18 September 2019

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Outstanding NAPLAN results!

Rockhampton State High School received the third highest improvement rating of all schools in Central Qld in this years’ NAPLAN results. Our school consistently performs at a very high level in terms of student relative gain. There are over 400 secondary schools in Central Queensland across all sectors (State, Independent and Catholic).

The following information was published in The Bulletin earlier this month following release of NAPLAN results:

Central Queensland’s Top -10 Most Improved Cohorts

These results show the value added to students from years 7 to 9 in terms of our only standardised National Assessment task. It shows the enormous capability of our students and staff to build on student performance outcomes in literacy and numeracy over two years. Well done to our students and staff for these great results, and congratulations to our fellow state schools!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all members of our school community a safe, fun and relaxing holiday

Kirsten Dwyer
Principal

NAPLAN Online – School Readiness Test

On Wednesday 4th September students in Year 8 took part in the NAPLAN School Readiness Test. This School Readiness Test was a mandatory test to assess the capability of the IT services in the school and their capacity to manage online testing in 2020.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit the following site for further information and to view simulation testing that students in Years 7 & 9 will complete in 2020. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you have further questions regarding this School Readiness Test.

Amanda O’Beirne
HOD Student Support – Learning Engagement

Science Department

Year 12 Chemistry

Two teams from Rockhampton SHS competed in the Australian National Titration competition that was held recently at CQUniversity. Students had been practising for several weeks beforehand in preparation for the competition and this proved to be invaluable. Both teams performed incredibly well and congratulations to Maddison Clark who received an Excellent result for her titration. Well done also to Riley Belz, Kate Coleman, Charlotte Bradford, Emma Singer and Hayden Duncan.

Andrea Von Doom
Yr. 12 Chemistry teacher

Capricorn Caves Excursion

As part of the Science departments’ activities for Science Week, 32 students took part in a whole day excursion to the Capricorn Caves.

Students learnt about the geology of the cave system, including the role of plate tectonics, and examined the processes that lead to the formation of the caves due to erosion of the limestone rocks. The nearby remnants of long extinct volcanic eruptions and unique formation of the caves from coral reefs and subsequent erosion due to changes in climate and sea levels was discussed. This also included the formation of stalactites and stalagmites as a result of the slow dripping of rainwater through cracks in the rocks (also known as calcite chemistry).

Students also visited a working paleontological dig pit inside the caves as part of the second tour. They heard how some of the ancient rainforest mammals that were present hundreds of thousands years ago had been identified from the cave deposits.

Queensland Museum have excavated the cave floor several times, as it contains one of the most concentrated owl-roost fossil deposits in Australia. Paleontologists have used these deposits to help them understand the evolution and extinction of local fauna due to past climatic changes. At the end of the tour students had the opportunity to sort some of the fossil deposits excavated from nearby Mt Etna. Students found a variety of bones, including teeth, claws, ribs and leg and arm bones. This was really exciting as this material will be sent to Queensland Museum for sorting and identification as part of its citizen science program.

Stephen Ladley
HOD – Science

Science Week 2019

Once again this year, the Science Department held a very busy and successful Science Week (10-18 August) with a range of activities held each day. The theme for this year was – Destination Moon: More missions, more science as well as celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. The three highlights were:

• full day excursion to the Capricorn Caves for Yr. 7, 8, 9 and 10 students
• full day of workshops by Questacon (Canberra) for Yr. 7, 8, 9 and 10 students
• Astronomy night on Mount Archer for students and the public.

Students in every Yr. 7, 8, 9 and 10 science class also took part in a classroom activity, including:

• building and testing pop rockets
• building balloon-powered rocket to race
• designing, building and testing emergency vehicles for a moon landing

Lunchtime activities were also conducted throughout the week including building and testing a solar-powered oven and watching the movie Apollo 13.

Thanks to all of the science teachers for their efforts in such a busy week and the students who participated in all of the activities.

