Term 2, 12th May, 2023

Principal's Welcome

Dear students, parents and community members, I trust this newsletter update finds you well!  Welcome back to term 2, Atherton State High School is such a vibrant, busy school that offers so many amazing opportunities for our students.  I hope you enjoy reading about some of our recent highlights in this newsletter.  Please if you haven’t joined us on Facebook, do so as everyday we celebrate the many wonderful

Leadership positions – Congratulations to the following staff members who have been promoted to the following positions.

Deputy Principal Inclusion – Coralie Gunn - cgunn10@eq.edu.au

Community Education Counsellor – Sharon Caulfield - scaul13@eq.edu.au

Acting Deputy Principal – Middle School – Ann Grimshaw - agrim14@eq.edu.au

Acting Senior Secondary Head of Department – Kirsty Whybird - kwhyb2@eq.edu.au

Acting Junior Secondary Head of Department – Jesse Bolton - jbolt54@eq.edu.au

Term 1 reports – One of my most treasured actions as Principal is to read through each and every one of our students reports. I congratulate the many students who have excelled with their studies during term 1, we have many extraordinary students here who work so hard all day, every day towards their academic and/or vocational goals.  I also acknowledge those students who strive so hard to improve their academic results and have extraordinary effort and behaviour results, congratulations and continue to strive towards success!            

Parent/Teacher interviews – Thank you to the many parents who participated in our recent parent/teacher interviews, it was so wonderful meeting with you and I really appreciated the opportunity to ask you for feedback.  Please if you have any feedback re parent/teacher interviews please contact Deputy Principal Cathy Campbell ccamp52@eq.edu.au as we are reviewing the process now.

Positive Behaviour for Learning reward system – We have now launched our PBL system for acknowledging the many, many outstanding students we have at this school who are incredibly respectful, successful, responsible and safe! The reward system focuses on acknowledging the positive behaviours exhibited by our students which enhances the learning environment for all. Every day I walk through this school and I am seriously impressed with the calibre of our students, they are so polite, positive and respectful and are a credit to themselves and to their families! So thank you also must be extended to our wonderful parents/carers as you have laid the ground work with establishing strong morals and values within your children.

Facilities update – We continue to work hard on our school’s facilities, we have had many meetings now with the Infrastructure team at Regional office and are progressing works for this school.  The amenities transformation has now been sent out for tender, we are hopeful this works will start during term 3.  We have also submitted proposals for the replacement of the demountable classrooms at the rear of the school, this is now also in progress.  We are continuing the discussions with our SAFE ST committee to provide a safe and viable option for bus drop offs and an undercover stop, drop, go zone. 

Welcome to year 6 students and their families – It was so wonderful meeting many new families who attended our Welcome school tour.  A large team of staff and students proudly showed off our fabulous school to new students and families.  Mrs Adrienne Telford has been employed by our school to help with the smooth transition of our Atherton community primary school students into our amazing high school.  Many events throughout the year have been organised to help students transition from primary to high school seamlessly, we want our students to feel very comfortable and confident from day 1 of Year 7.  We are all looking forward to the next tour on Monday 15^th May at 4.00pm. If you would like further information please contact Adriene Telford atelf6@eq.edu.au

Best wishes to our entire extended Atherton Family for an extraordinary term, already  we have so many exciting things happening this term, we strive all day, every day to MAKE A DIFFERENCE for our students. Thank you for your ongoing support it is a dream to work in this sensational community!

Leanne Knight-Smith

Principal

From the Deputy's Desk - Senior School

This week, we welcome Kirstie Whybird into the role of Head of Senior schooling, following the appointment of Ann Grimshaw as acting Deputy Principal Middle Schooling. Both of these ladies not only have a wealth of experience, but a shared passion in supporting out students with care and empathy, so the continuity of support for our senior students will continue.

