29 August 2025

From the Principal's Desk

It's hard to believe we have only three weeks’ left of term 3! Students will be busy over the next few weeks with assessments and exams.

A huge congratulations to Ms Melanie Brown.  This week Queensland Secondary Principals Association (QSPA) held their conference.  Mel received an achievement award in recognition of her work for the QSPA at state council and school sport.  We know the work Mel does and has done for our school and community over many years, it is great to see that QSPA also recognise the contributions of Mel!

Congratulations to all involved in Book Week, it has been great to bump into people all week in character and fantastic to see so many students involved. There may have even been an appearance of The Big Bad Wolf.

Over the holiday break we should see a double classroom demountable building installed next to our N block. This will be vital to free up additional spaces across the school. These additional spaces will support further teaching and learning, and I look forward to visiting the intentionally inviting spaces our teachers create in these classrooms. Additionally, we have been fortunate to walk through E block, our hospitality space (under construction) to see its progress. While very empty at the moment, we look forward to 2026 where students will have fantastic opportunities to engage in rich and real-world learning experiences to prepare them for life after school and for work.

As staff we are focused on creating clear and consistent classrooms and have extended our classroom expectations for students to actions, we as teachers and leaders will take to ensure we reach consistency across our classrooms. Having a set of consistent expectations reduces the cognitive load for students to focus on what they are learning over what expectations up to seven teachers might have in a week. We have also taken the opportunity this term to agree that we as a staff need to phone home on a more frequent basis. I encourage our parents and careers to also make contact with our staff to check in on progress and discuss any concerns. These respectful and professional conversations support our students to get the most out of their time at school.

Regards

Matt Newell

Date Claimer - 2025

These dates are subject to change.  To stay up to date with what is happening around the school, follow us on our Facebook page.

Senior Schooling

Year 12 External Assessment – Term 4

External assessment will take place from 27 October to 14 November 2025 for all General subjects.  During this time, all students studying General subjects across the state will sit examinations that are set and marked by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA).  The results of these examinations will contribute to a student’s ATAR and QCE. 

Our students are currently preparing for these exams.  In addition to extensive revision material to engage with the students will sit ‘mock’ exams from Weeks 8 - 10.  These exams will give them an insight into the design of questions and the subject matter assessed.

All Year 12 students have an electronic copy of the 2025 External Assessment Timetable and other important resources including Directions for Students and the Equipment List.

If students are absent on the day of an external exam, they need to provide documentation of their extenuating circumstances.  This can include a detailed medical certificate explaining the illness and the effect on the completion of the examination.  In this event, parents/carers should also contact the school prior to the commencement of the exam.  These exams cannot be rescheduled.

More information on external assessment can be found at https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/assessment-and-results/external-assessment

After 24 October, Year 12 students are not required to attend school unless they have an external exam or a vocational education and training course to complete.

For more information, please contact the school on (07) 4920 4333. 

We wish all of our students the very best of luck as they enter this important phase of their learning.

Trudy Crow | HOD – Senior Schooling

Students Build Construction Awareness

Our students were recently invited by Acciona-Fulton Hogan to participate in an industry site tour facilitated by Construction Skills Queensland. This site tour was offered to our students as a result of their impressive behaviour and the genuine interest they displayed during the Term 2 “Career Talks”.

The students laid the foundations for the day with an important lesson on workplace health and safety. After completing a comprehensive induction, they were issued their personal protective equipment and were guided through key emergency procedures.

From there, students were transported to observe civil construction work in action. They discovered the many trade roles that were involved in the project, from the traffic controller right through to the site supervisor.

Students then split into two groups.  One group learnt the importance of communication on a work site with a team focussed puzzle, while the other met with two environmental scientists who explained how they monitor and manage construction’s impact on the surrounding landscape, flora and fauna.

By the end of the excursion, the students had constructed a clearer picture of the pathways into this industry, along with the requirements for successful applicants in the industry, including good effort and behaviour on report cards.  They also learnt some of the personal attributes required:  a strong work ethic, willingness to work long hours and good communication skills.

The high number of our students with a Construction Safety “White Card” was recognised by staff, as this qualification is the minimum requirement for entry onto a worksite. The importance of work experience was also emphasised, as it gives students the chance to cement their learning with real-world practice.  Students who are interested in obtaining a White Card or applying for work experience, should contact the staff in the FEET First Program office.

Our students should be congratulated for their impressive conduct at this event and for asking well-constructed, relevant questions throughout the day.

Rockhampton State High School would like to sincerely thank Acciona-Fulton Hogan and Construction Skills Queensland for making this opportunity possible for our students.

