Mr Justin Kuskie Principal	Mrs Chandell Pole Deputy Principal Senior School	Mr Daniel Ward Deputy Principal Junior School

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all families who attended our recent Parent-Teacher Interviews. It was a well-supported and valuable evening for staff, and we hope it was just as informative and meaningful for you. We understand that finding time to come into the school can be a challenge, and we truly appreciate your effort. Please remember, there are also other ways to stay connected with your child’s learning journey throughout the year.

Our next Parent-Teacher Interview evening is scheduled for Wednesday, 13 August. We encourage all parents and guardians to book appointments—whether your child is thriving or facing challenges. Effective communication between home and school plays a key role in supporting every student’s success.

Consistent attendance and timely completion of assessment tasks are essential for academic success, both at school and beyond. If your child is unwell or has a medical appointment, it is important to notify the school.

If a student is going to miss an assessment due to illness, they should contact the appropriate staff member to discuss available support options:

• Years 11 and 12: Please contact the Guidance Officer or Deputy Principal
• Years 7 to 10: Please contact the Head of Department for the relevant subject area.

We appreciate your continued support in helping us provide the best learning environment for all students.

Each newsletter there are many individuals and groups who contribute to make it a success. This edition sees our school captains join with a regular piece to provide an additional insight into what has occurred or is upcoming. ‘From Our School Captains’ will become another aspect of the role of a captain and a way to further value the input of our students.

Layla Bonner

Hi readers, I am Layla Bonner—an art lover and proud STEM enthusiast. Enough about me - let us talk about our amazing prefects. Sam Wilson’s study room is running smoothly, giving seniors a quiet place to work during D Block’s refurbishment. Amelia Jones is gearing up for the World’s-Greatest-Shave later this term. Alannah Sweet is already organising the 100-Day picnic in Term 3. Amy-Lee Innes’ “Bullying? No Way! Day” is on August 15, and Livia Cannavo is planning a special surprise for the graduating seniors! Stay tuned for more updates!

Ewan Keith

Hey everyone, my name is Ewan Keith. I have always had a natural interest in sport and physical activity and as School Captain I am proud to see all the amazing sporting opportunities our school is offering. Our school soccer season kicked off with the Bill Turner soccer teams going out and smashing it. The school cross country team competed at the Border District and Darling Downs Carnivals, with other teams and athletes competing in a range of sports. We can be proud of the way our school carries itself with pride and the excellent achievements of our students.

Fitzroy Pascoe

Hi, my name is Fitzroy Pascoe; someone with a love for talking and reading! At the start of Term 2 this year the library opened a new room – The eSports room! This room will help kids interact with people they have never met before that have similar interests to them, improve hand eye coordination, allow students to participate in competitions – both in and out of school – and my personal favourite part, keeping kids out of the cold in the coming winter months. The room is currently outfitted with a couple of computers and Nintendo Switches, giving students access to Minecraft, Mario Kart, and Rocket League. News about competitions will be coming soon!!!

Jade Poole

Hello, my name is Jade Poole and for my first article in the school newsletter I have decided to reflect on one of our recent Prefect projects. Sarah Neville's project raised a total of $315.50 for the Dolly's Dream Foundation through a lolly jar guessing competition and gold coin donations for dressing in blue for the day. Dolly's Dream is dedicated to changing the culture of bullying by addressing the impact of bullying, anxiety, depression, and youth suicide, through education and direct support to young people and families. A big thank you to everyone who participated, your contributions will make a real difference in supporting this important cause.

Mrs Tanya Hamilton & Ms Stevens

Year 7 Update: Week 6

Our REP Expectations – Respectful, Engaged, and Prepared – are the foundation of everything we do at school. It’s been fantastic to see so many Year 7 students consistently showing these values in the classroom, in the playground, and during extra-curricular activities. Keep up the great work!

This week’s REP Focus is Following Instructions and Arriving with a Learning Mindset.
This means coming to each class prepared, ready to listen, and open to new ideas. Following instructions the first time not only shows respect for your teachers and classmates, but it also helps your lesson run smoothly and gives everyone more time to learn. A learning mindset means being curious, willing to try your best, and seeing mistakes as part of the learning process.

