The Middle School team welcomes all our students and families back to Term 4. For our Year 9 cohort, this is the final term with us in Middle School as they progress into Senior School next year. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish our Year 9’s all the very best for the remainder of the year and to remind you all to finalise your subject selections for 2020! Week 10 of Term 4 ALL Year 9 students are expected to attend work experience. So, we ask all our Year 9 students to start looking for possible work experience providers and to start the process. For further information please contact Rachel Mockeridge in A Block.

Term 4 is always an exciting time, with end of year celebrations and summer holidays to look forward too! Before we get there however students must finalise all subject selections for 2020 and for our Year 7 and 8 cohorts they have school camps in Week10 to look forward to, the first for PBC. Please remind students to finalise paperwork and payments if they are hoping to attend.

Good Luck and congratulations to all Middle School students who will participate in Dance Night and Under the Lights next week! These nights are a fabulous showcase of our talented dance and music students and I encourage you all to come along and support our very busy Creative Arts Department. Thank you to our Middle School Arts teachers for supporting and mentoring our students in their creative pursuits!!

Reporting

By now you will have received your child’s Interim Report for Term 3. Should you have any particular concerns, do make contact with your child’s teacher through the PBC website; all teacher emails are listed in the Contacts List: https://pbc-shs.eq.edu.au/Ourschool/Contactus/Pages/Contactus.aspx

Students do not see nor are they sent a separate copy of their report. So please take an opportunity to show your child their report, celebrate their successes and set goals for the coming Term to finish the year strongly.

Teachers are working hard to ensure students have the best possible learning outcomes by the end of the year and welcome your involvement in student improvement.

If an expected report has not arrived by email, do check your junk mail. Following that, please contact the school Administration to rectify the issue.

Attendance

‘Every Day Counts’ is a priority for our Middle School students and the 2019 target is 95%. Every student is expected to be in attendance until the end of term. All student attendance is monitored daily and parent/caregivers will receive attendance letters for any child that has had 5 or more unexplained absences. An unacceptable attendance record will lead to disciplinary actions as per the Parent Compulsory Schooling Obligation – Failure to attend 178(2) of the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006.

We encourage students to arrive approximately at 8:30am so they are present for CARE class roll marking at 9:00am unless there is a valid excuse for absence.

Leaving early (sign out) notes need to be written and signed by a parent/caregiver and delivered to the Middle School Student Services prior to 8:45am. It is appropriate for you to sign out no more than 3 times a term for an appointment or an activity during school hours.

The sign out note must specify:

• The specific reason for signing out (doctors, dentist, etc)
• The time & date that you need to sign out of school
• If a medical appointment, the time, location & professional that you have the appointment with must also be listed.

Full Day Absence

Parents/caregivers must notify the school and provide an explanation of a student absence by 9:00am on the day of the absence.  You are only required to use ONE notification method.

The priority for notification is:

1. Text message: 0447100239 – clearly state student name, your name, date and reason for absence
2. Email: absences@pbc-shs.eq.edu.au – provide student name, date and reason for absence

Unexplained absence

Text messages are sent out to parents at 10:00am to notify you of an unexplained absence. If you receive a text message, you can reply to the message, providing your student name and reason for absence.

Year 7 Immunisation - Tuesday 29 October

The following vaccinations are offered for Year 7 students:

• human papillomavirus (HPVN)
• diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (whooping cough)
• New parents/carers that have email access will receive information from Queensland Health and if you participate in this year’s program you will receive online information to complete. Any parent that does not have access to online forms please send your child to their Middle Student Services office to collect the hard copy Immunisation consent form and return to the same office.
• Year 7 Coordinator Mr Williams cwill929@eq.equ.au will coordinate the immunisation day.

Uniform and Behaviour

As PBC is a uniform school there are high expectations for all students/parents to continue to support these dress standards until the end of term (see School Student Planner – Uniform Code pg10). We remind all parents black polishable leather/synthetic shoes are to be worn with the formal blue uniform.

A reminder to all parent/caregivers to know The PBC’s Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students (see school website). Every student is expected to follow the Optima Code ‘Be Respectful, Be a Learner and Be Safe’ during the school day and in with wider community as they are representing PBC SHS.