1. education
2. school

Volume 6
1 May 2015
PRINCIPAL MATTERS
Dear Parents, Caregivers and members of the Clermont Community
Welcome back
Welcome back to Term 2. I hope that you have had an enjoyable Easter break, and that you have
been able to take advantage of some time to relax with family and friends.
A special welcome is extended to Mr Sooraj Fowdar, who is replacing Mrs Casey Kingston, to Ms
Shayne Sacchi, a pre-service teacher who has been working with the classes of Mr Damian
Freiberg, and to those students and families new to the school this term.
NAPLAN 2015
Our Year 7 and 9 students will soon be participating in the annual National Assessment Program
– Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. Held over three days from Tuesday May 12 to
Thursday May 14, NAPLAN tests the skills that are essential for every child to progress through
school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy.
Although our students have been very well-prepared for the tests, we understand that some
students may be feeling a little apprehensive.
The tips below, provided by clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller, provide some very useful advice.
10 tips for taking tests
1.
Remember everyone gets stressed during tests and everyone has to learn how to manage
these feelings.
2.
Know that stress is your body’s way of getting ready to take on a challenge and perform at
your best.
3.
Write down your concerns about the upcoming test as questions-and then write answers to
those questions.
4.
Focus on doing your best with the questions in front of you, rather than thinking about how
you did in past tests.
5.
If you breathe out and count silently, “one thousand, two thousand, three thousand,” you will
start to feel calmer.
6.
Maintaining a powerful posture sends a signal to your brain that tells it you are feeling in
charge of things.
7.
Eat breakfast- a mix of protein (like eggs) and carbohydrates (like toast).
8.
Drink water. Avoid energy drinks, which may interfere with your levels of concentration.
9.
Get a good night’s sleep.
10. Remember that tests and exams are important, but they are not the big predictors of life
success.
For further information about NAPLAN, please refer to the article entitled 2015 information for
parents further on in this edition of the newsletter.
We wish all of our Year 7 and 9 students every success with the tests.
PRINCIPAL MATTERS
Classroom visits
During this week I have been conducting a round of classroom visits, with further visits to take
place throughout next week.
This term I have been focusing on observing Junior Secondary classes.
It has been a genuine pleasure to see the vast majority of our Year 7,8 and 9 students so
engaged in their learning in a variety of subject areas and to witness the excellent, ageappropriate teaching techniques being used by so many of our teachers.
Student Attendance- unexplained absences
Parents and caregivers are respectfully reminded that an explanation must be provided for all
student absences.
It is recommended that contact be made with the school on the day of the absence or on the first
day the student returns to school following an absence.
If this is not attended to in a timely manner, it can become very difficult to recall the reason for an
absence at a later time.
At the end of each month letters are mailed home to the parents and caregivers of all students
with unexplained absences.
Parents and caregivers who receive such a letter are requested to make prompt contact with the
school to resolve all unexplained absences recorded.
Queensland state schooling data, including data for our school, indicates the following:
•
Strong links between attendance in one year and student achievement in the same year
and in the future
•
Every extra day attended increases a student’s likelihood of achieving at a higher level and
reaching higher post-school outcomes
•
In a sample of over 36000 Queensland state secondary students, those who attended less
than 80% of the time in Junior Secondary were more than twice as likely not to complete
Year 12 and over 8 times more likely not to be OP-eligible
•
Students not present at school are more likely to miss critical learning building blocks and
are, as a result, less likely to feel a sesnse of mastery over the curriculum and their own
learning
•
The recommended attendance range is between 95% and 100%
•
Over a 12 year period, even a student who attends 92% of the time will have lost almost 1
year of school contact
We seek your support in ensuring that your child attends school every day unless he/she has a
legitimate reason to be absent, because continuous schooling is of critical importance to a
student’s academic success.
PRINCIPAL MATTERS
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent Teacher Interviews were held on Wednesday this week, with the second round scheduled
for next Wednesday 6 May.
While all parents and caregivers are most welcome to request an interview with any of your
child’s teachers next term, I would especially encourage the attendance of the parents of those
students whose teachers have specifically requested an interview.
