Queensland Government

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017

Newsletter

Newsletter

Year 12 Brisbane Experience Trip

Year 12 students brought Term 2 to a close with a trip to Brisbane, visiting universities and TAFE

along the way in preparation for the end of their schooling. See page 20 to read all about their

experience.

Calendar

Student Parent Teacher Interviews 3:30pm

Wed 26 July

P&C Meeting, 6pm

Thur 27 July

QSS 12 Football, Wide Bay

27-30 July

QSS 15 Touch, Rockhampton

27-30 July

QTAC Parent Information Night, MSHS Library

Mon 31 July

DD 15 Girls Cricket, Toowoomba

Wed 2 Aug

Whole School Parade

Wed 2 Aug

MSHS ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

3-4 Aug

QSS 12 Tennis, Toowoomba

3-6 Aug

M&D 9-15 Track & Field, Wandoan

Fri 11 Aug

QSS 15 Girls Rugby League, Sunshine Coast

11-13 Aug

Year 11 Leadership Camp, Runaway Bay

16-18 Aug

QSS 12 Touch, Ipswich

17-20 Aug

M&D 10-12 Cricket, Miles SHS

Fri 25 Aug

QCS Tests

29-30 Aug

SW 10-19 Track & Field, Chinchilla

31 Aug-1 Sep

Inside this issue:

Principal 3

Deputy Principal 5

MSHS News 9

Junior secondary 12

Senior Secondary 15

Community 21

Page 2

Newsletter

Principal: Josette Moffatt

Dep. Principal: Norman Gill

HOD Senior: Steve Hardy

HOD Junior: Raelinda Allwood

BSM: Jacqui Hayward

Please email all absences to absentee@milesshs.eq.edu.au (prior to your child’s absence)

Phone

07 4628 5111

Office Hours

8:00am - 4:00pm

Email

admin@milesshs.eq.edu.au

absentee@milesshs.eq.edu.au

www.milesshs.eq.edu.au

Page 3

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 Principal

Mrs Josette Moffatt

Principal

Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews

New MSHS website is online

Welcome back to Term 3. I wish to extend on behalf of our school community a warm welcome to all new students and staff

to our school. (Please read all about our new staff on the next page.) Term 3 is always exceptionally

busy with athletics carnival, camps, excursions, school and regional level sport and our seniors pre-

paring and engaging in the many assessment tasks and pathway preparations for their final six

months at school. During this term, many of our Year 12 students will be engaging in the Queens-

land Core Skills (QCS) test and completing their QTAC application (tertiary entrance applications).

This term can be a very stressful time for our senior students so I urge all of us to keep on all our

students. Do not be afraid to ask ‘Are you OK?’ Provide support, praise and time to chat. Most im-

portantly encourage our students to take time out to have a break, exercise and eat well.

PARTNERS IN LEARNING in Action

During our first assembly this term, as we were recognising and celebrating the success of so many of our students in the aca-

demic, sporting and cultural arena in just the last few weeks, I took a moment to reflect. I reflected on the Miles State High

School Partners in Learning symbol and the culture it represents. I quickly realised that what I was viewing was Partners in

Learning in action. It was so clear to me as we celebrated the many different forms of achievement that Students, Parents/

Community and All School Staff had from the onset set high expectations for themselves and together shared responsibility

and accountability for the job done. This is the only way that such high standard outcomes are achieved! Together in partner-

ship I look forward to witnessing many more achievements over the days and weeks.

We invite you to hop online and search for our new Miles State High School website (https://milesshs.eq.edu.au/Pages/

default.aspx). The website is still in its building phase, detailed current curriculum and service documents are being prepared

and uploaded on a regular basis. Special thanks to our Business Service Manager, Jacqui Hayward who tirelessly worked with

central office to build and prepare our site for launch. Many thanks to Administration Officer Pauline Perkins who is training to

support Jacqui in managing the site on a weekly basis.