Trudy Crow | HOD – Senior Schooling

Work Experience Appreciation – Term 2, 2025

In Term 2, students at Rockhampton State High School committed to making informed decisions about their futures by undertaking work experience placements in various industry areas. These students put their best feet forward in areas such as heavy vehicle maintenance, construction, refrigeration, childcare and more.

Rockhampton State High School would like to thank the following businesses/organisations for their generous support of our work experience program and our students:

Feedback from our work providers is always resoundingly positive, and last term one of our Year 11 students even secured himself an apprenticeship as a direct result of his work placement! We cannot give enough thanks for the advice and mentoring that our students receive to support development in their careers of interest.

For further information about work experience placements or hosting a student, please do not hesitate to contact the FEET First Work Experience Co-ordinator on (07) 4920 4318.

Teigh Nichols | FEET First Program - Work Experience Co-ordinator

A Healthy Dose of Career Inspiration

Senior students recently visited the CQU Health Expo at the CQUniversity north campus.

This year’s Expo gave students an excellent opportunity to talk to representatives from universities, registered training organisations and health industry employers.  There were interactive displays and activities such as CPR challenge and a human anatomy manikin puzzle.  They also checked their blood sugar levels using a blood glucose meter.

The students all expressed a genuine interest in following this pathway on completion of Year 12, through university and VET programs.

It was wonderful to see our students engaging with exhibitors, asking questions and accessing useful resources.  Staff commented on the excellent behaviour, good manners and fantastic presentation of our students as well as the interest they demonstrated.

For more information on health career pathways including vocational education and training options for seniors in 2026, contact the staff in the FEET First program office in the Senior Learning Centre.

Trudy Crow | HOD – Senior Schooling

TERM 3 2025 Senior Schooling Date Claimer

Upcoming Course Dates

Work Experience

Week 10 – Monday 15 to Friday 19 September - Years 10, 11 & 12

Cutoff date for term 3 placements is Friday 22^nd August. Application forms returned after this date will be placed in term 4.

Japenese Department

On August 6th, we commemorated 80 years since the bombing of Hiroshima. Our Grade 7 Japanese classes spent time learning about the bombing, and of Sadako Sasaki - a little girl who was just 2 years old when the bombing of Hiroshima occurred. 

After miraculously surviving the initial blast, Sadako tragically developed leukemia at 12 years old from the radiation exposure.  After a visit from her best friend, who told a legend that folding 1,000 paper cranes could grant a wish, Sadako began folding cranes in the hopes of recovering and chasing her dreams of becoming a professional runner.  Sadako did not survive her battle with leukemia, but the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes has since become a symbol of peace and resilience.

Our students reflected on Sadako's story by folding their own cranes - they made only 1 each and noted that it was a challenging task.  Sadako had folded approximately 1,300 cranes before her passing.

Rockhampton Regional Council Sustainability in Action Competition

The Rockhampton Regional Council Sustainability in Action Photo Competition is designed to recognise and celebrate the ways our local households and schools are putting sustainability into action in their everyday lives.

Sustainability action is demonstrated in the below photo as the students celebrate the construction of classroom items to meet a need to keep the stationery stored for quick and easy access.  This sustainability action is important as it is part of a wider mathematics unit in which the students identified a classroom need and used sustainable materials to problem solve and construct a solution to an everyday problem. The students have constructed pen, pencil and ruler holders out of disposable coffee cups, iron spray lids and used tissue boxes.

Dr. Sharon Dekkers | Maths Teacher

Student Absences

When notifying the school of a student’s absence - whether by text, calling the absence line, or using QParents - please ensure you include your child’s full first and last name, Year Level, date/s and reason for absence.  This helps us accurately record absences and avoid any confusion.  Thank you for your cooperation!

Sports

I would like to express how proud I am of the students representing our school in Open C and D grades.  The comraderies and the way they conduct themselves against opposition teams and the way they support each other and teach each the fundamental to students competing for the first time is to be seen to be believed. They should be proud of themselves and their culture and to have this culture in our school I can only see us in the future excelling.

Tony Dalton | Coach

Turn to Teaching Internship Program

We’re seeking career changers to bring their skills and experience into Queensland classrooms. If you or someone you know is thinking about a career change and interested in starting a Master of Teaching in 2026, consider our Turn to Teaching Internship Program. This two-year supported pathway will help you enter the classroom in just 12 months, with a $20,000 scholarship and a paid internship teaching position while studying, plus a guaranteed permanent teaching position on program completion. Applications are now open! Click on the below link to find out more. 

Sponsor Shout-Out

We are very grateful to the following businesses who have contributed to our school's sporting teams.  Their generous support has assisted our Qld All Schools OzTag and Volleyball teams greatly in ensuring all our players could attend events, and we are so grateful for their contributions.

Let's show our appreciation by spreading the word about their incredible work.