newsletter-april2-2015 - Dalby State High School

Parent Teacher Interviews
These very important interviews will be held in N Block (the new year 7 building), on
Wednesday, May 5, from 4pm. Information about how to book interviews was posted home
with the interim reports. I encourage you to attend these interviews. Using teacher feedback is
Thank you to all staff, students, invited guests and community members who helped a powerful way for students to improve their results.
ANZAC Day
make our two ANZAC Day ceremonies on April 27 a success. I was extremely
impressed with the thoughtful and respectful manner in which the proceedings were Until Next Edition
conducted.
Please do not hesitate to make an appointment with me at the school office, if I can be of
I would also like to thank the numerous staff and students who participated in the assistance with any matter.
Dalby march and ceremony on April 25. It was wonderful to see our school so well
represented in acknowledgement of such a special day on the Australian calendar.
Given the significance of the 100 year anniversary this year, this demonstration of
Dalby State High School’s
support was extremely pleasing.
Dr Dean Russell
Principal
Production of
Attendance Matters
I am in possession of the school’s official term 1 attendance data. I am very pleased to report
that the school has seen a strong shift in student attendance when compared to term 1 last
year. While not all year levels have improved, this overall increase will make a huge
difference. You can’t achieve success at school if you are not here. Having said that, the
school understands completely that very often, absences from school are legitimate due to
illness, family matters and other reasons. Our recent focus on attendance is aimed at students
who regularly take a day off or choose to do other things except come to school. The data:
School
7
8
9
10
11
12
T1 –
2015
92.9%
92.6%
89.3%
87.8%
90%
92.7%
90.7%
T2 –
2014
NA
NA
91.3%
(year
8)
87.3%
(year
9)
84.8%
(year
10)
88.3%
(year
11)
88%
A special mention must be given to our current year 11 and 12 groups who have seen
significant gains this year. The school will continue to trial new rewards for student attendance.
These have been largely year level based so far. New rewards will be for classes and
individual students as well.
Interim Report Cards
After trying a few different variations recently, we have decided to issue interim reports in term
1 again this year (these were posted home last week). The decision was made to issue an
overall achievement rating on these reports for students in years 11, 12, while providing an
‘N’ (not rated) for years 7, 8, 9, 10. This is largely based on the difficulty around providing an
accurate rating for year 7, 8, 9, 10 students, due to the lighter assessment loads at this stage
of the school year. The school has received a lot of feedback from parents which indicates that
an overall achievement rating for students in years 7, 8, 9, 10 would be highly valued. The
school has listened to this feedback and responded. Interim reports will have an overall
achievement rating for all students from now on. The format of our more substantial end of
semester reports remains unchanged.
School Musical
It is still a few weeks away, but as this is the last edition of the newsletter before opening night,
I want to take the opportunity to encourage you to see the 2015 school musical ‘High School
Musical’. This is a special invitation for new members of our school community. The school
musical has a very special place in the heart of Dalby State High School and with very good
reason; they are outstanding! Please do not miss out on this wonderful event. ‘High School
Musical’ will be performed on May 19, 20, 22 and 23. Tickets are available at the Dalby High
school office or at Dalby Colour Innovations.
Based on a Disney Channel Original Movie
19, 20, 22 and 23 May 2015 at 7.30 pm
Saturday Matinee 23 May 2015 at 1.00 pm
Adults
Students/Concessions
Children under 5 years
Groups of 10 or more
$15.00
$10.00
$ 5.00
$10.00
(Tues, Wed, Sat Matinee)
Tickets available at the school office and
Dalby Colour Innovations
By arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd, Exclusive agent for Music Theatre
International (NY)
Date Claimers
May
5
Parent Teacher Interviews
7
School Social
8
Bunya Cross Country U12
11
DD Cluster 4 10—12 yrs
12 - 14 NAPLAN Year 7 & 9
15
School Cross Country
18 - 23 Musical Performance Week
June
2
P&C Meeting
3
Year 8 Vaccination 2nd Round
4
Year 10 Vaccination 2nd Rd
5
Ballymore Cup
5 - 12 Yr 11 & 12 Exam Block
8
Queens Birthday Holiday
24 - 25 Athletics Carnival
Year 8 Update
P & C News
I hope we are all back refreshed and ready for Term 2! As I explained to my cohort last
week, we’ve had a term to get used to high school so now we all know what is expected re
classwork, behaviour, school routines, etc. and it is time to really see how well we can do. I
foresee no problems with this as the Year 8s have more than lived up to all my
expectations so far and I am confident they will continue to raise the bar with regards to
making the most of the opportunities DSHS offers them. Remember, if you or your child
ever have a question or query, please make me your first port of call. I can be contacted
by ringing the school on 46 690 900 or emailing me at [email protected]
Karen Marini
Year 8 Coordinator
The 2015 office bearers elected at the
AGM on 31st March are President—Colleen Rasmussen
Vice President—Janet Ash & Karen
Marini
Secretary—Natalie Healy
Treasurers—Melissa Low and Adrian
Rasmussen
The QSchools app is a convenient way to receive up-to-the-minute
information from Queensland state schools.
