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8 May 2015
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
To The School Community
Like any school we are a busy place; however, we have a clear focus on maintaining the supportive learning environment in which each student
is encouraged, by our committed staff, to be the best possible person they can be in their academic, cultural, sport and general community
pursuits. Our school community remains committed to maximising the potential of each student by enhancing educational opportunities in line
with our motto of Strive To Accomplish through our values of commitment, cooperation, courtesy, consideration and common sense.
There are a number of ‘givens’ for a classroom to be effective and which fit well with the intentions of the school’s Explicit Instruction - Teaching
and Learning Framework. All members of our school community need to maintain a commitment to the personal actions listed below in order to
maximise potential outcomes:
• Maintaining positive relationships
• High expectations
• Bookwork and handwriting
• Following routines, procedures and policies
• Classroom tone – engaged students
• Safe and orderly environment (in and out of the classroom)
• Focused learning
………………………...all of which are reliant on regular attendance at school.
What has our busy-ness included over the previous weeks?
• Interschool Summer Sport Finals
• Year 11/12 Drama – live theatre viewing
• Year 11/12 Visual Art – excursion to GOMA
• Music Workshop (across year levels) – composing with technology (e.g. iPads)
• Years 7/8/9/10 Drama – Zeal theatre performance
• Expo - lots of student volunteers
• School Cross Country
Two important upcoming events:
• NAPLAN – 12 to 14 May involving Years 7 and 9
• QCS Practice Tests – 13 and 14 May, Year 12
... parents can I encourage you to please ensure students are well rested, well fed and may I even suggest access to social media limited over
these days so that students are mentally and physically alert for the testing regime they will be completing.
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Last Tuesday our EXPO 2015 took place and it was wonderful to see so many families take advantage of the opportunity to visit our school to
explore the options available for students here at this great school. As the principal I take great pride on occasions like this to observe our
teachers and students talk about their school with such passion and genuine pride. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank staff and the
many students who assisted with the event. Those who attended also had the opportunity to enjoy entertainment by our school Concert Band who
are preparing for their exciting tour to Sydney which is taking place later this year.
There are many aspects of our school that make it the special place it is:
• Community focus and the relationships that exist within the school and externally
• Interpersonal relationships focused on individual attention
• Committed, caring and passionate staff
• Committed, active and valued P&C Association
• Size that generates a genuine sense of belonging and pride by all associated with the school
• Large enough to provide an extensive range of study options to support future aspirations but small enough to care for the individual
child.
Bracken Ridge State High School is ‘the best kept secret on the north side of Brisbane’.
Kind Regards,
Mrs Regina Garrick
Principal
School review – opportunity to have your say
Our school is scheduled for a school review from 15 to 19 May, 2015
(three days).
Date Reminders for Term 2 - 2015
May:
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The Department of Education and Training [DET] has introduced
new performance reviews for Queensland state schools in 2015. The
reviews do not rate or compare schools but provide independent and
quality feedback to help schools continue to improve the outcomes
of students.
All schools will have a review at least every four years. A final report
is made available to parents and the community on the school’s
website.
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The review team would like to hear from our school community and I
encourage anyone who is interested to have their say. Your
feedback is important and will help us continue to deliver a quality
education for students. If you are interested in speaking to the
reviewers, or would like more information about the review process,
please contact the office.
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ENROLMENTS FOR 2016:
June:
Enrolments are being taken now for 2016 across all year levels.
Please contact the school office for an Enrolment Pack and submit
the Enrolment Application Form as soon as possible.
All students entering Year 7 in 2016 will have an interview with the
Principal; call the office on 3869 7222 to schedule a time that works
best for you and your child.
LOST PROPERTY
Parents/caregivers are reminded to label all their student’s
clothing, shoes and personal belongings for prompt return to
owners.
There is a large amount of non-labelled student lost property held
in our main office waiting for collection:
Any items that remain uncollected by the end of Term will be
donated to a local charity.
