18 October 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Web content filtering

The Department of Education supports web content filtering for the safety of our students while devices are connected to the department’s network at school. Software installed on school managed devices provides this web content filtering.

We are aware that some school-managed devices may at times become connected to a home, personal or even public internet provider; these services may not experience the same level of protection. If your internet service provider uses the more recent Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), filtering will not function as intended on home, personal or public internet connections using school owned equipment. Filtering will function on internet service providers using the previous Internet Protocol version 4.

If you wish to find out which type of internet connection you have at home, contact your home internet service provider.

The department will soon install an updated filtering software on school-managed devices which will support all internet connections including those using IPv6.

Remember, filtering and monitoring systems are not foolproof and do not replace the need for parental supervision when children are online. Vigilance is vital regardless of the device your child is using to access the internet.

There are a number of online resources for parents and caregivers to help support their child’s online experiences.

• Cybersafety- parents
• Information for Parents and Caregivers
• Cybersafety in Queensland state schools

Please remember, as a parent or caregiver you play an important role in helping your children have safe and positive experiences online. Be vigilant and keep an eye on what your child is doing.

Mr John Clark
Principal

Deputy Principal’s Report

Late last term, I attended the Townsville Secondary Outreach, held at Central Queensland University in Townsville.

It was a really positive day and a reminder about many of the things that sometimes we take for granted in our school when we are caught up in the day to day routine of our jobs.

Among many other observations, the Outreach is a reminder of the wonderful diversity of our school. The range of students attending really are a microcosm of our school community.

They are as diverse in nature as you will see in any school, yet are such a positive and good humoured group that are doing remarkably well in a challenging landscape that often marginalises many young people.

These young people from all backgrounds are truly a reminder of the important work that our school plays in the lives of young people through the provision of opportunities that may otherwise be unavailable to them.

The second reminder for me was the talented pool of staff that we have in our school and the richness they bring to teaching and learning.

The breadth and depth of knowledge, classroom management skills and above all else, the willingness to engage and support our students in their learning was nothing short of amazing.

It is sometimes easy to forget that in a school of distance education that our teachers have a unique skills set. It carries with it all the traits of a classroom teacher but adds the elements of incredible patience, good humour and outstanding communication skills.

The obvious sense of social justice and the willingness to go the extra mile are traits that were obvious in the group of teachers. This is perhaps quite different to the somewhat jaded view that sometimes overshadows teaching and learning.

The other critical observation for me was the positive attitude of the students themselves.

It is so good to see young people actively engaged in their education and participating in an educational partnership with their teachers.

Too often we hear the negatives of students who just don’t want to work. What I saw with our students couldn’t be further from the truth.

Every student was enthusiastic and participating to the best of their ability. The respect that they showed to their peers and the teachers was nothing short of amazing.

While each of the students in attendance has their own goals and ambitions, the common theme of giving it a red hot go came through in spades.

For me as Deputy Principal, the whole experience was nothing short of a reminder about the important job that each of us do.

It is easy to lose this perspective in the day to day grind of our jobs but it is refreshing and rewarding to say the least.

Perhaps it a reminder to each of us to not take things for granted. To get out of our comfort zones and gain some perspective.

Mr Smith
Deputy Principal

School Psychologist

Hello everyone,

My name is Pim Crothers, and I am the newly appointed School Psychologist here at Charters Towers School of Distance Education. I am very excited to be welcomed into this wonderful school, and I look forward to meeting everyone in this vast community.

My role at the school covers a wide variety of duties, including conducting group programs/lessons, promoting mental health awareness, assisting teachers with developing classroom strategies to accommodate all students, and importantly assisting students with any difficulties that may impact on their mental health and education and to refer students and their families to appropriate services when needed.

So far I have really enjoyed being at CTSDE and working with all of the wonderful students and staff. As my role slowly grows here at the school, I look forward to meeting even more students and their families. I feel very fortunate to be a part of a community that is willing to embrace me and my role, and allow me to plan and implement a variety of great mental health activities and programs. I would also welcome any suggestions and comments from members of the school community on this topic.

