7 February 2020

Newsletter Articles

From the Executive Principal's Desk

WELCOME TO 2020

Welcome to the 2020 school year! It is my great pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to all those families joining our school community this year. At the start of the new term, we welcomed 300 new Year 7 students as well as around 50 new students across our other year levels. I also extend a warm welcome to all of our returning families. I hope that everyone had a safe, relaxing and enjoyable festive season.

It was a busy holiday period for many of our staff and students, with representatives from Pimlico attending the UN climate change summit in Madrid, the Plan for the Planet global conference in Singapore and a UN conference in Shanghai.

This start of the new school year has been a difficult one for many around Australia. Many communities are still grappling with the devastating impact of this summer’s bushfires. Some communities closer to home have been dealing with flooding. We have also been closely monitoring the ongoing Novel Coronavirus outbreak.

This month also marks the first anniversary of the floods that affected so many in our Townsville community last year. Many families in our community continue to feel the impact of that disaster. Many remain out of their homes while others are experienced ongoing impact on their employment and livelihoods. I know that our collective thoughts will be with all those who were affected by the floods and especially with those who continue to feel this impact today.

Despite these challenges, our school community has a busy but exciting year ahead of us. We are welcoming six full-sized cohorts into our school for the first time. We are preparing for our first group of seniors to graduate under the new QCE system. We have introduced our innovative new Certificate II in Leadership program. We are undertaking our re-accreditation with the Council of International Schools.

This year, we are also implementing our revised leadership structure, which includes the establishment of a new principal position. It is my pleasure to welcome Peter Stumer to our school’s Senior Executive Team. Peter brings a wealth of experience, having worked in a range of leadership roles across Queensland schools, most recently as Deputy Principal at Northern Beaches State High School. Under this new structure, I continue to provide overarching leadership across our school community. Peter and each of our four Deputy Principals will each be responsible for one of the five key strategic portfolio areas that drive our school’s ongoing improvement agenda. Each of the members of our Senior Executive Team also oversee the coordination of each of our year levels.

• Joel Buchholz, Executive Principal
• Peter Stumer, Principal – responsibility for Wellbeing and Engagement portfolio and Years 7 and 8
• Debbie Robinson, Deputy Principal – responsibility for Senior Schooling portfolio and Year 9
• Yvette Rimmer, Deputy Principal – responsibility for Teaching and Learning portfolio and Year 10
• Denise Glasgow, Deputy Principal – responsibility for Community Partnerships portfolio and Year 11
• Kim McDonald, Deputy Principal – responsibility for Inclusive Education portfolio and Year 12
• Karen Patrick, Business Manager – responsibility for Corporate Services portfolio

Peter will be supported by our two Heads of Department (Student Development) who will continue to work closely with our Years 7 and 8 students during their first two years of high school. Lee Kynaston will be overseeing our Year 7s and Carmel Linning will be overseeing our Year 8s.

I look forward to working with all of our staff, students and families over the year ahead. In the coming weeks, there are some important opportunities for parents and guardians to connect with our school community. I hope to see many of you at our first P&C Association meeting of the year on Tuesday, 11 February. Parents are welcome to attend our Inter-House Swimming Carnival on Friday, 21 February – it is always a great community-building day with wonderful school and house spirit on display. Our Parent-Teacher Meet-and-Greet on Tuesday, 25 February, provides a great opportunity for parents and guardians to attend a variety of information sessions and to meet informally with their children’s teachers.

All the very best for 2020!

Yours in education

Joel Buchholz
Executive Principal

Principal Peter Stumer & Executive Principal Joel Buchholz

From the Principal's Desk

INTRODUCTIONS

Hello parents, students and staff,

I’d like to take the opportunity to introduce myself and my role of Principal that is new to the school this year. I have been working in Queensland state schools and overseas for the last 22 years and have been living in Townsville since 2005. My previous school was Northern Beaches State High School where I was Deputy Principal for the past seven years.

In a school as large and with as many things going on as Pimlico State High School there is a need for an additional Principal to support the strategic work of Mr Buchholz, our Executive Principal. I’ve been greatly enjoying my first few weeks, although they have been a whirlwind of new names and new faces. 2020 is shaping up to be another exciting year for Pimlico State High School and I am very pleased to be joining the team.