If your child has obtained an Achievement rating of ‘D’ or ‘E’ in any subject, or if his/her
Behaviour and/or Effort rating indicates ‘Needs Attention’ or ‘Unacceptable’ in any subject, it is
extremely important that you make contact with the teacher concerned so that strategies for
improvement can be discussed and implemented during Term 2.
We are committed to helping your child to improve and achieve, and strong partnerships between
home and school are very important in order for improvement to occur.
Sincere thanks to the parents and caregivers who have made appointments to discuss student
progress to date with your child’s teachers.
Please note that alternative interview times can always be arranged if the dates scheduled are
not convenient.
Encouragement Awards
Our annual Encouragement Awards Ceremony will be held at the school at 9.00am next
Wednesday 6 May.
Encouragement Awards are presented to students from Years 7-12 who:
•
•
•
•
•
Show consistent effort
Generally show consistently good behaviour in class
Consistently demonstrate pride in their work
Consistently work to ability level
Consistently bring a positive attitude to the classroom
Letters of invitation to the parents and caregivers of students receiving awards were mailed home
last week.
We look forward to your attendance at this special event on our school calendar, when 75 of our
students from Years 7-12 will be acknowledged for their wonderful Studentship.
Kind regards
__________________
Leanne Hooper
PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL MATTERS
PRINCIPAL MATTERS
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT NOTES
Term 1 Achievements
Each term, Mr Grant and Miss Bell review student achievements in each of their subjects. The
aim is to discuss evaluations of their performance each term and to address Studentship issues
that are directly impacting their progress and achievement. In senior cohorts, subject changes
may be required to ensure an appropriate learning pathway is maintained for the student. Any
subject changes involve discussions with Miss Bell and our guidance officer Mr Martin. Parents
are required to sign for subject changes to be finalised and in some cases, parents also may be
requested to attend subject change meetings. Overall, common issues that have impacted
student achievement were:
•
Attendance – if your student is not at school, they are not learning
•
Feedback - use of the drafting process and making effective use of teacher feedback
•
Effort & Behaviour - there is, in general, a direct correlation between academic
performance and a student’s effort and behaviour. If effort and/or behaviour are
substandard then in most cases, results will also be lower.
If students are meeting 95% or higher attendance rates, are making effective use of the class
feedback process, demonstrating a high level of effort and behaviour, then they generally are
achieving promising results.
Year 11 Camp
Our senior students are attending the Emu Gully leadership camp this week. There are 26
students from the Year 11 cohort and Mr Cameron Orth and Miss Bell in attendance. It is hoped
that, as in previous years, students will have had a great experience and learnt a lot about their
own character and individual/group values. Please see further information about Emu Gully in
our Senior Coordinator section in the next newsletter.
Thanks to the staff for organising and supporting the camp. Most of all, thank you to the parents
who supported their child’s attendance, through payments and the undesirable departure and
arrival times. This is a camp that we would like to offer regularly to our senior cohorts as the
character development and leadership opportunities it provides, really bolster students’
confidence and values. The timing also transitioned smoothly into Anzac Day, as the camp
activities are themed around the core Anzac values. Ask your child if they can repeat any
ANZAC stories they learnt about at camp.
NAPLAN Tests
Our students in Years 7 and 9 will soon participate in the annual National Assessment Program –
Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) to assess their skills and understanding in the areas of
reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
Students should be reminded of the importance of the tests, whilst at the same time not
overburdening them with unrealistic pressures that may affect their ability to achieve at their best.
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT NOTES
It must be noted and commended the hard work preparing our students that has been completed
by key NAPLAN teachers, in particular Mr Tom Murray, Mr Ryan Orth, Mrs Rowena Thurgood,
Miss Dena de Ruysscher, Mr Daniel Rowlands and Mr Damian Freiberg.
The tests will be conducted at Clermont State High School from Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13 and
Thursday 14 May.
There will be a complimentary hot and cold breakfast on each morning of the test dates for Year
7 and 9 students. The breakfast will run from 7.30am – 8.30am on each test day. Students will
also be provided with morning tea.
An individual NAPLAN report for each child will be sent home later this year. Results provide
additional feedback for parents, caregivers and teachers on how students are progressing in key
curriculum areas.
Please contact Joshua Grant, HoD Junior Secondary, if you have any questions about your child
participating in NAPLAN testing. Further information is available on the
ACARA website.