Miles SHS Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews are not only another excellent demonstration act of Partners in Learning but an excellent opportunity for students, parent/guardians and teachers to meet and share explicit student feedback that will assist students to achieve greater success.

Page 4

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 Principal

The research: explicit student feedback has been researched throughout the world. Below is a diagram of the high impact

rate of student feedback.

MSHS New Staff Members

Student feedback is one of the top 10 high impact

strategies that have a proven high level effect size

of 0.73 (This number demonstrates a high positive

impact to improve learning outcomes).

So please date claim the evening of the 26 July (next Wednesday) and

with your child join our teachers as they provide feedback to celebrate

current success and support your child’s future learning outcomes.

The research work by John Hattie informs us that: -

Josette Moffatt - Principal

We warmly welcome our two new staff members for Term 3. Mr Nigel Davenport has joined the staff as our Agricultural Practices teacher. Nigel will also be teaching Maths and Science.

We also welcome Mr Stephen Hayward who is joining the school for a short term contract as a schools officer - grounds.

Athletics Carnival

Newsletter

Mr Norman Gill

Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal

Page 5

As you are aware Miles State High School Athletics Carnival will be

held on Thursday 3 August and Friday 4 August.

The theme for this year is SUPERHEROES.

The school athletics carnival is about ‘Partners in Learning’ and a

great time to promote a positive culture within the school and the

community about active participation, being involved and

‘having a go’.

It is imperative to remember that the Athletics Carnival is a normal

school day and therefore attendance is IMPORTANT.

We encourage ALL students to be in attendance, part of the day, par-

ticipate in as many events as possible and be proud to be part of the

“House Spirit” on the day.

Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 Deputy Principal

Parents are required to ensure their child attends school and to provide an explanation for their child's absence from school. Text messages will go out every morning if your son/daughter is unexplained from school on any day. We would like to ask that you provide a prompt response to these enquiries to assist us in keeping your child’s attendance records up to date.

Week 1 - Term 3 Attendance Congratulations to Year 7a who had the highest attendance

for Week 1 of: 91.76%

Page 6

School now seems so much more exciting and meaningful than what I remember. This is due in part to our unrelenting focus on learning and how we connect and apply knowledge and thinking to the real world. The relationships students have with teachers also seem so much more open, positive and respectful. Our talented teachers are able to get the balance right and recognise that quality relationships are the foundation for a successful learning partnership. Don’t forget to book your appointment to engage in positive conversations with your son/daughter’s teacher to work to-gether to build a successful “partnership in learning” to assist your son/daughter reach their full potential and to engage in their learning opportunities to achieve their best and reach their goals.

Please be advised that ALL Visitors to the school, must report to the Main Office before proceeding around the school.

This is a Department Regulation to ensure the safety of ALL who are in the school premises.

After you report to the main office, you will be directed what to do from there.

Page 7

Newsletter Deputy Principal

Children develop their attitudes and beliefs in their abilities from their parents. If your child has a positive attitude to learn-

ing they are more likely to complete Year 12 and go onto further study. Encourage your child to learn from their mistakes

and to keep trying even if they find something difficult. Praise your child for their effort and progress. Be positive about

school and respectful of teachers. Show interest in what happens at school and talk about what your child is learning.

What can I do to help my student do well at school?

Help your child to enjoy learning!

Got a niggling feeling that someone you know or care about isn’t behaving as they normally would? Perhaps they seem out of sorts? More agitated or withdrawn? Or they’re just not themselves. Trust that gut instinct and act on it.

By starting a conversation and commenting on the changes you’ve noticed, you could help that family member, friend or workmate open up. If they say they are not ok, there are plenty of people and organisations you can refer them to. If they are ok, that person will know you’re someone who cares enough to ask. Organisations are always there to help. Some of these are:

“Heroes build trust in others and believe

in oneself”.

Remember: At Miles State High we strongly

believe in EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDING.