As we move further into assessment season, it is more important than ever that students arrive to each lesson ready to learn and engage. This means:

• Bringing the right materials to class
• Being on time
• Listening actively
• Asking questions
• Use feedback to improve your work

These small steps can make a big difference in how well you understand the content and how confident you feel during assessment.

We’ve also seen some amazing participation lately in lunch and after-school activities, and it’s been fantastic to see so many Year 7 students putting themselves out there. Whether it’s through Eisteddfod Debating, Broncos Cup Netball, Cross Country, Bill Turner Cup Soccer, Interschool Soccer, Dodgeball, or the Mindfulness Colouring Competition, getting involved helps you build friendships, develop confidence, and improve your social and emotional wellbeing.

As a reward for all this fantastic effort, don’t forget that next Thursday is the REP Card Pizza Swap Day! Year 7s are hard at work collecting REP stamps and placing their pizza orders. This is a fun way to celebrate your commitment to following our REP expectations throughout Semester 1—keep collecting those stamps!

Keep showing up, having a go, and supporting one another—Year 7, you’re doing a great job!

Tanya Hamilton Email: thami105@eq.edu.au

Stephanie Stevens Email: sstev255@eq.edu.au

Ph: 4681 5888

Ms Leigh Cusack 

The middle of the Term is here and with it, assessment for most subjects.

Assessment   

Year 8s will be completing Formative or beginning Summative assessment over the next few weeks.

Formative assessment informs the teacher and the student about how the learning is going.  It is a taster of what is to come. If a student is struggling in this type of assessment, it is a chance to change tack so the student may not fail the summative assessment.

Summative assessment is a check on what the student has learnt over an entire unit. As such it is usually the last assessment undertaken and has the most weighting (e.g., It may be worth 60% of the grade assigned on Reports).

It is common to hear from students that Formative assessment doesn’t count. This is not entirely true as it is used to finalise grades, and help complete endeavour rankings.  It is also used in extreme circumstances, if a student cannot be present for Summative assessment.

Students beware: Always give your assessment your best shot.

Harding Miller Scholarship 2025

Parents of girls in Year 8 are encouraged to consider this $20,000 scholarship to help students fulfil their potential for tertiary study. Designed to assist financially and academically, to help your daughter achieve her best at school in Years 8-12.

Families must register to the mailing list on the site, to be able to apply for the scholarship. This is a change from previous years.

For more details: Harding Miller Scholarship 2025

REP Reward Day

Students are collating their REP cards for REP Rewards Day in Week 7. The Reward on offer this Term is pizza.  Students have the option to team up to order an entire pizza, or cash 1 full card (both sides) for 2 slices.

Last day for cards to be collected is Monday (Wk 7), so orders can be ready.

A reminder: Completed REP Cards can be ‘banked’ at the library as they are filled to avoid lost cards, or students handing them in all at once which causes a backlog and delays in students being able to apply their discount at the end of the year.

Students are also still able to use their REP cards directly, for small purchases at the canteen.

Year 8s Representing

Finally, the last few weeks have seen many Year 8s representing our school in FQ Futsal Championships, Darling Downs Cross Country, Broncos Cup Netball and Football, and Vicki Wilson Netball.

Congratulations to Isabella, Teagan, Ruby, Willow, Savannah, Bonnie, Hannah, Elwood, Christopher, Riley, Jasper, Siena and Emily for taking on the extra challenge.

Students also shone when the Army Band visited. Well done Will, Jayleigh, Mikinlea, Emily, Declan, Ellie, Eryk, Christopher, Hannah and Ruby.

Eisteddfod

Eisteddfod has begun with many of the Year 8s performing well individually and in groups.  Declan, Ruby and Mikinlea challenged the St Jospeh’s debating team on the topic of ‘It’s harder to focus now, than it was in the past’ (affirmative).  While they didn’t come away with a win, we are proud of their performance.

Thank you to parents/carers/guardians that make the Eisteddfod possible for their children and others. There have been some very proud, (and relieved), faces coming back onto the Year 8 corridor after a great performance.