Questacon Smart Skills workshop

As part of the activities for Science week, students from Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 had the opportunity to participate in a 90 minute workshop delivered by the Smart Skills team from Questacon (based at The National Science and Technology Centre, Canberra). These workshops have been held throughout Australia for the last four years and have energised and inspired students by emphasising inquiry-based learning using hands-on challenges.

The aim of these workshops was to inspire critical and creative thinking by exposing students to the ‘innovation process’ by completing a challenge. The challenge posed to them was to design and build a functioning roller-coaster (Rube Goldberg machine) from a range of simple materials. Students had to work in teams and use the innovation principles of need, think, make, try and refine.

At the end of the workshop students showcased their roller-coaster to the other groups and explained the principles of their design. They were asked to reflect on various things such as:

• What simple machines they used?
• What problems they encountered? How did they tackle them?
• If they could do this again, would they do anything differently? If so, what?

It was extremely valuable and rewarding to have Questacon deliver this workshop to our students. I found that the students were very motivated to build as complex a roller coaster as possible and became quite creative and competitive.

Stephen Ladley

I2S2 (Indigenous education program)

This term, students in year 8 and 9 science classes have been investigating the principles of firestick farming and the use of fire by aboriginal peoples in the Australian environment. For the Yr 8 unit, Fire: A burning question students have been investigating the method and materials best suited to start a fire. This includes the type of timber and tinder used as well as comparing the drill and saw method. For the Yr 9 unit, Burn and Grow students have been investigating the most effective method to germinate a range of native seeds – heat, smoke, abrasion or boiling.

These I2S2 units draw on best practice in inquiry-based science education and indigenous science education to help teachers implement the Australian Curriculum with an indigenous perspective. Hopefully it helps show students how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples used high-level science inquiry skills within cultural practices and also increases their engagement and participation in their science class.

This term, the team from Rocky Instincts spent two days with year 8 students showing them a range of alternative fire starting techniques. Students discovered the best combination of timber and technique to be able to generate enough embers to be able to start a fire in less than 20 seconds. The presenters were impressed with students’ knowledge and previous experience from their science class. This was another valuable learning experience for students and makes their learning in class much richer. We look forward to continuing to develop this partnership with the Rocky Instincts team.

Stephen Ladley

Important Dates

Year 7 – 2020 Enrolments

Have you made an appointment to enrol your Year 7 2020 student. Please contact the General office on 49204333 to make a booking as soon as possible.

Early departure from school

Parents are reminded that the procedure for releasing your student early is as follows:

• 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.

Rugby League

Grand Finals

Congratulations to the Year 10 Rugby League team who claimed the RDSRL Premiership with a 16 – 12 win over St Brendans on Friday night!! Big thanks to Lachlan Webley for coaching this side as well as Robert Brodie and everyone else who assisted with the side throughout the year.

First XIII

This year’s First XIII did exceptionally well by winning the minor premiership in their division. Unfortunately, they were unable to carry their good form through the finals. Much of the Firsts’ success this year has been due to the leadership of their two co-captains, Beau Rosin and Seann Spreadborough. Both Beau and Seann led by example. They showed inspiring determination and courage.

Many thanks go to two Old Boys, Mr Brodie Smith and Mr Josh Lodewickus for coaching the Firsts this year. Their efforts have been greatly appreciated.

Human Powered Vehicle

We arrived safely back in Rockhampton Sunday night 15 September after a weekend of endurance racing at the Fraser Coast Technology Challenge. We have some hard working and talented students who are great ambassadors for Rockhampton State High School!

Some Statistics

Senior Team

• 335 Laps = 469km
• Fastest lap (1.4km) – 2:37.111. This is about 20 seconds slower than the fastest lap recorded at the race.
• 82nd overall

Junior Team

• School built vehicle
• 337 Laps = 471.8km
• Fastest lap – 2:54.641
• 78th overall (4th in division)

Massive shout out to our staff who gave up their weekend to attend the event. Andrea Von Doom, Sharon Callaghan and Chappy Damo, without your hard work weekends like this don’t happen. Also, thank you to Brett and Adonna Ruff for mechanical and pit support. Thank you for your hard work.