Norman Gill - Deputy Principal

Page 8

Newsletter Deputy Principal

Page 9

Newsletter MSHS News

From the desk of the Guidance Officer

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope you all are well rested and found some time over the holidays to relax

and recharge. Term 3 is the last full term of secondary education for our Year 12s, how exciting! This

brings me to my next important point, I attended a QTAC update last week and learnt that there is a few

new changes to some courses, in particular, for those who are wishing to enter into the field of educa-

tion. I encourage you to come and talk with me if this is going to be one of your preferences. Opening

date for QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre) applications is August 3rd and if you require any help with your

application I am more than happy to

assist you with your application.

REMEMBER! You are allowed SIX

preferences. I encourage you to put

in all six as this increases your

chances of getting an offer. Offer

statistics for 2017:-

Parent QTAC information night – Monday 31st July at

6.30pm – 7.30 pm in the Library. I would like to invite

parents of Year 11 and Year 12 students.

Some great links for parents and students:

Year 10 – This is great website to help with completing your SET PLANs.

www.qtac.edu.au/ArticleDocuments/198/Year_10_Guide_web_080617

Year 12 - http://www.qtac.edu.au/for-parents http://www.qtac.edu.au

And finally - It is a proven fact that having an 'Attitude of Gratitude' helps improve our wellbeing. It helps us focus

on the good things in our lives rather than the not so good things. There is always something positive in our lives even though it may not feel that way. I challenge you all to find three good things that happened to you every day for at least a week. Hopefully, you will find benefits with this and will continue looking for things to be grateful for after the week.

MONDAY! MONDAY! MONDAY! Is the day that I am servicing Miles High and if you would like a chat, whether

it be careers or counselling, you can book a time with Mrs Tribe at Student Services or drop by, my door is always open!

By the way..*hint* MY door is Mr. Gill’s old door!

Karen Kane - Guidance Officer

Business Services Manager - Update on Student Payments

MSHS will no longer be accepting BPAY payments from the end of July. Our preferred method of payment is BPOINT.

Please contact the office on 4628 5111 if you have any queries.

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 MSHS News

Chaplain - Youth With a Mission Dance Workshop

STEM Club

Dance Workshop

Week 3 Thursday

First Break

B 1

STEM club meets on a Monday afternoon - students for the next few weeks will learn about coding and robotics, students have been experimenting to determine turning an-gles, speeds and wheel rotations. Students will soon investigate the different sensor attach-ments and determine ways to include those sensors in their programming. Miss Orton

Semester 2– 2017

WHEN: Wednesday 26 July 2017 TIME: 3.30 pm to 7.30pm WHERE: B-Block

The School Online Booking System (SOBS) is open for interview bookings. This may be accessed through the school website (www.milesshs.eq.edu.au). Alternatively please call the Administration Office on 4628 5111. We encourage all parents to take this opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and achievements with their teachers.

Beyond the Broncos Program - Touch Carnival Rewards Day

Page 11

Newsletter MSHS News

Congratulations to Keysha, Whitney, Hayley, Tahlia, Maddy, Tahlia and Josh who were invited to attend a touch football carnival with the Be-yond the Broncos representatives as a reward for high attendance at school. Students in the Beyond Broncos Program were rewarded for having 90% or higher attendance for Term 2. Students from Miles SHS joined stu-dents from other schools in the Surat Basin area at Bulldog Park, Chinchilla on Thursday 13 July for a fun, interschool touch competition. Several games of touch were enjoyed with stu-dents playing an interschool competition. Stu-dents were treated to a sausage sizzle and also received a Broncos towel in recognition for their attendance. Footballs and pencil cases were on offer as prizes and we congratulate Josh Hayward for receiving Best Player of the team. A reminder to all students that attendance has an important impact in your success at school and “Every School Day Counts”. Mr Gill and Mrs Tribe

