26 July 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Welcome to our new Semester and all students will have received their Sem 1 Report Cards either electronically or in paper copy to some, for Semester 1. For Year 11 students, their report is for Unit 1 of their subjects. All students received a letter detailing the procedure for parents to book Parent Teacher Interviews, which in the main will be held on Tuesday afternoon 30th July. I encourage parents to book a short interview, if your child is not performing well or if you have a query to discuss. If you’re not available that time, then arrange another time to speak to their teacher(s).

On Wednesday in Week 1, our school celebrated NAIDOC Day with a special Assembly. Two of our Indigenous Elders, Phillip Kemp and Marion Healy spoke to the students and staff and students were informed by their stories shared. Later in the day, Indigenous students and their families were invited to a Careers display at the Hall, some games of League were played with both girls and boys games held and in the afternoon a number of our Indigenous students visited local Indigenous businesses in our city. Thanks to Gordon for the great job in his organising the program.

In the first few weeks several excursions have occurred. Twenty Year 12 students accompanied me to the JCU Experience at the start of term to investigate pathways for next year. In the same week, 57 Year 11s attended and participated in a range of challenges and social learning experiences as part of the Leadership Program at Magnetic Island. In Week 2, many of our Year 7 students travelled to Fairbairn Dam Education Centre to again participate in a full program of activities to learn more about themselves and their classmates in this outdoor environment. Many pictures are shared on the school Facebook site. Thanks to the staff who give their time and experience to make these special events the success they are.

Recently we have welcomed several young students from England to our school. Four lads from Castleford Academy School joined our school and this week a team of lads from Outward Grange School involved themselves in some games between teams of boys from Mackay SHS. Each year this exchange occurs between these schools from northern England and 26 of our Yr 10/11 students will travel to experience life in their homes in England, staying with families there. Sincere thanks to the parents who have hosted students during this period, because without your hospitality, these programs could not extend the wonderful experiences for these students.

Congratulations to Lisa Veney who has been appointed as Acting Principal at Mirani SHS for Term 3, returning to us in Term 4. Mrs Aprile has stepped in behind her role as Deputy Principal at our school. We also welcome Ms Lucia Ariotti who will be our Guidance Officer, while Mr Hains is on leave.

Some of our Soccer teams have gained recognition reaching quarter finals in the Statewide Bill Turner Cup (UN 15 boys) and Shield (Un 15 girls) at the start of the term. Our boys played Ignatius Park College in Bowen, while our Un 15 girls played Cairns SHS in Townsville. Both teams lost their games, however they have progressed further than ever before in their competitions. Congrats to the players and to both Mrs and Mr Radunz.

Rock Pop Mime performers show their talent on Saturday evening from 6:30pm at the Botanical Gardens amphitheatre. The two groups would love our support if we can come along to view their performances, supervised and encouraged by Ms Barresi.

Our P&C Association is desperately looking to find parents to take on the roles of Secretary and Assistant Treasurer. If you are interested and can assist please contact our President Toni-Maree Dodd or myself, by phoning the school office. Sincere thanks.

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

STYMIE

FROM THE DESK OF A DEPUTY

Semester 1 Report Cards

Report Cards for all year levels were distributed to parents and carers via email on Tuesday the 23rd July.

Students whose parents or carers do not have a valid email address were issued a paper copy of their report, on the same day.

Our Semester reports cards include:

• Achievement results (Semester or Unit 1 – Yr 11),
• effort and behaviour grading
• homework ratings
• requests for interviews
• comments relevant to the student and subject.

The school would like to encourage parents and carers to move over to QParents. This free ‘app’ system allows parents/carers to see student:

• Report Cards (more immediately)
• Attendance details
• Financial details
• Assessment Planners
• Timetables

Please contact the school for details on how you can sign up to have access to all of this information.

Parent / Teacher Interviews

Our second Parent Teacher Evening for this year is in Week 3 of next term – on Tuesday 30th July. The evening will commence at 3.30pm through until 6.30pm. We invite all parents and carers to attend.

Details for making an interview booking were distributed to students. The address for linking to the environment is listed below and is also included at the end of the Report Cards. The booking environment opened at 4pm on Tuesday 23rd July and will close at noon on Monday 29th July.

