27 May 2016

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his wife Chloe attended Rockhampton SHS on 12 May to view our cattle program in preparation for Beef Week. Our school, P & C Association and our agriculture department have had close ties with Beef Week organisers for many years and we keenly anticipate this event in 2018! Many thanks to Head of Department Damien Kelso, Agricultural Assistant Andrew Oram, and students Travis, Cody, Maddie, Natalia, Lachlan and Sharie for accommodating this visit.

School Expo

Our School Expo on 21 May was a great success! On this beautiful well-attended afternoon our school showcased the achievements and hard work of students and staff. Special thanks goes to Deputy Principal Mel Brown and to all staff who assisted. Our student presenters, performers, caterers and ushers also did an amazing job in facilitating this event.

Free dress

The Free Dress Day with the theme of "Heroes and Villains" on 20 May was a great success! Almost $1000 was raised for the Student Representative Council to manage. Many thanks to Ms Sprague and to Chappy Damo for facilitating this fun event and associated activities including `best costume' judging.

Can you spare two hours?

Each year the school ovals are used for car parking for the Rockhampton Show. We are in need of people to help with car park marshalling. This is a MAJOR fundraiser for the school P & C and is super easy to help out with.

If you are interested in finding out more or would like to volunteer, you can contact the Car Parking Co-ordinator by email 2011_pandc@eq.edu.au , send a text to 0426 122 851 or contact the school.

If students are wishing to help, then Year 7-10 students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and Year 11-12 students must have a permission form signed. See your Year Level Co-ordinator for a form.

Leaving for appointments during school hours

Parents are reminded to send a 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 students this cannot always be achieved in a short time.

If your student has an unexpected appointment that arises during the day, please advise the school at least an hour before the appointment.

LEGAL STUDIES STUDENTS GET EXPERT ASSISTANCE

The Year 12 Legal Studies class recently received valuable research assistance from ex-Rockhampton Sate High School student, Lauren Gabriel, from the legal firm Rees R and Sydney Jones. The students are busily preparing an assignment on Queensland's domestic violence legal framework.

Ms Gabriel, a family lawyer, was able to provide a clear overview of the process followed in legal practice to deal with domestic violence.

The Legal Studies class greatly appreciated the visit from Ms Gabriel and the expert information she provided.

Trudy Crow
HOD – Senior Schooling

Maths Teams Challenge 2016 – Year 11 Competition

On Friday 13th May, Rockhampton State High School entered a team of 6 year eleven student, in the Rockhampton Branch of the Queensland Association of Maths Teachers - Senior Maths Teams Challenge completion.

The competition was held at the Glenmore High School Hall and the Year eleven section was contested by 8 schools; Rockhampton High; Rockhampton Grammar School, Heights College; Emmaus College; St Ursula's College; RGGS; NRHS and Glenmore High School.

Rockhampton High was represented by Ashlee Jaques, Thomas Byrne, Kodie Ireland, Erika Boyd, Zac Malcomson and Jessica Beanland.

The competition was split into two sections, a School's Relay and a mixed Schools Team event. Rockhampton High performed exceptionally well in the Relay section of this competition and placed second, behind RGS, Heights College came third.

In the Mixed Schools event, competitors were randomly organised into 8 teams of five students, with each team consisting of members from five different schools. Jessica Beanland's team was the overall winner and she now travels to Gladstone in June to represent Rockhampton in the unoriginal Senior Maths Teams Challenge.

To top off a very successful day for Rocky High, both Ashlee Jaques and Erika Boyd's teams finished a tie for second in this section and Ashlee's team was also the winner of the Estimation completion.

This group of students have represented Rockhampton High impeccably and coach and team driver, Mr Russ Taylor, was a very proud teacher on Friday.

Well done team and good luck to Jessica as she and her team take on the best Maths students of the region later this term.

Russ Taylor
Mathematics Teacher

Year 10 Subject Selection Information

Year 10 is a critical time for students to make informed decisions about the next phase of their learning. During Years 11 and 12, students will choose one of three pathways – an OP pathway, a non-OP pathway or a vocational education and training pathway.

Students who are planning to engage in tertiary study on completion of Year 12 must choose 5 "Authority" subjects in order to be OP eligible. Authority subjects are regarded as academically demanding, certainly more demanding than subjects at Year 10 level. Students not achieving a C in a Year 10 subject may find the related Authority subjects in Years 11 and 12 difficult.

