8 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Wow! What a Friday. Last week on Friday afternoon our school had some great showcasing of the talents of our students and staff. Arts Under the Stars exhibited the amazing talents of our students after nearly seventy students participated in Master Classes on Thursday. These training workshops were convened by 6 professional artists from Queensland's SE corner. Several students are presented with awards by these artists for their application in workshop and performance. Photos and details are later in the newsletter. Mrs Hobdell reported that the Artists spoke very highly of the skills and quality of the students who worked throughout Thursday and then performed on Friday.

In the afternoon at the Stadium, our Division 1 teams took on Mercy College and St Patrick's College in the grand finals for 2016. After three hotly contested games, while played in excellent spirit, the Mackay State High teams were successful in each game. I was very proud of the determination and skill shown by our players and their commitment to support each other in all aspects of the games. The large crowd of students, parents, staff and former Mackay SHS players, made the evening even more special for the players. Special thanks to coaches Mr Nicholson Year 8, Mr Monaghan Under 15 and Mr Gercken for the Open team.

Thank you to the Parents and Year 10 students, who engaged in SET Plan interviews with several staff during last week. SET Plan interviews occurred throughout the week, and only 7 students from a cohort of almost 200 students, are still to complete these interviews. Discussion is held around the students' plans and aspirations and vocational pathways, resulting in selection of subjects that the student would like to follow into Year 11/12. These interviews were held with a group of 7 teachers, coordinated by Mrs Andrea Dearden.

Last week with the kind support of billeting families, our school hosted 7 students from Yantai Provence in Northern China. I was fortunate to join these students on Thursday with a Year 8 Chinese class. The Yantai students shared some of their aspirations and shared family details with the class with Ms Chuang.

Don't forget the Giant Auction being held on Saturday 13th August on the school oval commencing at 8:30am. If you have any items to donate prior to the auction, please contact the Office. Proceeds go to the service provided to students by our Chappy Phil.

NAPLAN Reports for Year 7 and 9 students will be released in near future and they will be forwarded to students.

In the coming week we will undertake Roadshow visits to our local Primary Schools to talk with Year 6 students. Each student will be provided with Enrolment package information. The Parent Information Evening will be held on Wednesday 17th August in our Hall. Scholarship winners will be announced on these visits. Parents from other schools, seeking Enrolment Info Packs, may collect one from our Office later next week.

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

JUNIOR SECONDARY NEWS

General News

Jambo! This is my first newsletter for the term after coming back from some leave. My thanks to Mrs Leon-Mason for looking after Junior Secondary during my absence, as well as teaching and continuing her Year Coordinator duties.

I will soon be announcing some school and community projects being coordinated by our year 7 PDC classes as well as our Junior Secondary leaders and soon to be functional student council. I look forward to these being warmly embraced by students, parents, and the wider community. Stay tuned!!

What's On Soon

Junior Secondary leaders and Senior Buddies will soon be coordinating some new lunch time activities for students. Some will be skill based, some will be artistic, and some will be intellectual challenges. Again, stay tuned for times, feedback and photos!

During week 5, I, along with some key staff and Year 7 students, will be visiting some primary schools in our catchment as part of our annual roadshow. This event sees us speaking to year 6 students regarding the fantastic array of experiences Mackay SHS for Secondary education. Our primary friends will have the opportunity to ask as many questions as they can about the functioning of MSHS, and what they can experience should they decide to enrol here.

This will be followed by an Information Evening on Wednesday 17th August from 6:00pm to 7:30pm (with a sausage sizzle at 5:30pm). A separate information session for prospective sporting academy students will be held in our auditorium from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. Year 6 students in our catchment schools have been provided with a fridge magnet advertising key dates, and an invitation letter specifically addressing the information evening.

Thought of the Newsletter

Having just returned from a holiday in Africa, I have to say how amazing it is to visit countries where cultural and economic factors make quality education difficult, but where ALL students attend school regularly, often having to walk more than 10KM in rural areas (as well as milk cows and goats, do chores etc) AND where all are multi-lingual, usually speaking their national language, a tribal language, and learning English!!

In fact, I didn't find someone who couldn't speak at least 2 languages (passably at least). For many, education is the chance to get ahead and help look after the family.

In Tanzania, parents can be imprisoned if their children don't attend school. Ouch.

