Term 2, 2nd June, 2023

Principal's Welcome

Dear students, parents and community members, I trust this newsletter update finds you well! What a huge term 2 we are having, there is so very much to celebrate from wonderful representation at Anzac Day to an amazing spirit of youth concert, to a moot presentation, to cattle handling school, to many, many sporting activities resulting in great success for our students, to wellbeing week, to a beautiful Elders morning tea celebration and the many, many things in between. This is such a busy, active and exciting campus, I am so very proud of our staff, students and community members who are so focussed on providing excellent learning opportunities for our students both within and beyond the classroom!

Celebrating student success - A true highlight of this term was to host the celebration lunches for our students who achieved consistently high results in both the academic and effort/behaviour domains from their term 1 reports.  I thoroughly enjoyed serving our students and awarding them excellence certificates and a small gift.  We were also so fortunate to have the Regional Director Shirley Gallo and Associate Director General Sharon Schimming join us for this celebration! 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! I look forward to reading each and every report at the end of this term and will be searching for improvements made by our students.

Celebrating our diverse learners – A further wonderful memory of this term was having the pleasure of listening to Riley Beasley present his speech for his English assessment.  What an extremely talented and interesting young person, Riley taught me all about the weather in the tablelands and I enjoyed hearing about how the speech was constructed using braille and sound waves, thank you to Ms Jane Geddes for your support and the privilege of celebrating this success with Riley!

Celebrating rural opportunities – I am so amazed with the many opportunities our students have to pursue diverse activities and pathways promoted by our agricultural studies team.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching our students shine at the recent cattle handler’s school, what an absolute pleasure to witness the calibre of our students in this wonderful industry and of course thank you to our staff who seriously go above and beyond to create these opportunities for our kids!

We value your feedback! –   I am truly driven as Principal of this truly wonderful school to continuously improve this school and feedback from our parents/carers, students and staff is crucial, we want to hear what you think is great and what you think needs improvement, together we can make this school EXTRAORDINARY!!  Our students where all invited to complete a pulse survey on how they think our school is going, we have collated these results and I am so thrilled to share we have certainly shown improvement in many areas. There were also areas that showed lack of improvement, this has provided us with vital information on our next steps, we have used this feedback to address issues raised. In comparison to the school opinion survey results from last year we have already seen some great improvements, we certainly have a long way to go, but results such as these show us that we are on the right journey and we are doing the right work.

• This is a good school     32.78 % improvement
• I feel safe at this school      15.23 % improvement
• Student behaviour is well managed at this school   73.95% improvement
• I am interested in my school work    3.17% improvement
• I understand how I am assessed at this school   10.2% improvement

Sharp focus for our improvement - This school celebrates student success reduced by 10%, our actions in response to this in an effort to dramatically improve in this area has included:

• Daily Facebook posts celebrating student’s achievements in a variety of areas.
• Introduction of the positive behaviour for learning rewards program.
• Introduction of full school celebration parades.
• Principal celebration luncheons.
• Weekly Community connections published via Facebook to spotlight our local businesses who support our students through providing employment and apprenticeship opportunities, this support is so appreciated and vital to our students’ futures “Local employers supporting local students”

Regional support of Aspiring Leaders – Our school was asked to participate in a regional take the lead program whereby aspirant leaders came to visit our school to speak to our middle and senior leaders.  This was a wonderful opportunity for our leaders to share their many experiences and insights with some of the education industries up and coming leaders.  I am really privileged to have an exceptional leadership team that I have the pleasure of working with all day, every day!

Managing student behaviour – whole school focus

One of our key improvement strategies this year is to develop the capability of all staff to consistently embed universal support for all students through a sharp focus on positive behaviour for learning.  A vital part of this is developing consistent behaviour management processes across all staff, to do this we have committed to offering all of our staff a 3 day professional development program focusing upon Essential Skills for Classroom management and Classroom profiling.  What is even more amazing is that this high level professional development is being provided by our staff who hold train the trainer qualifications in classroom profiling.  Our first training session happened this week and was led by Warwick Lyndon, Torsten Pluschke and James Cochran.  A very exciting initiative from our school in the pursuit of our goal that at least 85% of our school community believe that student behaviour is well managed”

“Make Each Day Your Masterpiece”

We are thrilled to celebrate the refurbishment of the mural in the A Block toilet,  this mural was kindly and proudly created by The Durrand Family as a gift to the young women of our school community.  On behalf of the entire school community I thank the Durrand family for creating such a beautiful space for our students. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologise to Jaelene, Michael, Tahalia, Willem, Ruben and Macy Durrand for actions that were taken by our school that resulted in two of the panels of the artwork being removed without the consent of the Durrand family.  Atherton State High School management failed to uphold the principles of courtesy and the legal, moral rights of artistic authorship. We have worked with Michael and Jaelene to restore the artwork to its original presentation and to restore the authorship panel.  Michael and Jaelene have worked with us to design artwork to complement our new dignity vending machine, again we thank you both and truly appreciate the effort your family has put in to enhancing this space for our students.

