8 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Our School Values –

Reminder what’s coming up

February

8 Swimming Carnival – nominations only
11-14 Northern Collegiate Camp
11 Year 7 EXCITE Info Evening
13 Photo Day 1
13 Year 12 Aquatics day out
14 Year 12 Police Forensic Photographers
15 Year 12 Elevate Education Talk
18 Year 7-10 ACE Parade
19 School Photo Day 2

From the Principal

Dear Helensvale State High community,

I trust that you and your students had a smooth start to the school year. It was great to see the students returning from holiday and to welcome our new students to the school. The key messages that I delivered on the year level welcome back assemblies focused on:

• Our learning vision: As a school community we aspire for each and every student to succeed;
• Nurturing positive and professional relationships being a priority, as this will set the foundation for a supportive environment conducive to learning; and
• Reminding students of our high expectations as a school community in terms of their learning, attendance and behaviour.

If your child is finding it difficult to settle into the school environment, please contact our Deans or Guidance Officers who are always on hand to provide individual support to our students.

I would like to introduce our new staff members:

• Jay Collins – Learning Support
• Lehan Crisp – Maths
• Natasha Csaszar – Maths/Science
• Emma Hutcheson – Maths/Science
• Kelsey Sieberhagen – Maths/Science
• Anneliese Rauchle – Maths/Science
• Kristina McGregor – Maths/Science
• Carly Joyce – Home Economics
• Kirsty Mills – Home Economics
• Sieni Moghbelpour – English/Humanities
• Samantha Perry – English/Humanities
• Phillippa Proctor – English/Humanities
• Coreena Reeves – Humanities
• Anna Perry – Business
• Jarrod Baker – Dean
• Emily Lawrance – Dean
• Mary-Lou Plant – Guidance Officer (Wednesdays)
• Christopher Goldsmith - Dean
• Laura Rodriguez - Health and Physical Education

One Student, One Community, Many Futures

Our school is an innovative learning community with an unrelenting focus on, and a commitment to, the learning of each student. We actively encourage our community, which includes our parents, carers, staff, students, local businesses and organisations, to engage as partners to improve student wellbeing and learning.

Membership on the School Council or Parents and Citizens Association is one way you can partner with the school.

School Council

Having a School Council is a positive addition to our school. A School Council guides the broad strategic direction of the school to improve the learning outcomes of our students. The School Council meets a minimum of four times throughout the year, monitoring the strategic direction of the school, approving plans and documents of a strategic nature and advises the Principal about strategic matters.

The School Council Constitution outlines the required membership of a School Council

Parents and Citizens Association

Term 1 2019 P & C Meeting Dates:

1. Tuesday 19 February
2. Tuesday 19 March (this will include the Annual General Meeting).

Meetings are held in CB07 and commence at 7pm. Please meet at the Administration building and we will escort you to the meeting room. We are looking forward to seeing our existing P & C members and welcoming new faces. The P & C meetings are a great way to learn more about the school and what it has to offer your child. Attending P & C meetings also provides an opportunity for input and feedback.

One of the agenda items for our first meeting is the determination of the Student Resource Scheme fees for 2020. This ensures families are aware of fees prior to applying for positions in the Academy programs. We look forward to meeting you.

We have had a great start to the new school year, another year of innovation, creativity, positivity and success.

Yours truly,

Karen Lindsay
Executive Principal

Welcome to 2019

Meet Our Deans

Each year level has a Dean who is responsible for student matters. If your child has an issue, they can always visit the Deans, who will help guide them in the direction they need to go for help. They live in SM02, near the office.

Sports Carnival

Helensvale State High Swimming Carnival is a Nomination only event for 2019 and will be held at the Palm Beach Aquatics centre on Friday February 8 which is the end of week 2.

As this is fast approaching all students need to nominate by writing down their names on the lists of events which is on the SAC doors which are closest to Mrs Williams Office. Nominations will close on Thursday week 1 and if you have not put your name down by this date you will be unable to compete. Also you will need to collect a permission form from Ms Williams Office and return to the same office by Wednesday week 2. The same occurs as with nominations and if these forms are not returned by the Wednesday in week 2, students will be taken off the list and unable to compete. Please understand that we are very serious about the cut-off dates and no exceptions will be made so get in on time.

WHY IS IT NOT COMPULSORY?