The focus of our senior support team at the moment is a review of attendance and achievement data and QCE tracking for Year 11 and 12, and we have seen so much to celebrate. As students get older and various new life pressures start competing for their attention, attending school every day, engaging in every lesson and submitting all assessment on time can be challenging, so we congratulate all the students who have attended and achieved to the best of their ability. Students who need additional support to achieve their goals will be meeting with me, Kirstie, or Cheyenne Trevor, our senior student support teacher, over the coming weeks to review their progress and pathways and make changes to SET plans if needed. We look forward to talking to and meeting with parents as part of these discussions.

In our upcoming wellbeing and values (WAV) lessons, the Defence Force will present to Years, 10, 11 and 12 students about potential career pathways in the Defence Force, while in week 6, the Tablelands Sexual Assault Service (TSAS) will present to Year 11s. The Year 12s attended this talk last week and found it extremely informative.

Finally, now that the COVID disruption is retreating into the past, we are getting our International Student Program up and running again. This program has two aspects – study tours, where we host student groups from visiting international schools range from a single day to several weeks in length, and the Homestay program which involves overseas students enrolling in the school for up to one year. Both the homestay program and the over-night study tour programs require homestay families to host student in their homes. This is a great opportunity to for students and families to get to know young people from other cultures, and can lead to life long friendships. We are hosting several study tours throughout the year, so if you are interested in hosting a student, please email our International Students Program and Homestay coordinator, Ainsley Jackson at astib6@eq.edu.au.

A friendly reminder, too, that as the weather cools dramatically, please be aware that our process for supporting students in non-school jumpers is to loan them a laundered school jumper for the day. If you have any concerns about purchasing a school jumper or your child being out of uniform, please don’t hesitate to contact the relevant deputy.

Cathy Campbell

Deputy Principal Senior Secondary

From the Deputy's Desk - Middle School

It has been a wonderful start to my new role getting to know the Year 9 and 10 students a little better each day. I am seeing some very positive behaviours in both their academic and social interactions which reflect the school values.

I have had some engaging conversations with students about their thoughts on their future aspirations and have been able to review their current academic results to identify areas of support or career counselling that may help with their engagement in the classroom. It is never too early to investigate and plan for possible future pathways and for year 9 and 10 students to start career planning and conversations. With knowledge comes the power to choose activities such as work experience and access vocational education prior to their student education and planning interviews at the end of Year 10 so that they set themselves up for their senior schooling years. It is important for Year 9 and 10 students to understand and apply value to the learning they are doing now and be able to recognise that it is the foundation for the choices they make into their future.

I am also looking forward to working with the year 9 and 10 students to investigate events and celebrations that may become milestones for future middle schooling years for our students and community. There are already some exciting events coming up for middle school students in the Wellbeing and Values WAV program each Tuesday lesson 2 and in extra curricula activities.

From 10am – 11 am, on Tuesday 13 June, Atherton State High School will host our annual Careers Showcase for Year 10 students. We are looking for any interested businesses who might like to showcase their career to the next generation of professionals. Please contact Cheyenne Trevor,  ctrev28@eq.edu.au if you are interested or need more information. thank you to those community businesses and organisations who have already registered your interest. Should be a wonderful event for all involved.

On Tuesday 15 May we have the Defence Force Team coming to discuss careers programs and pathways. We will be asking the team to come back to have initial conversations with our Year 9’s in the near future.

Ann Grimshaw

Deputy Principal Middle Secondary

From the Deputy's Desk - Junior School

School Information Tour

Atherton State High School is again hosting a tour of the school for prospective parents. The tour commences at 4 pm sharp on Monday May 15. On this tours parents will meet Heads of Departments from our subject areas and visit the teaching spaces their students will be using. The tour starting point is the school auditorium.

Year 6 into 7 Transition Day June 14

Year 6 students will have an orientation and transition experience on Wednesday June 14 (Wednesday Week 9). On this day student’s will have a tour of the school and engage in real classroom lessons taught by high school teachers. Transportation from Primary schools will be coordinated and the students will return to their Primary Schools before the conclusion of the school day. We will have a sausage sizzle at Recess 2 before students leave for their Primary school. Students are to wear their Primary School uniform and bring a hat, water bottle, and writing equipment.

