1 August 2024

Principal

Welcome to Term 3

DATE CHANGES

Due to the impending teacher industrial action on Wednesday 8^th August, we will be rescheduling our Year 6 Transition Day, as well as Year 10 SET Plan meetings to Wednesday 13^th August.

SET plan meetings will need to be rescheduled, via COMPASS or the school office. This will be available from Friday 1^st August.

Book Week Costume Day

Our costume day for Book Week is Monday 18^th August. We look forward to seeing our students dressed in their favourite book characters.

Congratulations to Burnett, who were our House Cup winners for Term 2!

Leadership Parade

On Monday we celebrated our 2025/2026 school leaders at the Investiture Parade.

Congratulations to our new Senior School Captains Lahni and Tiffany, and Vice Captains Bailey and Pranav.

School Captains Yulia and Ella and Vice Captains Will and Holly (Junior).

Our House Captains: Bailey and Kate (Burnett), Pranav and Will (Lavarack), Holly (Flinders, Shari and Ella (Paterson).

Student Mentors:

• Year 7 – Will
• Year 8 – Molly, Will, Yulia, Darcy, Sarah, Olivia, Ella, Carter, Pypa, Holly
• Year 9 – Zara, Charlotte, Nathan, Bronte
• Year 10 – Georgina, Amy, Jasmyn, Natalie, Madelyn, Bella, Clae, Chloe, Brendan
• Year 11 – Bonnie, Lochlan, Bailey, Mia, Kate, Lahni, Pranav, Tewai, Shari, Tiffany, Ella

Student Council:

• President – Kate
• Secretary – Ella
• Treasurer – Shari
• Représentatives – Peter, Sammi, Grace, Ava, Chloe, Clae

Interact Committee

• President - Chloe
• Secretary- Bella
• Treasurer- Clae

I cannot thank enough, our outgoing Captains: Libby, Brooke, Tohuranga, Grace, Zara, Charlotte and Asta.

School Opinion Survey

The School Opinion Survey opens on Monday 28^th July, through to the 22^nd August. Invitations were emailed to Parents / Caregivers last week.

All invitations will contain a link with a unique user ID and password as part of that link. The survey can be accessed by simply clicking on the link. Respondents will only be able to complete the survey once.

The survey invitation email uses the subject line: School Opinion Survey for parents/caregivers, 2025; parents/caregivers should check junk email folders if it can’t be found.

Translations of the Parent/Caregiver Survey are available online at

The School Opinion Survey continues to be an anonymous survey. Personal information such as email address is used for distribution purposes only. These are separated from a person’s responses and deleted, prior to the responses being loaded into a database.

Basketball Court Upgrade

Some of you may have noticed that the work of resurfacing our basketball courts has begun.

Weather pending, the concrete pour is planned for Wednesday 6^th and Thursday 7^th August. Trucks will be in and out of the school grounds, at the Gladstone Road double gates. Students will not be permitted to walk through these gates on those days.

Changes to School Uniform 2026

From the beginning of the 2026 school year, our official school uniform shorts and trackpants will be those that can be purchased from the school – the black shorts, and trackpants with BSHS embroidered on them.

The next five months will be a transition period for families to purchase shorts from the school, at the cost of $19 and trackpants at $30 each. 

The committee worked closely with students last year to choose the style of shorts that can be purchased.

This change is part of our ongoing efforts to maintain a consistent and unified appearance for all students, to strengthen school identity and pride.

Swimming Carnival Update

We have been advised that the 50m pool may not be available for our swimming carnival date this term, nor in the expected future.

This is an ongoing situation, and we will continue to work with the Biloela Aquatic Centre around this.

This may mean that our 2026 carnival may be cancelled. However, we are hopeful that it will still go ahead. We will keep you updated.

P&C Father’s Day Raffle

Our school P&C are planning to have a Father’s Day Raffle this term. If anyone has any donations that they could put towards this, please contact the Biloela SHS P&C - BiloelaStateHighSchoolP.C.Assn@outlook.com.au

Proposed Industrial Action

You would be aware by now that there is planned industrial action by teachers on Wednesday 6^th August.

