11 August 2015 FROM THE PRINCIPAL - Redbank Plains … · Email: the.principal@ ... Carolyn Holt Home Economics. REDBANK PLAINS SHS SPORTS NEWS. ... Open Boys Basketball Woodcrest

11 August 201511 August 2015

FROM THE PRINCIPALWelcome back for the commencement ofTerm 3. This term is always a busy one withmany major events occurring across the 10weeks. Thank you for your support of ourstudents by getting them into full schooluniform. We are looking forward to keepingthis momentum going for the remainder ofthe year.

We are in full swing for the term already, with our Open Day,Parent Teacher interviews, and our Mid-Year Academic Awardshaving occurred in the first three weeks.

As I move around the School and visit classrooms and otherstudent activities, I am very impressed with the level of studentengagement with their learning. Our students in all year levelsare coming to classes prepared and ready to learn.

SHOWCASE AWARD

This term our school and community have been recognisedwith a Regional Showcase for Excellence in Education Award.This award recognises the success of our Senior Schoolingroom and is a wonderful recognition of the hard work andcommitment to excellence of our teaching and support staffin this area. The judging panel commented that our seniorschooling room concept is “highly innovative, highlighting aclear commitment by our school to quality education designedto address unique local needs”.

MID-YEAR ACADEMIC AWARDS CEREMONY

It was wonderful to have so many parents and family membersjoin us for the Academic Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 4th ofAugust. This important event provides us with the opportunityto celebrate the achievements of some of our most successfulstudents across the School. Over 400 students wererecognised with either a Principals Award, Excellence Award,or Credit Award. These students, along with their peers, willbe aiming to achieve these awards again at our annual awardsnight later in the year. Congratulations to all.

2015 EARLY SCHOOL LEAVERS SURVEY

The Queensland Government is conducting its annualstate-wide survey of students who left school in Years 10, 11and prior to completing Year 12 in 2014. The Early SchoolLeavers survey is a brief, confidential survey that provides apicture of the employment, study and life choices made byQueensland school leavers in the year after they left school tounderstand why young people leave school early and to helpother early school leavers make positive career choices.

Between July and August, our students who left school in Years10, 11 and prior to completing Year 12 last year can expectto receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or atelephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’sOffice to complete the survey. Please encourage them to takepart. If their contact details have changed, please assist theinterviewer with their updated details or forward the survey totheir new address so they can participate. Thank you for yoursupport of the Early School Leavers survey in 2015.

For more information visit:

http://www.education.qld.gov.au/nextstep/

or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587

SCHOOL REVIEW

Last week three officers from the School Improvement Unitundertook a “once every four years” review of our whole schoolfrom a teaching and learning perspective. The Review soughtto identify the good things that teachers and staff are doingto maximise student learning, whilst also leading torecommendations of other things that we should think about,as we compile our next four year Strategic Plan (2016 to 2019).

A very large number of teachers, Heads of Departments andother school staff were interviewed, as well as some communitymembers and students, to drill down into the health of our

Willow RoadGoodna QLD 4300

Website:Website: https://redbplaishs.eq.edu.auEmail:Email: [email protected]

Phone:Phone: 07 3432 1222Fax:Fax: 07 3814 2547

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school cultures, the efficacy of our approaches and theeffectiveness of our programs.

The outcomes of the review will soon be published on ourschool website for the broader community to read andconsider.

NERIMA VISIT

Last week we welcomed fourteen students and two teachersfrom Nerima, Japan into our school community. As Principal ofour school it was pleasing to see our students embrace ourguests on assembly with such a warm welcome. Clearly this isan event our students look forward to as much as our guestsand is an exciting part of the school tradition.

The interaction around the school was extremely positive andone that both groups of students enjoyed. Such culturalexchanges greatly enrich our lives and enable us to gain moreinsight, tolerance and understanding of the diversity of culturesin our society. I believe that this event can only strengthenthe development of our students in preparing them as lifelonglearners. Thank you to the host families and to Ms Craig, MsFurlan and Mr Modra, for leading the organisation for the visit ofour Japanese friends.

Michael WestPrincipal

COMING EVENTS

August

11 Newsletter Distributed

17 P&C Meeting

25 Newsletter Distributed

September

1-2 Year 10 Set PlanningQCS Testing

4 Disco for Years 10-12 starts 6.30pm – 9.30pm

20 P & C Meeting

UPDATE YOUR DETAILSFrom time to time family circumstances change, for example,custody issues, addresses, new phone number/s andemergency contacts.

