17 July 2020

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Parents / Caregivers,

Welcome to Term 3!

We have an incredibly busy term planned with lots of exciting opportunities for our students. Most importantly, this term will focus on individual student improvement and conversations about pathways. We have launched our first ever Virtual Open Day, and every parent this week will receive information about the inaugural Mackay State High School Education and Career Planning Week. We have scheduled 1200 interviews and every child will have time to sit down with a staff member and do a career planning meeting. We invite parents and caregivers along to these appointments, but understand if you are unable to attend because of work commitments. We have attempted to have siblings in back to back appointments on the same day. Coupled with the individual interview, students in Years 8, 9 and 10 will be selecting subjects for 2021. To prepare for subject selection, we are also hosting parent information evening sessions, and information regarding these were emailed at the end of last term through an Event Brite invitation. Please do not hesitate in contacting our school office for any further information regarding these sessions.

Some important dates:

• Virtual Open Day launch – Wednesday 15th July (link provided on our school’s facebook page, website and by clicking on the link below)
• Parent Information Night – Year 10 into 11 – Monday 20th July from 6pm – 7pm
• Parent Information Night – Year 8 into 9 - Tuesday 21st July from 6pm – 6:45pm
• Parent Information Night – Year 9 into 10 – Tuesday 21st July from 7pm to 7:45pm
• Education and Career Planning Interviews:
  - Year 9 – Monday 3rd August
  - Year 8 – Tuesday 4th August
  - Year 11 – Wednesday 5th August
  - Year 12 – Thursday 6th August
  - Year 10 – Friday 7th August

Leadership Camp:

This week I have had the pleasure of joining our Year 11s on their Leadership Camp to Magnetic

Island. The students and staff had an incredible time and the weather was spectacular. We had conversations about what leadership means and discussed the application process for Prefects in 2021.

Semester 1 Report Cards:

Semester 1 report cards will be emailed home to families in Week 3.

Term 3 Assessment Calendars:

Students and parents will be emailed a Term 3 assessment calendar by the start of Week 4, which will outline all drafting and final copy due dates for assessment this term.

I am looking forward to an amazing term, working with your student. This is a wonderful school and I thank you for your support in my leadership

Yours in Education

Felicity Roberts - Principal
#mackayhighpride

VIRTUAL OPEN DAY

Welcome to our Virtual Open Day.

Click on the link below to take a tour of our wonderful school lead by our extraordinary school captains and prefect leadership team, enjoy!!

The following link will only open using Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Firefox

STYMIE

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Mackay SHS P & C are offering eight scholarships for students attending our secondary education institution in 2021.

Scholarships on offer are;

(a) Academic excellence and
(b) Sporting prowess/potential and
(c) Arts – Cultural excellence

Scholarship holders will receive their benefits for Year 7 at Mackay State High School, provided they attend, abide by the school’s expectations, and maintain the excellence for which they were chosen.

Applications and your 200 word essay must reach your Primary School Principal by Monday 24 July 2020 to be considered. Late applications will not be considered. Scholarship packages can be downloaded from our Website or can be collected in person from the General Office.

EDUCATION AND CAREER PLANNING WEEK

SPORTS REPORT

Report from the HOD

Welcome back to Term 3 and what we hope will be a ‘normal’ term. As semester one is out of the way and report cards will be sent out in Week 3. It is a great chance for students to evaluate not only they academic report but also their behaviour and effort for the first half of the year. The great thing about a report card is it is a chance to stop, look and reflect at areas of your schooling and where you can make improvements. A common theme that we have found in our reporting within the HPE faculty was the effort of students. We have students who put in for every single lesson no matter the sport or physical activity as they see the benefits of being physically active. Whereas some students who will only try in sports that they do well in. I know that we can’t be good at every sport but we can try our best in every sport. So for Term 3 we will use this an opportunity to get out of our comfort zone and try new sports. We have been recently reminded this week that sport can be taken away from us just like in Victoria. Who have now had sport put on hold for the second time this year. Whereas here in the Sunny State we are still very lucky to be able to be playing sport, so don’t take this opportunity for granted, get in, be active, and try your best in your PE lessons.

This Term is a big term with the Pride Cup Touch Football competition kicking off this week. Ms Koko has done a fantastic job in creating both a senior and junior competition with teams made up of students and teachers. This competition will run across the term and points are awarded to houses for winning every week and to the overall house at the end of the competition. This is a great chance to play with your friends and stay active. Come watch and encourage your house colour on Thursday first break. A reminder that all players and spectators need hats. This is also is a requirement for your HPE lessons as this is a requirement of the school uniform.

Looking further into the term we will see the return of Interschool Sport across most sports, please keep an eye on our social media (facebook/Instagram) so stay up to date with the latest information.

Our Aaron Payne Cup and Cowboys Challenge Rugby League players have been working hard in the last 5 weeks of the term so that they are ready for competition that kicks off in Week 3. The boys will travelling to Townsville to play Kirwan SHS. We know the boys have put the work in they just need to go out now and show us what they can do. We thank Mr Graham, Mr Brock, Mr Kelly, David Roberts and John O’Brien for the time they have put into helping the boys develop the strength and skills away from the game.

Football has been busy in the last few weeks of term playing at lunch time in some practice matches to try and get some game time in before the competition resumes. I know there has been some friendly rivalry between Mr Radunz’s team and Mrs Radunz’s team. Little birdy tells me that Mrs Radunz team beat Mr Radunz team one luchtime. Well done Football Academy keep up the good work.

