1 February 2019

Principal’s Perspective

Hello, my name is Grant Williams and I have been privileged with being appointed to the position of Principal at this great school, Noosa District State High School, for the start of 2019.

I have been teaching for 36 years. My last position was Principal at Brisbane Bayside State College in Wynnum. Prior to that, I was Principal Barcaldine Prep-12 State School in Central West Queensland.

My passion is to work to create a learning community that imagines the future, believes it is attainable and strives to achieve it. I look to foster a culture that promotes learning and that strives for continual improvement.

I want to ensure Noosa District State High is a learning community that works together to achieve quality educational outcomes for all students; a community that develops effective, capable, professional staff who collaborate to ensure each and every student has the opportunity to know, understand and achieve their potential.

I want Noosa District SHS to continue to create global learners- students who learn from within and outside the classroom; students that connect with each other and the world, to increase their knowledge and then apply this knowledge to make a difference to the world they live in.

I believe that students achieve their best when there is:

• high expectations –of classroom pedagogical practice; student engagement and work completion
• parental engagement - parents working in partnership with the school to help each student achieve their personal best
• consistent, productive and positive feedback to students and teachers that encourages improvement and self-reflection
• a safe, structured and orderly learning environment that promotes creativity, lateral thinking and individuality
• a range of opportunities across all areas- academic, sporting and cultural, to allow students the opportunity to be part of the school community, achieve success and have a sense of belonging and connectedness.

NDSHS is a high performing school with a dedicated staff and a friendly, polite and engaged student body. This week, I had the privilege of briefly meeting the Student Leadership team for 2019 and watching them in action on the Cooroy Campus Assembly. This is an impressive group of young people. Their commitment, and conduct to ensuring a successful campus assembly, demonstrated to me the high calibre of young people that our school has. I look forward to continuing to work with them.

It was with great pleasure I got to meet our eager Year 7 and 8 students on the Pomona Campus. NDSHS provides great opportunities for the young people of our community through the three campuses that make up our school. The beautiful, calm, yet stimulating environment of the Pomona Campus allows our Junior Secondary students to begin their secondary schooling journey in a very unique environment that promotes success.

2018 was a very successful year for NDSHS, with 100% of graduating Year 12 students receiving a QCE or QCIA and almost all eligible students, receiving an offer of a place in a tertiary course in the first round. In fact 44% of eligible students received an OP between 1 and 10 and 87% of students received an OP between 1 and 15. Great results. Students have received offers to enter courses such as Law, Aviation, Business, Marketing, Biomedical Science, Fine Arts, Education, Paramedic Science, Film Screen and Media Production, Nursing, Creative Industries, Engineering, and Veterinary Technology to name just some of the diverse pathways our graduates are embarking upon.

I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome I have received and look forward to a great 2019.

Junior Secondary Campus Context ….

A focus on quality teaching and learning….

Welcome back everyone and a special mention to the 215 brand new Year 7 students and their families that became part of the Noosa High community this week as they started their 6 year journey with us. Thanks to the amazing work of our staff and the unique Week 0 program that was held at the very end of 2018, the students have settled in extremely well and are getting straight down to business with some of our new teachers already showing their deep passion for junior secondary teaching. I encourage all students to make sure that they are “Being Respectful, Being Responsible and Being an Active Learner” and making sure that they work with their teachers to get the very best out of each and every lesson, each and every day. Getting a FLYING start to high school isn’t just all up to your teachers – those whot put in, look for opportunity and try their very best will get so much more out of the high school experience and ultimately have way more opportunity open to them once they enter the big wide world in a few years’ time.

Junior Secondary Campus’ FLYING philosophy…

Our Junior Secondary philosophy of FLYING stands for Fun, Limitless, inquirY, Innovation, Nurturing and Genuine. This underpins all that we do at our campus and we challenge all of our students to embrace this philosophy through their learning as well as their actions towards others and themselves. There is a huge range of activities that are already on offer from our staff throughout the week. Lunch time clubs as well as extra-curricular events in sport and culture are just a few of the opportunities that our students have available to and I encourage all students to find something that they are passionate about, interested in, or even trying for the first time. Bring a friend and enjoy! Parents ……. like me, you have probably asked the age old question already this week “How was school today?” or “What did you do today?” …. and like me, you have probably got the age old student response of “Good” and “Not much”. I assure you there is much more to it and sometimes it’s about asking the right question. Try one of these to see if it sparks a different conversation with your child and opens up that communication to really engage with them about the learning here at Noosa High.