Students will be supervised in the Resource Centre by limited teaching staff and additional non-teaching support staff. No structured learning will take place on this day.

Additionally, there will be no Breakfast Club or Tuckshop on this day.

Natasha Bunn
Principal

Important Dates

* Please note these dates are subject to change without consultation.

Deputy Principal Years 7 and 8

Year 7 2026 Transition Day

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this planned Transition Day has now been moved from Wednesday 6^th August to Wednesday 13^th August.  Updated information has been sent to all of our wonderful feeder schools.

We look forward to welcoming our local Year 6 students on the Wednesday 13^th August.

A reminder to all families and carers to bring in your completed Enrolment Forms to our friendly team in the office in preparation for Enrolment Interviews on Wednesday 27^th August and Monday 1^st September.  Our office team are in the process of contacting families and carers who have submitted Enrolment Forms to arrange interview times.

Year 9 2026 Electives

Later this term, Mr Hall will be working with our current Year 8 students with regards to their elective options for the 2026 school year.   Please look out for communications from Mr Hall with regards this process for our students.

Just a reminder for all students, carers and families to be monitoring Compass to support student assessment.  Compass has efficient capability to let parents and carers know when assessment is due.

Linda Holman
Deputy Principal Years 7 and 8

Deputy Principal Years 9 and 10

Year 10 SET Planning

Year 10 classes will not be running on Wednesday 13^th of August to allow all students to attend their SET plan interview. The interviews will be held at school in N Block (N01).

Each child and a parent/ carer will meet with an assigned Deputy Principal, Head of Department, or Guidance Officer. The meeting will take approximately 20 minutes.

Students and parent/carers need to make a booking with their designated staff member from Biloela State High School to participate in these interviews. 

A booking can be made through COMPASS by clicking on the Conferences tab and select SET Plan.

For additional support please click on the link below.

If you are having difficulty making an appointment please contact the school office on 4992 8666 for support.

2026 Year 9 and 10 Electives

During Term 3, our Year 8 and 9 students will have the opportunity to select their elective pathways for Years 9 and 10 for the 2026 school year.

Students will receive information and guidance at school, and further details will also be shared with families as the elective selection windows open. During this time, students will be supported in confirming their subject preferences.

While we aim to accommodate every student’s elective choices, please note that subject availability may be affected by staffing capacity and timetable constraints.

Year 11 Transition – Senior Pathways & Subject Selection Update

A big thank you to all the parents and carers who attended Ms Roach’s Senior Pathways Information Session on Thursday, 24th July. The session provided valuable insights to help support students as they transition from Year 10 into their senior years.

In line with our school vision—Fostering success and individual pathways for every student—we are committed to ensuring each student is well-prepared for their future.

Subject Selection – SET Plan Interviews
Year 10 students will complete their subject selections for Years 11 and 12 during their SET Plan interviews on Wednesday, 13^th August. During these interviews, students will select subjects in consultation with their parent or carer.

To support this process, the information session covered key details about the QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education) and ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) systems. We encourage all families to have meaningful conversations about future goals and ensure subject choices align with current academic progress and long-term aspirations.

If you have any further questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact Ms Roach.

Compulsory Participation Phase of Schooling

David Hall
Deputy Principal Years 9 and 10

Deputy Principal Years 11 and 12

Report Cards & QCE Progress

Report cards were emailed to all parents and carers on the final day of last term. Please take a moment to review your child’s results and discuss them together.

For our Year 11 and 12 students, it’s essential they stay on track toward achieving their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). Each student has a QCE tracking page in their school diary to help them monitor their progress. We encourage all students to be familiar with QCE requirements.

Students who are not currently on track will be invited to meet with me, and I’ll be reaching out to families to work together on strategies for improvement. Regular attendance and full participation in classes are key factors in academic success. If students need extra support, they should speak with their subject teacher or the relevant Head of Department (HOD).

