BNSHS Newsletter 8 November 2023

From the Principal's office

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we approach the end of the year, there are some exciting developments and events to share with you.

Year 12 external exams coming to an end: Celebrating achievements

The year 12 external exams are almost complete, and we want to extend our congratulations to the students for their hard work and determination throughout this year. We have been impressed by the dedication and perseverance displayed by our year 12 students and the end of exams is just the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in their lives, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements together.

Invitation to Year 12 Graduation and Prom

We cordially invite all Year 12 parents and guardians to join us for the Year 12 Graduation ceremony that will take place on November 15^th at 5.30pm in the school hall. The Year 12 Prom will be held the following evening on November 16^th at the Brothers’ Club. We encourage you to come and see the students arriving for the Prom from 5pm.

Special Guest: Jeff Horn returns to North High

We are excited to announce that Jeff Horn (champion boxer and ambassador for the Bullyproof Australia Resilience program that we have been delivering at North this year), returned to North High today. Jeff Horn will speak to a selection of students about the importance of resilience and share his journey from an aspiring young athlete to a world champion. He will also check on the progress of our Resilience program, which has been helping our students navigate the challenges of conflict resolution.

Mobile Phone Ban policy

Commencing in 2024 all Government schools will be implementing a mobile phone ban for students – phones need to be ‘away for the day’. We are currently working on a mobile phone ban policy to be in place for the new school year.   Schools across Queensland have a variety of options to put in place to support the ban and will be implementing methods relevant to their school setting, to support the change.  Our policy will be devised by the end of the year, ready for 2024 and we will be releasing information to you periodically over the next few weeks to inform you and to gain your feedback. 

50^th Anniversary celebrations

Bundaberg North State High will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary on June 1^st next year.  We will be holding a day event and an evening event on the Saturday and invite all past and present students, staff and families to attend.  If you would be willing to help in any way with the planning of the event please complete the form at the link below.  We have begun sending out Facebook messages and hope that you will place that date in your calendar for next year and be able to come along and join in the celebration.

Robyn Kent, Principal 

BNSHS 50th Anniversary Celebration

The Watson Report

CELEBRATION LUNCHEON

Last week we recognised students who achieved 100% attendance for term 3. These students attended a special luncheon, including mocktails, prepared and served by our year 11 Hospitality students. Please see some of the photos from the event below. Next year we will continue to recognise positive student attendance with celebration luncheons as well as other new rewards being introduced. Look out for these in the new year!

LUCKY GOTCHAS

Last week new themed Gotchas were released. The new Festive Fun Fact Gotchas have proved very popular, especially the Lucky Gotchas! If students get a Lucky Gotcha, they can trade it for a $2 tuckshop voucher from Mrs Watson. Students receive Gotchas for demonstrating the school values of respect, responsibility and safety.

REWARD DAYS

The Reward Days are coming! This term there are two Reward Days to recognise excellent attendance and behaviour. To qualify students must achieve at least 95% actual attendance with no unexplained absences, no suspensions and no more than one visit to the Re-engagement Room, for the period from 4 September to 3 November.

Students in year 10 and 11 who have qualified, will be notified via email and student notices early next week. An electronic permission form will be sent to parents of students who choose the movie reward. The movie will also be confirmed at this time.

Reward Day 1: Friday 24 November for year 10 and 11 students. Students choose from:

• Movie at Reading Cinemas or
• $5 tuckshop voucher.

Rewards Day 2: Tuesday 5 December for year 7, 8 and 9 students. Students choose from:

• Norville Pool (with inflatables) or
• $5 tuckshop voucher.

Students who qualify will be notified closer to the events. The movie or pool reward has a $5 co-payment by students. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Mrs Watson, Deputy Principal

Defence Force Work Experience

Year 10 student K'Larni carried out 5 days work experience at the Australian Defence Force.  This is her report of what the week meant for her.

