4 August 2017

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Students and staff are engaging in their learning to build on the positive performance in Semester 1. This performance put each of the Year levels in a very positive situation to improve both as groups but also individually. I do remind parents that in the afternoon on two occasions each week students can attend tutorials for English, Mathematics and EALD for one hour. Details are in each Newsletter.

In recent weeks I have had to make some difficult decisions around suspensions and exclusions of a small number of students. There is a good deal of intervention at a range of levels, including talks on Assembly, Year Parades, individual counselling by some mix of guidance officer, chappy, other support staff, year coordinator, deputy principals and myself. However it is important for all students to follow the guidelines in our Responsible Behaviour Plan, as the vast majority of our students do every day. Those students who do not reach the standard expected and are disrupting those seeking to focus on their education, will continue to be dealt with by fair but firm consequences.

Thank you to the many parents of our Year 10 students who attended the SETPLAN Interviews to discuss their child’s pathway through Year 11/12. These discussions are extremely important to ensure that students are on the correct choices into these Senior years. In the next week, staff will be visiting the State Schools in our catchment to introduce our Year 7 Information to the students. Each student receives a folder to take home to their family and leading to our Year 7 Information evening on Wednesday 16th August. Scholarship winners will also be presented with their certificates in this week. The competition for these scholarships this year has made the selection very careful, with so many very high achievers in academic, cultural and sporting pursuits.

All State schools annually seek feedback from parents, students and staff on school performance. In the next week all families will receive information including website and password to enter your responses online. I hope that as many parents, students in Year 8 & 11 and staff as possible can respond to assist us to improve on the opportunities offered to your students.

Congratulations to Austin Crosier Year 7 who recently was awarded a Distinction Certificate in the ICAS Science Test. This places Austin in the top 10% of all students in Australasia this year. Well done Austin.

CQU will be holding their Open Day at the Mackay Campus on Saturday 12th August. All students looking to attend a University Course in 2018 or 2019 are encouraged to attend, even if you are looking at other Universities next year. There will be general information that will apply to all students, while the growing list of courses available in Mackay will also be promoted on site.

Our Academy students have been shining in recent weeks and have represented Mackay SHS very proudly. Our Under 15 and Open Netball teams participated in the Mackay finals of the Statewide Vicki Wilson Cup, with both teams winning their finals, taking them through to the next stage of the competition to play top teams from Rockhampton. The winners will advance to the State wide finals so we wish our girls and coaches Ms Procter and Ms Rodgers their best efforts. Meantime our Under 15 and Open Rugby League teams played their final round in the Aaron Payne Cup against St Brendan’s College from Yeppoon in Townsville. During both games our players worked very well as team and played high quality league with wins of 30 – 12 and 18 – 10 respectively. This is the first time that both teams have ever won against Brendans.

Finally, remember to mark on your calendar our School Fair to be held on our school oval on Saturday 12th August between 5 – 9pm. Come along and support the students raising funds for the Arts Tour to Sydney and the League Academy trip to England, both in September.

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL REPORT

SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY

On Thursday, your student will bring home the instructions for parents to complete the School Opinion Survey. We encourage you all to answer this survey. Each parent will be supplied with a unique, anonymous code to complete the survey.

The suite of School Opinion Surveys are undertaken each year by the Department of Education and Training to obtain opinion information from parents/caregivers, students and school staff. The surveys are designed to help schools identify what they do well and how they can improve. Responses are confidential.

Opinions on the school, student learning and student well-being are sought from a parent/caregiver in all families and a sample of students from each state school.

Opinions on the school as a workplace are sought from all state school staff and principals. Additional questions are included for teaching staff on their confidence to teach and improve student outcomes, while principals are also asked their confidence to lead the school, including improvements in student outcomes.

Additional information about the surveys is located on the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Ms Lisa Veney
Deputy Principal

GOODBYE SHARON

Today we farewell Sharon Sephton who has worked in the school Tuckshop for the past 25 years. Sharon has seen many students come and go over the years as well as many changes to the Tuckshop with the latest being Eftpos which was introduced last year and renovations to the Tuckshop which saw industrial ovens installed so that food is prepared and cooked fresh onsite daily.

JUNIOR SECONDARY NEWS

General News

This week Year 7 students participated in a "Leadership and Teamwork" day.

This was designed to be a fun day of challenges aimed at utilising teamwork and communication skills, with students having the opportunity to develop their own leadership skills. Every student had the opportunity to chip in ideas, encouragement, enthusiasm, and to lead others by example.

