S P I N I F E X S T A T E C O L L E G E
M O U N T
I S A
CampusLink
Volume 14 Issue 7
18 May 2016
“Sharing Knowledge, Creating our Future”
Principal/Junior Campus
Mrs Denise Kostowski
Head of Senior Campus
Mr Philip Sweeney
Head of Residential Campus
Mrs Catherine McGrath-Jeffrey
Upcoming Events
14-22 May 2016
Mount Isa Eisteddfod
18 May 2016
Gifted and Talented Launch
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
NAPLAN
Last week was a very
busy week with over 250
year 7 and 9 students
completing
their
five
NAPLAN tests. Students
enjoyed the breakfast that
the support staff served
each morning to help
settle any nerves and
ensure that they did not
get hungry during the
sessions.
23 May 2016
Gifted and Talented Program
Commences
Particular thanks to Mr
Coe for organising the breakfasts, and to Mrs Thompson and Mr
Lindenmayer for ensuring that the week ran smoothly and students were
able to engage in the testing without excess stress.
25 May 2016
Year 7 Immunisations
Students will receive individual reports later in the year once the marking
has been finalised.
26 May 2016
National Sorry Day
YR 6 GIFTED & TALENTED PROGRAM
1 June 2016
Year 8 Immunisations
This week we welcome to Spinifex the year 6 students from the primary
schools in town who will enjoy visiting our school over the next 15 weeks
as participants in our Gifted and Talented Program.
3 June 2016
Senior Campus Multicultural Day
10-12 June 2016
P&C Meeting
Our next P&C Meeting
will be held at Senior Campus
7pm on 18 May 2016.
This year, students were able to select from Maths/Science, Sports
Science, Food Studies, Media Studies and Drama Studies.
Special
thanks to Mrs Thompson who has visited all of the primary schools to
inform students of this opportunity, Mount Isa Mines, a Glencore
company, for their continued sponsorship, and Amanda Hamilton, Tara
O’Brien, Kate Donaghy, Lauren Brown and Nikita Millard who are the
teachers for volunteering to run these courses.
The launch will be held in the Junior Campus Library on Thursday
evening from 6pm to 7pm.
All parents and community members
are welcome and encouraged to
attend.
JUNIOR CAMPUS
(Office Hrs: 7.30am-3.30pm Mon- Fri)
RESIDENTIAL CAMPUS
(Office Hrs: 8.00am-4.30pm Mon- Fri)
SENIOR CAMPUS
(Office Hrs: 7.30am-3.30pm Mon- Fri)
Ph: 07 4740 1111
Fax: 07 4743 9102
Email: dkost2@eq.edu.au
Ph: 07 4745 4333
Fax: 07 4743 5066
Email: cmcgr53@eq.edu.au
Ph: 07 4744 7222
Fax: 07 4744 7200
Email: pswee5@eq.edu.au
Junior Student Absences
Absences Phone Line: 07 4740 1148
SCHOOL BAND PERFORMS
MEETING – ATSI Advisory Committee
Each year, a highlight for the school band is their
performance at the Mount Isa Eisteddfod. Again this
year the band was outstanding and was placed second
in the competition, just behind the Mount Isa Concert
Band in their section on Sunday afternoon. Of course
we have many students and staff who also play in the
Mount Isa Concert Band and the Strings Orchestra.
Congratulations to all our talented musicians for your
outstanding performances on Sunday.
This term’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Advisory Committee meeting will be held on Thursday
afternoon at 3pm at Senior Campus. Parents of our
Indigenous students are encouraged to come along
and hear what is happening in our school for your
students and, of course, for you to give us feedback on
our programs running in the school.
We have many talented students also competing in
individual competitions across the range of dance,
drama, singing and instrumental sections over the next
few weeks. We wish them all the very best for their
performances.
Have you purchased your winter uniform yet? It is
starting to get cooler and students are starting to look
for their navy jumpers. Please bear in mind that jeans
are not acceptable school uniform.
YEAR 7 AREA OPENING
Last
term
the Junior
Campus
had a lot of
facilities
work done
to
update
classrooms.
Included in
this
work
was
a
remodelling
and rejuvenation of the year 7 lunchtime area. Last
week, students enjoyed an opening of the area which
includes shading, artificial grass and replanted
gardens.
We were pleased to invite to the opening some of the
workers who have played an important role to ensure
that this work was finished in a timely manner and did
such a professional job. The year 7 students have
moved back into their area and are enjoying the
refreshed look.
