BNSHS Newsletter 6th December 2023

From The Principal's Office

This newsletter is our last for the year and I want to thank all the parents and guardians for working with us throughout 2023 to support the students to achieve their best outcomes. As we wind down this week, our staff have put together an end of year activity schedule that students will participate in as assessment has been completed and reports compiled.

End-of-Year Reports

Semester 2 reports will be issued at the end of this week. These reports provide results for achievement, behaviour and effort in each subject.  We encourage you to take the time to review these reports with your child and celebrate their accomplishments.  Report cards will be available on QParents and issue to all families via email.

Thank You for Your Support

I would like to extend a special thank you for your continuous support throughout the year. Your involvement in school events, parent-teacher conferences, and various activities has contributed to our school community.

Looking Ahead to Next Year

As we look to the future, we are excited to announce that next year will bring two significant events for our school. We will be undergoing a School Review to further enhance our educational programs and practices. School Reviews are held every 4 years. Additionally, we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary on June 1^st. Stay tuned for more details about the festivities and how you can be involved in this special milestone.

Meet the Teachers BBQ - 2024

Mobile Phone ban in Queensland schools in 2024

Reminder that from January 2024, students will be unable to use their mobile phone during school time from the first bell to the last bell (including lunch breaks).  Phones, wearable devices such as earpods/airpods and smart watches must be off and ‘away for the day’.   All government schools will be implementing the mobile phone ban.

Please work with your child/children to prepare for this change.  It is preferable that phones are left at home to assist the students with this as we know that many of them will find it difficult and challenging not to have access to their phone throughout the day.  We understand that for a variety of reasons, students will want to bring their phones to school.  With this in mind, we are putting in place a supportive measure to assist students to resist the temptation of using their phone during school hours.  All students at the start of the year will be issued with a lockable pouch.  Students will turn their phone off and place it in the pouch and lock it at the start of each day.  At the end of the day, students will unlock their pouch at stations around the school and be able to access their phone.  Phones will remain in the care of the student at all times unless they do not follow the procedures. Clear procedures will be explained to students at the beginning of next year.

Information has been previously emailed to parents and students  providing more detail, you can also find these documents at the links below.  We ask for your support and assistance in preparing your child/children for this new government directive.  If you have any queries please contact us. 

Wishing You a Safe and Enjoyable Holiday Season

As the holiday season approaches, on behalf of the staff at Bundaberg North SHS I wish all our families a happy, safe, and relaxing break. We look forward to reconnecting with you in the new year, rejuvenated and ready for another year of learning and growth.

Thank you once again for being an essential part of the Bundaberg North SHS family.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Robyn Kent, Principal 

Friday 5 - Students remaining at school until 3pm Term 1, 2024

The Watson Report

Congratulations Year 9

The Junior Certificate of Education is a school-based recognition of achievement for year 9 students. Over 100 year 9 students achieved their JCE this year. This was celebrated with a special parade yesterday. Congratulations to these students for demonstrating their commitment to learning. Unfortunately, some students were absent, so were not able to formally receive their certificate. These certificates can be collected from the office. Photos of recipients can be viewed on the school Facebook page.

Reward Days

This term we had two Reward Days! The first was held on Friday 24 November for year 10 and year 11 students, with over fifty students choosing to attend the movie  The Marvels.  All students were well behaved and we enjoyed the movie and canteen treats. 

Reward Day 2 for  year 7, 8 and 9 students was held on Tuesday 5 December, with almost fifty students attending the trip to Norville Pool. It was a beautiful hot and sunny day with students enjoying the water and the huge inflatable course. Excellent behaviour was demonstrated by all students. Thank you students for a great finish to the North Rewards program! Photos from the day can be seen on our Facebook page.

Early next year we will be asking for Reward Day ideas again! So please note down any ideas ready for North Rewards next year.

Happy Holidays!

Thank you to students for your commitment to learning this year and enthusiasm towards opportunities at North. Thank you to parents and carers for your ongoing support of your students to engage them with education. I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. I look forward to working with both students and parents/carers in 2024. Remember the first day back at school for students is Monday 22 January.

Rebecca Watson, Deputy Principal

All you need to know for Day 1, 2024

Please visit our school website for information regarding the first days of term 1, 2024.  This page covers uniform requirements, booklists, where students go on day 1, information on the mobile phone ban and much more.  

Rocky Report

Rocky the Animal Assisted Education Dog has been busy over the last couple of weeks. The job of a support dog is not easy. One could say it is a bit ruff. He has been assisting students transitioning from primary schools, along with checking in on his regular North High students. He loves lending a paw and making new fur-ends. He is fully trained with Therapy Dogs Australia. Below is a couple of fetching pictures of Rocky.  

Transition Day

Last Wednesday, we welcomed our Year 6 students to BNSHS for their second transition day. Over 120 students enjoyed the day with activities including Manual Arts, Cooking, Business, Media, Science and Humanities.

