Principal Piece with Justin Harrison Term 1 Week 2 2022

On behalf of Toolooa SHS, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new and returning students to Toolooa for 2022. Whether you are a new family to our school this year, or you are returning once again, we are excited to have you as part of the Toolooa SHS community.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation. A special thanks must also go my teaching and non-teaching staff for all the hard work that has gone behind the scenes in preparation for the online learning platform that our year 11 and 12s have engaged with this week and making sure that all students have a smooth transition back to school face to face next week. Over the next couple of weeks, the school will settle into every day school life, with students engaged in learning and the extra-curricular programs. As always, I encourage all students to find their passion, whether that is inside or outside of the classroom.

2021 proved to be another successful year for Toolooa SHS Senior outcomes. Not only did we have fantastic academic results and tertiary study destinations for ATAR eligible students, but it was another particularly successful year for students transitioning to Apprenticeships, Traineeships, and employment. Some of our 2021 Senior outcomes data includes:

As announced by the Premier on Sunday 30 January 2022, the Queensland Government has released the COVID-safe back to school plan. 

You can access the Back to School Plan, and FAQs on the Department of Education COVID-19 website. 

Our major goal at Toolooa State High is to provide the best education in a safe and supportive learning environment. Consequently, Toolooa SHS will continue to follow the directions of Queensland Health, as well as implement all “COVID normal” practices at the school including maintaining physical distancing, good hand hygiene and wearing a mask. Essential to the success of these measures is that if your child is unwell or displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, they must not attend school. I cannot emphasise this message strongly enough – it is critical to keeping our school community safe. 

As we have all seen, the COVID situation is ever changing. I am anticipating that throughout the year, school events and activities will need adjusting to meet the necessary requirements. We appreciate your understanding and patience when this does need to occur and will do our best to provide as much notice to families as possible.

The planning phase of our new Performing Arts Complex (PAC) is coming along nicely. Currently, the Toolooa team is working closely with architects to finalise the floorplans, surface materials and design features, as well as working with other agencies to ensure there will be adequate access for vehicles and pedestrians in the new facility. The works are going out to tender within the next month, and we can expect to see construction of the new hardcourts beginning late this term. Although there will be some disruptions throughout the construction process, we are very much looking forward to the completion of this fabulous facility – it will be such an asset to our school community! 

I’d like to thank everyone within our school community for their patience and flexibility during the past two weeks with the delayed start to the school year. Our staff have used this time carefully, preparing for remote learning for our senior students, supervising children of essential workers, and preparing for the start of our junior students. We ask that parents stay connected with the school by checking their emails and following our Facebook page to keep up-to-date with the latest information in relation to school going back.

As a result of the changes to the delayed start of the term, assessment calendars have been updated by staff and will be released next week. Students will receive a copy of the relevant assessment calendar and will be required to write their drafts, due dates and exams into their diary. It is recommended that parents sit with their children to unpack the assessment calendar and keep them organised.

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.

With some very strong gains in 2021, Toolooa SHS is well on its way for that trend to continue. Toolooa’s main goal is to ensure every student is succeeding. To attain this, our school will focus on the following key priorities:

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Toolooa community in advance for their continued support of the school’s strategic direction and your child’s education. I encourage all parents/caregivers to contact the school to discuss their child’s education if any concern arises. Reminder, please like us on facebook for all updates.

Looking forward to another successful year.