1. education
2. school

Term 1 2015
Burpengary State Secondary College
Issue 3
Principal’s
Welcome
Dear Parents, Carers and College families
Term one has been exceptionally busy. It is hard to believe that Burpengary State Secondary College is officially one term
old. I wish to thank the school community for their patience as we managed our way through teething problems that are a
part of building a new school.
College students have done well to have participated in their first swimming carnival and cross country events. We can also
reflect on the success of our first student leadership parliament induction, which saw the badging of our first college student
leaders. Students also have undergone literacy and numeracy testing and some class changes will occur in term 2. Students
also completed their Personalised Learning Pathway Plan which will help us to work with our young people to ensure they
are able to meet their personal learning goals.
Overall I am very proud of the staff and students for their diligence, perseverance and their courage as they set the
foundations for the new school. Interim reports will be posted and e-mailed to parents and carers and I look forward to
meeting parents and carers at the student, parent and teacher interviews.
Enjoy the Easter break and the time with your family.
Kind Regards
Peter Hoehn
College Principal
Coming soon - QParents
QParents is a secure portal that offers parents of Queensland state school students to access information about their child
and to communicate directly with their school. It will give you secure online access to information such as attendance details,
report cards and timetables.
You will also be able to update your child’s details and let the school know of changes to normal routine, such as when your
child is unwell or has to leave early. QParents won't replace the traditional ways you and your child's school communicate - it
will just provide another option to you.
Burpengary
Matters
Burpengary
Matters
Term 1, 2015
Anzac Day
In addition to our own College
commemoration we are participating in
both local ANZAC Day marches and
memorial services; The Deception Bay
RSL Sub-Branch Memorial Dawn
Service and the Moreton Bay Regional
Council Burpengary ANZAC Day
Ceremony. Students and staff will be
marching behind the College’s banner
and we warmly invite family members to
join us for this special event.
Participating students must collect and
complete the student participation letter
School Camps
We are very excited about our upcoming Year 7 Camp to the Gold Coast and the
Year 8 Camp to the Sunshine Coast in term 3. Interest has been strong and we
will be taking the majority of both year groups away for 3 days of action packed
fun-filled activities. I am pleased to announce that Helen Bradford is the Year 7
Camp Coordinator and Erin Rodley is the Year 8 Camp Coordinator. More
information about the Camps will be distributed during the course of term 2.
that can be obtained from the College
office. Details of the events are as
follows:
The Deception Bay RSL Sub-Branch
Memorial Dawn Service:

Meet at Deception Bay Library
at 5:20AM

March to ANZAC memorial at
the Community Hall at 5:40AM

ANZAC Day service to begin at
6:00AM
Moreton Bay Regional Council
Burpengary ANZAC Day Ceremony:


Club Innovation Programs
A range of extra-curricular clubs have run over term 1 with strong student
participation. At the start of the term a new letter outlining our tern 2 offerings will
be distributed to the students. The majority of the term 1 activities are continuing
as well as some new clubs. In addition we will be running a range of intercommunity competitions at Morning Tea and Lunch times. Students will need to
listen to the notices in their Access classes to find out how they can win points
for their Community. High School is a world of opportunity and I encourage you
to enthuse your child into participating in a Club Innovation Program to meet
some new friends, learn new skills and to have fun.
Oliver Colmer – Deputy Principal
Meet at Burpengary Shopping
Every Day Counts
Centre at 9:40AM
Being at school every day counts. If your child is absent one day per
week, this quickly adds up to two months of missed school in a year.
Every day counts is an initiative aiming to improve attendance at school.
The initiative promotes four key messages:
March to Memorial site in
Progress Road 10:00AM

School Immunisations
Our Second round of Year 8 immunisations by Morton Bay Regional Council
Public Health Unit start on 15th May for all Year 8 boys and girls. Students will
be receiving the Boostrix and their second HPV vaccination. The first round was
conducted successfully and similar arrangements will be made for these
injections.
ANZAC Day service to begin at
10:30AM

All children should be enrolled at school and attend on every
school day.

Schools should monitor, communicate and implement strategies
to improve regular school attendance.

Truanting can place a student in unsafe situations and impact on
their future employability and life choices.

