12 May 2025

Principal’s Report

Hello and welcome to our first newsletter for the term. I hope the Easter break was good for you and you were able to spend time with those that you are close to. I was fortunate to be able to take some time off to do some travelling with my family which was very enjoyable. My thanks to Mrs Walker and Ms Christensen for looking after the school in my absence.

ANZAC Ceremonies

While I was absent for our ANZAC Day ceremony I have it on good authority that it was one of the best we have had. Our student leaders ran the ceremony and spoke with clarity and confidence. Equally as impressive is the way in which our student body is able to acknowledge the importance of these ceremonies and respects the need to behave appropriately.

The town service was well represented by our school community with many students marching for our school as well as other community service groups and organisations. Gin Gin State High School students also attended ceremonies in Mount Perry, Bucca and South Kolan. Our school leaders spoke at the Gin Gin main service and I was approached from a member of the public on my return to congratulate the school on the polished presentation that our leaders (David Flinn, Lawson Cook & Molly Jensen) had made at the ceremony. My thanks to the staff who also marched to support our students and school.

Cross Country

We have held our school cross country in the first week followed by the District Cross Country last week. Both of these events were well supported with all students playing a part in the school event. Miss Taylor has changed the format of the event to include competitions between houses to finish off the afternoon which is very popular amongst the students. The District Cross Country saw representatives from all of our state schools as well as private schools attend. Shalom College was victorious on the day taking out both the junior and senior trophies. My thanks once again to Miss Taylor and the HPE staff for the setting up the course and recording area, as well as ensuring all was put away at the end of the day.

Teacher Dunk

Mr Cappello has again facilitated the 2025 Teacher Dunk to raise money for cancer research. This has become a very popular event on the school calendar with students lining up to get the opportunity to pour buckets of water over their favourite teacher. I must give credit to the good-natured staff who volunteered to be dunked as it really did create a great atmosphere around the school. The event raised $774.00 which is a fantastic outcome for this event. Well done to all who contributed.

We have had a very positive start to this term. Please take the opportunity to meet with your child’s teachers this week for Parent Teacher evening, it is always good to be able to have a conversation with the teachers to hear how your child can be supported to achieve better. Thank you for your ongoing support of our great school and I look forward to a positive remainder of the term.

Regards
Paul Stehbens

Coming Events

ANZAC Day Ceremony

On Thursday 24 April, 2025, Gin Gin State High School held a solemn and reflective ANZAC Day Ceremony to honour the courage, sacrifice, and service of Australia’s military personnel, past and present. The event began with a formal welcome and an Acknowledgement of Country, recognising the deep and continuing connection of First Nations peoples to this land, as well as their long history of military service.

This year marks the 110th anniversary of ANZAC Day, and the ceremony provided both historical context and an opportunity for reflection. A key theme of the event was “Inventiveness – The Quiet Brilliance of the ANZAC Spirit,” which explored the creativity and resilience shown by Australian soldiers during the Gallipoli campaign. Student, staff and special guests heard about the use of the ingenious “Jam Tin Timer” during the Gallipoli evacuation, an improvised device that helped ensure a silent and safe retreat without loss of life.

The ceremony also acknowledged the contributions of First Nations veterans and Australia’s ongoing role in global peacekeeping missions. These stories of service beyond the battlefield expand the meaning of ANZAC Day and underscore the importance of remembering all who have served.

Traditional elements such as the ANZAC Day Prayer, the Requiem, wreath laying, the Ode of Remembrance, and the sounding of the Last Post offered moments of silence and gratitude. Many thanks go out to Counsellor Deb Keslake, President of the Gin Gin RSL Sub-branch Darren Prouse and other members of the Gin Gin RSL Sub-branch for their attendance and support.

The ceremony concluded with a powerful multimedia presentation, “The Spirit of the ANZACs,” reinforcing the message that ANZAC Day is not a celebration of war, but a solemn commitment to remember those who gave their lives for freedom, peace, and justice.

“Lest We Forget”.

Sally Christensen – Deputy Principal

Incentive Scheme & PBL

The Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) Team listened to students and have introduced a number of incentive schemes to encourage those positive behaviours we all want to see and help make our school community a safe and smoothly functioning place.

On a weekly basis, students are nominated by teachers for the effort put in during classes. Every week on Full School Assembly, three names are randomly drawn and these students win a tuckshop voucher. It is lovely to read the brilliant efforts the students are putting in week by week and the tuckshop vouchers prove very popular with the students.

Last term students accrued points in Care Groups for just getting the little things right. We feel that if you can’t get the little things right, you have very little chance of getting the big things right. The little things, for our school community focus on organisation and presentation. They include: adhering to all parts of the uniform policy, bringing your diary, having your phone in your yondr pouch and engaging in one of the three options to access a laptop, etc. Students were rewarded with a pizza lunch with over 160 students qualifying. Our student leaders had the distribution of pizzas running like clockwork, so a big thanks goes out to them.

Another new campaign was launched by the PBL team last term. Teachers were issued with stamps and students with reward cards to recognise students with excellent behaviour, effort and attitude during lessons. Once a card has been filled with stamps, students place the card in the entry barrel, choose a small gift and go into a mega draw at the end of term. Excitingly, there were over 350 entries for our mega draw and 27 prizes were distributed to lucky winners on the day. There will be another mega draw at the end of this term so students need to keep getting those entries in.