In order to ensure students are successful in Years 11 and 12, subject prerequisites must be met in order to enrol in Authority subjects. Year 10 students have been provided with the 2016 Subject Pre-requisite list via a special year 10 parade as well as by email refer to the attached link.

Students not meeting the required levels of achievement in Year 10 can negotiate with the relevant Head of Department. There are no subject prerequisites for Authority-registered (non-OP) subjects or vocational education and training (VET) subjects.

Rockhampton SHS's production of… "Queen bees and Wannabes" hits the Stage!

"Queen bees and Wannabes" is a celebration of both individualism and togetherness. The message of the story is that you don't have to change to be accepted; you just have to be yourself.

Rockhampton State High School's production of "Queen bees and Wannabes" hits Rockhampton State High School Performing Arts on the 15th and 16th July 2016.

With a cast of 130 students from grades 7-12 it will be a night not to be missed.

Tickets are now on sale through the schools cash collection window for $12! Get in quickly - 2 SHOWS ONLY!

Lynda Dowley
Drama Teacher

FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

Rockhampton State High School students from Years 10, 11 and 12 visited the Capricorn Careers Expo at CQ University.

This year's Careers Expo gave students an excellent opportunity to talk to representatives from many organisations including universities, registered training organisations, private colleges, apprenticeship organisations and local employers. Demonstrations by industry experts in the areas of automotive, hand and power tools and emergency services allowed students to develop an understanding of the skills required.

This is an annual opportunity for our students to engage with the southern universities and it was wonderful to see so many of our students engaging with exhibitors, asking questions and accessing useful resources. Many exhibitors commented on the genuine interest and enthusiasm by our students.

The Career Expo is an annual event and students from years 10 – 12 in 2017 are encouraged to participate.

Trudy Crow
HOD – Senior Schooling

Romp in the Park 2016

Our year 12 Early Childhood students were invited to attend Romp in the Park 2016 for a day filled with free activities for children and the opportunity to volunteer using knowledge and skills they've learnt about Early Childhood Studies.

Students dressed up as Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Snow White whilst others helped with sensory activities, blowing up and handing out balloons, talking to parents, face painting and a variety of games. Each student took away real-life experiences about how to interact and assist with the younger years and were highly praised by the organisers for their hard work and positive interactions. Great work Chloe, Dana, Danté, Elizabeth, Emma, Nicole, Tiffany, Tiffini and Tyla!

Rebecca Bray
Early Childhood Teacher

Student-hosted afternoon tea

Rockhampton SHS year 7 students hosted the second annual afternoon tea for primary feeder schools on Wednesday the 27th of April. This is the first opportunity of the year for staff and principals from our 14 feeder schools to come to Rockhampton High and hear first-hand about students' transition to secondary school, learn more about programs we offer and about the curriculum we provide. Thirsy-two year 7 students volunteered to be part of this experience an dare commended for their hard-work in preparation, and enthusiasm demonstrated on the day.

Julie Granville
Junior Secondary HOD

Wheeling and Healing Program

The Outback Academy in conjunction with the Red Dust Heelers conducted a two-hour 'Wheeling & Healing Program' at Hegvold Stadium on Friday the 29th of April. The session was run by players from the National Wheelchair Basketball League and students ended up experiencing a game in a wheelchair.

Adam Schreiweis (year 9) and Hamish Vanderwolf (year 8) play wheelchair basketball for the Frenchville Rockwheelers and the opportunity to be involved was offered to them and a small group of their friends, as well as some students from 7A. Students who attended had a fantastic time and were very appreciative of the hard work, commitment and skill level of the players who led the session. they gained an insight into the sport Adam and Hamish enjoy and succed in.

Student attendees were:

Year 7A – John Miller, William Kerwitz, Lachlan Rawlinson, Connor Berden & Ben Moyle
Year 8 – Hamish Vanderwolf, Rayden Nicholls & Brendan Sinnot
Year 9 – Adam Schreiweis, Shawn O'Toole, Jeremy Deamon, Clifford Arellano & Aidan Pardey

Julie Granville
Junior Secondary HOD

World Brahman Congress 2016

On Friday the 20th of May, six year 12 Hospitality students were fortunate enough to waitress at the NCC Global Genetics Sale dinner held at the Rockhampton Showgrounds. This event provided a work experience opportunity unrivalled to any others, as it welcomed both national and international guests and students who worked alongside professional chefs and wait staff.