(http://www.nap.edu.au/)
As a school community we would like to extend our best wishes to the entire Year 7 and 9
cohorts whilst undertaking these tests.
Queensland Core Skills Test Community Representatives
Any community members who are interested in applying for the Chief Community Representative
position for the QCS test to be held at Clermont State High School are requested to contact Carly
Bell at the school to collect an application package. Applications are due to the school office by
9am on Friday 22 May 2015.
We hope that you had a relaxing and enjoyable Easter and that you, as well as your student, are
ready for the very busy yet rewarding Term 2.
___________________________
Joshua Grant
Head of Department - Junior Secondary
FROM THE YEAR LEVEL COORDINATOR
SENIOR SECONDARY
Welcome back!! Hope you all had a relaxing time over the break and enjoyed the
time off. Now it’s back to hard work. Term 2 is usually a term with lots of
assessment, and classes packed with information and skills to learn. Please make
use of all the facilities offered by the school to give you the best chance this term.
Use the tutorials throughout the week. Science is Mondays, Maths is Tuesdays and
English Wednesdays. Make sure you use the feedback from drafts, given by your
teachers to give you some insights into how to improve your assessment task.
Make sure you ask the teachers of the various subjects if you are unsure or need
any kind of help!
Now is also the time to set up a homework and study regime. Even though it is the
beginning of the term it is a good time to start these practices so you are used to
them by the end of term. The earlier you get yourself into a routine of study, the
easier it is to maintain this habit. There is always work to review or homework to
complete.
As we have seen this past week the weather is definitely getting colder. We have
noticed a few students wearing incorrect uniform, particularly with regard to jackets/
jumpers and long pants. Could we ask parents/caregivers to make sure their
students have the correct uniform for the colder weather.
Thanks to those who participated in the theme of the cross country and the ANZAC
parade this week. It is a good way to set an example to the other students in the
school, and encourage the participation of all the students in activities. Remember,
the example you set is very important to the junior students. They are always
watching what the senior students are doing and assuming that is the way to
behave!
Lastly, the Year 11s are at Emu Gully. They are probably tired and dirty from having
crawled through the mud, climbed over walls and coped with a number of unusual
situations. Hopefully they are having a great time and developing some team work
skills. We look forward to the stories and photos of their time away.
Robert Hazeleger & Vicki Hazeleger
Senior Secondary Coordinators
FROM THE YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS
JUNIOR SECONDARY
Welcome back to an exciting Term 2! We have so many things scheduled for this term
that you had better strap yourself in for a crazy 10-week ride!
We started last week off with our ANZAC Day ceremony on Wednesday, followed by the
Cross Country on Friday. It was awesome so see so many Junior Secondary students in
attendance and displaying exemplary behaviour at both events. Well done to all the
students who also attended the ANZAC dawn service and/or the Clermont ANZAC march
to Hoods Lagoon on Saturday. It was a day of reflection and remembrance for us all. A
few of the other things we have to look forward to this term are Inter School Sport Rounds
1 and 2, NAPLAN, Athletics Carnival, Aurecon bridge building competition and much
more…
Peer Support
Our Peer Support program is continuing over Term Two. This term the groups and Year
10 team leaders have been shuffled around and our topic is ‘Behaving With Integrity’. This
topic will focus on our values and how they can affect our choices.
Gotcha Awards
Even though we were only back at school for a week, the following students were
nominated to receive a Gotcha! for Week 1.
Our Gotcha recipients for Week 1 were:
•
Willow Hogan - For staying focused and on task during Japanese lessons. Great
work!
•
Harry Benney - For staying focused and on task during Japanese lessons. Great
work!
•
Rachal Riggs - For working consistently to write sentences in Japanese. Well done!
FROM THE YEAR LEVEL COORDINATORS
JUNIOR SECONDARY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cameron Zahl - For assisting with setting up the furniture for Anzac Day – Thanks
from Mrs Hooper AND For picking up rubbish that wasn’t yours in the playground.
Great initiative!
Hudson Hobbs - For making an interesting contribution to our Anzac Day
discussions.
Adam Harvey - For making an interesting contribution to our Anzac Day discussions.
Hayden Olzard - For making an interesting contribution to our Anzac Day
discussions.
Kieran Goetz - For speaking confidently in front of the class in HPE.