Interestingly, I did learn to appreciate "Hakuna Matata" and "Pole, Pole (pr polay, polay"

Year Coordinators

Mackay State High School Junior Secondary Disco 2016

Our biannual Junior Secondary school disco, held on 21 July, was a huge success again this year. Hosted at the MSHS Hall, many students and teachers danced the night way (until the wee small hour of 8pm). It was lovely to see so many students and teachers getting down on the dance floor. It was also an opportunity to have a chance to catch up with their families.

Once again the fun was fuelled by a sausage sizzle and a selection of flashing and glowing toys. As one of our Chappy Phil fundraising events for the year, we are delighted to have raised $200 to put towards our resident care giver.

The Super hero costumes were awesome and a special mention goes to the Ghost Busters who, ghost and all, stormed the hall. The face painting was a hit, thanks to the buddies who demonstrated their creativity.

A huge thank you all of the teachers who put in their time to help make disco-magic happen. A particular shout out to our resident DJ Mr Neil who once again demonstrated his curious affinity with tune selection for the adolescence. This event just couldn't happen without the teachers and student support. Thank you also to the buddies who came along to join the fun.

Always remember:

SCIENCE ICAS AWARDS

On the 31st May, 15 students from year 7, 8 and 10 participated in the internationally recognised International Competitions and Assessments for Schools competition conducted through the University of NSW. Over half of those who had participated received accreditation. The results are listed below:

Merit

Year 7- Isaac WIX
Year 10- Brianna SKINNER

Credit

Year 7 – Jessica AUSTIN, Grace CLARKSON, Erin WESTCOTT
Year 8 - Kiean ACEE BAUDEN, Thanh HUYNH
Year 10- Tamika BRECKNELL

ATSI SCIENCE CAMP FOR YEAR 10 STUDENTS

SPORTS REPORT

Despite cooler weather conditions hampering the first day of the Athletics Carnival, it was pleasing to see the high level of attendance by students. The day started with an encouraging speech given by the House Captains to fellow house members. An important message of participation was imparted to encourage each house member to gain as many points as they could for the carnival.

Some questioned if the School of Hogwarts were in town as a few students took the opportunity to dress up for the occasion and they certainly did a great job! The House Captains will now run a 'fashions on the field" competition at the swimming carnival, so well done to the students who stopped at the platform 9 ¾ train station on the way to the athletics - your costumes were fantastic! Thank you to all of the other students who took the time to foster the house spirit and representing their house with pride in their colours.

Honourable mentions to be awarded to the following students for breaking school records for the following events:

Ella Anderson, 12 year Girls Javelin, 13.90m
Mackenzie Vessey, 12 year Girls Shot Putt, 8.59m
Taliha Strothfeild, 12 year Girls High Jump, 1.19m
Jimmy Butlin, 12 year Boys, Discus, 24.72m
John Agustin, 12 year boys, 100m 13.05s

Torrential rain saw the second day of the carnival being re-scheduled, everyone was anticipating the 100m sprints. The heats were run and the finals were to be show cased at the end of the day where the fastest person from each year level would be selected to run in the race of the day 'the gift'. 12 students lined up, each given a handicap depending on their sprint time. A fantastic race to watch with Rhoureen Dela Gracia Being the fastest student in the school, however he was pipped on the line by Chistina Manumua. Congratulations to all of these students it was truly a spectacular race to watch.

Another prestigious event, the relays! Teachers V's Students, unfortunately for the students they have not been able to win against the teachers in the last seven years. So let's make it eight years congratulations to Sam Nutt, Gillian Stork, Alex Procter and Zoe Muscat for taking out the female race. Gareth Lee, Roan Graham, Alex Nichols and Miles Jackson also upstaged the males. Better luck next year students.

Let's get back to the real stuff now. The Age champions, these students need to be commended on their superb efforts exhibited over the carnival. Well done, all students will receive recognition at the annual sports awards night to be held early term four.

The final element of the carnival was the overall winning house and the tally of points. Well done to all the Houses Captain, the house spirit was felt by all who attended. Thank you to all of the staff, days like this cannot take place without the support of you, your flexibility and willingness to help does not go unnoticed.

Congratulations Houses…….

Upcoming Trials, please ensure your son or daughter comes to C07 to collect a nomination form for the cricket trials.