It is critical that the school has the correct information onstudents. The school will not release a student to someone whois not listed as a contact on our system. Please ensure youremergency contact details are correct.

Attached is a Change of Details Form, please complete andreturn to Student Office with accurate information if yourcircumstances have changed.

NEED FOR FEEDCooking Classes for students in Years 7 to 10

The Need For Feed program is running on a Tuesday andThursday afternoon with 20 students in each class learningskills and knowledge and become a Junior Masterchef in themaking!

The popular Diabetes Queensland school cooking programNeed for Feed is up and running and students are having greatsuccess. Students across years 7 – 10 are participating in thishand on program.

The program includes lots and lots of cooking from stir fry’sand curries to cakes and fruit bakes. You’ll master skills in foodpreparation, what to eat to stay healthy and how to make plentyof quick and easy recipes from scratch that taste delicious!

The program commenced on Tuesday, 28 July and Thursday,30 July at 3.15pm to 5.45pm and is run within the school homeeconomics room. The program is running for 7 weeks, with onesession per week and the final week 2 sessions.

Mrs Holt and Mrs Rodrigues look forward to a fun filled programover the next 6 weeks. Thanks for all those who applied to bepart of the program.

Carolyn HoltHome Economics

REDBANK PLAINS SHS SPORTS NEWS

2015 Yagera Winter Season Results

The latest results of the Yagera season are as follows:

Round 6 v WoodcrestRound 7 v Springfield

SportSport OpponentOpponent ResultResult

Woodcrest Win 44 – 39Open Boys Basketball

Springfield Win 36 – 24

Woodcrest Win 68 – 28Year 10 BoysBasketball


Woodcrest Win 34 – 12Year 10 Boys League


Woodcrest Loss 50 – 6Year 8 Boys League


2


Woodcrest NoGame

NoGame

Open Boys Soccer

Springfield NoGame

NoGame

Woodcrest NoGame

NoGame

Year 10 Boys Soccer


Woodcrest Win 9 – 0Year 8 Boys Soccer





Woodcrest Loss 58 – 19Open Girls Basketball

Springfield No Game No Game

Woodcrest Win 26 – 14Open Girls Netball


Woodcrest Win 29 – 3Year 10 Girls Netball

Springfield Loss 20 – 11

Woodcrest Loss 32 – 5Year 8 Girls Netball


Woodcrest No Game No GameOpen Girls Soccer

Springfield No Game No Game

Woodcrest Win 8 – 0Year 8 Girls Soccer




Woodcrest Win 2 – 0Open Girls Volleyball


Woodcrest Loss 2 – 0Year 10 Girls Volleyball


Woodcrest Win 2 – 0Year 8 Girls Volleyball


School Athletics

This year our Athletics carnival was held over 2 full days inan attempt to improve participation and increase house spirit.In order to achieve this we introduced novelty events (eggand spoon and tug-o-war) to the program to encourage morestudents to get involved.

The Athletics carnival was held at Redbank Plains State HighSchool on the final 2 days of Term 2.

Following are the results for our school carnival.

2015 Athletics Age Champions:

YEAR LEVELYEAR LEVEL BOYSBOYS GIRLSGIRLS

12 Years James Ingrid

13 Years Lai-One Radellene

14 Years Hayden Ameilia

15 Years T-Max Sharon

16 Years Seti Lauren

Open Franco Emily

The overall result for 2015

1st – Eagles – 21702nd – Dragons – 19753rd – Scorpions – 18434th – Bulls - 1507

Those students who finished 1st or 2nd in their event wereinvited to participate in the Yagera District Athletics Carnivalheld on Thursday, 30 July and Friday, 31 July. Students whoattended on Thursday went to Woodcrest State College andcompeted in Field events including High Jump, Shot Put andJavelin. At the end of day 1 we were 40 points behind rivalschool Glenala State High School.

Day 2 saw us head to UQ St Lucia to compete in the Trackevents. Across the two days students put their hand up tocompete in events when we were missing competitors; most ofthese students did so just to get us valuable points. The efforteach of our competitors put into their events meant that wefinished the carnival 400 points in front of Glenala State HighSchool, making us Back-to-Back District Athletics Champions!

