22 July 2016

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Welcome all families and students to Semester 2. Students have received Report Cards for Semester 1 and with their new timetables have settled in to their work very well. The achievements across all Year levels have improved when compared with Sem 1 results in 2015 and the Whole school graph is shown in this newsletter. Our Whole School result for achievement of rating C or better is 81%, which is the first time over 80% at this time of the year. I am very proud of the efforts of our students and staff, as we continue to show this continued improvement. Students and staff now look towards building on these results for even further improvement by the end of 2016.

During our first week, our school celebrated NAIDOC Week with a special assembly on Wednesday. Our Guest speakers were Jesse King and Mhairi King from CSIRO Education and Outreach, working locally with our students on Indigenous perspectives in Science. Uncle Andrew on guitar, supported by students and staff performed "We are the One". The Assembly was followed by a Careers Market for our Indigenous students, their families as well as other students from local State High Schools. There were a large range of employer groups and agencies represented and congratulations to Gordon Quakawoot for his efforts in arranging their involvement. Later in the day there was a League game watched by many students, parents and staff between Indigenous students from across schools against a Mackay SHS team, including some visiting English players.

As the Year 10 students move into the next phase of Senior Secondary, the SET Planning meetings are vital to select the appropriate subjects for their Year 11 & 12 studies. These interviews require the students with at least one parent/carer to attend the meeting held between 25th and 29th July. There are some evening sessions for those unable to attend during the day. Bookings are now open and log on to book or phone Andrea Dearden to book a time, with one of the staff available. Refer to the letter sent to each student or Mackay SHS Facebook site.

Each year our School Opinion Surveys are distributed to a randomly selected group of students in Year 8 and 11, all staff and parents, to provide feedback on the school performance in various areas. These surveys are now all done online. When you receive the survey information forms with the online links to complete, please do so in the timelines prescribed. Students from each family will take a form home this week with their Assessment Planner for Semester 2. Thank you for your support.

Our Inter-house Athletics carnival was held in Week 1, however due to the rain, Friday needed to be postponed until the next week. There were very strong attendances and the participation of students was generally very good. Thank you to parents for your support in encouraging students' participation. Age Champion medals and the Winning House will be announced in next newsletter, with medals presented at the Sports Awards evening in Term 4.

During the vacation, Rayden Burns and Tom Dearden played in the Under 15 National Schools Rugby League carnival in Port Macquarie, as members of the Queensland White team. Both lads played very well and Tom was rewarded by being named in the 2016 Australian Under 15 Schoolboys side as the halfback. This is a very high achievement and recognised the quality of his play across the tournament.

Also in League circles, we welcome eight students from schools in England, who will be here for 6 weeks. Four lads from each school, Archbishop Sentamu School in Hull and Castleford Academy School, are being billeted by our families while they participate in our school program, over their schools' summer vacation. Sincere thanks to the families which have accepted billeting roles for these boys and for another group at Mackay State High later this month for a few days.

During Week 3 there are 20 students from schools in Yantai Provence in northern China, who will be visiting Mackay and some to our school. These students are part of a Sister City relationship between Yantai and Mackay Regional Council.

Some members of our Concert Bands performed in Week 1 at the Canelands Shopping Centre, during the day in a Lunchbox Concert. Congratulations to the students and staff involved and especially their parents. The students performed at a very high level and entertained members of the community, as they went about their tasks.

Our New Zealand trip was very successful for the students who attended. To access some of the pictures look at the NZ Trip FB site at "Mackay SHS 2016 New Zealand Ski Trip".

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

REPORTS, ASSESSMENT PLANNERS AND YEAR 10 SET PLANS

Report Cards:

Report Cards were issued to all students on Tuesday 12th July. If your student has been absent recently from school then they can collect their Report Card from the Office during their lesson breaks. Parents can access their student's Report Card information via the QParent app. or if required they can call at the school Office and request a copy.

