27 May 2016

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Mackay State High School is now accredited as a Reef Guardian School and this is recognized with a presentation by Katie Finch from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. The accreditation has been achieved through the programs undertaken in our Science and Agriculture faculty in recent years. In the near future, we celebrate the official opening of the Aquaculture Centre where students are raising Sooty Grunter fingerlings, being raised in a large tank, with water containing their bio-waste filtered through rock gardens growing a range of vegetable plants. The water is then pumped back into the fish pool, with students regularly monitoring chemical levels of water.

After a slight drift from the positive improvements during term 1, student attendance has returned to satisfactory levels in the last two weeks. As we move towards the end of the Semester, there are several assignments due for drafts to be submitted for feedback. Regular attendance and engagement in all classes is vital to gain best opportunity to increase student performances. Parents are reminded that every Monday afternoon there is English Tutorial classes held in A Block from 3-4pm and similar session on Wednesday for Maths. Recognising the marked Attendance improvement of 3.5% in 2015, our school has been asked to present a Case Study for Education Queensland website to show the practices of school, parents, staff and students to achieve this great improvement. I will publish the link when it is available.

Following the Yantai visit by a small number of students in December 2015, The Yantai Community Council is sending 20 students aged 13-17 years old with 4 staff. These students will be in Mackay from Sat 23rd July and depart on Sunday 31st July. Our school is seeking billeting families for five of the students and one teacher for the period of the stay. The students will attend school on 3 days, have a range of activities and tour organized by Mackay Regional Council during the week as well as a civic reception at Council. If you can assist by taking one of the young Chinese students, please contact Marg Brown at the school Office. A program of organized activities is expected soon from MRC. The students will have a basic grounding in English language from their studies in China. Thank you.

The Lone Pine tree, presented by Mackay Rotary Club has been planted near the Centenary Wall. These trees come from germination of seeds gained from the Lone Pine plateau near Gallipoli where Private Ben Smith, who had lost his brother in a battle with Turks, three months after the ANZAC landing. Ben had sent his mother some pine cones from the area, and 13 years later she germinated some seeds and two trees grew, one now in Inverell and the other in Canberra at the Australian War Memorial. Each year seeds are taken from these trees and distributed to schools.

Arts Under the Stars will be held on Friday 29th July with Master Classes being held for interested and enthusiastic students in 5 fields of the Arts on Thursday. Several of the performances on the AUTS evening will be reflective of the sessions convened by these artists. Glenda Hobdell has sought some assistance funding to contribute to the costs to engage these specialists to work with our students.

Work has commenced on the construction of our new Gymnasium for our students. The current gym area will be reverted to classroom space to support the school growth. The handover is expected during Term 3 and work to then commence on the refurbishment of A11/12. There is also refurbishment work to commence in Term 3 on the J Block kitchens and Music room and the H Block Manual Arts facilities, which will stretch our classroom resources for a period.

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

SCHOLARSHIPS 2017

The Parents and Citizens Association and Mackay State High School are offering eight (8) scholarships, for students attending this quality secondary education institution in 2017

Scholarships at the school will be presented for -

• academic excellence and
• sporting prowess / potential and
• arts /cultural excellence.

A representative will be visiting schools in our catchment very soon. Applications close 18th July and can be downloaded from

YEAR 12 TOURISM EXURSION

Earlier this month our Year 12 Tourism students went on a CBD excursion as part of their tourism careers unit.

As well as studying and surveying city businesses, students got the opportunity to listen to and speak to tourism industry stakeholders. In the morning we had the opportunity to meet with Mayor Greg Williamson, who himself has a long history and expert personal knowledge of the tourism industry. Cr Williamson’s fascinating presentation included data that proved how important the tourism industry is now, but more importantly how much more it could grow. During the presentation the students got to sit in the council chambers “seats of power”, an unexpected thrill for the students and definitely a highlight of the day.

Deborah Munroe from CQ Universty also spoke to the students. Deborah is a lecturer at the university and her expert knowledge in the tourism and hospitality field was an invaluable learning experience for students. Deborah brought a real life and employers perspective to the tourism industry and students got to see the real life inner workings of a fully operational bar and restaurant.

The students were well behaved and were excellent ambassadors of our school. Many thanks to Miss Wood and Mrs Aprile for their hard work in assisting and organising on the day.

JUNIOR SECONDARY NEWS

General News

This week we are awarding certificates to students in years 7, 8 and 9 who achieved a rating of Very Good or Excellent for BOTH Behaviour and Effort of ALL their subjects on their mid semester reports.

Being a role model at school and pursuing your goals is not about achieving straight A's for your subject ratings. It is more about the type of person you are on a daily basis? Do you put in the hard yards? Do you stand up and be counted with effort and behaviour when the going gets tough? This is what we respect in society and in the attitude we try to engender in students, especially younger students so that they demonstrate resilience in later years.

