Term 3 | Week 6 | Issue 3 | 2022
Principal's Report
Respect
There have been so many highlights over the last few weeks at KSHS
- Science field trip to Hervey Bay
- The outstanding art work showcased at the Kingaroy Regional Art gallery
- Year 7- 12 Country Cup netball competition
- All Schools Volleyball Cup
- SET Planning for Year 11 students in 2023
- Students competing in the Dalby Eisteddfod
- The Year 11 VAP students producing the mural for the new Senior Centre
- Student preparations for FLAIR. It's going to be awesome!
We are so proud of our students and their wonderful achievements. What opportunities students have at Kingaroy State High School!
Responsibility
In a whole school approach to pedagogy, the 'principles of pedagogy: the curriculum, the learning and the learner', are used to determine the pedagogical approaches, practices and strategies that are most appropriate.
The principles are the lens through which teachers make professional, evidence-based pedagogical decisions to differentiate teaching and learning. Decisions should be inclusive and effective in responding to the diverse learning needs of all students.
The P-12 CARF requires schools to select and employ effective pedagogical practices using the principles to support improvement in learning and achievement.
- Pedagogy reflects the disciplinary and inter-disciplinary nature of the curriculum content.
- Pedagogy recognises how learning occurs as a process based on evidence and the nature of learning and how students move through the process of learning.
- Pedagogy is appropriate to the nature of the learner and the context in which they are learning. Strategies to determine pedagogical approaches, practices and strategies that are appropriate to the curriculum might include: revisiting the taxonomy of cognition; using the sequences of the achievement documents to determine effective pedagogical practices; identifying the pedagogies in each learning area, identify and embed the interdisciplinary skills from the general capabilities, cross-curriculum priorities of the Australian Curriculum and the 21st century skills.
In responding to the nature of the learner, we can identify and employ pedagogical practices and high-impact teaching strategies that respond to student needs, considering age, development, stage of schooling and diversity of learners. Resources to support schools: EDTV and Assessment and Moderation hub.
KSHS pedagogical approach is best summarized by:
Resilience
Introduction of Parent TV
As part of the focus on resilience via activating partners, students and staff wellbeing and inclusion, KSHS have partnered with Schoolzine to make available Parent TV as a way of working with families and carers to help build resilience in our young people in our care.
This week topic – Calming anxious kids
Principal Selfie from COVID isolation!
Happy Learning!
David Thomson
Year 9 News
A group of students recently attended the University of Sunshine Coast to participate in the final session of the Sport for Thought program. This program is designed to get students thinking about how they can become great leaders through sport. Students got to see first-hand what University life is like thanks to the USC Ambassadors. Some of the activities involved visits to the biomechanics lab, library, brasserie, lecture theatre and the sports precinct where students were given a tour and basketball drills from some very talented USC athletes. Students were excellent ambassadors for our school and received many compliments on their enthusiasm and manners.
Mrs Kempson & Miss Rush - Year 9 Coordinators
2022 Early School Leavers Survey
The Queensland Government is seeking the support of the school community for the annual survey of Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school in 2021, before completing Year 12. This short, confidential survey collects information about what young people are doing the year after leaving school. The results of the survey help provide valuable information to improve services available to school leavers in the future.
Between August and September, these school leavers can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.
Thank you for your support of Next Step post-school destination surveys in 2022.
Health News
Vaping FAQs Part One
Last term information was shared about Vaping and what E-Cigarettes look like as part of World No Tobacco Day. This term and continuing into next term we are sharing more FAQs in a series of articles about vaping. If you have a question that you’d like an answer for whether it’s about vaping or another health and wellbeing issue, then please call or email our school nurse on the contact details listed below.
What are the legal implications of vaping?
E-Cigarettes or Vaping devices and associated products are considered smoking products and are subject to the same restrictions as tobacco products.
It is illegal for smoking products to be sold to anyone under 18. Fines apply for businesses and retail employees.
It is illegal to smoke on or within 5m of a school property. Fines apply for smokers.
Liquid nicotine is illegal unless the person has a prescription and it is provided by a pharmacist or other process approved by the TGA. Fines apply for buying, supplying and possessing liquid nicotine outside these requirements.
Liquid nicotine was made illegal in October 2021 due to the significant increase in use by adolescents and young people. Research indicated that vaping products were implicated as a ‘gateway’ to smoking with significant concern raised about the long-term consequences of exposure to nicotine in adolescence.
Vaping devices that do not contain nicotine can be used legally by people over 18. However, despite products advertising to be nicotine-free, testing has shown that many of these products are labelled incorrectly and in fact do contain nicotine.
Where do young people get vaping devices?
Online – shops are only requiring customers to tick a check box to confirm whether they are 18+ and don’t require actual proof of age.
Private sales – other young people or adults selling products
Market stalls – reports have been received that vaping products have been sold at local markets - it is actually illegal to sell smoking products at temporary retail stores.