A reminder that our next Parent Teacher Interview Evening will take place at the start of Term 4 (11th Oct) after another round of Report Cards being issued on 4th October. If you have any questions or concerns at this time regarding a student's progress or Report Card comments then please contact the school and ask for the teacher to make contact with you, or arrange for a mutually convenient time to come to the school.

Assessment Planners:

Individual Semester 2 Assessment Planners, describing the tests, assignments, exams and course content for each student will be issued on Friday. If students miss out on collecting it on this day they can come and ask for it from the Office or they can access the information via the student OneSchool link on the school's website. These documents are a great support for students and parents alike.

Year 10 SET Plans:

All Year 10 students (in Queensland) are required to participate in a Senior Education and Training Plan (SETP) meeting. These meetings involve the student, a parent or caregiver and a school representative. These meetings discuss and record the student's plans for moving into the Mandatory Participation phase of learning. The meetings take about 30 min and will be being held in the school's Auditorium between Monday 25th July and Friday 29th July. All Year 10 students were issued with information pages relating to this task and instructions on how people can make an interview time.

If parents/caregivers have any questions, or need any assistance in making a booking, they can contact the school on 4957 9179 and ask to speak to Andrea Dearden.

Tania Cheers
Deputy Principal

ARTS NEWS

Lunch Box Concert

Our Vocal group and String Ensemble, conducted by Kristen Boyd, performed at Caneland Centrals Lunchbox Concerts as a part of the Mackay Festival of Arts. This event saw our local performers take to the stage, entertaining the public through multiple numbers and tunes. Be sure to attend Arts Under the Stars to see these performances in all their celebratory glory.

Shakespeare Residency

Sport for Jove Shakespeare Residency began at the MECC last Monday for three days, tailor made for the Mackay community and was supported by the BMC Pathways to Performance Program. MSHS students Simone Muirhead, Michael McKechnie, Margaret Dewar, Marnie Bugeja, Kaitlyn Beavis and Julian Beavis were lucky enough to take part in this residency over the three days of Week 1. Students had the opportunity to work with professional actors and directors, engaging with the work, learning how to unpack Shakespeare's language, developed skills to perform and communicated the stories and language on stage. The residency culminated with the student groups 'staging' a performance, brought together to showcase their wealth of discovery about the value and beauty of the work.

ARTS UNDER THE STARS: urban noise

Year 11 Arts in Practice have been busy creating merchandise to be sold at our up and coming Arts under the Stars event. Today they were treated with a workshop in screen printing by Mr Perry Hobdell and were lucky enough to participate and screen print their very own print. The students were very enthusiastic about this experience, some even aspiring to start their own screen printing business. This year's T-Shirt design was created by Gryphon Aitchison.

The Arts department is pleased to announce that the RADF application to support the City Of Lost Children Masterclass Project has been successful. This funding has allowed us to secure the suite of seven amazing artists for both the collaborative Masterclasses and the performances resulting from them at Arts Under the Stars.

Thank you to Mackay SHS Administration as well as the following wonderful groups and individuals who supported the application.

• Mackay SHS P&C Association
• Gordon Quakawoot (on behalf of the Indigenous Community)
• Lynne Robson (on behalf of the Arts community)
• Karen Hurford (on behalf of Mackay District Art Educators Network)
• Catherine Schoch (artist)

Mackay Regional Council representative, Bridget Mather Director Community and Client Services advised that:

"The committee were very supportive of this application. They believe the concept to be cutting edge with an impressive line-up of facilitating artists offering a great opportunity for the local community."

Audiences will experience state of the art technology, including augmented and painting in 3D with HTC VIVE virtual reality.

Here is the line up of professional creative practitioners who will work with 75 of our high achieving Arts students across Years 8–12.