Special mention to Frank (U15), Emily (U17), Franco (17) andFaagalo (Open) on being named District Age Champions,Congratulations to the HPE Staff for making the carnivalpossible and giving our students the best opportunities topursue sporting achievements.

Redbank Plains State High School 12 year olds attendedCentral Districts Athletics Carnival and won in the C schoolsdivision with 76 points and David I received runner-up AgeChampion with 20.5 points.

Gavin ChantSports Coordinator

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AUSTRALIAN MATHS COMPETITIONOver sixty of our top Mathematics students participated inthe Australian Mathematics Competition last Thursday. Thiscompetition is internationally recognised and is one of thelargest events on the Australian education calendar. The AMCwas the first of its kind in Australia and is now one of the largestin the world, with over 40 countries competing each year.

Twenty six Year 7 and 8 students sat the Junior AMC paper,while 36 students sat the Intermediate and Senior divisionpapers. Our students were selected as the top students in theiryear level and we encouraged participation as a way to extendtheir mathematical knowledge and skills.

We expect to receive our results during October and everyparticipant will receive a certificate outlining their result.

Kam KumarHOD MathematicsandJosephine WellingsHOD JSS

YEAR 7 SCIENCEThis Term we are studying Astronomy, specifically focussingon the sun, earth and moon. Already this term there has beenexciting news in this area including:

July 14 - New Horizons (spacecraft) passed PlutoJuly 31 - Full Moon (Blue Moon)Aug 7 - (5:26am) Spot the International Space StationAug 30 - Full Moon

There are a number of steps you can take to extend yourstudents’ learning during Term 3. The extra benefit being thatthe whole family can become ‘astronomers’ during Term 3.

Like the following pages on Facebook

Redbank Plains State High SchoolNASAAustralian Astronomical SocietyBrisbane Astronomical Society

Attend a Public Viewing Night at Mt Cootha

Brisbane Astronomical Society has public viewing nights (usingtheir telescopes) 3rd Saturday each month.

Be part of a World Record!

Watch NASA TV -

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

Spot the Station

Look for the International Space station in your night sky

http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/

Enter in your location (Australia, Qld, Brisbane)

Track the orbit and pathway of the International Space Station-

http://www.isstracker.com/

Watch a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgdbZhnFD5gInternational Space StationInternational Space Station

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8UCHvSK09EAtlantis Space ShuttleAtlantis Space Shuttle

Observe Tides and Moon Phases

Josephine WellingsHOD JSS

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WE NEED YOUR HELP!In one week Year 7 Science students will begin to investigatewhat resources we would need to build a Moonbase.

One of our tasks is to build a biodome and observe plantgrowth, the water cycle and photosynthesis.

A biodome is an enclosed dome which contains plants and/oranimals.

To build our biodomes we need your help!

Please donate any empty (and rinsed) 2 Litre and 3 Litre softdrink bottles. Send the bottles in with your Year 7 or Year 8student to give to their Science teacher.

If your student is in Year 9 -12 please ask them to take thebottles to JSS staffroom

We need those bottles by Friday, 14 August!

Josephine WellingsHOD JSS

COURSES AVAILABLEThis Tuesday, 11 AugustStill Accepting EnrolmentsRedbank Plains (Shiloh Church)2 weeks full time, (followed by lessons and test in weeks3-4)Non-Synchromesh Available for suitable applicantsCertificate III in Driving Operations+ HR Licence (*Condition B)

The Certificate III in Driving Operations TLI31210 is an essentialcourse for anyone involved in the transport industry. The courseconsists of 20 subjects that will prepare transport operators forthe real world including loading and unloading of cargo, safety,fatigue management, load restraint and more.

This course is an exceptional opportunity for participants toupgrade their licence to a Heavy Rigid Licence. A Heavy Rigid(HR) licence allows you to drive a rigid vehicle with three ormore axles which is greater than 8 tonnes including rigid trucks,coaches or articulated buses.

Places on each course are limited. Acceptance is at thediscretion of Strategix and is based on student suitability,provision of all relevant documents and other eligibility criteria.

*HR licence training will be conducted in an Automatic orSyncromesh vehicle (condition B). Type of vehicle will be at thediscretion of Strategix Training Group. The amount of traininghours extended to each student will be determined by Strategixbased on competency levels.