There were 48 Year 7 students, 39 Year 8 students and 24 Year 9 students (out of a small cohort) who achieved this recognition. There were probably half as many again who just missed out on receiving a certificate.

There are so many opportunities at school to choose the subjects and goals you want. There is so much to learn if you are open and receptive. School should be fun and educational for all students. It would be fantastic to see the number of students receiving recognition for behaviour and effort double next term!

SET YOUR GOALS!!

What's On Soon

Mr Paulger and myself will be visiting some local primary schools soon to announce the availability of 2017 scholarships for incoming year 7 students, and to provide some promotional material around key dates for term 3 regarding our roadshow visits for Year 6 students, the enrolment process, and Academic Academy information. If you have students in Year 6, or friends that do, please look out for this information.

Student News

Congratulations to 7D2 who VERY narrowly defeated 7M2 in the final of the year 7 rounds of our Dodgeball tournament. The level of enthusiasm from both classes was outstanding. They will soon be invited to play against a staff team (if the staff are not afraid of their skill level!!). I'll keep you posted.

Year 7 have been learning about the concept of Force in class, and 7F were making some balloon powered cars as an experiment in the use of force to move objects. They had a lot of fun as seen in the photos below.

Thought of the Newsletter

This newsletter I just want to reinforce the message to a number of students that:

"If you have nothing nice to say to someone, don't say anything at all".

This is a key message posted around the school. A few too many younger students still spread gossip about each other, and lack the maturity to handle the fallout appropriately. It would be greatly appreciated if parents could reinforce the concept of dealing with (what is very childish conflict) situations in more grown up way. Students have been taught this at school for years.

Mr Matt Skinner
Junior Secondary HOD

SENIOR SCHOOLING

NOTICE FOR PARENTS OF

YEAR 11 MATHEMATICS B AND YEAR 11 CHEMISTRY STUDENTS

As you may be aware, the Queensland Government has announced a steady and considered transition to revitalised senior assessment and tertiary entrance systems. Designed to meet the needs of current and future students, the features of these systems will be:

• a model that uses school-based assessment and common external assessment
• new processes that strengthen the quality and comparability of school-based assessment
• a move away from the Overall Position (OP) rank to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

Further information about the changes can be found at:

In preparation for the introduction of a new senior assessment system from 2018, Mackay State High School is delighted to be one of the approximately 250 Queensland schools taking part in external assessment trials. This will involve a group of our Year 11 students sitting the following assessments:

Mathematics B paper on 1st June 2016 commencing at 8.45am.

Chemistry paper on 2nd June 2016 commencing at 8.45am.

Please make sure that your child arrives at school by 8.30am on the days above, if they are involved in these assessment trials. Also, if they are sick on the day of their assessment, a medical certificate will be required.

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) has developed the trial assessment in close consultation with subject experts and practising teachers.

To maximise the learning opportunities for the trial, the assessment will be administered under secure conditions, and graded externally. This will enable QCAA to evaluate the effectiveness of its processes for delivering external assessments. The trial also offers an opportunity for our school to become familiar with the use of subject-based external assessments and gain additional information about the progress our students are making in their senior studies.

As the trial will involve Year 11 formative assessment only, there will be no impact on students’ Year 12 exit results or on their OP rank for tertiary entrance.

Please do not hesitate to contact Sharon Barnard on 4957 9134 should you require further information or wish to discuss your child’s participation.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE IT DEPARTMENT

Recently we have been contacted by a number of staff about suspicious emails they have received regarding an “undelivered parcel” or that “you’ve received a subpoena”. These emails appear to have come from Australia Post or the Australian Federal Police and are both scams. Scam and hoax websites and emails are designed to:

• trick you into disclosing personal information such as bank account details, passwords or credit card numbers
• con you into paying money for fake get-rich-quick offers, prizes or lottery wins, or fraudulent or poor quality goods.

Be suspicious of emails from people or businesses you don't know, particularly if they promise you money, good health or a solution to all your problems.

Be suspicious of unexpected emails from your bank or financial institution. Remember banks don't do business via email and never ask for confidential information via email. Scammers put a lot of time and money into making hoax emails and bogus websites look real. Don't be fooled.

There is a huge range of scams on the internet, from promises of non-existent free products in return for clicking through to a website (which make advertising profits), to sophisticated targeted scams which can run for years and cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars.

To avoid online scams and hoaxes delete suspicious emails and leave websites that:

• ask you to provide your banking details or personal information
• promise you money
• present hard luck or exotic stories telling you that you can share in hidden millions of dollars
• offer jobs where you need no qualifications, but just ask for a bank account for money transfers.

