Newsletter

Dear Families, 

As I reflect on the events of this week and ongoing threat of bushfires for Miles and its neighbouring communities, I again am proud to live and work in Miles. The kindness, resilience and out-pouring of support towards those in need is evident every minute of the day. For families impacted these acts of support, kindness and human connection can make the world of difference, and reassurance they are not alone.

Our school community will continue to step up and provide wellbeing and resources where needed to our school families and wider community. Please continue to contact us and let us know how we can continue to support you at this time.

Miles SHS Meet and Greet

Many thanks to the families, students, Miles SHS P&C representative and staff that attended the Meet and Greet BBQ last Wednesday. Though the numbers that attended were low we all had a great chat as our 2023 Student Leaders served up the most divine smelling and tasty sausages and onion. (There is definitely something about the smell of a BBQ!)

 “Partnerships between parents, students and schools promote student learning, wellbeing and high expectations for student success. Relationships between the school and wider community strengthen the ability of schools and families to support student learning, wellbeing and developmental outcomes.  With less than 15 per cent of a student’s time spent at school each year, there are many hours in a day, week and year, in which parents, families and the community can guide and influence students’ learning opportunities and outcomes. Schools and teachers that take the time to establish and strengthen effective relationships with parents and the community are finding that their efforts are being rewarded through improved outcomes for students and improved job satisfaction for teachers.” Queensland Department of Education -Parent and Community Engagement Framework.

Miles SHS staff are committed to continuing to embrace our partnership with our parent/carers and wider community through our Community Framework to ensure continued positive outcomes for our students. Our longstanding symbol ‘Partners in Learning’ embraces our commitment to the importance of partnership.

This framework outlines five key elements of parent and community engagement to make a positive difference in our students’ education.

1. Communication – Effective communication is an exchange between students, parents, communities and schools that is inclusive and involves information sharing and opportunities to learn from each other.
2. Partnerships with parents – Partnerships between parents, students and schools promote student learning, wellbeing and high expectations for student success.
3. Community collaboration – Relationships between the school and wider community strengthen the ability of schools and families to support student learning, wellbeing and developmental outcomes.
4. Decision-making – Parents, students and community members play meaningful roles in school decision-making.
5. School culture – Respectful relationships between students, parents and the school community are valued and enhance the promotion of student learning and wellbeing.

Week 4 has been an interesting week for our school and the wider community.  I would like to acknowledge the students, families and staff during this difficult time and how we continue to work together to ensure the students are engaged with their schooling and providing a safe haven for them.  For a couple of days where the air quality was low, we ensured the safety of our students by providing them with indoor access away from the smoke. 

It has been terrific walking around the school and seeing the interaction of staff with students.  As the images below demonstrate, our students are actively involved in their curriculum and are supported by our staff.

We have had many events over the past two weeks and I know next week we hope to run our postponed Senior Leader Badge Ceremony on Friday 24 February from 9am.  The students are well prepared for the event and are eager to be acknowledged by our School community as the Leaders for 2023.

In the past two weeks we have been involved in a number of events:

Snake training course for our staff, the QLD Rescue presentation to our senior students, sporting events. Miles Race Day Clean-up and our ‘Meet & Greet’ for students and families.  It is difficult to believe we can fit so much in a short period of time.

Finally, our thoughts and prayers go out to our community and our school is always here to take care of your students during these difficult times.

Raelene Bates

Hello everyone and welcome to the end of week 4.  

We have had a very busy start to the term and unfortunately, quite a devastating week.  

Firstly, I would like to say that our thoughts are with all the families affected by the bush fires and we here at Miles SHS would love to support when possible. This is a very important time to come together as a community and help support each other get through these hard times.  

Over the last 2 weeks we have had some quite hot days and unforeseeable weather conditions. During this time, we have had to make some changes to lunch time routines and I would like to thank the students for being so accommodating during this time.  

Last week the senior leaders sat down with the leadership team and interviewed students for Junior and Middle Student Representative Council Positions. It was great to see the passion and ideas that were brought in by our younger students. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances our Investiture had to be postponed, so the release of these SRC positions will occur in Week 5.  

On Sunday 12th February the Miles SHS Year 12 cohort were provided the opportunity to help tidy up the racecourse after the Miles Race Meeting. It was made very clear from committee that they were highly impressed with the work ethic and effort the students put into making sure that racecourse was clean. The Year 12 cohort are off to a good start with fundraising for 2023 and we look forward to more opportunities to engage with the community.  

Student engagement has been quite high since the students have returned and this is great to see. Over the last week we have seen a slight rise in minor disruptive behaviours within the school. Just a reminder that we here at Miles SHS have high expectations for our students and with the support of parents/carers we can keep our students engaged and achieving.  

Have a great fortnight and you will hear from me in the coming weeks. 

Josh Moore

Our new banner can be found in each classroom displaying the expectation of our students in allowing others to teach and learn.  As part of Positive Behaviour, we illustrate the benefits of following our school expectations and the logical consequences when we don't.

The term is quickly rolling by and we are starting to get into the assessment work section of the term. Students have been working in class to complete planned content and assignments. This year we have been focusing on the work of Sharatt and Fullan and the students should be able to answer five questions about their learning. These questions are found in the image. 

In the Junior Secondary Phase (Years 7, 8 and 9) some homework can be completed daily or over a weekly or fortnightly period and may:

• include daily independent reading and spelling
• be coordinated across different subject areas
• include extension of class work, projects and research
• completing sheets writing and other forms of work to reinforce learning activities in class. 

Parents of year 7 please note that the amount of homework will be building up through the year and assessment tasks will not be coming home in Term 1.

