Principal’s Piece — Justin Harrison
End of Term 1
We have made it to the end of term – well done to all! It really has been a positive start to the year. We have; appointed our junior and senior leaders, held our Term One Recognition Parade where students received their Gold Awards, recognised Raghav Chawla as our 2022 School Dux, our Seniors attended the GRIP Leadership Conference in February, completed NAPLAN testing for our year 7 and 9 students, allocated Junior and Senior Captain leadership roles for our Careports and held our Swimming Carnival in week 5 with Elliott taking out the win. Lets see how the X-County goes this afternoon. There has been a number of student successes, some of these being; Elle Hetherington and Kaye Ng participating in the National Youth Science Forum in Brisbane, staff and students were nominated for the Gladstone Regional Council Australia Day Awards with Elle Hetherington winning the Young Citizen of the Year Award, our School Captains (Elle Hetherington and Jesse Hayden) successfully completed in Lions Youth of the Year where Elle was the overall winner and we have had a number of students being selected in Port Curtis and Capricornia sporting teams. Our school community has also celebrated International Women’s Day, helped out at the Gladstone Park Run, run a STEM afternoon, and so much more. What an achievement! It’s hard to believe that we’ve managed to fit all this in over just 10 weeks, in addition to our normal day-to-day business.
I would like to acknowledge the students who, for the most part, have been exceptional this term. The students and their families should be proud. A special mention must go to all staff who have worked tirelessly to provide a quality and engaging education that provides the students with the best possible learning environment, both inside and outside of the classroom. I thank all staff for your contribution and making a difference. I’d also like to acknowledge my teaching staff, who have engaged in a successful coaching cycle—always striving to improve teaching and learning.
I hope that all our families have a chance to rest and recharge the batteries over the break and come back ready for another big term.
Term two will be equally as busy and successful.
Finally, I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Easter break. School will resume on Monday the 17th of April.
QCAA Confirmation Event 1
The first internal assessment for Year 12 General subjects has been completed this term. Student provisional results have been uploaded to the QCAA Portal and are now awaiting Confirmation (QCAA Quality Assurance/moderation). We have some outstanding provisional results so far with several perfect IA1 scores across a range of subjects including English, Math Methods, Specialist Math, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. We are anticipating another fantastic year of Senior results and outcomes. Keep up the great work students and staff!
Senior Reporting and Academic/QCE Tracking
Senior interim Report cards have been finalised and emailed home this week. Any students not on track for their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), which is defined by the school as failing (D/E/NR, or not on track with VET competencies) for 2 or more subjects, will have a meeting scheduled with Mr Thomas and their parent/caregiver. In this meeting Mr Thomas will discuss class/assessment concerns, external barriers to success, school support available and intervention if required. These meetings with Mr Thomas will be scheduled through the Admin office for early Term 2.
Uniform Reminder
As we approach the end of term 1 it is important to remember what the school expectations are with regards to warmer clothing. As is stated on our student success journal:
“A school jacket is available for purchase through the school office. Alternatively a plain black pullover or zip-up jacket may be worn in winter. No hoods are to be worn at any time. The CQ representative or Queensland sporting jackets (obtained through school sporting teams), as well as school issued jumpers (AIME /ARTIE) are also acceptable.
Girls are allowed to wear plain black stockings under a skirt during winter. The wearing of tights at school is not acceptable even under a skirt or shorts.
Plain black slacks or tracksuits pants of fade resistant material may be worn in winter.
Denim is not accepted at any time.
Failure to wear the appropriate uniform will lead to uniform infringement procedures being followed.
Attendance
A reminder if your child is absent from school that you are expected to inform the school as soon as is possible as to the reason for their absence from school. There are certain reasons that Education Queensland consider to be justifiable (medical, bereavement, family reasons, illness, school refusal) however other reasons that are considered to be non-justifiable (for example; to go to a music concert). If you have any questions, please contact the school office for further information.
Please note that you may reply to the text message, send a note with your child to the form teacher or contact the absence line. Please provide details as to their absence when informing the school of the absence.
School Pick Up
Like all Queensland state schools, Toolooa State High School treats the safety of students, staff, parents, carers and the wider school community very seriously. We work in partnership with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), local councils and relevant stakeholders, to ensure there is a coordinated approach to road safety around state schools. I encourage all drivers and pedestrians near the school to exercise caution and patience, especially during peak periods. To help reduce traffic congestion and increase safety for students and other school community members, I encourage all families to abide by the stop, drop and go procedures, allow clear access for buses and even postpone the time that you pick your child up of an afternoon.
Dear Families of Toolooa,
I hope this message finds you all in good health and spirits. I am writing to inform you that I will be taking a long service leave during term 2.
Although I will miss being a part of the Toolooa community during this time, I am excited to take this opportunity for personal growth and rejuvenation.
While I am away, I am pleased to let you know that Victoria Provan and Sue Jerez will be stepping in to provide support to families in the HoSES role. Both Victoria and Sue are highly experienced professionals who are dedicated to providing the highest level of care to our students and families.
If you need to get in touch with Victoria or Sue, please don't hesitate to reach out to them at vprov2@eq.edu.au and smjer0@eq.edu.au. They will be more than happy to assist you with any concerns you may have during my absence.
I have every confidence that Victoria and Sue will continue to provide exceptional support to your child at Toolooa SHS. In the meantime, I would like to express my gratitude for your understanding and support during my leave. Please feel free to contact the school for any support you may require. I will also be passing over my work mobile phone at this time.
I look forward to returning to work refreshed and energised in term 3. Once again, thank you for your understanding, and I wish you all the best during my absence.
Warm regards,
David Roby Head of Special Education Services (HoSES)