| Aldridge Newsletter - Edition 12 - 30 July 2008 |
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From the Principal
It is not very often that a school can boast that they have had a National Level Public Speaker. Kristina Ree represented our school and Queensland State and Private Schools, in the Apex Public Speaking competition last week. Kristina came second in this National competition - tremendous work Kristina. Following is an extract from her speech - enjoy!
ED MANLEY
Principal
“Toad Speech—Kristine Ree
So I’m sitting at school the other day right, minding my own business, not hurting anyone. Enjoying one of my hard earned spares. Relaxing after the strain and mental pressure of the day full of Maths equations and Chemical formula’s. When all of a sudden our nice quiet break was rudely interrupted by a true horror! I fear beyond your wildest imagination! What was this horror which causes such disruption amongst a group of teenage girls you ask? That’s right Ladies and Gentlemen it was … A QUEENSLAND CANE TOAD..!!!
Ok, so maybe it wasn’t a huge event in the grand scheme of things and maybe I was the only one who was really terrified, but the general disgust that this creature provoked was a mutual feeling.
By now you have probably guessed that I’m not a huge fan of the Toad, in fact, you could even go so far as to say that - I really DO NOT like them!
I’m sure every person in this room this evening would know the feeling, you dare to step foot outside at night and there they are! Warty bodies basking in the moonlight! Our least favourite poison bearing amphibians. That’s right, they’re poisonous! The venom of a cane toad contains 14 different chemicals. They’re like a hopping pharmacy, menacing our native flora and fauna, our native animals are dying due to the consumption of these foreign pests.
Perhaps a little history, the Queensland Cane Toad or Bufo Marinus was first introduced into Australia in 1935 by researchers at the Australian Bureau of Sugar Experimental Stations in North Queensland. The toads were introduced to eliminate the Cane beetle. Not only were the toads unsuccessful in containing the beetles, inevitably they escaped. These researchers had no idea of the vast environmental destruction these creatures would cause.
So I ask you, what can we do. I for one am willing to go to extreme measures to ensure the eradication of these pests and judging by the way they’re treated by the general public, I’m not the only one. Most stretches of bitumen are continually littered with a path of these deflated amphibians, which have met some less than compassionate drivers. Stories of golf clubs, cricket bats, Dettol, salt, fire even, and, of course the humble boot are just a few common treatments for toads.
Now, not for a moment am I saying that I agree with these sorts of cruel and harsh mistreatments, but there are more humane methods. Gassing and freezing is seen as much more expectable.
But for all of you out there who are like myself, and believe that a much more extensive measure is needed, there is hope. Our very own Queensland member of parliament Mr. Shane Knuth has come forward and urged Australian families to join the war on toads. He has suggested that a special day be designated for residents to hunt and kill what he calls one of the world's most disgusting creatures. He has pointed out that each female toad can produce up to 20,000 eggs. If even 3000 female toads were collected, this has the potential of eliminating 60 million toads from our environment.
I cannot even begin to express my happiness about this proposal. I can, however, see one small flaw, there are many of us, like myself, who truly despise the cane toad, however, would not like to have to go anywhere near them. This could make their collection slightly difficult. I do however wholeheartedly support this proposal and wish Mr. Knuth every success.
So Ladies and Gentlemen whatever your toad eradication strategy may be just so long as they’re gone it sounds good to me. So I ask you to join with me For a TOAD FREE tomorrow!”
KRISTINE REE
 The power of optimistic
t h i n k i n g
O p t i m i s m
Optimists do better academically, socially and enjoy better health than pessimists. Helping your child look on the bright side is a significant life skill to develop. When children think that they can succeed they are more likely to give things a try. In other words, if they think THEY CAN, THEY WILL.
Optimists look at the flip side of negative events for some good, some hope and some reason to be positive. It means having a strong self-belief and confidence to deal with situations.
There are five building blocks to optimism:
1. Trying and persisting.
2. Practising.
3. Having a positive view of failure.
4. Planning and organisational skills.
5. Having the confidence to try again.
Importantly, these building blocks link optimism with competence so when children experience success they are more likely to believe that they can achieve and have more success.
