Principal Piece with Justin Harrison Term 1 Week 10 2022

We have made it to the end of term – well done to all! Although we have all had to endure some difficult times (COVID related). It really has been a positive start to the year. It certainly has been a big term for our students and staff. We have appointed our junior and senior leaders, our Captains successfully completed in Lions Youth of the Year, we’ve celebrated ‘Bullying: no way day’, presented QATSIF scholarships, celebrated International Women’s Day, helped out at Park Run, ran a STEM afternoon, and so much more. What an achievement! 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.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents/carers and the wider community for your ongoing support of Toolooa State High School. The students and I are fortunate to have such incredible support and commitment by the staff and the positive connection the school has with all families. Our students are very lucky that they have such a supportive culture, one fostering success. I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable break. School will resume on Tuesday 19 April.

Our March meeting saw the Annual General Meeting conducted followed by the General Monthly Meeting. On behalf of the school, I personally would like to thank those parents/carers who sacrifice their time to support the direction of the school which positively impacts on all students. The following members were appointed to the executive:

President:                  Mel Gourley

Vice President:          Jenny Morris

Minute Secretary:          Kirsty Golding

Correspondence Secretary:  Kim Van der Breggen

Treasurer:                  Leigh McLeod

P&C QLD Rep:                  Kathy Pickup

Congratulations and thank you to our whole P&C team for their ongoing commitment to our amazing school. To those parents/carers who have some spare time and would like to be involved in the P&C, please attend the next meeting. The more the merrier. For those of you who are unaware, the P&C only meets twice per term. Looking forward to seeing some new faces at our next meeting.

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 interim Report cards will be finalised and emailed home after the Easter school holiday break. 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.

Yesterday an update was made to the Isolation for Diagnosed Cases of COVID-19 and Management of Close Contacts Direction. This update includes information on face masks and management of close contacts.

If a person has isolated as a positive case and is then identified as a close contact within 12 weeks of leaving isolation, they are not considered a close contact and do not need to quarantine.

Last Thursday, our Year 7 and 9 students engaged in a nation-wide NAPLAN Online practice test. This test did not count towards students’ marks; its purpose was to familiarise students with the online platform and to test the capacity of the system in readiness for the real tests in term two. As expected, our students did a fantastic job of the readiness test – showing their commitment to doing their best.

Parents of students in Years 7 and 9 should have received an email in relation to the upcoming NAPLAN Online tests. They will be conducted online across the 10th – 20th May 2022. Unlike previous years, the tests will be spread across different times and days. A timetable will be released for students.

In preparation for NAPLAN Online, it is important that students with BYO devices have the NAP Lockdown Browser downloaded. Additionally, students are strongly encouraged to bring their own headphones that fit their device – these may be Bluetooth or corded.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please don’t hesitate to contact Mr Dave Capill, our Head of Department – Junior Secondary, at dcapi0@eq.edu.au or via the school office.

Toolooa would like to welcome the following staff to our teaching team at the commencement of Term 2:

We look forward to them joining us and becoming part of the Toolooa team.

Late last week, our team of early career teachers had the chance to participate in an online Yarning Circle delivered by the CQ Regional Teacher Learning Centre. This opportunity allowed our new teachers to not only learn from some of the region’s key Indigenous staff but also to create connections with other new practitioners at a variety of schools across our local area. In this session, teachers had the opportunities to share experiences and ask questions, with a focus on how to embed yarning circle practices into our school to benefit both our indigenous and non-indigenous students. Feedback from our teachers was that this was a fantastic process and that they left the meeting with a range of valuable and practical tips to help them to better understand and engage their students. We look forward to sharing participating in the next session in Term 2.