Certificate 3 Guarantee non-concession Cost: $50Certificate 3 Guarantee Concession: $20 (if a copy ofyour HCC/PCC is supplied)

To be eligible for a heavy rigid licence upgrade with Strategix,you must:

Mike WintonCo-ordinator Choices not Chances Program

“SPEAKING OUT” CELEBRATES WITHPLATTERS ON WILLOW!The school’s Platters on Willlow catering department recentlytook time out from their school holidays to cater for the ABC‘sSpeaking Out program which celebrated 25 years ofIndigenous radio programming. The catering department,which is coordinated by Kara Pulou and assisted by studentsand Home Economics teachers Bree Richters and FirozaJeevaji, wowed the hosts and the audiences with shots ofRosella Panna Cotta, Somen Noodles with Native Basil, ChilliMentsuyu topped with Teriyaki Mushroom and Shots of Prawn,Davidson Plum Mangoes, Lemon Mertyle and Pink fingerlimecervi-che.

Manager of Employment and Training for the ABC Ms PhillippaMc Dermott described the food as “amazing tastes andflavours”. As workers and guests entered the kitchen during thepreparation of food they were often heard saying “Wow” as theyimmediately began asking for business cards.

In addition, the Platters on Willow team recently catered forthe Governor General at a function at the Ipswich Festival. Theteam has many repeat customers which include the Universityof Southern Queensland, Ipswich City Council, QATSIF andother Queensland Government organisations.

Thank you to Mr Donald Johannsen and his colleagues WayneCoolwell, Joel Wright, Aaron Ross, Karen Dorante, Karen Leeand ABC's Rhianna Patrick for the long running success of the“Speaking Out” program over the years.

• Have held your C class licence for 24 months overthe last 5 years OR

• Have held your MR class licence for 12 months overthe last 5 years AND

• Have recent manual driving experience and becompetent in driving a manual vehicle AND

• Pass the heavy vehicle road rules test ($21.55 - atstudent’s expense)

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2015 PISA SURVEYRedbank Plains SHS has been selected to take part in the 2015Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) MainStudy. PISA is an important part of the National AssessmentProgram in Australia, which is the measure through whichgovernments, education authorities and schools can determinewhether or not young Australians are meeting importanteducational outcomes. All Australian Education Ministers haveagreed to Australian schools’ participation in PISA, which isreflected in the Australian Education Act 2013.

Since the first PISA assessment involving 32 countries in 2000,the survey has continued to raise interest amongst educatorsand policy-makers world-wide. In 2015, Australia will be oneof over 70 countries participating in PISA with around 15,000students (from more than 800 schools) representing ourcountry.

Fifty students from Redbank Plains State High School havebeen randomly selected to be involved in this assessment totake place on Tuesday, 11 August 2015. All 50 students willbe undertaking the assessment from 8:55am until 3pm.Information has been mailed home to individual households.

Kim JohnsonDean of Students (Year 10)

USQ’S COFFEE AND CONFIDENCESERIESAt USQ, we believe in empowering people to live their best livesand to be what they want to be.

Do you feel as if your cup is only half-full?Do you want to make some changes in your life?

We’d love to get you thinking and talking about your futuregoals and dreams. Our Coffee and Confidence series is opento people who would be the first in their immediate families toattend university, even if you’re not considering Uni right now.

We invite you to join us for a coffee and a chat.

Sonia McDonald (CEO, Speaker and Entrepreneur) will bejoining us to share her expertise, energy and insights. Soniais a thought leader, coach, consultant, speaker and trainer inthe field of leadership development, gender intelligence andstrategy. Sonia will be leading our discussion aroundself-confidence, goal setting and aspirations for the future.

To ensure you gain the most from this experience, numbersare limited, so be quick to avoid disappointment. We alsorecommended that you attend both workshops.

When: Wednesday, 14 October 2015 and Wednesday,28 October 2015.Time: 10.00am – 11.30amWhere: Fourthchild Café, 6/126 Brisbane Street, Ipswich

RSVP: Email [email protected] by Friday, 4 Septemberto confirm your spot! Numbers are limited, so be quick toavoid disappointment. Children are welcome to attend.

It’s never too late to be what you might have been.

George EliotUSQ

YEAR 7 CAMP 2015The year 7 students have the opportunity to attend schoolcamp in the last week of term 4 from Monday, 7 to Wednesday,9 December. This year we will be attending School CampsQueensland Moogerah Dam. The three days will be spentengaging in a number of different activities that promotepersonal development and working together as a team.

