11 March 2022

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 and the pace of school life at Mackay State High School is fast but focussed. Every day I am seeing students shining and making positive progress in many and varied ways.

Senior Investiture

On Wednesday 9th March, we officially inducted our Senior students into their Leadership positions. It was a beautiful ceremony, with their 2022 theme of “Initiative” being highlighted. As I said in my Principal’s address, the initiative already shown by our School Captains and Prefects, has been nothing short of inspirational and as a school, we are looking forward to working with this cohort over the coming year.

A full list of our Senior Leaders is published below. I would like to congratulate each of the them on this honour and I know they will serve our school with pride.

Assessment Period

Students in all year levels have now commenced assessment. 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.

2022 National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence - Friday 18 March

The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) is Australia's key anti-bullying event for schools, encouraging all students to stand together against bullying and violence in the classroom and beyond. Mackay State High School is proud to be a NDA school. Bullying can have long-term detrimental effects on children and adults alike. The first step in preventing and responding to bullying is to learn what bullying is and what it is not. 'Bullying' is a word that is used for lots of things that are not actually bullying. These other behaviours may be just as serious but may require different responses.

Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:

• mutual arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance),
• not liking someone or a single act of social rejection,
• one-off acts of meanness or spite, and
• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence.

However, these conflicts still need to be addressed and resolved.

Bullying has three main features:

• It involves a misuse of power in a relationship,
• It is ongoing and repeated, and
• It involves behaviours that can cause harm.

Talking and teaching about bullying through everyday opportunities is the best way to make it clear that bullying is never ok. Talking about bullying means it can't be hidden or overlooked in the busy school or family day. Conversations provide opportunities for students to raise issues that adults may not have noticed, and to discuss concerns before they become long-term and entrenched.

To mark the importance of this conversation, students at Mackay SHS are encouraged to participate in the National Day against Bullying and Violence on Friday 18th March by wearing ORANGE (the symbolic colour worn around the nation on this day). Students will have the opportunity to participate in activities and conversations at lunch time as we take a stand against bullying and violence.

Thank you again for your support. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at frobe24@eq.edu.au

We Believe … We Achieve
Yours in Education

Felicity Roberts - Principal
#mackayhighpride

SAVE THE DATE

CLONTARF ACADEMY

Mission Statement

The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so equips them to participate more meaningfully in society.

Term 1 2022

Despite the delayed start to the year, our participants have returned with a lot of excitement and looking forward to the year ahead. Camps and excursions have been grounded due to COVID-19 we have continued our programming within the school.

Our morning training has been well attended and we have grown from around 12-15 attending to now a consistent 20+ each Tuesday and Friday morning. It has been great to see the boys turn up and get involved. It’s a fun morning and a great way to start the day, if anyone is interested in attending don’t hesitate to contact Mena to see how you can get involved.

Afterschool activities on a Monday (Year 9-10), Wednesday (7-8) and Thursday (Year 11-12) are underway. Attendance has been consistent with a core group of boys and we’d like to see these numbers grow. Activities will range from playing sport, life skills, leadership activities, employment ready activities and now that restrictions have lifted we are able to plan excursions into the community to attend worksite tours, activities such as fishing or community building activities etc.

Lunch time activities have been a hit so far with more than or close to half of the Academy attending. On a Tuesday we host ‘Toastie Tuesday’, this is an opportunity for our boys to check in at first break, say hello and enjoy a cheese toastie and on occasions, they’ll bring their mates along to show them around the Academy room and give them a tour. Fridays we host our ‘Good Bunch Lunch’, this is an opportunity for us to get together and have a meal, reflect on the week and celebrate our top attenders from the week prior. This has been a great way to end the week.

On the employment front, it has been encouraging to see that 20 plus boys in our academy have been able to get into some form of employment over the school holidays and some being able to convert these into part-time jobs. Our Employment Officer Andrew Zaro visited us in week six and will return again in week nine. He has been able to source some school-based traineeships and apprenticeships with our partners. Andrew along with our Operations Officer Zac Seden will support our senior boys in the application process, interview preparations and continued support on their employment journey.

Here are some photos from the last few weeks, enjoy!