Plans for new seating in the hall are
progressing and P&C hope to be able to
make a final decision on the type of
seating very soon and start fundraising
for the seats.
How do I download the QSchools app?
To download the app visit the application store for your device.
Features
The app integrates with the school's website platform, allowing users to:
• find and favourite your school by searching for the school by 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 through the app
access the latest news, events and newsletters from your school
easily access your schools tuckshop and uniform shop information
view information about your school including class times and contact details
view social media feeds.
The app can manage updates from multiple schools which is useful for parents who have
students in different schools.
Push notifications
QSchools push notifications are here! Push notifications will allow your favourite
Queensland schools to push essential information directly to your device, including
notifications of upcoming events and emergency alerts and important updates. To
receive push notifications, download the QSchools mobile app or ensure the app is up to
date if you already have it.
Year 12 QCS Test
Queensland Core Skills Test will be completed by OP eligible students in term 3.
Students are currently working through a program that is aimed at refining the
skills that are required to do well in this test. At the end of this term, students will
complete QCS practice tests. Students will receive individual feedback about
their strengths and weaknesses. Students have been given a text book that has
practice tasks for them to complete.
Please support the upcoming production
of High School Musical from 19th May—it
will be an amazing event. There has
been a huge amount of time and effort
invested by the staff and students
involved to produce a professional
production sure to entertain. Tickets are
available from the school office or Dalby
Colour Innovations.
P&C will operate the hall canteen during
the interval at each Musical performance.
If you are able to help serve in the
canteen please contact the school office.
The next general meeting is Tuesday
5th May at 5:30pm in the Library. All
welcome.
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NAPLAN
Special provision is available to students who are affected by a medical
condition, an impairment or exceptional circumstances that may act as a barrier
to their access to the test or to their demonstration of achievement in the test.
Some examples of special provision; ADD, ADHD, ASD, Diabetes Mellitus,
English as additional language/dialect, exceptional circumstances, hearing
impairment, illegible handwriting, illness (asthma, migraine etc), psychological or
emotional impairment, vision impairment (including colour blindness).
The National Assessment Program
Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will
be conducted on May 12th – 14th for
students in Year 7 and Year 9. These
tests provide valuable information
about how your child is performing in
Literacy and Numeracy.
If your child is OP eligible (studying 5 Authority subjects; has QCS session 3 on a
Wednesday on their timetable) and you think they may require special provision,
please contact Jason Marini (Deputy).
Applications (with supporting
documentation) will need to be completed and submitted (through the school) by
the 21st May.
If your child has grounds for
exemption or you wish to withdraw
your child, please contact the school
for the appropriate form.
Mrs Narissa Jones
Acting HoD – Teaching and Learning
Year 7 Update
Parents and Visitors
Welcome back to another update. This week finds students settling into a new round of elective subjects and
continuing to extend their knowledge and understanding in the core subject areas. I love walking through the
Year 7 Precinct and listening to the conversations and how excited the students are to be doing subjects they
may have not had access to previously.