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5&6
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NAPLAN 7 & 9
Year 8 Winter IS Sport Training
NAPLAN 7 & 9
Round 1 Winter IS Sport
NAPLAN 7 & 9
P&C Executive Meeting 2:00pm
Japanese Master Class (Year 10-12)
District Cross Country Carnival—Kedron SHS
Round 1 Inter-School Sport
ICAS Computer Skills Competition
P&C Meeting 7:00pm
Round 2 Inter-School Sport
Chappy Trivia Night
Free Dress Day—Red food day
Round 2 Inter-School Sport
Regional Cross Country Carnival
Maths Teams Challenge ( All year levels)
Round 3 Inter-School Sport
Careers Expo Years 10 to 12
Kokoda Challenge
Round 3 Inter-School Sport
Year 8 PI Cyberia
Round 4 Inter-School Sport
ICAS Science Competition
Student vs Teachers Volleyball
Musical Rehearsal & Matinee
Musical Performance
Round 4 Inter-School Sport
Round 5 Inter-School Sport
Yr 11/12 Drama Live Theatre evening excursion
Yr 8 HPV & Chickenpox Immunisation
P&C Executive Meeting 2:00pm
Yr 10 QUT Uni Experience
P&C Meeting 7:00pm
Yr 9/10 Drama Excursion to Movie World
Yr 7/8 Pre-athletic events and Sports Training
Yr 10/11/12 Pre-athletic events and Sports Training
Work Experience for YR 10 & 11/12 VCB & VWP
LAST DAY OF TERM 2
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CARE Program
Topic Name: What is Bullying
Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or
psychological harm.
Bullying will NEVER be tolerated at BRSHS
Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:
• mutual arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance)
• not liking someone or a single act of social rejection
• one-off acts of meanness or spite
• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence.
Examples of cyberbullying can include:
• repeated hang up calls
• sending insulting or threatening text messages
• publishing someone's personal or embarrassing information online
• creating hate sites or starting social exclusion campaigns on social networking sites.
Topic Name: The Bully Referral Process
To Ignore Bullying is to Condone it. Nobody Deserves to be Bullied
As bullying is an extremely serious issue, it is the responsibility of all members of the school community to help reduce its occurrence. One way to
do this is to report bullying. Bullies will NOT stop if they think they can get away with their behaviour. Reporting bullying is reporting abuse. It is
NOT ‘dobbing’, or ‘telling tales’.
• Students can report bullying to any member of staff, who will investigate and/or refer the matter as per our school’s Bullying Referral
Process
• Students can report to a member of our support staff: i.e. Guidance Officer, Chaplains, School Nurse, and Youth Support Coordinator) who
will listen to and support the student and refer it to the appropriate member of staff
• Reports of bullying WILL be taken seriously and steps will be taken to investigate and , where proven, to ensure that
the situation does not worsen as a result of the reporting
• Students witnessing others being bullied should be encouraged to report it.
• The Cybersafety Help Button is on ALL EQ computers and can be downloaded by anyone for their personal use.
Details at: http://www.cybersafetyhelp.gov.au/
Bullying will NEVER be tolerated at BRSHS
P&C NEWS
The P&C are supporting our School Concert Band in their
endeavours to raise funds to offset the costs of their band trip to
Sydney. On May 24, The School Concert Band will be performing at
Backyard Bonanza and their parents will be running a stall selling
sample bags, doing crazy hair and selling raffle tickets as well as
giving out enrolment packs for anybody interested in coming to our
school next year.
The Parent support group of the school band are asking for help in
way of donations for them to successfully create crazy hair on the
day. The items they are looking for are:
Hair bands, fake flowers, pipe cleaners, coloured hairspray, and
normal hairspray, combs and brushes to use - coloured clips, bobby
pins, hair extensions, normal hair grips and hair chalk or a Coles
store voucher so items can be purchased.