Note: If you are unable to access the internet, or have difficulties with the online environment, then please phone Mackay SHS on 4957 9179 and ask to speak to Lis Baldock, who will assist in making you an appointment.

School students are welcome to attend and participate in these interviews.

Year 10 SETP Interviews

All Year 10 students must participate in a 30 minute Senior Education and Training Plan (SETP) interview. The SETP interview is conducted with the student, a parent or caregiver and a school representative. These interviews will be held across multiple days/and some evenings of the fourth week of school, next term. Interviews will take place between the 12th and 16th August.

During the SETP interview students will discuss their future plans for learning and careers and will also make their selection of subjects for Year 11 and Year 12.

Parents or caregivers will be required to make an appointment (in the same way that we do for Parent/Teacher Interviews) at a time that is convenient for them to attend. Year 10 students will be temporarily released from class if their interview is scheduled during lesson time.

Interviews will be available across the week and will include evening sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Details for when the environment will open will be sent home with Year 10 students in the week before.

Tania Cheers
Deputy Principal (Years 9 & 10)

SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY

The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys will be conducted from 29 July to 23 August 2019. All families, school staff and a random sample of students will be invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

Access details for the Parent/Caregiver Survey will be sent home with students this week (Monday 29th July). The survey can be completed via computers, tablets or smart phones with internet connection.

For Parent/Caregivers that do not have access to the internet they can complete the survey over the phone by calling the Survey team on 1800 067 971 and providing the access codes from their invitation letter (from Monday 29th July).

Survey queries or requests for translations can be directed Tania Cheers on telephone 4957 9179 or email admin@mackayshs.eq.edu.au

SENIOR SCHOOLING

Traineeship

McDonalds are offering a Certificate II in Retail to students in Years 10 and 11. It is a 12 month course and students would go to McDonalds one day per week for work and training.

Any students interested in doing this traineeship should see Mrs Esau in E6 for further details

Year 10 SET Plan Interviews

The Year 10 SET Plan interviews will be on in week 5 of this term, 12 – 16 August 2019.

Every Year 10 student will have a 30 minute interview with a teacher and a parent to look at choosing their subjects for Year 11.

The environment will open at 8am on Wednesday 31 July and close at 8pm on Tuesday 6 August. Parents will be able to book an interview time during this period. Instructions on how to book an interview will be sent home with the students shortly.

Mission Australia

Mission Australia are currently conducting their 2019 Youth Survey. Young people aged 15-19 years are encouraged to participate to have their say on their values, concerns, challenges and ambitions. Please read the Plain Language Statement, Letter to Parents and return the Consent Form. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and closes on the 31st July, 2019. Please ensure that students enter the unique code of 45523 on the second introductory page when prompted online.

Jenny Hocking
Youth Support Coordinator

ARTS AT MACKAY STATE HIGH SCHOOL

ROCK POP MIME UPDATE

We are so thrilled to be able to enter two groups into the Lion’s Rock Pop Mime performance this year to represent our school. Both our junior and senior teams have begun rehearsing.

Rock Pop Mime performance is held on Saturday July 27th from 6:30pm. There is no charge to attend this event. On the evening, secondary school performances will follow on from the primary schools. This is always an entertaining night out so come along and support MSHS in their return to Rock Pop Mime in 2019!

MECC Performances

I am delighted to confirm Mackay State High School is eligible for funding to attend Yamato – The Drummers of Japan at the MECC on Thursday 1 August at 7.30pm through the 2019 Pathways to Performance Program, supported by Glencore Hail Creek Open Cut Mine, BHP and the Friends of the MECC. Only a handful of Arts students have been invited to attend the performance

Instrumental Music

Queensland Youth Orchestra

On Sunday 23rd of June members of the Queensland Youth Orchestra (QYO) came to our school for a workshop. Our students were joined by students from Mackay North State High School and Pioneer State High School. The sound from the full string orchestra was amazing. The QYO were in Mackay as part of their annual tour of Queensland. The students thoroughly enjoyed working with the QYO musicians.