Creative Generations

Once again Creative Generations has been an exciting and rewarding experience. Students have been rehearsing for this event for most of the year and travelled to Brisbane last Wednesday to be ready for a long three days of rehearsals and performances at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre at Southbank. The students took part in rehearsals and experienced the professional entertainment industry first hand. They were then part of the 700 voice choir singing at four incredible performances. With four students from the Primary School, nine from the High School and two from Drillham school, this was truly a combined effort. Every student worked hard to prepare for the event and every student was a

credit to our district. Thank you to all involved, parents, students and staff in-cluded. Special thanks to Mrs Presnell who helped prepare students and sang with the choir in Brisbane, to Mrs Long who continues to support our CGen team through assisting with rehearsals and administration and to Mrs Courte who spent three days back stage supporting the team during rehearsal and perfor-mance breaks. CGen 2017 has been a wonderful adventure, one never to be forgotten. Thank you Roxy Bidgood - Choir Teacher

Junior Subject information for Term 3

English

Page 12

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 Junior Secondary

7 English

This term in English, Year 7 are examining Literature about Australia and Australians. They are reading the nov-

el ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’. Students will understand how the selection of a variety of language

features can influence an audience and how to draw on personal knowledge, textual analysis and other

sources to express a point of view. They will create texts showing how language features can be combined for

effect. Miss Bishop & Ms O’Connor

8 English

Representing the human experience - Analysing and evaluating Indigenous texts. Miss Campbell

Mathematics

7 Maths Students are working on Best Buys and Financial decisions. Students assignments this term relate to planning a BBQ and de-termining the most cost effective products to buy. Miss Orton & Miss Turner

8 Maths This term in Year 8 Mathematics, students are interpreting and presenting data and are exploring line-ar relationships. Students will collect, organise and display data, interpret data displayed in tables and graphs, calculate measures of centre, identify outliers and their effect on measures of centre, identify sources of bias and apply this knowledge to make hypotheses and support conclusions. Students will model situations involving proportional relationships, solve a range of problems involving rates and ratios, interpret, model and formulate patterns and relationships, represent patterns and relationships as rules, functions, tables and graphs and solve linear equations using graphical techniques. Miss Laun-don 9 Maths Students will be focusing on Statistics this term. They will be analysing data collection using Stem and Leaf plots and frequency tables. Mr Davenport & Mr Gill

9 English

This term in Year 9 English, students will be engaging in a play text called 12 Angry Men. Throughout this unit

the students will develop their knowledge on specific language used in the court setting and text structures

used in a play. They will also evaluate and integrate ideas and information from texts to form their own inter-

pretations. They select evidence from the text to analyse and explain how language choices and conventions

are used to influence an audience. In addition, the students will understand how to use a variety of language

features to create different levels of meaning and create texts that respond to issues, interpreting and inte-

grating ideas from other texts. Mr Smith & Mr Mackenzie

Industrial Technology & Design

Page 13

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 Junior Secondary

8 ITD

This term in industrial technology and design we will be studying the implications of aerodynamics on a dragster. The students

will then have to design and justify a dragster and then actually construct it. We will then be putting this design to the test in a

race day where a king of the track will be crowned. This terms assessment is a design folio based on the carbon dioxide drag-

sters they make. Mr Kuhl

7 Science This term in Year 7 Science, students are exploring the Solar System and the Seasons. Students will understand the relative positions of Earth, the moon and sun in space, they will identify how the positions of Earth, the moon and sun cause different predictable phenomena such as eclipses, tides, phases of the moon and solar phenomena. Students will explore the relation-ship between the tilt of Earth on its axis, its rotation and orbit around the sun, and seasons. They will understand that differ-ent environmental factors define the seasons for different cultures. Students will also examine the relationship between the angle of Earth's tilt and the intensity of the sunlight hitting Earth. They will examine data about weather and climate from different sources. Students will understand that the behaviour and appearance of plants and animals and the activity and practices of humans change in response to seasonal changes. Miss Laundon & Mr Davenport 8 Science This term in Year 8 Science, students are investigating energy transfers and transformations. Students will classify energy forms. They will investigate different forms of potential energy, making predictions, conducting fair tests and ensuring safety guidelines are followed. Students will process and analyse experimental data and evaluate experimental methods used in in-vestigations. They will use models and representations to examine kinetic energy and its relationship with potential energy. Students will communicate how energy is transferred and transformed through systems and use diagrams to represent energy flow. They will recognise that energy can be transformed into usable and unusable forms, and consider how this can affect the efficiency of a system. Students will plan and conduct an investigation into the operating sequence, energy transfers and transformations of a Rube Goldberg machine. Miss Laundon