As part of the experience the students will spend one nightcamping out by the dam and one night staying in cabins andengaging in a number of water activities and finally, the famous“Moogerah Mud Pit Challenge”. All students will have theopportunity to complete both activities. This camp is open toyear 7 students and we would highly recommend all studentswho are interested come to celebrate the end of a historic yearfor them and the school.

This camp will cost $250 which covers food, accommodationand activities for the three days and all payments need to bemade at the student office ASAP. Payment plans are available.

Kate GeorgeYr. 7 Coordinator

YEAR 10 SET PLAN INTERVIEWSAll year 10 students are required to attend a Student Educationand Training (SET) Plan interview on either Tuesday, 1st orWednesday, 2 September in the Community Centre (CC) toselect their pathways and subjects for Year 11.

It is highly encouraged that a parent or guardian accompaniesthe student to assist in the decision making. Teachers will assiststudents and their parents through the process. Interviews canbe booked on-line from Monday, 17 August at 9am untilMonday, 31 August at 9am. An information letter will bedistributed in the near future with further details. We hope tosee all Year 10 students and their parents or guardians at theSET planning interviews.

Margaret KerswellDeputy Principal

WINTER HEALTH – INFECTIOUSILLNESSIt’s that time of year again, when there are a lot of infectiousdiseases doing the tour in the Community and lots of Studentsare falling victim to these bugs.

Infectious diseases account for thousands of lost school dayseach year:

The School environment can foster the transmission ofinfections from person to person because they are a group

• 40% of children aged 5–17 years missed 3 or moreschool days in the past year because of illness orinjury.

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mailto:[email protected]

setting in which people are in close contact and share suppliesand equipment.

With this in mind, we would remind that if any Student inthe acute stages of illness, having a high fever, or obvioussymptoms, remain at home until they are no longer infectious toothers. If in doubt, please see attached link for advice of wheninfections are being transmitted:

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/timeout_poster.pdf

There are things we can all do to help stop the spread of germs:

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Deb McCormackSchool Nurse

V8 SUPER CARS AT QLD RACE WAY,WILLOWBANK“13 Redbank Plains State High students were all “revved up” onFriday, 31 July when they attended the first day of the V8 SuperCars at Qld Race Way, Willowbank. It was an awesome daywith the event showcasing muscle cars, big shiny trucks andtrailers and the millions of dollars of technology that supportsthis racing series.

Students were able to meet the car racing drivers and hadposters signed while they looked at the cars in pit lane as theywere worked on by team mechanics and crew. There was alsoplenty of noise for car enthusiasts as the V8’s thundered aroundthe track clocking up speeds of around 240 km per houralong the straights. The Redbank Plains State High studentsconducted themselves very well and were fantasticambassadors for their school, so it ended up being a terrific andmemorable day at the races”

Jimmy SouthwoodChoices Not Chances

SENIOR SCHOOLING NEWS

TAFE options for Year 11 in 2016

On Wednesday, 5 August, current Year 10 students were givena brief outline of VET (Vocational Education and Training) coursebeing offered by WesTEC for 2016. WesTEC is situated atWoodcrest College and is offering Certificate I in Construction,

Certificate I in Engineering (year-long courses), Certificate IIin Automotive (year-long course), and the possibility of aCertificate II in Allied Health. Students were encouraged toregister their interest for this through Mrs Luxton and othermembers of the Senior Schooling faculty.

Year 12 Mighty Minds Sessions

Students, who are sitting the QCS test in September, areencouraged to attend extra workshops being delivered byMighty Minds here at school. The following sessions have beenbooked:

Wednesday, 12 August, Thursday, 20 August, Thursday,27 August from 3.20pm to 5.20pm

Afternoon tea will be provided. Students need to find their ownway home. Any questions please call the school on 3432 1222.

School-based traineeship students successful!

During the past two weeks, eight of our Year 12 students havebeen successfully signed off on their school based traineeships.This is a massive achievement for these students and they areto be congratulated on their commitment and perseverance.We wish them the best of luck for their future endeavours.

GenR8 and AccelR8 2016

Both of these programs are currently recruiting. Students inYear 11 in 2015 and are on Pathway B and C are eligible toapply. Expression of interest forms for GenR8 2016 close onFriday, 7 August. The Accel8 program will be explained in moredetail during Access on Thursday, 13 August.