Sam Lockyer - For picking up plastic cups on the cross country run without being
asked to. Great initiative!
Mandi Sichter - For consistently displaying excellent levels of effort and behaviour in
HPE classes.
Natalie Kane - For consistently displaying excellent levels of effort and behaviour in
HPE classes.
Brainstrain! – It is great to see so many students entering our Junior Secondary
Brainstrain competition! Our Week 10 winner was Rachal Riggs and our Week 1 winner
was Lleyton Marks. Both students won a $5 tuckshop voucher. Well done to everyone
who has placed an entry in the box. Remember, you gotta be in it to win it!
Don’t forget that Parent/Teacher Interviews are still available for next Wednesday.
Also, please label your child’s winter jacket/jumper as they often forget to put them away
in their bags after taking them off, and we often have a large collection of nameless
jumpers as Winter approaches.
Have a great week!
Dena de Ruysscher and Susan Poulus
Junior School Coordinators
FACULTY NEWS
From the English Department
The staff members who teach in the English Department this term are Miss Carly
Bell, Miss Dena de Ruysscher, Mr Lachlan Herbert, Mr Tom Murray and Mr Daniel
Rowlands.
The subjects taught within the English Department this term are English and
English Communication.
Wherefore art thou… English
Semester 1 has seen an exciting and diverse range of learning opportunities taking
place in English classrooms. From information texts debunking the possibility of
time travel to a court case during depression-era America, the range of texts
studied across the school this semester can best be described as rich, varied and
inspiring.
2015 has begun with all English classes focusing on developing effective written
and spoken communication skills in a range of contexts. The Year 7 and 8 students
have undertaken units of work which extend the fundamental language skills
covered in primary school, while Year 9 and 10 students have begun in-depth
studies of texts and skills within specific genres. However, a common thread exists
across all Year 7 to 10 English classes. Reading comprehension is the backbone of
the 4 year program with an emphasis also on spelling and grammar skills.
Meanwhile, in the senior school, the Year 11 English class began their studies by
examining how different forms of media use language to position their audiences to
view information in particular ways. It really is amazing how using the word
‘disaster’ instead of ‘event’ can manipulate a reader into thinking a certain way
about a topic.
FACULTY NEWS
Students in the Year 12 English class are busily working on their first unit of work
which has seen them reading and studying four novels. Having studied the themes,
literary techniques and narrative choices of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘The Great
Gatsby’, ‘Of Mice & Men’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’, the senior students have been
able to explore some of the greatest tales and writing of the 20th Century and to
discuss the power of literature to comment on important social issues.
The great work of our English teachers and their students has allowed for some
excellent assessment tasks to be produced this semester by students in all year
levels. It was particularly exciting to see groups of Year 9 students become
advertising executives promoting Australia as a holiday destination.
LookingtomakeaheadstartonSemester2’sreadings?
Year 8 Year 7 –
Black Snake Noah & Saskia
Year 9 –
World Shaker
Year 10 Romeo
& Juliet
Year 11 Macbeth
Year 12 Hamlet
REMEMBERTHATTHEREISENGLISHTUTORINGEACH
WEDNESDAYAFTERNOONFROM3-4PMIND13
STUDENT PROFILES
NAME: Tristan Braden
I have been a student at Clermont State High School since
the start of this year.
A memory of my first day at CSHS is seeing friends.
My favourite subject is Rec Studies because you get to be
outside a lot.
My learning goal for this year is to pass all Year 12 subjects.
What I like most about CSHS is how helpful the teachers are.
The best advice I’ve ever received is not to give up.
In five years time I’d like to be rodeoing in Canada.
NAME: Emily Brent
I have been a student at Clermont State High School since
Year 8, 2011.
A memory of my first day at CSHS is experiencing all the
different teachers.
My favourite subject is Business Studies because it is what I’m
interested in.
My learning goal for this year is to pass every subject.
What I like most about CSHS is that all the students and
teachers know each other.
The best advice I’ve ever received is not to give up.
In five years time I’d like to be a beauty therapist and have my
own salon, or be working in one.
STAFF PROFILES
NAME: Sooraj Fowdar
I have been at Clermont State High School since 20 April, 2015.
This year I’m teaching Maths B, Year 10 Maths, Year 9 Science,
LOTE Exemption and SEW.
