Secondary News T3 W10 2021

Thankyou Students and Staff for a Great Start!

Our students have settled in so well this semester. They have been active and engaged as they begin the second half of the year. This is largely down to our amazing staff who have already provided numerous fantastic opportunities for them to be involved. I thank whole heartedly everyone involved in our school community that supports our students.

I also encourage students to participate in the many things on offer at the College. Being involved is vital in building community and supporting students building healthy relationships with their peers and staff at the College.

Foundation Day

After having to cancel last year’s Foundation Day Celebrations we are full steam ahead for a fun afternoon of activities and community building with all students P-12 in 2021!

Some key points of organisation:

• Secondary students will have normal lessons in the morning and then again from around 2pm when our Junior School students begin returning to Link Road.
• House shirts and sports uniform MUST be worn.
• Hats are a necessity (as always)
• Lunch will be a sausage sizzle, a piece of cake and a popper/water. Students can also bring their own lunch if they wish (a gluten free and vegetarian option will be available for students from the Hospitality room, if required)
• Activities will be as follows:

These types of events are vital to the health of our school and community. We have built a great culture of attendance and participation at these events over the last few years. I look forward to seeing all of the Secondary students in attendance enjoying a fun afternoon.

Absenteeism

One of the biggest indicators of student success and engagement at school is the number of school days students miss each year. We understand that students occasionally need time off when they are ill (especially in the current climate of COVID and doing the right thing and staying at home if they are unwell), have family commitments or other commitments such as sport, dance etc. However, this also needs to be balanced with follow up from the College pastorally to ensure that students are getting the support they need to have success in their learning and for those students that have missed a substantial amount of school they are supported in improving their attendance.

In support of the College, can I please ask that families do the following:

• Notify the College of absences and the reason.
• Provide medical certificates for absences that are 3 days or more.
• If you know your child will be away in advance, please notify the College.
• Only pick your child up early for valid reasons and notify the office in advance.
• Encourage your child to be on time each day. Improving student lateness will be a focus for the College over the coming months.

Whilst we are wanting to provide some independence and flexibility to our students and families as they navigate Secondary School, they are school age students and as such they must be sent to school every school day under Queensland law unless there is an acceptable reason such as:

• illness
• doing work experience or Vocational Studies through external providers like TAFE etc.
• competing in school approved events or activities

If you have any questions about the College’s process regarding lateness and absenteeism, please contact me directly.

Subject Preferencing for 2022 Electives

We have begun the process of Subject Preferencing for 2022. This has currently started with our current Year 9 and 10 students. We are hoping to go through the process of subject preferencing with our Year 7 and 8 students by the end of the Term.

Positive Messages for Students

The pictures in this article are some of the messages that flash across all our TV screens at the College throughout the day. This initiative is there to constantly remind our students of their worth, value and potential.

Student Voices

It’s a new term and a new question is being explored with our student groups. We have asked them to consider what sort of furniture they would like to have in the different learning environments around the College.

The students seemed to be most focused on relaxation with big bean bags high on the list of ‘needs’ for the chill out spaces in some of classrooms and the Lighthouse. Big booths, hanging chairs, couches and thinking blankets and pillows were on the list. The colour of couches was also important with blue and dark green being identified by the students as the most calming for their learning environment. They also asked for high desks, stools and spinning chairs for the more formal learning areas.

We might have some shopping to do!

Stuart Needham
Head of Secondary School