Amy LuxtonSenior Studies

CENTRAL DISTRICT ATHLETICSCARNIVAL – 12 YEAR OLDSDay one of the athletics carnival was a great success for the12 year old students at Redbank Plains State High School.All students performed to the best of their ability and showedthe REAL attitude in taking on all their events. Notableperformances went to James – 1st in discus and 3rd in longjump, Ephraim – 3rd in Long Jump, Ingrid – 3rd in 200m andDavid who also placed 2nd in the 200 metre sprint.

Day two was another success for the 12 year olds at the CentralDistrict Athletics Carnival. All 9 students who attended the daywalked away with a ribbon in their selected events. The daybegan with the 800m final, where Lajoie M finished 6th Ingridand Ephraim came 1st in Shot Put, Pamala finished 6th in the100m final, John took out the High Jump and Kaiah and Davidcame 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 100m sprint final.

Congratulations to the boys and girls relay teams who won bothof their races. The boys relay team consisted of David, James,John and Kaiah and the girls team consisted of Pamala, Lajoie,Isabella and Ingrid.

• Frequent hand washing after you go to the toilet,before you eat and after you eat.

• Cover mouth when coughing or sneezing and usetissues to contain the droplet infection risk – Washhands after coughs and sneezes also.

• Ensure all your vaccinations are up to date; forexample, Measles, Influenza and Whooping coughimmunisations.

• Drink the daily recommendation of hydrating fluidssuch as water.

• Eat healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables to aideyour natural immunity.

• Ensure you have enough rest and sleep.

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PRESENTATION AT SUMMERVILLEHOUSE FOR DANIELLEOn Saturday, 11 July Danielle, a Year 12 student at RedbankPlains State High School, attended a State presentation atSummerville House to acknowledge her achievement in winningthe Pierre de Coubertin Award for 2015. The Pierre deCoubertin Award recognises secondary school students whodemonstrate values such as consistency, teamwork andsportsmanship through their academic learning andparticipation in sporting activities.

As a nominee, Danielle submitted and was then requested topresent an artistic guitar piece to this year’s theme: participationin sport is a core value of the Olympic Games. Her performancewas extremely well received and vindicated the decision togrant Danielle the award.

Danielle was nominated for the award by HPE staff memberGavin Chant, who noticed Danielle’s talent in the academics, aswell as her sporting and musical ability.

As part of the event, she was able to meet several well-knownOlympians including gold medal winning beach volleyballplayer, Natalie Cook. Danielle was also able to explore theopportunities and support available for Athlete Careers andEducation at Universities.

Channel 7’s ‘The Great South East’ filmed a segment on theaward, which can be seen on Sunday, 23 August. The schoolcongratulates Danielle on her fantastic achievement!

Ben ModeraCommunity Relation Manager

2015 QATSIF/NAIDOCFive Indigenous students (Kye, Terrence, Britt, Harry andCodey) attended the 2015 QATSIF/NAIDOC lunch at LaidleyState High School. There were musical performances anddances by the local students who were very confident on stage.The students attended the lunch after the performance.

In other news the Indigenous performing group attendedAugusta State School’s NAIDOC day in the first week back atschool. The students sang Jabin Jabin and Ngarra Burra Ferra

and danced the Aboriginal “Hokey Pokey” which the wholeschool participated in singing and dancing.

Sam ConwayCommunity Education Counsellor

WILLOWBANK RACEWAY – CYCLINGSQUADOn Thursday, 30 July the recumbent cycling squad fromRedbank Plains State High School travelled to WillowbankRaceway to defend their title at the RACQ human poweredvehicle event. Three teams of 6 riders and 2 pit crew enteredinto the 3 hour junior race on Thursday.

For the first time Redbank Plains SHS entered two teams in theSenior Special Education category, which consisted of a 6 hourrelay around a 1km circuit. The extensive training throughoutTerm 2 in the ‘School to Work’ subject came to fruition as theteams earned 1st (111 laps), 2nd (110 laps) and 5th (87 laps)in the Junior competition and 1st (125 laps) and 2nd (123 laps)in the Senior race. Further, the squad claimed ‘Best Pit Crew’,judged as more efficient and effective at rider transitions thanthe 17 other public and private schools in the senior race. Ahighly commended was also noted for the senior squad for theirappearance and presentation.

