13 June 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s News

Today the Year 11 and 12 students have started exams for many of their subjects. For many students this is a chance to practise the skills required to complete exams or tests in a supervised setting in preparation for end of year exams in their Year 12 subjects.

Earlier this week all Year 12 students and their parents were invited to come in for interviews with all their teachers. These occurred before formal reports are sent home as a chance to discuss individual student progress and to identify any extra support that might be needed. It was great to see so many students and their parents make the effort to come in and plan the next few months.

Our student leaders have recently sent an email to our feeder schools inviting students to contribute towards designing a mural for our hall wall, as they work on beautifying the entrance to our school. We look forward to seeing how this progresses over the course of the year.

Hoping everyone enjoyed the good rainfall this week.

Tyler Hogan
Principal

Year 11 and 12 Staff and Parent Dinner

On Wednesday May 29, the Stage 1 and 2 Food and Hospitality hosted a Staff and Parent Dinner. Preparation commenced many weeks before the event with students spending many hours in the kitchen working to make the night a success. The menu consisted of a range of entree, main and dessert options. Students were able to showcase their culinary and presentation skills in an authentic setting. They were exposed to just how much organisation and work goes in to hosting such a function and had the privilege of using the commercial kitchen in the stadium for the event. Although some tasty meals were produced, the desserts were the star of the show. We would like to thank the many people who gave us a hand with the event and everyone who attended – it wouldn’t have been a success without you!

Jacqui Edge
Stage 1&2 Food and Hospitality Teacher

Year 11 Work Experience

Year 11 Work Experience for 2019 will be held from August 12-16 (Week 4). Students received Workplace Learning Agreement and Accommodation Away from Home forms at the end of Week 6. It is an expectation that all Year 11s complete Work Experience. If your child is required to stay away from their normal residence an Accommodation Away from Home form must be completed. All forms need to be signed prior to returning to school. The form must be signed by:

• Student
• Parent/Guardian
• Workplace Provider

All forms must be returned to the Front Office by, Friday July 26 (Week 1).

If you have any questions regarding Work Experience, please contact the Front Office.

The 8 Worst Habits for Your Mental Health

The small choices you make every day may also affect your mood more than you may realise. Your social media habits, exercise routine, and even the way you walk may be sucking the happiness out of your day, and you may not even know it. Luckily, these behaviours can be changed. Here are 8 ways you could be sabotaging your mood, which in turn effects your learning and engagement at school.

1. You slouch when you walk - Lift your chin up and roll your shoulders back to keep your outlook on the positive side.
2. You take pictures of EVERYTHING - Focus on your subjects when taking pictures- or, better yet, just sit back and enjoy yourself. Soak up the beauty and participate in the action.
3. You don't exercise - Just get out and move. It doesn't need to be for long, but any activity will help keep your mind moving.
4. You procrastinate - Before you finally tackle your problem head-on, do something that helps you ease stress; listen to music, go for a run, engage in an activity that helps disintegrate the anxiety.
5. You take life too seriously - Seek out humour every day. Watch a funny TV show, spend time with friends who make you smile.
6. You don't sleep - Try to figure out why you aren't sleeping and then take the steps to create a restful environment.
7. You're never alone - Schedule an appointment for you time. And more importantly, keep it.

You multitask - Put down the phone, turn off the television, and pay attention to what you are doing and what is going on around you. Allowing your brain to process everything that is happening to you in real time (and not broadcasting it to your social media followers) may be the best thing you can do for your health.

Kate Cameron
Student Wellbeing Coordinator

Black Screen

On Wednesday May 29, Mrs Wells’ Year 9 HASS class went to Port Pirie to view some short films as part of National Reconciliation Week. Black Screen consisted of 7 short films discussing topics such as linking back to the ancestors and traditional butter fishing in Point Pearce, taking part in a collaborative ceramic mural project in Ceduna, introducing a Reconciliation Match in the Riverland Football League, and a beautiful Welcome to Country showcasing the Australian landscape while an Elder’s voice spoke about what the country meant to her.

The films were thought-provoking and offered a glimpse into Aboriginal history, heritage and aspects of cultural importance.

Rachel Wells
HASS Teacher

Walk of Courage

On Tuesday June 4, the Learning Room in the Gladstone Stadium was transformed into information stations as part of Reconciliation Week.

The students provided information to their peers about MABO, Referendum, The Stolen Generation, AFL Indigenous round and a Nunga game.

Following this the students were able to sample kangaroo burgers, sausages and hot damper.

We thank the courageous presenters for sharing this valuable knowledge and below they have shared their thoughts of the sessions.

