27 October 2017

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

The 2017 Awards Night will occur on Wednesday 1st November commencing at 7pm at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre. Students receiving awards have received personal invitations including tickets for family members to attend and add to the significance of the evening for our students. Our highly accredited musician and performers will show their talents during the program. Our guest speaker this year is Mrs Jody Euler who was a student at Mackay State High School in 1990 and has pursued her passion for “redhotblue” in her career since.

A highlight of the evening is the announcement of some special awards, while the 2018 Prefects will be presented to the assembled audience and the naming of the School Captains and Vice Captains for 2018.

Earlier this week a group of 29 Year 11 students made brief presentations making their case to be elected to leadership roles in 2018. Their speeches were made to the staff, over 70 people, and it is very reassuring that though very nervous, all completed their task very competently. The school will certainly be in positive and capable hands with these students in various leadership roles.

Mackay Eisteddfod is completed for another year and many of our students were involved will individual performances as well as in school bands, choirs and ensembles. Our Jazz Group shone in one of the final evenings of the Eisteddfod, placing 1st with an excellent performance. Mrs De Brueys was so very proud of the students and their performances.

Mackay State High School was recognized as a leading school in the use of technology to support student learning, through being invited to trial “qldtechschools”. Our school will take the opportunity to be a part of Intake 1 – Pilot program for leading edge schools. Staff will receive support and training to ensure highly successfully implementation of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies by 2020. This initiative will support our school improvement journey including helping to build the capability of our teachers to plan, teach and assess the Australian Curriculum: Technologies, enabling our students to succeed in this key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning area.

At our Sports Awards Night held in Week 2 Term 4, Junior Sportsperson was awarded to Ryleigh Wotherspoon, with Senior Sportsperson awarded to Gabby Wotherspoon. Mitchell Wells was awarded the Pierre De Coubetin - Award for Olympic spirit.

We are approaching final exams for the year and Senior Exam blocks commence for Yr 12 8-10th November, while

20 – 23rd November is the block for Yr 11. It is very important for all students to be at school on every day for the best chance to achieve their goal. Following the exam block, Year 11 students participating in the 2018 Leadership Camp held again this year on Magnetic Island for 4 days. Other students are required to be in attendance at school until 24th November.

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

AWARDS NIGHT

On the 1st November, Mackay State High School will hold its Annual Awards night at the Mackay Entertainment Convention Centre. It’s an opportunity to recognise the hard work undertaken by students throughout the year in areas of their schooling. As this is a formal occasion students are required to wear full school uniform.

Students receiving awards are asked to be at the MECC by 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start.

SPORTS AWARDS

AQUATIC PRACTICES

This term, in Aquatic Practices, we were tasked to design and construct a fishing rod that showcase’s our skills of binding eyelets to blank rods, using coloured threads which are patterned consecutively. Firstly, our rods’ ‘spine’ had to be found in order for the rod to bend correctly. Intervals were then marked along the blank rod to mark out the rod’s eyelets. The rod’s base is protected by a butt-cap and hand grips are placed either side of a reel seat, which holds the spinning reel. Mr. Mather instructed us to practice a design, using thread, just above the top grip. We then continued the design up the rod in order to set every eyelet in place. Binding a blank rod takes a lot of time and patience. Throughout this process we worked in groups of two (‘binding buddies’ according to Mr. Mather), which makes the binding easier. After binding the eyelets is completed the rods will be covered in an epoxy resin in order to set and protect the eyelets. Constructing the rods was a very fun activity. We are looking forward to using our rods by fishing with them, knowing that we made them, and hopefully bringing home dinner.

By Brianna McNeilly & Carissa Walker –Year 12

QATSIF

Mackay and The Whitsunday QATSIF Graduation Ceremony was held at CQ University Mackay Campus on Wednesday 11 October.

Mackay State High School Traditional Dance Group participated in the opening ceremony.

Graduation Certificates were awarded to Siobhan Healy, Leah Deveraux and Aleesha Barba on their completion of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation QCE Scholarship, and Year 12 Graduation in 2017.