DOMESTIC
AND
FAMILY
VIOLENCE
PREVENTION MONTH
During this month, on parade and in form classes,
students are learning about what domestic violence is,
what the different types of abuse can be and how they
can help to stop this violence in our state. This week
the focus of the messages is “Don’t be a Bystander”.
Often times it just takes one person to speak up, stand
up or report violence to stop inappropriate statements
or actions from happening.
Next week students and staff will be invited to sign a
commitment card to say that they will stand up against
domestic violence when they see it. I encourage
parents to talk to our students about this very
important matter and encourage them to be part of the
solution to stop DV from continuing.
MEETING – P&C
The May meeting of our P&C will be held at the Senior
Campus on Wednesday night at 7pm. It was very
disappointing last month to not have a quorum at the
meeting so I encourage any parents who might be
considering coming along to do so this month.
SCHOOL UNIFORMS
Remember, research tells us that students who dress
in uniform each day are more likely to be in a frame of
mind to engage effectively in the learning program of
the school.
Facebook Page
I encourage all parents to ‘like’ our Facebook page.
This is a means of us keeping parents
informed/reminded about events happening in our
school.
Regards,
Denise Kostowski
Principal
In and Around Our School
Tourism Camp
Last week, 40 of our grade 12 students had the
opportunity to participate in a Tourism Camp to the
Gold Coast as a part of completing the nationally
recognised Certificate II in Tourism. The week was
filled with adventure and excitement, from learning
how to surf and stand up paddle board to riding the 9
thrill rides of Dreamworld to getting up close and
personal with polar bears and sharks at Sea World.
The camp was a great success with all students not
only having the times of their lives but also coming
home with experience and knowledge of Tourism on
the Gold Coast.
From the SBYHN…
SBYHN…
A Word from our Guidance Officer
Immunisations are coming up for Year 7 and 8
students so, to prepare, there a few things can be
done.
Three Important Steps for Keeping Children Safe
Parents; a few tips to make your student feel a little
more at ease:
Talk about immunisation. Having a conversation can
be the easiest way to put your child at ease about
vaccinations. There’s no point pretending that needles
don’t hurt a little bit – they do. But talking about the
diseases and explaining that a moment of pain can
give you a lifetime of protection, can really put things
into perspective.
Give them a good breakfast. This will help them to
avoid feeling dizzy or dehydrated on the day of
vaccination. Having extra snacks on hand can help,
too.
Prepare them for the needle. Lots of young people
feel really nervous and then wonder why they were so
worked up afterwards when it turns out to be no big
deal. Let them know it’s okay to feel worried and
there’s plenty they can do about it.
from Abuse
This is an ever changing world and there are many
things in it that we would like to protect our children
from, especially sexual abuse. As parents, we do our
best to provide our children with safety equipment,
expose them to lessons that will give them the tools to
protect themselves and be there for them when they
need us.
Unfortunately, we cannot be with our children 24-7,
especially as they grow and venture into the world
towards independence. Despite our role as protector,
we can only control so much of what will happen to our
children BUT we can equip them with the most
powerful weapon of all – knowledge and information.
Please see attached item for more information.
If you have any concerns regarding your child, please
contact the front office to make an appointment to see
me:
•
For more information, see:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/tentips/10tip
sforparentstoprepareyourteenagerforschoolbasedimm
unisation
•
Junior Campus – Monday, Wednesday and
Friday
Ph: (07) 4740 1111
Senior Campus – Tuesday and Thursday
Ph: (07) 4744 7222
Joy Wagstaff
Guidance Officer
Students can:
Have a good breakfast. To avoid feeling dizzy or
dehydrated, make sure you have had breakfast and
have extra snacks on the day of vaccination.
Talk to someone if you have questions or feel
nervous. You can speak to the nurses giving the jab
or your teacher. Waiting can sometimes make you
more nervous. You could ask to go first.
Think about something else. Try wiggling your toes
while the needle goes in. This gives you something
else to focus on. Tightening your muscles or clenching
your fist because you're tense can make it seem to
hurt more.
Remember that a little bump or soreness is
normal. Sometimes after a jab, your arm will hurt, look
red, or have a small bump where the needle went in.
This is normal and should go away in three or four
days, but if you're worried, show your parent or
guardian and they can have a doctor check it out.
For more information, see:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/tentips/10tip
sforsecondarystudentsonhowtodealwithimmunisation
Allison Wolf
CN School Based Youth Health Nurse
Junior Campus Lunch Time Activities
A number of lunch time activities are held in the Lunch
Room every week at Junior Campus. All sorts of
activities are offered, from board games and Wii on
Thursdays to Creative Corner where students are
given the opportunity to paint, make their own
jewellery, create string art and more on Wednesdays.