On Thursday the riders relished a sprint down the Willowbankdrag strip to achieve an advantageous grid position for the startof the main race. Nevertheless, the endurance event demandedmuch more than a lightning fast start. The junior teams hadsome difficulty keeping their trikes on the track with an earlyrollover meaning the eventual winners gave their opposition a4 lap advantage. Other trouble included a broken mirror, anda silent audible warning device (horn). Mr Lester Brennan, aftercontributing many voluntary hours preparing the vehicles, wason hand to ensure they kept racing on the Thursday. Howeverhe was amazed and glad about a trouble free 6 hours on Friday.

The support crew this year were exceptional. There were anumber of students on both days who reliably timed laps andcollected data to be utilised by riders and staff to managefatigue and rider rosters. Other students helped with equipmentand food, or captured video and photos of the day’s eventsto assist students reflect on and learn from their experiences.Some younger students grew in confidence by simply beingexposed to an exciting, well organised and establishedcompetition. At the end of the day Mr Corey Kempthornecommented “It was an awesome day and all the students arestill pumped up about pedal prix, can’t wait until next year!”

All staff involved in the day and lead-up are much appreciated,particularly Mr and Mrs Brennan, Mr Holt and Mrs Cassimatisfor her support of the event.

8

Nathan MurraySpecial Education Teacher

NERIMA CULTURAL EXCHANGEEvery year students from Nerima, Japan, travel to the Ipswichregion to broaden their horizons and develop their Englishspeaking skills. Once again, our school, alongside several otherIpswich schools, participated in the event, with 14 Japanesestudents and two staff members becoming adopted as part ofthe Redbank Plains SHS family.

Early on Wednesday, 26 July at Bremer State High School, hostfamilies from Ipswich greeted the Nerima students. After a fewnervous hellos, the Nerima students travelled home with theirbuddies, excited for a week of new adventures.

The week entailed numerous experiences: boomerang throwingand painting with Sam Conway, sitting in on timetabled classes,literacy classes, reptile sessions and cultural performances.Amongst all the fun, they enjoyed a trip to the Lone Pine KoalaSanctuary where they were able to feed kangaroos and getup close and personal with some of Australia’s unique wildlife.For the Nerima officials, Platters on Willow prepared what canonly be described as a beautiful and delicious arrangement ofAustralian and Japanese cuisine.

The week’s events culminated in a wonderful celebration ofJapanese culture on the Thursday night, where our schoolplayed host to our fellow Ipswich schools, Nerima students,staff and officials and several key members of Localgovernment. The highlight of the evening was the Polynesianboys’ choir performance of the Japanese National Anthem; itreally highlighted the close relationship our two countries sharethrough this exchange.

As Friday morning raced around, farewells were difficult, but itis safe to say that both Nerima and Redbank Plains State Highstudents enjoyed their week and are keen to maintain contact.

A big thank you must go out to all staff and students whohosted, as well as those staff members who assistedthroughout the week, and especially both Laura Craig andDiana Furlan who meticulously organised the week’s activities.We wish our Japanese friends well as they leave with storiesand joyful memories in tow.


WOOLWORTHS EARN AND LEARN ISBACK

Woolworths Earn and Learn is back, providing our school theopportunity to acquire new educational resources. When youshop at Woolworths you will be given a sticker for every $10you spend and these stickers earn a point for our school, whichcan then be exchanged for school resources.

Last year Redbank Plains State High School managed to scoreover 20,000 points, allowing us to order much needed sportingequipment. Our goal this term is to score 30,000!

The promotion runs until Friday, 4 September, so get collecting!Students should hand in their stickers to their Access teacher;a reward is on offer for the Access class that can collect themost stickers! We look forward to working in conjunction withWoolworths to ensure our students have access to the bestresources possible.


REDBANK PLAINS REPRESENTSOn Wednesday, 22 July, our school opened its doors to thepublic for its annual Open Day. With grey skies threateningabove, our staff and students added some colour to the daywith an outstanding range of performances, demonstrations,displays and information sessions.

This year’s event saw the community exposed to the school’snew, multi-million dollar JSS building, which housed displaysfrom the English, History, Maths, JSS, Resource Centre andScience departments; it proved a popular area on the night,with the Science department, in particular, wowing the crowds.