The P&C would like to invite parents and carers of our school
community to our next meeting to be held on
Tuesday 19 May at 7.00pm.
We'd love to see new face.
Senior Schooling News
Vacancies available in office please see Dianne.
Diane Heinze
Teacher Aide Senior Schooling
UNIFORM SHOP
Winter uniforms are also available:
• Track Pants - $46.
• Jackets - $65.
• Fleecy Jumpers - $35.
Also available:
• Hats—$15
Opening hours: Monday and Wednesday. 8.30 to 11.30am.
Lisa Cooke
Uniform Convenor
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NAPLAN TESTING
Reminder:
NAPLAN Testing on Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13, and
Thursday 14 May
We have prepared our Year 7s as best we could since they started
high school earlier this year, however, to be fair, much of the learning
will have occurred in Year 6. We look forward to being able to
measure the ‘distance travelled’ in our students’ learning from Year 7
to Year 9, starting in 2017.
Parents can help support their Year 7 and Year 9 student by following
these tips:
1. Ensure a good night’s sleep each night before the tests – no late
night TV, computer games or social networking. Reading a book
or practice writing would be a better option.
2. A good, healthy meal each evening and a healthy lunch are
necessary. We will be providing breakfast each morning from
8:00 am, so please be on time.
3. Ensure that all students have the required equipment each day.
They should have spare pens, pencils, an eraser, and a ruler. A
calculator is required for part of the numeracy test on the
Thursday.
4. Provide lots of encouragement without the pressure of
expectation. All we want is for students to make their best effort.
While it’s important to see how well students perform in literacy and
numeracy, please remember that these tests are not university
entrance tests, nor do they impact on subject results.
We take the NAPLAN tests very seriously and the results do assist us
to identify aspects of literacy and numeracy in which students are
deficient or in which areas they excel. This information influences our
teaching methods and practices. At Bracken Ridge we actively
encourage ALL our students to sit for these tests. We do not support
the image of a ‘good’ school by creating a perception of ‘good’ results,
through the removal of less able students from the testing program.
An individual student NAPLAN report will be issued by the school later
this year. We wish all of our year 7s and 9s well throughout this
National testing process.
Allen Anderson, DP Junior Schooling, and
Cynthia Burton, Junior Schooling HOD
The Back Page…
PHYSICAL
EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
CROSS COUNTRY REPORT
What great weather for our annual cross-country on Wednesday
afternoon. All our carnivals are key school community events, with
students and teachers enthusiastically participating and enjoying the
carnival and providing a more informal chance to interact.
There was a colourful array of house colours with a large number of
students participating for house points, position in our district school
team and enjoyment. Our serious competitors took it in their stride
with outstanding results. Even our staff became competitive with
Mr Philip Health and Mr Bob Bruce battling it out with our
students. Congratulations to the Year 7 and 8 students who were
eager to demonstrate to the rest of the school how athletic they
were. They did not disappoint.
After such a display of physical prowess, students eagerly went to the
MPSC to hear the impending results. However, due to the massive
participation rate of students, we ran over time and the results will be
announced during assembly on Monday. Age champions and final
point allocations will be published in the next newsletter.
Students who made the district team will receive a letter of
congratulations today. This letter will also outline the district carnival
date, venue and travel arrangements for students. If your student is
successful, please return the medical/permission form to the MPSC by
Thursday 14 May 2015.
Kylie Price, HOD PE
MUSICAL NEWS
The tickets are now on sale at the office, refer to poster for
more details.
We are currently gathering props for the production. If anyone is able to
donate/lend us any of the following items, we would be extremely
grateful.
• Old/broken mobile phones
• New Year decorations and accessories (glasses, hats, tiaras,
banners, signs)
• Handheld gong
• Boom box
• Camping table and chair sets- fold out type (5 sets needed in total)
CHAPLAIN NEWS
• Roller skates (3 x size 9, 1 x size 5)
• Fake plants/flowers in pots
Trivia Night
• Old/broken laptop
Chaplaincy Trivia Night is less than 2 weeks away!
