BNSHS Newsletter 2022-10-26

From the Principal's office

This month has brought great joy in our school being able to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our students at our Presentation Parade and Presentation Night on October 13^th.  I want to congratulate the many students who gained certificates and/or received awards.  Presentation night was a wonderful evening where our students were recognised for their outstanding work and were able to share their achievements with family, friends and the school community.  

Last week students were also involved in a number of activities including the State Optiminds competition in Brisbane, the University of Queensland Young Achievers Program, Try a Trade Day and the “Emergence” Art exhibition at the Bundaberg Art Gallery.

We also hosted the Bundaberg and District First Nations celebration on Thursday 20^th, that saw all graduating First Nations students from the six state high schools along with their families, come together to acknowledge their achievements.

This week our Year 12 students undertake their final external assessment.  All Year 12 students from across the State will be completing their external exams over a 3 ½ week period.  We wish them well for the final assessment.  The Year 12s will be celebrating their Graduation on November 16^th followed by their Prom on November 17^th.

Finally, I would like to announce that I will be taking some leave this term and there will be an Acting Principal starting this week.  I want to welcome Natalie Brandon to North High. She is coming from Isis District High School.  Natalie will be taking the Principal role for the rest of the term.  As some of you may know, I fractured my foot in July and the healing process has been taking longer than expected.  I will be taking some time off to fully recover and be ready for 2023.  I will still be taking a keen interest in the school and I wish you all the best for the remainder of the year. 

Robyn Kent, Principal

Friday 5 - Students remaining at school until 3pm Term 4 , 2022

The Watson Report

Now in week 4, it is time for students to make sure they are planning for success. To be successful learners, students need to do the following:

• Review term 3 progress report
• Set academic goals for term 4
• Update their weekly schedule, making sure there is time allocated for study at home
• Know when all assessment is due, including examinations
• Complete homework and revise class work
• Seek assistance from teachers.

As parents and carers, check in with your child to see how they are progressing with their planning for success. If you have any questions or concerns about their classwork or assessment, please call or email their class teacher.

RECOGNISING POSITIVE STUDENT BEHAVIOUR

Students are receiving Gotchas for demonstrating the school values of Respect, Responsibility and Safety. There are many groups of students who are ‘pooling’ their Gotchas, so they can ‘cash in’ their Gotchas for vouchers and celebrate their rewards together. This is great to see! See the image below with the many options that students can receive when they ‘cash in’ their Gotchas.

Currently there are several Gotcha colours in circulation, including orange Respect Gotchas and purple Responsibility Gotchas. New Safety Gotchas are coming soon!

Students are also working towards Reward Day for term 4. There will be several options for students. The Reward Day for year 10 and 11 will be held in week 8, while the Reward Day for years 7, 8 and 9, will be in week 10. Please view the image below with the Reward day options.

Enrolment - yr 7 in 2023

Bundaberg North SHS is calling all parents wishing to enrol their students in Year 7 in 2023 to act now.  Enrolment packs have been sent out to all of North's feeder schools and we are asking that all paperwork is returned to the school by November 1st.  Orientation Day is a big event on the enrolment calendar at North High.  It is the day we welcome all of our new enrolments for Year 7 in 2023 to come to spend the day with us to experience high school life, make new connections and have fun.  To ensure your student has a class placement on this day, it is important to have all of your documents returned to the school office by 4pm November 1st.  Please contact us if you need assistance.  

Let's show our North Spirit and help those less fortunate this festive season. Donations of non-perishable items can be donated through your student's RAS class or at the office. We appreciate your help.

BNSHS Year 12 Graduation

On Wednesday, 16th November we celebrate the graduation of our 2022 Year 12 cohort.  We welcome family members and friends to join us in celebrating this milestone.  The ceremony will take place in the BNSHS hall, commencing at 5:30pm.  There is no need to RSVP.

The 2022 Prom takes place on Thursday, 17th November at Brothers Sports Club.  Students are excitedly making plans for the evening.  Please see the links below with information for parents and students regarding preparation for the end of their schooling. 

First Nations graduation celebration

Last Thursday we hosted the Bundaberg and District First Nations graduation ceremony.  Congratulations to our year 12 graduating students and congratulations to Haylee who won both the Student of the Year and the attendance award. 

The ceremony is organised by our district Community Education Counsellors and we thank the Elders, students, staff, parents and family members for attending.

Thank you to the 2022 Student Council

The Student Council celebrated another successful year at their breakup party last week. The contribution of the Student Council in 2022 has been well received by the school community. Due to their dedication in fundraising throughout the year, the council have donated funds to increase school unity by funding the Spirt of North Mural. Members have been involved in many events throughout the year including ANZAC day services, free dress days, school parades, spirit of north day, chaplaincy breakfast, and more.  We thank the Student Council for their service to the school. The Student Council would also like to thank all staff and students for their support over 2022, and they wish the year 12 students well in their exams.

