10 November 2017

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

At our Awards Night, our 2018 Prefects were presented to the audience. Congratulations to each of these young people and I am very confident that they will capably fill the role. Prefects are Jedd Abbott, Troy Bajamundi (VC), Jenica Bautista (C), Eunice Belonio, Emma Bugeja (VC), Rhoureen Dela Gracia, Laila Ireland, Annalese Jacobson, Hannah Morgan, Phillip Phoebe, Jhoana Soriano, Emma Watts (C). The Awards night saw an entertaining speech by Jodie Euler, Yr 12 graduate of Mackay SHS in 1990, and she met several of her classmates after the ceremony to share stories. Congratulations to Haard Shah who was announced as the 2017 Dux at Mackay SHS. The evening celebrated the outstanding achievements of our students, entertained by our talented instrumental students. A complete list of Award winners will be posted on the School Facebook site soon.

This week two of our students Tanya Dator and Hannah Walz were offered and have accepted places at the Capricornia State Honours Ensemble Program in Rockhampton early next year. This program is run by the Griffith Uni Conservatorium of Music.

ICAS Awards for English were awarded last week to Ariane Molina, Austin Crozier both achieving a Credit, while in addition Austin Crozier received a Credit for Writing. These are excellent results when competing against the top students across Australasia, in their year level.

As we approach the end of the 2017 school year, I attend graduations for different centres. This week several students graduated at Mackay Engineering College with Cert 2 in Auto, while others gained a Cert 2 in Electro-Technology, in new course presented over 12 months at MEC in 2017. In addition, another group graduated with Cert 2 in Engineering Practices. These are excellent opportunities studied alongside their usual subject choices.

At Conference 17 for P&C Qld in Brisbane in September Tanya Williams, currently our Secretary of P&C, was awarded Area Life membership of the Central Queensland Area and a State Outstanding Service Award. Tanya is a former board member of P&Cs Qld and was an active voice in, particularly, ECE matters. Great recognition for Tanya’s efforts both at our school and Mackay West SS.

Salvos Christmas appeal donations from students and staff are being brought in by students from Year 7 – 12 to support needy families as they prepare for Christmas. Representatives from Mackay Salvos will collect the donated food and toys on Assembly Wed 15th Nov, the final assembly for our 2017 Year 12s.

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

AWARDS NIGHT

Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre was the venue for our Awards night held on Wednesday 1st November. Students were recognised for the hard work they have undertaken throughout the year in areas of Leadership, School Achievement and Academic honours. Staff students, families and Guest Speaker Mrs Jody Euler Director of Red Hot Blue and presenters Prof Pierre Vilijeon – Deputy Vice Chancellor of CQ University, Mrs Rae-Lee Cox – Principal Mackay West SS, Mr Frank Gilbert – former Councillor and Mrs Tania Williams – MSHS P & C Representative were entertained by Mackay State High School Stage and Concert Band and String Ensemble. This special night on the school calendar would not be possible without the support many sponsors.

PE NEWS

Goodbye Alex

This week we say goodbye to Alex Proctor as she is taking up a position at Cairns High and to be closer to family. Over the last 7 ½ terms, Alex has been integral part of the HPE Faculty and has been an asset for our Netball Academy. Alex has continued to run our Netball Academy with minimal help and was rewarded this year when our U/15 Netball Academy girls playing in the State Semi Final. The best result for our academy since its inception. Whilst at Mackay State High, Alex has also taken numerous sporting teams giving up many of her afternoons. Everyone in HPE Faculty will miss her quirkiness and dry sense of humour. Best of luck for the future Alex.

MSHS Rugby League England Tour 2017 Snapshot

On Friday the 15th of September a group of 27 young men and 4 teachers jetted off to the UK. Our first stop, after a 13 ½ leg in the air, was a guided tour of Abu Dhabi. During this bus tour we got to see Ferrari World, White Palace, and Grand Mosque and got to walk around an outdoor museum. The temperature at 9am was 40⁰ with Mrs Barnard and Mr Doyle staying on the air conditioned bus. We landed in London and after a short walk in the cooler climate settled into our accommodation. The sights we got to see in London were Big Ben, Madame Tassuads Wax Museum, London Dungeons, Tower of London and Buckingham Palace. The boys were also treated to an open top bus tour about the history of London.

After a quick two hour train ride, our next destination was Hull. The families and schools in Hull were very welcoming and our links with Arch Bishop Setamu were strengthened through our mutual exchange. On the Friday night we played our first match against a combined Hull Schools on Craven Park (Hull KR Super League ground) beating them 28-8. Our second game the following Monday was against Bishop Burton College who were made up of Hull KR and Hull FC contracted 17 year olds. In a very physical game we prevailed 34-4.

Our next stop was Alton Towers Amusement Park where the boys had an action packed day. That night we got to stay in the Enchanted Village lodges and enjoyed a wonderful dinner for Jedd Abbott’s birthday. The next leg of our tour saw us stop in Wakefield to play Outwood Grange College. Our school and Outwood Grange College have had an exchange since 2005. In that game we ran out victors 58-0. One of the highlights of the tour happened that weekend when we watched Castleford Tigers make their maiden grand final appearance in a golden point overtime period (they subsequently got smashed in the final by Leeds Rhinos).

Whilst being billeted in Castleford we faced the school that we have never beaten, Castleford High. On game day they ensured it would be a tough game when they recruited players from outside their school to play us. In a hard fought game we won 26-18. Our final game on Sydney Grand Final day saw us play one of the best U/16 club teams in the UK – Lock Lane. In very wet and slippery conditions we finished our tour with a 34-0 victory. This is the first time ever that a Mackay High touring team have been undefeated.