Attendance at school is the responsibility of everyone in the
community.
Find out more about the Every Day Counts from Education Queensland.
Burpengary
Matters
Burpengary Matters
Term 1, 2015
During this term, I have been asked by many parents about
services available in the community to support students who may
be experiencing mental health or wellbeing issues and so I feel it
timely to cover in this newsletter.
Firstly though, I’d like to discuss more detail about the support
services available at the school. Kirsten Keen is the SchoolBased Youth Health Nurse and she works every Tuesday at the
school and every second Thursday (the Thursdays are in even
weeks of the term). Kirsten’s main role in the school is to provide
information on mental health, relationships, friendships, nutrition,
peer pressure, drugs and alcohol, safety, cyber safety and sexual
health to students at both an individual and whole school level.
As part of this role, she may refer to services outside of school if,
in conjunction with the parent/s and student in question, it is felt.
that this may be beneficial. Kirsten will also run targeted small-group programs at the school and deliver health-related sessions to
students in the classroom. She is also available for support for parents/caregivers of the students.
Nick Norman is our School-Based Youth Support Officer and his main role is to work with young people who might be experiencing
difficult times. As well as individual case management of students who may be having a few challenges in life, Nick presents smallgroup programs around teamwork, leadership and anger management, and liaises with community groups such as the PCYC which
can offer further support to our students. Nick attends the College every Wednesday. Given that I explained my role in the last
newsletter, I won’t go into detail again, but I will remind you that I work on Mondays, Wednesday afternoons, and Fridays.
Back on to the topic of outside agencies who can support our students. Headspace, located in Redcliffe, is an organisation that
works with people aged 12-25. They offer services around mental health, physical/sexual health, alcohol and other drug services,
and education and employment services. School support personnel can refer to headspace, but so can students, their caregivers
and medical practitioners. The Starfish program is a Family Mental Health Support Service for children and young people in the
Kallangur, Dakabin and Deception Bay communities who are at risk of developing or being impacted on by mental health issues,
and their families. Starfish staff will initially come to your home or visit your child at school as necessary. School support personnel
can refer to Starfish but parents are also free to contact the organisation for support. Intercept Youth and Family Services (the
organisation for which Nick works) can help students who are experiencing difficulties in their family environment through the
Reconnect Program or the Empowering Family Connections Program. With Reconnect, students are able to connect Intercept
themselves but the Empowering Family Connections Program referral usually comes from the school or a number of other
agencies. Finally, Referral for Active Intervention (RAI) is a program funded by Mission Australia and its aim is to help improve the
safety and wellbeing of students. RAI referrals are usually made by the school or a number of other agencies. While this is not an
exhaustive list of services available to our students and families, it gives you an idea of where to go to find help.
Finally, I’d like to reflect on what has been a very hectic but rewarding term. Thank you to the many parents and students for the
opportunity to work alongside you this term. Have a safe and happy holiday.
Courtney Shorten - Guidance Officer
Dates to remember:
17th April – Parent Teacher Interview bookings open
20th April – Term 2 begins
27th & 28th April – NAPLAN Practice Tests
29th April – Parent Teacher Interviews, see website for details
Student Absence Line
Please report student absences on 3481
6366, stating your child’s name (spelling
the surname clearly), your child’s roll class
and how long they are expected to be
absent.
1st May – District Cross Country (selected students)
12th to 14th May – NAPLAN Testing, Year 7 students
15th May – Year 8 vaccinations
All other issues should be referred to our
School Office on 3481 6333 during usual
office hours.
Burpengary
Matters
Burpengary
Matters
Term 1, 2015
The English and Humanities faculty would like to thank all parents and students for a wonderful first 10 weeks of the year. It