Attendance Matters

We are noticing an increase in late arrivals among some Year 11 and 12 students—particularly those missing care group and not signing in upon arrival.

Please remind your child that if they arrive after care group, they must sign in at the front office. Without this, automated absence messages may be sent to parents unnecessarily.

Missing care group not only impacts attendance records but also means students miss important daily notices. These messages are an essential part of how we keep students informed.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your child stay engaged and on track.

ROADCRAFT

Year 11 & 12 students have the amazing opportunity to undertake a Driver Awareness course due to the support of JBOYS.

This is a two-day course on Thursday 18^th & Friday 19^th September 2025 at Benaraby Driver Education Facility. Students will be transported by bus each day.

Cost $105/student non-refundable including bus travel.

If you wish to take up this opportunity, permission forms are available from the school office which has further information which are to be returned as soon as possible or before Monday 1^st September 2025.

Please be advised that there are only 24 places available these will be allocated on a first in basis as interest forms and payment/proof of payment sighted and received at the school office, providing all the criteria has been met, once course is filled a wait list will be formed. Please be advised at this point in time we have 12 spots left.

We would like to thank Biloela Rotary Club for their donation towards the Driver Education program.

Tania Roach
Deputy Principal Years 11 and 12

House Spirit Update

Burnett were triumphant again in Term 2 and earned the House Cup breakfast reward.

Points Tally:

Our students are now working to earn house points for the Term 3 leg of the house competition. Points are up for grabs from such things as:

• Receiving a Positive Post Card from a teacher
• Attendance at or above 92% at the end of the Term 3
• Taking part in school competitions (Student Voice)
• Participating in sporting events (such as the Swimming Carnival and Friday Lunch sports)
• Fortnightly KAHOOT general knowledge quizzes held in Care Group
• Contribution to school service events (such as Clean Up Crew, Interact etc)
• Recycling Containers. Each container contributes a point to the house total.
• Volunteering and helping in the tuckshop or with the daily wellbeing breakfast.

Student Support

Guidance Officers 

 Students in Year 12 who are considering university for 2026 can start their application with QTAC as of Tuesday 5^th August.  Students also need to register to receive their ATAR.  Both of these processes can be done via the QTAC website.  

QTAC Application Support Sessions 

Students who are applying to university for 2026 are encouraged to come along to our QTAC assist sessions before school this term. 

Sessions will run at these times: 

Thursday 21^st August – 8:30 to 9:00 am in the Resource Centre 
Thursday 4^th September – 8:30 to 9:00 am in the Resource Centre 
Thursday 18^th September – 8:30 to 9:00 am in the Resource Centre 

 R U OK day is Thursday 11th September 

The Student Support Team will be hosting some fun lunch time games to get students interacting with each other, and to promote the R U OK Day resources.  We will also have some presentations for students about how to assist a friend who may be showing signs of going through a rough time.  For more information about the day, you can visit the website - https://www.ruok.org.au/ 

 Year 11 University Trip 

Students who registered their interest in attending the trip have paid a deposit to secure their spot.  The trip takes place Tuesday 2^nd to Friday 5^th December and will allow students to visit The University of Queensland, QUT and Griffith South Bank Campus.  We will be travelling via Tilt Train and using the TransLink service to get to our activities in Brisbane and surrounds.  Any questions about this trip can be directed to the Guidance Officer via the school administration. 

Black Dog Institute Screen Use Support 

Did you know 28% of teenagers are using screens for more than 5 hours per day? 

Black Dog Institute has published a suite of resources to assist parents with understanding their child’s online experience and ways to support them to stay safe online.  Check out the guide here - 

Assessment season is just around the corner! Here are some helpful strategies to support your students as they prepare. Remember to ask your teacher if you need any help.  

CYBERBULLYING 

The most important thing to remember if you are being cyberbullied is that you’re not alone and there are adults who can help you. 