The following Monday the boys were rewarded for their successful tour with a spot of paintball with many students forgetting to shoot the opposition instead of an easy target like Mr Doyle. The boys that attended this tour are an absolute credit to their school, their familys and themselves.

ARTS NEWS

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.

Remember to bring your tickets to go in to the draw for a lucky door prize!

Mrs Glenda Hobdell
HOD The Arts

CHINESE LANGUAGE SPEAKING COMPETITION

On Friday 27th October, 18 Mackay SHS Chinese students travelled to CQU to compete in the annual Chinese Language Speaking Competition. After a series of heats and finals, the following students emerged as winners. Congratulations to all students and thank you to Mrs Chuang for all her hard work in preparing the students so well.

GENR8

GenR8 is a Department of Education and Training ‘school to work’ program which prepares students in all aspects of employment whilst they are still at school.

The program provides opportunities for Year 12 students to identify employment options and pathways within businesses, whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification and essential employability skills. The program runs over the full Year 12 school year. It combines 20 weeks of structured work placements (1 day per week), with a nationally recognised qualification (Certificate II in Logistics), with a Registered Training Organisation.

The following students have worked hard throughout the year and have now completed their Certificate II in Logistics

Declan Scott, Charles Edward, Hunter Reynolds, Tyron Paton, Pheonyx Emmerson Page and Kyle Vella

Thank you to the following employers for supporting the students and allowing them to be a part of their team for the 20 days of work placement.

MATHS

MATHS IN THE PARAMEDIC WORLD

Using mathematics in your career is well recognised in the fields of accountancy, building, architecture and banking, for instance, but is not always applied to other fields so readily. To help counter this misconception, last week Advanced Care Paramedic Steve came along to talk to the students in year 12, sharing with them how paramedics use maths and formulae in their everyday work. It was emphasised that paramedics often work in highly stressful situations and it is important to ensure that the calculations for drug administration are correct, as many drugs that paramedics administer now can be lethal in the wrong doses.

Some of the formulae he demonstrated showed how to quickly calculate a child’s weight (no, paramedics don’t carry scales or calculators, and sometimes there is no one there who knows!) to give the correct dosage for drugs such as Fentanyl and Morphine. Steve explained how this becomes more complicated as each ampoule and dosage is different for every drug.

He went on to illustrate how to use a different formula to calculate the joules needed for paediatric defibrillation, in the traumatic situation where their heart has stopped and they need timely interventions. He then explained how to read the electrical activity of the heart (via ECG) by calculating the positive and negative deflection, P waves, QRS complexes and T waves using the grid squares on the graph paper. This helps with the diagnosis of conditions such as heart blockages and heart attacks. He also emphasised the importance of universal standards, such as knowing that the ECG graph paper moves at a rate of 25mm/second, and that is the same the world over.

He rounded up the session with question time, and satisfied the inquisitive students with a few entertaining paramedic tales! It was an eye-opener to learn how much maths is used in Steve’s job. Thank you to Steve for coming along and sharing the importance of maths as a paramedic.

ICAS Maths Competition

Recently five of our students in year 7 competed in the ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) competition. 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.

Ariane Molina, Paige Dodd and Zara Keeler

Congratulations to all of our competitors on their achievements, as follows:

Mr Jim Laidlaw
Head of Department – Mathematics

A MEETING WITH THE PREMIER

Gwen and Charley Lee both had a casual chat with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk while she was in Mackay recently. Premier Palaszczuk was on her morning walk on the Bluewater Trail and stopped and asked the girls questions about Mackay SHS they both answered very proudly. Way to go Gwen and Charley!!

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE ACADEMY

Year 9 Academic Excellence Academy student Jade Storey recently participated in the Write 4 Fun writing competition. Write 4 Fun is a company formed to enhance the writing abilities of students throughout Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America and they do this annually through a range of different writing competitions.

Jade’s short story ‘Hope’ was shortlisted and as a finalist she received a Gift Pack and Pen. In addition to this, in March next year her story will be published in a future book edition and she will receive a complimentary copy to keep. Write 4 Fun received over 10 000 entries and only fifteen short stories and fifteen poems were selected as Finalists. Congratulations Jade! A fantastic effort.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE ACADEMY STEM FAIR

The 2017 STEM Fair is getting closer and students are busy working on their projects and displays for this year’s event. Our inaugural Fair in 2016 was a huge success and no doubt this year will be bigger and better with the involvement of three year levels. The STEM Fair officially takes place on Tuesday 21st of November with judging and visits from parents, guardians and community members. On Monday the 20th November the Academic Excellence Academy Cadets are given the opportunity to engage with the students and their displays as part of their final session for the year.

CONGRATULATIONS LOGAN

ACCOUNTING CADETSHIP 2018

Congratulations to Logan Robinson. He has just received word that he has been awarded the Accounting Cadetship with the firm, Brown and Bird, for 2018.

This means that Logan will commence working at the firm full-time and study part-time at CQU through distance education.

Logan has been passionate about the study of Accounting over the past two years and worked tirelessly to achieve outstanding results. The Business/IT Department wish him every success in his future career.

ACCESS CENTRE

Mackay State High School ACCESS Centre wishes to thank the wonderful sponsors who bought tickets for our students and their families to attend The World Festival of Magic! The Dumbleton Rural Fire Brigade organised this special event to help lift the spirits and bring well needed joy, laughter and amazement to local disadvantaged children and those with special needs. It helps to provide a wonderful evening out for children and families who may be having to deal, on a daily basis, with illness, physical disability, emotional trauma or severe socio-economic hardship. This wonderful annual event is sponsored by the Business Communities of Mackay and its surrounding areas and has been a huge success. A spectacular evening was enjoyed by all. Thank you.

MATHS TUTORING

ENGLISH TUTORING

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 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)

UNIFORM SHOP

TUCKSHOP

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

COMMUNITY NOTICES