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Visitors to the CC were entertained to an array of sports,particularly volleyball, where students and staff alike showed offtheir talents. The musical, marching band and dance troupeperformances within PAC were greatly appreciated; theirperformances were indicative of the outstanding level of talentevident within the performing arts area of our school. Thehospitality team demonstrated their cooking prowess, andshowed flair as baristas.

On top of all this, the SEP, liaison staff, senior schooling,Guidance, P&C and Manual Arts departments were a source ofinsight for community members.

It was an enjoyable night for all, and a big thank you must begiven to all staff involved in the displays, as well as the StudentCouncil who operated the BBQ and the administration teamwho managed enrolments on the night.


BE AT SCHOOL ALL DAY EVERY DAY –ATTEND EXPECTATIONWELCOME back to Term 3. We are well and truly into theterm and THANK YOU to the school community families whohave been advising the school about their student’s absencesin Semester 1. There is a direct connection between student’sattendance and their academic success and it is part of theREAL expectations (Respect, Excel, Attend, Learn) that westress to the students: “Be at school all day every day”.

Every day Counts and being away even 1 day from school willimpact on a student’s learning. The following table shows this.

Please advise of any absences, even if there are future datesthat your student will be away by contacting the school by SMS0428 861 826, phoning the absent line: 3432 1209 or phoningthe school 3432 1222. Please feel free to contact the student

office ladies who will help you on 34321222 or myself on mobile0407950697, to discuss your students attendance/absences.

Lucy SalanoaCommunity Liaison Officer

DEANS’ REPORTWeek 5 Student focus this week is…I persist and strive toachieve excellence.

As we hit the middle of yet another busy Term, it’s a goodopportunity to share information with you around commendablebehaviour from our cohort of students. At Redbank Plains StateHigh School as part of our School Wide Positive BehaviourProgram, staff at school can commend students for positiveinteractions, behaviours or achievements. Opportunities forgaining a positive referral can stem from, consistently being ontime to classes through to participation in a school communityevent. At the end of each week we look, as a whole, at thepositive achievements of each of our year levels.

Featured below are the total number of positive behaviourreferrals obtained in each year level cohort, for Weeks 2and 3:

Year Level Positive Behaviour

Referrals

Positive Behaviour

Referrals

Week 2 Week 3

7 229 73

8 151 52

9 76 153

10 71 101

11 37 68

12 263 83

TOTAL foreach week

827 530

Each week a random draw also identifies four students – fromthe names of all students who received positive referrals in theweek – who are our Random Roar Recipients. These studentseach receive a complimentary pizza voucher from one of ourlocal businesses REDBANK PLAINS, EAGLE BOYS – thank youEagle Boys!

Congratulations to our winning students for Weeks 4 and 5:

Week 3: Ngong (7B), Kenian (9B), Kyra (10M) and Daniel(12A)

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We would also like to take this opportunity to thank thosestudents who have taken advantage of our Uniform ExchangeProgram. It certainly is great to see students demonstratingschool pride by wearing the full school uniform correctly. Wewould also like to remind students that they need to attendUniform Exchange prior to the access bell ringing in themorning.

Years 7/8 Dean - Years 9/10 Dean - Years 11/12DeanMegan Armbruster - Kim Johnson - Tanya Webber

NATIONAL SELF-DETECTION PROGRAMFOR SCOLIOSIS (NSDP)July and August are the months when it is recommended thatall schools with girls in Years 7 and 9 participate in the NSPDby downloading the Self-Detection Brochure for Scoliosis. Abrochure can be accessed directly via a link on the ScoliosisAustralia home page at

http://www.scoliosis-australia.org

Scoliosis (spinal curvature) is an important health problem foradolescent girls and 25 per thousand are at risk of developinga significant curve. Three girls per thousand require activetreatment (spinal brace or surgery). Because in the early stagesthe condition is most often asymptomatic, screening in the agerange 11-13 years is a sound prevention health measure.

The website contains comprehensive credible informationabout the symptoms and treatment of scoliosis. Using theforum on our website, girls and their parents can obtain generaladvice from certified specialists who manage patients withspinal curvature.

From the Committee on Screening Procedures

Diana FurlonYear 8 and 9 Deputy Principal

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11 August 2015 FROM THE PRINCIPAL - Redbank Plains … · Email: the.principal@ ... Carolyn Holt Home Economics. REDBANK PLAINS SHS SPORTS NEWS. ... Open Boys Basketball Woodcrest

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