Remember:

• Never provide personal details via emails or links from emails. If you are unsure, double check by telephone with the company or institution.
• Never follow the links in spam emails; these could lead to downloading unwanted viruses, spyware or malware.
• Ensure that you have up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on your computer.
• Install a firewall on your computer and make sure it is activated.

Information about common scams can be found on SCAMwatch and staying safe online at the Department of Communications and the Arts Stay Smart Online websites.

YOUNG CHEFS

MSHS would like to congratulate both our junior and senior teams who participated in the YCC on Saturday, 21th May 2016.

Tyshanna Leijen and Jordan Plath

They have put in a 100% effort and produce two very impressive and competitive meals. Our juniors were Tyshanna Leijen (Year 7) and Jordan Plath (Year 7) and our senior competitors were Mariah Anderson (Year 10) and Brianna Skinner (Year 10). Well done girls!!! You’ve done us proud

Mariah Anderson and Brianna Skinner

Mrs Chambers
Home Ec Department

MATHS DEPARTMENT

Even Harry Potter had homework to do!

Believe it or not, homework is an important aspect of learning maths! It is an opportunity for students to revise, review and practise the work done in class during the day.

At all year levels, maths homework is set on a regular basis, such as completing:

• classwork
• Maths Homework Sheets (often one per week)
• Maths Online (an internet Maths Program purchased by the school for Years 7-9)
• Revision Sheets; and
• Periodic Assessment Tasks.

All students are expected to write their homework in their diary so they can check what they have to do when they get home. Research provides strong evidence that, when used appropriately, homework benefits student achievement. It would be ideal if parents could support and encourage their children to complete their homework.

Acting Head of Department Mathematics
Jim Laidlaw

ENGLISH TUTORING

Tutoring

Every Monday 3- 4pm in A08

Students can get help with assignments, exam preparation, oral presentations etc.

EALD

ARE YOU AN EALD – Is English and additional language or dialect for you??

Student Who Needs Some Extra Help with Assignments? You are eligible for:

What: Extra FREE tutoring for EALD students
WHEN: Every Wednesday 3pm to 4pm
WHERE: D05 classroom
WHO with: Mrs McGuire and Mrs Baxter

Bring along your assignments or homework for help with grammar and vocabulary; or to understand the task requirements.

SPORTS REPORT

Assessment

Theoretically, all year levels are moving into assessment time. A number of classes have finished the teaching aspect of the units and are revising for their assessment pieces. Assessment types vary depending on year level and subject matter. Parents are asked to speak to their children about the assessment type they will be engaged in and ensure that the appropriate preparation is being done at home. As a Department, we ask for parental support to ensure students are submitting their work on time and getting results which are accurate of their ability.

Under 15 and 18 Capricornia Netball

Emma and Kylie Watts recently represented the Capricornia region at the Under 15 & 19 Secondary Schools State Netball Championships held in Cairns from 16-20th May. Both girls proved to be key players in their teams and learnt a lot from their experience. Furthermore, Emma’s outstanding efforts were recognised by being selected to represent Queensland latter in the year. This is a major achievement and Emma should be commended on her selection. Congratulations to Emma and Kylie for representing our school and region with pride.

Charni Bloxom also attended this carnival as C Badge Umpire. This provided Charni with a fantastic opportunity to advance her skills and gain experience at umpiring at the next level of competition. Well done and good luck with continuing to furthering your umpiring skills.

Cross Country.

On Monday 16th May we had eleven students represent our school at the Mackay District Cross Country trials held at the Mirani Golf Course. All students were a credit to our school on this day and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and school spirit. Congratulations to the following students on their outstanding results:

U 13 Boys – Will Morgan 1st
U 15 Boys - Reece Ryan 3rd
U13 Girls – Emma Keeler 4th
U16 Girls – Lauren Morgan 1st
U19 Girls – Crystal Madden 3rd

Football

Congratulations to the Under 15 Football Girls who knocked out Mercy from the Bill Turner Plate competition 2-1. Our girls now progress to Round 3 against a Rockhampton school.

The 13 – 19 District Trials have been conducted for this Term and the following students were selected to attend the Capricornia Trials. Congratulations to each student, we are sure that you all represented Mackay State High School with pride, in your chosen sports.

Congratulations to the following U12 students who were selected to be a part of the Southern Suburbs teams in their chosen sports. The next level for these students is to attend trials to be selected for the Capricornia team.

MESSAGE FROM THE NURSE

My Health Record is an electronic health record being introduced by the Health Department. It will contain important health information about individuals. This may be a record of allergies, what immunisations have been given, medical conditions, medications etc. It will be secure and available online to doctors, specialists, and hospital staff. You can apply to have access to your own record or your child’s record.