Science

9 Science At the start of this term in Year 9 Science, students will identify human body systems and the ways in which they work togeth-er in balance to support life. They will outline how essential requirements for life are provided internally through a coordinat-ed approach. Students analyse and predict the effects of the environment on body systems, and discuss how the body re-sponds to changes in the environment and to diseases. Students will then end the term by exploring the concepts of change and sustainability within an ecosystem. They will understand that all life is connected through ecosystems and changes to its balance can have an effect on the populations, interrelationships and the flow of matter and energy. Students will formulate questions, analyse data and develop related recommendations, including ethical considerations. They will investigate and reflect upon the state of Australian environments, locally and nationally, and their individual and collective responsibility for the sustainability of ecosystems. Miss Laundon & Miss Harth

Agricultural Practices

7 Ag Students are making compost and learning how to make a worm farm to enable them to recycle food waste. Mr Davenport 9 Ag Students are learning about Animal husbandry and the welfare of farm animals. Mr Davenport

Geography

Page 14

Newsletter Junior Secondary

7 Geography This term in Geography, students will be investigating the many uses of water, the ways it is perceived and valued, its differ-

ent forms as a resource, the ways it connects places as it moves through the environment, its varying availability in time and

across space, and its scarcity. Miss Bishop and Ms O’Connor

8 Geography This term in Geography, students are studying landforms and landscapes. They will investi-gate how environmental and human processes affect the characteristics of places and envi-ronments. They will also explore the consequences of changes to places and environments and how can these changes be managed. Miss Bishop

Health & Physical Education 7 HPE This term in HPE, Year 7 will be examining healthy eating for the theory component and developing skills associated with Oz

Tag for the practical component. Miss Bishop & Miss Harth

8 HPE This term in HPE, Year 8 will be examining cultural understanding for the theory component and developing skills associated with Lacrosse for the practical component. Miss Bishop & Miss Harth

Digital Technologies

9 Digital Technologies Students have started off the term learning the basics of visual coding through the use of the Lego Robotics Kits. Students will work towards creating an autonomous robot that can carry out a task – like mini golf or acting as a nurse’s aide. Miss Orton

Visual Art

In Junior Visual Art students will continue to establish and build on visual design fundamentals and begin to explore broader Art concepts and movements such as Post-Modernism and Expressionism. Mr Mackenzie

9 HPE

This term in HPE, Year 9 will examine the impact of changes and transitions on relationships in rela-tion to alcohol and social responsibility. They will also evaluate factors that shape identities, and analyse how individuals im-pact the identities of others, as well as evaluate situations and propose appropriate emotional responses. During the term students will also be required to reflect on possible outcomes of different responses in social settings. The practical compo-nent that the students will actively engage with for term 3 is Netball and Basketball. Students will be able to perform and re-fine specialised movement skills in challenging movement situations, analyse the impact of effort and evaluate own and oth-ers’ movement compositions. Mr Smith & Miss Harth

9 Geography

Biomes and Food Security - Examining the biomes of the world, their alteration and signifi-

cance as a source of food and fibre, and the environmental challenges and constraints on expanding food production in the

future. Miss Campbell & Ms O’Connor

Senior Coordinator Update

Page 15

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 Senior Secondary

WOW, what a huge semester we have just finished and if you can believe it there is an even bigger one coming up. We have just had a successful term where our student data has improved in almost all categories. We have seen an improvement in academic levels, behaviour, effort and attendance with the exception of year 11 and 12 attendance where there was a decrease. Well done to the year 10s who have improved in every category! Across the three senior year levels, every grade has now met at least one of the end of year targets set by the school, which is great achievement half way through

the year. We still have a need to improve both our achievement and attendance across the board in order to really meet the goals by the end of the year. Fortunately these things go hand in hand. If we have higher attendance rates then the academic results improve. This is a great outcome and your students need to be congratulated. Again for the start of this term I have been watching the absences and it is good to see that so many of our senior parents are contacting the office if your child is away. This is really helpful for us and we thank