Last Monday I travelled to Brisbane for a 'Defence Force Work Experience'. I stayed at Gallipoli Barracks for 5 days, with 30 different students from all around Australia. We woke up at 05:00 and had to go to sleep at 22:00. Our days consisted of drill practice, PT lessons and looking at different units. My favourite unit I visited was the 2nd /14th light horse regiment, that was where the tanks and armoured vehicles are kept. I made heaps of friends on the program from across the country and always played a game of touch in the afternoon when we had spare time. We had to share rooms with the other students which meant lots of talking past bedtime. My favourite part of the trip was marching down to breakfast every morning and seeing all the other soldiers on base training and practicing. Overall this trip was a great experience and definitely kept me excited for my future.

Year 10 student K'Larni.

P&C News

P&C ask for your uniform donations

My name is Shelly Hansen.  I am the President of the BNSHS P&C Association and I am seeking your help.  Sadly, there are students at our school whose families are not able to provide them with a uniform.  I would like to ask for your assistance by donating any items of North High uniform that your children no longer need.  The P&C try to support all requests for assistance but with your help we may be able to extend that support further.  

All uniform donations are greatly appreciated, and we thank you for the continued support of our school.  

Thank you for your help, Shelly Hansen, P&C President

Callout for volunteers

Can you volunteer some time either at home or in tuckshop?

We have some jobs for the tuckshop that could be completed at home such as cutting foil into squares, cutting burger paper (baking paper), putting labels on bags and more.

We also need assistance in our tuckshop. This can be a background position (not student facing). The jobs could include washing up, stocking fridges/ice cream freezer/spoons and helping with food preparation (cutting salads/fruit).

The main days needed are Tuesday and Thursday from 8am-12noon, but any amount of time from 1 to 4 hours would be extremely helpful.

We can also sign off on your Centrelink, work/volunteer forms.

If you think you could spare some time, please contact us via email – pandc@bundabergnorthshs.eq.edu.au

Shelly Hansen, P&C President 

Ulton opportunities

Ulton are recruiting for two great opportunities in their organisation.  Please click on the link for all the information.

(Permanent Entry-Level Accounting Role - 2024) Ulton Talent Management System - Administration - Career - View Job - Undergraduate / Graduate Accountant - start your career! (elmotalent.com.au)

(Paid Work Experience – 2024) Ulton Talent Management System - Administration - Career - View Job - Vacationer (Bundaberg) (elmotalent.com.au)

2024 planning - uniform and books

As we approach the end of the year, thoughts turn to requirements for the 2024 school year.  Booklists are now available on our school website and can be accessed at the link below. 

Please check your student's uniform requirements for 2024.  Students in Years 7, 8, and 9 wear Junior Sports uniform which has a purple front and back with black arms.  Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 wear Senior Sports uniform which has a black front and back and purple arms.  Students in Year 11 and 12 also require a Formal uniform to be worn for formal school occassions, school photographs and when representing BNSHS.   All uniform items can be bought at Shawline Embroidery in Walker Street.

Thank you for supporting the North High uniform policy.  

Lockers

Every now and then students need to bring extra stuff to school such as sports gear, skateboard, overnight bag etc and need somewhere to store it for the day. Voila!! We have installed lockers in which students can keep their extra belongings safe for the day. Students can go to see the awesome staff in the office for help.

If students require long term lockers, these are available for a year and are free of charge.  

Friday 5 for Term 4, 2023

If you would like to register for your student's Friday 5 attendace for TERM 4, please use the link below. You are able to re-use this link throughout the term and update it as required.

CQ University Research Project

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

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

Containers for Change program

Bundaberg North SHS supports the Containers for Change program and raises money for student resources.  If you have empty bottles or cans and would like to donate them to North High we would be very grateful.   You can either bring them to school office and staff will give them to the Tuckshop or you can take them to one of the recycling depots and quote our school code – C10002160.  

Thank you for helping our school and the environment.