Finally, a little about me. I have recently moved to Charters Towers, and am eager to get to know the area. I have a love for all things creative, and look forward to hopefully capturing a few snaps of the outback. While I’m still new to photography, I am hopeful to improve my skills in this area. I find photography a really good way to relax and focus on something neutral.

If you would like to learn more about me or my role at the school, please have a chat to your teacher who will be able to tell you a bit more. Once again, I look forward to meeting you all as I progress in my role and become a part of this wonderful community.

Warmest regards,
Ms Crothers
School Psychologist (provisional)

CQ University Study Hub

Lesley Griffin – Parent Liaison Officer

Charters Towers:

Ayr:

Library Display

Student Council Purchases This Year

The Student Council would like to thank our CTSDE families for your continued donations to our fundraising ventures. We would be like to share with you, what we have purchased with these donations for 2018 (thus far):

• Portable gazebo (in a bag on wheels)
• 2 x netball hoops & pads (to be cemented in near the sports oval)
• Netballs & bag
• Soccer gear for the Under 8 students.

Prep

Amazing Prep Writers:

Mrs Purdie, Mrs Purdie, what do you see?
I see wonderful writers sending work in to me!
Mrs Price, Mrs Price, what do you see?
I see super rhyming Preps as busy as can be!

The Prep students have been working very hard with their writing skills. Mrs Price and Mrs Purdie have been very impressed with their abilities to add more information to their sentences and have been blown away by their amazing rhyming skills! Take a look at their lovely rhyming sentences below and screen shots of their fantastic sentences about a cat. Mrs Purdie and Mrs Price are looking forward to seeing all the Preps at Mini School and seeing what other wonderful things they will be able to do!

Mrs Colleen Purdie and Mrs Alanna Price
Prep Teachers

Year 4

What is happening in Year 4?

Welcome to Term 4! It is hard to believe that the year is almost over. Year 4 have a busy term ahead of them as they get ready to move into Year 5. Students will be starting the term with a Media Arts unit where they will be exploring and creating magazine covers. Once they have finished this, they then move onto a Science unit where they work through lots of different activities to explore how forces work. In Maths, students will be looking at fractions and decimals, data representation, money and the area of shapes. In English, students will be exploring product packaging, in particular cereal boxes, and how they convince us to buy some of the delicious, but not so healthy breakfast options!

In amongst all of this, Mini School will be week 4 for any students who are able to attend. Mini School this term will give the students one more chance to come together and learn with their teachers and peers around them before the school year ends. Students will be focusing on general English and Mathematical skills, a Year 4 ‘Minute it to win it Challenge’, circus skills, cultural activities, a visit to the Chinese restaurant and of course our regular trips to the pool.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as we can during week 4 and enjoying the last few weeks as your Year 4 teachers!

Mrs McLauchlan and Miss O’Brien
Year 4 Teachers

Year 6 – Brisbane Trip

During Week 9 of Term 3, nine excited Year 6 students from Distance Ed. travelled down to Brisbane with forty-six students from the other primary state schools in Charters Towers. The aim, to get to know their potential future high school classmates.

It was a VERY busy week, but there were plenty of highlights, including:

• Visiting Australia Zoo & Sea World
• Climbing the Storey Bridge (and memorably spending an hour on it in rush-hour traffic in a broken-down bus waiting for a replacement!)
• Exploring and shopping in the Queen Street Mall
• Climbing some high ropes and running obstacle courses
• Programming robots at the Lego Centre
• Watching the lazer light show and escaping the Mirror Maze at Southbank as part of the Riverfire Festival
• Riding the City Cat down the Brisbane River (and past Mr Brady’s house!), and many more…

Amelia was lucky enough to even celebrate her birthday on the last day. We hope you had an awesome time!

The SDE students were exemplary role models to the other students and the whole group behaved very well, with glowing comments received from everyone including shop owners and fellow tourists.

Miss Ruthenberg
Year 6 Teacher

Student Council Nominations – Closed!

Good afternoon Parents, Tutors and Students,

The 2019 Student Council nominations have now closed. Voting will open on Wednesday 24th October. Voting forms and copies of nomination forms will be sent to all students via parent email.