has been an absolute pleasure to start this exciting journey with you.
Our Year 7 English students have delved into the wonderful world of persuasion and some student speeches have been
outstanding. A big congratulations to all. In Humanities, our students have investigated the value of water to the world and
have also evaluated the many factors that contribute to what makes a place liveable.
Our Year 8 English students have spent the term analysing a variety of texts that deliberately construct representations of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Their work culminated in an academically rigorous analytical essay and their
efforts were highly commendable. In Humanities they explored the wonderful world of the Vikings by evaluating whether or
not history should judge them as merely barbarians or as courageous explorers.
The English and Humanities faculty is also very proud of the extra programs that have been on offer for all students. The
excursion to the Somerset Celebration of Literature was an exciting and inspiring day for 22 lucky students and the Reader’s
Cup Competition in year 7 was a huge success. Thank you to all who put in their best efforts.
As the Head of Department, I would like to say a special thank you to my wonderful staff. Their energy, passion and
dedication to educating our students has been inspiring and I am very proud to be a part of this special team.
I look forward to next term to continue our focus on innovative learning.
Have a great break.
Peter Collins
HOD English & Humanities
Celebration of Literature
The Celebration of Literature was held at Somerset College on the Gold
Coast.This was an excursion where we met various authors from around
Australia. Burpengary State Secondary College students met James Maloney,
who wrote ‘The Book of Lies’, R.A. Spratt, who wrote the Nanny Piggins series
and has recently started writing the Friday Barnes girl detective series. Richard
Newsome, who wrote the Billionaire series, and Belinda Murrell, who wrote the
Sun Sword Trilogy.
Each of these authors told us about their techniques that they used to write their
novels. They gave us tips to write a good book. We also had a Q&A session with
each author. After we met some of the authors we had the opportunity to get
books signed and buy the books they had written. Overall, it was a great day at
Somerset College to celebrate the Celebration of Literature.
Lachlan Onions
Student
Burpengary
Matters
Burpengary
Matters
Term
Term1,1,2015
2015
Staff Profile – Stephanie Wimpenny
Stephanie has come to us from Caloundra State High School and is our Music teacher here at Burpengary State Secondary
College. She is skilled across the performing arts with 16 years’ experience in Dance, Drama and Music. Stephanie received
her double degree, a bachelor of Teaching/Arts (Drama/Music) at Australian Catholic University. Her main instrument of
choice was her voice. Stephanie held a scholarship in her university choir and is classically trained. Stephanie also has a
passion for musical theatre where she can combine her three favourite things at once. She’s performed in lead roles and
choreographed in a variety of musicals including: The King and I, The Mikado, The Sound of Music, High School Musical and
FAME. Stephanie has a passion for working with young people, especially in the field of performing arts and is looking
forward to a great year here at Burpengary State Secondary College.
Canteen
Opening Hours
Monday 8:15 am - 1:45 pm
Tuesday 8:15 am - 11:45 am
Thursday 8:15 am - 11:45 am
Friday 8:15 am - 1:45 pm
Students are encouraged to pre-order. This ensures they get what
they want before we sell out! Pre-orders can be placed before school.
Burpengary State Secondary College are looking for volunteers to join the Canteen, this allows profits to be put back into the
school. Please get in touch if you can spare a few hours a week, all training is provided. It is a great opportunity to be
involved in your child/children's school, have input into the menu, have fun and help out your school community. It can also
give you skills if you are seeking employment e.g. food preparation, money handling, customer service etc. You are more
than welcome to come along and meet me to have a chat about the Canteen and times you would be available to help out.
Kathy Brett - Canteen Convenor
Uniform Shop
Opening Hours
Monday 8:00 am -10:00 am
Wednesday 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am - 10:00 am
News for Term 2

