23 August 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Congratulations to our 2020 Scholarship Winners, awarded to eight students, supported by our Parent & Citizens Association. Forty nine student applications came in from students across our feeder schools and the winners are Tamsin Biddle, Chonteicha Day, Aiztel Gatchalian, Charlie Gordon, Shaun Hoile, Brodie McBean, Johann Matibag, Jenna Scott. These students receive $500 each towards their uniform costs and SRS fees for Year 7.

On Wednesday, an excellent attendance of our new Year 7 students and their parents came along for the Information evening giving the students and their parents the opportunity to have their questions answered from staff from each of the faculty areas. A special presentation for Sports Academy staff was also a feature. Parents were able to book an Interview to enrol their student in Year 7 for next year, after school between 26 – 29th August. If an interview was not booked, please contact the Office and make a suitable booking.

Our current Year 8 students will complete the NAPLAN test in 2020 using the Online tailored test in Term 2. Students will use their BYOx devices and those who do not have their own laptop, will have access to a school owned laptop. A number of small scale trials will be held before end of Term 3 this year, followed by another in March 2020 prior to the actual test in Term 2. For students seeking to investigate the types of questions and to acquaint themselves with the skills to respond to the questions, they can access NAPLAN Public Domain site with the link below. Look at using the calculator and ruler in questions.

Our Year 11 cohort attended the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program, raising the experience and understanding of the responsibility of all drivers in today’s world. Rotary Clubs in Mackay arrange for the key presenters for the RYDA program from local and regional sources, which were well received by the students.

Our young musicians showed their outstanding talents on Sunday at Mackay Orchestra & Bands hosted by MCC. The students in 3 bands / ensembles performed with great quality and confidence, enjoyed by all who listened. Our Symphonic Band and Concert Band both were awarded Gold Trophies, while the Strings Ensemble were awarded Silver. The Symphonic Band were awarded the Platinum Award for the best performance from all of the gathered High School groups and Adult Community bands.

During Term 2, our school was contacted by a Community group titled Glade 20 seeking to raise funds that could be used to support students, whose families are struggling financially to pay for resources required in a large family or in financial hardship. We sincerely thank their kind $4000 donation to our Student Services group, to make up starter packs of uniforms/books for needy students and possibly assisting the Equity program to supply basic laptops to needy families on loan.

One of our students was recently diagnosed after tests with Whooping Cough. The students has been treated and returned to school, however if you believe that your child has symptoms it is recommended to see your family doctor. Children are usually vaccinated against this infection and reminds all families of the importance of keeping vaccinations up to date at all times. The link below gives further information on symptoms …

Twenty of our Year 9/10 students attended the F1 in Schools with a number of our students entering their designs to the CO2 challenge track. Jack Menzies and Bradley Williams were successful with their entry being selected as one of the Mackay entries to be eligible to attend the State judging later this year. Well done lads.

Mr Steve Paulger
Principal

STYMIE

SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY

Thank you to all the parents/caregivers, students and school staff who completed this year’s School Opinion Survey. The online environment closes on Monday 26th August. We look forward to reviewing our survey results when we receive our school report later this year.

BUSINESS MANAGER

As we approach the end of term 3 and student subject selection processes begin for 2020, it is vitally important for parents to ensure to check that student accounts have been fully settled in order to avoid any complications with the 2020 subject selection processes. Please contact administration staff to check the financial status of your child’s school account.

There will be an additional change to the way our fees are collected in 2020 for Vocational certificate courses. Parents will now be required to pay a 50% deposit on these fees prior to enrolment in the subject. These Vocational certificate expenses are not school expenses and are passed onto parents directly from the Registered Training Organisation that provides the official certification.

The 2020 school Student Resource Scheme charges will be discussed at the P and c meeting on 16th September, which will be held in the Library. All parents are invited to attend to discuss the issue and to be more involved.

Troy Twomey
Business Mangaer

SENIOR SCHOOLING

THANKYOU

Generous donation for student services

Our school is extremely thankful for the recent generous donation of $4000 to Student Services from Ladies Glade No 20. This is a small group of about 20 ladies who act as an auxiliary group to the Buffalo Club and they are the only group of their type in the country.

The ladies in previous years have raised money for local charities such as the Kidney Support Network, RACQ CQ Rescue and Change Tee, who are all local organisations within the region.

Ladies Glade No. 20 raises money for community groups and this year, they decided to raise money for students at our school who have problems obtaining school equipment and school related costs etc. because of financial hardship.

The money was raised by selling raffle tickets, hosting a cent sale and from personal donations.