• ANIMATION – Mulesfilm (Miles Blow and Julie Pitt)

• (EXPERIMENTAL) INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC – Clocked Out Duo (Drs Erik Griswold and Vanessa Tomlinson)

• VOICE – Lisa Smith aka Lizzy Pearlstein

• THEATRE – Steven Mitchell Wright

• VISUAL ARTS/NEW MEDIA – Kellie O'Dempsey

A "meet the artists" session will be held in The Box Theatre at 4pm on the evening of the Arts Under the Stars Festival. All are welcome.

We look forward to sharing this exciting event with you. Don't forget to secure your free tickets and book a spot for the "City of Lost Children" performances. Here is the link…

Mrs Glenda Hobdell
HOD The Arts

JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE

The first two days of Term 3 were very eventful and eye opening for 15 Year 12 students who attended the annual JCU (James Cook University), Uni experience with Mr Lindsay Haines (Guidance Officer). The students travelled to the JCU campus in Townsville along with 8 students from Sarina State High School on Monday morning. The students went to the JCU fields after lunch were they all participated in sporting games with students from other schools. After participating in these games all the students went down to their first academic sessions that the students had chosen by themselves. The students headed down to the auditorium after their first session where they got the chance to hear about University fees, scholarships and also got the chance to hear what University is actually like from students who were currently attending the University. That night the students went to the Uni club where all the students had an amazing time dancing, playing soft drink pong (aka beer pong but with soft drink) and getting to know students from other schools. On the second day the students got the chance to attend two different academic sessions. After the morning session all the students participated in The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race was there to show students how you would have to move from one class to another class on the other side of the campus in a short time frame. One of the Science and Engineering groups came out as the victors of The Amazing Race. All the students thoroughly enjoyed the JCU experience and here's what some of them had to say about the experience:

"I enjoyed the nursing/midwifery session. It gave me an idea of what nursing/midwifery looks like in Uni. This JCU experience is a great opportunity and helpful to all students."
- Princess Gabrillo

"Getting a chance to experience what Uni is like, getting to meet students from other schools across Queensland, getting a chance to talk to current students on what they think about Uni and what it's like"
- Monalisa Chokuda

"We were able to mingle and ask questions about life as a University student with current University students"
- Katerina De Battista

"The diversity of cultural backgrounds and the acceptance of all cultural backgrounds"
- Cody Ainslie

"Loved learning about all the different courses on offer, the environment and all the great memories that were made"
- Praise Chabata

Overall this experience was very eye opening and very informative for everyone who attended.

Monalisa Chokuda
Year 12 Student

VICKI WILSON CUP

On Monday the 18th two Mackay State High School teams competed in the Vicki Wilson Cup Netball Tournament. The day was a chilly and cloudy day however the girl's smiles, enthusiasm and energy shone through. Both teams demonstrated excellent school spirit and excelled in sportsmanship. Efforts from all players saw both teams come away with a number of wins. The MSHS 1 team made it to the semi-finals against St Patricks College. The girls fought hard taking the lead at the end of the 3rd quarter however an unfortunate bit of rain made the courts slippery and wet going into the 4th quarter leading to a gracious defeat by our players. A huge congratulations to all players who performed on the day, Mackay State High School is extremely proud of you.

NZ SKI TRIP

On Thursday the 23rd June, 23 excited Year 11 and 12 students, along with 4 staff set off for New Zealand! After landing in Christchurch we jumped on a bus headed for Methven. Our first day on the mountain was for some, the first time experiencing snow. Mount Hutt is traditionally a little icy this time of year given it is not as far south as the other ski fields we visit. This didn't stop the students and staff having a great time picking up the skills required to ski or snowboard. The most important skill learnt that day was how to fall safely (and this was tested to the max!).

At this point in time the group hadn't been faced with unbearable temperatures, but this soon changed! As we departed Methven for Wanaka, we felt a sudden drop in temperatures overnight, waking up to find out there would be a high of just 5 degrees! Needless to say we all rugged up for the very scenic drive south to Wanaka, stopping in for some ice-skating and hot pools along the way at beautiful Lake Tekapo. As we got into Wanaka we stopped off at Puzzling World to test ourselves in the outdoor maze and the hundreds of puzzles and exhibits on offer. This resulted in a few sore heads, and not the kind of sore head from falling over on the snow!