Mena Tuibua
Director – Mackay Academy
CLONTARF FOUNDATION

NATIONAL DAY AGAINST BULLYING

THE ARTS

Hi I am Emma Johnston, I have previously been at Mackay State High School in the same role as Acting Head of Department for the Art. I have been on maternity leave, I am back and very excited to be working with staff and students as they embark on the first ever year of the Creative Arts Academy. If you would like to get in contact with our Arts department, please contact Emma - ejohn383@eq.edu.au. Anita Pritchard is the Creative Arts Academy coordinator. If you would like to get in contact with her about anything CAA, please email aprit30@eq.edu.au

Year 12 Visual Arts in Practice students will be participating in an excursion to ArtSpace and Fifth Lane on Tuesday 15th March. Mr Dooley is keen to get students out in the community to explore and interpret local artwork with a focus on storytelling.

CREATIVE ARTS ACADEMY

Teacher Profile

Let’s meet one of our CAA Teachers:

Name: Priya Barnes
Arts Area: Drama
Favourite style of within your area: Epic Theatre/Theatre of Social Comment
Favourite artist/playwright/musician/director: Bertolt Brecht or Matt Cameron
What are you most excited about this year in the Creative Arts Academy?

I am most excited about working with a group of likeminded students who all share a passion for the performing arts. Drama gives students the opportunity to explore so many different avenues/topics in a creative way and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can create as an ensemble.

Creative Arts Academy – Program Timetable

SENIOR SCHOOL

On Monday 7th March we had James May (Base Manager) Alliance Airlines come and speak to students who may want a career path in aviation. They will be opening their new maintenance facility in Rockhampton in November 2022. Alliance will be offering apprenticeships from their new Rockhampton facility from early 2023. These apprenticeships will be offered in various aircraft maintenance fields. Interested student can email rokapprenticeships@allianceairlines.com.au or jmay@allianceairlines.com.au if you have any questions.

ACCESS CENTRE

NDIS SUPPORT

Geri McDermott will be visiting the school on Tuesday 22nd March from 2:00pm – 3:00pm. Any parents wishing to discuss NDIS can arrange an appointment through the ACCESS Centre

WALK FOR AUTISM

Mackay State High School is taking on the Walk for autism on Thursday the 31st March.

Staff and Students will get the opportunity to devote their first lunch to walk as many laps around the school oval, while raising much needed funds to support people on the autism spectrum.

People on the spectrum see, hear, feel and experience the world differently. Simply trying to cope with the everyday can cause stress and anxiety and prevent many people from fully participating in the world around them.

By taking part in Walk for autism, we will step closer to a world where every person on the autism spectrum has the support they need to thrive, every opportunity to fulfil their potential and a supportive, inclusive community to live in.

Walking is always better together!

Feros Care

NAPLAN 2022 - OnLine

Parents of Year 7 & 9 Students: This year, in the 2nd and 3rd Week of May, NAPLAN Testing will be occurring.

This testing will be in the Online mode, so ALL students will require:

• BYOx devices, charged (or equity devices)
• Headphones (mandatory)
• Lockdown Browsers installed – this will be done at school in the weeks leading up to the testing window

See the proposed testing schedule below and the simple, explanatory flyer attached. Please contact your Head of School (Year 7 – Mr Matt Skinner; Year 9 – Mrs Liz O’Neill) or Mrs Watt for more information or queries.

YEAR 10 IMMUNISATIONS

Consent forms have been distributed to all year 10 students in Form class, for the meningococcal vaccination.

The vaccination date is scheduled for the 6th of May and will take place in our school library.

All consent forms must be returned ASAP to Form teachers or to the admin office.

Additional forms are available on request.

If you have any questions please contact lonei76@eq.edu.au directly.

THE RESILIENCE PROJECT

Hugh from the The Resilience Project is coming to Mackay.

This free seminar is available for everyone to attend

Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre

Wednesday 23rd March
6:30pm
More info: https://bit.ly/3rP5fWk

ENGLISH

FAIRPLAY VOUCHERS

Parents, carers or guardians can apply for a voucher valued up to $150 for their child, which can be used towards sport and active recreation membership, registration or participation fees with registered activity providers. Go to the link below for more information, conditions apply.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Breakfast Club

Brekky is served each morning 8am to 8:40am
Monday to Thursday in the Hall Kitchen
Friday’s outside Clontarf

A huge Thankyou goes to Brumby’s Sydney Street for donating bread for the past 10 years to our Brekky club

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 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).

MACKAY STATE HIGH SCHOOL P & C

The Annual General Meeting will take place 28th March 5.00pm following this will be the P & C meeting, everyone is welcome to attend. The meetings are held in Administration Building

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