Leanne Knight-Smith

Principal

From the Deputy's Desk - Senior School

Our Year 11 and 12 students have been working hard to finalise their formative and summative internal assessments over the last few weeks. At this point in time, some Year 11 students realise that different subjects would better suit their preferences or pathways. If this is the case, now is the time to they would enjoy or do better in different subjects. If this is the case, students have a small window of opportunity to change subjects, so they need to see Mrs Trevor, Mrs Whybird or Ms Campbell to do a SET plan review and collect a subject-change form.

For some students in Year 11 and 12, assessment times can be difficult time as, due to QCAA timelines, multiple assessments may be due close together. Please remember that there is support available for all students from the student support teacher, the Head of Senior Schooling, the Guidance officer, the youth support officer, the school nurse, the CEC, the school chaplain and Heads of Department. Under no circumstances should a student contemplate not handing in a submission, as this will have a critical impact on their QCE and continuing study. If students are feeling overwhelmed or unwell, they should seek support immediately.

All Year 11 parents should have received an email about the Year 1r jerseys for 2024. This contains information regarding options, design and payment processes. If you have any queries, please contact the coordinator Andrea Khan akhan10@eq.edu.au.

Finally, remember that learning continues right up to the holiday period. New units have begun in a number of subjects, so continuing focus is required over the next three weeks. While most classes have QLearn or One Note available to supplement learning, attendance in every lesson is vital to enable deep learning and skills to be developed and practiced.

Cathy Campbell

Deputy Principal Senior Secondary

From the Deputy's Desk - Middle School

I have really enjoyed the last few weeks and having conversations with parents and students about how the learning students do in Year 9 and 10 influence the pathways that are starting to emerge for them. Bringing meaning to learning and relating it to the real world is important for young people who often as ‘why am I doing this?’. Hopefully the following information may help to answer the why.

Years 9 and 10 offer a unique opportunity for many of our students to enter the work force, either in a paid or unpaid capacity, full time, part time or as a casual. It lets them experience the world of work and acknowledges the importance of the relationships they form and the behaviours they display at school and link them to their future success.  

Currently there is a list of local full time, part time and casual jobs, apprenticeships and traineeships advertised in the window of A22. Ms Coleman  kcole128@eq.edu.au our vocational education co-ordinator is located in this room and is always happy to meet with students who wish to investigate these work options or work experience.

Work experience is the short-term placement of students with businesses and organisations to provide insights into the industry and the workplace in which they are located, and is unpaid. Whilst undertaking work experience, our students get to observe different aspects of work within their chosen industry and may assist with tasks allocated by their supervisor, but should not undertake activities which require extensive training or expertise. To be eligible for Work Experience

• Students must be at least 14 years old, and enrolled in an educational establishment
• Students can be placed on work experience up to a maximum of 30 days in a calendar year

Here are some things to consider if you are looking to transition to work via an apprenticeship or traineeship:

• Some students can look to start a full-time apprenticeship at 13 – 15 years of age (only in exceptional circumstances with exemption paperwork signed by the Principal) as our school supports engagement at school for as long as possible in the compulsory phase of education which is, until a student is 16 or has finished Year 10. An electrical apprenticeship is the exception to this, see below.
• For a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship a student needs a Year 10 minimum education for sign up (Electrical Apprenticeship required Year 11)
• For an Electrical apprenticeship in Year 11, the apprentice MUST have passed Year 10 English, Maths and Science all year to be successful.

If this interests you, here is what to do now?

• Get excited about the world of work.
• Have a look at the window in A22 to see what work is available in our local area.
• Start considering work experience opportunities, try a lot of things to make sure you get to know what is involved in a number of industries.
• See Chappy Belinda to make a time to develop a resume and cover letter.
• Drop in and have a chat with Ms Coleman about your future aspirations in the vocational. area and see what opportunities might be waiting for you right now.

Ann Grimshaw

Deputy Principal Middle Secondary

From the Deputy's Desk - Junior School

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 in subjects including Design and Technology, the Arts and Health and Physical Education. 

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.

Chris Keating

Deputy Principal Junior Secondary

STEM Experience

"During week 5 of term 2, I travelled to Brisbane for the annual STEM Girl Power Camp. Part of a year long initiative, this program encourages girls to future STEM pathways. Sixty girls from across QLD came together to learn lifelong skills in leadership and teamwork as well as gain an insight into their future. Throughout the week we visited UQ St Lucia, QUT, Griffith University Nathan Campus and TRI. We were privileged enough to take a look at micro-palaeontology, eSports and run small scientific activities for local primary school students. My personal favourite experience was at TRI where we got to test cancerous HeLa cells against different salt solutions. This was a wonderful experience that has shown me many pathways that I may decide to take after school."

