7 February 2025
- From the Principal
- Date Claimers - 2025
- Staffing
- Years 7 & 9 - NAPLAN Online
- School Photo Day - Wednesday, 26 February 2025
- Swimming Carnival - Friday, 28 February 2025
- Year 7 Welcome BBQ
- Absences
- Personal Technology Policy
- Parents' and Citizens' Association (P&C)
- QKR! Payment App
- Parking Around Schools and Road Safety
- Community Notices
From the Principal
Welcome to 2025, a fantastic year of learning! This year sees us welcoming 243 year 7s, as well as some new students in grades 8-12.
Year 7s have done a wonderful job adjusting to high school last week. Their conduct, preparation, attitude and presentation is excellent and they have navigated the changes to high school admirably.
This year we introduce a number of new faces to Rockhampton SHS. They are:-
|
|
We are excited about the contributions they will make to our school's success.
Uniform Expectations
- The school uniform is endorsed by our P&C Association
- Enclosed plain black shoes (as per the Correct Footwear Guide) with plain white socks
- No jewellery is to be worn other than one basic set of studs or sleepers, one flat ring, a watch (not a smartwatch) and medical alert jewellery. Facial or body piercings including tongue piercings are not permitted.
- No excessive make-up, including but not limited to, lash extensions, coloured or false nails.
- No dramatic hairstyles or extreme hair colouring
Kind Regards
Barry Jenkin
Date Claimers - 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.
| 7 February | Senior Leader Induction |
| 12 February | Year 7 Welcome BBQ |
| 26 February | School Photos |
| 28 February | Swimming Carnival |
| 5 March | P&C Meeting (6.30pm) |
| 17 March | Year 10 Immunisations |
| 12 to 14 March | NAPLAN - Years 7 & 9 |
| 4 April | RSHS Cross Country |
| 4 April | End of Term 1 |
| 5 May | Labour Day Public Holiday |
| 24 July | Year 7 Immunisations |
The next P&C Meeting is
Wednesday, 5 March 2025
in the school's conference room.
All are Welcome!
Are your contact details up-to-date?
Have you changed your address?
Have a new phone number or new email?
If you have, please come into the administration office and complete a student details form.
Staffing
Heads of Department
HODs are able to assist with enquires regarding subjects and subject matters.
HOD DiT - Dominic McGuire
HOD English - Teri Garner
HOD HPE (Acting) - Sebastian Kilpatrick-Brazier
HOD Home Economics & Pedagogy – Julie Granville
HOD Business, Humanities & LOTE – Josh Tomlinson
HOD Learning Engagement – Josh McGrath
HOD Manual Arts & Agriculture – Joshua McCall
HOD Mathematics - Jane Taylor-Thompson
HOD Science - Stephen Ladley
HOD Senior Schooling - Trudy Crow
HOD Special Education – Amanda O'Beirne
HOD The Arts (Acting) – Natalie Stubbs
QVSA Coordinator – Breeha Sinnamon
QVLA Coordinator - Josh McGrath
Sports Coordinator - Dale Fouracre
2025 Year Co-Ordinators and Support Staff
Year 7 - Joshua McGrath & Monica Vernon
Year 8 - Hayden Townsend & Alexandra Milde
Year 9 - Phoebe Hines & Nathan Snowdon
Year 10 - Jane Taylor-Thompson & Sebastian Kilpatrick-Brazier
Year 11 - Natalie Stubbs & Tom Lorette
Year 12 - Jessica Blanch & Josh McGrath
Guidance Officers: Jane Li (Yrs 7,9,11) & Kate Woodward (Yrs 8,10,12)
Social Worker: Annabelle McLauchlan
Junior Youth Coordinator: Katrina Clifford (Yrs 8 & 10) & Tony Dalton (Yrs 7 & 9)
Senior Youth Coordinator (Yrs 10-12): Steven Cooper
School Nurse: Patricia Cope
Community Education Counsellor: Stacey Chamberlain
Administrative Staff
Principal: Barry Jenkin (Acting)
Deputy Principals:
Melanie Brown
James Zimmer
Grant Burchmann (Acting)
Anna Petrie
Damien Kelso
We are always happy to receive calls and meet with you. Please contact the office to make an appointment.
Years 7 & 9 - NAPLAN Online
This year NAPLAN Online will be held between March 12 and March 24.
It is an annual assessment of fundamental literacy and numeracy skills for students in years 7 & 9.
Please contact Anna Petrie, Deputy Principal on 4920 4333 if you have any further questions.
The following sites provide information for parents and carers:-
School Photo Day - Wednesday, 26 February 2025
School photos are almost upon us again! The school has engaged MSP Photography to create our school records this year and you are invited to purchase prints of your child.
On photo day, every student will be photographed regardless of whether you are purchasing or not.
Your child will bring home a personalised order envelope from the photographers. Please take care to read and follow all the instructions carefully. This will ensure your order is processed smoothly and efficiently and will help you to avoid any late fees.
You will have the option to order online or with cash in your student’s envelope. Please take care to follow the instructions carefully.
Additional order envelopes are available from Student Services. To order a sibling photos, please collect a Sibling Order Envelope from Student Services, or order it online at least 24 hours in advance.
Please make sure that students are in complete uniform and compliant with all aspects of the school uniform policy, students who are not compliant will not be photographed.
As school staff are unable to help with photography enquiries or payments, please direct your questions and comments directly to MSP Photography by phoning (07) 4921 3355 or emailing schoolphotos.cq@msp.com.au.
Thank you for your co-operation and we look forward to a great photo day.