This year, students that nominated themselves for leadership positions (within Student Council) had to submit a 200 word piece that introduced themselves, stated what position(s) that they were applying for, and what they want to do for our school if their nomination is accepted. Below are some of our nominees! (Please check next DIRT article for the remaining).

Nominees

Charley McClelland:

My name is Charley McClelland and running’s my game.

Where I live it’s always dry
so I can’t swim But I’ll give it a try.

The road is rough
But you’ve got to be tough

When you like rodeo, cricket, football, water skiing and running and plenty of other stuff.
I won’t even break a puff.

Traeger House Captain Vote For Me!
I’m rough and tough and as keen as can be

I’m really loud,
you’ll hear me above the Shelton crowd.

If you haven’t seen
Then where have you been?
With me, Traeger will be a mean, mad, menacing machine.

I may be long, skinny and thin
but that don’t mean that we can’t win.

I love shouting the TRAEGER name
When competing is the game

It doesn’t matter if you come first or last
Just try your best and have a blast!

On a serious note
I need your vote!

Vote #1 for Charley! Traeger House Captain

Libby Moller:

My name is Libby Moller, I am the fourth child in my family to attend Charters Towers School of Distance Education which means that I have a very clear understanding of how our school works because I have seen the different ways the school has changed over a long period of time. I am a very hard-working, neat and polite student meaning that I would represent the school well.

I am applying for the following positions of Traegar House Captain, Primary Representative and Primary School Captain. In my leadership role I would like to encourage more people to come to our school. If I was to be selected for one of these positions, I would be a good role model for the future and current students. I would also like to raise money for the school through my ideas of a bake sale or movie night. I have been to every awards night since starting prep at the school as well as attending both athletics and swimming carnivals. I get along with all of my fellow students who most of them I have known since prep. Through the speeches that these positions will need I hope to boost my confidence that will help me in my future. I want to make sure that other students feel included and will make friends. I like to help others students to be able to play sport and be nice to others. I am a constructive and tidy student who always keeps my area clean when attending school camps and listens when teachers are talking. Thank you for reading and I hope that you consider me for this role, Libby.

Jorja Scott:

J orja Grace Scott, that’s my name
O f course you should vote for me, because I’m the best at the game
R unning, footy, horses, swimming and playing in a team
J oining in with everyone always makes me beam
A ltogether you should vote for me, I’m the best student for the job cant’ you see!

I am applying for the roles of Primary House Captain and School Captain. I am best suited to these roles because:

• I can work as part of a team, which I do when playing sports and in group projects.
• I love my school and will work hard to include everyone.
• I was selected to be a part of the Interschool Swimming Carnival and have been awarded CTSDE Age Champion for three years.
• I have seen my brother fulfil these roles and have seen how they should best be completed.
• I will be a positive role model and make everyone feel part of the school, especially our younger students. They are the future of CTSDE.
• I will make the parents proud to send their children to CTSDE and continue to make it a happier school to attend.

When you vote for me you are voting in the right direction for the school. You will not be disappointed!!!

VOTE FOR JORJA SCOTT

Tom Ramsay:

Hello my name is Tom Ramsay, I am 10 years old and I live on Mt Hope Station, near Belyando Crossing, 2 hours South of Charters Towers.

I would like to nominate for Shelton Primary house captain because I enjoy and participate in a lot of sports, including Cross Country, Athletics and Swimming. I always try my best to help out my team. I encourage people to have a go at everything they can and that as long as everyone on the team has given it their best go they can be proud of themselves and their whole team.

So vote for me and I will lead Shelton to victory! Shelton! Shelton! We’re Supreme!

Lochie Appleton:

I am Lochie Appleton, I’m turning ten in 2019. I live at ‘Yarmina,’ a cattle station 250km from Charters Towers. My hobbies include catching lizards, shooting my bow and playing footy. I enjoy attending outreach and mini school with my school friends and I most enjoy learning maths because I like to problem solve.

I would like to apply for Primary School Captain, Shelton House Captain and Primary School Representative.

All three positions require great leadership and many of the same qualities. Great leadership is being responsible, encouraging, fair, kind and helpful to all our students, school and public community members. These positions also require great enthusiasm, organisation and co-operation to continue the brilliant leadership of the past student councils.