RUGBY LEAGUE

Last Friday evening our three Division 1 Rugby League sides took to BB Print Stadium to compete in the Mackay & District Secondary Schools Rugby League Grand Finals. Mackay SHS had a team in each of the Grand Finals played with our Year 8 & Under 15 teams taking on Mercy College before our First XIII took on our old rivals St. Patrick's College.

What can only be described as a perfect afternoon of Rugby League, all three teams walked away as Premiers. Our Year 8 side, led by Damon Watson, defeated Mercy College 32-6 with a near flawless display. Henri Stocks (Year 8) was named best on ground and awarded the Jim Wilson Blazer. Following this, our Under 15 side took to the field and exactly like the Year 8 side, the boys displayed too much skill and passion for Mercy College and walked away 32-6 winners. Thomas Dearden (Year 10), led the side to a tremendous victory with Fullback Rayden Burns named as the Grant Rovelli Blazer winner for best on ground.

The stage was set for a cracking game between MSHS and St. Pat's. The crowd was growing and the noise was deafening. The First XIII were out for redemption against the old enemy. After going down to St. Pat's 14-10 only 6 weeks ago in the Aaron Payne Cup, the boys were hungry to come out on top. With this in their mind, the First XIII played an outstanding game to win the Open Division 1 Grand Final. This was the first time MSHS had won the Open Division since 2012. Brendan White led the Opens with Winger Jaewon Yasserie bagging a double to be named the Alf Abdullah Blazer winner for best on ground.

The noise at full time in the Open's game was amazing, with academy boys from Years 7-12 running onto the field to join in the celebration. Not only were they celebrating a great win by the First XIII, but celebrating a clean sweep! This is a rare achievement and something that has only happened twice in the last decade! Our coaching staff, Mr Nicholson (Year 8), Mr Monaghan (Under 15) and Mr Gercken (First XIII) were tremendously proud of the efforts of the boys and their commitment to Rugby League at Mackay SHS.

It was such a special night for the Mackay SHS Rugby League Academy, but at the same time we saw a handful of boys from our program pull on the MSHS jersey for one last time. Prior to the First XIII game, Mackay Cutters Captain, and former Mackay SHS student, Brendan Treston presented the First XIII with their jerseys. He mentioned that nobody can ever take this away from them and that they must leave an imprint in the jersey that the person next year must live up to. For 7 boys of the First XIII, they played their last game for Mackay SHS, finishing their 5 years with the school on a Grand Final win.

Thank you to Brendan White, Leeroy Parter, Luke Pearce, Matthew Vessey, Jaewon Yasserie, Ryan Schill and Isaiah Tass for your dedication over the past 5 years. You have all been tremendous assets to Rugby League at Mackay SHS and it was great to see you finish up with a Grand Final win.

We can now enjoy our success before turning our attention to the 2017 season where we will be out to defend our 3 titles!!

ARTS NEWS

ARTS UNDER THE STARS: urban noise

On Friday 29 July, the Arts department presented Arts Under the Stars: urban noise, featuring a myriad of performances and artwork that showcased the sensational outcomes of our Arts programs from Years 8 to 12. The audience included our Mayor and past student of Mackay SHS, Cr. Greg Williamson, Cr. Ayril Paton and Cr. Laurence Bonaventura.

A point of difference and highlight of the night was the City of Lost Children Masterclass performances. Staged in four separate spaces around the grounds, the performances took curious audiences on a journey through three conceptualisatons of loss in youth culture.

RADF funding allowed us to secure the services of six professional artists to facilitate both the collaborative Masterclasses and the performances resulting from them.

Audiences experienced:

• Drama and Film/Media students presenting Butoh theatre techniques and animation on the central, outdoor stage where the theme of loss in youth culture was introduced.
• State of the art technology and a subtheme of disassociation where Visual Arts students were immersed in drawing with traditional mediums as well as painting in 3 dimensions with HTC VIVE virtual reality and iPAD animations.
• An immersive, atmospheric graffiti alley where 'homeless' Music students mesmerised the audience with building percussion and transcendent vocals to portray isolation and a sense of otherworldliness.
• Being lined up at detention centre gates to be confronted by four vicious guard dogs ready to attack the current inmates as they struggled to find their individual identities.
• A celebration of resilience and overcoming loss as all groups returned to the main stage.

