13 March 2020

Newsletter Articles

Our School Values –

For more info please see the link below.

From the Principal

Dear Helensvale State High School Community

Be Responsible

It is great to hear how our community is embracing the weekly Detox challenges, learning with each other how to use technology responsibly in our everyday lives.

I would like to share with you one of the images taken on an iPhone camera by one of our students as part of the #joyspotting challenge a few weeks ago.

“It (this image) made me think about the joy in my life and how my past had built me up to this. It made me wonder how life can be kind of bland sometimes, but it can also have a bright future. When I walked to my front door, a bright colour caught my eye and I looked at it and it was this flower that popped out of the side of the brick wall and I wondered if someday people will look up to you with a big smile. In hard times there will be always a spark in your heart which will carry you to the end of that dark tunnel. Thank you person, I will not know who you are but I give a huge thanks to you for giving up your own time to read this”.

(Image and words by Christian, an insightful Year 8 student).

Be Respectful

The Detox challenge we shared at last week’s assembly was about our learning value, being respectful, through etiquette. We compared etiquette pre-mobile phones and post-mobile phones. Examples of the most common etiquette in the past included actions such as pulling somebody’s chair out for them, offering to take someone’s coat, ladies first, and not having your elbows on the dining table.

Post-mobile phones etiquette faux pas include playing music on phones too loudly, using phones at the meal tables, reading somebody’s messages without their consent, talking while looking at their mobile phone instead of making eye contact and keeping ear phones in while somebody is trying to talk to you.

So the challenge we put forward to the community is to be respectful when it comes to mobile phone usage by actively listening when conversing and not bringing phones to the dinner table.

Maximising Learning

We also spoke on assembly about the importance of students handing in assignment drafts and seeking feedback from their teachers and their peers, as the feedback process contributes significantly to the learning process. We also explained the importance of students being at class on time ready for learning. If students are 2 minutes late to a lesson, this might not seem much. But if students arrive 2 minutes late to class for every lesson, that equates to 20 minutes of missed learning time per week, 200 minutes each term or 13 hours each year. Students being late to class also impacts on the learning of other students in their class, as late students inevitably interrupt the learning process that has commenced.

So when we insist that students use their break times to go to the toilet and fill up water bottles, not on or after the bell, we are focussing on maximising learning time.

International Women’s Day

Each year, the Parents and Citizens Association celebrates International Women’s Day by hosting a breakfast with our female student leaders. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

Our guest speaker for International Women’s Day was Ashara Moore. Ashara is a past Helensvale State High School student and is a Civil and Environmental Engineer. Ashara has a managerial role in the design, planning and practical execution of multimillion dollar Earthworks ventures. Her appointment as a Senior Project Engineer and Project Controller has taken her nationwide, working on developments for Tier 1, transnational clients such as Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Fortescue Metal Groups. Ashara sent a very clear message to our girls to pursue their dreams and aim to be the best in whatever field of work you chose.

School Council

This is a final call out for nominations for the position of elected parent members of the School Council. Nominations are to be submitted by our next HSHS P&C general meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday 24 March 2020.

As per the P & C Constitution:

1. The P & C Association has ascertained that the number of parent members to be elected to the School Council is three.
2. The nomination may be made:
   a. in person, by the Nominating P & C Members, at the relevant meeting, or
   b. if the Candidate cannot be present at the relevant meeting, by giving the Secretary, before the meeting, a nomination in writing signed by the Nominating Members and the Candidate.
3. If there is only one nomination for a position, the Candidate will be elected to the position if the Candidate receives the votes of a majority of the members at the meeting.
4. If there is more than one nomination for a position, the Candidate who receives the majority of the votes will be elected to the relevant office.

Please contact Cindy Hahn (chahn13@eq.edu.au) if you are interested in nominating and Cindy will email you the nomination form.

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Queensland Health is the lead agency for the response to COVID-19 and should always be the first port of call for accurate, up to date information.

There has been some conflicting and confusing advice circulating, particularly on social media, so I urge you to seek out information from the Queensland Health website and the official Queensland Health Facebook page. Queensland Health encourages everybody to take extra care to ensure you maintain good personal hygiene and follow advice to remain at home if you are unwell.