I raced on Friday night in a staff challenge with in a team of teachers from the Rockhampton Region. We came second to a professional/factory team from South Australia. Thanks Emmaus for letting us use your vehicle.

Phillip Richards
HOD – Materials Technology

CQ All Schools Battle of the Bands

August 31st saw the culmination of months of hard work for our students who participated in the CQ All Schools Battle of the Bands. The school nominated two bands – Monte Carlo and Lil’ OJ – who performed extremely well on the night.

Monte Carlo consisted of Cody, Callum, Zeke and Jesse and Lil’ OJ was comprised of Nic, Kelly, Braeden and Caitlyn. Caitlyn was awarded one of the four Judge’s Choice awards for her amazing ability on lead guitar and vocals.

2019 Annual Open Interschool Gymkhana

Participants in the Gymkhana were:

William Neale, Teniyah Kenafake, Taylor Hook, Charlie Neale, Nikki Olzard, Chelsea Roberts, Stevie-Lee Miller, Charlie Frankish, Jessie Neale

Students on Track to Civil Construction

A group of Year 11 and 12 students recently completed Certificate II in Resource and Infrastructure through SDS Training. This gave the students the opportunity of acquiring skills for a career in the resources and infrastructure sector. This course is a pathway qualification that will prepare students for employment within the resource, construction, civil construction, drilling and mining sectors.

The three week course has a focus on the civil construction industry by introducing students to competencies such as occupational health and safety, conduct local risk control, environmental work practices, safely disposing of non-toxic materials, plan and organise work and carry out measurements and calculations, all in the context of the civil construction industry. This course contributes four credits towards their senior schooling qualification, the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

In the last week of the course students completed the practical project which consisted of the concreting of slabs, creating garden beds and completing an outdoor lunch space at SDS Training. The students learnt the skills of concreting, working at heights, working in confined spaces, assembly of prefabricated products and the importance of teamwork in the work environment. They worked hard for the duration of the three weeks and were extremely proud of the work they produced and the skills they learnt.

We would encourage any students that are interested in this course in 2020 to contact Alana Knight in the FEET First program.

Trudy Crow
HOD – Senior Schooling

Bangara Rekindles Culture with RSHS students

Indigenous students Ieisha Biggs, Ivy Kris-Jasperson and Lesley Smith recently participated in the ‘Rekindling Program’ run by the Bangara Dance Company and sponsored by the QATSIF foundation.

It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn about their culture and history from local Elders of the Darumbal community and then express the stories through dance under the tuition of the Bangara Dance Company. Bangara members conducted a series of workshops teaching the students the finer details of movement and expression which culminated in a very soul-stirring performance presented to the public on the grounds of the RGS rowing club situated on the banks of the Fitzroy River. Every member of the audience felt privileged to have been present that Friday evening.

Alanna Waugh
Learning support Teacher for Indigenous students

Archery

This term the SPE091A class, under the guidance of their teacher Mr Kilpatrick and their teacher aide Ms Sorrensen, have been enjoying learning the skills and sport of Archery.

StarLab visited our EXCEL science students in Years 7 – 10, and some other invited students were able to attend the event as well, at the beginning of September! We were able to explore the solar system in a way we’ve never been able to before. Lyn and Peter from the StarLab took us on a tour of space history, immersed the students in an amazing star show inside the giant dome, and helped us all gain a better understanding of the considerations involved in going to outer space.

Year 7 EXCEL Humanities class visited Emu Park on September 3 to put into practice the content they have been exploring during class time. Students conducted a liveability study of the area. They had the chance to explore the Emu Park city centre and interviewed some local residents in order to understand what makes a place liveable.

Year 8 EXCEL Science students have been investigating whether wood type has an impact on the efficiency of traditional indigenous fire starting techniques. Students used traditional indigenous methods, including that of the fire saw, and coupled that with current technologies including utilising infra-red thermometers to quantitatively measure the temperature of the wood and linked that to the efficacy of the wood choice.