Peter Stumer
Principal

P&C Association

Our canteen volunteers are dwindling and our Convenor Bev Tomkins is desperate for volunteers for 2020 (specifically Tuesday - Thursday). I urge all parents to consider joining our volunteer team at the canteen. The canteen is air-conditioned and the staff/volunteers are friendly and will welcome you with open arms and a cuppa. Please contact Bev Tomkins at the canteen if you can offer any help. Bev’s contact details; Ph. 47593432 (7.30-3pm weekdays) or via email at btomk11@eq.edu.au

Upcoming Meetings:

Pimlico P&C:

The first meeting in 2020 will be held on Tuesday 11 February. The meeting will commence at 7.30 pm in M-Block (beside PAC), so please come along. We look forward to seeing many new faces, along with the old.

If you have any specific topics that you would like to raise at the P&C meeting, would you please in advance email the P&C pandc@pimlicoshs.eq.edu.au so that the topic can be added to the meeting agenda.

The P & C usually meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month during the school term.

Jo Konings
PSHS P&C President

IMPORTANT DATES

AROUND THE GROUNDS

SPORTS STAR

Massive congratulations to Jason Weston!

In January, Jason won the boy's junior aquathon with the Townsville Tri club!

He ran 1km, swam 200m, ran 1km, swam 200m, ran 1km.

TIP TRAINING

Over the first few weeks of term 1, the year 7 students will be participating in ‘The Inter-Year Programme’ (TIP) for one lesson per week. TIP is a peer-mentoring program where year 11 and 12 students work with year 7 Care classes to help support their transition to high school. The TIP program assists the year 7 students to get to know each other and their school as well as providing the students with time management and organisational skills necessary to navigate the new procedures and commitments associated with commencing high school. TIP has a long tradition at Pimlico SHS and is based around the Peer Support Program. The benefits of the program for year 7 students include:

• learning life skills through fun and safe activities
• establishing connections within cohort
• practising cooperation and collaboration
• building confidence to actively participate
• feeling supported in their transition

Each year 7 Care class is assigned a group of 5-7 year 11 and 12 TIP leaders who follow a set program each week. All of the TIP leaders completed a two day training course on leadership during their holidays to prepare for the program.

Carmel Linning
HOD – Student Development

NEW EQI INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT PIMLICO

Welcome to our six new International Students who have arrived from Germany as part of the EQI Homestay Program.

LET THEM EAT CREPES

Students of French did not miss an opportunity to eat freshly-made crêpes.

With Pancake Day (la Chandeleur) falling on Sunday 2 February this year, junior and senior language learners enjoy a crêpe or two, the next day. Crêpes are the equivalent of lamingtons or pavlova. In the Francophone countries, they are eaten as a main meal, an after-school snack or a dessert.

Bon appétit!

Yr11 Rebecca Kelso, Connor McMahon, and Anna

BICYCLE ENGRAVING

The School Based Police Officer Snr. Const. Bridget Uriarte will be running a bike engraving day on Wednesday 26th February. This is an opportunity for students to have your bikes engraved with a unique identification code which will be recorded by Police. Engraving your bike may deter thieves from stealing it and it will assist Police to get your bike returned to you if it is lost or stolen.

If you would like to have your bike engraved, please visit the office to collect a form or click below to download one and speak with your parents about it. Please complete the form and get your parent/guardian to sign it. Bring the form and your bike to school on Wednesday 26th February. At first lunch break you will need to attend the bike racks with your form and stay there while your bike is engraved. If you don’t go to the bike racks with your form completed, you will miss out.

Community Events and Notices

WORLD EDUCATION PROGRAM

WEP Australia is excited to announce five new student exchange scholarship opportunities!

WEP’s Going Green Scholarships are available for semester and year student exchange programs departing between July and September 2020.

World Education Program (WEP) is an Australian not-for-profit student exchange organisation registered with the education departments/regulatory authorities. Each year, we send hundreds of Australian high school students around the world.

WEP exchanges are first and foremost academic programs with students attending school full-time. As such, we rely on the support of Australian schools and teachers to inform students about exchange opportunities.

Students can find out more about their exchange opportunities by requesting an information pack at WEP.ORG.AU