19 July 2024

PRINCIPAL’S ADDRESS

Semester 1 reflection

Simply put, we have seen significant improvement in Semester 1 at Gladstone State High School.

• About a 40% drop in suspensions
• Over 30% drop in general behaviour incidents
• About a 20% increase in students eligible for our Positive Behaviour for Learning events
• Relatively small but noteworthy improvements in our academic results
• Students accessing, and excelling in so many opportunities across all areas – academic, creative and artistic, sporting, leadership and service

These improvements are a result of many factors:

• Commitment of our teachers to provide a consistent, student focussed approach to learning
• The level of support provided for student well-being by all areas of our school, but calling out the impact of our Wellbeing Team
• The vast majority of our students turning up every day ready to learn
• Clear, communicated expectations of what is expected at Gladstone State High School
• The ongoing support of the vast majority of our parents

Whilst recognising the improvement, it is equally important to recognise the work still ahead:

• Continuing to refine the teaching strategies and approaches to cater for the wide range of needs in each of our classroom
• Keeping a focus on attendance and looking for additional ways to ensure that every child is at school as often as possible
• Maintaining the standards that we have set for behaviour and engagement at school

We look forward to another positive semester at Gladstone State High School.

ATSIAP Challenge

On the last week of last term, four of our senior students contested the state finals of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aspirations Program. Shaniah, Jasmin, Rhijarn and Kya represented themselves, their culture and our school with pride, making the top group and taking away one of the category awards – Cultural Trivia Challenge! I would like to recognise the work of our Community Education Counsellor, Aunty Racheal for her support of this team and for taking the team from the Regional Final to the State Finals! We congratulate these students on a fantastic result.

Senior Leaders Induction

I have the privilege of spending almost 20 years of my 29 years in education as a member of the staff at Gladstone State High School. Across all of those years, there are many things that have stood out about our school, with one of the strongest areas being in relation to the strength of student leadership. It is pleasing, but not surprising, to see both the outgoing and incoming student leaders continue this tradition at State High.

We are very proud to officially welcome Matthew and William as School Captains of Gladstone State High School for 2024-2025. Matt and Will will be incredibly well supported by our Vice-Captains, Vashti and Jolene, along with our Indigenous Captains, Rhijarn and Amarii, and our Inclusion Captains Yukti and Anushka. This team will then be supported by our House Captains and extended Student Council.

We also extend a recognition and thanks to our outgoing student leaders. Your commitment to State High and the impact that they have had has been noted and appreciated.

School Captains

Vice Captains

Indigenous Captains

Inclusion Captains

School Opinion Surveys

Our parents/carers will start to receive communication from the Department of Education in relation to the annual School Opinion Survey. This is an important opportunity for our parents/carers to provide us with their perspective on State High. The School Opinion Survey will also provide this same opportunity for our staff and our students. We had a significantly improved number of parents/carers completed the survey last year and we look forward to again hearing from more of our parent/carer community in 2024. The survey generally takes about 10 minutes and the information that it gathers provides us with a wonderful insight into the future direction of Gladstone High. As we do each year, we will provide our community with a summary of the information that the survey provides.

Prohibited from being brought onto the school grounds – Night Owl Centre

It is important that our students and their families are fully aware of what is acceptable to be brought onto our school grounds. The vast majority of our students understand and display these expectations however there are times when we need to have clarified conversations with both students and parents. Given the location of the Night Owl Centre, the temptation for our students to purchase energy drinks, ‘slushies’ and the like can create issues if they bring them back onto our grounds. At Gladstone State High School, we are aligned with the Healthy Foods initiative and as a result these items, just like other fast-food items (e.g., McDonalds, Hungry Jacks etc) are not permitted to be on site. We would appreciate your support to remind your children of these expectations.

PBL Mission

Our Positive Behaviour for Learning mission for this fortnight is: ‘Be prepared to learn’.

YEAR 9 & 10 TRANSITION NIGHT

INFORMATION NIGHT FOR YEAR 7 2025

Please us the QR code below or click on the link below to register your attendance for the information evening.

LOVE BITES

During Week 4 of this term all of our Year 9 students will participate in the Love Bites program. It is a one-day program with year 9 HPE classes attending on either the 31^st July or the 1^st August.  This year it is being run alongside our Year 9 HPE unit Respectful Relationships in order to consolidate student learning.  Below is an outline of what Love Bites is about.  For more information or to discuss your child’s involvement please contact the Head of Health and Physical Education Vanessa Randazzo on (07) 49 766 118 or at vrand2@eq.edu.au.