Picture below is our very grateful Student Support Team and guests representing the group: Left Roxanne Aprile (Acting DP), Ladies Glade No 20 reps Carmen Kent and Karon Bonney in front of Doug Swindells (Doug’s Mum Georgia is the group Secretary), Chappy Phil receiving the cheque, Jenny Hocking (Youth Support worker), Steve Paulger, Majella Hoffman (Access HOSES), Gordon Quakawoot (Indigenous Liaison officer) and Ann-Maree Brightman (School Nurse).

ARTS AT MACKAY STATE HIGH SCHOOL

Arts Education Benefits:

• Working in the arts helps learners develop creative thinking that assists with problem-solving.
• Teaching through the arts can present difficult concepts both visually and aurally, accommodating for a wider range of learning styles.
• Arts subjects assists the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and innovation.

• Arts experiences boost critical thinking, teaching students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world.
• Art education connects students with their own culture in addition to others around the world.

Troy Patti
Head of Department - The Arts

Instrumental Music Program

Mackay Orchestras and Bands Festival (MOB)

Every year our Instrumental Music Program ensembles look forward to performing at the Mackay Orchestras and Bands Festival Sunday (18th August). This year we represented MSHS with, 84 instrumental music students making up 3 different ensembles. They received fantastic results;

1. Concert Band conducted by Kerri Buchanan- Gold Award
2. String Ensemble conducted by Kristen Pengelly- Silver Award
3. Symphonic Band conducted by Matthew Johnston- Gold Award
4. The Symphonic Band was awarded the Platinum Award for the most outstanding performance in the secondary and community section.

A huge thank you to our amazing instrumental music teachers, the dedicated students and parents for your ongoing support.

Nicole de Brueys
Instrumental Music Coordinator

Upcoming Dates for Instrumental/Vocal Music Programs:

State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) Middle schools
30th August – 1st September

Instrumental Music Townsville Trip
Thursday 19th – Sunday 22nd September

Mackay Eisteddfod
Tuesday 15th October 1pm Session

Concert Band, Symphonic Band, String Ensemble and Stage Band
Thursday 24th October 6:30pm Session

Vocal Group
Mackay High Presents – Disruption @ CQCM Campus
Friday 25th October 5:30pm – 8:30pm
All ensembles

DRAMA

On Tuesday 6th August, Mackay State High School students were lucky enough to be visited by Mashed Theatre Inc.

Year 9 students were entertained with a performance of Romeo and Juliet. This was a fantastic experience for our students who got to explore the themes of love and fate within with Shakepeare's famous work. This performance of Romeo and Juliet linked with both the Drama and English curriculum and was a great learning opportunity for our students. They will now be devising their own modern adaptation of a Shakespeare play in class.

After the performance our Year 11 students and some Year 9 students were challenged in an Australian Gothic workshop that linked directly with their new senior syllabus. Students explored character intention, status, energy in performance and themes of Australian Gothic. These students were engaged throughout the whole workshop and I'm sure they all learnt lots of new things to apply in their upcoming performances.

We are very thankful to Mashed Theatre for spending time with our students, sharing their knowledge and passion for performing. A big thank you to all the students who attended - Mrs Sumpter and Mrs Barresi were both very impressed with your behaviour and attention during the presentations. We looked forward to welcoming this dynamic duo back in 2020!

Ella Barresi
Drama Teacher

ART

On Thursday 15th of August, the year 9 Art class spent a magical afternoon at ArtSpace Mackay where they participated in several speed dates with 5 Artist Books and their volunteer speakers. Students were initially introduced to the Artist Book collection by resident art expert Sue Paton, then followed on with 5 x 6 minute “dates” with individual Artist Books. The students enjoyed their first experience at ArtSpace and were disappointed that our visit was only short. Students are looking forward to putting what they learnt into practice and producing their own personal Artist Books. A huge thanks goes to Billie Jo Ogilvie, Wanda Bennett, Sue Paton and their team of volunteers for organising an excellent experience for our students.

Anita Pritchard
Visual Art

SCIENCE WEEK

This years’ science week ran from 10th to the 19th August with the theme "Destination: Moon". Our science department celebrated with lunch time activities including elephant's toothpaste, snow making, science documentaries, poster competition and the always popular science comedy festival. Each day prizes were awarded to those students who took the time to work our science trivia question. Thank you to all students who participated and the staff who ran the activities.

ACCESS CENTRE

Transition Days

Attention All Feeder Schools – Transportation to and from school is to be organised by Parents or Feeder Schools.

Year 6 ->7 TRANSITION for all diverse students (LS/SWD) 2019

• Parents please come to morning tea in the ACCESS Centre after session 4, week 9 - 7th December at 11:00am.
• Whole school Orientation full day 9th December 2019.

STUDENTS NEED TO BRING THEIR SCHOOL BAG WITH WRITING EQUIPMENT

Parent Appointments if required:

Please phone to arrange an appointment.