“What was the funniest thing that happened?”
“What challenged you today?”
“What was the one thing you did today that made you proud?”
What is one thing you learned from your teacher?”
“Did you have any trouble with anything you were learning about today?
“Tell me about an idea you heard about today?”

As a parents you can support your child by talking with them about what they learned at school today, what they have coming up and generally helping them to engage positively with their learning. This week teachers, parents and students have had the opportunity to meet and discuss the goals that students have set for themselves for improvement this semester and select strategies that will help them to reach these learning goals.

What’s been happening at the Junior Secondary Campus ….

It will be a very busy start to the school year with new classes, Year 7 Mimburi Day Visits, Swimming Carnival, school photos, Planning 4 Excellence and our Parent Meet & Greet to name just a few. I encourage parents to “Like” the NDSHS Facebook Page so they can keep up to date with all of the great events that go on each week and if you’re not a QParent I also encourage you to do this so you can make your communication with the school even easier.

Cheers

Michael Small
Head of Campus - Junior Secondary

Welcome back to 2019 where our 450 Year 7 and 8 students have started the year off brilliantly at our Junior Secondary Campus at Pomona. This year I return from Maternity leave and will be based on the Pomona campus Monday through to Thursday. Mr Nic Banks will be assisting with Deputy duties on Friday and will be based in the Admin office. I am looking forward to a great year!

The students have settled in extremely well and are getting straight down to business where we are working with all students to make sure that they are “Being Respectful”, “Being Responsible” and “Being an Active Learner” by making sure that they work with their teachers to get the very best out of each and every lesson, each and every day. Our FLYING orientation/induction program is designed to give each student a smooth start to the year where we are outlining that those who put in, look for opportunity and try their very best will get so much more out of the high school experience and ultimately have way more opportunity open to them. Teachers are working with the students over a range of topics that are designed to engage them with learning, ranging from computer access and email savviness to Being Responsible and Respectful with everyone they are working with at school.

My thanks to all parents who took the time to attend out welcome parade and open classrooms. Fortunately, we have another opportunity for families to meet their student’s teachers and experience the beautiful Junior Secondary Campus at our Junior Secondary Meet and Greet - Week 2 Tuesday afternoon at the Pomona campus. We hope to see as many parents as possible at this afternoon event. For those parents and families who did attend our morning parade and open classrooms, I hope that you were impressed with the facilities, staff and programs that we have on offer, and ask that you maintain your commitment to work with us over the coming years as your child/children move up through the school years.

Amelia Duelberg
Deputy Principal

From the Deputies’ Desks

2019 is off to a Flying Start!

Welcome to all of our students and families to 2019 and a special mention to all of our new Year 7’s at Pomona Campus and to our Year 9’s who have successfully started their Cooroy Campus journey.

Timetables

All students are well into learning for the term and this has been supported by our Week 0 transition to our 2019 Timetable that occurred at the end of Term 4. Any subject change requests for Years 9-12 need to be resolved by week 2. Please refer any subject changes to:

Year 11/12 – Ms Daveson

By Appointment only

Meet and Greet:

Over the next 2 weeks, we welcome students and families to meet with teachers and staff, tour the grounds and experience all that our Noosa High Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Campus have to offer. Our parents and family partnership is paramount to the success of our students and we look forward to seeing you all there.

Week 2: Tuesday 5th February: Pomona Campus (Years 7 and 8) Meet and Greet 3.30pm
Week 3: Tuesday 12th February: Cooroy Campus (Years 9-12) Meet and Greet 3.30pm (Library Precinct)

FLYING Program

All students 7-9 have engaged in a tailored orientation program to ensure the best possible start. All students have worked with their teachers to:

• Discuss our values: Be Respectful, Be Responsible and be an Active learner
• Learn how to access programs on devices through a Flying Start to Technology lesson
• Learn about bullying and cyberbullying and what to do if you or someone you know is being bullied
• Learn to be responsible citizens who look after their school grounds and environment
• Discuss NDSHS FLYING awards and when they are issued
• Understand our mobile phone expectations
• Use diaries in an effective manner to plan their weeks and record information

This program will continue over the coming weeks.