Regards,

Leigh Cusack 

Email: lcusa9@eq.edu.au   Ph: 4681 5888 

Mr James Killer

As we move past the halfway point of Term 2, the crisp chill of Stanthorpe’s winter is beginning to set in. This edition of our newsletter highlights a few important updates and recent experiences, from ensuring students are equipped with the appropriate winter uniform to reflecting on the success of our Year 9 camp to Emu Gully.

We’re proud to share the valuable lessons our students gained through this immersive outdoor experience, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff who made it possible.

Uniforms

With the temperature in Stanthorpe dropping to its winter lows it is again time to make sure everyone has their school jumper and trackpants ready for the year. If any new uniform items are needed, the uniform shop is open Monday and Thursday from 8am to 12pm.

Year 9 Camp

The Year 9 camp to Emu Gully in Week 4 was a great success. A total of 59 students participated, engaging in experiences that encouraged personal growth and strengthened peer relationships through the core values of mateship, courage, perseverance, and self-sacrifice—all while thoroughly enjoying themselves. In the coming weeks, we will continue to explore these four values in greater depth during our form classes.

Overall, the consensus was that the Kokoda Challenge stood out as the most impactful activity, during which our students demonstrated teamwork and resilience by carrying a fellow student on a stretcher through deep mud.

Finally, I would like to thank the dedicated staff who generously gave their time to support and make the camp possible: Mr Bushby, Miss Aldridge, Mrs Legge, and Mrs Pascoe.

If you have any issues or concerns please make contact

Ms Kate Dearden

As Year 10s prepare for SET (Senior Education and Training) planning early next term, the opportunities to experience different work and study options are coming thick and fast.

Students have already been provided with multiple reminders about the work experience option with Ergon later in the year. Now there is an E-STEM camp available to apply for. Make sure your student checks in with Mrs Lancaster-Kelly or Mrs Middleton to express interest. A selected number will be given the chance to apply.

As previously mentioned, the Young Achievers Program scholarships for support in Years 11 and 12, and funding for attending the University of Queensland, are also available. A meeting will take place this Friday for those who have returned the form.

When SET planning rolls around in Term 3 Week 2, it will involve career talks, a presentation from current Year 12s about their chosen pathways, subject talks from current teachers, the Careers Market and Speed-date Your Career, and hopefully chats with former students about their current pathway, to prepare students as much as possible for decision-making about their Year 11 subject choices and/or a future beyond school.

If any parents or other community members are interested in sharing their work experiences with students at the Speed-date event, please contact Mrs Middleton jmidd6@eq.edu.au 

Immunisation reminder - Meningoccocal vaccines will be provided to Year 10s on Monday 9 June. Do not miss this chance to ensure your student is up-to-date with their vaccines. Please check your emails for the online sign-up process if you missed it.

Also a reminder for Year 10 girls, that the Period Pain and Endometriosis Program will present on Thursday of Week 9. This is an essential opportunity to develop an understanding of what is 'normal' and seek assistance, or support others who are affected by this issue.

Congratulations to all Year 10s involved in the Broncos Cups teams who competed at Goondiwindi last week and head to Warwick on Thursday. Netball teams go in at the top of the ladder with Rugby League having some work to do. Students have also been competing in Cross Country, with Ashley Jackson being selected in the Darling Downs team to compete at the State Championships. Ashley also represented Darling Downs in Soccer at the State Championships in recent weeks.

Students are also involved with the Eisteddfod this week. On Monday night the Year 10s debated against St Joseph's and instrumental music students performed on Wednesday.

To end the term, which is now over halfway, the Athletics Carnival will take place on Thursday and Friday of Week 10 to finish off a hectic term.

As always, if you have any issues or concerns please make contact:

Email: kdear13@eq.edu.au     Ph: 07 4681 5888

Mrs Jo Rogers

Recently, at Senior Assembly, I spoke about motivation – the reason for one’s actions, willingness and goals – and asked students to consider their motivation for school attendance. Some students may be struggling to keep motivated to work on assessment tasks, complete homework or even attend. We understand that students should be motivated to attend school because it opens up future opportunities, builds essential life skills, provides support and social connection, and prepares them for success in both their careers and personal lives. More simply, going to school might feel tedious at times, but it can unlock a solid future and cool opportunities, and there’s always plenty happening – besides learning – at school. Recent events include the Army Band workshop and performance, the REP Pizza Day and representative sport.

