BNSHS Newsletter 29 March 2023

From the Principal's Office

As we near the end of another term, I wanted to provide you with an update on the academic progress of our students.

Firstly, I am pleased to inform you that student reports will be issued at the end of this week. You will receive student reports by email or you can access them through QParents. Our dedicated team of teachers have spent many hours carefully analysing and evaluating each student's academic performance. These reports will provide you with an overview of your child's progress and opportunity will be available for parents to meet with teachers at our Student Progress Conferences on Thursday, April 27.  To make your booking with your child's teacher, please see the link below.

We will be analysing the Term 1 results and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our students and thank our teachers for their hard work and commitment towards achieving the results.

Our Year 7 and 9 students have recently completed the NAPLAN assessments. These assessments provide valuable information about our students' literacy and numeracy skills and help us to identify areas where we can improve our teaching and learning programs.

This week we also have 'Reward day' activities planned for Thursday.  Congratulations to the 284 students who will be acknowledged for their excellent attendance in term 1.

Finally, I would like to wish all our families a safe and happy holiday break. Please take the time to rest, recharge and enjoy quality time with your loved ones. We look forward to welcoming our students back for the start of Term 2.

Thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Robyn

Friday 5 - Students remaining at school until 3pm Term 2, 2023

The Watson Report

Well done students for your efforts this term

It’s week 10 and a time to reflect on the term and the success and achievements of students. This week we recognise the excellent attendance of many students. This year we raised the bar for inclusion in Reward Days. To participate students must have at least 95% actual attendance at school with no unexplained absences, and no suspensions. This term close to 300 students have achieved this, so had the choice of three options for their Reward Day; Bargara Beach trip, gaming session or $5 tuckshop voucher. Congratulations students for demonstrating a commitment to your learning. I am looking forward to the beach trip and gaming session tomorrow.

I have also been checking report cards for students in year 7 and year 10. I am impressed with the number of students achieving all ‘A’ and ‘B’ results, and the high number of students passing all their subjects. Most importantly, and where I encourage all parents and carers to focus, is the ‘Effort’ and ‘Behaviour’ result. What I always look for is ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’, and I certainly saw many of these. It is very pleasing to see so many students demonstrating the school values of respect and responsibility towards their studies. The main reason we are all at school is the teaching and learning of students. Thank you to parents and carers for your support this term to ensure teaching and learning remains our core business.

Early next term report cards of all students will be reviewed to identify recipients of our Reach for the Sky awards. These awards recognise students who consistently demonstrate excellent effort and behaviour across their subjects. Students can receive a BRONZE, SILVER or GOLD award based on the number of ‘excellent’ results for effort and behaviour. Each student must meet the minimum requirement for both effort and behaviour, for example, to receive a BRONZE award they must achieve at least 4 x Excellent results for effort and 4 x Excellent results for behaviour across their chosen subjects.

Criteria:

• GOLD: 6 x Excellent for Effort and Behaviour       
• SILVER: 5 (minimum) x Excellent for Effort and Behaviour  
• BRONZE: 4 (minimum) x Excellent for Effort and Behaviour 
• PLATINUM: Achieve 3 x GOLD Reach for the Sky Awards.

The data for these awards is from report cards; Interim report term 1, Semester 1 report, Interim report term 3. These awards will be presented at a whole school parade each term, with the Platinum awards presented at our annual Presentation Night for students who have recieved 3 Gold Reach for the Sky Awards. If you have any questions about these awards, please contact me via email rwats34@eq.edu.au or phone 4130 0222.

Mrs Watson, Deputy Principal

Student Progress Conferences

You will receive your student's term 1 report card by email on Friday, 31st March, or via QParents on the same day.  If you would like a hard copy, please contact the office.

Student Progress Conferences will be held on Thursday, 27th April 3:30pm -6:00pm.  This is a great opportunity to meet with your students' teachers and discuss their term 1 progress.  Please use the link below to book via the Schools Online Booking System (SOBS).  We ask you to check your student's timetable to ensure you are booking with the correct teachers. If you need help identifying the teachers you need to make bookings with, please contact the office staff who will be happy to help you.  Please call 4130 0222.

Ulton inspire students

A big THANK YOU to Ammie Cauchi and Connor Silcox from Ulton Accountants for coming to speak with Year 11 and 12 Accounting students today. Our students thoroughly enjoyed gaining an insight into the business and accounting world and hearing the experiences from past student, Connor. Ammie also provided students with some helpful tips for future study and gaining employment beyond high school.

Legal Studies mock court

Year 11 and 12 Legal Studies students got to put their knowledge into action today and ran their own mock court featuring a case of negligence. The jury decided that there was no breach to the duty of care owed and therefore the case was dismissed. 

Miss Wilson, Legal Studies teacher

School dental van to visit

The mobile dental clinic will be starting at Bundaberg North State High School in a few weeks time.  The school dental service will be offering a free dental examination and dental treatment to all students who return their Offer of Treatment form which was handed out in in week 1 of term 2.  All forms must be completed in ink.  Once the form is returned, our friendly administrative officer will send the parent/legal guardian a contact letter or a contact SMS, so they can ring us to arrange an appointment.  Please note: A PARENT/LEGAL GUARDIAN MUST ATTEND the first appointment as the way we deliver our service has changed.

For the first appointment the parent/guardian MUST attend - after that a responsible adult can attend.  If after the discussion with the operator at the first appointment, you are happy for your child to attend from class themselves, this can also occur.  Please note there may be paperwork you will need to sign so this will be sent home for you.  We understand there will be exceptions so please discuss with us.  Please work with us so we can deliver the best care to our child/children.