Some children are natural optimists. They are born with optimistic temperaments and have natural dispositions to deal with challenges and problems. Others expect the worst and tend to see catastrophes where really small challenges exist.
Recent American research indicates that children learn their optimism from their experiences of success and through their interactions with parents, teachers and significant others in the first eight years of life.
So the way adults talk is significant in the way they shape a child’s belief about success or failure. The message is clear that adults need to be aware how they present the world to children as our explanatory style (the way we explain events) is on show.
Optimists explain adverse events in the following ways:
1. Adverse events tend to be temporary: “It takes time to find a friend” rather than “No one likes me.”
2. Situations or causes are specific: “I am not so good at soccer” rather than “I am hopeless at sport.”
3. Blame is rationalised rather than personalised: “I was grounded because I hurt my sister” rather than “I was grounded because I am a bad kid.”
Pessimists have a tendency to build mountains out of molehills and give up before trying. The trouble with pessimism is that it tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. “I told you I wouldn’t get a kick in the game. What was the point of me even turning up?” Such comments just reinforce pessimism and these feelings of hopelessness lead to helplessness.
What’s your child like?
How optimistic is your child?
DOES HE/SHE:
1. Usually take blame personally when things go wrong? Yes-0 No-2
2. Blow negative events out of proportion? Yes-0 No-2
3. Take personal credit if things go well? Yes-2 No-0
4. Believe that with work or better skills he can improve? Yes-2 No-0
5. Always look on the bright side of any situation? Yes-2 No-0
SCORE:
10: A raving optimist. What’s it like living with a ray of sunshine?
6-8: A bright spark. A little reframing may be useful.
0-4: A leaning toward pessimism. Make sure you model optimistic self-talk so he/she can hear what optimistic thinking sounds like.
Try This . . .
Putting It Into Practice
To promote optimism in your children try the following four strategies:
1. Model positive thinking and optimism. Let your children hear your positive self-talk.
2. Challenge your children’s negative or unrealistic appraisals. For instance, “Everyone hates me. I have no friends” can be challenged with “Sometimes it feels like we have no friends but you spent all morning with Melanie yesterday.”
3. Teach your child to positively track. Children should look for the good things they do and say them to themselves, or out loud. They can look for the good things that happen in life, no matter how small and say them to themselves or out loud.
4. Teach children to positively reframe. When something unpleasant happens or failure occurs they can actively look on the bright side. E.g. “I pranged my bike but at least I wasn’t hurt.”
Quote
“There is nothing sadder than a young pessimist.” Mark Twain
Drought Assistance for Schools Program
This program is intended to make it easier for rural families to meet ongoing education expenses and the cost of educational activities such as student excursions, which may be cost prohibitive for families experiencing financial hardship as a result of the drought. Our school recently received a $10,000 grant under the above initiative. This money may be used to assist with the cost of items such as: - textbooks, uniforms, subject levies, excursions, student attendance at extra curricular activities; and other support which offers relief to drought affected families and is related to their schooling.
Our school has approximately 1,000 students. It has been decided that the best way to utilise this funding would be to credit $10 against each student’s fees. Of course many parents may have already paid their fees’, therefore the credit for those students would be registered against their name for utilisation by parents against any of the above related activities that fit the usage criteria.
CYNTHIA READ
Business Services Manager
Changes to Student Absence Processes
Each parent of a child who is of compulsory school age must ensure that the child is enrolled and attends school on every school day for the education program in which the child is enrolled unless the parent has a reasonable excuse. A parent of a young person in the compulsory participation phase must ensure the young person is participating full-time in an eligible option, unless the parent has a reasonable excuse.
Each State School implements an effective process for monitoring compulsory school attendance and participation, which is consistent with the Department of Education, Training and the Arts policies and procedures including “SMS-PR-029: Managing Student Absences” and “SMS-PR-017: Enforcement of Compulsory Schooling and Compulsory Participation Phase”, and meets reporting and auditing requirements.