Love Bites is an extremely successful school-based Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault prevention program that evolved on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Love Bites is based on best practice standards for education programs as recommended by the Federal Government funded Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearing House and other leading academics in the area of violence against women.

Over 100,000 high school students throughout Australia have participated in this interactive and innovative program aimed at 14-16yr olds.

Love Bites promotes an integrated partnership approach to prevention and generates local ownership of the program. Local service providers facilitate the Love Bites program. Professionals such as sexual assault workers, domestic violence workers, youth workers and police can facilitate the program.

The Love Bites program consists of two interactive education workshops on Domestic and Family Violence and Sexual Assault followed by creative workshops that consolidate the information from the morning.

Male and female facilitators present the program as a team and Love Bites consistently models respectful relationships between male and female students, teachers and workers. The artworks and other work created in the creative sessions are the basis for local campaigns to challenge Violence against Women in their community. This campaign is led by and delivered by young people.

INCLUSION NEWS

During our recent sports carnival at the end of Term 2 our Multi-Class Athletes competed in a variety of track and field events over the 2-day carnival. Multiclass is the format used to create meaningful competition, for athletes from multiple classification categories. Multiclass events are held with some minor modifications to the rules and regulations, where necessary. Just one of the many ways that Gladstone State High School demonstrates Inclusion. Our Junior Age Champions were Oscar and Titan. Our Senior Age Champions were Lauren and Carter. Congratulations to all students.

YEAR 7 HANDBALL COMPETITION

In Week 10 of Term 2, our Year 7 students participated in a Handball Competition organised by our Year 10 Peer Mentors. Over 45 students competed during five lunch breaks to determine the top three male and female champions. We extend a sincere thank you to our Year 10 Peer Mentors, Mr Smit, Mr Dunn, and all the students who participated. Stay tuned for the next upcoming competition.

ROBOTICS CLUB NEWS

GSHS Robotics Club Tackle Young ICT Explorers Competition

The GSHS Robotics Club is well underway in planning and creating a digital solution to solve a real-world problem that is prevalent to our current day and age. Students have been working on these projects in their own time on a Wednesday afternoon and Sunday mornings at GSHS Robotics Club sessions.

Students are competing in the Young ICT Explorers which is an Australian educational program and competition where students produce a project of their choice that uses Digital Technology/Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to solve a real-world problem or share a passion.

The Young ICT Explorers competition aims to inspire and encourage students to consider a career in the digital technologies/ICT industry and gain a greater understanding of the possibilities available through technology.

Creating these Digital Projects encourage students:

• to learn communication and information processing skills
• to explore ways in which information systems will meet emerging needs.
• to select and apply appropriate research and problem-solving skills.
• develop ways to apply and explain an understanding of the nature and function of

information technologies to the specific practical situation.

• Develop ways to examine and apply appropriate documentation techniques related to the management of their project.

Good luck to all students for their upcoming Project submissions!

GSHS BOOK CLUB

Did you know that one of the amazing activities at GSHS is our Book Club? Every Friday during first break, we gather in K3 to chat about the books we're devouring in our free time.

Last term, Mia dazzled us all by reading the most books and proudly took home the prestigious Readers Cup Trophy. Congratulations, Mia!

As we dive into a new term, the competition is on! Who will be our next reading champion? Join us and find out!

GUIDANCE OFFICER NEWS

Choosing the Right Course and Institution for Tertiary Study

Choosing the right course and institution can be hard, especially when there are so many options available.

Here are some things to consider when helping your child choose a course and/or institution:

• Does your child want to study close to home, or are they willing to travel? What costs are involved with travel?
• If the institution your child is interested in isn't close to home, are they willing to live on campus? If so, what accommodation options does the institution have?
• What student support services does the institution offer? 
• Is the course your child is interested in offered at multiple institutions, or just one or two? This may be a factor in deciding where to study.
• Does the course match your child's skills and interests?
• Do the career opportunities offered by the course match your child's career aspirations?
• Would your child need to do further study after completing a course to reach their career goals?
• Does your child want to study full-time or part-time, on campus or externally? Some institutions offer flexible study options, while others require students to complete all their studies full-time, on campus. 

Online resources

Here are some online resources that can assist you and your child in choosing the right course and institution:

The Good Universities Guide (formerly Hobson's Course Finder)

The Good Universities Guide can help you find courses at Australian tertiary institutions, compare university ratings, and explore careers.

myfuture

myfuture is a free career information service that assists career planning, career pathways and work transitions. It gives details of education and training providers, scholarships and courses Australia-wide.