PBL Update

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a whole-school framework that promotes positive behaviour across a school and helps schools develop safe and supportive learning environments.

The school has launched ‘Thank-you’ tickets to acknowledge the positive behaviour that students demonstrate every day. If a student receives a thank-you ticket from a staff member, they will place this in a year level box to be drawn on year level parades. There will be 5 draws on parades per year level, and students who are drawn out will receive an ice-cream.

Staff issuing the ‘thank-you’ ticket will give specific positive feedback about the behaviour demonstrated and reinforce students who are behaving positively.

ASHS ICT Student Assistance Guidelines

1. Did you turn it off and on again?

• Often computers have updates to install that we are unaware of, restarting your personal device can resolve a lot of problems.
• Make sure your device is up to date, if you are experiencing problems you may need to download new updates.

1. Have you signed into Office 365 with your School Email?

• Many students mistakenly sign into Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.) using a personal email, which is blocked by Education Queensland.
• You will still be asked to enter your school username & password when signing in for the first time.
• This service is included in your enrolment, meaning you should NEVER have to pay money to use Office 365 while enrolled at ASHS.

1. Are you using OneDrive?

• Sign into OneDrive using your school email, you will still be asked to enter your school username & password signing in for the first time.
• When setting up your school OneDrive on your personal device, be sure to UNSELECT syncing your Documents, Desktop, and Pictures if prompted. It is not necessary for educational purposes.
• Life is not certain but cloud storage integrity and security is, provided you DO NOT give your username & password to others. Never do this under any circumstances unless it’s your parents. Using OneDrive means you will never lose your work in a freak accident.

1. Forgot your password?

• All teaching staff have the ability to reset your password in class, all you need to do is ask.

1. Still having issues?

• Students can seek help before school, during both recess and after school untill 3:15PM from the onsite IT technican.
• The school’s onsite IT technician is located in the library, through the front doors, turn right and look for the “IT Help Desk” sign.

Chris Keating

Deputy Principal Junior Secondary

Finance update

Dear Parents/Carers/Guardians,

Student Resource Scheme 2023 Payments Overdue

All 2023 Student Resource Scheme levies including subject fees were due to be paid before the start of Term 2. Please ensure all fees are paid in full or a payment agreement in place with the school in order for students to continue to receive resources.

Statements and Reminder notices have recently been sent out.

Formal invoices have also been generated for students of Year 12 and 2 family members.

Thank you to all those who have paid and to those who have arranged payment plans.

Please update Contact details

If any details have changed either address, email or other contacts, please update these with the school.

For further information email bsm@athertonshs.eq.edu.au

Paying School Fees:

You can pay your child’s school fees in one of the following ways:

• BPOINT to pay by credit and debit card
• BPOINT IVR (Over the Phone Payment) Call - 1300 631 073
• Direct Deposit into the school Bank Account BSB: 064-800 Account: 00090137
• EFTPOS at L Block Reception.
• Arrange payment plans and centrepay payments at Reception
• Payment can also be accessed online via your QParents account.

We are currently transitioning to a Cashless School and would prefer payments be made by one of the above methods

Into The Woods - Arts fairy tale

When your work and your passion can come together, you are a very lucky person!  BUT our amazing Geo Toner is making this happen. Ms Toner is a valued member of our English and Drama team.  In addition to teaching, she has been exploring her dramatic side by creating and puppeteering Milky White, the adorable cow, for Atherton Performing Arts newest musical performance, Into The Woods.  

