5 May 2016
Newsletter Articles
From the Principal
ANZAC DAY 2016
Well done to the 100 students who marched on 25 April! We received great feedback regarding our students.
Thanks to the school captains for their representation at the Dawn Service, and to DP Ms Brown and all who assisted in organising students.
NAPLAN testing 10-12 May Years 7 and 9
This important standardised test allows parents and schools to track student progress, identify strengths and to determine areas for development. The turn-around for marking and reporting of the tests is now quite brief. We are anticipating improvement reflecting our whole school writing focus in 2016.
SCHOOL EXPO Saturday 21 May
Many thanks to Rockhampton SHS parent John Clark, of Centre State Signs, for his generosity and assistance with the promotion of our Expo. John has very kindly donated time and resources to produce marketing materials for our school Expo. We are always grateful for support – thank you John!
The Expo is a great opportunity for future and current families to view facilities, resources, student work and activities (and to enjoy our free coffee shop and barbeque). 2017 Year 7 enrolment packs are available and bookings will be taken for individual enrolment interviews. We hope to see you there!
Kirsten Dwyer
Principal
Important Dates
5 May ─ Parent Teacher Interviews 3.30pm to 6.30pm
10 -12 May ─NAPLAN
21 May ─ School Expo 2pm
Science Department - CQUniversity ‘Dream Big Event’
Four year 12 students, Isobel Ward, Mikayla Willie, Julie Orr and Brooke Hanrahan attended the ‘Dream Big Event’ at CQUniversity Rockhampton. Its purpose was to promote engineering to year 10 – 12 female students and to give them the opportunity to develop their understanding of being an engineer and job prospects available in the profession. They were able to meet with and receive advice from current engineering students and engineers in the industry.
Throughout the day the students’ were able to design and build a Pasco trebuchet, engineer a structure in the Marshmallow Challenge, program Lego robots in RobotC software, build and test a floating house in the Engineers Without Borders Humanitarian activity. The feedback from the students afterwards was that it was interesting, hands-on and well worth attending.
School of Excellence in Creative Writing
On Friday 24 April, 23 Rockhampton State High School students from Years 7 – 9 experienced a captivating morning at the Rockhampton Regional Library. Former Rocky High student, Terry Philips explained the elements of writing our own narrative. As an experienced and published `Steampunk’ author, Terry has a very strong insight into the Steampunk genre.
According to student Jet White: “Students were engaged as they participated in a series of organised activities, including choosing a steampunk name, creating their own story plots and analysing a steampunk music video that told a story. We all took home a wider knowledge of literature and are now ready and inspired to write our own stories.”
Ashtyn Maggiotto accepts a gift of four `Steampunk’ novels for our school library from Terry Phillips. Many thanks to Terry and the Rockhampton Regional Library for putting on such a great workshop for our students.
Cindy Mills
HOD Visual Arts
Volunteers needed in our tuckshop
The tuckshop is now approved as a placement for CentreLink Participation Requirement. Any parents who would like a placement ae encouraged to enquire at the tuckshop or your job agency. The tuckshop direct number is 49204383. All are welcome!
BEBRAS Challenge
The flamboyant beaver icon attracted a lot of interest this year! Eighty of our Computing / IT students participated in this Computational Thinking Challenge. Outstanding students in this difficult challenge were:
|
Champions |
BEBRAS |
Year |
|
Distinction |
Maddison Clark |
9 |
|
Distinction |
Kamani Edwards |
8 |
|
Credit |
Ashley Carberry |
9 |
|
Credit |
Kasey Corino |
10 |
|
Credit |
Cale Copak |
10 |
|
Credit |
Hayden Duncan |
8 |
Some students were very competitive and quickly learnt key concepts and skills required to interpret the colourful images and scenarios. Challenges in this activity form the foundation of programming which is a priority of the national curriculum. Confidence in programming enables our students to be better placed for new and interesting jobs in the future.
Check out samples of the challenges on the BEBRAS website below:
www.bebras.edu.au
Rockhampton State High is also incorporating STEM into its curriculum. Watch for more news on this in the next few months!
Congratulations to all students who participated in this interesting challenge.
Shirley Buchholz
HOD Business & Junior IT
Senior Students Experience ROC-Q Program
Rockhampton State High School senior students are again participating in the CQUniversity ROC-Q program. This program is part of the 'Widening Participation' initiative aimed at equipping school students with the desire and skills to transition to university. ROC-Q is about 'seeding success', motivating and inspiring students to be successful learners at school and also later at University, TAFE and in the workforce. The program targets Year 11 and 12 students and is made up of interactive modules which aim to build confidence and motivate all students to work to their full potential.
Our Year 12 OP eligible students recently completed four modules of the program at the CQUniversity’s North Rockhampton campus. While on the campus, students visited the state-of-the-art health program facilities including the private clinics for local patients. They also witnessed the university’s MASK-ED Program which is an innovative simulation technique involving the use of silicone props, including masks, torsos, hands and feet. The props are worn over the lecturer to mask them. The hidden lecturer then transforms into a fictional patient with a story that is relevant to the learning experience. The character serves as a platform for teaching. Our students also participated in a video conference with students from Bundaberg and Mackay.
All other senior students will work through the modules at Rockhampton State High School delivered by the ROC-Q team made up of current CQUniversity students who once attended high school in the Rockhampton area.
Trudy Crow
HOD Senior Schooling,VET Coordinator
Rockhampton State High School Assessment Policy
A student’s final rating in any subject will be based on a range of assessment tasks undertaken at various points throughout the course. Students will therefore need to plan and organise their time carefully so that all assessment commitments can be met. Families are reminded that the taking of family holidays does not constitute a valid reason for submitting an assignment after the due date. Likewise, attendance at a leisure or recreational event (such as a music concert) does not constitute a valid reason for submitting an assignment after the due date.
Students who will be absent from school for more than three consecutive days are required to submit a Notification of Extended Leave Form at least two weeks prior to the start of the absences. Students are responsible for gathering the work to be completed during their absence and providing the work to their teacher on their return to school. Please follow the link to access the form. Alternatively, students can collect a form from Student Services.
Trudy Crow
Head of Department – Senior Schooling