Sally Christensen – Deputy Principal

Farewell Mr Newman

We officially farewell Trevor Newman from Gin Gin State High School as he finalises his employment with Education Queensland.

Trevor has been at Gin Gin State High School since 1982 and in that time we have been fortunate to have his expertise in Senior Geography and Humanities curriculum areas enhancing the education of many students. There are students who have been through our school who still have fond memories of Geography excursions to the Caves, the beaches of Bundaberg and the local area of Gin Gin. His passion for education and specifically in the humanities areas of practical skills and research has honed many students’ skills and interests.

His particular interest area of musicals and theatre restaurants over the years provided many students and staff with opportunities to excel outside the traditional classroom and created an atmosphere of collaborative achievement and joy. The Gin Gin State High School musicals would not have happened without Trevor’s production and directorial input. His keen sense of humour always played a role in these productions with many comedic opportunities “woven” into the scripts.

Trevor has been an integral part of Gin Gin State High School for many years, and we owe a debt of gratitude to him for the role he has so selflessly played in supporting the educational and personal growth of many Gin Gin High students.

Thank you Trevor and we wish you all the best in your retirement.

Liz Walker – Deputy Principal

Senior Geography

The Senior Geography students recently visited Hervey Bay to conduct fieldwork exploring the area's sustainability and liveability. Students surveyed local amenities, infrastructure, and patterns of human behaviour to assess how the region supports a high quality of life while managing growth responsibly. The hands-on experience deepened their understanding of real-world geographical issues and urban planning challenges. Thank you to the staff and students for an amazing day out!

Gail Gregson – Geography Teacher

Cross Country

The 2025 Cross Country was a hit! We would like to thank the Gin Gin Pony Club and the Gin Gin Golf Club for their continued support in this event, allowing us to use their grounds for our school and BDSSS Carnival.

Senior student volunteers were given points for assisting with the coordination of the carnival giving Baranga a lead in first place. However, it was not enough to maintain the lead with Corang and Manumbar quickly earning points as students crossed the finish line to place. All houses were neck and neck throughout the carnival, with Manumbar just scraping in front of Corang for the win. Congratulation to Manumbar, and to all students who placed on the day.

Caity Taylor – Sports Coordinator

Bundaberg Robotics Competition

In week 9 of Term 1, Kepnock State High School hosted the Bundaberg Region Lego Sumo Robotics competition. This event saw schools from all over the Wide Bay region (from Gladstone to Maryborough) send teams to compete against each other in Lego sumo. Students from the Gin Gin State High School Robotics club, under the guidance of Mr Ward and Mr Napier, formed 2 teams to compete in the event.

Students had to design, build, code and test their Lego robots, with the goal of the competition being to push the opponents’ robot out of the arena. Both teams built complex 4wd robots which, despite being quite difficult to code, proved to be very effective in competition. Both our teams made it all the way through to the quarterfinals, where unfortunately they were both knocked out. Congratulations to Tait, Aurelia, Wyatt, Jackson and Akili who participated in this event, and represented our school with pride.

Students are now keen to begin preparation for this term’s robotics competition.

Matthew Ward – Robotics teacher

Teacher Dunk

On the 30th of April, the Year 12 cohort came together to participate in the annual Relay for Life challenge, “The annual bucket team”, to raise funds for cancer research. It was great to see the cohort come together to support this cause in an event that was coordinated through the students’ own initiative. We congratulate all who were a part of this event and celebrate all members of the Relay for Life team for making a big difference in many people’s lives.

This year we were lucky enough to dunk several of our teachers and support staff. These lucky staff had buckets and bins of water tipped over them: Mr Stehbens, Ms Kitt, Miss Gregson, Ms Herbert, Mr Hume, Mr Findlay and Mrs Armstrong. Additionally, we took donations of small amounts which enabled the students to use a hose to wet the teachers. It was a fantastic event full of laughter and revenge.

Relay for Life is our opportunity to join together to make a difference in our community. Each year thousands of Australians participate in Relays across Australia and our team is proud to be part of that. By joining or donating to our team, you will be helping Cancer Council save even more lives. Our next events include the Colour Run for Bella, Non-Uniform Fundraising Day and of course the Relay itself.

Jason Cappello – Head of Department

Wide Bay School Sport

Congratulations to the students listed below on their selection to the Wide Bay teams!
This is a fantastic achievement, and we’re confident they’ll represent both themselves and our school with pride at the upcoming events.

The following students were selected for the Under 13-19 Softball team.

The following students were selected for the Under 13-19 Volleyball team.

Items for Tender

There are a number of items available for tender.  Tenders close at 3pm Friday 28th May 2025. 

For items see flyer below.

Gin Gin Library Activities

There is a lot happening at the Gin Gin Library.

For more information see flyers below:

Change Maker Workshop

It is strongly recommended that you consider attending this workshop, whether you are already a leader or see yourself leading, or even if you simply see yourself as a changemaker. In our workshop, we had individuals from differing levels of government, local community service providers, community club committee members, First Nations leaders, business owners and social entrepreneurs.

FREE Change Maker workshop at Bargara between 22-24 May 2025

Clink on link for more information.

Saver Plus

Let’s Empower Families with Financial Literacy and Savings!

Saver Plus is a program designed to help eligible families develop essential financial skills and build savings for school camps.

Gin Gin Little Athletics

Bundaberg Table Tennis

Are you curious about trying something new or want to get active in a fun and supportive environment; Come along and try table tennis. See flyer below:

Growing Minds Australia

Blue Light Disco