There are several changes that come into effect this term that effect how an absence is recorded against the students’ file. These are:-
· Arrival later than 9:30 am in the morning will be counted as a ½ day absence.
· Departure earlier than 2:30 pm in the afternoon will be counted as a ½ day absence.
· Absentee messages that do not state an explanation of the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.
CYNTHIA READ
Business Services Manager
QCE Community Information Seminar
This information evening will provide an overview of the implementation of the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). The presentation will help parents and community members to understand the principles underlying the QCE and the credit rules that govern eligibility. A variety of scenarios will be discussed to demonstrate the relevance of the QCE and the broad range of possibilities for learning towards the QCE.
Participants have the opportunity to:
Ø Develop an understanding of the requirements of the QCE for students, schools and other learning providers.
Ø Develop an understanding of the possibilities offered to students by the QCE.
Ø Develop an understanding of the implication of the QCE for study at school and beyond.
Agenda:
Ø QCE at a glance.
Ø Scenarios.
Ø Questions.
Ø Close.
The Seminar will be held on Thursday, 07 August at the Brolga Theatre, Walker Street, Maryborough from 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm. Cost is free.
Anyone interested in attending please contact the school to register.
JACKSON DODD
Acting Deputy Principal
INSM News
Welcome Back! We trust that everyone enjoyed a restful winter break. Here are the dates for proposed term three performances:
Ø Wednesday, 20 August—Concert Band, Maryborough Eisteddfod at the Brolga Theatre 6.30 pm.
Ø Friday, 22 August—Brisbane School’s Band Festival (Strings).
Ø Sunday, 24 August—Brisbane School’s Band Festival (Concert Band).
Ø Thursday, 04 September— Maryborough Market Day at Town Hall, Concert Band and Stage Band.
We strive for excellence in Instrumental Music—the only way to achieve this is through hard work and consistent effort from all members of the team.
We wish you a happy and successful music maker term!
GAYLE YOUNG
INSM Teacher
Chaplaincy News
On Wednesday, 30 July we are welcoming back to the school a team called Motivational Media. The team challenge and inspire the youth of today using the power of media. The topic this year is ‘The Power of Everyone’.
‘Great steps forward in history have frequently started with the inspiration of one person: a person who looked at a situation, wished for change and then made that change happen. People like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jnr and Nelson Mandela liberated the minds and bodies of oppressed people and changed the way people live. Their lives highlight the power that one person has to make a difference. But great movements in ideology and revolutions in lifestyle would never have been successful if others had not joined in and played their part in pushing for change’.
There is no cost and this is an event that the whole school will be attending. If you do not wish for your child to take part in Motivational Media, then please ensure that you contact the school and let the Acting Deputy Principal Mr Jackson Dodd know.
TRICEA VAN DER HEIJDE
Chaplain
Dates For Your Diary
More important dates for your diary:
ØFriday, 01 August—Open Schools Cup Volleyball in Toowoomba. Various Venues. Depart Aldridge SHS on Thursday, 31 July and return to Aldridge on Sunday, 03 August approx 5.00 pm.
ØTuesday, 05 August—Year 10 subject selection day. Subject selection evening for parents in the hall at 7.00 pm.
ØMonday, 11 August to Tuesday, 12 August—Fraser District Athletics Carnival at Tinana Sports Ground.
ØMonday, 11 August to Friday, 22 August—Year 10 SET Planning Interviews at Aldridge SHS.
ØTuesday, 19 August—Students with Learning Difficulties Year 7 into Year 8 parent Information day from 9.30 am—12.00 pm in Hall.
Community Notices
Position Vacant - The Maryborough Speedway is looking for a Canteen Convenor for the upcoming season commencing on 20 September with the Monster Trucks and Fireworks show. The position is a volunteer position, but is only for 11 race meetings this season. You will be required to be at the track on Saturday morning to get the buns, rolls, pies and steak etc orders and set up for the nights meeting tobe operational by the time gates open. If you can help with this please contact Ryan Harris on 0407 175 341.
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(c)2007 Aldridge State High School
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