Attendance: Over the school holidays, I looked into the attendance data of Year 7 students throughout Term
One. As a cohort, our attendance rate is the second highest in the school. This is an awesome achievement
and the best start to their high schooling students could give themselves. After analysing the data further, I
was able to identify a large number of students who did not miss a day of school last term. It was a privilege
to be able to present 46 Year 7 students with certificates acknowledging their outstanding attendance for
Term One. I have issued a challenge to all of the Year 7 Health and Wellbeing classes to beat this number in
Term Two.
Parent Teacher Interviews: By now, you should have received your student’s interim report via email or
mail. Included with the report are details for booking interviews with teachers. Interviews will be held in N
Block (Year 7 Precinct) on Tuesday, May 5. If you are experiencing difficulties with the booking process as
outlined on the information sheet sent home, please contact the school office.
ANZAC Day March: Thank you to all of the Year 7 students who joined the school in marching at the annual
ANZAC Day parade. It was fantastic to see so many of you give up your own time to honour the sacrifice of
the men and women who served our country in times of war.
Musical: By all accounts, preparation for this year’s musical is in full swing. Congratulations and good luck to
all Year 7 students involved in the production. I am looking forward to seeing you all perform.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please call the office or email me.
Please note that all visitors to the
school must come to the office
and sign in. Should you wish to
see a teacher or your student
please
make
arrangements
through the office.
Tutoring in the
Support Space
Tutoring is on every morning in the Support
Space from 8 am until 9 am. Bring your
homework, revision sheets, assignments or
just yourself! Students can also help
themselves to a Milo or breakfast snack.
All year levels and ability levels are
welcome.
Monday—Literacy and Numeracy
Tuesday—Maths
Wednesday—General
Thursday—Science
Friday—English
Sarah Hemmings
Year 7 Coordinator
[email protected]
2015 Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test
Community Representatives Positions
Tuesday 1st September and Wednesday 2nd September
Dalby State High School
P & C Resource Scheme Outlet
To ensure that your student has the books,
classroom materials and sports activities for
their study areas in 2015, join the Resource
Scheme. The fees for 2015 are $230 for
Years 7, 8 and 9 students and $250 for Years
10, 11 and 12.
A Security Bond of $50 is required for each
student and rolls over each year. Any queries
please phone 4669 0953 or email
[email protected].
Pay cash, credit or cheque. Eftpos is
available. Centrepay now available.
The polar fleece jumpers for Winter have
arrived. Layby of uniforms is welcome.
BUCKET HATS— Medium and
Large sized buckets hats have
arrived. If you didn’t receive your
free hat at the beginning of the
year, collect a hat from the uniform
outlet. Hats can be purchased for
$12.
Lockers are also available for hire through
the Resource Centre for $40 per annum
(cash or cheque only). A Locker Agreement
Form must be signed by student and parent
prior to hire.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday to Friday – 8.30am to 2.30pm
Applications and role descriptions are available from the school office.
Applications close Friday 22nd May 2015.
Kokoda Challenge
On the weekend of the 18th and 19th of July Dalby State High School will be taking a
record 11 teams to participate in one of Australia’s toughest team endurance event: The
Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge. Not only is this a personal challenge for each of our
teams, but the program is helping raise funds for disadvantage youth across QLD. The
trek also honours Australian servicemen who fought on the Kokoda Track during World
War II. The spirit of mateship, endurance, courage and sacrifice is an inspiration the
teams draw upon to help them through the tough course.
This year Jordan Roache, David Schreiber and Jordan Ludowici will each lead a team of 4
students in the 96km trek and Karen Marini, Bron Henschell, Nicholas Topp, Sandra
Griffiths, Ros Cheb, Rachel Ferdinand, Candice Newman and Michelle Wild will lead a
team on the 48km trek. Each team will be supported by another 2 students and a staff
member who will feed and water their teams at various checkpoints on the way.
For those facebookers out there we have created a Dalby State High School- Kokoda
Challenge page. Search it out and press ‘like’. It’s a great way to keep up with what our
teams are doing and to get information out into the community.
Our teams are faced with the very difficult challenge of raising a considerable sum of
money to cover their participation fees, bus hire, food and fuel for their support vehicles.
If you or your business is in a position to offer assistance to any of our teams we will be
more than happy to acknowledge your support via our school newsletter which goes out to
over 850 families. We will also acknowledge your business on our facebook page by
posting your business photograph in our newsfeed explaining your assistance.