Wanaka is a scenic town situated 20 minutes away from the Cardrona Ski Field, where we spent 2 days skiing and snowboarding. On the first morning staff and students were treated to quite a heavy snowfall, which was great for skiing, but made it a little difficult to see! Cardrona was by far the best ski field of the trip, with huge amounts of fluffy snow for us to ski and snowboard down. This allowed students to improve their skills and test themselves on the Green runs (beginner trails) and for some the Blue runs (Intermediate). A few brave staff decided to give the Black runs (expert trails) a go and managed to get through without any tears or crashes, which was surprising for everyone.

After two full days on Cardrona we made our way even further south to what can only be described as one of the prettiest towns in the world, Queenstown! Queenstown is the adventure capital of not only New Zealand, but possibly the world. The students luged their way down the side of Queenstown's adventure park, shopped and dined through the many arcades Queenstown has and we even managed to sneak in one more day on the snow at the world famous Remarkables ski field.

After our adventure on the snow finished, the end of the tour was a chance to experience the New Zealand culture and visit some iconic places in New Zealand. The group attended a 'Haka' show that taught us about the Maori culture and for a number of students was a highlight of the trip. Following our last day in Queenstown we made the journey back towards Christchurch where students took a walking tour of the city. Here, students began to fully understand how devastated the city was following the 2011 earthquakes. Students visited the White Chair memorial, which was erected to pay tribute to all the lives lost in the 2011 quake. We continued on to see the Cardboard Cathedral and also the remains of the Christchurch Cathedral that was heavily damaged in 2011. It was a very moving final day on the trip.

All students, regardless of their ability on the snowfields, will cherish every moment of the 2016 New Zealand Ski Trip and hopefully return one day to tackle those dreaded Blue and Black runs! From Mr Gercken, Mr Neill, Miss Wood and Miss Nutt, thank you to all students for being such well-behaved and entertaining travellers, we enjoyed our holiday and hope you all did too!

Andrew Gercken
Year 11 Co-Ordinator

NEW LEARNER DRIVER APP

AG DEPARTMENT

Over the past few months, Years 9 & 10 Agriculture students have been maintaining their crop of some 300 Rosella plants. Given the quality of the soil, the plants have been struggling to grow to a size that one would expect this far along in the project. To quote one student "The struggle is real". But under the circumstances they are doing surprisingly well, with approximately 25 plants bearing reasonably heavily

To assist with future bottling of the Rosella jam, we are requiring a large number of screw-top baby food bottles similar to that shown. If you can provide any, please wash, dry and remove labels and have your student bring them to G8 Science staffroom.

ATSI SCIENCE CAMP FOR YEAR 10 STUDENTS

MATHS DEPARTMENT

Maths Tutoring Started Again

We have been pleased about the number of students who have been popping into the maths staffroom in the past week, asking whether Maths Tutoring has started this term. So, this is a reminder that Maths Tutoring has started again, on a Wednesday afternoon between 3pm and 4pm, Seniors in E03/E04 and Juniors in E01.

As mentioned in the most recent newsletter, last term we managed to fill three classrooms with students seeking extra assistance with their maths work. We have noticed that there has been a direct correlation between attendance at tutoring and improvement in maths results. Come along and get help from our maths teachers – you are welcome!

Clayton Campbell
HOD Mathematics

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.

ACCESS CENTRE NEWS

Make EVERY sentence count! Take risks and have fun! Talk to People! You too can be a Dinosaur!! This was just some of the advice given by visiting Australian authors to students on Thursday July 14th at Mackay's premier youth Literature Festival, Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival.