“Savannah and I spoke of the Referendum. I felt students absorbed the information and questions were asked regarding the percentage of people who voted per state!” Samantha

“Takeria and I felt the students cooperated with the activities and listened very well about The Stolen Generation.” Tyrell

“Students from different year levels asked questions about MABO, only a few knew who he was. Milly and I both thought we needed more time to share information.” Ammelia

“People knew about the AFL Indigenous round but not a lot knew about what the designs meant and where they came from. No one knew who Sir Doug Nicolls was and his significance to the AFL, so this gave Brett and I the opportunity to share information with them.” Jaxon

“The NUNGA Game was popular and everyone enjoyed playing it. Mr Norton explained it very well.” Dylan

Judy Crosby-Woods
AECO

MNSEC Ski Trip – Payment Reminder

The next instalment of $231.25 is due, Friday, June 21. Payments can be made by Qkr, over the phone or via the Front Office.

Immunisations

Nurses from Mid North Community Health will be attending Gladstone High School on Tuesday, June 25 at 9.00am to provide Year 10 & 11 students with dose 2 Meningococcal B (Bexsero) vaccine.

It is important that students have breakfast on the day of immunisations.

Since it has been some months since the previous visit, please contact Dymph Catford on 8662 2158 or Dymphna.Catford@sa.gov.au if there have been changes to details previously provided on the immunisation consent form.

Health Care Plans

Does your child have a medical condition that may require intervention during the school day? If the answer is yes, you are required to provide a Health Care Plan and Medication Agreement (if required). Health Care Plans can assist with your child’s treatment if required. Plans will inform staff how they can assist children and young people with various health conditions such as:

• Seizures
• Anaphylaxis
• Asthma
• Diabetes

Plans provide details of emergency and routine health and personal care.

Treating health professionals provide this information through care plans, managements plans, action plans, first aid plans and medication agreements.

For more information and for health care plans please visit at the link below.

Health Care Plans are available through the Front Office.

Helping keep children safe through new screening laws

Stronger, more effective and transparent screening laws for people working or volunteering with children have been introduced in South Australia. The new screening laws were recommended as part of federal and South Australian royal commissions, to help keep children safe in our communities. The new laws mean that from 1 July 2019 everyone working or volunteering with children must have a valid child-related check.

Also changing from 1 July 2019 is the state’s current system for child-related employment screenings, which will be replaced with a working with children check (WWCC). This new check is coming in to better protect your children and make sure that people working or volunteering with children are suitable. It does this through a monitored and more robust assessment of a person’s eligibility to work or volunteer with children. Because the check is monitored, immediate action can be taken if a person is charged with a concerning offence. The new check covers off on a person’s national criminal history including all spent convictions, pending and non-conviction charges, and other disciplinary and child protection information.

A WWCC is valid for five years and is portable across roles and organisations throughout South Australia.

Current, valid child-related employment screening checks done by DHS/DCSI will be recognised as a WWCC until they expire. There is also a 12 month transition period for anyone with a National Police Certificate assessed by their organisation, with the certificate valid till 1 July 2020.

For most people, this means they don’t need to do anything to be ready for the new law starting on 1 July 2019.

For more information about the new check visit the DHS website.

New in the Resource Centre

I don't know if it’s possible for people to change, not really. The way you’re made up, the important stuff, I reckon you’re born with that...when it matters, when it really matters, we are who we are.

Nate’s had it tough. An abusive father. His mother dead. He’s done things he regrets.

But he’s never met anyone like Gem. She's a tiny piece of wonderful and she’ll change everything he knows about himself. Is this the beginning of happiness? Or is there more hardship around the corner?

A fresh and compelling novel about an Aboriginal scholarship student and her surprising final year of school.

Shauna is in her final year at an elite private school and has great expectations. She holds an Indigenous scholarship and is determined to be the first member of her family to go to university, no matter what. The year is off to an excellent start, and she and her friends are dreaming big about life after school and a trip to Paris.

But suddenly she's faced with a choice that threatens to throw all her plans into disarray. As pressure builds from every corner of her world, Shauna wonders what she'll have to sacrifice to keep hold of her dreams… Can she fulfil her own promise and still keep her promises to others? Will all her expectations be ripped away?

Woolworths Earn and Learn

Thank you to anyone who has donated stickers to Gladstone High School through the Woolworths Earn and Learn Program. If you are shopping at Woolworths please collect the stickers and either drop them into the Box at Woolworths labelled Gladstone High School, or send the stickers with your child to school to be placed in the Resource Centre.

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