10 Lucky Gotcha winners were fortunate enough to win a voucher that entitles them to BNSHS uniform items from Shawline Embroidery ready for next year.

We look forward to welcoming you all in 2024.

Miss Thornton, Head of Department Junior School

LCEB News

First Nations Partnership

The Local Community Engagement Through Co-design (LCETC) model aims to assist the Department of Education Queensland to work with First Nations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) people to elevate their voices and utilise cultural protocols and knowledges in schools through a process of co-design.

Bundaberg North State High School (BNSHS) put out an Expression of Interest to people to sit on the Local Community Education Body (LCEB). The LCEB consists of First Nation’s Aboriginal Elders (Aunty Muriel and Aunty Phyllis), parents (Vicki), grandparents (Bob), and community member (Norelle), a Torres Strait Islander member (Russell), BNSHS First Nations Community Education Counsellors - CEC’s (Jayden and Kerryn) and School Principal (Robyn), the Community Partnerships Officer - Indigenous Education and a Project Officer from First Nations Strategy and Partnerships (Engagement Team) DOE (Clint).

Through this partnership we endeavour to support and improve the outcomes for our First Nation students at BNSHS through the following projects:

Cultural Program/Homework Hub:

The homework hub will be an after school project, that will be a welcoming and safe inclusive space for First Nation students from years 7-12. They will be engaged in Social and Cultural activities with support from our Elders, CEC’s and community services. Our big focus though is providing mentoring and support in all aspects of their Curriculum. Our CEC’s and Teachers from BNSHS school will help support our students in this area as well as the Co-ordinator and the Tutors.

We propose to run this project two (2) days a week, starting in the early part of first term of 2024. There will be two positions advertised, to assist in the Cultural program/Homework Hub - a Community Education Counsellor (CEC) and a Teacher Aide, on Queensland Government Smart Jobs website in the near future.

Transport:

We are hiring a bus to do morning and afternoon runs, Monday to Friday, to and from school. Increasing attendance rates of our First Nation students is our focus here. The school is developing a criteria that will need to be considered prior to transporting any students.

If you have any queries, would like more information, or are interested in participating in the projects in some form or capacity, please contact the BNSHS First Nations CEC’s Jayden Alberts  jalbe61@eq.edu.au or Kerryn Fisher kfish153@eq.edu.au on 4130 0222 or 0423 043 131.

2024 Relay for Life

Bundaberg North State High has registered a team for the 2024 Relay for Life.  Relay For Life brings communities together to celebrate cancer survivorship, remember loved ones lost and empower teams of families, friends and colleagues to raise money to fight back against cancer.  This year the event will be held on Saturday 20th July from 12pm to 9pm.  We are looking for some students to come on board and lead our team as well as make up our relay team.  Early bird registration costs only $5 (this will end early next year)! Students, Parents, Carers and Families can join our team!  If you are interested in joining our team the link to register is below and for more information  you can contact Mrs Hearn on 4130 0222. 

2024 C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship Applications

Applications for the 2024 C.A.S. Hawker Scholarships open on Monday 4th December and close on Friday 5th January 2024.

C.A.S. Hawker Scholarships are one of the most generous privately funded scholarships available to undergraduate students in Australia. Each residential scholarship is valued at up to $60,000 over three years. The scholarships are available to all Australian students. The majority have been awarded to students entering their first year of university studies.

Selection is largely based on personal qualities and demonstrated leadership as well as academic ability. Undergraduate Hawker Scholars are able to attend a range of Australian educational institutions.

The scholarship perpetuates the memory of scholar, soldier, pastoralist and statesman Charles Allan Seymour Hawker.

For more information and to submit your application for this potential life changing opportunitiy visit the website www.hawkerscholarship.org

School Student Broadband Initiative

To boost education opportunities and narrow the digital divide, the Australian Government is providing up to 30,000 eligible families with no internet at home a free National Broadband Network (NBN) service.

Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has announced an extension of the Program. This means the nomination period will remain open until 31 December 2024 with free nbn broadband services for all new and existing families continuing until 31 December 2025.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the SSBI, a family must: 

Have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school. 

Not have an active nbn® network internet service at home. Having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility. 

Not have had an active nbn connection during the previous 14 days.  

Live in a premises that can access the nbn network through a standard connection.

National Referral Centre

Families can directly contact the SSBI National Referral Centre (NRC) to check their eligibility for the Initiative. After a family contacts the NRC, an operator will check their eligibility and support the family to get connected through a participating internet provider.  

Contact the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 (Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm AEDT), www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet. Callback and webchat functions are also available via the website. SSBI promotional materials are also available via the weblink – scroll down to find resources materials.

Nbn is implementing the SSBI on behalf of the Federal Government and is currently working with more than 55 Nominating Organisations in the community services, non profit and education sectors to identify and support eligible families to get connected.

Further information is available at School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts

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 

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.  

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 

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.

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

Important dates

School Savvy Pop Up Shop coming 2024