Part of the Mackay Festival of Arts, this annual event provides an incredible opportunity for the youth of Mackay. Run over two days in July each year, students from both Primary and Secondary schools across the district are exposed to some of the best literary talents in Australia. This year our students were privy to words of wisdom from John Marsden; taken inside the processes of writing and illustrating a picture book by David Metzenthen and Michael Camilleri; entertained by the "Andy Griffith inspired", ex-comedian, turned author, Oliver Phommavanh; and learnt that writing can be about absolutely anything from children's author, comic performer and poet, Harry Laing.

Last term Ms Kane's composite Year 8/9 English Literacy students studied a novel by one of the visiting authors from last year's festival, Tristan Bancks, and enjoyed it enormously. With these students about to embark on the journey of creating their own narratives for assessment this term, students were incredibly fortunate to experience such a wide range of artists and such a wealth of experience during their one day outing to this annual extravaganza.

"Oliver Phommavanh was hilarious! He told us he wanted to be a dinosaur when he was a child. He played with stuffed toys and taught us how to speak his language a little. He was very funny.

"Harry Laing was very, very, very weird! He was a poet who wrote about shoes, feet, a super tap and 3D printing! Later we had to sing this song about a stuffed monkey that he had. He was a strange one! It was a good day. " Nicole Andersen

"It was an awesome day! I hope I get to go again next year!" Joshua Sellers

"We got to see a whole bunch of authors. I was laughing so much at Oliver Phommavanh that I almost threw up! It was one of the best days I've ever had!" Jackson Stone

"It was cool, it was fun, it was awesome. Oliver was the funniest . John Marsden was telling us about thinking outside the box. It was a great day." Seth Hoey

STUDENT VACCINATIONS

If your child has been away from school and missed any School Immunisation so far from 1st round 16th March Year 7 & 23rd March Year 8 HPV dose 1 & Boostrix. We have also visited on the 25th May for Year 7 & 8th June for Year 8 for HPV dose 2 & Chickenpox. If your child has only had 1st round or have had none so far please, contact School Immunisation Program for an appointment on 30963310, we are now located at 40 Carlyle Street across from the MET Hotel.

STUDENT SERVICES

CAP Money Course

The CAP Money Course is a free money management course that teaches people budgeting skills. The course will help anyone to gain more control over finances so they can save and prevent debt. To join a course view the website below or phone 49534400 for information about a course in Mackay.

Struggling With Debt?

CAP (Christians Against Poverty) is a debt management charity who offer free non-judgemental advice, financial education budgeting and/or insolvency services. CAP is for anyone regardless of their religious beliefs, race, age, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, or gender. A Debt Coach will even visit you in your own home if necessary.

For more information phone: 1300 227 000

MESSAGE FROM THE NURSE

If you can't fly then run
If you can't run then walk
If you can't walk then crawl
But whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. Martin Luther King Jnr.

Mr King's message is pertinent in relation to both physical and mental health. We may not all be of sporty or athletic builds and we may have an injury or disability but we can still do the best we can to be active on a daily basis. When times are bad and we are stressed, depressed or anxious we can still be resilient and move on. It's all about the choices we make.

Last week was National Diabetes Week and Friday 22nd July is Stress Down Day. Both are reminders about looking after our body. Unfortunately more than half of Australian adults are not active enough. This leads to chronic diseases such as Diabetes Type 2 and a worsening of mental health problems. Being physically active and reducing sedentary behaviour every day is important for good health and well-being. Any activity that gets your body moving makes your heart beat faster and supply more oxygen to your brain (and every other part of your body). It also burns calories!

It is important to set a good example to our young people who are influenced by adult behaviour. Think about when and where you can be physically active. Make some small changes to your daily routine. Any physical activity is better than none. Involving your children is even better. If you can't run around the block then walk. If you can't walk around the block then walk around the back yard or do tasks around the house that involve lifting, carrying or digging. Be Active every day in as many ways as you can!

To find out more, go to:

Trixie Mills
School Based Youth Health Nurse

SCHOOL DENTAL

CHAPLAIN UPDATE

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

Phil Hall
School Chaplain

BREAKFAST CLUB

COMMUNITY NOTICES