This year the 7 and 8 FLYING program offered a number of open classrooms for parents. Our first open classroom took place on Monday week 1 with over 100 parents joining their child to learn about diary use, high school procedures and information about bullying and cyberbullying. Thank you to all that attended.

Our students will also be taking part in a FLYING into technology lesson in the next week. This lesson explicitly teaches students the programs and application used in an educational setting including Moodle (virtual library), email, printers and much, much more. We will also share this information with families at our meet and greet afternoons. Technology is an important part of our curricula and understanding how to use it effectively will aid the success of our students.

Year 7 students will also have the opportunity to visit the school farm at Mimburi this week in order to explore our third campus, get to know their peers and homegroup teachers,and engage further in our FLYING philosophy and Learning Curve diaries.

Again, welcome to what is set to be a great year of learning. We look forward to celebrating all of your success over the year.

SETTING THE SENIOR SCENE:

A massive welcome back to all returning Senior Secondary students, and a warm welcome to our new students who have started 2019 incredibly strong, setting the tone for a fantastic year to come. Undoubtedly, 2019 will be a hallmark year for our Senior Secondary students. Our Year 12s will be the last cohort to undertake QCS preparation to achieve an OP (Overall Position), and in this regard, we have been busy ensuring students are appropriately placed in their subjects, preparing for QCS tutorials, and organising OCA (off campus activities) to ensure all students have the appropriate study regimes and support needed for their final year.

The Year 11s will be the first to engage with the New Queensland Certificate of Education and Senior Syllabus and we are confident that our subject offerings and curriculum preparation will meet the needs of our Year 11s preparing them with the necessary 21st Century skills to be global citizens in our ever increasingly changing world.

Finally, Our Year 10s will Step Up into Senior Secondary fully prepared via their engagement with the National Curriculum in order to undertake their chosen vocational or ATAR pathway in Year 11 and 12.

I’m sure you will agree, 2019 is going to be an incredible Year for Senior Secondary at Noosa District SHS.

At Cooroy Campus, we will be holding a Meet & Greet on Tuesday 12th February at our Library precinct from 3.15pm - 4.15pm. Following this opportunity to meet and engage with new teachers, parents are invited to attend an information session on the New QCE to ensure our families understand the changing Senior Secondary landscape. I encourage all parents 9-12 to attend this information session so that we can continue working together to ensure our children are making great choices around their learning.

Tips & Tricks to assist the great start:

Uniforms – Noosa District State High School is a uniform school as we have pride and value representing our school community and preparing our students for the future.

Uniforms are available at the uniform shop and can be purchased at both Pomona and Cooroy Campuses.

All students are expected to be in full school uniform … including black leather shoes.

Please contact the offices if you have any questions or concerns regarding uniform. For a full guide to our policy, please go to our website:

Laptops & General BYOd Tips: -

Students are required to supply their own laptop as one of their tools of learning, please refer to BYOD page on the school website.

If there are concerns about this or your child is unable to come to school with a laptop then please see Mr Wilson in E block or Mr Quinn our Guidance Officer to ensure you get the right support.

Restarting: You must restart your computer each day when arriving at school. This does not mean allowing it to hibernate.

Connection: Only connect to DETE-BYOx

Printers and Devices: You must install the school printer on your laptop. Head to BYOd Central on Moodle for the latest printer drivers for both Windows and Mac students.

Passwords: All passwords have now been set. If you are unsure or need your passwords reset, please see your class - Our IT Support Officers are in the Library every Tuesday and Thursday morning if you need IT support

Phones – are to be turned off and out of sight during class.

Earphones – like hats, students will be required to remove earphones when entering a class, parade, or other learning space.

I look forward to working with you this year, meeting with you week 3 at our Meet & Greet, and hope you agree, that it has been a great start to 2019. If you have any questions or concerns, I encourage you to make contact.