Exam Block

Year 11 students may have exams in the upcoming exam block. Students must attend exams at the time specified. If a school-based traineeship/apprenticeship work day clashes with an exam, students must contact their employers to reschedule their work day.

Rehearsing the procedures of an Exam block develops skills and prepares students for Year 12. Please encourage your student to plan their study and exam preparation to the best of their ability and to reach out if they are having challenges.

Reminders

High attendance is required not only for successful learning, but qualification for extracurricular rewards such as eligibility for the Senior jacket and 2026 leadership roles. We appreciate your support with assisting students to have the required equipment and uniform. As always, students are expected to wear the correct uniform and hat and seek uniform assistance as needed.  Students and parents are reminded that at school, to enable successful learning, students are to keep mobile phones off and away, to not chew gum and to be on time to all lessons.

Please get in touch via email or the school office with any queries or concerns.

Email: jroge3@eq.edu.au Ph: 4681 5888

Miss Meghann Wear

Ski Trip

Planning continues around the annual ski trip. Students who are attending have been provided with a permission note as well as medical forms. Please fill these out and return to the front office so these can be recorded in our system. Students have also been sent a link to a survey which will provide our ski hire and accommodation more information. 

Uniform

As the cooler weather sets in, students are reminded that they need to wear correct winter uniform including hoodie and track pants. It is also important that students are wearing correct formal and trade uniform when required at full school assesmblies and events. If your student is having trouble accessing the uniform please get in touch so that I can assist.

Assessment

Students are continuing to complete their classwork and assessment with General subjects entering Unit 4. It is important that students continue to maintain positive study habits in order to support them in completion of final assessment items as well as preparation for external exams which begin in October. 

Students studying Vocational pathways should be ensuring they are on track to achieve their certificates in order to be signed off as complete Week 3, Term 4. If these are incomplete, students will remain at school until their program of study is complete. This includes students who have not completed their certificate course from Year 10 (Volunteering and Applied Digital Technologies). If students are unsure of these expectations they can see myself or Mr Giles-Duffy for assistance. 

Jackets

Another milestone was reached for Year 12 in the past week. The students received their senior jackets. This was a much anticipated arrival and they all look great in them!

If you have any queries please don't hesitate to get in contact via email

Email: mwear8@eq.edu.au Ph: 4681 5888  

Mrs Jenny McCarthy - Behaviour Support Teacher (Learning and Engagement)

Do it for Dolly Day

Thank you to all that wore blue and donated a gold coin on Do it for Dolly Day.  $315.50 was raised and will be donated to the Dolly’s Dream Foundation. Well done to Sara our Senior Prefect who led the event and congratulations to Aiden for guessing the correct number of lollies in the Lolly Jar. 

PRIDE Month

The next 4 weeks sees many opportunities for students to be involved in activities to support Pride Month.  Weekly activities will be run through the month of June to support our LGBTQIA+ community, including: Week 7 Chalk art/face painting in the quad, Week 8/9 PRIDE FLAG Scavenger Hunt, Rainbow Mullet, and Week 10 Just Dance and calming activities in the Wellbeing – Groove and Chill space.

Men’s Mental Health Week

During Week 9 students will have the opportunity to vote a teacher to wear a Mullet for the day raising money for Men’s Mental Health. Each vote will cost 50 cents and can be made outside the canteen during break times. All money raised will be donated to MensLine Australia.

Positive Behaviour Records

Once REP cards are used in the canteen or on REP swap days, all cards are being recorded into students OneSchool records. This will give families the opportunity to see how their students are traveling in the positive and proactive space at school. 

REP Card Banking

Students are also encouraged to bank their completed cards in at the Library. Students are able to save up to $50.00 (25 double-sided REP Cards) for their end of year excursions for Years 7-10, Senior Jackets for Year 11 & Graduation tickets for Year 12. 

