15 November 2017

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

As the end of the year approaches, we once again celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of our students, staff and community members.

On 20th October we held our annual Full Employment Education and Training (FEET First) acknowledgement ceremony and morning tea. On this important annual occasion, we thank our numerous educational, vocational and training partners and acknowledge the achievements of our students in gaining work experience, certificates and apprenticeships.

Our Sports Awards on 25th October recognised the achievements of more than 70 students who competed at a regional, district, state and national level.

At the World Teachers, Volunteers and Support Staff Breakfast on 27th October we thanked all our teaching and support staff who go the ‘extra mile’ for students. Our 2017 Outstanding Volunteer Award recipients (from left; Lynne Foxwell, Peter Foxwell, Peter Eckersley and Narelle Eckersley) have given many invaluable years of time, expertise and energy to our great school, including:

• having their children attend (who have all become school leaders)
• being regular members of the P&C and P&C Executive for eight years
• making massive individual contributions (in terms of their finances, time, role and experience) in areas such as networking, event co-ordination, car parking fundraising, planning and project management giving many hours to reading grant submissions, considering school priorities, analysing data, reviewing school policy and procedures
• providing input into P&C expenditure and facilities planning
• supporting Chaplaincy and fundraising over many years
• advocating for students and the Student Representative Council

Congratulations to 110 students who received academic, cultural or citizenship awards at our 98th Annual Awards Night on 8th November! Special acknowledgement to:

Darcy Milner- Year 11 Highest Academic Achiever
Thomas Byrne -Year 12 Runner-Up Dux
Ashlee Barnett -2017 Dux of the School

Finally, I would like to wish our Year 10 and 11 students a safe, fun and relaxing holiday, and our Year 12s a happy and memorable end to the year. We will miss you! All the best.

Kind regards

Kind regards
Kirsten Dwyer

Important Dates

Old Boys’ Rugby League

It was a case of experience over youth when the RHS Old Boys defeated the RHS Young Guns by 42 points to 24 on Friday 13th October. The Old Boys, former students who left school more than 10 years ago, were simply too good for the Young Guns, Year 11 and 12 students and former students under the age of 20. The Friday 13th game was the twelfth played since the competition was launched by Matt Pacey and Charles Beresford, team mates from the 1992 First XIII.

Jason Collins, captain of the 1990 Firsts was on hand to present the Trophy to the winners. He also presented Man of the Match awards to Young Gun David McLeod and Old Boy Cash Watson.

Robert Brodie

State Honours Ensemble Program

Year 10 student Dominque Jepson travelled to Brisbane on the September holidays to participate in the sixteenth annual State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP), an initiative of Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium. The Director of this program, Professor Scott Harrison commended Dominique on her commitment, achievement and attitude and said he looked forward to seeing Dominique’s musical growth in the coming years. Well done Dominique!

Claire Stevens
Year 10 Co-Ordinator

Dominque Jepson attends SHEP Program

Amanda O’Beirne | Act. HOD Learning Engagement & Year 7 Coordinator

Maths matters

Term 4 has certainly been a busy one for Maths students and their teachers. End of term assessments are approaching for all students so it is very important that revision of classwork is a focus of home study time.

This year, we are trialling a ‘shutdown’ exam session for all year 9 Maths classes as part of our preparation for the new SATE (Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance) system in 2019. All year 9 students will have their Maths exam on Friday 1st December. The exam will run for 70 minutes and students will need to bring writing equipment and a scientific calculator.

In 2018, year 7 classes will have one extra Maths lesson per fortnight in order to assist students with their numeracy skills. Likewise, the year 10 classes will have an extra class each week to help prepare students for the new SATE system. Students will be focussing on activities that enhance their numeracy skills, address any deficiencies in their knowledge and using technology such as Excel spreadsheeting and Graphics calculators.

Jane Taylor-Thompson
Head of Department- Mathematics

Scene Project 2017

On Tuesday 24th October, Year 10 Drama students from Rockhampton State High School took part in Queensland Theatre's Scene Project Performance day at the Walter Reid Cultural Centre. Our students had the opportunity to present their student-devised piece as well as viewing other schools and their performances.

The day culminated with all students viewing a professional theatre production of “600 Ways to Filter a Sunset”, directed by Travis Dowling.

A fantastic day was had by all and RSHS students must be commended on their hard work and dedication.

Well done!

Lynda Dowley
Drama and Dance Teacher

MADD 2017

Our MADD concert and exhibition was held at the school’s theatre on the weekend of 20th and 21st October but for us it has been a year-long production. Students began with their drama and dance troupes in March and our Music students have been learning their music and practising all year round. Our Art students have exhibited the work that they have been making all year and were very proud to show them off to their families, friends and general public. This year, for the first time, we opened our art exhibition during the day on the weekend and were very pleased to see so many of our Rocky High families come in to admire all our hard work. We feel that this could be the start of a new tradition.