Deputy Principal
Renee Rackley

Senior Schooling

School Leaders

At the end of last year, I was very proud to announce the 2019 School Leaders. With the new school year beginning this week, I thought it was pertinent to announce our School Leaders again. Since their successful application process late last year, I have had some time to work with this fine group of students and I am very impressed with their attitude and their initiatives around the school. I feel their ability to work as a group stemmed from the intense time spent together at their leadership camp at the end of last year, which has set them up with some strong team values for a busy year.

At the time of print, the process of selecting ‘Year Level Leaders’ from our Year 9 to 12 cohorts is underway and I have no doubt that our elected School Leaders will work well leading this student leadership group in Student Council and Interact Club projects throughout 2019.

Once again, I would like to congratulate the School Leaders listed below and encourage all students to be involved in the student leadership group as a Student Leader.

The 2019 School Leaders: (left to right)

Thanks

Murray Gordon
HOD Learning Enhancement

YEAR 12 REPORT

To Year 12 students and their families: Welcome to the new school year.

This year’s focus is on successfully completing the school journey.

Our goal at NDSHS is that every students maximises their opportunities in transition to the adult community including work, future education, wellbeing and participation in the community.

Year 12 is by far the most challenging school year. Subjects are more demanding, teachers’ expectations are higher and homework and assignment loads are significantly greater. My advice to the Year 12s this year, is to remember the three key areas to success at school. Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be an Active Learner.

As senior students, and role models, there is an expectation that the year 12s champion the standards of the school. Correct uniform, especially shoes, is important in presenting work readiness at school and professional attributes in the community. Attendance, work ethic and attitude are also key components in success as a student especially in the final weeks of class, exams and assessment.

The academic demands on students in Year 12 are great but so too are the rewards at its conclusion. This year provides the opportunities for students to create memories that will last a lifetime through events such as the formal, graduation ceremony and final senior parade.

Formal preparations are not that far away. If any parent of a 2019 graduating student is interested in assisting in this gala event, you are be more than welcome.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any stage during this year. My email is: sthor150@eq.edu.au and my work number is: (07) 5472 2222

Sarah Thornley

YEAR 11 REPORT

Welcome Year 11 students and parents to the next exciting chapter of senior schooling. This year will bring with it may challenges, important lessons – not just from an academic perspective, but also important life lessons that will bring about growth and change.

Year 11 is a very challenging year of high school from an academic perspective. The 2020 graduating class is the first group of students who will experience ATAR assessment and external exams. Students in Year 11 are expected to work hard, while valuing and appreciating the educational and extracurricular opportunities they are afforded at NDSHS.

Year 11 students are also expected to be the leaders in the school, alongside the Year 12s, modelling appropriate behaviour, wearing correct uniform and supporting junior school students.

The final round of Senior School jackets are being ordered in the next few weeks. Parents, please make sure that your financial obligations to the school are completed and students please see me in H Block to ensure your details are correct.

A final reminder; students that knuckle down, work hard, dress for success and allow some time to have fun, will have the most rewarding penultimate year of senior schooling. Best wishes for an enriching and fulfilling journey this year.

Be Responsible. Be Respectful and Be an Active Learner.

Bernard Weekes

YEAR 10 REPORT

WELCOME TO TEAM TEN

To Year 10 students and their families: Welcome to the new school year, and congratulations on a great first week back.

Many of you already know me from last year… and/or the year before… it is an absolute pleasure to be year level coordinator for this cohort for the third year. It has truly been a privilege to watch this group grow, develop and challenge themselves throughout this time.

This year’s focus is on planning and preparation to ensure a successful transition from junior secondary to the adult community, including work, future education, living and participating in the community. The Year 10s will have the opportunity throughout 2019 to demonstrate that they have STEPPED UP into Senior Secondary through excellent effort and behaviour.

Students will be working with their teachers to put plans into place to assist with career development, planning and preparation. At the end of the semester, they will be required to complete a week of work experience in an industry of their choosing.

Year 10 is always a challenging year as it prepares and models education in the senior school. Subjects are more demanding, teachers’ expectations are higher and homework and assignment loads are significantly greater. My advice to the Year 10s this year, is to remember the three key area to success at school. Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be an Active Learner.

Uniform is an important part of school life. It shows respect, responsibility and an understanding of the importance of workplace health and safety rules. Students will be reminded individually this week if they have items that are not in keeping with the uniform agreement. Most often, these include nose rings, multiple ear rings, canvas or non-uniform shoes and excessive makeup. Please be mindful of the way your child presents at school and make them aware of the details of the uniform policy in the school diary.