School jumpers will be available to purchase

School ties will be compulsory for all students (girls and boys) when wearing formal uniform
Give to Vanuatu update
Thank you to everyone who contributed donations for the ‘Give to Vanuatu’
organisation. Our College prides itself on its willingness to support and help those in
need, regionally, nationally and internationally.
‘Give to Vanuatu’have been overwhelmed by the response from communities like ours
throughout Australia and are currently sorting donations ready for sending onto
Vanuatu. We’ll keep you updated on their progress.
Burpengary
Matters
Burpengary Matters
Term 1, 2015
HPE & Sport News
It has been a jam packed first term at Burpengary SSC for sport and HPE. With swimming carnival, cross country and
summer interschool sport all crammed into such an exciting and fast first term. While we have been hoping for cooler
weather, we have still been working with extremely warm conditions, making HPE classes, interschool sport and carnivals
challenging. However, we have managed to finish on a high with interschool sport and cross country participation a definite
highlight of the term. Additionally, the HPE team has worked tirelessly in the field whilst also delivering the new Australian
Curriculum in the classroom, dedicating countless hours towards lesson preparation and unit development. One of the most
exciting accomplishments this term regarding the National Curriculum, has been the implementation of swimming into the
year 8 HPE curriculum, which has been a huge success so far and will continue into Term 2.
Cross Country 2015
Our inaugural Cross country was launched last Friday the 27th of March. Though the sun was out and the temperature was
through the roof, it didn’t stop students jumping in and having a go. The theme for the carnival was Super Heroes, and it was
great to see so many students getting dressed up and using the photo booth set up for the students to get photos with their
friends.
Unfortunately the results will not be disclosed until school recommences in Term 2, however I can say that it was a much
closer affair than swimming carnival at the start of the year. All four houses, sharks, scorpions, snakes and eagles all had
tremendous participation. Although we can’t disclose the winning house, we are proud to announce the talented athletes
that will represent our school at the Pine Rivers District Cross Country Carnival. They are:
12 Years Boys
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Connor Lee
Ben Schifcofske
Ryan Prentice
Aidan Haywood
Kyle Densley
Tom Ryan
Ayden Marshall
Josiah Pollard
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Lauchlan McCormick
Seth Bright
Jake Overs
Cody Overs
Anthony Dos Santos
Tobias Fastlabend
Jessy Gill
Lauchlan Onions
13 Years Boys
12 Years Girls
Macy Wernoski
Bree Ward
Michaels Forsythe
Nikita McLean
Sammy White
Chloe Nielson
Emily West
Mikayla Ross
13 Years Girls
Elise Sawell
Rebeca Brockhurst
Gabby Hannon
Amy Clift
Sharna Gaunt
Elizabeth Jefferies
Taylor Bowden
Alice Owens
Burpengary
Matters
Burpengary Matters
Term 1, 2015
HPE & Sport News
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
14 Years Boys
14 Years Girls
Ryan Patch
Patrick West
Hunter Taylor
Leyton Hatherly
Oliver Curley
Jackson Norgrove
Jake Densley
Josh Wheeler
Amie Pendlebury
Talia Walters
Felicity Porter
Tess Maree Pokorny
Zarriah Oliver
Charlotte Weldon
Amy Wheeler
Lilly Hay
Interschool Sport
Burpengary has had some amazing results so far in both the junior sport competition. Several teams have enjoyed an
undefeated season which include the year 9 girls touch team, which is actually made up of only year 7 students. These
students have had a remarkable season so far and look to secure the district championship and move on to the Met Finals.
But the interschool sport season has also seen some tremendous improvement from teams and players. Both year 8 boys
and girls basketball teams have made definite improvements and many students have found a passion which has been
transferred to their coaches Mrs. Hickson and Ms. Bradford. Improvement can also be seen in the boys’ and girls’ volleyball,
coached by Miss Welsh and Mr. Collins, teams are beginning to see great improvement and we look forward to some
amazing results soon.
But the most impressive aspect of the interschool sport season has been the year 7’s competing against other schools in the
Pine Rivers District at the central venue Les Hughes Sporting Complex. Teams including girl’s netball, boys’ and girls’ touch
football and boys and girls futsal have been participating tremendously and having a lot of FUN!
Ethan Sorrell – Sports Coordinator
Download the QSchools app
Keep up to date with school information via the QSchools app. The app integrates
with our school website, allowing users to:

Find and favourite our school by searching for the school name, searching
a map or by searching for schools near your current location

Receive real-time notifications about state-wide emergency alerts
as well as school push notifications and important updates

Access the latest news, events and newsletters from our school

Easily access tuckshop and uniform shop information

View information about class times and contact details
Microsoft Student Advantage
All state school students can now download up to five free copies of the Microsoft Office 2013 Suite to their personal home and
mobile computer equipment. Students who want the free software will need an active school email account and password — those
who don‘t know their details should check with one of their teachers or the Information Services Centre.
To download the software, go to the Office 365 portal and login using your student EQ username and password. This will be the
same as the username and password used to log in at school.
Full instructions are available from Computers and internet on our website.
31 March 2015
Dear Parents/Carers
Regarding: Parent/Teacher Interviews
We have scheduled a Parent/Teacher interview afternoon to allow you to consult with the
teachers of your son/daughter. This has been arranged for Wednesday 29th April 2015. On this
day, from 3:00pm until 7:00pm, as many teachers as possible will be available for interview by
appointment. Interviews will be conducted in the Information Services Centre and are of 10
minutes duration.
To co-ordinate the interviews we have employed an online booking system to assist parents in
securing their preferred interview times. The procedure is as follows:

If you wish to see any of your child’s teachers, you need to secure an appointment
time using this system. If you do not have access to the internet your local library
may be able to help, or alternatively you can call the school office.