Design excellence from North students

This year, some of our outstanding Design and Technology students were entered into the North Coast Regional Queensland DATTA design subject excellence awards. The North Coast region stretches from Agnes Waters, includes the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and all the way down to Strathpine. There were not only one, but two students from our school who won their category. Year 9 student, Zahlia was awarded the overall North Coast regional champion for Design Excellence in Design and Technology. Year 11 student, Jordan was awarded the overall North Coast regional champion for Design Excellence in Industrial Graphics Skills. 

String Ensemble

Last Thursday evening, the String Ensemble performed for the last time this year, at our “String Soiree”.  This was a lovely, relaxed evening shared with parents.  We farewelled our two year 12 students – thank you to Helena and Jade, we will miss you!  Thanks also to Miss Denham and Miss Kent for attending.

Reef Guardian Eco-Challenge

This year's Reef Guardian Eco-Challenge required students to work in groups of two to four students to come up with an innovative solution, involving at least one part of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics), to one of the threats the Great Barrier Reef is facing. 

Students were required to create a two-minute video pitch about their solution. We have two groups of three students entering the competition this year. Their videos will introduce the threat they have chosen to focus on and its impact, detail the group's solution, and explain how the solution will help. 

Mrs Roberts, Planeteers Coordinator

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

Dylan Sarra guides young North artists

During term 3, students were given the opportunity to undertake art workshops by Tarribelang artist Dylan Sarra, with the intention to create art works to display at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery. Students learned about the significance of the cotton tree plant to First Nations people, and tried traditional string making techniques using the inner bark of its branches. Further experiments were undertaken to find ways to communicate ideas related to the exhibition concept of belonging. Jayme, Arlea, Bridie and Sierra each created collagraph prints under the guidance of art teacher Mrs Martin, learning new techniques and ways to express their own personal stories. Art teacher Mrs McDonald worked with the group to explore different ways to represent the cotton tree leaf using solar dyes on textiles.

Throughout the process, we worked with the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery’s technician Rachel Weldon and kept in touch with Dylan via video link. A visit to the gallery space gave students the opportunity to see where their work would be displayed.

On Friday 21 October the Emergence exhibition officially opened giving everyone the chance to see the work that was created. It was wonderful to see the faces of our students light up as they saw their work hung in the gallery with lighting and artist statements displayed for all to see. Statement quotes were displayed in large text, and collaborative works took pride of place in the main gallery. The whole process was a valuable opportunity for students, giving the chance to be involved from start to finish – and also included The exhibition continues until 22 November.

Emergence

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Seeds of Unity

Class 7D at Bundaberg North State High School have been decorating seed pods over the last term.  The decorated seeds will contribute to a Mandala that will be displayed in the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery. The Mandala is to highlight and improve social connectivity and positive mental health within the Bundaberg community. The Seeds of Unity Mandala will be displayed at the Bundaberg Regional Gallery from Saturday the 20^th August 2022 and will continue to grow until the end of the year. The students from 7D  were very proud to participate in this activity.

Mrs Susie Mant, Activity Coordinator

Students 'Try-a-Trade'

Year 10 students were invited to participate in the CSQ’s (Construction Skills Queensland) Try’ a Trade event at TAFE Bundaberg campus.  

The day included hands on experience with a number of trades from various industries (electrical, carpentry, bricklaying and painting) to talk about their career pathway and answer questions about construction and the opportunities it can offer.  The students really enjoyed the day and got a great deal of information and inspiration from the experience.

STUFFit Film Festival

In July, students from Film, Television and Media entered films they produced in class to the STUFFit Film Fest. It is a film festival for high school students with entries from all over Australia and internationally. Films were shortlisted for screening at the Majestic Cinema in Nambour this month. Three of our student films were selected. Byron (Year 12) entered a short documentary, Abi and Corey (Year 11) entered short horror films. The high calibre of  winning and runner up entries can be seen at STUFFit Youtube Channel

Miss Wah Day, Film, Television and Media teacher

Environmental focus

Considering the Environment over the Internet

International friendship is being continued with North’s further participation in Queensland International’s Global Minds Challenges. On Friday a group of North students spoke with our Japanese Hakuo students in Tokyo. The topic of Environment and Sustainability was given a local flavour with discussion of sugar cane burning and biofuels. Students were stunned by the length of time it takes for various products to biodegrade. It was lovely to see our host students again and they are keen to continue learning English with the hope of returning to Australia one day.

Katrine Rayner, Languages Head of Department

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 

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

Important dates