Date: 20 May Time: 6.30 Doors Open 7pm Start
We would love to see you on the night with a table of friends/family
(up to 8 people per table).
Please see attached Trivia Night Flyer for more information.
• Working desk lamps x 2
If you can assist us with any items, please contact the Arts staff on
(07) 3869 7225 or email Rachel North on [email protected]
We can’t wait to share this exciting production with you in June!
Trudi Howard BRSHS Chaplain
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World’s Greatest Shave
On Monday 23rd March, Bracken Ridge State High School students came together to not only raise money to support the World’s
Greatest Shave, a number of very brave and committed students also went under the razor and lost their precious locks. Each day on
average, 31 Australians will be given the devastating news that they have leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or a related blood disorder.
This year so far 12,000 people have been diagnosed and face a battle that no one should ever have to deal with.
A number of students took it upon themselves to so how supportive they and their community are in supporting fellow Australians in need.
Due to the efforts of these students, the school managed to raise over $2600.
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in raising money and assisting with the running of the 2015 Bracken Ridge State
High School’s World’s Greatest Shave. A special thank you to Karen Scherer from HairbyOz for donating her time and hair dressing skills
shaving the heads of students (and a beard), her assistant hair colourists Tiana Ramage and Taylah Smith, the students that coloured
their hair and especially the brave students that shaved their heads; Ethan Crawford, Mitchell Roberts, Corbin Smith,
Nathan O’Shannessy, William Vivian, Vincent, Sean Williams, Jayden Watts and our VERY, VERY brave girls; Jayarin Povah, Marlee
Demoreland and Rhianna Harrison.
KEY LEARNING BEHAVIOURS that make a difference to student effort and outcomes.
BE ORGANISED TO START WORK
Robyn Davey (Head of Teaching and Learning)
Why is being organised so important?
There are two areas of organisation in which students gradually develop their skills.
The first is in physical organisation. Being prepared with everything I need to engage with the learning task. Time is lost and focus disappears when a child has to spend 5 minutes looking for their pencil, another five minutes getting it sharpened and then finding the right
page in the right book ready to start. Some children are just starting when others are nearly finished.
Frustrating for the child! Frustrating for the teacher!
How do you model and scaffold the development of physical organisation skills at home? A wall planner or calendar for family activities, a
specific place for important notices, a shopping list or a weekly menu, talking through plans of how to get everyone to the right place at the
right time and what everyone's responsibility is to make this happen! All of these are organizational strategies which children can learn
about and understand. The goal and plans can become more complex as your child matures.
The second type of organisation is the organisation of thinking. Teachers teach these skills in all of the learning areas, by clearly defining a goal and setting out the steps for achieving the goal. Teachers model their thinking to students by talking aloud as they demonstrate
a new concept. They scaffold students learning by ensuring that children's thinking skills develop in incremental steps, gradually releasing
the responsibility to the child. They provide frameworks for thinking whether the task is writing a persuasive text, solving a mathematical
problem or finding out something about our world.
For some home ideas for young students the following link may be useful.
http://www.essentialkids.com.au/younger-kids/kids-education/teaching-kids-to-get-organised-20090623-curp.html
For older students try http://www.ccb.vic.edu.au/get_document.php?doc_id=20
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Unique Student Identifier
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
The USI was launched on 1 January this year, and is now a part of
meeting VET data collection and reporting requirements. Over 1.5
million USIs have already been created, and most of Australia’s training
organisations are now connected to the USI registry system, making it a
part of their business.
The key is to become USI-ready as soon as possible. If you don’t
already have your USI, create one today. It’s free and easy to do. You’ll
also be on the way to having a lifetime record of all your training that
you can access online anywhere. Students who have not lodged their
USI with Diane at the office will NOT receive their Senior Certificate or
Vet Certificates at the end of the year. This is a federal government
requirement and you will need your USI for ANY courses you enrol in
post school. It is becoming critical now that all yr 10/11/12 students
need to create their own USI – the school cannot do it for them.