A highlight of my time here so far is how peaceful and quiet
Clermont is.
A special memory of my high school days is winning an industry
award.
When I was growing up I wanted to be an astrophysicist.
I decided to become a teacher because it gives me a lot of
happiness and it allows me to make a difference in the lives of so
many.
Three things people may not know about me are that I speak five
languages, I do not understand cricket and I come from a strong
farming background.
A person who inspires me is my Dad because of his philosophical views of life and his great
sense of wisdom.
Date Claimers
29 April
6 May
6 May
12-14 May
21 May
27 May
2 June
8 June
23 June
25 June
Parent/Teacher Interviews
Encouragement Awards
Parent/Teacher Interviews
NAPLAN
Interschool - Dysart
Show Holiday
Interschool - Moranbah
Queen’s Birthday Holiday
Athletics - Field Carnival
Athletics - Track Carnival
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
ASSESSMENT CALENDAR
SCHOOL NEWS
English / Humanities Tutoring
Why not come to English/Humanities tutoring on
Wednesday afternoons? Come to B5 from 3:05-4:00pm
and have an Excellent English Teacher or a Sensational
Humanities Teacher help you out.
MATHS TUTORING
Every Tuesday afternoon
3:05pm to 4pm
D16
for both Junior & Senior students.
A teacher will be available to solve all your problems.
SCIENCE
TUTORING
Please note that Science tutoring will be
held every Monday afternoon from 3:05pm to 4:00pm.
N1/N2.
GUIDANCE OFFICER NEWS
FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICER
Resilience through Problem-Solving.
Children with good social and problem-solving skills are more equipped for life. In fact intelligence
alone is not enough and it is these skills that lead people to be successful in life. Children who
have learnt these skills are comfortable in new situations. They are friendly to others and join in
activities. They cooperate and compromise. They trust others and others develop trust in them.
They handle conflicts well and respect differences of others. They apologize when they are
wrong, but will assert themselves when they believe they are right. They are clear in their thinking
and non-threatened nor threatening. They are liked.
For children with poor resilience and/ or at risk of depression, often these skills are lacking.
When children are young they depend on parents to help them solve problems, but as they grow
they will need to learn skills to handle the problems they face. With a focus on `remaining calm,
Seligman, in his book `The Optimistic Child’ provides 5 steps, your child needs to follow, in order
to solve problems effectively.
Slow down – STOP before acting impulsively, then start thinking. How we handle a problem
depends on what we are thinking. Replace hot thoughts with cool thoughts. Hot thoughts often
lead to loss of control. Cool thoughts result in solutions that are non-threatening to self and
others.
How we think affects how we feel and what we do.
Stand in another’s shoes – understand what the other person was thinking or why they acted
the way they did. This is easy to do by meeting with the person, looking at their face, and asking
non-threatening questions to get answers (use of technology won’t achieve true understanding).
Set Goals – If you have a problem, how would you like things to end e.g. You have a fight with
your friend, is your goal to restore friendship or have a stand-off? As your child sets a goal, they
should list as many ways as possible to reach it.
Choose a Path – which is the best solution. Look at the pros (any good outcomes that might
happen) and the cons (any bad consequences) e.g. speaking nicely to someone versus yelling at
them.
How did it go? Did it work? If not, then don’t give up. Pick another solution and give that a shot.
Notice that all these steps are about you, the parent, training your child in the art of problemsolving. It is not about you finding their solutions nor is it about you rescuing them. Our aim as
parents is to have well-adjusted, social, and happy children who are equipped to handle life in all
its forms.
Adapted from Seligman, M – The Optimistic Child
Matt Martin. Guidance Officer
VET NEWS
Position Vacant
Lotta Latte's is looking for high school students who are
15 years and over to work on a Saturday from 7am till
3pm to learn waitering, food service and much more. Drop
into Lotta Latte's, ask for Jacqui and introduce yourself
and explain that you are wanting to apply for the Saturday
morning position advertised at the high school. If you need
help, call into Ms Jansen’s office.
Student Absence Line
For student absences please
phone
4983 4340
EXTERNAL NEWS
EXTERNAL NEWS
EXTERNAL NEWS
EXTERNAL NEWS
EXTERNAL NEWS