Woodwind workshop

Mackay State High School had the pleasure of hosting Justin Beere, Associate Principal Clarinettist from The Australian Ballet in week one of term three. We were also joined by students from both Mackay Northern Beaches SHS and Pioneer SHS. Justin shared some great tips and ideas on the fundamental principles of playing woodwind instruments particularly in relation to developing a proper breathing technique. He had a number of great ideas including using straws, balloons, different syllables to create different sounds and showed students how to apply these ideas to their warm-up routines as well as applying them to a piece of music. Justin's knowledge was invaluable for all students and staff who were involved. He gave the student's a greater insight into how developing air control can lead to improved articulation and ability to control dynamics which ultimately allows students to play more musically on their instruments. This was a fantastic opportunity for all involved and we look forward to being able to host more events like these in the future.

Upcoming Dates Term 3

CQ University Jazz Festival

Sunday 4th August

1:00pm- 3:00pm- Vocal Group
4:00pm- 6:00pm – Stage Band
7:00pm Public concert

Mackay Orchestras and Bands

Sunday 18th August

11:30am arrival – Concert Band
12:15pm arrival – Symphonic Band
5:40pm arrival- String Ensemble

State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) Middle schools

30th August – 1st September

Townsville Trip

Thursday 19th – Sunday 22nd September

XLArt

Keep an eye out for our girl at Illuminate this year, here is a little preview of her in situ (kindly sent by our Illuminate artist in residence).

SPORTS REPORT

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Term 2 ended with our Annual 2 day Athletics Carnival. Well done to everyone who came along and participated in the two days. Whether that was competitive or non-competitive. All points go to helping your team in their final score. It was great to see both students and staff get into the spirit of ‘80’s’ theme. Congratulations to all the students who came away age champions and also to those who got new personal bests. Well done to all the students going on to the next at MDSS Athletics. Once again days like these don’t run without the help of all the staff. A big thank-you to all the staff at the school and in particular the HPE staff who gave up time before and after school to make sure everything was ready for the day.

Age Champions

House Winner

Miss Forster
Sports Coordinator

RUGBY LEAGUE UK Tours

During the past week several games of rugby league were played on our school oval in conjunction with NAIDOC Week and the arrival of a touring team from Outwood Grange in England. On Wednesday 3 games were contested. The first was an exhibition touch football match between a mixed girls rugby league side with players from Mackay State High taking on a mixed team of touring players. Plenty of tries were scored and some great skill was on display from our girls. The next match featured the Indigenous All-stars team taking on another All-stars side. Both sides were comprised of students from Mackay State High. This was a very entertaining spectacle with the Indigenous All-stars running out winners in a high scoring affair. The final game of the day saw the touring academy side facing off with our year 8 rugby league academy class. In a physical encounter the touring side ran out winners. Congratulation to all boys that participated in the games and to all the teachers and students for enjoying the on field entertainment.

On Friday the Outwood Grange touring side returned for a second match against a combined year 9/10 academy team. This time our boys got the better of the touring side with plenty of well-constructed and entertaining tries scored. We would all like to thank the coaching staff and players from Outwood Grange with their visit and conduct whilst visiting our school and wish them all the best for the rest of their tour.

Mr Graham
Rugby League Coordinator

VICKI WILSON NORTHERN CLUSTER TRIALS

On Thursday 18th July students in Years 7, 8 & 9 competing in Vicki Wilson Shield and students in 10,11 &12 competed in Vicki Wilson Cup trials to progress forward to the State Titles in September. Both our junior and senior team had very successful days. Both teams haven’t played a great deal of netball together and came together on the day to play consistent and competitive netball. Both teams had 2 wins for the day and finished 3rd (Cup) and 4th (Shield) in their pools. All the girls should be proud of their efforts.

Player of the Tournament:

Shield: Christa Nissen
Cup: Karissa Giumelli

Miss Forster
Netball Coordinator

Staff Profile

Jack Brock is the profile this week

1. Your position/role at MSHS: First year HPE, Science and ITF Teacher.
2. Nickname: Brocky.
3. How long have you been at MSHS: Term 3, 2019
4. Hobbies: Rugby League.
5. Favourite travel destination OR where you would like to travel: Would love to travel around America.
6. Highlight at MSHS: Everyone has been so welcoming.
7. Passion in relation to MSHS / why you do what you do: Always wanted to be involved in a school with a sporting program, specifically Rugby league as it is a passion of mine.
8. An animal that best represents you and why: Squirrel as Ms Koko said my teeth look like one.
9. Favourite Quote: An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