Two Dalby businesses that regularly support our Kokoda adventure have once again
offered their assistance, Dalby Camping World & Complete Angler and FoodWorks Dalby.
We would like to say a huge thank you to these businesses; your generosity is much
appreciated. We would like to encourage our school community to support the businesses
that support our school.
We have made the process of sponsorship very simple, you can make a direct deposit into
the following account.
Dalby State High School P&C Association General Account.
Westpac BSB 034-177
Account number 15-2283
Reference: If you wish to sponsor a particular team please use the lead teachers name as
the reference.
Or you can drop into the school resource and uniform outlet and the ladies will assist you.
Please note the resource and uniform outlet closes at 2.30pm each day. Alternatively you
can post a cheque care of Dalby State High School P& C Association, PO Box 608 Dalby
QLD 4405. Please make cheques payable to Dalby State High School P & C Association.
If you wish to sponsor a particular team please write the lead teachers name on the back
of the cheque for reference.
The Dalby State High school’s 2015 Kokoda challenge teams would like to thank you in
advance for your support.
Equestrian Programme
The Dalby State High School Bunya Campus is offering a before and after school
Equestrian Programme for students from Dalby State High School, Dalby South State
School and Dalby State School.
This encompasses two separate horse riding
programmes – a Learn to Ride Programme and an Equestrian Riding Programme.
A fully qualified instructor gives structured riding lessons morning and afternoons, and
every second weekend, depending on the programme chosen. An outside, discipline
specific instructor also comes each term.
There are a limited number of High School horses available for use in the Learn to Ride
Programme. All outside horses will need to be assessed by our instructor prior to being
accepted into the programme.
The Equestrian Programme Handbook is available on our website. This lists the structure
of the lessons, fees and all relevant information. If you have any other queries, please do
not hesitate to contact 4660 0333.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Free Mobile Women’s Health Service
Dalby Health Services (Dalby Hospital)
8.15 am—2.30 pm Appointments 4669 0517
******
Free Breast Cancer Screening Service 16 Feb - 1st May
The BreastScreen bus will be located at Dalby Hospital.
Appointments are necessary for this FREE service and can
be made by phoning the Toowoomba Service on 13 20 50
(cost of a local call). No referral needed.
******
English Classes
At Myall Youth & Community Network Centre every
Tuesday night 6—7:30pm. No homework, no exams. All
levels welcome. Volunteers needed. Ph 4662 0152
******
PCYC Junior Netball Season
Nominations due 1st April
Season starts 2nd May
Please contact the PCYC on 46722400 or
[email protected]
******
Crimestoppers Charity Bowls Day
Saturday 9th May at North Dalby Bowls Club
Commencing at 1pm. Nominate 4 players—include 2
social bowlers—$10 per player
BBQ gold coin donation
Prizes for 1st, 2nd & Last. Multi draw raffles
Contact Matt Carmody or Sue Hine on 4669 9205
Or names into Club by 12pm on the day 4662 3716
******
Parent Teacher Interviews
Tuesday 5th May from 4pm
To book an interview, please go to
www.dalbyshs.eq.edu.au and click on
the Parent Teacher Interviews link. If
you do not have internet access or
require assistance please contact the
office.
Interim report cards were posted home
Friday 24th April.
Year 11 Engineering
Newsflash
Dalby SHS always strives to offer the
best educational programs for our
students. As such we will be
transitioning students from Cert I
Engineering (MEM10105) to the new
Cert
II
Engineering
Pathways
(MEM20413). Essentially the courses
contain the same content; however the
new course of study if completed
successfully, offers 4 credits towards
your student’s QCE rather than the 3
credits currently banked by successful
students.
A full list of units studied are available
on the website should you be
interested. If you have any queries
please do not hesitate in contacting
Jason Marini or attending the
upcoming parent/teacher interviews.
Sports News
Equestrian: The school Equestrian team has been busy attending meets over the last couple of weeks. Thank you to Mr Todd at Bunya Campus for
coordinating students and to Mrs Holtkamp for the results. Three students - Annika Werny, Sean Geraghty and Dominique Holtkamp competed at the
Fairholme College Show-jumping in Pittsworth the last weekend before the Easter Holidays. Sean won his class and Dominique and Annika both placed
3rd in their respective classes.