As always, MADD has been an opportunity for our students to shine in front of the local community but it is so much more than that. It is an opportunity for our whole school and education community to come together and produce something to be proud of. Our local primary schools have been working hard all year with Bajool, Waraburra, Stanwell and Allenstown State Schools involved in the Dance Project. Students from Crescent Lagoon and Allenstown State Schools displayed artworks in our exhibition. Parents, teaching and support staff from across the school contributed in so many ways to the success of these events.

A huge thanks to everyone who participated, choreographed, hung artworks, dropped off and picked up students, watched in the audience and helped backstage. We hope to see you all again at future MADD events.

Cindy Mills
Head of Department The Arts

Training and Employment Recognition Morning Tea

Rockhampton State High School recently held its annual Training and Employment Recognition Morning Tea on Friday 20 October 2017. This ceremony is an opportunity to publicly recognise the achievements of Year 12 students who have successfully combined Year 11 and 12 and a Nationally Recognised VET Qualification through either a Vocational Education in Schools Program and or a school-based traineeship or apprenticeship. The Training and Employment Recognition Morning Tea is also held to recognise the employers who support our students by providing school-based traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities.

Parents, staff, employers and community members attended this event. Regional Director for the Department of Education and Training, Ms Kim Fredericks and Councillor Cherie Rutherford also attended to recognise the students’ achievements.

School principal, Mrs Kirsten Dwyer, outlined the important role that the FEET First program plays in supporting students to find the right pathway to achieve their career goals. During the ceremony three current year 12 students spoke about their journeys and experiences.

Renae Mitchell talked about the knowledge and experience she gained in her Certificate III Allied Health Assistant school-based traineeship with Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service and how thankful she had been for all the help and guidance she had received along the way. Her traineeship has already led to employment with the health industry next year.

Ashlee Barnett spoke about all the opportunities offered to her including a school-based traineeship in Certificate III Business, a Start Uni Now (SUN) course and taking part in the “2017 Law Week” work experience program, which gave her the opportunity to shadow a member of the courthouse.

Ambrose Masefield spoke about his time management skills while completing a Certificate II and III in Retail as a school-based trainee with McDonalds Gracemere, Certificate II Automotive Vocational Preparation with CQ University and Certificate II Public Safety (Firefighting Operations) with Rural Fire Service Queensland. Ambrose’s extensive training experiences have given him the knowledge and skills to take into the future.

All three students expressed the importance of accessing assistance and seeking support from teachers and school support staff to identify and access employment and training opportunities.

Parents and students requiring information about the FEET First Program and the opportunities available are encouraged to contact the coordinator, Samantha Sinclair, on 49 204 323 or ssinc51@eq.edu.au.

Samantha Sinclair
FEET First Coordinator

QParents

Parents of 2017 Year 7s please note!

I am pleased to remind you that our school will be providing parents with access to a new, convenient, online parent portal called QParents.

The QParents web and mobile application provides an easier way for you to interact with our school. Parents will have secure, online access to their child’s student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer.

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with our school to access and manage their child’s student information, including:

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence
• Academic report cards
• Class timetables
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating personal student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details

QParents will assist both staff and parents in sharing and responding to information in an efficient and effective way.

It won’t replace the traditional ways you communicate with our school, but it will provide another way to communicate with us!

What do you need to do to get started?

There is an attachment to this email inviting one parent or guardian for each student to become a QParents Account Owner (QPAO). The QPAO will be able to register for QParents to access and manage the student’s information online. A student’s QPAO will be able to view the student’s information and submit requests to update some of the student’s details. Please fill this letter out and return this via email or in person as soon as possible.

The QPAO will also be able to invite other people (such as another parent or family member), to view the student’s information. Once invited, these people can register for QParents as “delegated viewers”. A delegated viewer can see the student’s details, but cannot make updates. Your student maybe a `delegated viewer’, allowing them to access important information such as their timetables, attendance and report cards.

When you receive your invitation email or letter, simply follow the instructions to register your QParents account. The process should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Invitations sent by email will only ever come from no.reply@qparents.qld.edu.au. You will not be invited to register from any other email address or organisation.

If you do not want to register you can just ignore the invitation and your child’s student information will not be available to anyone through QParents.

Identity Verification

When registering as a QPAO, you will need to verify 100 points of identity documents online. The 100 points can be made up of documents in the following list:

If you only have 40 points of the above ID documents you can still register for QParents, but you will need to attend the school for an additional check after you have registered online. Please bring the documents to schools to be sighted at the front counter at any time

Will my child’s information be secure?

Yes. QParents is a secure portal that meets strict industry standards. Only people with the right to access information about their child will be given an account; no one else.

If you don’t want to register for QParents, your account will not be created and your child’s information will not be made available through QParents.

Please email Rockhampton State High School at Principal@rockhampshs.eq.edu.au or phone on 49 204 333 and let us know if you do not want to register for QParents.

Help and contact information

Help and contact information see the link below.

For help, visit the link below or call 13 QGOV (13 74 68)

Please note – once registered, this will take effect into the following years.

Kirsten Dwyer
Principal

LESSON TIMES 2018

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