Into The Woods is a gothic style fairy tale, exploring themes of childhood wishes and their consequences.  This has fitted perfectly into Unit 1 of 11 Literature as they have investigated Australian Gothic and has supported her teaching of Year 8 Drama as well.  Come see this show May 27, 28 and June 9-11.  Checkout the below link for more information from What’s On Tablelands Magazine:  https://www.whatsontablelands.com.au/may-2023-issue/ 

BUT WAIT – there is MORE!!  Asides from this exciting venture, Geo also has an upcoming English and Drama Personal Development with Bell Shakespeare from June 1-6.  This is the beginning of a yearlong mentorship that takes place in Sydney and is all about how to engage students in innovative Shakespeare strategies, active learning principles, and teaching techniques to engage all learners across all year levels.   Our team has been very fortunate in winning places at this National mentorship.  Ms Toner joins other members like Ms De Kroon, Mrs Trevor and Mrs Hampton as BELL SHAKESPEARE alumni.

School Uniform

Now that the weather is getting cooler, make sure your child has access to an approved uniform maroon jumper or school jacket to keep warm. Students may be able to borrow a maroon jumper or jacket from the student services office if they don’t have one. Thank you to all parents in advance for your support of the ASHS dress code and ensuring your children have the correct uniform everyday.

Year 9 Visual Art

This term in Year 9 Art, the kids are creating mixed media sculptures of ‘Mortals, Gods and Monsters’ from their own imaginary societies. This week we had some fun practicing how to construct wire armatures, which will form the base for their figurines.

😊 Mrs Lane

Student Contact details

To ensure effective communication and maintaining accurate records, we kindly request your assistance in updating your contact details.

It is crucial for us to have the most up-to-date information to keep you informed about important school announcements, upcoming events, and any emergencies that may arise.

If you have recently moved to a new address, have a new email address or have changed your phone number, please take a few moments to update your information by following the instructions below:

1. Email principal@athertonshs.eq.edu.au with your new details

or

1. Update on QParents

Alternatively, you may fill out the below contact update form and return it to the school office.

Ensuring we have the correct contact information helps us better serve you and your child, allowing us to quickly reach you in case of emergencies and keep you informed about all school-related matters.

News from English

Essential English is an exciting, future orientated and practical senior subject.  In unit 1, our focus is on the role of language and work.  When we are designing units and assessment, we always hope that they will help young people with their pathways, have real life applications, and contribute towards achieving goals.  The spoken assessment item is to research a dream career, and the steps needed to make it happen.  In this newsletter, we are excited to celebrate three students who graduated in 2021 and went on to fulfil their FUND MY FUTURE careers.

Congratulations Isobel Condon! Using LITERATURE in real life contexts

Congratulations to Isobel Condon – Isobel graduated from our school in 2022.   Recently her outstanding work was recognised when she won first prize in the Secondary School Division of the prestigious ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION ROLY SUSSEX SHORT STORY COMPETITION with her story THE FLOWER BOOK.  Isobel used elements from her Literature responses to develop her award winning story.   If you would like to read all of Isobel’s story, or other entries, you can go here: https://www.esu.org.au/2022-short-story-competition/.

The award evening took place in Brisbane at Government House, with Her Excellency, The Honourable Dr Jeanette Young AS PSM as host.  The Governor referred to the importance of encouraging and nurturing excellence in writing in English, and to the role of h ESU Queensland in promoting to goal in Queensland and nationally.

Photo shared by permission of Government House, Brisbane

THE FLOWER BOOK

When we were little, Ma had a garden. A garden with petunias, pelargoniums and pansies. A garden with citrus trees, with orange, yellow and green orbs pulling the mottled sprigs towards the immaculately trimmed lawn. The lawn that was mowed in stripes and curves of peridot and prehnite.

Here the gardens are different. Here the trees do not have perfect circles of mulch around the roots. Here the grass has not been clipped into stripy patterns. Here there are weeds creeping onto corrugated walls. Here the latex-like leaves of banana trees mope around the trunks until they drop. Here there are no flowers for us to put in porcelain pots.

***

The paper crinkled and the ribbon coiled. Crunch. My hands tore the blue-and-orange stripes with longing. Layer and layer and layer. Then a book, covered in flowers. Pink and blue and purple and orange. Shaped into delicate disformed circles. A smile pulled at my face, my teeth like a wonky bar of white chocolate.

“Do you like it?” Ma’s smile imitated mine.