Get your students to see Miss BeeJae in L Block for
more information.
Community News
Ian Thorpe takes on Bullying
Do you live in Queensland? Ian Thorpe is encouraging
members of the public aged 14 – 18 years of age to
get in touch to take part in The Bully Project.
We are making a documentary for the ABC about
bullying and we would like to talk to you. Please visit
http://stopbullying.tv for more information and to sign
up to help the campaign
If you live outside Queensland or do not meet our age
requirements and need help, there are organisations
that can assist you.
Three Important Steps for Keeping Children Safe from Abuse
By Connie Hammer, MSW & PCI Certified Parent Coach ®
This is an ever-changing world and there are many things in it that we would like
to protect our children from, especially sexual abuse. The last thing any parent
wants to see is their child violated, hurt or in pain. As parents, we do our best to
provide our children with safety equipment, expose them to lessons that will give
them the tools to protect themselves and be there for them when they need
us. Unfortunately, we cannot be with our children 24-7, especially as they grow
and venture into the world toward independence. Despite our role as protector,
we can only control so much of what will happen to our children BUT we can
equip them with the most powerful weapon of all—knowledge and information.
A big fear among parents is that their child will fall victim to sexual abuse. Is it
possible to make a child abuse-proof and resistant to the enticements of a
perpetrator? In addition to all the quick and easy safety proofing tips and the
important information found in books and on websites, parents work to instill the
message that their child’s body belongs to them, they encourage them to never
keep unsafe secrets, and they explain the importance of saying NO—what more
can a parent do?
There is much we can do as parents to protect our children from this heinous
crime, and we can begin at a very early age. True protection goes beyond telling
our children not to talk to strangers. True protection lies in creating a child that is
internally resistant and a child whose inner strength will make them less
vulnerable to the crafty approaches of a child molester. The following
suggestions may seem simple because we automatically do them as parents
but we often don't realize how powerful they are in keeping our children safe:
1. Strive to enhance your child's assertiveness skills: Learning how to be
appropriately assertive rather than aggressive or passive is one of the
best gifts we can give our children. Individuals who seek out children for
their own distorted purposes are counting on them to be passive and will
not spend time grooming a child who is likely to speak up for herself. We
can begin this process at the early age of two or before when our little
cherubs take their first step toward assertion by discovering the word "no".
This simple word contains much power and could be the one thing that
keeps them safe.
2. Help your child acquire a capable sense of self: Children who appear
capable are less likely to be targeted by individuals who prey upon
children. These individuals are searching for those who are vulnerable,
those who seem helpless. Helping our children become as independent as
possible is our job and the sooner we nurture appropriate independence
the better. We need to be mindful of the tendency to do too much for
children and creating learned helplessness. As we teach our sons and
daughters to do things for themselves rather than do it for them, their
confidence grows. Don't ever hesitate to help your child learn and master
a new task if you think they are ready, the feeling of “I can do it myself” is
powerful and will serve as one more layer of protection from the hands of
any perpetrator.
3. Make sure your child knows what a healthy relationship is: Our children
must have an accurate sense of what constitutes a healthy relationship in
order to have proper instinctual knowledge—a gut feeling—of what is
normal. Perpetrators spend a lot of their time trying to convince their
intended victim that "this is what people do when they care about each
other". Their success lies in their attempts to normalize the invasive
behaviors they use to set up their potential victims. Making sure your
children know that a healthy relationship doesn't require keeping unsafe
secrets, uncomfortable touches and insidious remarks, will ensure that
these messages fall on deaf ears. They will also know that “normal” does
not mean constant enticement with gifts or atypical attention either.
Our job must go beyond role modeling healthy relationships to talking about it
with our children, honestly, specifically and often, until they fly from our
nest. When our children are grounded in what a healthy relationship looks like,
sounds like and feels like, we are not only providing them with strong armor that
will shield them from possible harm but important knowledge that will reap many
positive benefits in all aspects of their life for years to come.
As a parent educator and certified parent coach, Connie Hammer helps parents uncover abilities
to change possibilities with her more than twenty years of experience working with families. A
licensed social worker, she currently consults with and focuses on supporting parents of young
children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. For additional information or a
complimentary 15-minute phone consultation, call 207-615-5457 or contact her at
connie@parentcoachingforautism.com. Visit http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com to get your
FREE resources—a weekly parenting tip newsletter, The Spectrum, and a parenting e-course,
Parenting a Child with Autism—3 Secrets to Thrive.
Copyright ©2011 Connie Hammer, all rights reserved. Used with permission