As we approach the end of Semester 1 it is a great opportunity to reflect on the first half of the year. Obviously, the impact of COVID has been significant and you may recall that it delayed the start of the school year. Despite the challenges, I am very appreciative of the commitment from our student body, the cooperation of parents and carers and the tremendous contribution school staff have made to ensure we provided the best opportunities possible for our students. We can also be very proud of numerous outstanding performances from students in academic, sporting and cultural endeavours.
COVID
As you are all aware COVID remains present in our broader community and consequently within our school community. Unfortunately, this is likely to continue into Semester 2 and we will continue to support students, staff and visitors in managing any situations that may arise in a respectful and appropriate way. I would like to acknowledge the support the school has received from our community throughout this Semester. As mentioned in previous communication, we have implemented a range of strategies to support the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and visitors.
Student Attendance
One of our greatest challenges throughout Semester 1 has been student absences from school and as a consequence the impact on student engagement with learning. With the new Semester upon us, it is a great opportunity for all students to re-set and fully engage with their learning, because the research is very clear about the relationship between high levels of attendance and high levels of student success. I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and carers to reach out to the school if you need support with engaging your children at school - remember, Every Day Counts.
School Uniforms
The school is currently undergoing a process to change the way our Uniforms are supplied. Throughout Semester 2 we will be finalising the process to appoint a new uniform supplier who will control uniform sales and distribution. Once the process is complete, I will provide comprehensive information to the school community. I would like to stress that at this time there are no plans to change our current uniform.
Given the impending change to our uniform supplier and the impact of COVID we currently have supply issues affecting stocks of our School Jacket. As a result of the recent cold snap we have limited supplies of jackets and have sold out of our most popular sizes. Unfortunately, we will not be able to replenish our stock until the process is completed for selecting our new supplier. I am well aware of the need to keep our students warm and comfortable whilst at school and to maintain our uniform standards. In order to support students at this time we have determined that students without a School Jacket are able to purchase a plain navy-blue jumper without a hood or any logos, patterns etc. It is permissible for it to be a zip up style or a plain windcheater. We have also had concerns raised about the possibility of students who have the School Jacket wearing additional layers to keep warm and as is the current practice, students are permitted to wear other discreet clothing under their School jacket to help them keep warm during the cooler weather. If you have any questions about this please contact your students relevant Hub.
Annual Report
At the end of each financial year, each State School in Queensland is required to upload its Annual Report to the school website. I am pleased to announce that the Bundaberg SHS Annual Report for 2021 has been uploaded and is available for viewing by interested parties. It provides a comprehensive summary of the school performance over the past year. Despite the challenges of COVID 19, I am very pleased to be able to reflect on 2021 as another very positive year for the school community with excellent student performance and also very successful in terms of the operations and management of the school. Of course, I must thank the staff of the school for their committed and high-quality work and in particular the school Leadership Team for their excellent leadership.
https://bundabergshs.eq.edu.au/supportandresources/formsanddocuments/annualreports/annual-report-2021.pdf
School Review
From 18-21 July we will be involved in our scheduled quadrennial School Review which will be conducted by the Education Improvement Branch. The review will see school operations considered in relation to the National School Improvement Tool and will see approximately 250 members of our school community including; students, staff, parents and partners, providing feedback to the process. Early next Term we will provide more information about the process and at the conclusion of the process the recommendations will be shared with the school community. These recommendations will form the basis of our next 4-year Strategic Plan.
School Opinion Survey
Another important activity that will be taking place early next Term is our annual School Opinion Survey. Again, the data collected from students, parents and staff is very important in that it informs our planning processes in order to focus on our school improvement strategies.
Fanfare Festival of bands and Orchestras
Bundaberg State High Concert Band received a Gold award at this year's Fanfare Festival of Bands and Orchestras on Friday 3 June. Fanfare is a State-wide Music Festival for State School instrumental music ensembles.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Emily R. in winning the Write4fun National Creative
Writing Competition. Emily's story is on display in our school library.
Congratulations to Brayden S. with being awarded a prestigious
Peter Doherty Award for Excellence in STEM education.
Chelsea Z. is off to Canada as part of the U18 Australian Women's
Softball Aussie Diamonds team. Congratulations to Chelsea on this great
opportunity. We wish her all the best.
Enrolment Information
We are looking forward to visiting our local feeder schools to talk with our future students and give out Enrolment packages in Week 2 of next Term. Bundaberg State High School will be taking Enrolment Requests for 2023 Year 7 from Term 3.
Docudrama
Many thanks to the RACQ and Emergency Services who staged the docudrama for our Year 12 students. It was a touching production and highlighted the issues surround young people on our roads perfectly.
Mayors Telstra Innovation Awards
Our two Bundy High teams advanced to the final of the Mayor's Telstra Innovation Awards, held at the Moncrieff Theatre to deliver their pitch for the development of their innovative ideas. Our 'Crisis Crew' team of Georigia H., Nicole S. and Tiarna L. presented their PEAK app, early in the evening. This app combined the technology of Google Maps, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Bundaberg Regional Council's interactive flood mapping system to provide users up to date safe evacuation routes in times of natural disaster.
Our 'Go Local' team consisting of Monica H., Cadence T. and Jack S. were the last team to present their website that allows the local farmers to have easy access to labour hire workers and attract them to the region. They were very impressive and delivered a fantastic presentation.
Our student represented their school, their families and themselves with distinction. They learned a lot through the process and will hopefully be excited to take that experience into next year's competition. Please congratulate them!
Year 7 camp
All Year 7 students have had the chance to camp at Noosa this week and by all appearances, many had a great time! A huge thanks to the staff involved in arranging this experience for them!
Year 10 Mock Interviews
Our Year 10s are having a work-related week. Monday students undertook Mock Interviews, specials thanks to our thirty local business who gave up their time in supporting these students with their Mock Interviews. The rest of this week the students have been busy with work experience. Business's in our local community and beyond have given up their workplace and time to allow our students to take on real life experience which will give them the valuable insights into the world of work.
Make A Difference (MAD)
Our Make A Difference group are committed to doing projects around the school which make our world and school a better place! They have been collecting pens and recycling them at Officeworks, as well as the ongoing collection of bread bags to be turned into sporting goods.