Mr Steve Paulger, Siobhan Healy, Leah Deveraux and Aleesha Barba with Mr Gordon Quakawoot

ARTS NEWS

EISTEDDFOD

CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs De Brueys and the Vocal Group for taking out 1st Place in the Jazz Modern section of the Mackay Eisteddfod. They worked hard to reach this level of performance.

GLOBAL GROOVES

Music students performed with MZAZA

On Saturday, 21 October, 21 of our instrumental music students, accompanied by Mrs Boyd and Mrs De Brueys joined acclaimed world music group, MZAZA, on stage at the Global Grooves Festival in Queens Park. Students workshopped with the group on Friday 20 October from 3:30 – 4:30pm, rehearsed at 7:00pm at the festival and then hit the stage. Well done to all.

VERVE

ARTS SOIREE

On Friday 10 November, Art, Drama, Film, Music and Instrumental Music parents, families and friends as well as staff are invited to celebrate the extraordinary year that we have shared. The VERVE Arts Soiree will be held in the Hall.

See details on the invitation below and please RSVP via the link at the bottom by the due date – Tuesday 3 November.

Mrs Glenda Hobdell
HOD The Arts

ACCESS CENTRE

Senior Transition Pathways Expo for diverse learners. LOOK AT OUR NEW LOGO!! Local HOSES in Mackay have come together to support our senior students and their parents in their transition beyond school. With over 120 students meeting and walking around over 30 stallholders to collect information and talk to agencies that will be able to help or support them. It was a great day with fantastic feedback.

PLEASE LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE – Parents all information for diverse learners and support from outside agencies will be posted on this page. Enjoy the photo’s

NDIS

THE MSHS BOXING PROGRAM

The boxing program is now up and running with the sessions taking place at the MSHS Gym and Hall during school time.

The selected students participate in a complete boxing program conducted by Level 1 Boxing Australia qualified coach Sam O’Malley.

Sam is a Biggest Loser winner with a great depth of skill and knowledge, and has kindly dedicated his time to mentoring/teaching our students.

MSHS is committed to supporting students through a wide range of programs and opportunities.

Students are learning to understand:

Fundamentals of Boxing
Technique, Fitness & power outweighs strength
Respect for others
Respect & confidence within & for themselves

Aim: To empower individuals with the knowledge and self-confidence to set & achieve goals no matter how big or small.

Program Lessons

1. Commitment
2. Fitness
3. Boxing Technique
4. Humility
5. Goal setting
6. Respect for themselves and others
7. Nutrition/Healthy eating

Commitment of participation, students are to:

Attend every session
Attend their regular school classes and behave appropriately
Maintain a high attendance record at school
Be prepared and appropriately dressed

All Enquires to

Deputy Principal Tania Cheers 49579070
Chaplain Phil Hall 49579107

MATHS TUTORING

ENGLISH TUTORING

ICAS Testing

Congratulations to Austin Crozier and Ariane Molina for achieving Credits in the ICAS English Spelling Tests.

A good achievement.

SALVOS CHRISTMAS HAMPER APPEAL

With Christmas fast approaching and the region still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Debbie,

The Salvation Army in Mackay is gearing up to support those in our Community for whom Christmas will be a difficult time.

This year Mackay State High School has been invited to help by donating FOOD and GIFTS for inclusion in Christmas hampers.

Students and Families are being asked to bring food or gift items to their Form Class over the next three weeks up to Tuesday 14th November.

There will be a prize for the Form Class that donates the most items!

We will have a special presentation to the Salvation Army with the donated items on parade on Wednesday 15th November

Would you be willing to ‘help us help others’ this Christmas?

When donating, there are a few things to consider:

FOOD

1. All FOOD items need to have a ‘Best Before’ or ‘Expiry’ date of AT LEAST April 2017. Foods which have passed their ‘best before’ or ‘expiry’ date will not be included in hampers.
2. Please ensure items are non-perishable.
3. Suggested food items include: Long life custard, Christmas cakes and puddings, Tinned ham, Potato chips, Bags of lollies, Biscuits, Jellies, Tinned fruit, Bottles of drink and main meal foods such as Pasta, Pasta sauce etc.