Keep evidence of the bullying (save emails, take screenshots of messages or posts), delete and block the bully and report the problem to the Safety Centre of the platform or app (you can find a full list here).  And most importantly tell an adult you trust. And keep telling adults until someone does something to help you.  

Office of the eSafety Commissioner  

How To Take A Screenshot On Any Device  

Report Cyberbullying: Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner 

Legal Aid Queensland: Laws surrounding cyber-bullying and what to do about it.  

The National Children’s and Youth Law Centre, can provide free legal advice for anyone under 18, or anyone acting on their behalf. 

Bullying No Way website for kids, teens, parents and teachers 

Candice Hawkins                                                                 Jody Smith
Guidance Officer                                                                 Guidance Officer

Youth Support Coordinator

Breakfast Club 

Term 3 has kicked off to a great start, serving breakfast every morning and making sure our students are full and happy for the day ahead. Thanks to the generous weekly financial and local support that continues from the YMCA, Rise Bakery Biloela, Woolworths Biloela, and OzHarvest their weekly support is very much appreciated and goes along with in the school. 

In Week 9, the Breakfast Club will be hosting a special R U OK Day Pancake Breakfast to bring our school community together and support an important cause. Encouraging conversations around mental health and checking in with one another. Come along, enjoy some pancakes, and help spread kindness and connection throughout our school. 

NAIDOC Week 2025 

Biloela State High School proudly celebrated NAIDOC Week (21–25 July 2025), Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to participate in a range of creative art activities during break times, including NAIDOC-themed colouring and painting sessions. These activities provided a meaningful way for students to engage with the themes of NAIDOC Week, express their creativity, and show respect for First Nations culture. 

Dorrie Day 2025 

Dorrie Day 2025 is a First Nations Carnival of Careers happening on Thursday, 31 July 2025, at the Philip Street Communities & Families Precinct in Gladstone. Biloela State High School will be attending Dorrie Day 2025, joining other schools and community members to engage in hands-on workshops, meet local employers, and celebrate First Nations culture and careers This dynamic expo features live performances, resume and interview skills support, cultural experiences, food, and interactive stalls—empowering First Nations students across Central Queensland. 

Dylan Burmester 
Youth Support Coordinator 

Chaplain

One of the responsibilties of a Chaplain is to support students through their individual spiritual journeys.  As such, when a group of students approached me in 2023 to start a prayer group, I took the necessary steps to get it up and running. This student-led group has now been meeting every Wednesday for the last 2 years. 

This is only one example of how a Chaplain can support a young person’s spirituality in the school environment, but I’m always looking for more opportunities to support others. 

It’s also important to remember that ‘spirituality’ does not only refer to matters of religion but encompasses the broader concept of searching for meaning and purpose in life. This includes seeking meaningful connections with nature, other people, or with one’s own mind, as an example. 

James Blair
Chaplain

School Nurse

Lindsay Caughey
School Nurse

Industry Liaison Officer

Holiday Work Experience

Applications for Work Experience during the September/October school holidays have closed, with applications being processed.  Applications for the December school holidays are now available from the ILO office in the library.  We had twelve students complete work experience during the recent school holidays across a variety of industries. Thank you to our local businesses who continue to provide these opportunities. A reminder, if students are unable to attend for any reason, they are required to advise the business and ILO in advance.

School-Based apprenticeships

Congratulations to Bella who has commenced a school-based traineeship in Beauty with Zoe Smith Skin & Beauty Therapy and Chloe who has commenced a school-based traineeship in Early Childhood Education with Nurture Early Learning. If you or your child is considering a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship, please come and see me or contact me directly.

Training completed in term THREE

Applications for our term three training will be available in the next week. Year 11 and twelve students are able to complete a First Aid and CPR course. Year 10, 11 and 12  students are able to complete a White Card (General Construction Induction Training (GCIT) card) course. Students are required to have completed their onboarding and their online modules prior to due dates. These courses have limited numbers and are often very popular, please monitor Compass for further details.