So what did they do? Parents - cast your mind back to your childhood. We ran tunnel ball, three legged race, tug of war, human pyramids, Frisbee challenge, water bucket relay challenge, alphabet scavenger hunt, egg and spoon race (not with real eggs!).

Simple but very effective at challenging students to work in teams and develop strategies for improvement. Most challenges had practice runs and the "serious final".

Congratulations to all the students for a fun and supportive 2 days, to staff for helping, and Mr Lee, Mr West and Chappy Phil for running events over the 2 days.

The vast majority of our students demonstrate a great attitude at school. Some are a bit slack, some think they can make the rules, too many can spoil the classroom environment. A constant message I deliver on year parades is one of positive peer pressure. If a student sees another student doing the "wrong thing" in class or out of class, whether it be a small issue or a larger issue, I encourage/demand/expect them to be able to say something to that student to "encourage" them to pick up their act.

Students - don't be afraid of someone who answers back when you speak to them about this. Have the courage to stand up for your school environment. Your power is great. Don't wait for a teacher to step in. You will be amazed at the respect you will earn by being able to show this leadership. I ask all mums and dads to discuss this concept with their students.

What's On Soon

Week 5 sees our annual "Roadshow" taking place where we visit primary schools in our catchment and speak to all year 6 students about the great range of opportunities, support and engaging curriculum available at Mackay High. We speak about our academies, and the positive environment we try and build from the ground up in Junior Secondary to help students build a solid base for their senior schooling.

If you have a child in year 6 and they attend a primary school in our catchment, they will meet us soon. They should also have received a fridge magnet outlining key dates for Year 6 students entering year 7 in 2018,a s well as an invitation letter to our information evening.

Good News Stories

Congratulations to Austin Crozier of Year 7 who recently gained Distinction certificate in ICAS Science Comp 2017. Well done Austin.

Also congratulations to Harry and Henry Thorpe who were selected in Qld Un 12 Schools Rugby League team in Townsville in week 1 of the recent holidays.

Thought of the Newsletter

A couple of proverbs this time:

"Actions speak louder than words"

"Put your money where your mouth is"

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

"Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused."

Mr Matt Skinner
HOD Junior Seconday

SPORT REPORT

Vicki Wilson Cup – Netball

On Thursday the 27th of July Mackay State High School entered 2 teams in the Vicki Wilson Cup/Shield tournament. All teams who competed in the cluster round robins for Mackay represented their school with pride, we were impressed by the skill and sportsmanship displayed by all. It was also very exciting to see the Shield players competing for the first time and that netball in the Capricornia region will remain strong for many years to come.

The MSHS girls were highly successful over the day coming in 1st and 2nd in their division pools. Both MSHS teams advanced onto their respective finals both coming away with a win. Both teams will move onto the next round of the competition which will be the regional finals against the Cathedral College and the Rockhampton Grammar School and these will occur in Mackay in the upcoming weeks.

MSHS girls have so much talent and it is always amazing to watch them play, however, it is even more inspirational to see how they can come together as one team that supports each other’s skills and abilities no matter if they are on the sideline bench cheering on the other players or whether they are on that court working hard to gain points.

Well done again to all the girls who competed - Go Mackay State High School!!!

Football:

This year the Open Girls played in the Mackay Interschool Competition in term 2. With some weeks rained out, the girls ended up equal 1st on the table in points. Unfortunately due to goal difference of only 1 goal between the teams totals, the MSHS team went into second place and had to play Mercy college in the Semi-finals. MSHS won this game convincingly and proceeded to the Grand finals to defend their Open Girls Title against St Patricks College. It was a well fought game, and at full-time the scores were locked 3-3. This sent the game into extra time where the girls scored the winning goal to make the score 4-3 in the end. Goal scorers were Narissa Phoebe, Ryleigh Wotherspoon (2) and Gwen Lee. A well-deserved win by the girls.