Have a successful and enjoyable year.

Fiona Young

YEAR 9 REPORT

Welcome to the Cooroy Campus, Year 9. I hope that all the students and their families enjoyed the summer holidays, and found the time to reflect on achievements and goals, as well as finding the time to relax, and recharge.

The school year has kicked off, beginning at full steam. The Year 9 students have settled in extremely well. The transition to the Cooroy campus has been successful, with the students settling into their new surrounds. I would like to welcome the Year 9 students and their families back to the new school year. I would also like to extend that welcome to the many new students and their families who have joined the Year 9 Noosa District State High School community. I am proud of how quickly the students have adapted to their new subjects, teachers, classrooms and class groupings.

The FLYING START orientation/induction program is providing the Year 9 students with a smooth start to the year. The Year 9 home group and classroom teachers are working with their charges to make sure that they are Being Respectful, Responsible and Active Learners by ensuring that the students are working with their teachers to attain the very best out of every lesson. Teachers are covering a range of topics designed to engage students in their learning; ranging from computer access and email savviness to effective, respectful communication to ensure their final year of Junior Secondary is an incredible success.

It is common for students to experience a degree of apprehension when there is any change of circumstances, and this is why the Year 9 management team have invested much time and energy in the transition program at the end of last year. There is a great support team available to the Year 9 students. This team consists of Stacy Wilmore (Deputy Principal); Anne Collingwood and Alison Rexa; Tony Leigh-Sheridan (Head of Special Education Services); and me (Year Level Coordinator). This team is specifically dedicated to the academic, behavioural and wellbeing needs of the Year 9 cohort. In addition, Damien Quinn (Guidance officer) and Kay Thompson (School based nurse) are available to support the students if they are feeling overwhelmed at any stage.

Throughout week 1, I have spoken to students about the importance of being involved. There will be many opportunities for students to participate in events and activities as part of the curricular and extra-curricular programs. However, I have also addressed the importance of participation in other aspects of schooling such as the application to work, attendance, and forming positive relationships with others. These are all the things that make the school a positive and safe place to be.

Finally, I would like to highlight the first parent/teacher event for the year. On Tuesday, February 12, Cooroy will be hosting a meet and greet afternoon where we encourage Year 9 students and their families engage with the Year 9 teachers and school community. The event will commence at 3:15pm. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Bridge Muir

Junior Schooling

Numeracy Coaching

Hello, my name is Todd Richardson and I am the Numeracy Coach at NDSHS for both the Cooroy and Pomona campuses. In my role as Numeracy coach, I am implementing a specific improvement agenda designed to improve numeracy across our school. This involves me working with both staff and students, with a specific focus on developing student’s numeracy skills within all subject areas. The last 4 year’s focus of the ‘See, Plan, Do, Check’ method of problem solving is continuing this year, along with a continued increase in developing students capacity to engage with ‘open ended’ questions and ‘problem solving and modelling tasks.’

Last year saw both of our campuses students achieve some wonderful results in Maths, and I am looking forward to 2019 being just as successful.

Todd Richardson
Head of Curriculum/Numeracy Coach

Welcome back to all of our creative and innovative students at Noosa District SHS Pomona Campus.

Students are fortunate to have a range of activities available to keep them engaged and challenged both in and out of the classroom. Keep an eye out for lunchtime activities that will be beginning very soon. Students will be able to explore a range of different activities with clubs in areas such as: Music; table tennis; Visual Art; Yoga; Virtual Reality; and construction, for example.

Recycling and reusing is important to us all at Noosa District SHS. We would like your help towards our Arts and Technologies Faculty at Pomona Campus and we regularly require items such as: old magazines to use for collage; clean old towels that we can cut up for rags; clean plastic containers suitable for holding water and paintbrushes (1lt plastic yoghurt tubs or 1kg honey containers are great). If you have such items, please drop into our Administration Office at Pomona.