The big advantage of My Health Record is that it will allow medical professionals quick and convenient access to your health information which is very important in emergency situations and when diagnosing problems.

If you would like any further information please read further information provided in the school newsletter or call 1800 723 741 go to

Just a reminder that 95% of Queensland children don’t eat enough fruit & vegetables. We all need at least 5 vegetables a day and 2 pieces of fruit. Seasonal fruits are much cheaper than packaged snacks so swap that muesli bar or bag of crisps for a mandarin, apple, pear or even a carrot in the school lunch box. Your teenager’s developing brain needs good quality fuel to function!

Trixie Mills
SBYHN

CHAPLAIN UPDATE

“We just started the Strength Work Program for this term with a new group of boys. We purchased a $1000 worth of equipment this week to use in the program. I knew exactly what we needed to make the Program more effective. It was fun just buying the right tools for the job without having to worry about if you could afford it. We got rakes, shovels, brooms, pruners and all sorts of tools to keep the boys busy when they do their jobs. The boys today cleaned out a dusty messy shed so we can set it up as the new Strength Shed. They worked well and were highly motivated. We will soon have all their tools set up nicely and a set aside space to do their ToolBox Time. Thanks again for the financial injection into my school. It has encouraged me and the students. Brett the Groundsman is excited too. The boys really take ownership when they see this sort of support. Thanks heaps for your efforts and support from behind the scenes”

To Dad.

Three ways to affirm your son:

“I’m proud of you. Win or lose, you’re my son.” – Tony Nathan’s dad, Woodlawn

When was the last time you said something like that to your son? When I heard this line from Tony Nathan’s dad in the movie, I got really convicted! It made me realize how important it is to build my sons up. We all know the influence a father has over his son. But instead of taking advantage of our role, we often ignore it. So how can we better affirm our sons on a more regular basis?

Well today, let’s talk through 3 ways to affirm your son:

1. With Your Words

The easiest way to affirm your son? With your words. It’s easy to think highly of your son. When you see him play well in a game or get a good grade, you think to yourself, Wow, that was great! But oftentimes, we unconsciously keep these thoughts to ourselves. It’s not that we don’t believe these things to be true, but we haven’t made affirming our sons a priority.

It’s also important to affirm your son when he doesn’t make the grade or doesn’t make the starting team. Saying something like “You gave it your best and you have an important role to play on your team. I’m so proud of you” can really lift your son up

Challenge: Send your son a text today saying how proud you are of something he’s done recently.

2. With Your Actions

It’s no secret that tons of things are demanding our attention 24/7–our phones, our social media, our televisions, even our work. Instead of pulling our sons in for a hug, we pull our phones in to check Facebook or Twitter for the tenth time that day. Instead of going outside to play catch in the yard, we go outside to take our very important business call.

Challenge: Turn off your phone and your TV and ask, “Son, what do you want to do together tonight?”

3. With Your Wisdom

Finally, when you do affirm your son with your words and actions, be sure to do it wisely. This means letting your son know that you love him just because of who he is, not what he does. It also means identifying your son’s unique gifts by helping him to understand those gifts, and then helping him to build on his strengths.

Challenge: Write a note to your son and share with him the amazing talent you see that he has. Encourage him to pursue that area of giftedness.

What are some other ways to affirm your son?

Article written by MarkMerrill.com

Chappy Phil

GIANT AUCTION: Saturday 13th August on the MSHS Oval

Hello Community.

We need your unwanted items!
We need what you no longer need!

Please donate: Lounges, tables, bikes, plants, bric-a-brac, jars, a holiday at your accommodation, chooks, bottles of wine, vouchers, Christmas gifts you never asked for, left over building materials, used toys, your no longer wanted treasures not trash!

All proceeds go to the Mackay Chaplaincy Committee to support Chappy Phil at MSHS.

All unsold items will be forwarded on to a charity.

Please help if you can and pass this on to your networks.

Smaller Items

If you have any small items you want to donate, you can drop them off to Mackay State High School starting Term 3.

Chappy Phil can transport them in his Mazda Dual Cab Ute with canopy. Phil Office:07 49579107 Mobile:0488 573 276

Larger Items

Larger items will need to be dropped off at the Warehouse or transport arranged.

Giant Auction Warehouse.

Unit 1 / 13-19 Caterpillar Drive Paget (Downunder Minesite Maintenance building)

Office Phone Number: 4998 5939

Warehouse Drop Off Times Fridays 8am - 4pm

Please contact warehouse office before unloading and fill out Register

(Name & Description of items)

Warehouse Drop Off Dates (Fridays):

• July: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
• August: 5, 12

Chappy Phil

BREAKFAST CLUB

COMMUNITY NOTICES