I bound to her and wound my arms around her waist. “Thank you.

***

Ma says that the gardens are like this because there is no one here to tame it. She says that gardens have no purpose …

 Gardens had a purpose when I was little.

Father says that the gardens are like this because no one is here to garden …

Ma gardened when I was little.

Sports Report

School sport at Atherton State High School has continued on throughout the beginning of Term 2, providing students with continued opportunity to compete to the best of their ability. Since our last sports update ASHS students have continued to train and trial for a variety of school, Tablelands District and Peninsula School Sport teams, with many being successful in their selection. Our ASHS students have continued to train for their respective Peninsula School Sport representative teams in preparation for the upcoming QLD School Sports State Championships to be held this Term. Meanwhile, we have already had some great success with students returning from their state carnivals held in the early weeks of Term 2. Congratulations to all our ASHS athletes and best of luck with your preparations and travels to your state carnivals.

Cross Country

Term 2 started off with a bang! Thursday April 20 saw our ASHS students head to the Tinaburra Avenue of Honour for our annual Inter-house Cross Country Carnival. We managed to grace a break in weather for a great day of competitive runners. Led by their brilliant House Captains, our students showed true ASHS House spirit in cheering on their team mates and peers– great job students! A special thankyou the Atherton State High School P & C for kindly funding our students’ bus transport to and from Tinaburra, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thankyou to all staff and students who assisted with the set up and pack down of this event, a day like this could not have gone ahead without your assistance.

Our 2023 Inter-House Cross Country Age Champions are as follows:

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 21

Next

District Cross Country

Transitioning from our ASHS Inter-House Cross Country Carnival, we had 44 selected to represent the school at the Tablelands District Cross Country Carnival in week 3. This Carnival was a great success for our school, with 33 students being selected in the Tablelands District Team. We also had four age champions and four minor placings, helping us secure 2^nd place overall in the entire district! Congratulations to Lucas, Charlee, Kira and Kaylan on winning age champion, and congratulations to Dane, Amber, Bethany and Sophie on your minor placings, well done team and best of luck when you return to Tinaburra again on the 16^th of May for your Peninsula Regional Carnival.

Upcoming Sport

Sporting opportunities at Atherton State High School do not dwindle into Term 2, with trials currently taking place for our Junior and Senior Girls and Boys Viki Wilson Netball teams, as well as training in full swing for our Boys and Girls Street Smarts T20 Cricket teams – can our Senior Girls go back to back in 2023? Term 2 also sees the instalment of our second Inter-House Carnival; athletics. Taking place on the final two days of Term 2, students are encouraged to attend what is sure to be a brilliant two days of fun, games, and competitive athleticism and participate in as many events as possible, earning participation points for their house. More information will be released shortly on this event.

Representative Sport

Lastly, congratulations to all students heading away in the following few weeks for their respective QLD School Sport State Championships. This term we have already seen Mia Portelli travel to Brisbane for the 13-15years Girls Netball State Championships where Peninsula region finished 7^th out of 12, great work Mia! In the coming weeks of May we see Noah Blooranta, Jackson Clark and Pamela Joe travel to Townsville and the Gold Coast for their 16-18 Years Boys and Girls Rugby League State Championships respectively. Meanwhile, we have Patrick Stevens and Ben Howard travelling to Brisbane for Hockey, and Dane Portelli, Harley Payne, and Finlay Payne playing in the 10-12 Years Boys and Girls Touch Football State Championships in Aeroglen Cairns, great work team and best of luck, we’re all cheering for you! The remainder of Term 2 is looking to be full of sporting opportunities for our ASHS students to succeed in their individual endeavours, we’re sure all students will continue to represent the school in a proud and competitive manner. I’m looking forward to seeing the sporting achievements continue to rise throughout the remainder of the term.