Please return the completed form to the school office by Friday, 28th April.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service - Oral Health

Izzy slays!

Year 9 student Izzy has done herself proud in the latest karate competition.   Training is for the 3 days prior to competition and is conducted by Takahashi Shian himself along with Kobayashi Shian, Nemoto Sensei and Hirata Sensei. It is very intense with 2 x 2 hour training sessions per day! Including 800 Mae-Geri (front snap kicks) in a row!   

Izzy competed in 3rd - 1st KYU competition in both Kata and Jiyu-Ippon (1 step free sparring). The competition was very tough but she came away with a Bronze Medal in the Jiyu-Ippon! Izzy along with her teammates Jordi and Lyla also competed in the Team Kara and tied for 3rd place however narrowly missed the medal on count back. The Kata team were very excited to have a special mention from Takahashi Shihan! Izzy and her team mates are now looking forward to the Wide Bay Titles coming up in Childers at the end of April! 

World Story Day

On Monday the library celebrated World Storytelling Day. Students gathered to the library for a moment of peace.  We enjoyed hearing the story Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth.  This story introduced us to Stillwater the panda and three children who learn from Stillwater's stories full of wisdom and tranquillity.  

From the pages....

When you look into a pool of water, if the water is still, you can see the moon reflected. If the water is agitated, the moon is fragmented and scattered. It is harder to see the true moon. Our minds are like that. When our minds are agitated, we cannot see the true world.

Miss Labenski is already planning her next Story Time for our library.....

Math methods

Matching graphs to functions is an essential skill for any student studying Mathematic Methods, particularly in topics such as calculus and algebra. Calculus can be a challenging concept to teach and learn, and students may struggle to stay engaged throughout the process. In the mathematics department at Bundaberg North State High School we have been exploring a useful pedagogy for teaching this skill called "think-pair-share" and how it may be used to increase student engagement and deepen their understanding of matching graphs to functions.

Think-pair-share is a collaborative learning strategy that involves three stages: thinking, pairing, and sharing. The first stage involves individual thinking where students are given a problem or a question to consider. In our case, students can be given a set of graphs and a list of functions, and asked to match each graph to its corresponding function.

The second stage involves pairing students in small groups to discuss their individual ideas and come up with a group solution. This stage allows students to exchange ideas, discuss their reasoning, and refine their understanding of the problem.

The final stage involves sharing the group solutions with the class. This stage allows students to see a variety of approaches and solutions to the problem, compare and contrast their solutions with others, and further refine their understanding.

By using think-pair-share, teachers have increased student engagement, providing a more interactive and collaborative learning experience. Students were able to actively participate in the learning process, and had the opportunity to discuss and share ideas, helping them to develop a deeper understanding of any concept. Additionally, the social interaction involved in think-pair-share can help to create a more positive and supportive classroom environment, which lead to increased motivation and engagement.

Think-pair-share was an effective pedagogy for teaching matching graphs to functions.  Increasing student engagement and deepen student understanding of concepts. Incorporating different pedagogy strategies into teaching and learning, creating a more collaborative and interactive learning environment, leads to better student outcomes in mathematics.

Ms Carpenter, Math Head of Department

Past North student shines

2022 Dux of Bundaberg North SHS, Hannah Earl is following her dreams and pursuing her career aspirations with Central Queensland University.  We were delighted to see Hannah feature in a recent ABC production.   

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

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

QParents in 2025 at BNSHS

QParents is all about making parents’ lives easier. QParents is a safe, private app to help parents and caregivers manage important details about their child’s education. Once you are registered, you can sign in securely and- Make payments online- Check your student’s timetable, assessment calendar and report cards- Inform the school of your student’s past or future absence- See upcoming events- View enrolment details- Update your contact details.

From 2025, the school will be asking all parents to submit their consent for excursions through QParents. Click the link below for more information or contact the school to arrange for your unique invitation code to start your registration process.

You can watch the introductory video at the link below to learn more about QParents and how it can work for you.

QPARENTS INTRODUCTORY VIDEO

Volleybay Australia - Qld Camp

As part of Volleyball Australia’s national talent identification program in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic games and beyond, a series of regional training camps is being conducted in 2023 to find new young talent to enter the volleyball pathway. Our next Volleyball Australia Emerging Talent Program Regional Camp is being held in the Wide Bay region on the weekend on 13^th – 14^th May 2023 at Aldridge State High School (Maryborough).

The weekend camp will provide male and female athletes in the Wide Bay and Burnett region (and beyond) an opportunity to advance their skills under the guidance of the high-performance Volleyball Australia national junior program coaches and athletes. Athletes will have the opportunity to engage in a total of 9 hours of on-court coaching over the weekend and learn the skill concepts and training/playing styles employed by the Australian junior and senior national teams.

I have attached the Volleyball Australia Emerging Talent Camp Flyer for the Wide Bay region below – which provides some basic information about the camp structure, location, camp fee ($165), and the link for interested athletes to register to participate in this camp on the 13^th – 14^th May 2023.

Athletes can register directly via the registration form at https://www.revolutionise.com.au/qasvolleyball/events/176233/ and athletes should register as soon as possible to secure their position in this camp as capacity is limited to 60 athletes (30 males and 30 females).

Registration will remain open until Thursday 11^th May, or until capacity is reached.

Important dates