Tylah Harris - Year 10 student

Finance update

Dear Parents/Carers/Guardians,

Outstanding Accounts Reminder:

As the school year is fast drawing to a close.  We ask that you please finalise, or make a plan to finalise your child’s account as soon as possible.

Statements are sent home on a monthly basis.

If you would like to make a payment plan or re-instate a previous payment plan, please feel free to contact L Block Reception on 4030 5248 – we would be only too happy to assist.

If you have recently made payment, thank you and please disregard this message.

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

Staff Moderation Day 14th June

Tuckshop closed on 14th June

Looking for Homestay Families

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.

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, there is a contact update form  available from the front 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.

Visit to the Chinese Temple

Students from ASHS HUB visited the Atherton Chinese Temple as part of our Community Access Program. Mary welcomed us and gave us an introduction to the history of the Chinese community in Atherton. Students looked through the museum and were given a tour of the Temple by Graham, which was very informative. We all made sure that we entered the Temple with the correct foot – left for females and right for males. We really enjoyed our time at the Atherton Chinese Temple and are grateful to Mary and Graham for showing us around. We would like to extend special thanks to Chris for organising this visit for us.

Spirit of Youth

On Tuesday the 30^th of May, music students from Atherton SHS performed in the annual Spirit of Youth concert. Students from years 8-12 wowed audiences in not one, but two exciting performances. Music Academy and Vocal Group opened the show, followed by energetic performances from music classes and excellent solos. Students were treated to an introductory performance during their parade lesson, supporting their peers by singing and clapping along. The light show was mesmerising and the quality of performances were fantastic.

Later in the evening, parents and community members were invited to a bonus, jam-packed concert with extra performances from Academy, Vocal Group, class groups and solos. Students did a fantastic job preparing and performing for this concert. Well done, music students!

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Looking for homestay parents

Worlds Greatest Shave

https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=143243&langPref=en-CA

Visit to the Atherton Courthouse

Students from ASHS HUB visited the Atherton Courthouse as part of our Community Access Program. The Registrar, Jodie, welcomed us and showed us into an office area where we were told that all the paperwork is handled. People can come here to receive help with registering births, deaths and marriages, as well as paying fines and having a Justice of the Peace witness documents. We were then shown into the Magistrates Court and students were told about the court process. We asked lots of questions and then sat in the Defendant’s chair and the Witness Stand. The visit to the Atherton Courthouse was very informative and we are grateful to Jodie for facilitating it and showing us around.

The Importance of Breakfast!!

It has been described as the most important meal of the day!! Do you know why??? Do you want to know why…..??

If you don’t have breakfast, you might find you feel a bit sluggish and it will be a struggle to focus. This is because your brain hasn’t received the energy (glucose) it needs to get going. Studies suggest that not having breakfast affects your mental performance, including your attention, ability to concentrate and memory. This can make some tasks feel harder than they normally would.

Children and adolescents who regularly eat breakfast tend to perform better academically compared with those who skip breakfast. They also feel a greater level of connectedness with teachers and other adults at their school, which leads to further positive health and academic outcomes.

At Breakfast Club you get brain food and connectedness…winning!!

We have amazing volunteers from the community who volunteer their time to cook a nutritious breaky for our students!! Student volunteers, teachers and support staff also frequent breakfast club and serve, connecting with students and making it a great way to begin the school day for our students!

Breakfast = brain boost + emotional support = best way to start the day!!

Tuesday, Thursday & Friday in the Hall 8.15am

Chappy Belinda

The Kit Kat Club

The Kit Kat Club is up and running on Mondays and Wednesdays in recess times. It is open for all students across all grades and students need to come along to sign up if they want to join, we currently have around a dozen or so members dropping in at times to work on their kits. The club's name is a bit of a play on the Kit Kat ad, where we have a break during recess and build a model kit. We are building plastic model kits of all kinds of things, cars, tanks and planes being the main themes. All materials are provided, along with close supervision to help the students construct their kits. Model kits were very popular for many decades but with the advent of newer technologies such as game consoles they can be harder to find nowadays. Model kits are similar to Lego in that they are an excellent higher-order thinking activity, with students needing to practice their problem-solving skills, follow the instructions carefully and have patience in order for them to succeed. Some students have finished their first model, and finished kits will be displayed for other students to look at in the library.

