the bottom oval.  Sports and House Captains will be present to assist and umpire the games.  Good luck to all RAS classes. 

Mr Thatcher, Sports Coordinator

The secret to success

Mr Graham Booysen, CEO of Cornetts Supermarkets and Everfresh Food Market came from Brisbane to talk to our Year 12 Business Students. Graham shared his extensive knowledge of the business world and specifically discussed the reasons behind the Bundaberg Central IGA being transformed and rebranded into an Everfresh Food Market. It was a fabulous learning opportunity for our students and we can’t thank Graham enough. The business information he shared will assist and motivate our students to produce some excellent  Business Reports for their next assessment piece based on this topic. 

But we couldn’t let the Year 12 Business class have ALL the fun last week! We were thrilled to have Melanice Jacobsen, owner of local business Cha Cha Chocolate talk to our Year 11 Business students. Melanice shared with us what it takes to build and grow a successful confectionery business like hers discussing her “point of difference”, the many challenges business owners face and most importantly how to overcome them. There’s no denying it, we were also super excited to sample a Wonka Bar!  Thanks so much Melanice for your insightful and inspiring session today. We loved it.

Mrs Jensen, Business teacher

Chill with headspace - All welcome

Democracy in action

As a practical activity to end off the Year 10 Citizenship unit, our North LEAP kids have organised their own candidate and campaign plan for a pseudo-election. With promises of footpaths, promoting Bundy, saving the stray animals and the planet; there was something there to appeal to many different voters. Posters, campaign slogans and photo opportunities were utilised as part of their election speeches. Ryan Reynolds was successful by both first past the post and our normal preferential voting system. A great effort done by all – democracy in action.

Scholarships - University of Queensland

The University of Queensland’s Young Achievers Program raises and supports the long-term tertiary education aspirations, career options and community-mindedness of nominated Queensland state high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds by actively engaging and mentoring them throughout their academic journey and beyond.

Applications for the 2021 intake are now open. If you think you might be eligible for this opportunity (Year 10 students only), please see Miss Coulton in G block.  Click on the link below for more information.  Applications close on the 3rd of August. 

Enrolling Year 7 students for 2021

EXPRESS Enrolment - Year 7 in 2021

CQUniversity - Campus connect

On the 18th of August, CQUniversity is inviting all Year 10 students from Bundaberg North State High School to participate in a Campus Connect program. This program is designed to provide students with an insight into university and TAFE life, plus explain the benefits of obtaining a further qualification through fun and interactive sessions. All students are expected to attend as there will be no regular classes for Year 10 at school that day. 
The day program will be held on Tuesday, the 18th of August during school hours at the CQUniversity Bundaberg campus. This is a FREE program, transport to and from the campus will be arranged and paid for by the University and full school uniform is to be worn. Permission slips have been distributed to all students, and are also available at the link below.  Please return these to the school Office by 12th August.  

Important dates

Community noticeboard

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