With such a large student population there is no affordable venue that will cater to all of our students. Accompanied by the fact that not all students have an interest in participating at any level, it makes a “compulsory” swim carnival very difficult to sustain, with staff or students.

We certainly encourage all students with an interest, at any swimming level, to please nominate and come along. Students do not need to be at a high competition level.

If you are not attending the Swimming Carnival it is a normal school day.

Explaining our methods of Communication:

Website

We endeavour to keep our website up to date with the most important and relevant information. Nine times out of ten you will find the information you are looking for on the school website. Please check this site as your first port of call.

On the site you will find information including, but not limited to

• Staff contacts
• Calendars,
• Events,
• News,
• Processes,
• School policies,
• Excursion permission forms,
• Laptop requirements ,
• Instructions to access free educational programs, such as the Microsoft Office package.

FB

Our aim is to use FB to show you daily events that are happening in the school. We attempt to keep you up to date with important info needed for students.

Emails

It is vital that the school holds the current email of parents as it is a primary form of communication in the day to day running of the school. There are a range of important purposes including but not limited to the following:

Academic reports are no longer printed and given to students, they are emailed home – this occurs 4 times per annum.

Notifications about forthcoming events and required processes – e.g. immunisations, sports carnivals, and other school events.

Relaying of information regarding student Laptop Program.

Advice and warnings about weather events – e.g. closure of school due to flooding/cyclones.

Teacher to parent (and vice versa) communication – academic progress, assessment advice.

Qschools

Qschools is an app, produced by Education Queensland, that you can download to your mobile devices, that syncs with school information.

You can use your device to gain instant access to school news and calendar events whenever we update our website.

The app is a convenient way to receive up-to-the-minute information from us. Download it for free from the App Store or GooglePlay.

Explaining PB4L

PB4L stands for Positive Behaviour for Learning.

PB4L is explicitly taught behaviours consistently across the whole school to promote positive behaviour and maintain teaching and learning environments that support learning and wellbeing for all students.

Each week students are taught acceptable behaviour at Helensvale SHS.

Each Week we will advertise the focus on FB so parents are aware, and can support in the home environment.

Our Learning Values

Support Staff

As part of our Learning and Wellbeing framework, we have created a wellbeing hub for students and parents, which can accessed through the Helensvale State High School webpage. The hub includes links to other websites and apps which can help to support student wellbeing, as well as provide information on career pathways. To access these ‘well-being hubs’, click on the icons below, or, go to the HSHS website, scroll down the page and click on the relevant icon.

Theodore

Meet Theodore Craig, he is our registered Therapy Dog.

Theodore is a 4 year old Maltese Shitzu, whose aim at school is working to making staff and students happy. He does such an amazing job. He is hypoallergenic and attends school Monday, Wednesday and Fridays most weeks.

Year 7 Transitions

Congratulations to the hundreds of Year 7 students who completed their first week at Helensvale State High School. Meeting new teachers and making new friends was made easier through the Yr 7 Orientation Program.

The aim of the week was to help our newest students:

• Build relationships
• Work out their new surroundings
• Feel good about their new adventure in learning at Helensvale SHS.

Some big POSITIVES this week:

• The Year 7 Welcome Parade with over 450 Yr. 7s and 200+ parents!
• Our Year 12 Student Leaders coming in on the first day to help with the Yr. 7s;
• The new 10 minute seated “Yr. 7 Eating Time” at first lunch- it’s been great to see the students interact with one another; being able check that students are eating; and to be able to check in with students who are sitting by themselves;
• The NO Hat NO play rule for Year 7s- students are happily complying;
• Strong expectations established in yr. 7 classrooms;
• Relationships and learning cultures being built daily;
• Great talks from our Support Services team and SWELL team directly to our Yr. 7s;
• Two successful Evacuations and Lockdown practices;
• The world’s hottest scavenger hunt!
• Spaghetti Towers, with amazing disappearing marshmallows!
• Sheryl Carr’s IT talk;
• Ms Lyndsay’s focused Principals message at the Principal’s Parade;
• Introduction of Mr Jarrod Baker as Yr. 7 Dean for 2019;
• Happy faces of our Year 7s navigating their new environment.

We look forward to sharing the Year 7 achievements and adventures during the year ahead.

Wendy Chambers
Head of Department Junior Secondary Transitions