Institution websites

Institution websites give information on courses, entry requirements, campuses and facilities, fees, scholarships, student support services and more.

QTAC Course Search

The QTAC Course Search lets you search for tertiary courses offered by institutions in Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

University Open Days

With QTAC applications opening shortly, open day season is now in full swing.  

The following is an update of the 2024 Open Days:

NURSE PRACTITIONER NEWS

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

EXEMPTION PROCESS

Did you know that you can apply for an exemption for your student if they are needing to take leave from school for a period of more than 10 consecutive school days?

Please read the attached information sheet below for more inforamtion relating to this.  The exemption form is also attahced.   These forms are also printed and available from the office.

If you are wanting to apply for an exemption, you will need to complete the form and organise a meeting with Deputy Principal of the year level your student is in, you can do this by phoning the school office.  They will then discuss the exemption with you and make the decision as to wether the exemption will be approved or not.

COMPASS APP NEWS

How do I Access Compass?

The Compass Home Screen

Compass SMS Link

Compass Attendance

Compass Student Profile

Compass Summary

ZERO TOLERANCE IN OUR SCHOOL

UNIFORM DONATIONS

We are in need of uniform donations.  If you have any uniforms at home no longer in use, feel free to drop them into the front office.  Any size or item would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

TUCKSHOP MENU 2024

BREAKFAST CLUB

QPARENTS

QParents

QParents  is a secure, online portal that is free for all Queensland state schools to use and provides parents with quick, easy access to their student information including:

• student and parent contact details
• attendance details
• report cards – all report cards (past & present) are available to view and upload
• assessment planners – uploaded each semester
• timetables
• invoices and payment history
• Online consent management

The student information displayed in QParents is surfacing information that is already recorded and managed in OneSchool. The benefits of using QParents for schools and parents include:

• a faster, more efficient way to communicate with parents regarding student information
• a secure, convenient and automated process for parents to pay school invoices
• significant time and effort savings for both your school and parent community
• an innovative online communication tool that’s free of charge for both schools and parents to use.

How do I register for QParents?

You will be sent an email inviting you to register for QParents. You will then be able to register via the secure QParents website: qparents.qld.edu.au using the unique invitation code contained in the email. You will require each child’s unique EQ ID and you must verify your identity by providing 100 points of identification. If you cannot verify your identity online, you should contact your child’s school for assistance. The school will review your registration and approve your account. You will then be able to access the QParents app.

Please note: if you have not received the Qparents invitation email, please send correspondence through to qparent@gladstonshs.eq.edu.au with your full name, student/s full name & DOB to request your Qparents invitation.

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR PARENTS

Navigating the online world with our kids can be super tough for parents. Knowing what apps are appropriate, managing screen time, and addressing the issues that come with social media use can be complex to say the least. Schools and families play a collaborative role in ensuring that kids can access the internet in a safe and healthy way. Below are some top tips from Rebecca Sparrow, who works with students, schools and is a member of the Queensland Government’s Anti-Bullying Taskforce.

BEFORE YOU HIT SEND – SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR PARENTS

By: Rebecca Sparrow

STEP 1.  BASIC ONLINE DO’S & DONT’S

1. Don’t use your child’s photo or real name when setting up apps or certain social media accounts.
2. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know in real life.
3. Don’t agree to meet up with people you don’t know in real life.
4. Don’t chat to randoms online – even if you think they’re kids. Social media and gaming apps are stalked by adult predators looking for children to groom. 
5. Don’t give out your address, school or phone number online to anyone. And don’t share your passwords!
6. Most importantly – check the privacy settingson the platform or app you are using (see tips below)
7. Follow Susan McLean– Cyber Safety Expert,  Dr Kirsty Goodwin – Cyber Safety Expert and Code9 Parent on Facebook to get regular updates on the latest dangerous and dodgy apps and safety tips for your tech devices. 
   

STEP 2. SECURE YOUR DEVICES

1. You want to stop strangers from finding out where you live, work or go to school which they can easily do from the photos and videos you post.  Turn off Geo-Tagging on your camera.  Otherwise, geographical information is added in the form of metadata to photos, videos, SMS, websites. Go to LOCATION SERVICES and turn it off for your camera and any apps that don’t need it.
2. TURN OFF Frequent Locationswhich can tell anyone who picks up your phone where you live.  
3. If your device gets stolen or your friends decide to play a prank by hacking your account you want to be able to stop them from accessing your device!  Have a pin number on all your devices. And don’t tell your friends your pin numbers or log in details.
4. Again to stop people accessing your accounts – set up Two-Step Verification On Accounts: Facebook:  Account > Settings > Security > Login Approvals          Apple         Google          Twitter
5. Set up restricted viewing on Google, YouTube, your Mac or PC. 
6. For younger kids (10 and under) Use YouTube Kids, Kiddleor Safe Search Kids (powered by Google). Remember: no amount of net filtering replaces parent supervision!