YEAR 11 COORDINATOR

Apex Camps Magnetic Island is a stunning location that takes your breath away. Entering Day 1, 56 students and 8 staff enjoyed a 4-hour bus trip and a short ferry ride from Townsville to Magnetic Island and proceeded with leadership activities straight away. After establishing ourselves at the camp, the students completed their first hike to Hawkings Point Lookout, which were followed by the annual Beach Olympics. The students were divided into 4 groups and competed in many events to establish points for their team. This was the start to their leadership activities. Students then dabbled in some night activities. Day 2 also started with two separate hikes for all 4 groups, this was then followed by Kayaking, Koala Park, Leadership Activities and Rock Climbing. These activities were rotated over Day 2 & 3. The night activities for Day 2 saw the students battle in Trivia, this proved very competitive and a surprising result for general knowledge was displayed by the students. Day 3 night activities included the Garbage Bag Ball where students were randomly paired and given garbage bags in which they had to design and make their dresses and suits. This was followed by a parade and some dancing. The quality of leadership displayed by the students were second to none. New friendships were made and new respects were given to both students and teachers. The teachers and students had a great time but not forgetting the purpose of the camp. These young adults were great to work with displaying appropriate behaviour, respect and displaying their leadership qualities. A huge thankyou from me as the Year 11 coordinator to the students and the teachers that made this camp such a success.

Kevin Blakey
Year 11 Coordinator

ART ON SHOW

These student’s artwork was displayed at the Mackay Show last term – Well done to these young students, your artwork is awesome!!!

Hao Dong – “Ken-Kandei” - Year 7

Brooke Clarkson - “Todoroki-Kun” – Year 7

Celice King – “Lions Heart” – Year 7

ACCESS CENTRE

Earn and Learn

We smashed our goals with Earn and Learn. We were aiming for 5000 stickers and thanks to students, staff, and the community we received 8040 stickers. This was a great whole school achievement which will go towards free equipment and resources to assist student across the school. THANK YOU!!!

MATHS DEPARTMENT

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

School Based Youth Health Nurse

Time spent in bed asleep is time well spent.

Did you know that teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night? Studies show however that most teenagers don’t get enough sleep. In fact, one study revealed that only 15% of teenagers were getting 8 and a half hours of sleep on school nights….

There Are So Many Reasons Why Sleep Is Important!

1. Mental Health
2. Concentration
3. Memory
4. Reduces risk of obesity
5. Physical/athletic performance
6. Motivation
7. Immune function
8. Ability to regulate behaviour and emotions
9. Social functioning
10. Productivity/performance
11. Judgement
12. Perception
13. Reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and chronic illness
14. Healthy sleep reduces risk of accidents and injury

While sleep onset is something we can’t control, we can control the conditions that make falling asleep easier, in our minds and in our environment.

Teens (and everybody) need to prioritize sleep and develop healthy sleep habits

How Do You Develop Healthy Sleep habits

• Keep consistent bedtimes and wake times on school nights and weekends
• Keep technology (phones, iPad, TV) out of teens and children’s bedrooms overnight.
• Don’t use technology 1 to 2 hours before bed time.
• Wind down before going to bed. Allow an hour of relaxation time i.e. shower/bath, read.
• Eat dinner but avoid late meals
• Don’t drink coffee or caffeinated drinks after lunch. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine and may have to reduce the amount they are drinking.
• Exercise during the day can help (but not just before bedtime.)
• If you are having trouble falling asleep you can try techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, (see online ‘The Raising Children’s Network’.)
• Adolescents with ADHD, depression, anxiety and other disorders may have more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep and may need professional help. See your Gp if you or your children are continuing to have problems. You may need to see a psychologist or health professional such as a sleep specialist.

Recourses

P & C

We are currently seeking a secretary and would also like to obtain the services of an assistant Treasurer, as our current Treasurer Sandy is in her last year with the school. You would work alongside of Sandy learning the role of Treasurer. All other positions are filled with the P & C. Our next meeting is Monday 24th June 6pm. If anyone is interested they can contact us through the P and C email. pandc@mackayshs.eq.edu.au

Tuckshop

How can I get involved?

Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain.

The parents and citizens’ association at Mackay State High School appreciate any volunteer contribution that you can make. Can you help at tuckshop? Do you like planning or assisting at functions and special events? There are so many ways in which you can help our P&C email pandc@mackayshs.eq.edu.au for more information

COMMUNITY NOTICES