Michelle Radunz
Open Girls Coach

BRIDGE AWARD LEVEL 2 ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY

On Saturday 29th July, Ashleigh Cairns and Aleisha Wright completed their Bridge Award Level 2 adventurous journey. Aleisha and Ashleigh, along with their leader Ms Wood joined up with students and teachers from Whitsunday Anglican School to hike on 4wd tracks and fire trails in the Crediton State Forest at Eungella. The girls were taught leadership skills and gained navigational experience along the hike. Both girls have now completed their Bridge Award Level 2 and are looking forward to moving onto the Bronze Award as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

CQ UNI OPEN DAY

ACCESS CENTRE

Kerry Purcell – Mackay State High’s Adopter Cop came in to visit 7C and 7Z to present information on Cyberbullying, Sexting, Mobile Phones, Safe Internet usage. This is a very important topic of conversation with our learning support and students with disabilities making them aware of what happens in their world as they become teenagers. Bullying in the playground and bullying online are everyday occurrences and we are guiding them and helping them make good choices and decisions when they are faced with these topics. Parents please ensure you are having these discussions with your children on these topics, give them scenarios and ask them what they would do in certain situations, how would they handle this? Read through with them the information they got to take home. We will be focusing on year 8’s next week.

Majella Hoffman
HOSES – Access Centre

MATHS TUTORING

WHITSUNDAY VOICES WRITERS FESTIVAL

The 2017 Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival, held at Whitsunday Anglican School featured 13 presenters including Fiona Wood, Shake & Stir and Jack Heath. Many schools from the Mackay Region attended, including 40 students from the Mackay State High School’s Academic Excellence Academy (Years 7, 8 and 9). We, students, had a great time listening to Charlie Thomson, Jack Heath and Isobelle Carmody talk about their inspiration for writing and how they overcome the challenges faced by all authors.

Initially, we saw Charlie Thomson (The Educator). He performed some very interesting and educational raps. His raps spoke about William Shakespeare, stage plays (Romeo & Juliet etc.) and what Shakespeare achieved. He also introduced some fun games and raps for teachers/students. Overall, students had a wonderful time listening to him rap about Shakespeare.

During the second session of the day we saw Jack Heath. Heath dropped everyone straight into the action by reading a passage from one of his Scream novels. Students felt connections with what he read to them from this novel. His work is well known to teenagers and he spoke about his career and how his writing has developed since he first started writing at the age of 12. His best-selling books are The Danger Series, his Countdown to Danger Series and his Scream Novels.

Finally, we saw Isobelle Carmody. She spoke about her life as a child, being the eldest of eight siblings and the horror stories she told her younger sisters and brothers to entertain them in an era long before ipads and iphones. These childhood stories were the inspiration behind her adult novels.

Listening to a range of authors from a variety of backgrounds was inspirational to our own writing and towards the end of the day we were given the opportunity to meet and greet the authors and have novels autographed. The day was enjoyed by all students and we thank Mrs Gibson for organising it and Ms Blessas and Mrs Watt for accompanying us on the day.

Zac and Braeden listening to Isabelle Carmody at Whitsunday Voices Festival

Written By: Zakk Ponsen and Brayden Greskie

ICAS SPELLING COMPETITON

Congratulations to Ariane Molina and John Nicdao from Year 7 for receiving Merit Awards in the ICAS Spelling Competition. Well done to both students, you make us all proud at Mackay SHS.

ENGLISH TUTORING

PERFORMING ARTS

On Sunday 23rd July, the Mackay State High School State Band workshopped and performed at the CQ University Jazz Schools Jazz Festival. The band performed for Adjudicator Andrew Robertson. They were awarded a Gold award for this performance. Following the performance, they workshopped their pieces with Andrew Robertson and the lecturers from the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music. At the concert on Sunday night, the trumpet section was awarded “Most Outstanding Trumpet Section” and Tanya Dator was awarded “Most Outstanding Rhythm Section Player” for Piano and Vocals. Thank you to conductor Matthew Johnston for your hard work with this ensemble.

THE ARTS

Grin & Tonic Performance

On the afternoon of July 24 Year 11 and 12 Arts students had opportunity to have a front row experience with touring Cheona Deemal performing Grin & Tonic’s 7 Stages of Grieving. A powerful one woman show exploring, the multifaceted experience of loss felt by Indigenous people personally, culturally and historically along with the eventual tentative steps toward healing and reconciliation. Students sat on the stage with the actor, creating a sense of intimacy and involvement and were prompted to respond and actively engage with the performance. This was followed by a Q and A session where students gained a deeper understanding of the ideas and symbolism explored in the work, their relevance to Deemal and to contemporary society along with what it means to run a one woman show.

CHAMPION YOUR CHAPPY

Dear Parents and Friends,

Children in your local school community face a myriad of challenges in their day to day life that have very little to do with education.

They’re struggling with issues of self-doubt, bullying, peer pressure, anxiety, family breakdown and more.