In the Senior Secondary Phase (Years 10, 11 and 12) some homework can be completed daily or over a weekly or fortnightly period and may:

• Set Tasks – exercises set by the teacher to follow up on the day’s work or to prepare for work to be studied.
• Assignments – a key part of assessment for a unit of work. Time will be allocated both in class and at home for their completion.
• Study – It is recommended that you spend some time each evening reviewing the work covered during the day and preparing for your classes the next day. 

Parents of VET students will also see differences in these homework amounts as they are project and school based.

Caleb Kuhl

Immediately after a natural disaster, and during recovery efforts, it is common to experience some symptoms of psychological distress. With the support of colleagues, family and friends, most people will recover emotionally without the need for professional assistance. While some may benefit from psychological support almost immediately after a trauma such as a natural disaster, others may need to seek assistance weeks or even months afterwards.

• Behaviours such as irritability, wanting to be alone or feeling less interest in activities.
• Physical reactions such as sleeping problems, feeling on edge/tense, general aches, pains, or upset stomach.
• Emotions such as grief, distress, shock, anger, anxiety and sadness.
• Cognitive reactions such as intruding unpleasant memories, and difficulty concentrating or making decisions.

For most people, these reactions are mild and disappear over days or weeks.

Regaining a sense of control is important after experiencing a natural disaster. Some of the things you can do to look after yourself (or others) include:

• Recognise that you have been through an extremely stressful event, and that you may have an emotional response.
• Ensure you eat well, have adequate rest, and exercise regularly.
• Make time for relaxation such as a warm bath or listening to music – whatever normally works for you.
• Try to resume a normal routine, but don’t over-exert yourself to avoid unpleasant memories.
• Seek support from friends or family, and spend time with them. You might like to talk about feelings, but you don’t have to. Sometimes you might like to be alone, but make sure you don’t isolate yourself.
• Try to minimise caffeine in food and drinks, and avoid using alcohol or drugs to block out painful feelings.

For some people, self care activities may not be enough. Their reactions are more problematic, and they may require professional assistance.

Visit the Queensland Government Recovery after a Disaster site for more detailed information about topics such as insurance, support, cleaning up or volunteering.

Sometimes, you may wish to talk about how you are feeling with someone who you do not already know. Or you may feel more comfortable talking about what is going on in your life over the phone or online while you are at home.

There are many trusted organisations that are specifically available to support children and young people’s mental health. Whatever is going on in your life, you can talk to someone who cares and will help you to feel better. View the links below to find out more about each organisation and how to get in touch.

• Kids Helpline   provides information and advice for children and young people. This site is linked to the telephone counselling service.
• Say NO to Bullying (login required) provides information for students on bullies and their victims, and a range of useful links.
• Bullying. No way!  provides a range of useful information to assist students create a learning environment where every student and school community member is safe, supported, respected, valued and free from bullying, violence, harassment and discrimination.
• eheadspace is a confidential and free online service where young people aged 12 to 25 can talk to a qualified youth mental health professional. eheadspace can help with a broad range of issues like bullying, drug and alcohol issues, depression and anxiety, relationships, concerns about friends, fitting in and isolation.

Sarah Perry

Reluctance to attend school…

Every parent has trouble getting their teen out of bed and off to school every now and then. However, if your teen is regularly asking to stay home and seems upset or worried about school, it could be a sign of a bigger problem. 

This could help if:

• your teenager seems upset or worried about going to school
• you want to learn how to deal with teen school refusal
• your teenager has had problems with school refusal in the past

What’s going on?

School refusal is different to ‘wagging’ or ‘jigging’ because it stems from a teen’s anxiety about school. They might be worried about their school work, interacting with other kids, dealing with teachers, playing sports or being away from their family.

Why does it matter?

• Your teen is likely to fall behind in their subjects and this can have a serious impact on their learning in the long term.
• Your teen could miss out on important social activities and may lose friends or struggle to make new friends.
• It could be against the law. All Australian school-age children are legally required to attend school everyday. Unexplained absences can cause legal problems for your family, including financial penalties. Legal requirements are different for every state and territory. Check out the Lawstuff website for more details.

Dealing with school refusal

It can be hard to cope when your child refuses to go to school. You might be feeling frustrated, worried, confused, angry, or disappointed. Watch the video at this link to hear how Lucy Clarke, author of Beautiful Failures and mother of three, coped with her daughter’s school refusal.

https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/things-to-try-school-and-education/how-to-help-a-teen-who-doesnt-want-to-go-to-school 

If you have ongoing issues, please contact our Wellbeing team: Mr Josh Moore (HOD Engagement and Wellbeing), Sarah Perry (Guidance Officer), Annie Cardillo (Guidance Officer), Heidi Davis (Insearch Social Worker)  

Annie Cardillo

Wonder of Science

Miss Jenko is excited to announce that Wonder of Science is back for 2023. On Wednesday, she held a meeting with the students who are wanting to be involved in the program this year. 12 Students have put their names down to participate this year. There are 10 students in grade 7 and 2 in grade 9. Miss Jenko looks forward to working with those students throughout the year and seeing what they produce. Please keep your eyes out for further information to come. 

Homework Centre is up and running from Monday 20th Feb, 3pm to 4.30pm every Monday and Wednesday afternoon.  Parents will need to complete a permission form from the Main Office and book on Sobs.  If unable to book on SOBS, please ring the office to confirm student attendance.

https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70139 

It’s important we all understand everyone has the right to be safe in our schools and workplaces. The department does not condone occupational violence and aggression (OVA) where a student or staff member is threatened, harmed or injured by another person in any form.