Any queries please contact Majella Hoffmann HOSES on 49579128 during school hours.

Additional support materials

• Resources for students with disability - Animation -This animation unpacks the resourcing models for students with disability in Queensland state schools.

MATHS DEPARTMENT

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

School Based Youth Health Nurse

It seems head lice have reared their heads again, here is some information that may help you get it under control.

Head lice are small, wingless insects that live, breed and feed on the human scalp. They do not generally carry or transmit disease. Direct contact is required for transmission from person to person. Lice will crawl from head to head without discrimination.

Head lice facts

A female louse lays three to eight eggs (nits) per day. The eggs are firmly attached to the hair fibres, within 1.5 cm of the scalp, and rely on warmth from the head to hatch. Head lice do not have wings or jumping legs, so they cannot fly or jump from head to head. They can only crawl.

People catch head lice from direct head-to-head contact with another person who has head lice. This can happen when people play, cuddle or work closely together. Head lice are most common among children and their families.

Concentrate on treating the affected person’s head. There is no evidence to suggest that you need to clean the house or the classroom. The only linen that requires changing is the affected person’s pillowcase. Wash it in hot water (60 ºC) or dry it in a clothes dryer set to warm or hot.

Itchiness may not disappear immediately after treatment. Persistent itch without evidence of persistent infection is not a reason to repeat the treatment. There are other reasons why your scalp might feel itchy.

Finding head lice

Some people who have a head lice infestation do not itch. It is possible to have head lice and not feel the need to scratch your head. This means that absence of itch is not a reliable sign that you do not have headlice. If you suspect someone might have been exposed to head lice you will need to closely inspect that person’s hair and scalp.

So what are you looking for? Head lice eggs are oval, and the size of a pinhead. They are firmly attached to the hair shaft and cannot be brushed off. (A live egg will make a ‘pop’ sound if you crush it between your fingernails.)A louse is a small, wingless, whitish-brown to reddish-brown insect. They have six legs, which end in a claw.

Treatment for head lice

The easiest and most effective way to find head lice is to use the conditioner and comb treatment weekly. This includes:

• Step 1. Comb hair conditioner onto dry, brushed (detangled) hair. This makes it difficult for lice to grip the hair or run around.
• Step 2. Thoroughly comb sections of the hair with a fine tooth head lice comb.
• Step 3. Wipe the conditioner from the comb onto a paper towel or tissue.
• Step 4. Look on the tissue and on the comb for lice and eggs.
• Step 5. Repeat the combing for every part of the head at least four or five times.
• Step 6. If lice or eggs are found, the person should be treated.

Note: If the person has been treated recently and only hatched eggs are found, you may not have to treat them again, since the eggs could be from the old infection. A hatched egg looks like an egg with its top cut off:

The two preferred treatment options available for initially treating head lice are the ‘conditioner and comb’ method, and the use of an insecticide.

Using insecticide products

Any head lice treatment product you choose should carry an Australian Registered (AUST R) or Australian Listed (AUST L) number on the outer packaging. These numbers show that the product is accepted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for supply in Australia.

If you use a lotion, apply the product to dry hair. For shampoo products, wet the hair, but use as little water as possible.

Head lice live in the hair and go to the scalp to feed. Therefore, head lice products must be applied to all parts of the hair.

Once the treatment has been done according to the instructions on the packet, comb through the hair again with the fine tooth head lice comb. This will help to remove the dead eggs and lice, and possibly any eggs still living.

This is also a good time to check whether the removed lice have been killed by the treatment or are still alive. (If they are still alive this probably means that they are resistant to the insecticide.)

Care should be taken when using head lice treatment products:

• if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
• in children less than 12 months old
• in people who have allergies, open wounds on the scalp, or asthma.

All products can cause reactions. If you are unsure, check with your pharmacist or doctor.

No topical insecticide treatment kills 100 per cent of the eggs, so treatment must involve two applications, seven days apart. (This kills the lice that hatched from the eggs that didn’t die the first time around.)

If you choose not to use an insecticide, the comb and conditioner method described above can be used every second day until no live lice have been found for 10 days.

Insecticide resistance

Insecticide resistance is common, so you need to check that the lice you comb out are dead. If the insecticide has worked, the lice will be dead within 20 minutes. If the lice are not dead, the treatment has not worked and the lice are resistant to the product and all products containing the same active compound.

Treatment failures

If the initial treatments have failed and live lice are still being removed with the conditioner and comb treatment, see your doctor for a referral to a dermatologist for specialist treatment.

Head lice combs

Head lice combs with long rounded stainless steel teeth, positioned very close together, are the most effective. However, any head lice comb can be used. A plastic head lice comb is often provided when you buy a head lice insecticide product (in the packet with the shampoo or lotion).

For more information go to:

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