Peta Constable
Industry Liaison Officer

Marketing Officer

Student Council Leads the Charge for the World’s Greatest Shave.

Our incredible Year 12 Student Council has taken the lead in organising this year’s World’s Greatest Shave, rallying support and raising funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. Seven brave students have already launched their campaigns, several of these students have also committed to donating their locks to Wigs for Kids, helping children experiencing hair loss due to medical conditions.

For those unfamiliar, the World’s Greatest Shave it is an fundraising event where participants shave, colour, or cut their hair to support Australians facing blood cancer. The funds raised go toward vital research and patient support services.

This year, it’s not just students stepping up—three of our dedicated staff members have joined the cause!

Chappy James is shaving his beard… and if students raise over $5,000, he’s agreed to wax his legs as well!

Mrs Moretti has committed to dyeing her entire head of luscious locks a bold, bright colour—handpicked by none other than Libby Fletcher (yes, there was a bit of a mix-up at assembly, but it’s all sorted now!). If the fundraising total hits $10,000, the stakes get even higher (Chop not shave!

To help boost donations, students will begin raffling off a Yeti in the new Black Forest Green Edition- next week—just $1 per ticket. Be sure to grab yours!

You can support the cause by donating online via the World’s Greatest Shave page or by popping into the library and dropping some change in the money tin. Every bit counts!

Let’s get behind our students and staff as they shave, colour, and wax their way toward making a real difference!

Interact Committee Off to a Flying Start!

Our brand-new Interact Committee has hit the ground running and we’re already deep into planning two exciting community events!

Arts & Crafts Afternoon – 14th August

Join us for another fun-filled Arts and Crafts Afternoon at Biloela Shopping World! While the theme is still under wraps (stay tuned to Facebook for the big reveal), we can promise a lovely afternoon of creativity and colour. Bring your younger children along and enjoy some hands-on fun from 3:30pm—it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family!

Totally 80s Trivia Night – 22^nd August

Grab your leg warmers and tease that hair—it’s time to step back into the 80s! We’re hosting an 80s-themed Trivia Night and you're invited to get a team together, dress up, and test your knowledge on all things retro.

• Tables of 8–10 people
• $60 per table (includes a savoury platter)
• Drinks and snacks available for purchase
• Prizes for Best Dressed Individual and Best Dressed Team
• Raffles and more surprises on the night!

Spaces are limited, so get in quick and secure your table! It’s shaping up to be a fantastic night of fun, nostalgia, and fundraising.

Tickets can be purchased via QKR, please contact Tamara Moretti  -tmore33@eq.edu.au if you require assistance.

Follow our socials for updates and booking details—see you there!

Congratulations to Biloela state High Schools new Leaders, I look forward to working with you.

Thank you to our outgoing committees!

Your dedication to our school and community has been outstanding. You have truly embodied service above self in every activity you participated in, all while staying committed to your studies.

A big congratulations to Libby, Brooke, Tohuranga, Emily, TeAmokura, Chloe, Hayley, Erin, Isabella, Andrew, and Alisha for an amazing 2024/2025 in Student Council and Interact. You have consistently represented Biloela State High School with pride—well done!

Tamara Moretti
Marketing Officer

Resource Centre

Check out the attached photos of the incredible collaborative artwork created by our students.
From Year 7 through to Year 12—and even some of our staff—everyone contributed to this vibrant colouring-in poster. This beautiful piece is a testament to the creativity and community spirit that shines when we work together

Deb Voss

Stymie

Biloela State High School is proud to be working with ‘Stymie’ to foster and empower students to further our school’s culture of care. Any student can make a notification about someone they believe is being bullied or harmed via the link below. This notification is automatically forwarded to the school, and managed by the appropriate, nominated members of staff.

Click here to visit the Stymie Website https://stymie.com.au/.

We share the weekly Stymie focus each week, with teachers often referring to this in their lessons.

Tuckshop

Natasha Nelson
Tuckshop Convenor