Practice Moot Court Round vs. Malanda SHS

On Thursday 20^th of April, Atherton State High School participated in a practice moot with highly-experienced mooters, Malanda State High School.  Mooting takes place in a simulated courtroom setting with both teams taking turns to present (and object to) both sides of a legal problem.  Our team on the day was comprised of Emily Mills (first barrister), Bethany Bailey (second barrister), Darcie Kruck (instructing solicitor), Piper Leinster (first witness and defendant) and Tenae Gelfhi (second witness).  In the practice moot, our brave team had to defend a client against a charge of unlawful stealing of a mobile phone, while Malanda SHS acted as the prosecution. 

As first-time mooters, our intrepid team got to present their defences to the charge and objected to the unfair questioning of their witnesses.  Although narrowly losing by only two points, our team walked away with their heads high, in the knowledge that they had ‘held their own’ against Malanda’s accomplished mooters.  With this invaluable experience under their belts, our team now goes on to train for the Tableland Schools Moot Competition, scheduled to occur on Wednesday 17^th May.  This time our team will act as prosecution and will pit their skills against St Stephens Catholic College. 

Sports Report

As we move through Term 2 our ASHS Interhouse Athletics Aarnival moves ever closer. Held on the 22^nd and 23^rd of June – Thursday and Friday week 10, all students are encouraged to attend school and participate in the 2 days of carnival fun. All students are provided house points for each event they participate in, including ball games, pushup challenge and dance off! Nominations for field events; all throwing and jumping events, are now open with Mr Simpson and will close Friday week 8. Students wishing to participate in these events MUST nominate in the time period provided and return a signed permission note. Track event nominations will occur on carnivals days. House themes will be released this Friday s get dressed up and get excited for our ASHS Interhouse Athletics Carnival 2023!

Starting on June 1 ASHS staff and students are participating in the Push Up Challenge. Raising awareness for mental health, the Push Up challenge challenges participants to get active and raise awareness for something that affects 1 in every 2 people. Mr Simpson will be holding pushup challenges in the Hall at lunchtimes and every student participating will be earning house points towards the House Challenge Trophy! If you are yet to register please visit the link and QR code below to sign up!

https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/AthertonStateHighSchoolLegends2431

Lastly, congratulations to all our ASHS athletes who have representing the school at various recent QSS State Carnivals. You have all represented your school and region with pride and honour, great job! Photos and blurbs of our athletes have been posted on the ASHS Facebook page.

Go Barrine!

Mr Simpson

Chris’ Spot on Health

2023 Tablelands Moot Court Competition

The Atherton High Moot Court team, (consisting of first barrister Emily Mills, second barrister Darcie Kruck, instructing solicitor Bethany Bailey, witness 1, Piper Leinster, witness 2 Tenae Ghelfi and additional members Reika Barlow, Amalia Peirce and Polly Vonghane, put in many early mornings with the help of Ms Arbouin and Mr Fry to attend the Tablelands School Moot Court Competition at the Mareeba Magistrates Court on Wednesday 17^th May. We took home 2^nd place in our first ever attempt at mooting, after a narrow loss to St Stephens in our moot court trial. Our thanks goes to the local legal professionals who assisted us in our preparation, Jodie Scheu and Tiffany Veschetti. 

'If you've ever wanted your Legally Blonde (Elle Woods), Judge Judy or 12 Angry Men main character moment, then MOOTING is for you.' - Tenae

‘It was an insane amount of fun, even if you’re not interested in law! I 10/10 recommend it.’ – Emily

‘We learnt lots regarding the law and court, but it also encompassed lots of life skills like public speaking, patience and etiquette’ – Piper

‘I sincerely hope students find the same joy and lessons that I did in this experience. It’s a medal to be very proud of (and it’s not as scary as it seems)’. – Darcie

 ‘I would strongly encourage anyone with even the tiniest bit of interest to get involved: this was such a challenging but worthwhile experience, and despite the many early mornings, I’m sad it’s over.’ – Bethany

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

Upcoming Events - For 2023

Library News

Japanese Study Tours are coming!

Extra-Curricular Calendar

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

Cultural Connections Edition 6

Women's Health Clinic

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.

Healthwise Physio Flyer

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

CALLING ALL YOUTH!

Every year TRC puts on a Sensory Room at the Atherton Show in collaboration with the Inclusion Advisory Committee and Atherton Show Society.

This year we are doing a stage props workshop building glow in the dark mushrooms and snails for what is going to be a Sensory Night Garden.

All participants will receive a free ticket to the show to see their installation! Dan Joseph will be delivering the workshop to you aged 12 – 25.

Come and join in to discover and build your glow in the dark props and bring your mates!

Register now!

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.

QFCC Youth Advocates - Expressions of Interest

Cairns School of Distance Education Reunion

GAP Year Program

Earth and Country Flyer