We need Tuckshop volunteers for Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday from 9:30am-2pm on a regular basis. We don’t expect
your help every week, but once a fortnight or month would be
great.
Please ring Dawn on 3269 7250 if you are interested or for more
information
IGA – Deagon
Proud Sponsor of School Based Traineeships
for
BRSHS Students
Congratula ons to Jenny Jaturat on gaining a school based
traineeship.
DRAMA ARTICLE
“Come in to the store and see this week’s specials”
On Wednesday 29 April, year 11 and 12 Drama students attended the
world premiere of Matthew Ryan’s play Brisbane at the Playhouse in
QPAC. This moving and entertaining play, set in 1942, tells the story
of 14 year old Danny Fisher, who is coping with the death of his pilot
brother Frank, killed during the Japanese bombing of Darwin. As
Danny's devastated family unravels, the teen finds a surrogate sibling
in Andy, one of the Americans stationed in Brisbane. The American
pilot takes Danny under his wing, and as the tension begins to rise
between the Yank and Aussie servicemen, Danny hatches a reckless
revenge plan against those who took his brother.
Students very much enjoyed Brisbane, which contained moments of
sublime comedy, in addition to tragic and thought-provoking scenes.
Our senior students also had the exciting opportunity to meet actor
Dash Kruck (Danny Fisher) after the show and ask him questions
about the play and the rehearsal process.
Year 11 and 12 Drama students will be viewing Medea at the
Roundhouse Theatre in Kelvin Grove on 10 June. We look forward to
another successful excursion, which widens the students’ repertoire of
live theatre experiences.
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU!
BRACKEN RIDGE LIBRARY
Free
‘Student Advantage’
Microsoft Office 2013 Suite
Students can now download a free copy of the
Microsoft Office 365 Suite. This suite provides students with a subscription to the full versions of
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
After downloading, students will have the latest
Office suite at home, on their personal PC’s, Macs
and other mobile devices (up to five in total).
Homework Help
Bracken Ridge Library has a regular Home Work Help program
that provides homework and reading assistance for children from
Prep all the way through to Year 12. This valuable program is
held 3.30pm-5pm every Wednesday during school term and is
free of charge. It is a great way to assist school age children
with their homework or to encourage reading. It is a friendly and
informal event that encourages children in a welcoming environment.
Students can visit the Learning Place student space
Seize the Day Study Awards
Grants for Young People affected by Cancer
QSchool app -Please consider downloading
the free QSchools app to your devices.
This app allows users to receive information on their device, including;
push notifications, emergency announcements, newsletters, documents,
calendar events, news, tuckshop and uniform info, school hours, contact
details and social media feeds. The app may prove useful to students,
parents, and other members of our school community. It integrates seamlessly with our school website.
You can download this app (for free) from our website or:
http://qld.gov.au/QSchools
Cancer Council Queensland’s Seize the Day Awards are financial
grants of $200 to $2500 to help with the costs of post-secondary
education.
You can apply for a grant if you are a Qld. resident aged between
16 and 21 years who is planning to commence or continue postsecondary education next year and have experienced cancer
personally or with a close family member.
Applications are open from April to July each year, with recipients
announced in December.
To apply or for more information, see the Youth health Nurse, visit
www.cancerqld.org.au or call Cancer Council on 13 11 20.
Bonnie Green
Youth Health Nurse BRSHS
Are you a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes?
Every day, thousands of Australian children suffer the effects of type 1 diabetes and families struggle with illness management and children’s behavioural and emotional adjustment.
Positive Parenting for Healthy Living is an adaptation of the successful Triple P- Positive Parenting Program offering practical ideas and support
for parents of children with type 1 diabetes. This innovative group program is designed to help parents manage their child’s illness, assist children in coping with their illness and emotions, and prevent and manage difficult child behaviour.