Mrs Sinnamon

Year 10 Senior Science preparation class.

This term, students have been studying some of the fundamental principles of Physics such as speed, acceleration, displacement and Newton’s three Laws of Motion. To help demonstrate and test these laws, students have been using dynamics carts and parachutes.

In one activity, students had to design and build a parachute that could open effectively and reduce the speed of descent of a water balloon inside a paper box. Their goal was to minimise the impact force of the water balloon when it hit the ground. After conducting several trials and recording measurements, students were able to calculate the speed of descent in metres per second and the impact force in Newtons of their parachute compared to just a water balloon.

The design and construction of the students’ parachutes was highly impressive and it was great for them to be able understand how complex scientific principles can be applied in a real-life scenario.

Stephen Ladley
Head of Department - Science

Queensland Virtual STEM Academy at Central Queensland

Hosted by Rockhampton State High School

Round 2 Review

118 students from 35 schools participated Round 2 courses!

Janny and Arabella ideated a solution to reducing chlamydial spread in koalas which included GPS tracking devices, community education programs and a new vaccination protocol as part of the Mitigating the Spread of Disease Grand Challenge.

Will, Lachlan and Jared participated in the Healthy Harbours and Habitats Grand Challenge and generated a solution to the degeneration of seagrass beds in the greater Gladstone Harbour. They included secondary data, direct quotes from experts and a 21st century approach to tackling the problem of declining seagrass populations.

Emma, Katrina and Georgia were part of the Missing the Night Grand

Challenge where they investigated the impact light pollution has on a variety of environmental aspects including turtle populations, breast cancer incidences on night shift workers and the role light plays in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit premature babies.

We also welcomed William Lawrie to the QVSA at Rockhampton State High School team this Round. William participated in a Coding with Arduino course facilitated by QUT mentors, based out of the QVSA at the Queensland Academy of Science, Maths and Technology.

Round 3 Review

In addition to the continuing Round 2 Grand Challenges (Waging War on Food Waste, Disease Mitigation, Missing the Night, Biomaterials, and, Healthy Harbours and Habitats) and the iSee Licence and Scientific Skill Builder, we are offering two brand new courses:

• Grand Challenge: Island Biosecurity – students will explore the importance of biosecurity protocols on Australian island ecosystems. Students will collaborate with members of CQUniversity’s biosecurity study team as well as members of North Keppel Island Environmental Education Centre to ideate a solution to the ever present issue of maintaining the natural flora and fauna on our country’s islands.
• Skill Builder: Biomimicry – Students investigate the concept of biomimicry and biomimetics – the notion that synthetic products should be modelled on biological entities and processes. Students will analyse and develop approaches and tools to identify how the study of structures of nature can be utilised to make better, more economic and sustainable items for human use. Students will explore various products already based on the concept of biomimicry, such as termite nests being used as the base design for apartment buildings.

Will, Lachy, Jared and Katrina are participating in the Mitigating the Spread of Disease Grand Challenge in Round 3. Emma is part of the Island Biosecurity Grand Challenge team while Georgia has joined the Healthy Harbours and Habitats Grand Challenge. Janny and Arabela are part of a Biomedical Engineering course, filtered through the GTF QVSA site.

Breeha Sinnamon
QVSA at CQ Coordinator

From our Students

William Cho – Year 8

Science

Over 2019, we have investigated many different areas of science. In term one, we learned about elements, the difference between solids, liquids and gases and how they each are formed, and even how to use a Bunsen burner. For our assessment we were asked to find the most suitable material to make a pool chair. We tested the strength, heat resistance and chemical reactions of various fabrics to find the most suitable material. In term two we studied rock types and how they were formed. Currently we’re exploring the concept of Energy. We’ve compared potential energy and kinetic energy, energy transfers and energy transformations, and explored the concept of energy conservation and efficiencies. For this term’s assessment students have been trying different traditional fire starting techniques and analysing the results gathered to show which wood type is best for making a fire. Science has been an exciting subject for year 8 students in 2019 and we’re looking forward to Term 4!