A huge thank you to the visiting artists – Steven Mitchell Wright (director), Kellie O'Dempsey, Mulesfilm and Clocked Out Duo – who put the amazing performance together in just one day with the 65 students involved.

Students were selected for the Masterclasses if they are achieving an A or B in one or more arts subjects or if they aspire to a career in the creative industries. The artists recognized one participant from each of the five arts disciplines for their commitment, passion, energy and creativity. Congratulations to:

• FILM / MEDIA (animation) – Brittany Eastment
• VISUAL ARTS (drawing & technology) – Francesca Dator
• INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC – Lauren Anderson
• VOCALS – Tahlia Heraclides
• THEATRE – Beyoncé Quakawoot

Each recipient received a $100 gift voucher related to their arts area and made possible by our very supportive P & C Association. The awards were presented by Mrs Helen Cairns on behalf of the P&C on parade. We thank them for their continued support.

Thank you also to the many staff members who gave freely on the night, in particular Mr Chris Milne – our host, Mrs Michelle Radunz – fairy floss maker extraordinaire, and Mrs Elmarie Chambers with her band of talented Hospitality students and helpers for the fabulous catering.

See you next year and enjoy the photo gallery!

RAAF Musical Success

Leading RAAF Cadet and Year 11 Arts student, Alexandra Cairns, was successful with an RAAF audition during the school holidays and she will now participate in a National Musicians Course in Canberra during the September holidays.

The two-week event will involve participation in a National March and performance at Parliament House. The musicians will also perform at the 75th Anniversary RAAF Celebrations in Townsville in October.

Alex is extremely excited about this upcoming opportunity and we are very proud of her achievements.

Mackay City Strings

Two Mackay SHS students, Ashleigh Cairns, Year 8 and Brianna Skinner, Year 10, along with our much loved String Instructor, Mrs Kristen Boyd and a few previous Mackay SHS students, are members of the Mackay City Strings. The Mackay City Strings joined forces with Whitsundays Strings to entertain the crowd with a performance at the National Day of Thanksgiving Festival.

It is wonderful to see our past students and current students and teachers involved in community groups such as this.

The Arts Department encourages our Arts teachers to also be arts practitioners involved in the local community. Well done all!

Mrs Glenda Hobdell
HOD The Arts

YEAR 11 FITNESS

This term the fitness students have been putting their skills to the test by running group fitness sessions for the teachers. All of the student trainers have done extremely well to provide challenging, fun and enjoyable workouts. Some superstar students have worked extremely hard to keep their assigned teacher motivated with weekly visits to ensure they keep up with their training -some even coming along to support their client. A huge thank you also to all the staff who have signed up to the sessions to allow the students to complete required hours in their logbooks and get some first-hand experience in the field. Lots of great reports from the staff – and congratulations to the students for improving the health and wellbeing at Mackay State High.

A MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE

2016 MAGAZINE

At the end of this term we will tally who has paid their Magazine invoices and then order the appropriate number to be printed. IF you are on a payment plan please come and see me to ensure your "MagazIne" invoice is not deleted before being included in the order.

The annual magazine is a wonderful keepsake

2017 SUBJECT SELECTION

Some subjects for 2017 will be difficult for your student to choose if you still have outstanding fees. We understand that some families are experiencing financial hardship so please advise the office if you wish to discuss a payment plan.

Yr12 FORMAL TICKETS

Yr12 students – remember you MUST have all your fees cleared if you wish to purchase a Formal ticket at the end of the year. Please speak to me ASAP so that we can clear any outstanding fees NOW!!! You will be amazed how quickly the debt reduces when there is a regular contribution.

Yr11 LEADERSHIP CAMP

Yr11 students – if you wish to attend the Leadership Camp at the end of this year – you must have your 2016 fees fully paid.

DIRECT DEBITS

"Name of Mackay SHS student" needs to be Reference information for any direct debit into Mackay SHS's bank account.

BPOINT

If you view the bottom left hand side of your invoice or statement it explains the process – go to the link below - you will require information from your invoice or statement eg your Customer Reference Number, students' name and invoice number.

Enter YOUR email address for the receipt/confirmation of payment. (I receive a report from the bank showing me all payments and/or if there were errors during entry).

