28 August 2020

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Parents / Guardians / Caregivers

Welcome to Week 7! We are well and truly past the half way point of the term.

We held our Year 6 into 7 Parent Information Evening last week and despite COVID restrictions, I was truly overwhelmed with the number of parents that joined us. Families had an opportunity to tour the school and also hear about the programs on offer. There has already been great interest in both our Academic and Sporting Academies, and many students excited to see our facilities. We will be commencing enrolment interviews in two weeks, so please encourage any families you know might be joining us to book an interview through our front office.

Assessment Period

As we move into Week 8, students in all year levels begin to work on assessment. Our Year 12 students are commencing a Mock External Exam period, whereby we will replicate the experience of external exams (that are scheduled to take place for the first time across Queensland in October). I would encourage parents to attach your child’s assessment planners to your kitchen fridge, so that you can assist them in their organisation and preparation for exams and assignments. If your child doesn’t have an assessment planner, please contact the office and we will organise a copy to be emailed home.

Academic and Sporting Awards

This year is like no other. To hold an event, schools are required to follow strict COVID regulations, as are all venues hosting such events. Many schools across the state (and locally here in Mackay) are cancelling parent attendance to Awards ceremonies. After much discussion with my school’s leadership team, we have decided to split the ceremony into two parts, to allow parents to attend. Given that many sporting events have been cancelled, we believe that we can combine Academic and Sporting Awards ceremonies.

Therefore, for this year (under COVID regulations), we have decided that:

1. Our Senior School (Years 10-12) Academic and Sporting Awards Ceremony will continue to take place at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre, with parents being able to obtain tickets (please note, there will be a maximum capacity and information on ticketing information will be provided in the following weeks). This event will be held on Wednesday 21st October at 7.00pm.
2. Our Junior Secondary Ceremony (Years 7-9) will then be held at the school Hall the following morning, commencing at 9am. Parents will again be invited to attend, however, there will be restrictions on numbers.

Finally, I would like to thank all of our families for the amazing support they offer our school each day. If you have any questions or concerns about the school and upcoming events, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours in Education

Felicity Roberts - Principal
#mackayhighpride

STYMIE

SENIOR SCHOOLING

School Based Apprentice

R E Barton Industries Pty Ltd is a small family owned business specialising in welding and fabrication. We now have an exciting opportunity for a School-based Apprentice Boilermaker (Certificate 3 in Engineering Fabrication) to join our team.

As a School-based Apprentice you will:

• Perform welding and fabrication duties under the guidance of qualified team members
• Assist team members in workshop housekeeping
• Attend training and complete the required coursework
• Learn the safe and correct operation of machinery and use of hand and power tools
• Work safely in accordance with policies and procedures

To be eligible to apply for our School-based Apprenticeship program, you will be:

• 15 years and above
• Able to listen carefully and follow directions
• Willing to work hard in a team environment
• Able to read and write
• Able to solve mathematical problems
• Self-motivated
• Detailed focussed and thorough in your work
• A good communicator
• Enthusiastic and dedicated to learning and developing your skills
• Ready and keen to commit to building your career as a trade-qualified Boilermaker

How to Apply:

Send us a copy of your resume and a cover letter explaining why you would like to start your career with us, what interests you about welding and any examples addressing the eligibility criteria.

Send resume and cover letter to admin@rebindustries.com.au or contact us on 0417860909 for more information.

Note: This position is ideal for a student living in the Pioneer Valley region.

Applications close 5pm Friday 4th September 2020.

Interested students can collect an application form from Mrs Esau in E6.

Work Experience

Congratulations to Jordan Plath who received excellent feedback for her work placement at G & S Engineering Services. Jordan, year 11 is completing a Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation at the Mackay Engineering College.