Beyond the classroom, we have many opportunities for students at Noosa District State High School. Within our Instrumental Music Program, we are very fortunate to have two wonderful teachers – Cath Gilmore in charge of our Strings program and Ross Lancaster in charge of our multi-program (Brass, Woodwind and Percussion). Students are able to learn to play an instrument as a beginner through to advanced skill levels. Interesting to note that: International and Australian research shows learning music can make significant differences to children’s abilities. Children who are active music-makers are more likely to have improved maths and language performance, better reasoning capacity and problem-solving skills. Their memory is more likely to improve, as are their social and team skills.

If you are keen to be involved and have not signed up yet, please see one of our Instrumental Music teachers. Alternatively, at Pomona Campus - see Mr Argent or Miss Matthews in Staffroom A OR at the Cooroy Campus – see Miss Hopper or Mrs Rexa for an information sheet as soon as you can.

Please find attached an expression of interest for all interested students.

Learning at Pomona is Active! So encourage your child to be involved.

Regards,

Tania Matthews
Head of Department
Arts/Technologies/Business/Instrumental Music

Homework Club Pomona

Open every second break in J01

A quiet space to finish off some homework or have help with homework or assessments for any subject. See Ms B and feel free to bring your lunch. If ever I am not there please check with J block staffroom.

Donna Borhanuddin

Mimburi

The Mimburi Campus continues to develop with a number of projects either completed or very close to completion at the close of 2018. Significant underground power works were conducted during the holiday period and once final fit off is completed soon, we will have significantly more power and lighting options for our main campsite, including flood panning the distance between the camping, bathroom and dining areas.

The tiling has also been concluded in the kitchen, staff bathroom and disabled bathroom bringing these areas very close to completion.

The group of students in our YABBA Support Program were also busy out at Mimburi late 2018 doing a great job of the new stairway down to a another section of the Mary River. This was their primary task completed whilst on the YABBA Program Camp at the end of the 15 week program, and with the new gate built at the same site now gives Mimburi a much easier and safer access point to the river for future visitors.

2019 began with a Team Building Day for Pomona State School Staff. On a very hot day the group tested their physical and mental prowess against a series of Team Challenges, Archery and a Raft Building Challenge, earning points along the way for their respective teams. With “The Gerries” team being victorious, I think the old cliché of “everyone was a winner on the day” is appropriate as the staff team enter 2019 with new comradeship, loyalty and a few bragging rights for the year ahead.

Despite the dry and hot conditions of late, Mimburi still has a touch of green to the significant amount of feed still on the property thanks to the ongoing rotational grazing and slashing practices. Soon we will see some of the steers off to market.

Can you help with Mimburi’s development? As we move forward, we could certainly use a couple of old trailers to allow us to design activity equipment trailers for use around the farm. Due to occasional floods, we cannot create permanent activity equipment storage at many activity sites, so the ability to tow trailers to the sites as needed will make our programs run much more efficiently. They don’t necessarily need to be roadworthy but still need to survive regular movement around the property. Other building materials such as corrugated iron sheets and guttering, steel framing, hardwood sleepers (cannot be CCA Treated on school property), warehouse shelving and old bricks would also be welcomed.

Cheers

Newsletter Articles

Engagement & Wellbeing

ENGAGEMENT @ NDSHS – We believe in Positive Relationships for Learning

What a great start to 2019! As you are aware we will continue our focus on Engagement as one of our explicit improvement agendas.

Engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. Positive relationships are central to effective teaching and learning to promote success for all students.

We are committed to deliberate improvement strategies

Explicit Improvement Agenda – Engagement: Connect – Succeed – Thrive

Year Level Teams

One of the most significant factors that impacts your child’s success is relationships. At NDSHS we encourage as much parent involvement with the school as possible through email, phone contact and face to face meetings.

We value open communication, constructive feedback and a solutions focussed approach to problem solving. We also support positive relationships through our Year Level team structure that provides another layer to teaching support with a Year Level Coordinator, Head of Year and a Year Level Manager. This is based on home groups and the email contacts for your child’s Year Level Team is included below for your reference.

Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students – We are a Restorative School

Following significant planning and consultation, the NDSHS Responsible Behaviour plan for Students was endorsed by our School Council and P&C in 2017. This policy guides our Restorative Practices and has important information about our behaviour support systems. We encourage all families to engage with this policy work with us if you have any questions. You can find our policy on our website and also here:

Our core values at Noosa District are focused on Respect, Responsibility and Active Learning and we celebrate and thank all students, staff and families for such positive commitment to demonstrating these values every day. Our Expectations have been discussed in Home Groups and our Junior Secondary FLYING program over the week and we will continue to have a focus each newsletter. Please find our expectations here:

and the classroom posters that summarise these below:

We are prepared for learning every day

Well done and congratulations to all students who have made and excellent start to the term with classroom learning empowered through having correct equipment and completing password changes on devices. As a BYOD school (Bring your own Device) teachers rely on devices being in classrooms for access to learning and all students are reminded that this needs to be charged and ready daily. Student planners are also required for weekly wellbeing reminders, homework tasks and to support an ongoing excellent standard of organisation necessary for our busy students in their contemporary world. Thank you to all parents for your support of Active Learning in our school with students off to an exceptional start.

Once again, our Campus Life opportunities will come to life in the term for students to enjoy as part of their NDSHS Schooling experience. Term 1 has a wide range of activities at both Cooroy and Pomona Campus and we thank all staff and students for getting involved to make these happen. These activities provide a wonderful opportunity to connect with other students and staff outside the classroom and enjoy another level of social connection and enjoyment at Noosa High. We encourage students to make the most of these great activities on offer and the Campus Life calendar will be available in our next newsletter.

Positive Student Wellbeing Program – The Learning Curve

Parent and Student Support

As part of our NDSHS Student Wellbeing program, all students utilise their student planner that incorporates a program called The Learning Curve. These student planners are specialised for Junior Secondary (Years 7-9) and Senior Secondary (Years 10-12).

The learning curve materials form the basis of our school student wellbeing program with a large range of student planning activities within the diary and online learning tools. The intention is that students use the material in the diary for their organisational needs and also access online a large range of useful habit of mind and values for life materials that support a positive learning model for our students. To find out more about this great program click on this video link: The Learning Curve.

Our agreement with The Learning Curve allows parents, students and teachers full access to a wide range of useful resources to support student growth and wellbeing. Below is an overview of the weekly program for Term 1:

With parent and teacher support, students will develop a range of skills related to study techniques, thinking skills, habits of mind, emotional intelligence, relationships and lifelong learning skills. Students in years 7 to 12 are expected to bring their student planner every lesson and parents are encouraged to utilise the planner as another layer of school involvement and interaction.

We would urge you to log on and explore the student and parent resources with the details below.

2019 Log on Details:

(All credentials are case sensitive)

• Username: NoosaDSHS
• Password: Noosa4563

Our Focus for the next 3 weeks includes:

Week 1: Self-Regulation

Week 2: Brain Growth Abilities

Week 3: Relationships and Gratitude

News & Information

The Noosa High Absentee - Text Messaging numbers have changed

Representative Sport Opportunities

Relative information regarding representative sport trials and opportunities which will occurring throughout 2019 can be found in the below document.

Course Opportunity for Year 11 & 12 Students

Please see Mrs Campbell in D10 for further information

The Library’s the place to be!

The beginning of the year is very busy in the Cooroy Campus Library, with students enjoying a cool place to chill, grab a great book or get class work done.

Homework Club will be on after school, so stay tuned for more information about which days this will run.

Soon, we will begin our famous Chess Competition, so it’s time to brush-up on those chess skills. Also, Knitting and Crocheting Club will run next term, so we are looking for worthy charities. Please let us know if you have a suggestion.

A big thank-you goes out to families who have made the effort to return SRS forms, so that our job runs more smoothly and students have access to all their important resources. Spare forms are available from the Finance Office. Also, we are invoicing students with outstanding resources from 2018 soon, so please make sure these are returned as soon as possible. Could we also remind students that textbooks are not to be left in classrooms as this leads to expensive mix-ups. If students need to leave heavy books at school, we have lockers available.

We’d love to hear from students about book requests, which we will do our best to supply.

We look forward to a busy and productive year in the Library.

Leanne Tanner
and the Library Team

SCILS

SUNSHINE COAST INDIVIDUALISED LEARNING & SUPPORT PROGRAM

Background

The SCILS program is one of a range of programs outlined in Noosa Highs’, Responsible Behaviour Plan to help students succeed at school.