STATEMENTS

How's the monthly emailed statements – around 15th of each month

If you are NOT receiving invoices/credit adjustments and statements via email please contact us at admin@mackayshs.eq.edu.au – we would prefer to provide you with up to date information. By the time we print and post statements to you it is quite often out of date.

REFUNDS/CREDITS

If/when you request the reversal (credit adjustment) of an invoice please be aware that we require a written request (we do have a standard form) and then the approval of the appropriate Head of Department or Excursion Coordinator. Quite often there is a non-refundable deposit because the school is required to pay a deposit to guarantee our booking which is non-refundable to us!

KEEPING IN TOUCH

If any of your details change: address, contact names and numbers etc please let us now ASAP.

Should you wish to query anything please, phone 4957 9179, email admin@mackayshs.eq.edu.au or drop in for a visit (8am – 3.45pm) Monday to Friday.

Thanks everyone.
Regards
Marg Brown

MATHS DEPARTMENT

Mathematics Competitions – supporting confidence and enjoyment of mathematics

Congratulations to all those students who competed in the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) last week! This competition is run by the Australian Mathematics Trust, a leading provider of mathematics enrichment programs and global competitions.

Later this month, on 16th August, the ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) competition will be held. This competition is an independent, skills-based assessment program which recognises and rewards student achievement. ICAS is unique, being the most comprehensive generally available suite of academic assessments for primary and secondary school students. The assessments include a wide variety of subject areas, including mathematics.

Various students are sitting this test, and we wish them every success, pitting their skills against the world. For all our participants, well done and keep up the good work!

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.

YEAR 11 RYDA DAY

Last week the Year 11 students undertook the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness Day at Mackay North PCYC. The 'RYDA' Day has been heavily supported by Mackay SHS and is an important date on the calendar. As our students are beginning to obtain their L's and shortly down the track their P's, it's important that they understand the responsibility they have when they get behind the wheel of a car. Students undertook a number of activities throughout the day that allowed them to discover ways they can avoid unnecessary distractions while driving and also whilst being in the passenger seat. Students learnt about the risks associated with driving and how to make the right decision whilst in a car. All students who attended the day will benefit greatly from the program. The Rotary Club of Mackay work extremely hard to ensure this program can be delivered and that this information is taught to the next group of teenagers to get on the road. All students who undertook the program have to be commended on their behaviour and attention throughout the day. Not only did the Mackay SHS staff recognise this, but a number of the presenters and group leaders commented on how mature and respectful our students were. Well done Year 11 students!

Photo taken from The Daily Mercury

LIBRARY NEWS

We, Us and Co.:The Pratt Family and Pioneers of St. Helens

Alan Dunn, one of the authors of "We, Us and Co.", visited the school to make a donation of the two copies of the book to the school Library. Thank you to Alan for the donation of this resource which will be of great assistance to students of local history and social change in Australia more generally.

Website and app reviews (From SCIS Connections Issue No. 98)

Learning potential

Published by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training, Learning Potential presents advice for parents on how to increase their involvement in their child's learning, which is likely to enhance learning outcomes. Relevant information and resources are available for all school years. The app is available from the App Store and Google Play.

LEGO Movie Maker

This free iPad and iPhone app allows students to create stop-motion movies using their own LEGO minifigures. This site has several useful features, including soundtracks, speed adjustment, colour filters, dialogue and title cards, and sound effects.

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.

Trixie Mills
School Based Youth Health Nurse

SCHOOL DENTAL

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

MESSAGE FROM THE NURSE

July 31 – August 7 is Donate Life Week. Over 1500 people in Australia are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. One organ and tissue donor can transform the lives of ten or more people. Almost anyone can donate their organs and tissue.

Donate Life Week encourages us to not only think about becoming a donor but to discuss your decision with family and friends. Even if you are already registered on the Australian Organ Donor Register, it is important that your family are aware of your wishes. Register today but don't leave your family in doubt. For more information contact: phone 1800777203

Trixie Mills
School Based Youth Health Nurse

CHAPLAIN UPDATE

GIANT AUCTION

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

Would like to thank all the wonderful people who have helped us out with donations. We have had a fantastic response. Without your help we would not be able to provide the students with the opportunity to start the day with breakfast and chat

COMMUNITY NOTICES