Mr Harry Simpson, Sports Coordinator

Our current ASHS Peninsula representatives are as follows:

*This list is based on information we have received to date - please see the Sports department if your Peninsula representation has not been listed here

P&C Association - All welcome

The P&C meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 5.30pm.  These are held in the school library.  Everyone and encouraged to attend! If you have any questions please contact the P&C directly on pandc@athertonshs.eq.edu.au

You can find a membership form  here

Expression of Interest - Casual Relief Pool

Health faculty update

10 PEX Rolls on!

Throughout term 1, our year 10 PEX students completed a Lawn Bowls unit as part of their practical assessment with their class teachers Ms Davis and Mr Karamaroudis.  ASHS would like to thank the Atherton Bowls Club, and particularly Head coach Mal Mackney for his continued support of our students.  Well done students, and thank you Mal!!

Professionally fit!

Certificate III in Fitness students have been learning about client health screening, including completing pre-exercise questionnaires and conducting fitness testing and evaluation to determine client’s readiness for exercise.  Over the next 2 terms, students will be completing practical assessment by undertaking group and individual fitness training with a range of client groups.  Staff and community - if you fit the criteria, there may be an opportunity to gain some free personalised fitness coaching from one of our fantastic senior students who are very close to being fully accredited industry professionals.  Stay tuned for more information!

When Will Kostakis Came to Atherton!

Guest author writers workshop

Article based on ideas by Rebecca Masso (year 10)

The opportunity to have guest authors visit us in FNQ does not come along too often, but when it does, it changes our whole experience of how we see ourselves and our stories.   Will Kostakis is an award winning Young Adult Fiction writer who is based between Sydney and Cairns.  Will knows what it means to be a young person with stories to share. He signed his first book deal in high school. Loathing Lola was released when he was just nineteen. His contemporary novels, The First Third and The Sidekicks have elements of his own high school experiences. His first foray into fantasy, the Monuments duology, saw teenagers accidentally killing gods hidden under different Aussie high schools, absorbing their powers, and wrestling with what it means to be gods.  His newest novel has just been released – WE COULD BE SOMETHING – and we can’t wait to have it on our shelves.

One of the most memorable qualities about working with Will is his sense of humour. He is not afraid to laugh at himself.  While many year 7 and 8 students had read his novels, in our year 10 group, not so many…

The atmosphere was awkward, and no-one knew what to say. Then he asked “So, has anyone ever read of my books or even heard of me?” No-one raised their hands. Will responded with “Oh that’s okay. I once went to this massive school in the Gold Cast, right? And there was this massive auditorium with like, 2000 kids. And when I asked if anyone had read my books, 1 kid raised his hand. Out of the TWO THOUSAND kids that were there, only one knew me. So this of course really boosted my confidence, and I guess I flew too close to the sun because I went that one step further and was like, “So did you like my book?” Of course, the kid said no. But it’s fine guys, I’m used to being disappointed.”

 From there on, Will made us laugh constantly and everyone became a lot more comfortable!  He encouraging us to ask questions to which in-depth and interesting answers were given. Lots of tips and tricks about writing were shared, and a short clip of Ratatouille was even analysed. Will also gave us a short version of his life story in which much-needed useful advice was taken from the audience.

Sadly, the session had come to an end too quickly!! Before we were left, Will gave out a few free copies of the books he wrote, including the titles Monuments, The First Third, The Sidekicks and The Greatest Hits. He has also kindly gifted the school his new book “We could be something.”

All in all, it was a seriously amazing experience!  Being able to talk to a successful author who not only gave us tips about writing, but also on how to manage the ups and downs of life was a great way to spend some quality time.  And now if Will asked us if we know his work, he would be greeted with a sea of eager waving hands.

Staff Moderation Day

Spirit of Youth

Consent, Boundaries and Safe Relationships

School Information Tour

Tableland Japanese Camp

Upcoming Events - For 2023

Library News

Each term the Library holds two Open Mic Sessions, held Recess 1 & 2, Friday Week 4 & 8 only.  This year has been greatly successful encouraging Year 7 to Year 12 students to sign up and perform in front of their peers.  Today, we had such a wonderful turn out and exceptional talent.  Thank you to Ms Ottone, Ms Gray, Imogen, Jett, Stasia, ​Naveah, Anthony, Paul, Tye and Milano for sharing their incredible gifts and talents.  Open Mic is highly valued at our school as it aligns with our core beliefs of positivity, success and the challenge to believe in oneself through a supportive community. For more information contact Mrs Stevens, sstev113@eq.edu.au

Japanese Study Tours are coming!