These are the leading reasons why children seek out the help of their school chaplain. Chaplains like, Chappy Phil (Philip Hall) at Mackay State High School are on the frontlines of our schools championing the cause of our children’s social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

I’d like to invite you to champion your local Chappy. Your gift will help increase and support their days so they can be there for the moments that count in your child’s school life.

Becoming a Chappy Champion is simple and easy!

• Visit fundraise.suqld.org.au
• Enter your local school’s name into the search field Mackay State High School
• Click More Details Champion Your Chappy
• Click Donate Now
• Choose to set up a recurring gift or a one-time investment
• Enjoy knowing that you are making a difference in your local community.

All funds raised will go directly to supporting Chappy Phil at Mackay State High School

Thank you for your valuable time and for considering this vital investment in our children’s future.

Philip Hall
(Chaplain Mackay State High School)

PREVENTING A COLD OR FLU THIS SEASON

As the temperatures continue to drop the chances of your children catching a cold or the flu increase.

Sadly children are more vulnerable to the cold and flu season than adults. “Children tend to experience a cold 6-8 times per year and are twice as likely as adults to contract the flu,” says Dr Ryan Harvey of House Call Doctor.

But there are some preventative measures you can take to help decrease your child’s chances of falling ill this flu season.

The flu shot

The common cold and flu are viral infections which means that antibiotics won’t help and there is no cure.

The best protection against contracting the flu is by receiving the annual vaccine. “While it is not a guarantee you won’t get sick, the flu vaccine is the best prevention against the flu,” says Dr Harvey.

Each year a new vaccine is created based on the prominent strains of the flu which are anticipated. Getting an annual flu vaccine can drastically reduce your chances of catching the flu.

“This year’s vaccine protects against four separate strains of the flu,” says Dr Harvey. “Children from as young as 6 months are able to receive the vaccine and it is safe for pregnant women at all stages.”

Nutrition, exercise and sleep

Give your child’s immune system an extra boost by ensuring they are eating nutritious foods, exercising and getting adequate sleep.

“A balance of these three elements is crucial to a healthy functioning immune system,” says Dr Harvey.

Keep distance from those who are ill

“These highly contagious viral illnesses spread very easily from person to person via coughs, sneezes and contact,” says Dr Harvey.

If you’re sick try your best to limit contact ensuring you sanitise often. Also try and avoid play dates with sick friends and crowded places where the sharing of saliva and mucus are likely, such as indoor playgrounds.

If your child is already sick there are a number of steps you can take to ensure the germs don’t spread further:

Wash hands thoroughly
Cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue instead of hands
Try to stop children from putting their hands in their eyes mouth or nose
Don’t share cups or utensils

SCHOOL FAIR

USEFUL APPS FOR STUDENTS

UNIFORM SHOP

TUCKSHOP

WE NEED YOU!

Retail Assistant – Casual – Tuckshop

Mackay State High School P&C are active participants in the school community and are seeking a customer focussed, Retail Assistant. This position will be responsible to the Retail Manager and guided by the policies and directions of the P&C Association.

The successful applicant will be keen to interact with other staff and students, have money handling skills and show initiative when working in a team. Well-developed communication and presentation skills are priority. Hours will be school days

The award is Parents and Citizens Associations Award - State 2016 Retail Assistant – casual, Successful applicant must hold or have applied for a current Blue Card (Working with Children Check).

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Assisting in the preparation of menu items and following food safety procedure. Baking, cooking, cutting
• Be aware of and take whatever action is necessary to ensure the hygiene, health and safety at all times.
• Assist the Retail Manager to conduct a full stock-take of the tuckshop stock at the end of each month or as otherwise requested by the P&C.
• Treat all customers, colleagues, community members and other stakeholders with respect and dignity at all times.
• Uphold a high ethical and professional standard and represent the P&C Association positively at all times.

Hours of engagement will usually be between 7.30am and 2.30pm week days during school terms.

Applications close 10th August 2017

The Mackay State High School P & C is a collective group of parents, staff and community members interested in working to support student activities and curriculum initiatives at the school.

P & C COMMITTEE

We currently have vacancies within the P & C Executive and there is always space for more members on our team. Were you involved with your child’s P & C at Primary School? Are you interested in being involved but not sure what is required or how to join?

P & C Meetings are held on the 4th Monday of each month in the staff common room in the Administration Block commencing at 6pm.

If you would like some additional information please contact us via email pandc@mackayshs.eq.edu.au

COMMUNITY NOTICES