Young people report paying $30-$40 dollars per device and this can last from a few days to a few months depending on use.
World Sleep Day—Is your teen getting enough sleep?
Probably not! Results from this years student sleep survey show that half the student population are getting less than the recommended 8 to 10 hours sleep every night. A further 20% that do get at least 8 hours report still feeling like they need more sleep. So that’s a whopping 70% of students that need more sleep!
Over 100 students from all year levels completed this year’s survey. You can see from the graphs below that students in the lower grades report getting more sleep than senior students. The drop in sleep also appears to be associated with a greater impact on students achieving well at school. Approximately 2/3 of students reported that their sleep was negatively impacted by stress related to school work. Other common reasons reported to be impacting sleep included electronic device use and irregular sleep patterns.
Sleep is really important because it can help students concentrate and focus better at school. However, sleep isn’t just important to be able to do well at school. Sleep is far more important than many of us realise. Getting enough sleep also means that you can manage your emotions better, be more patient and help you deal with stress. Lack of sleep is linked to poor mental health and an increased the risk of a heart attack and many chronic diseases.
So you might be wondering what you can do to help your teenager get more sleep.
Help your teen with a healthy sleep routine
Opening curtains as soon as they are awake can also help with teen sleep rhythms.
Wind-down strategies – shower, music, journaling, dimming lights
Discuss an appropriate bedtime
Plan getting homework done earlier
Discourage using electronics in the bedroom
Get a regular alarm clock instead of using a phone
Store electronics outside the bedroom
Discuss setting a time to get off electronics before bed
Use apps on phones/computers that reduce blue light on screens
And most importantly, parents and carers can help leading by example and considering your own sleep habits.
For more information, check out the Headspace website for more tips on how to get more sleep. If you have any concerns about your student’s sleep habits then you may wish to make an appointment with your GP to discuss whether there may be any health issues contributing to poor sleep. You can also contact our Youth Health Nurse for more information and support.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
Workplace Health and Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Over half a million Australians experience a workplace injury every year in Australia so we all have a role to play in reducing this number.
The risk for young people is even higher with research from NSW indicating that young people aged 15- 25 are 70% more likely to be injured at work. On average every 4 mins and 24 seconds a young person is injured at work. Young people have unique risks for work injuries with contributing factors including feeling pressure to perform a task, a lack or perception or understanding about the risk of danger, lack of supervision and that young people are less likely to ask questions or speak up about concerns.
Parents are encouraged to talk to their students about Workplace Health and Safety. Tips for discussions with young people include:
Sharing stories about experiences related to health and safety at work | Where to report any concerns such as health and safety representatives and professional organisations |
Whether training including about safety has been provided at a job | How to avoid workplace injuries such as wearing PPE |
How to raise a concern if a task is unsafe | What to do if you are injured at work |
Students have participated in activities this week to get talking about workplace health and safety. Students have been learning about what young people think about health and safety risks, what different safety signs mean and the types of PPE that can be used.
Feeling Stressed? - Try Yoga
International Day of Yoga is held on the 21st of June each year. This date marks the Winter Solstice in Australia which is the shortest day of the year. Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that boosts physical as well as mental health.
If you or your student are looking for a way to exercise and relax, then yoga is a great option. Almost anyone can do yoga. Yoga focuses on strength, flexibility, breathing and also usually includes some meditation.
Yoga classes are recommended so that you can learn safe techniques. However, if that’s not an option there are lots of beginner yoga videos on YouTube that you can try for free. For more information see the Yoga Guide on the health direct website.
Relaxation Options
If not yoga, then there are still heaps of things that teens and even adults can do to help with stress management and relaxation.
Check out the Ways to Relax page on the Reach Out website for some curated wind-down strategies. There’s the Animal Collection, Arts and Design, ASMR, Food, the Oddly Satisfying Collection and Simulations. Families can learn relaxation strategies together by trying things like the free Smiling Mind programs.
If you’re trying to work out which relaxation options might work best, then Reach Out even has a quiz for that. Find out What’s your chill style? by answering seven questions
If you’re concerned about a young person feeling stressed, Headspace has lots of suggestions. Headspace also offers free online counselling.
Students who might be feeling overwhelmed or stressed about school work are encouraged to talk to their teachers, Guidance Officers or School Based Youth Health Nurse.
Kayla Waugh
SCHOOL BASED YOUTH HEALTH NURSE
EQ Email: kwaug23@eq.edu.au
Confidential Email: Kayla.Waugh@health.qld.gov.au
Phone: 0456 721 583
Sunshine Coast Schools MTB Competition
This Friday a keen group of students will compete in the Sunshine Coast Schools MTB Competition, on the Sunshine Coast.The event involves students racing on four timed stages throughout the day, and will test their technical ability and stamina.The event is in its third year and has grown enormously, with numbers having to be capped this year and the event selling out.A huge thank you goes to parents for taking their children to the event for the day, and to the South Burnett Mountain Bike Club for pre-event training and support on the day.