Push Up Challenge!!

‘Atherton High is participating in the push-up challenge to spark conversation, raise funds, foster community spirit, foster competition, and reduce stigma about mental health in Australia. We encourage all students in any grade to join a team for your house with the url: https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/AthertonStateHighSchoolLegends2431. Otherwise, you can google ‘push-up challenge’ and search for ‘Atherton High School’ and join your grade and sport house team from there. If a team is full, feel free to create your own. The school will host mass push-up days to encourage community spirit, and the teams are organised into houses to foster team spirit and friendly competition.’    

Extra-Curricular Calendar

Sleep 101

What’s going on in our brains while we sleep?

The brain doesn’t just switch off. It generates two main types of sleep: slow-wave sleep (deep sleep) – SWS – and rapid eye movement (dreaming), or REM.

About 80% of our sleeping is of the SWS variety, which is characterised by slow brain waves, relaxed muscles and slow, deep breathing. Deep sleep is important for the consolidation of memories, with recent experiences being transferred to long-term storage. This doesn’t happen indiscriminately though – a clear-out of the less relevant experiences of the preceding day also appears to take place.  The connections between neurons, known as synapses, shrink during sleep, resulting in the weakest connections being pruned away and those experiences forgotten.

Dreaming accounts for the other 20% of our sleeping time and the length of dreams can vary from a few seconds to closer to an hour. Dreams tend to last longer as the night progresses and most are quickly or immediately forgotten. During REM sleep, the brain is highly active, while the body’s muscles are paralysed and heart rate increases, and breathing can become erratic. Dreaming is also thought to play some role in learning and memory – after new experiences we tend to dream more.

How much sleep is enough?

The optimum sleeping time varies between people and at different times of life. Guidelines suggest that the ideal amount to sleep is seven to nine hours for adults, and eight to ten hours for teenagers. However, the experts did not consider quality of sleep or how much was SWS v REM. Some people may survive on less sleep because they sleep well, but below seven hours there was compelling evidence for negative impacts on health. According to experts, too much sleep is also bad, but few people seem to have this problem.

Why are we stuck on this 24-hour cycle?

Over millions of years of evolution, life has become deeply synchronised with the day-night cycle as the earth rotates. Circadian rhythms are evident in almost every life-form and are so firmly imprinted in our innate biology that they continue even in the absence of any external input. Plants kept in a dark cupboard at a stable temperature open and close their leaves as though they can sense the sun without seeing it.

In the 1970s, scientists uncovered the process responsible for this internal molecular timekeeping. In experiments using fruit flies they found a gene, later given the name “period”, whose activity appeared to reliably rise and fall on a 24-hour cycle. Scientists later showed that the period gene worked by releasing a protein that built up in cells overnight, before being broken down in the daytime.

Later, humans were shown to have the same gene, expressed in a tiny brain area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This serves as a conduit between the eye’s retina and the brain’s pineal gland, which pumps out the sleep hormone melatonin. So when it gets dark, we get sleepy.

So is it just our brain that is affected?

The SCN clock is our body’s master timekeeper, but scientists have discovered clock genes are active in almost every cell type in the body, and the activity of roughly half our genes appears to be under circadian control.

The activity of blood, liver, kidney and lung cells in a petri dish all rise and fall on a roughly 24-hour cycle, and virtually everything in our body – from the secretion of hormones to the preparation of digestive enzymes in the gut, from changes in blood pressure to body temperature – is influenced in major ways by what time of day these things are normally needed.

So sleep is not a luxury.  It is essential to both our physical and mental health. It enables us to function. It allows our body to restore, regroup and regenerate for the next day.