-you for your effort in this. Please keep it up. As a note, a senior notice board has been set up in the A block hallway that will be updated with opportunities for all senior students. We are encouraging the senior students to look at this regularly for things that might interest them. Year 10 I am so proud of the improvements that are happening with the year 10s at the moment. This term the year 10s will be fo-cusing on completing a Certificate 1 in IDMT (Information Digital Media & Technology). This will start the students on the path to achieving their QCE by giving them one point. This will give them a qualification that is nationally recognised stating that they are fluent with the use of computers and word processing. During this term the year 10s should be reflecting on the information that they gained from the careers day in order to think about what they want to be doing in the future and start planning how to get there and start to put these plans into action. Year 11 This term will have a big focus on leadership for next year and the rest of their lives. Early in the week camp information letters were given out. If you are planning on coming to camp we encourage you to get payment happening as soon as possible. Over the next few weeks I will be sending out a permission letter and behaviour contract that will need to be returned. I am looking forward to there being a large number of students on camp where we can focus on what they want to achieve as a group of year 12 students. If you have any questions on camp please don’t hesitate to contact me at the school. Year 12 We have just finished a great camp at the end of last term. You can see the article that

relates to camp (page 21) if you would like a blow by blow break down. All of the stu-

dents that went on camp got to see what is out there for them. This should be encour-

aging them to finish year 12 strongly. This term is important and they all have a lot to

do by the end of the term. One of the key things happening for them this term is QCS.

They should also be looking at scholarships and grants that they are eligible for as most

close by the end of August. One of the things that they learnt on camp are most scholarships are not given to anyone as no

one applies. Good luck to the end of the year.

Mr Caleb Kuhl

Senior Secondary

Coordinator

Page 16

Volume 7 - 20 July 2017 Senior Secondary

Senior Subject information for Term 3

English

11 English Year 11 English are embarking on the Shakespearean play 'Macbeth.' Term 3 will see the students engaged in an internal exam in week 7 and finishing the term with a monologue. Ms Bates

Is this a dagger I see before me

Mathematics

10 Mathematics Students are looking at statistics, we will look at real life data related to the government initiative of “Earning or Learning” and use our statistical knowledge to determine the effectiveness of the initiative. Miss Orton 10 Extension Mathematics Students will be studying Geometry and Statistical Analysis. Mr Barker 11 Mathematics A Students are studying Mapping, Compasses and Linking 2 and 3 Dimensions. Students will com-plete a practical report in the first half of the term, creating scale drawings and an orienteering course to integrate concepts of the unit. An exam will be completed at the end of term to assess students’ knowledge of concepts studied. Miss Wright 11 Mathematics B Students will be studying Introduction to Functions II; Exponential and Logarithmic Functions and Applications I; Rates of change I; and Periodic Functions and Applications II. Mr Barker

10 English

This term students are engaging in a Shakespearean comedy The Taming of the Shrew. Students will develop their knowledge

of reading play texts and how to interpret Shakespearean drama. They will understand the plot, characterisation and themes

within the text, through the analysis of language features and text structures. Finally, the students will be analysing different

perspectives and use evidence from the play to support an argument. In the second part of this term, students will view a film

interpretation of a Shakespearean play. They use their developed knowledge of visual codes, elements of sound, text struc-

tures and language features to understand the play in a contemporary setting. Mr Smith