Swimming Carnival - Friday, 28 February 2025
The annual Inter-house Swimming Carnival is fast approaching, with students facing off in the pool on Friday, 28 February. Forms will be distributed to ALL students in form during week 2, and are to be returned directly to the Form Teacher at school no later than Friday, 21 February 2024 (Week 4). As it is a regular school day, all students are expected to attend, with involvement in competitive and participation type races strongly encouraged. Students are required to attend a year parade on the Friday morning, before walking across to the pool. All students are expected to wear full school uniform or house colours, including closed-in shoes (no crocs or thongs) to and from the pool. They may change into their school appropriate swimming costumes at the pool. Students cannot mix uniform and non-uniform items.
Students who come to school on the day and who have not returned a permission form before the due date will be completing curriculum-based work at school under teacher supervision. Due to the activity being classified as ‘high-risk’, we are unable to accept verbal permission for students to attend on the day.
The canteen at the pool will be open to students to purchase food and drinks. Participation type events have been scattered throughout the day in both the 25-metre and 50-metre to ensure everyone has the opportunity to regularly participate and contribute to their overall house point tally.
Students needing to sign out during the day will need to have a parent/guardian collect a sign-out slip from the school's office and present this to teachers at the front gate before the student can leave the venue. We cannot allow students to leave the venue without the presentation of the sign out slip.
Will the Armstrong Sharks defend their title from last year, or will one of the other houses rise above and take the win? You’ll have to be poolside on Friday, 28 February to find out…
Tom Lorette| HPE
Year 7 Welcome BBQ
Year 7 students and their families are invited to attend the 2025 Welcome BBQ on Wednesday, 12 February.
This is a fantastic opportunity for parents/guardians to meet their child’s teachers, and help build that positive relationship between home & school.
Please RSVP to the school's office on (07) 4920 4333 or by emailing lvanw14@eq.edu.au by Friday, 7 February for catering purposes.
Absences
School starts at 8:50am each day for all year levels. Arriving after this time is considered late and contributes to your child(ren)’s attendance rate. School concludes at 2:50pm everyday. Missed time soon adds up and can have a significant impact by the end of their schooling.
School absenteeism and truancy can impact significantly on students’ learning and wellbeing.
Research shows that in Qld, higher student attendance is associated, on average, with higher student achievement. Additionally, attending school every day helps children build social and emotional skills such as communication, teamwork and resilience.
Under the law, you must make sure your child is enrolled and attends school on all school days unless there is a reasonable excuse.
Reporting an Absence
From time to time students may be absent from school with a reasonable excuse. Any absence of a student is to be reported by a parent/carer with the reason for the absence before or on the day of the absence, or as soon as possible.
Parents/carers are notified via SMS daily of any unexplained absence of a student. Our SMS can be replied to with the reason for the absence or you can notify us on the absence line.
Going shopping or fishing, visiting family and friends, celebrating birthdays, staying up late, being tired or extended school holidays are not reasonable excuses to be absent from school.
For all student absences please phone the Student Absence line on (07) 4920 4312.
Late Arrivals/Early Departures
Students arriving late to school will need to sign into Student Services. They are required to have a signed note from their parent/carer explaining why they are late. If you know your child will be late due to an appointment before school, please notify Student Services before the day or by 9:00am on the day of the appointment.
Parents/Carers are reminded that the procedure for releasing your student early is as follows:-
- Send a signed note with your student requesting an early departure from school
- In an emergency a student can be located but depending on the whereabouts of your student(s) this cannot always be achieved in a short amount of time
- If your student has an unexpected appointment that arises during the day, please advise Student Services at least one hour before the appointment
Personal Technology Policy
As we kick off this year, we want to remind everyone of our “Phones Away for the Day” approach. Once students enter the Rockhampton State High School grounds, students are asked to keep their personal technology devices safely put away so they can focus on learning, building friendships, and being fully present when at school.
For the purpose of this policy, personal technology devices include mobile phones, smartwatches, ear buds, headphones, speakers, and other emerging technologies which have the ability to connect to telecommunication networks or the internet.
This helps reduce distractions and ensures students get the most out of their time at school. Let’s work together to make this year a positive and productive one!
To find out more, go to the Student Code of Conduct or visit qld.gov.au/PhonesAway.
Parents' and Citizens' Association (P&C)
The school’s Parents’ and Citizens’ Association has a very significant role in funding important facilities and curriculum projects. It depends on volunteer support. Over the years, an active group of parents have worked diligently to improve the school environment.
I strongly encourage parents to consider making a small-time commitment and becoming a member of the Parents’ and Citizens’ Association. It is a very friendly group and has a great spirit of co-operation.
The Parents’ and Citizens’ Association meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 6.30pm at the school’s Conference Room. All are welcome!
QKR! Payment App
The school has the QKR! App which can be used to order Tuckshop and Uniforms as well as for school payments for example:- excursions, camps, etc. Please find below information on how to download and use the app.
Step 1 | Download Qkr! from the app store |
Step 2 | Register – Select Australia and follow the steps to register |
Step 3 | Find our school. It will show in “Nearby Locations” if you are within 10km, or search by name. |
Step 4 | Register your children. When first accessing our school you will be prompted to add a student profile for your child. This allows you to make payments. You are able to add multiple students to your profile. |
Step 5 | Make a payment. Select which child and select item eg. (2023 Year 7 SRS) Student Resource Scheme. Select full or part payment (only available for selected items). Select ‘Add to cart’. Select ‘checkout’ then confirm and pay. You can email yourself a receipt for future reference. |
Parking Around Schools and Road Safety
Due to parking related complaints around our school and common breaches observed, the below information is being provided to ensure our students are kept safe. As a community, we all need to work together to make our roads safer. For more road safety information go to the link provided.
Community Notices
Newsletter Sponsors