Humanities

In humanities throughout 2019 we’ve studied a large variety of subjects including history, land formations and megacities. In term one, students learned about medieval times and in term two, we learned about Shogunate Japan, including information regarding different leaders, various periods and wars in the Shogunate era. In the same term students started to learn about landscapes and landforms including world heritage sites, natural disasters. Currently we are working on megacities, including the environmental, economic and social factors which affect cities and their inhabitants.

Maths

In term one, we learnt about fractions and fraction calculations and we were given a task to analyse different games and to calculate the chance of winning. In term two, we were exposed to index laws, including the multiplication law, the division law, the zero law and raising a power to another power law. Currently we are preparing for an up-coming exam about algebraic expression, time and mean, median and mode.

English

In term one, students read the book ‘Leaving Barrumbi’. The class had to analyse this book with a focus on social issues and afterwards were asked to write a summary of the social issues in the format of a magazine article. In term two students read ‘Rankenstrin’ and learnt about the story Frankenstein and also studied the art of monologues. English in 2019 has been a fun and exciting subject and a great opportunity for all students to extend their knowledge of the English language and build associated skills.

Year 9 English

This term in year nine English we have been studying speculative fiction. Speculative fiction stories are narratives that are based around the question, “What if…?” For example, what if the Earth exploded? Or, what if the dinosaurs never became extinct? Over the term we thoroughly unpacked each speculative sub-genre by viewing film clips and reading short stories to identify and discuss the plausibility and effectiveness of the speculative elements. We also developed and critiqued our own ideas through storyboarding and peer review. Our favourite parts of this unit included being exposed to a wide range of speculative sub-genres such as science fiction and fantasy, as well as learning how to embed speculative elements effectively for each type of speculative fiction. We also enjoyed having the opportunity to explore and develop ideas for our writing. All of our hard work culminated in the planning, drafting and editing of original speculative short stories for our assessment.

Nate McQuillan (year 7 student)

Maths matters

Recently, we entered a team of three enthusiastic students in to the QAMT year 7/8 quiz held on a Wednesday evening at The Cathedral College. Our students, Nate McQuillan (year 7), Emma Daley and William O’Shea (year 8s) represented the school very well and thoroughly enjoyed participating in the team event. The following is Nate’s recount of the evening.

The recent maths challenge I was privileged to attend could only be described as a cognitive masterpiece! We were like cogs working together in impeccable harmony. Every participating student was able to attempt questions so the sense of inclusivity was beyond supreme. The event also strongly supported teamwork as much of the challenge was team-based. As well as this, students were given the opportunity to work with some unfamiliar faces, as one activity required students to mix themselves with other schools. The voluntary event-runners and helpers were unbiased and fair. I would give my experience a 10/10!

Year 7/8 QAMT Quiz challengers

White Ribbon Schools

Rockhampton SHS staff including James Zimmer, Lachlan Wells, Claire Stevens along with Rockhampton SHS School Based Youth Health Nurse Loretta Green attended White Ribbon Schools Training in Mackay this week where they found out more about domestic and family violence and what schools around the country are doing to help break the cycle.

The Australian government supports White Ribbon Schools and agrees that change best starts with boys and men. They say young people often grow up with stereotypes about what girls and boys should act like. This can lead to unfair treatment and disrespectful behaviour and can be the starting point for much worse later in life.

Rockhampton State High’s involvement with the White Ribbon Schools program will be to continue building on the many programs that our students already participate in such as the wellbeing program, respectful relationships education, Rock and Water program, Bullying. No Way, along with many other curriculum related material.

Education Queensland also supports White Ribbon Schools through strategic planning and policies including the Inclusive Education Policy, Parent and Community Engagement Framework and Department of Education Strategic Plan 2018–2022.

For more information

• Lifeline 131114
• National Sexual Assault, DV Counselling Service 1800 RESPECT (1800 737732)

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