11 English Communication

This term students will undertake an engaging unit called The Book Club. This unit focuses on a novel

written by Delwyne Stephens called Wheels. The novel explores social, moral and ethical issues tar-

geted at adolescence, as well as real world challenges. Students will explore plot, characterisation

and themes presented in the novel and how language features and text structures help emphasis

confronting issues which can motivate young people. Mr Smith

Page 17

Newsletter Senior Secondary

Science

10 Science

This term, the Year 10s are studying concepts of physics. Students will explore the laws of motion in our first unit, applying Newton’s laws to explain and analyse an objects motion. Our second unit investigates energy transfers and transformations leading to an Extended Response Task on car safety features. Miss Wright 11/12 Chemistry

This term in chemistry we will be focusing on metals. We will be studying their properties and why they exist and how they

can be used in practical ways. This term we have two assessment pieces including an extended research task and a supervised

assessment piece. We will be very busy this term. Mr Kuhl

11/12 Biology This term in Biology, students are studying ecology and human impact on ecosystems. Students will spend three days explor-ing the Mangroves, Rocky Shores and Sand Dunes of Hastings Point NSW to collect biotic and abiotic data. Students will then analyse and evaluate this data to draw conclusions about the effects that human impact can have on an ecosystem; the or-

Health & Physical Education 10 HPE

This term students will be focusing on ‘Sociology in Sports’ and ‘Body Image’, here they will be looking closely at Figueroa’s

framework in our theory lessons which are every Wednesday. Our practical lessons are on Mondays and Fridays and the fo-

cus for this term is Touch football. This will be directly linked back to our theory unit where we look at the sociology of sport

and how it has affected touch football. The assessment is on Touch football skills and performance. This is a great unit for

those students who wish to do senior PE as this unit is a key component of that subject. Miss Harth

11/12 Physical Education

This term in physical education we will be studying touch football and the role that energy systems play. We will be having a

detailed look at how each energy system applies to touch. This term we will be having a performance assessment on touch

and an in-class essay exam. We will also be videoing our touch performance. Mr Kuhl

12 Mathematics A Students will be studying Finance and Affordability; Statistics - contingency tables and data relationships. Assessment will be an assignment on buying and renting and a mid semester exam. Mr Hardy 12 Mathematics B Students will be studying Exponential and Periodic Functions and Applications II; Introduction to Integration IV; Optimisation using Derivatives I; and Exponential and Periodic Functions and Applications III. Mr Barker 11/12 Prevocational Mathematics The topic for Term 3 Mathematics for personal organisation: location and time. The purpose of this unit is that students will be able to read and use maps to locate points and places using the conventions of distance and location, and interpret time, clocks and timetables. This is done to develop each students’ personal organisation needed such as time management and planning, applying concepts such as direction and mapping conventions to interpret location, direction and distance from maps. Students commenced the term looking at simple interest, location and time. In week 5, students will be participating in an orienteering lesson to help with reading maps and locating points of interest. Miss Harth

Recreation Studies

This term we will be focusing on recreational health and safety in the community. Students will be practicing this through Oz Tag training and also a theory component. Mr Mackenzie

Business Communication & Technologies

Newsletter Senior Secondary

Agricultural Practices

11/12 BCT Students will be studying International Business. Mr Barker

Accounting

11/12 Accounting Students will be studying Core studies 2 (11) and 3 (12) and Personal Finance and Investing. Mr Barker

11/12 Ag Students are learning about pastureland and the management of farm land. Mr Davenport

Visual Art

This term in Senior Visual Art students continue to work on "animalistic" sculptures, 3D found-item sculptures and mixed-media printing. As the term progresses students will then move towards planning and designing concepts inspired by the themes 'From Beyond' and 'Unity'. Mr Mackenzie

10 Geography

Geographies of Human Wellbeing - Examining the political, social, economic and environmental circumstances which impact

wellbeing. Miss Campbell

11/12 Geography

Connecting People and Places - Urbanisation and the geographical study of infrastructure and planning. Miss Campbell

Geography

Senior Engineering

Newsletter Senior Secondary

Students are working on a number of projects making G clamps, F clamps and bench vices. Some students have progressed to working on their own projects such as renovating and building trailers. Mr Moffatt

Senior Furnishing

Students are working on the construction of bedside tables and dartboard cabinets. Some students have also progressed to working on their own projects. Mr Moffatt

Year 12 students have recently re-ceived their senior jerseys and shirts. They look fantastic and certainly help

the Year 12s to stand out in the crowd.