SPORTS REPORT

Netball Academy

This term has seen a return to the game of netball and our girls early morning training session. Early on in the term our girls didn’t have a competition to train towards, however, the girls were there every Wednesday morning to improve their fitness and skills. During Week 6 the Senior Girls played in a Gala Day against the rest of the schools in Mackay. It was great to see girls back out on the court and enjoying the game they love. MSHS 1 went through undefeated, MSHS 2 had one draw and the rest were wins, MSHS 3 only had one loss and MSHS Lightning had one win for the day but all very close games. Week 8 we will see the Junior Girls play in the gala day at MNA courts. We wish them the best of luck. Our senior Vicki Wilson team have been training on Monday mornings for their match against St Patricks College played on Wednesday afternoon, the girls were victorious in the game, winning 36 to 10. These group of girls have been through the academy program since the beginning and have been a pleasure to coach over the past few years. We look to Term 4 now, which will be off season for our girls. We have the opportunity to spend some time on strength and conditioning of our players so that they come back stronger for next year. Finally a big congratulations to one of our netballers Amity Bugeja who was selected in the Northern Rays U/18 team to play in Brisbane in the first weekend of the holidays. All the best Amity. Thanks to Miss Cody-Davis and Mrs Koko for their work in helping with morning training on Wednesdays.

Emma Forster
Netball Coordinator

Vicki Wilson Team

Rugby League Academy

Term 3 has been a busy time for many of our older academy students. Our Cowboys Challenge and Aaron Payne Cup division one teams have been contesting their respective competitions with some quality footy being played. This has had students from across year 9 through to 12, training several times per week during class times and before or after school. The competition rounds ended Wednesday August 26 with a rivalry round against St Patricks College and Mercy College. Unfortunately both teams went down but displayed team spirit right to the end #mackayhighpride.

This term has also seen our students participate in rugby league gala days as an opportunity for both our girls and boys to compete and enjoy a few games rugby league. Day one was played back in week 5 and our teams had mixed success. All teams represented our school extremely well and a special mention to our year 9/10 Girls team who were undefeated in three games and are ranked number 1 for a semi-final this Thursday August 27. Good luck to all our teams as they contest day two of the gala event.

Our academy classes continue to work hard in and out of the classroom. While rugby league is still happening during this term, field lessons have continued to focus on skill development and game play scenarios. Moving towards term 4, we will focus on strength training utilising our gym facilities.

Our year 7 academy students will hopefully go on our Sporting Academies Tour to Bundaberg in week one of next term (COVID permitting) and compete against two school while on tour. More information to come for students selected for this wonderful opportunity.

Rowan Graham
Rugby League Coordinator

Thursday Touch

Another outstanding fortnight of our Thursday Touch Footy competition. Check out the fun and excitement your students are having!

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Environmental Science Excursion

On the 24th of August, the year 11 Earth and Environmental Science students had the opportunity to experience a day out on a Catamaran with Science Under Sail. Students experienced working with crew members to collect seagrass samples and examine seafloor conditions for surveys. There were various activities conducted throughout the day which included examining different seagrasses and corals through a microscope, analysing various data recordings from previous seagrass surveys, knot tying and collecting/recording video evidence of seagrass on the ocean floor. Lucky enough, students were also able to witness whales migrating along the coast near the marina. All students expressed their gratitude after the days excursion and stated that it was an enjoyful and educational day.

Karissa Giumelli – Year 11

Chemistry

Year 11 Chemistry students attended an extended lab session. They worked diligently from 1pm until 5:30pm. Their experiments consisted of designing, modifying and collecting data to analyse enthalpy changes and energy output comparisons for various fuel types (primary alcohol comparisons, cyclic, aromatic, saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons were investigated).

The students are working hard at completing their assessments.

Great job year 11 – data looked good! Looking forward now to the reports.

HOME ECONOMICS

“The year 10’s are learning about preserving foods. They recently made a delicious lemon curd with egg yolks and turned the left over eggwhites into mini pavlovas which were spread with the delectable, tangy lemon curd.

Year 10 Home Ec

Meanwhile, the year 12’s have been busy experimenting with suitable edible creations such as scones, small cakes and ribbon sandwiches for an upcoming high tea function”.

Year 12 Home Ec

POSITION VACANT

ENGLISH TUTORING

MATHS TUTORING

BREAKFAST CLUB

We desperately NEED volunteers to help in our Brekky Club, Brekky club operates Monday to Thursday 8am to 8.30am. There are no prerequisites required to help only that volunteers need a Blue card.

SCHOOL BASED YOUTH HEALTH NURSE

Your Health Matters

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 the link below:

Mrs Ann-Maree Brightman
School Based Youth Health Nurse

MACKAY STATE HIGH SCHOOL P & C

Next P and C meeting is on Monday 24th August 5pm, we will be discussing the Student Resource Scheme for 2021. Meetings are held in the 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