Over the next few months and for a limited time only, parents of 2-10 year old children with type 1 diabetes are able to access Positive Parenting for Healthy Living Triple P as part of a University of Queensland research project. Parents will be able to attend the program free of charge,
and will be asked to complete 2 sets of assessment measures (questionnaire and family observation) over a 6 month period, as part of the
study. Contact Amy Mitchell on (07) 3346 1202 or email [email protected], or visit https://exp.psy.uq.edu.au/t1diabetes for
more information.
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AUSTRALIAN GOJU KAI KARATE
Have you ever thought about Authentic Japanese Goju Ryu Karate classes? Such classes can enhance calmness, focus
and fitness. They provide positive life skills and assist with the goal setting for everything students do. They lay the foundations of self-discipline, providing a positive outlook for home and school.
It has been shown that students who practice Karate apply themselves more conscientiously at school and home and are
less likely to be bullied or become bullies, as they develop greater self-confidence and respect for others. They will learn the
importance of learning from their mistakes, why good nutrition is important, responsible, legal and safe behaviour, the ability
to avoid negative peer pressure and self defence while reinforcing the virtues of hard work, concentration, planning, selfdiscipline and family values.
Accomplishments in Karate are often seen in a positive light by prospective employers who rightly attach images of strength,
trust and good character to those who study it.
Australian Goju Kai Karate, the premier Karate school, offers martial arts classes at beginner, intermediate and advanced
levels. Families can train together in any of the classes.
The adult martial art classes are aimed at increasing confidence, flexibility, co-ordination, people skills, self defence,
strength, stamina and improved general fitness. Training at AGKK is a life changing decision. Classes are energetic, positive,
fun and versatile.
You are welcome to inquire about beginning or enhancing your Karate journey either by contacting: Bernie Sensei
on 0409 474 494 or visiting www.agkk.com.au
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SMALL GROUP PROGRAMS – TERM 2
Where: Youth Excel – 138 Old Gympie Rd (cnr Nellies Lane), Kallangur 4503
Cost: These programs are FREE thanks to the generous sponsorship of Inclusive Kids.
RSVP: Monday 18th May.
Numbers are limited so please book early by phoning (07) 3482 3466. All other details below....
Pre-Teens Girls Excel
Creating Confidence in Young Women (10 – 12 years old)
Facilitator: Chantellaine Cruickshank
Date: Each Thursday for six weeks from 21st May (21st, 28th, 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th)
Time: 4pm – 5pm
Pre-Teens Girls Excel Content
Lesson 1: Introduction to Girls Excel
Lesson 2: Handling Friendship Dramas
Lesson 3: Loving Who I Am
Lesson 4: Being Brave (even when I’m afraid)
Lesson 5: Choosing Support People for Life
Lesson 6: Learning to Apologise
Teen Girls Excel
Creating Confidence in Young Women (13 – 15 years old)
Facilitator: Chantellaine Cruickshank
Date: Each Thursday for six weeks from 21st May (21st, 28th, 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th)
Time: 5pm – 6pm
Teen Girls Excel Content
Lesson 1: Introduction to Girls Excel
Lesson 2: Creating a Moral Compass for Life
Lesson 3: Handling Friendship Dramas
Lesson 4: Saying No (online and in real life)
Lesson 5: Loving Who I Am
Lesson 6: Learning to Apologise
Teen Guys Excel
Creating Confidence in Young Men (13 – 15 years old)
Facilitator: Chantellaine Cruickshank
Date: Each Thursday for six weeks from 21st May (21st, 28th, 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th)
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Teen Guys Excel Content
Lesson 1: Introduction to Guys Excel
Lesson 2: Creating a Moral Compass for Life
Lesson 3: Learning to Apologise
Lesson 4: Anger Management
Lesson 5: Relating to Authority
Lesson 6: Problem Solving for Life
Numbers are limited so please book early by phoning (07) 3482 3466.
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