Hanna Newton and Leigh Vogelaar
Hospitality
A big week for Hospitality and Home Economics students this week! Starting off the week, on Monday the Year 12 Cert II Hospitality students hosted Mocktail Monday at first break. This was a great opportunity for students to practice customer service as well as fine tune their drink mixing and recipe skills.
Next the Year 11 Cert II Hospitality students hosted Coffee Shop, held in the Dining Room, where teachers and students alike were invited to dine in and enjoy lunch and drinks served by the students.
Finally, there was lots of healthy cooking occuring on Thursday and Friday with Year 7 Food Studies, Year 9 Home Ec Foods anad Year 10 Hospitality classes all learning the importance of healthy balanced meals. The students were then able to take that knowledge and apply it in a practical capacity, cooking a meal for themselves to take home and enjoy!
Hospitality Week 6
Sport
Queensland Country Cup - Netball
Kingaroy hosted seven schools and thirty-four teams for the Netball Queensland Country Cup. Kingaroy State High School competed amongst Nanango SHS, St Patrick's Gympie, Burnett State College, Victory College Gympie, Murgon SHS and St John's Kingaroy for a total of ninety games altogether!A massive thank you to all the staff and parents who took the time to coach, umpire and help out on the day, especially Hayley McAnally, Helen Maudsley, Nerissa Maudsley and Tanya Wakefield. And of course a huge congratulations to all the students who participated in the tournament, displaying the best of Kingaroy State High School values and representing our school with pride.
Term 3 Country Cup
Queensland Senior Schools Cup - Volleyball
Students represented Kingaroy State High School at the 2022 Queensland Senior Schools Cup on the Gold Coast. The Year 12 boys and Year 12 girls teams finished 5th in their divisions. The Year 11 girls team finished 8th. All students showed great sportsmanship, determination and endurance throughout the weekend and they should be very proud of their achievement. Thank you to Miss English, Mr Scarlett and Mrs Connelly for taking teams away for three days.The year 12 boys had a great carnival, winning 5 of their 7 games and finishing 2nd in their pool (5th overall in the division). Fantastic work teams!
Cert III Fitness
The Certificate III Fitness students are currently running community fitness sessions with the Year 1s at Kingaroy State Primary. The sessions are aimed to ignite some "fun and games" into fitness. Both Year 12 students and Year 1 students are loving the sessions!
The Arts
Art Exhibition
What an incredible display of art, culture and community at the Kingaroy State High School Art Exhibition. A huge thank you to the Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery for loaning us their space to display our students' work and to those who showed their support. The artwork will be displayed at the gallery for the remainder of the month, and don't forget to have your say and vote for the People's Choice Award.
Dalby Eisteddfod
On Tuesday our Kingaroy State High School Wind Ensemble travelled to Dalby to compete in the Dalby Eisteddfod. The school placed third overall! A fantastic effort from all our teachers and students involved.
FLAIR
Only TWO WEEKS left until FLAIR! The acts have been released and rehearsals are well underway. FLAIR will be on during Period 3 and 4 of September 1 followed by a community evening show commencing at 7pm. Bring along your friends and family for an incredible display of music, dance, drama, comedy and ensemble acts! You won't want to miss out!
Drama
Students travelled to HOTA Theatre on the Gold Coast at the end of Term 2. Students were lucky enough to view Shock Theatre’s version performance of Medea. The performance was a modern performance take on the classic GREEK theatre play. After the performance the students were lucky enough to be involved in an exclusive workshop with Shock Theatre – KSHS were the only school to be involved in the workshop.
BaconFest
This weekend our incredible Stage Band will be performing on the Main Stage at BaconFest on Saturday morning. Their set will commence at 10am and I encourage everyone to get on down with your bacon burgers to see an incredible performance. Kingaroy State High School has a number of volunteers assisting with hospitality throughout the event as well, including serving drinks and platters. We also have participants in Piggies in the Park on Sunday! Make sure to pop in and check out our amazing staff and students this BaconFest!
2022 Art Exhibition
Science & Agriculture
This week, the award winning Kingaroy State High School Ekka Show Team had the fantastic opportunity to be interviewed by Jessica at the Burnett Today. Students discussed their outstanding results, their highlights and how they feel about holding their position of Most Successful School for two consecutive Ekka shows. Keep an eye out for the article in the Burnett Today coming next Thursday!
Student Engagement & Student Support Services
This week Sistas in Sync visited Year 8 girls at Kingaroy State High School as part of a nine week program organised by our Student Support Services. The aim of the program is for each girl to develop an understanding of her own personal worth, strength, purpose and realise the potential within her to fulfil her desires. This is an incredible opportunity for Kingaroy State High School Year 8 girls.
