Deputy Principal

School Opinion Survey 

School Opinion Survey – Reminder Closes TODAY (16 August 2024). Parents, caregivers and students are encouraged to participate. Your insights will help us know what our school does well and how we can improve. Participants will be emailed a link to access the survey the week before it opens. Survey responses are confidential. The survey usually takes less than 10 minutes to complete. More information can be found on the School Opinion Survey webpage or by contacting the school.

Senior Education and Training Plan (SET Plans) – Year 10

SET Plan Interviews were held over the past two days for Year 10 students. The purpose of the Set Plan interview is to map out a student’s individual learning pathway through the senior phase of learning. This coupled with strategic planning of pathways, and ATAR conversations, aided deep subject selection conversations by all. 

Year 12 

Next week is an important juncture for our Year 12 students. Some students will sit their final exams and submit their final assignments for IA4. Students studying General Subjects will participate in Mock Examinations from Monday 26 August 2024 to Friday 6 September 2024 (Weeks 8 & 9).

• This practice will prepare students for Term 4, External Examinations and guide targeted teaching and learning aimed at ensuring students challenge themselves to improve identified academic gaps and extend individual academic strengths.  Students are only required to be in attendance when they have a scheduled exam.  

We wish all students the best of luck over the coming weeks. 

Year 9 Camp including Rites of Passage Camp

Next week the Year 9s head off on their year level camp. The aim of the camp is to take on Survivor challenges. The camp is to be held at QCCC Noosa. For some students they will participate in the inaugural Rites of Passage camp, which is a which is integrated with Applied Positive Psychology class and culminates in their year level camp.

The Gap SHS aims to develop learners who flourish. A key part of this mission is our Applied Positive Psychology Program that has been running for the last 20 years. The pillars of this program are developing personal, social and leadership capabilities aligned to the Australian curriculum. As educators, we are in the unique position to work with and notice our young people and to call them forward to greater things. Developing and implementing a rites of passage program to help develop healthy and purposeful young adults will add another layer to our ability to instil the values of being kind, stepping up, paying it forward and thinking big. 

The Program has consisted of a day camp at Emu Gully for the students to introduce the concepts and ideas of Rites of Passage and will consist of an afternoon event at the LTC where students and their parents attempt challenges together, have dinner together and finish the night with a guest speaker on adolescents and rites of passage and the Y9 camp program altered to include specific Rites of Passage activities. 

Positive outcomes:

Benefit to the student: Engaging program that clearly demonstrates the way forward to grow into a reflective, respectful, resilient young adult. 

Benefit to the parents/carers: Support and a framework to guide their students towards developing into reflective, respectful, resilient young adults

Persistence

One of the life skills we strive to develop in all children is that of persistence. Children who persistently apply themselves to any activity they are involved in (whether it is academic, artistic or sporting) are more likely to achieve greater successes in that activity, and throughout life. Developing persistence in children involves encouraging them to think 3 ways:

I CAN DO IT! Thinking that I’m more likely to be successful than I am to fail.

GIVING EFFORT – thinking that the harder I try, the more I am able to do and the more successful I will be.

WORKING TOUGH – thinking that in order to be successful in the future, I sometimes have to do things that are not easy or fun. 

Attendance

At The Gap State High School, we expect regular school attendance at all times. All absences that your children have, must be explained to the school. Children arriving late to school also need an explanation. All children should, whenever possible, arrive at school on time, however if this doesn’t happen, please call the school or write an explanatory note with a reason. 

Research shows that student attendance at school, is associated, on average, with higher student achievement.

Regular school attendance will mean that your child should have a better chance in life. Your child will achieve better when they attend school all day, every day. They learn better, make friends, are happier and have a brighter future. 

Parents can assist by setting up routines such as:

• Having a set time to go to bed
• Having a set time to get out of bed
• Have uniform and school bag ready the night before
• Having a set time for starting and finishing breakfast
• Set a time for daily homework activities
• Speak about school positively
• Be firm, send your child to school every day including their birthdays and the last day of term!

Please contact your child’s Connect teacher, Head of Year, Deputy Principal or Guidance Officer, other support services, if you are having trouble getting your children to school. Further information can also be obtained from the Every Day Counts website. 

Early Leave Pass Procedure

If your student needs to leave school early, a signed note explaining the reasons, is to be handed into the office prior to school commencing in the morning. Students will then be issued with a leave pass. Prior to departure, students are to go to the office with their leave pass for scanning and are then allowed to depart. This will eliminate any unnecessary delays for your student in attending important appointments.

Sick Bay Procedure

Students who become ill while at school are NOT to phone or text message their parents from their mobile phones. They are to present to sick bay, after receiving a note from their teacher, go to the office and staff will then contact parents. 

Please stay safe and look after yourself and your families as we are in the midst of flu season.