This program has been operating since 2016 and is a partnership between Education Queensland and the Salvation Army. SCILS is an “off campus “program located at the Salvos offices at 6-8 Bartlett Street, Noosaville.

SCILS is staffed by a registered teacher, Scott Wallace who is employed by Education Queensland and a Youth Worker, Nick Coppin who is employed by the Salvation Army.

2018 program data indicated that students who attended the SCILS program improved significantly in their self- confidence, interest in learning, community wellbeing, work readiness, understanding social order and optimism for the future.

In 2019 the SCILS program has been extended from a 4 week to an 8 week program and is now an exclusive Noosa District High program.

Program Days

SCILS operates” off campus” on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with school- based activities on the remaining days.

Transport

SCILS students are picked up on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday using the Salvos bus at the Cooroy campus at 8-30 am and returned at 2-30 pm.

What do students do at SCILS?

Students focus on the General Capacities from the Australian Curriculum of Literacy, Numeracy and Personal and Social Capacities.

Literacy / Numeracy – students use BKSB online skill builder which identifies the students current working levels in English and Maths and then provides learning resources to fill identified gaps.

Personal and Social Capacities – students participate in activities around Self Control, Respect, Confidence, Productivity, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Assertive Communication, Listening & Concentration Skills, Anger Management strategies and Negotiation skills to provide opportunities to demonstrate level 5 outcomes on the Personal and Social Capability learning continuum.

Students also can participate in:

• Service Learning opportunities at the school farm as well as within the Salvation Army organisation.
• Daily physical activities ( lunch time activities )
• Guest speakers
• Drum Beat program

Students are referred into the SCILS program by the Student Support team and are interviewed by Scott and Nick before commencing the program.

FACEBOOK

Please be aware that NDSHS Facebook Page is the official page for the school, with posts managed and generated by the staff across both campuses.

We do not have any affiliation with the Noosa District State High School Facebook Page. This is very much an unofficial page, with even the school logo used on this Facebook page out of date, and erroneous information generated by Wikipedia and the general public used as its contents.

QPARENTS

QPARENTS IS HERE

Noosa District SHS is one of an increasing number of Queensland state schools that is offering the QParents web and mobile free online portal, providing a more convenient, easier way for parents and legal guardians of Queensland state school students to interact with their child’s school. Parents will have secure, online access to their child’s student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer.

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with the school to access and manage their child’s student information, including:

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence
• Academic report cards
• Viewing and downloading of class timetables
• Exam timetables and assessment planners
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating personal student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details
• Upcoming events lists showing school events, exam and assessment dates, and excursions.

Invitations have been sent out to all parents to register for QParents. QParents won’t replace the traditional ways you communicate with our school, but it will provide another way to communicate with us.

More information about QParents can be found at https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/about or scan the QR code.

Detailed registration instructions can be accessed in the link below.

Contact the school for further information or registration assistance.

Noosa Councillor Jess Glasgow provided Year 12 Noosa District State High School Social and Community Studies students with some interesting insights into his role within the community.

P and C News

Our next P & C meeting will be held on Monday 18th February 2019, 6 pm in the Cooroy campus library. We would like to welcome all new and existing families to NDSHS. Please come along to our next P and C meeting to support your child’s education. Thank you to parents, carers and community members that attend our meetings, without your support we would not be able to operate.

P and C meetings for 2019:

Monday 18th February 2019
AGM Monday 18th March 2019

Tuckshop News

Volunteers are required at Cooroy and Pomona campuses. If you are interested in supporting the school, please contact Sue 5472 2229. If you are unable to donate your time a donation of goods would benefit our school.

Donations include:

Groceries – canned beetroot, canned tomatoes. minced garlic, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce
Cooking ingredients - sugar, icing mixture, cocoa, choc chips, eggs
Dairy products – grated cheese, cheese slices, sour cream, butter, 2ltr milk
Fruit and vegetables – seasonal fruit, pumpkin, cucumbers, lettuce, 1 kg bags of sweet potatoes, red onions, capsicums, tomatoes, carrots.

Please leave donations at Cooroy or Pomona tuckshops. Thank you.

Uniform Shop

Our uniform shop opening hours are:

Monday and Wednesday
8 am – 10 am

DATES TO REMEMBER