Principal Piece with Justin Harrison Term 2 Week 10 2023

As we reach the end of semester one, I would like to congratulate the Toolooa SHS teaching and non-teaching team for their dedication, flexibility, responsiveness to innovation, and unwavering support for student learning. We are fortunate to be a committed community of educators who keep student outcomes at the heart of all endeavours. In addition, a special mention must go out to our parents and carers for your support of our school and the vested interest you have displayed in your child’s education. A positive connection between school and home has never been more important.

Term 2 has again been a busy time in our school with a significant number of students involved in sporting, cultural and academic opportunities outside of their standard classroom routines. I would like to congratulate those who have excelled in their chosen field and have represented Toolooa SHS admirably. Keep up the great work.

To keep our community abreast of all staffing changes, I have included below some changes to our staffing team that will begin next semester.

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Mrs Cassandra Noy has recently been successful in gaining the permanent position of Head of Department - Effective Teaching and Learning at Toolooa SHS.

Ms Jessica Batey has also been successful in gaining a position as an additional (temporary) Head of Department - Effective Teaching and Learning for semester 2. Ms Batey will be taking leave from her current position as Deputy Principal for the remainder of the year. During this time Mr Greg Hage will be backfilling as the Deputy Principal and will be taking over the management of the Year 7 cohort.

Semester 2 will see Deputy Principal Mrs Kate Mostert continue in her temporary role of Deputy Principal at Boyne Island SS. Deputy Principal Mrs Georgina Schluter will continue to backfill behind Mrs Mostert and will be looking after the Year 8 cohort.

Mrs Ashton Shonhan will be on leave for all of semester 2. We look forward to seeing her here again in 2024.

Toolooa SHS would like to congratulate the following beginning teachers who successfully completed their probation period in semester 1 and are now permanent members of staff:

Toolooa SHS will be welcoming the following staff in semester 2:

All Year 10 students have now selected their Semester 2 subjects which should align to their Senior Pathway and Senior subject aspirations. This Semester 2 "Foundation to Senior" approach will enable students to trial particular subjects and get a "feel" for the academic rigour and assessment/study demands required of Senior students to be successful in their chosen pathway. Our 2024 Senior Subject Selection and SET Plan processes will commence next term. More information will follow.

We are starting our 2024 Year 7 transition very shortly. Enrolment packages are available for collection from the office. We will then be hosting a transition information session on Tuesday 1st August 2023 at 5pm. Please follow our school’s Facebook page to keep up-to-date on all the latest transition info!

With Term 2 assessment now finalised, teachers will be compiling reports to advise parents and families about their students’ progress in the areas of achievement, behaviour and homework. Senior reports will be sent home just before the holidays, with junior reports going out in the first week of next term. As a key partner in your child’s education, this is a perfect opportunity to have a discussion with them about how they are travelling and what their goals are for Semester 2. Whilst there are no parent teacher interviews this term, our staff are always happy to discuss student progress with parents and collaboratively map out the next steps to achieve the best possible outcome for every student.

Last week, Toolooa SHS celebrated the valued contribution our Support Staff play in our school. It was all about recognising, respecting and celebrating what they do to make Toolooa SHS an accessible, safe, supportive and engaging place for all students to learn. They have done and will continue to do an amazing job to keep our school running, learning continuing and keeping us safe. To our Administrator Officers, Business Managers, School Officers, IT Officers, Science Technicians, Community Education Counsellor, Youth Support Coordinator, School Nurse, Youth Workers, we thank you.

Applications are now open for community members to become an external assessment invigilator. Invigilators are paid to observe Year 12 exams at secondary schools throughout Queensland from late October to mid-November.

We encourage any potential applicants, including past invigilators, to apply.

Visit the QCAA website for more information.

Toolooa is a great school. We never rest on our laurels and are always striving to improve.

As a result of the recent survey that students completed on parade, there are a number of positives that need to be celebrated. Overall, our students listed Toolooa SHS’s greatest strengths as: “Toolooa’s expectations and rules are clear”, “Toolooa is a good school” and “I like being at Toolooa SHS”.

Students were also given the opportunity to tell us what their favourite subject was and why. This resulted in a variety of subjects being mentioned with no faculty standing out. The interesting point is when listing a particular subject as their favourite, the common reason given by students is they believed their teacher made the subject “fun”.

Of course, there are areas that we, as a school, did not rate as highly as we had hoped, especially amongst our younger cohorts. As a reflective and high performing school, the executive team will take on board the feedback, seek further clarity from our students and put necessary measures in place to help address them.

Congratulations to the outstanding athletes that have represented Toolooa SHS for either Port Curtis or Capricornia school sports. We applaud your dedication, hard work and sportsmanship as well as your outstanding achievements. We wish you continued success as you continue to inspire others with your passion and commitment. Well done to our Port Curtis and Capricornia representatives!