You can protect yourself by:

• washing your hands often and properly with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand rubs;
• staying home when you’re unwell;
• staying at least 1.5 meters away from people with symptoms such as fever, a cough, sore throat, fatigue, and shortness of breath;
• covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing.

Yours truly
Karen Lindsay
Executive Principal

Supporting Student Cognition through School–Led Pedagogical Change

Helensvale State High School is collaborating with the Critical Thinking Project at the University of Queensland in a research project to evaluate the impact of their Helensvale Aspiring Thinkers program. This program has a focus on supporting students’ capacity for critical and creative thought, and the learning behaviours which support them, including those involved with independence of thought and self-regulation. This research investigates the issues that affect if and how teachers can develop their practices in ways that support this, especially in terms of the ways that school contexts support or inhibit changes in teaching practices. It is important that the researchers understand students’ perspectives on their teachers’ practices, their own learning, and their view of the role of both the teacher and the student in learning.

Some students in the school may be approached to participate in a focus group. We will conduct these sessions for 30 minutes during lunchtime of a regular school day. Participation is entirely voluntary and students’ contributions would be very much appreciated. If you or your child do not wish to participate, they do not have to. If your child brings home consent forms to participate in this research, please read them carefully, and if you consent, sign and return the forms to the school office in the envelope provided.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Mr Adam Kuss at the University of Queensland by emailing ctp@uq.edu.au.

SWeLL Friday Breakfast

Each Friday, School-based Youth Health Nurse Joy and the chaplains, Julia and Long, run a Friday Free SWeLL Brekkie in front of SWeLL from 7.30am. They serve up toast and a variety of spreads - jam, honey, Vegemite, Promite and even Marmite! They also have bananas and banana smoothie. Thanks to Hillsong City Care and Foodbank we are provided with bread, bananas, spreads, and milk. They also provide items for our lunch pantry to support those students who may not have lunch for one reason or another. The P & C have also come on board to provide us with items such as a blender, cutting boards, trays and various other items that we utilise for the program.

Currently we have a volunteer from a local community that comes in to help us serve breakfast. If you or your student would like to be a part of helping us please email Long Bradley at lbrad49@eq.edu.au. If you would like to support us through donations of items such as strawberry jam, serviettes, disposable cups - that would be much appreciated. Thank you to those families who have already contributed.

Bullying – No Way!!

The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) will be held on Friday 20 March 2020. needs. NDA is a catalyst for Australian schools to take a stand together against bullying. The day brings together more than 60% of Australian schools, involving more than two million young people.

Tips for parents if your child ever talks to you about bullying

1. Listen calmly and get the full story. Your calm response is important to allow your child to tell you all about the situation. After they’ve told you their story, ask questions to get more details if you need: who, what, where, when. Although you may feel some strong emotions about your child’s experience, try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your child.
2. Reassure your child they are not to blame. Many children blame themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No one should have to put up with that.’ or ‘I’m so glad you told me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that’s not fair at all’.
3. Ask your child what they want to do and what they want you to do. A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to solve the problem. While it is natural to want to protect your child, helping them to find their own solution is a better option. It helps them feel they have some power in the situation.
4. Visit www.bullyingnoway.gov.au to find some strategies. The website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One idea is to practise strategies at home to help your child feel more confident.
5. Contact the school. Your child may be reluctant for you to do this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and, if you need to, ask to talk with the principal. Contact the school immediately if you have a concern about your child’s safety.
6. Check in regularly with your child. Keep the conversation going. It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with your child about their experiences and their feelings. Your ongoing support is important.

Tutorials at School

Do you know that Helensvale SHS offers after school tutorials?

We also offer:

Chat & Chill (homework club), run by school staff, Mon, Wed, Thurs 3-4pm, SWELL

From the Guidance Officers

Raising Children Network

Raisingchildren.net.au provides ad-free parenting videos, articles and apps backed by Australian experts and is all evidence based.

Topics covered include: First 1000 days, school lunches, mental health, autism, disability, A-Z health reference and screens & learning. A range of fact sheets can be located on here for all ages and stages including newborn through to teenagers and grown-ups.

Kids Help Line

Support Staff

As part of our Learning and Well-being framework, we have created a Well-being 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 well-being, 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.