USEFUL LINKS

Social Media Platform Safety Centres: FULL LIST of contacts

FACEBOOK: Basic Privacy Settings  and  How Can I See What My Facebook Profile Looks Like To Other People?   YOUTUBE TUTORIAL

INSTAGRAM:  Privacy & Safety Tips for Instagram

SAFE SEARCH ENGINES FOR KIDS:  YouTube Kids, Kiddle, Safe Search Kids 

Who’s Chatting to Your Kids?: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting/reporting-cybercrime/children-and-the-internet/whos-chatting-to-your-kids

The advantages of helping kids navigate the digital world – The Atlantic 

15 Useful  iPhone Hacks including setting ‘Do Not Disturb’ on your phone so you can’t receive messages while you’re studying 

More iPhone hacks including getting more storage

How to save data on your iPhone: the small hack that can make a difference to your data use.

USEFUL APPS

HELP ME The Denise and Bruce Morcombe Safety App.  Download this app for 99cents and any person can call for help at the push of a button.   “The ‘Help Me’ button sounds a warning and allows you to send off an SMS text to two (2) nominated ‘safety’ numbers, as part of your Trusted Safety Network. Included in the text are GPS co-ordinates from where the text was sent, so the sender can be located or a last known place of contact is indicated.”

OurPact  Free parental control app that limits screen time and access to apps and sites.

Colour Therapy Popular free colouring-in app

Canvsly: a clever app to help you digitally store your children’s artwork 

YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

Set up a Google Alert for your name and email address so you can keep track about what’s said about you on-line. 

The resume is dead: your next click might determine your next job – The Guardian

Your digital footprint matters – Huffington Post

 CYBERBULLYING

The most important thing to remember if you are being cyberbullied is that you’re not alone and there are adults who can help you.

Keep evidence of the bullying (save emails, take screenshots of messages or posts), delete and block the bully and report the problem to the Safety Centre of the platform or app (you can find a full list here).  And most importantly tell an adult you trust. And keep telling adults until someone does something to help you. 

Office of the eSafety Commissioner 

How To Take A Screenshot On Any Device 

Report Cyberbullying: Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner

Legal Aid Queensland: Laws surrounding cyber-bullying and what to do about it. 

The National Children’s and Youth Law Centre, can provide free legal advice for anyone under 18, or anyone acting on their behalf.

Bullying No Way website for kids, teens, parents and teachers

HOUSEHOLD INTERNET AGREEMENT / PARENTAL CONTROL APPS

FREE OurPact parental control app that limits screen time by blocking internet and app access.

How To Find Hidden Apps on Your Child’s Phone

CONSENT/PORN/NAKED SELFIES

Avalanche of Violent Porn Affecting Our Young

The National Children’s and Youth Law Centre, are experts in sexting and the law, and can provide free legal advice for anyone under 18, or anyone acting on their behalf. If you find naked images on your child’s device, take a breath and ring these guys first to get some clear, calm advice on how to proceed.

Legal Aid Queensland: The law surrounding sexting and sharing naked images

It’s No Coincidence A Vile Instagram Account Was Set Up By Boys From An Elite Private School by Catherine Lumby

A Letter To My Son About Porn by Harriet Pawson

RECOMMENDED READING

Porn is not the worst thing on Musical.ly

The advantages of helping kids navigate the digital world

Noise levels dialled up as ban on mobile phones gets kids talking

Parenting the Fortnite addict – New York Times

Are you following the same digital rules you set your kids? – The Washington Post

Sexts, Texts and Selfies by Susan McLean (Australian)

Keeping Kids Safe Online by the Leonie Smith, the Cyber Safety Lady (Australian)  

Raising your child in a digital world – Dr Kristy Goodwin

RECOMMENDED SITES
The Cyber Safety Lady  (Australian)

RESOURCES FOR YOUR TEEN WHEN THEY NEED HELP

ReachOut 

Headspace: National youth mental health foundation 

Youth Beyond Blue

Kids Helpline or call 1800 551 800

Parentline: 1300 30 1300 www.parentline.com.au

Lifeline: 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au

Relationships Australia: 130 364 277 www.relationships.org.au

1800Respect Online: 1800 737 732 www.1800respect.org.au

Child Safety Services (Qld): 1800 177 135

Quick News

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