Term 2, Week 6 Infoshare:
Tuesday marked an extremely important day for our student leaders, as our Investiture Assembly provided an opportunity for our students to be recognised for their contributions they have made for the school community and for the presentation of their school leader badges. Our student leaders are now 120 strong, and have been hugely successful with raising $10 000 for the Leukemia Foundation, organising National Day of Action Against Bullying and Do it for Dolly day. Our year 12 leaders began their Legacy Project, Live Below the Line with the year 11 leaders mentoring our year 8 and 9s with their Amazing Race through the Sunshine Coast.
Following on from our Investiture we have our Positive Behaviour for Learning focus for this week as Show and Shine, to participate fully in the curriculum. Our Cattle team last week definitely showed up to the Fraser Coast show, and they did shine by walking away as the most successful school! They won first place in the interbreed pair of senior females, best female under 30 months and dams progeny categories. Achieved second place in best bull under 20 months, best breeders group, sires progeny, led steer in middle weight categories. Third place in heifer under 20 months and female 30 months and over. Our year 10 agriculture class also took third spot for best honey! This week the cattle team is competing in the Bundy Show to improve on their places.
Wednesday evening our English and Humanities faculties held an APEX Escape Room event for our prospective year seven APEX students for 2023. Around 30 year six students from six different schools competed together to “escape” 4 separate rooms, before the finalists participated in the final challenge - A Chaser Game! Unfortunately for our Chaser, Mrs PortBURY (because she likes to BURY other competitors!), the students were victorious!
Thursday our year 7 Life Skills lessons held a mock election that introduced our students to the value and importance of voting in a representative democracy. Students were all given roles from being an electoral officer, returning officer and being an observer. They were voting for one of the four Deputy Principals in who presented a campaign that lasted two minutes before students learnt the difference between First Past the Post and Preferential voting. The Deputy Principal that our year 7 students voted in favour for will be release after counting Friday.
Thursday also saw a number of year 5 students attend the STEM academy day, where Mr Mclaren and Maree Mckaskill had them designing, building, testing and evaluating the best egg carrier to be dropped from a second storey balcony. The initial test resulted in all eggs breaking on impact. The Year 5's got to work evaluating their design and incorporating different features to build a better carrier. Some groups did a complete rebuild while others improved on their initial design hoping to take first place. During the build they had to keep track of the materials and the total cost of the build, with the cheapest build being the winner if there was a draw. Team H was the eventual winners with two successful drops and a build price of $17. Second was Team E with one drop and Team A in third based on their interview and explanation of their build.
This week has seen an unprecedented number of staff absent due to illness. There is also a shortage of relief teachers available in Hervey Bay to call in to relieve for the day. Some classes therefore have had a number of different staff teach them throughout the week. On some occasions, students have had to be supervised in the eHub. We apologise for this break in their learning but every attempt is being made for work to be continued. Hopefully, staff absence will ease up and we will return to our normal class routines as soon as possible.
From Hervey Bay State High School, we wish you a wonderful and rain free weekend spent with family and friends and we will see you all back at school on Monday for the start of week 7.
Dan Holloway
Deputy Principal Inclusion