Congratulations to Sara who received the Pierre de Coubertin award at a reception held at Som-

merville House over the holidays. This award rec-ognises secondary school students who demon-

strate values which are consistent with the Olym-pic Movement through the participation in

sporting activities.

17 senior students are continuing to undertake the Cert II in Hospi-tality and Tourism every Wednesday. Along with a theory compo-

nent they are learning the practical skills of food and beverage preparation and service. The school component of this certificate

will conclude at the end of Term 3.

Year 12 Brisbane Experience Trip

Newsletter Senior Secondary

At the end of Term 2 the Year 12 cohort, along with Mr Caleb Kuhl and Miss Grace Laundon embarked on a three day trip to Toowoomba, Gatton and Brisbane to explore the vast amount of universities and higher study options available to our soon to be graduates. The first day of camp was exciting and everyone was full of energy (after our breakfast stop at McDonalds of course). After two and a half hours on a bus we arrived at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) campus in Toowoomba. Here we toured the entire campus, including one of the 3 colleges. We then participated in a presentation which provided information about life at USQ and the incredible range of courses that the campus has on offer to study, not only in Toowoomba but also at their other two campuses. After a delicious lunch provided by USQ we contin-ued onto the University of Queensland, Gatton Campus. Here we toured the grounds looking at the extensive, incredible facilities provided. After this tour we all got the chance to help out with the daily milking of the cattle! This was a new experience for many of us and was very exciting. Later that night, once we ar-rived in Brisbane and got settled, the group decided to get dinner and go late night shopping at Queen Street. After a much needed good nights sleep, the second day of camp was jam packed, starting off with a City Cat trip to the University of Queensland, St Lucia campus, where we were all shown parts of the beautiful grounds, facilities and other amazing features on offer, and where we learnt about the special programs and scholarships that can be awarded if you were to become a student of the univer-sity. After our UQ experience, we jumped back onto the City Cat and travelled to Southbank for lunch, to then finish the afternoon with half of us going to Griffith University and the other half going to TAFE. At TAFE the small group of us were not only told how TAFE differs from University, but were also shown part of the campus such as the gaming, photography, beauty, sports and exercise and nurs-ing units. At the same time, a small group of students visited the Griffith Univer-sity Mount Gravatt Campus. During this time students were given an insightful tour of the campus facilities, were given information about on college lifestyle and also the endless study opportunities open to students who enrolled. To finish the day off, once again we hopped on to the City Cat and travelled up the Brisbane River all the way to the incredible Eat Street Markets, where we spent the night tasting all kinds of amazing food and drinks. Although the camp was eye opening throughout, I think most of us would agree that the last day was by far the best fun. We kicked it off at Sky Zone, a trampoline haven on the outskirts of Brisbane. For some, it was their first time at a place such as this, and we think it’s pretty safe to say that all involved had a ball! After an hour of endless jumping, back-flipping, front-flipping and diving into a foam pit, we buckled up again and headed back to Toowoomba for some ten-pin bowling at Sunset Super bowl. This was both fun and hilarious to watch, as some of us hadn’t bowled for years, some of us were newbies and others, well, were perhaps showing off their skills a bit too much (Mr Kuhl…..). By this stage all of us were feeling both satis-

fied and exhausted from the experiences we had had, so it was time to head home and start our well-earned holidays. On behalf of the year 12 cohort, we would like to ex-tend a special thankyou to our dedicated teachers, Miss Grace Laundon and Mr Caleb Kuhl, who spent months organising and perfecting this trip so that we as young adults, could experience what life outside of the school gates will be like. We are all very grateful for their sup-port and commitment through this last year and as we head into the final months of our senior schooling. Written by Marnie and Tehra

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