The following students are to be commended for their professionalism shown on the evening: Sarah Birch, Haylee Polley, Courtney Inglis, Chloe Ralls, Tiffini Hellyer & Jasmine Rout.

Julie Granville
Home Economics HOD

What's been happening in Science

Year 7 students have been learning about the water cycle and how human activity such as pollution can affect the quality of drinking water. For their assessment, students investigated how water treatment plants work and then designed and tested their own treatment methods to improve the quality of water samples provided to them.

Year 8 students have been busy completing a range of experiments testing the chemical and physical properties of a range of materials that could be used for pool chairs. This is part of the chemistry unit they have been studying in Term 1. Students needed to identify the most suitable material for this application– it needs to be quick drying, strong, resistant to pool solutions, colour fast and have low flammability. As part of this unit, students have also learnt about the scientific method, including how to design and conduct a fair test, and write a scientific report.

Year 11 Biology students have been conducting an extended experimental investigation as part of their assessment for this term. This requires students to design and conduct their own experiment, record and analyse results and then write a scientific report. They needed to identify which disinfectant or antiseptic solution was the most effective at controlling bacterial growth. To do this, students learnt how to do streak and spread plates using aseptic techniques using Micrococcus epidermis, a common skin bacteria.

Similarly, Year 12 Biology students have been conducting an extended experimental investigation as part of their unit on plant physiology. They have investigated a range of plant processes including the effect of differing light wavelengths on photosynthetic rate, effectiveness of a range or rooting hormones and fertiliser concentrations on plant development and temperatures to maximise seed germination.

Year 11 Chemistry students have been determining the concentration of Vitamin C in a range of fruits and fruit juices, as part of their extended experimental investigation for this term. To do this students have had to learn how to perform titrations and then calculate the amount of Vitamin C present.

Year 12 Science in Practice students have been investigating the conditions needed to maximise the growth rate of red-claw (freshwater crayfish). They marked each individual red-claw so that they could be identified and then measured their weight and length each day for the last four weeks. The water quality of the aquaculture tanks was also tested each week to monitor any changes.

These are just some of the hands-on learning experiences that students in all year levels have participated in so far this year. Each of these activities has culminated in students writing a scientific report. Teachers have incorporated a range of literacy activities such as spelling, grammar and punctuation, constructing sentences and paragraphs and writing in third person into their science lessons throughout this term. The goals is to improve students' literacy skills, familiarisation with scientific processes and scientific report writing.

Stephen Ladley
HOD Science

Essential "ingredients" … Attitude and Gratitude.

When you're feeling a bit "down", when "things seem to be going wrong", it's too easy to forget the brighter moments of your day. So, *reflecting on positive things* can actually make all of the "bad stuff" seem way less important.

Just what is "gratitude"? It's all about focussing on what is good in your life, and paying attention to the things you take for granted. Sometimes you'll feel grateful without even having to try – and that's awesome! Consciously choosing to think about things you're grateful for can make a huge difference to your mood, and ultimately how you feel in turn about what's happening around and to you at the time.

Gratitude actually boosts your physical and emotional (mental) health. Research has shown that practicing an attitude of gratitude can help with:-

1. Becoming more resistant to stresses in everyday life events;
2. Having a higher sense of self-worth;
3. Enjoying an instant mood-booster;
4. Experiencing other positive emotions linked with gratitude;
5. Improving physical health.

How can you give this attitude of gratitude a go?

Try these ideas on for size:-

• Turn the idea into a family game or ritual, by every evening during dinner, get everyone to say one thing they are grateful for.
• Keep a gratitude journal (diary / notes book) – write down three things per day you feel grateful for or about. (Hint: keep this journal handy to reflect on when you feel "a bit low" about anything).
• Create a gratitude photo album or Pinterest board – take photos of things you are grateful for that happened over the past year.
• Say "Thank you" to other people – don't underestimate how this helps you take notice of things you're appreciative of in the moment, and it makes their day a bit brighter too.

To sum up, working on an attitude of gratitude involves actively choosing to acknowledge and appreciate the things you're thankful for in life. Give it a go – no matter how difficult it may seem in the beginning, once you start then you'll suddenly find more and more to list. Tell negative thoughts to take a back seat for a few minutes, and let positive steal the spotlight.

Reference: ReachOut.com

Bev Hewett
School Based Youth Health Nurse

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