NEXT TIME: What happens if we don’t get enough sleep?

Certificate III in Early Childhood

If you would like to join our Playgroup please come along!

This playgroup happens during the school term only.

Bring your little one to join in the fun at our Atherton SHS Playgroup. Contact Ms Collins if you have any questions on 4030 5222

Register your interest: Year 12 exam invigilators

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) welcomes early registrations of interest from community members who would like to work as invigilators at Year 12 exams being held in schools throughout Queensland in October and November. These are paid positions. Invigilators must be over 18 years old, eligible to work in Australia and hold a current paid blue card, or exemption card, or a Queensland College of Teachers registration.

Register your interest now and get notified when applications open in early June. By organising your documentation early, you'll be ready to apply straight away. Visit the QCAA website to find out more and register your interest.

ECQ Voting Opportunity for Students

The ECQ will be on the ground and talking to young people in Cairns from 8-12 May, as part of the regional sitting of Parliament at the Cairns Convention Centre.

This is a great opportunity for students to taste democracy in action and learn more about participating in the electoral process – including how eligible young people can provisionally enrol to vote. So, what does provisional enrolment mean?

If you have a teenager who has turned 16 or 17, they can provisionally enrol to vote…so when they turn 18, they’ll be ready to vote in an election!

Enrolling is easy and only takes a few minutes online. Help put democracy in the hands of the next generation. Visit www.aec.gov.au to help them get the ball en-rolling!

Don’t miss the Tinaroo Falls Dam Open Day!

There’ll be live music, activities for the kids, displays from our emergency services, community stalls, a free BBQ, and lots more.

The friendly team from Sunwater will be there to provide information about how Tinaroo Falls Dam works, and how you can prepare for local weather events. They’ll also be running bus tours of the dam itself.

Tinaroo Falls Dam Open Day is proudly brought to you by Sunwater and Tablelands Regional Council.

Date: Saturday 24 June 2023

Time: 9:00am-2:00pm 

Location:  Lake Tinaroo Recreational Playground, Tinaroo Falls Dam Road, Tinaroo 4872 (opposite Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park) 

Cost: Free 

FairPlay parent, carer or guardian

What is the FairPlay program?

• The program provides vouchers up to $150 to support children to get active.
• The vouchers can be used for sport and active recreation membership, registration or participation fees with registered activity providers.
• ​There is a limit of one voucher per child per calendar year.

Visit the website: https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/fairplay
Give us a call: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
Send us an email: fairplayvouchers@dtis.qld.gov.au 

Information from Tableland Regional Council

Tablelands University Centre - VPG

Link and Launch

Research tells us that every year a number of young people who complete Year 12 are not engaged in education, employment or training in the year after they leave school.  While there are numerous programs and services available to students completing Year 12 to help them transition from school, data indicates that some of the young people who need this help the most, do not access it. 

The Queensland Government is funding Link and Launch to support these young people to navigate their post-school options and to choose a pathway that will equip them to make a successful transition to study, training or work.

How the program works

Link and Launch officers are based at participating schools to connect with young people who have completed Year 12 but not yet transitioned to further study, training or work. These officers can assist young people to navigate a range of post-school study, training and work options in line with their individual goals, aspirations, skills and strengths and support them to make independent choices that will equip them to make a successful transition.

Participating schools

In 2023, the Link and Launch Program will be delivered in 36 schools located in areas where there are high numbers of school leavers who are not in education, employment or training. I am pleased to announce that the Atherton Tablelands now has a Link and Launch service.

            Link and Launch Officer:        Kim Bannister

            Phone:                                             0492 156 374

            Email:                                               kbann8@eq.edu.au

Eligible young people

Young people who are not in education, employment or training and also completed Year 12 in the previous two years are eligible to join the program. All young people who have completed their senior studies can join the program irrespective of where they went to school. Participation in the program is voluntary. Young people enrolled at school are not eligible to join the program as career guidance and planning support is already provided by schools.