GIFTS

1. Donated gifts need to be NEW (ie with tags and /or packaging). Second hand items will not be included in hampers. For a quick and easy gift idea, how about a Gift Card/Voucher? $15-$20 vouchers for a Supermarket, Fruit Shop or Butcher enable people to purchase what they need. For children and youth, vouchers from JB Hi-Fi, Australian Geographic, Typo, Surf Shops and so on are a real hit. We also like to include a parent/carer gift in each hamper, so Beauty vouchers for women and Bunnings vouchers for men are always popular.

CHAMPION OUR CHAPPY

Becoming a Chappy Champion is simple and easy!

• Visit http://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)

GUIDANCE OFFICER

Sleep and mental health

Life constantly throws up challenges and difficulties. Resilience is the ability to manage and cope with these. It is believed that having enough sleep is an important factor in our ability to deal with adversity and the demands of a busy life. Sleep in many respects is a built in biological source of resilience and the ability to bounce back. Although the relationship between sleep and mental health is not clearly understood, we believe that a good night's sleep helps foster both mental and emotional resilience. Chronic sleep disruptions set the stage for negative thinking, depression, anxiety and emotional vulnerability.

During the day, we are bombarded with new information. Sleep gives the brain some ‘down time’ to process all of this information and store it in our memory banks. This way, it is available and accessible when it is needed. Having enough sleep improves concentration, creativity and assists with learning.

An extreme example of a difficult and stressful situation is being in a Prisoner of War camp. In a study that followed repatriated prisoners of war for 37 years, sleep was the strongest predictor of mental resilience. Whatever is happening during sleep for traumatised people, it appears to assist with the recovery from these stressful experiences. Whilst thankfully few people will have had the experiences of a POW, all of us experience the ups and downs of life and would benefit from accessing quality sleep in times of stress.

Poor sleep and depression are very closely linked; treating one condition will often improve the other. Given that research suggests that 60-90% of patients with depression have insomnia (and approximately 20% of people with depression have sleep apnoea), looking after our sleep to promote good mental health seems imperative. The Harvard Mental Health Newsletter states that “Once viewed only as symptoms, sleep problems may actually contribute to psychiatric disorders”. People who sleep poorly are much more likely to develop significant mental illness, including depression and anxiety, than those who sleep well.

There are many simple ways to improve sleep. The first step for many people is:

• to improve their sleep habits. A regular bedtime and waking time are essential, as are avoiding stimulants before going to bed (cigarettes and caffeine)
• having enough exercise during the day (not too close to bedtime)
• eating well and healthy
• ensuring that the bedroom is quiet and dark and the bed is comfortable

Removing all electronic screens from the bedroom is difficult for some people, but mobile phones, computers and televisions in the bedroom are a major cause of sleep disruption

Some people may need to seek the assistance of a sleep psychologist or sleep clinic and very occasionally the short term use of medication may be helpful.

Adapted from Sleep Foundation, Cathryn Curtin, Psychologist, People Diagnostix

Lindsay Hains
Guidance Officer

UNIFORM SHOP

TUCKSHOP

WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS!

We invite you to become a Volunteer in the tuckshop. By giving your time you meet others in the school community, share or develop skills in food preparation and deliver customer service.

We are creating an exciting new menu that incorporates home cooked hot and cold meals, fresh baked snacks and an ability to offer catering to our school community.

We understand time is precious, and value any amount you can contribute. You may like to do a morning shift 9am—12.30pm or a full day (9am—2pm). We enjoy a cuppa in between the lunch breaks. Please send me an email mshstuckshop@hotmail.com with your interest or call the tuckshop on 4957 9127.

Be assured that your volunteer hours will be very much appreciated. You will be notified of your rostered days via email or text.

NB! Profits generated through Tuckshop are contributed to the school benefiting our students.

Thank you for supporting MSHS Tuckshop.

Mella Partmaa
Retail Manager- Food Supervisor
Mackay State High School Tuckshop

COMMUNITY NOTICES