The booking system will only be accessible from 6:00am Friday 17th April 2015
through to 6:00pm Tuesday 28th April. No interview requests will be accepted
outside of these times.

In your web browser, search ‘Burpengary State Secondary College’ or navigate to the
school website https://burpengaryssc.eq.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx and when this
appears click the link for 'Parent-Teacher-Interviews'.
Teachers may request an interview with you if they feel there is a matter of importance which
should be discussed. Please refer to your child’s Term 1 report where a parent interview may
have been requested.
We encourage your child to accompany you to the interview as this often assists the discussion
and clarification of outcomes.
Peter Hoehn
Principal
Sara Johnston
Deputy Principal
How to book your Parent/Teacher interviews
NOTE: Information entered into this booking system is outside of the school's network and therefore under
the privacy information policy of the website sobs.com.au – their policy states that they will not
disclose this information to any other party, and nor will the information be used for any other purpose
than managing these interviews.
1.
Visit the school website and click on the link for 'Parent/Teacher interviews'
2.
Type in your email address
3.
Enter your name and contact
details
4.
Enter your child’s full name
and select year level from the
drop down menu
5.
If your child's name already
appears in this list, check the
year level and adjust this as
necessary by clicking the
arrows
Click on the Book Interviews
or Adjust Interviews button
to book or change your
interviews
6.
Select all teachers you require
interviews with by ticking the
boxes
7.
Scroll and select available slots
with each staff member. The
green slots are available. Gray
slots are unavailable. As you
click a green slot it will turn
pink and your child's name will
appear in that time. You will
only be able to book once with
each teacher, and only once in
each time slot. Ideally you
want to select interview slots
that are chronological so that
you can move from one
interview to the next without
having to wait around. Once
you have selected your
interview slots click the 'Save'
button
If you change your mind click
the pink slot and it will revert to
green allowing you to choose a
different time slot
8.
Once saved you will have the option of emailing or printing your interview booking times. If you
select the email option the schedule is sent to the email address you initially entered
Regular school attendance
Information for parents and carers
Did you know? Research shows that in
Queensland, higher student attendance at
school is associated, on average, with higher
student achievement.
Why is regular attendance at school important?
Regular school attendance will mean that your child has a
better chance in life. Your child will achieve better when they
go to school all day, every school day.
• they learn better
• they make friends
• they are happier
• they have a brighter future.
Why must I send my child to school?
Under Queensland law, you must make sure your child of
school age is enrolled and attends school all day, every school
day unless they have an acceptable reason. Illness, doing
work experience or competing in a school sporting event are acceptable reasons for being absent from school.
Principals decide if the reason given for your child’s absence
is acceptable.
Avoid keeping your child away from school for:
• birthdays, shopping, visiting family and friends, if they
sleep in, looking after other children, minor check ups or
care such as hair cuts.
Routine medical or other health appointments should be
made either before or after school or during the school
holidays.
120232
What should I do if our family is going on a holiday in
school time?
You are encouraged not to schedule holidays during school
time. If your family holiday is during school time, let the
school know in advance and talk about what arrangements
Every day counts – Is your child at school today?
www.education.qld.gov.au/everydaycounts
can be made for your child. Depending on the circumstances
the school may be able to provide tasks for your child to
complete while they are absent or assist you to organise an
exemption from schooling.
Do I need to let the school know if my child has been
away from school?
Yes, you must let the school know the reason why your child
has been absent from school within two school days of their
return. If possible, advise the school beforehand.
Are you having problems getting your child to school
for some of these reasons?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
won’t get out of bed in the morning
won’t go to bed at night
can’t find their uniform, books, school bag …
slow to eat breakfast
haven’t done their homework
watching TV
have a test or presentation to do, have an assignment to
hand in
• it’s their birthday.
If so, a set routine can help
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
have a set time to go to bed
have a set time to get out of bed
have uniform and school bag ready the night before
have a set time for starting and finishing breakfast
set a time for daily homework activities
speak about school positively
be firm, send your child to school every school day
including their birthday and the last day of term!
What should I do if my child won’t go to school?
You should contact the school as soon as possible for advice
and support.