The next upcoming event for our Equestrian team is the Darling Downs Championships in Dalby on the weekend of 8th, 9th and 10th May 2015.
Cross Country: The school Cross Country will be held at Bunya Campus on Wednesday 6th May starting at 12.30pm. All students who wish to compete
in the event must sign up at the PE noticeboard and return a permission form to the PE staffroom by Monday 4th May. Students will need to bring their
lunch with them and will be taken by bus at 12 noon to the Bunya Campus. Parents are welcome to come and watch the event.
U12 Sporting News: Our U12 athletes have had plenty of sporting trials over the weeks leading
into Easter. Parents are reminded to encourage their child to sign up for events at the PE
staffroom and collect permission notes from the noticeboard box. All Bunya District trials have a
$2 nomination fee which must be paid to the school office before the trial date. Students who
then make a Bunya District team are to pay the nomination fee for the Darling Downs trials to
the school office. If your student has made a Bunya District team and would like to purchase a
new Bunya District shirt, these are available from the Dalby State School office.
AFL – Sam Rasmussen was selected in the Darling Downs AFL team to compete at the State
Championships in Toowoomba from June 4 to 8. Well done Sam.
Football Trials – congratulations to Georgia Story and Dana Kennedy who were selected to go
to the Darling Downs trials in Stanthorpe on Monday 4th May. Good luck girls!
Rugby League – last weekend Alex Lindsay, Keanu Wright-Dunrobin and Sam Rasmussen
(pictured right) were all selected in the Darling Downs U12 Rugby League team at the trials in
Stanthorpe. Congratulations boys and good luck at the State Titles at Illfracombe on the 25th to
30th June.
Netball – Grace Butters, Jennita, Emma Hinch, Rochelle Van Rensburg, Anna Willcocks and
Amelia were selected in the Bunya District netball team that competed at the Darling Downs
Netball trials on Monday 27 April.
Touch – well done to Lachie Smith, Sam Rasmussen, Keanu Wright-Dunrobin, Alex Lindsay,
Breanna Tanks, Brooklyn Dahlheimer who are selected in the Bunya District Touch team who
will attend the Darling Downs trials on Monday 4th May.
Sports Excellence: Sports Excellence training recommences this week with training on a Wednesday morning at 7am. Students need to listen out to
notices to find out what is on each week. All welcome.
Bunya District Cross Country: The Bunya District Cross Country trials will be held at Dalby State School on Friday 8th May. Under 12 students
wanting to trail for the Bunya District Cross Country team need to see Ms Henschell at the PE staffroom before Monday.
Darling Downs Cross Country: Trials for the Darling Downs Cross Country team will be held at Kearney Springs on Tuesday 26th May. Students who
wish to trial need to come to the PE staffroom and collect a permission form and return the form with the $10 nomination fee to the office by Friday 15th
May.
All Schools Cross Country: The 2015 Queensland All Schools Cross Country Championships will be held at St Paul’s School, Bald Hills on Saturday
9th May. Students wishing to compete need to see Ms Henschell and nominate by Wednesday 6th May.
Athletics Training: Athletics training has commenced on Thursday afternoons from 3.15 to 4.15pm. Students need to meet at the sports shed.
Touch Training: All Schools Touch training has started on Wednesday afternoons from 3.15 to 4.30pm. Students who wish to participate in this year’s
All Schools Touch competitions need to attend these training sessions.
Ballymore Cup: This year’s Ballymore Cup (Rugby Union competition) will be held in Toowoomba on Friday 5th June. As this is during exam block for
senior students the school is only nominating an Under 15 team. Students have started training with Mr Roache on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes at
12 noon.
Bill Turner Cup and DD AFL Cup: Good luck to our Girls and Boys Football teams and the Under 15 and Open AFL teams who are competing in their
respective Bill Turner Cup and Darling Downs AFL Cup competitions on Tuesday 5th May. A big thank you to Miss Wild, Miss Ferdinand, Miss Griffiths
and Mrs Melbin for giving up so much time for coaching these teams.