REP CARD SWAP – Pizza Party

Students that have demonstrated expected behaviours have the opportunity to swap their completed REP cards next week for pizza.  Students are able to join their REP cards to order a whole pizza or swap a whole REP card side for a piece of pizza.  Orders are due next Monday and delivery occurs on Thursday 5^th June. Order forms are in the Library, with YLCs or on the C block veranda.

REP Behaviour Focus

Last week the Behaviour Expectations Analysis Team met to review data from the last 4 weeks to develop our next 5 weeks of focuses. Our School Captains were invited to the table as well as P&C representatives to be involved in the conversation. The next 3 weeks will focus on:

Week 6: Respectful/Engaged – Following instructions / Arriving to class with a learning mindset.  

Week 7: Respectful – Respect others’ rights / Use appropriate language 

Week 8: Engaged – Complete all tasks to the best of our abilities / Meet checkpoints.

email:  jmcca398@eq.edu.au Phone: 4681 5888

Mrs Sonia Ensoll Guidance Officer

Dear parents, carers and school community,

I hope this finds you well, as the days and nights get a little cooler – please stay warm and please let us know if your students need any assistance obtaining a warm uniform.

In Term 1, the students participated in the Attendance Really Matters (ARM) logo challenge. They were asked to vote between 2 distinct images so a logo could be used to promote ARM. By overwhelming vote, the attached image won hands down!

Attendance Really Matters! It really does…Research reliably shows that positive school attendance benefits students’ academic achievement, engagement and wellbeing. Students who attend school regularly are also more likely to experience positive health, social and economic outcomes after leaving school.

When a young person, on a consistent basis, will not attend school, there may be some complex underlying reasons for this. This pattern of behaviour has been called “school refusal”, “school can’t”, “school anxiety” or for younger years, the “school wobbles”. Identifying reasons for your student’s reluctance to attend school is important. Once you have more of an idea of what is going on, reaching out to school staff – be that the Guidance Officers, Year Level Co-ordinators, School Nurse, Chappy, Heads of Department or Deputies – is vital, so support can be offered and tailored to what is needed. Please contact the school office if you need to connect with a staff member or send an email to the Guidance Officers – GuidanceOfficer@stanthorpeshs.eq.edu.au.

The following links may assist you in your understanding. The first two are practical guides and give clear examples of strategies to help you motivate your teen to school. The third article is a more scholarly article published by Monash University and includes a link to a report published by the Australian Senate Inquiry into “The National trend of School Refusal and related matters”, published in August 2023 – a great read (if you have time !!!).

https://parents.au.reachout.com/school-and-education/school-refusal/conversation-guide-how-to-talk-to-your-teen-about-school-refusal

https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/supporting-a-young-person/school-cant/

https://www.monash.edu/turner-institute/news-and-events/latest-news/2024-articles/school-refusal-how-to-help-your-child-overcome-it

For now, take care of yourselves and please reach out if you need support.

Sonia Ensoll – Guidance Officer – smain0@eq.edu.au

Recently we were lucky to be among a select few schools visited by the touring band of 1st Regiment Royal Australian Artillery, based out of the Gallipoli Barracks in Enoggera, Brisbane. Instrumental music students were invited to rehearse with the band across the school day as they prepared for the evening concert in which the students also performed alongside the army band.

An additional highlight of the visit was the lunch time concert that was a high impact and high-volume crowd stopping event. Students from all across the school were drawn to the spectacle of live music entertaining them in their break time. Without a doubt the evening concert was the main attraction of the day, with many parents, students and community members in attendance.

The incredible talent and professionalism of these service people was inspiring. We are immensely grateful for their visit and look forward to further opportunities in the future to interact with this group when they tour again.

Congratulations to all the students that performed in their instrumental groups at the 2025 Border District Eisteddfod competition. The Stage and Concert band performed very well, both winning places of first and third respectively. The String Ensemble excelled, winning first place and picking up the Championship trophy for the Secondary Schools section. A huge thank you is owed to the instrumental music teachers Mrs Waites and Mrs Anderson for their excellent tuition and leadership of our students in showcasing their talents.