Netball Academy is looking forward to the Interschool Competition kicking off in Term 3, we are awaiting dates at this stage so we will keep you posted. Morning training will return in Week 2 (a calendar will go out with times and dates). Our senior Vicki Wilson squad continued training in the last couple of weeks of term as we are awaiting to see if our nomination was successful for Vicki Wilson State Titles in Brisbane in the September holidays.

As you can see our academies are busily working behind the scenes waiting for all sport to be back to full speed.

Jacqui Kelly has also been busy working behind the scenes clearing our storerooms and making sure equipment is properly sanitised so that we keep all of our students safe. We thank Jacqui for keeping the HPE staff organised.

Overall, from the HPE staffroom and myself we thank-you for a fantastic Semester One and look forward to what Semester two has to bring.

#MACKAYHIGH PRIDE

Miss Emma Forster
HOD Physical Education

Friday Night Junior Touch

Competition will start on Friday the 21st August. The cost of this competition will be $100 for the season. We are looking for players from grade 7 through to our seniors to represent Mackay High. Age groups will be Grade 8 and under boys and Grade 8 and under girls. Grade 10 and under boys and Grade 10 and under girls and Open boys and Open girls. Sign on sheets will be available in the PE staffroom. A meeting will be held next week for all interested players to collect more information. Please see Mrs Biddle in the PE staffroom if you have any questions

SENIOR SCHOOLING

Apprenticeships

Hitachi

Have two apprenticeships available:

Mobile Plant Mechanic:

High Voltage Electrical:

AngloAmerican

Haynes

Cummins Mackay

Baker Apprenticeship with Bakers Delight – Caneland Central

Telecommunications Traineeship - MEGT

Mechanical Apprenticeship – MAD Engine Solutions

MAD Engine Solutions is looking for an apprentice to join the team.

We are a very busy workshop located in East Mackay with the majority of our work involving Engine Rebuilding and Machining but also includes general mechanical.

The suitable applicant must be able to;

• Follow instructions
• Ask questions when unsure
• Work in a fast paced environment
• Have impeccable work standards
• Work independently

We work on a multitude of different vehicles and a lot of training will be required.

This position is suited to someone who has a previous interest in cars and wants to be a mechanic.

Senior students finishing at the end of this year are also invited to apply as we will hold the position open for the right applicant.

If you don’t know the type of car you drive, just seen this job ad and today decided you want to be a mechanic or are just looking for something temporary until your dream job at the mines comes along, then this job is not for you and will be a waste of time applying.

If you think you have what it takes to join our team then we encourage you to bring your resume in in person to our workshop at 8 Chain Street over the next couple of weeks between 9am & 4pm Monday - Thursday’s or before 3pm Friday’s.

AG DEPARTMENT

The Agricultural department welcomes the arrival of 20 baby chicks for a growth trial investigation. This data is also utilized in Science. We look forward to seeing these little chicks grow!

ENGLISH

Sarah and Kat working with Mit and New for EAL one on one tutoring

Yo and Katrina helping Pozza’s Year 8H Italian class cook their pizzas as an end of term 2 reward activity.

MATHS TUTORING

YEAR 10 VACCINATIONS

Year 10 students will have Meningococcal vaccinations on Tuesday 21st July. Nurses from community health will come to school to administer the vaccinations to students who have been given consent from parents.

QParents

The Qparents app is free and secure online portal that has been created by the Department of Education to provide parents of Queensland state school students with 24-hour access to their child's information.

The portal allows you to securely access information about your child and communicate directly with your child's school eg. Access Timetables, attendance details, payment of invoices, report cards and assessment dates plus more.

Find out more about QParents and download the app today.

WINTER UNIFORM

The Uniform Shop has been extremely busy with the cooler weather upon us. To make life easier you can purchase uniforms through our online store at the link below:

the order can be collected from the General Office.

Students can wear the school jacket/track pant or a plain navy jacket/ trackpant during winter. Year 10, 11 & 12 students only may wear the nominated senior jersey. Girls can wear plain flesh coloured stockings. Hooded sweatshirts are NOT acceptable. Uniform passes will not be given for incorrect jackets.

The Uniform shop hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8am to 11am

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

SCHOOL BASED YOUTH HEALTH NURSE

Head Lice

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 head lice.

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:

Breakfast Club

Every day: “Fresh Fruit, Cereals, Toast and spreads”

Students can take a piece of fruit (Apples, Oranges), make their own toast (fresh Brumbies bread) with a full range of spreads. Also enjoy a glass of milk with the option of making a takeaway sandwich for lunch later.

Monday: “Milo Monday”

Students can make a cool refreshing drink with one scoop of Milo and fresh Milk.

Tuesday: “Toasty Tuesday”

Hot yummy cheesy Toasty’s served up by our lovely volunteers.

Wednesday: “Pancake Wednesday”

We are serving up hot soft delicious Pancakes with syrup, fruit, cream, berries and all things yummy

Thursday: “Smoothie Thursday”

The “Smoothie Bar” serves up blended “Chilly Chock Berry Banana Smoothies”. A real hit and a cool start to a big day.

MACKAY STATE HIGH SCHOOL P & C

Next P and C meeting is on Monday 27th July 6pm, in the staff learning lounge.

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