Principal’s Piece — Justin Harrison
Welcome back from a well-deserved break!
Term 4 is upon us and the year has certainly gone by quickly. I am looking forward to finishing the year off strong; celebrating all of Toolooa’s achievements, seeing off our graduating cohort and planning for another successful year in 2024.
Our Annual Awards Night is Next Week
An important event on our yearly calendar is our annual awards’ evening whereby we have the opportunity to celebrate outstanding academic, cultural and service achievements and say thanks to all involved. Students, parents and community members have been invited to join us at one of the two ceremonies which will be held at Toolooa next week on Thursday the 19th October. Subject awards and a number of academic bursaries will be presented to students, along with the special awards that will be announced on the night. Recognition of all award recipients will be included in our next newsletter.
Senior School Leaders for 2024
This year, Toolooa has had an excellent pool of applicants for 2024 senior leadership positions. In order to attain a position as school captain or vice-captain, all applicants were required to write and present a speech which they pre-recorded and presented to form classes, as well as have a meeting with members of the school’s administration and P&C. Following this, all students and staff voted for their preferred leaders. The announcement of the successful applicants for school leaders for 2024 will be made at our annual awards night.
Year 12 External Assessment (EA) & Tutorial Timetable
The Year 12 EA & Tutorial timetable is being distributed to all Year 12 students early in Week 3. The External Exam block commences on Monday 23rd October through to Friday 10th November. This timetable not only identifies General Subject exam dates and session times, rooms and exam supervisors but also shows when mandatory subject tutorials are being held. Students are expected to attend school for each of their subject exams and subject tutorials. All other times when not expected to be at school are to be used for Exam study at home or in the library. This timetable will be comprehensively explained to all students including expectations regarding school processes such as signing in and out. If you have any questions regarding the EA timetable or other Year 12 matters including the last week activities or the Senior Formal please don’t hesitate to contact the school.
Attendance
Attendance: Reminder that every day counts. Please ensure that unless your child is unwell that their attendance is expected. If your child is unwell or not attending school for a day, please inform the office via the absence line, sending a note with your child (either before they are absent or following their return) and /or reply to the text message. We thank parents for their assistance with managing student attendance.
2024 Elective Subject Choices
Subject selection forms for 2024 elective subject choices have been given to all students in Years 7 - 9 this week. I encourage all parents/caregivers to sit down with their child, carefully read the form, select the elective subjects and return the form by the due date. If you have any questions/concerns regarding the process, please contact the school.
Reporting and Assessment Calendars
Junior reports (7-10) were emailed out in week 1. Please check your emails and take the time to review your child’s results and discuss goals for the term.
Junior Assessment Calendars are being handed out to students next week. Please ask to see your child’s assessment calendar and discuss the time management of tasks this term.
World Teacher’s Day
The 27th of October is World Teacher's Day. On this day we will be celebrating all the fantastic and dedicated teachers that we have at Toolooa. It is a day where we say thank you for all that our teachers do. I am sure that you will all agree that our teachers go above and beyond to support your child/ren to help them to reach their full potential.
Mobile Phone Policy Change
The Queensland Government is committed to reducing the distraction of mobile phones and other devices to provide optimal learning environments for all state school students. As a result, at the commencement of the 2024 school year all mobile phones and certain wearable electronic devices, like smart watches will be banned during the school day, including during break times. More information will be provided as to the specifics of this change through this term. Students have been made aware that phone and some wearable devices will be expected to be “Away for the day” from the start of 2024.