I believe that I have all the qualities needed to fulfil all of these positions and I would really love the opportunity to demonstrate this to my fellow peers and school community. I would be happy to be elected into any one of these positions.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application.

Science Competition

2019 ‘Pest Invaders’ DAF Hermitage School Plant Science Competition

Registrations are now open for the 2019 competition and it’s free to participate! The competition consists of two sections, one the ‘Plant Science Project Awards’ and two the ‘Art in AgRiculTure Awards’ with activities linked to the national science curriculum. You can participate in either section, or both, and it’s open to all students from years P-12 Australia wide. Below is a snapshot of the competition tasks and how to register.

Plant Science Project Awards:

Mandatory tasks (all year levels):

Task1:

Perform an experimental investigation on your choice of either (1) insects, (2) weeds or (3) plant diseases (disease spores and barley seeds provided) and submit a scientific report and science journal detailing your research and findings (step-by-step experiment instructions for each experiment will be provided)

Task 2:

Submit a poster about an invasive pest detailing how/why it was introduced, the impact it has on our native environment (with a focus on Australian agriculture) and what measures are in place to help eradicate or control the pest

Mandatory task (years 7-12 only), optional for primary students:

Task 3:

Communicate (via a poster, PowerPoint or video) how an invasive pest has or could have an impact on international agriculture and global food security and what measures are in place to help control the spread of exotic pests

Art in AgRiculTure Awards:

All year levels:

Task:

Create a freehand artwork (e.g. advertisement or poster) with the aim to educate your peers on how they can help stop the spread of invasive pests.

**Please note: the experiments and tasks listed above may change slightly as the development of the content furthers for this 2019 competition**

Register your interest in participating now!

Please provide your name, email, school name, postal address, year level(s) and estimated number of students participating (via the on-line registration form, email or phone):

Email: kerrie.rubie@daf.qld.gov.au
Phone: (07) 4542 6700

The full ‘competition guidelines and instructions’ document (and other applicable resources) are currently being developed and will be emailed to registered schools in January, prior to the opening date.

We look forward to your participation in the 2019 ‘Pest Invaders’ DAF Hermitage Research Facility Schools Plant Science Competition!

Education Support

Hello my name is Kieren Sinden. I started working at CTSDE as an Education Support Teacher 6 x months ago. I have really enjoyed my time in this role teaching and supporting students in our program. In my role I teach both Primary and Secondary students across many subject areas. I am currently in my second year of teaching and have a Masters of Teaching Degree. I have certainly found my passion in life teaching special children and feel that together we can make a difference.

Before teaching I obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree at University and worked in management at Telstra for 18 x years. A lot of these skills are transferable in the Distance Education schooling environment because I worked in a national role where most of my daily interactions were via the internet using similar technology to that found at CTSDE. I have also worked in various process improvement projects and these skills will assist in improving processes in my current Education Support teaching role.

Prior to moving to Charters Towers I lived at the Gold Coast. My hobbies include playing the guitar, boxing and keeping fit at the local gym. I look forward to a long career in teaching and giving students with special learning requirements a real chance at leading productive lives in our changing society.

Mr Sinden

Utilise Multiple Ways of Revising

There are multiple methods of revising. Regularly using different strategies will improve retention and keep you interested for longer. Some revision techniques are listed below.

• Read and summarise – then summarise the summary
• Use acronyms
• Mind mapping
• Pictures/big flip-chart sheets/posters with key points. Display them on walls (where you will see them regularly)
• Revision aids around the house – especially for 'rote learning' – cognitive verbs, grammar, mathematical formulae
• Record yourself – 10 key points about a topic – play them back in the car/running/walking/train etc.
• Highlight key areas in notes/books, picking out key points
• Listen to tapes of books and discuss with others
• Watch revision DVDs and make notes (pausing when you need to) – test yourself afterwards – or make your own one!
• Read page, shut book and then test yourself. What can you remember?
• Tell someone what you have learned
• Mnemonics
• Get friends/family to test you
• Picture Stories – draw pictures to explain your learning
• Teach someone else
• Create a wiki or a document where you become the expert/explaining it to people
• Make podcast
• Set up a study group and take turns teaching each other topics

Mr Venter
Head of Curriculum

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