Term 4 18th October 2023

From the Principal's Desk

Dear parents, carers, community members and most importantly our students, welcome back to Term 4!

School opinion survey results – Celebration time

We have the results from our 2023 School opinion survey and I have great pleasure and pride in sharing the results with you. Our school is on a significant improvement journey and it is wonderful to see that all members of our school community, our students, our parents and our staff have acknowledged the hard work and efforts to improve this amazing school. We still have much work to do in improving all aspects of our school and l will strive to continue to transform our school to be the very best it can be! We truly value feedback and I would like to thank all who participated in the survey this year. The following components are common items on all 3 surveys, parent, student and staff, here I have captured some of our celebration points.

Focus areas for improvement based on School opinion survey ·

School culture ·

Teaching and Learning ·

Student engagement and interest in their schooling ·

Expectations and rules are clear

Mental Health week

As a school community we have had a challenging start to the term as we come together and try to recover from the sudden passing of one of beloved students. We started the term with a solid focus on positive mental health, trying to educate our students on the crucial importance of wellbeing. As a school we have promoted support agencies and held many different activities to promote positive mental health. We held workshops, guest speakers, theme days, sporting events, mindfulness activities throughout the Queensland mental health week. The week culminated in a mood food celebration where we fired up the BBQ and came together as a school community to celebrate and support each other. Thank you so much to the many staff and students who worked tirelessly to make this a significant and successful event.

Arts Open Night

Congratulations to our Arts department who worked with the P&C to hold an exceptional Arts Open night. The night featured work from our Visual Art, Drama, Music and Film and TV students, the standard of works displayed was seriously amazing. The event was catered by our Food Technology department, an outstanding example of our school community working together to celebrate the many, many talented students and staff we have at this school!

Facilities

I have some extremely exciting news, our amenities upgrade will begin at the end of this term and will be completed early next year. The amenities for our students are incredibly modern and will double the available toilets for our students, this has been long awaited for our school, we will continue to work extremely hard to update our amazing school. We have met with representatives from central office in regards to further improvements to our school. We have just completed refresh works to two of our buildings, updating our buildings with a fresh and modern colour palette featuring our signature school colour maroon! I have a clear long-term vision to update every building within our school, my immediate focus is on upgrading our general classrooms and creating a wellbeing hub in the centre of our school. We have also recently initiated the upgrade of the school’s administration building; the goal is to provide a clear and accessible entrance to our school with all administration staff together in L Block. This work needs to happen first to enable space in A block to transform this to a student wellbeing Hub. Our Business Services manager, Margaret Selby and I are applying for any available grants to support this vision.

Year 7 Scholarships 2024

I had the pleasure of meeting our scholarship applicants from Tolga, Atherton and Yungaburra Primary schools. What an exceptional group of young students who are all very excited to be coming to our wonderful high school. The decision is incredibly difficult as each and every one of the students I met were amazing, they were so positive, enthusiastic and skilled in so many different ways, the families of these young people would be so very proud as are we that they have chosen to come to our school next year. The successful recipients will be announced at our upcoming Awards evening on the 14th November.

Finally to our year 12 students..

To our year 12 students, I want to acknowledge the dedication and perseverance you have demonstrated throughout your academic journey. The road to this point has not been without its challenges and obstacles, but you have faced them head-on, with courage and resolve. You have spent countless hours studying, attending classes, and honing your skills, all in preparation for this crucial moment.

As you embark on your external exams and finalisation of all assessment, I want to offer you some words of encouragement. First and foremost, believe in yourselves. You have been equipped with knowledge and skills that will enable you to tackle these exams with confidence. Trust in your abilities, and remember that you are well-prepared.

Secondly, stay focused and stay calm. These exams are an opportunity for you to showcase your understanding and aptitude. Approach each question with a clear mind, and don't let anxiety get the best of you. Take deep breaths, read each question carefully, and answer to the best of your abilities.

It's also important to remember that your worth is not solely determined by the results of these exams. While they are a significant part of your academic journey, they do not define your intelligence, character, or potential. Your teachers, parents, and all of us here believe in your abilities and your capacity to succeed not just in these exams, but in life beyond them.

In the coming weeks, you may face moments of doubt and pressure. During those times, lean on your support network—your teachers, your family, and your friends. They are here to uplift you, to provide guidance, and to remind you of your strengths.

Finally, remember the importance of balance. While it's crucial to give your best effort during these exams, it's equally important to take breaks, get enough rest, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. A well-rested and relaxed mind is better equipped to handle challenges.

In closing, let me express my unwavering belief in each and every one of you. You have already demonstrated incredible potential and resilience throughout your academic journey, and I have no doubt that you will excel in these external exams and in all the future endeavours that await you.

As you prepare to step into the examination phase and finalising of all assessment, carry with you the knowledge that you are not alone. Your school, your teachers, your parents, and your peers are all standing with you, supporting you every step of the way.

Believe in yourselves, stay focused, and give it your all. Success is within your reach, and I can't wait to see the remarkable results of your hard work.

Good luck to each and every one of you. You've got this!

From the Deputy's Desk -Senior Schooling

Term 4 is flying by and soon we farewell first out year 12s and then our Year 10s and 11s shortly after that. But so much has happened already this term. Thanks to all the staff parents and students who supported our Year 10, 11 and 12 students to complete 2023 so successfully.

Following the SET plan meetings last term, we are finalising the subject offerings and class lsist for Year 11 next year. If Year 10 students want to change the subjects they chose last term, now is the time to do it. Students should come to see myself, Mrs Whybird or Mrs Trevor before Wednesday next week to finalise any changes.

Year 11s ae completing their last day of their exam block. These exams help determine whether students are satisfactory in their learning for Unit 2 for their QCE and also give ATAR students valuable experience of large-scale block exams conditions. Next week, students begin their Year 12 education, with unit 3 commencing for all subjects.

Our Year 11s are also preparing for their SET plan reviews on Tuesday 24 October. These reviews are a critical moment for all students to reflect on their learning and achievements to date and to make sure that they are on track to meeting their immediate learning goals and their longer-term goals. If you have not made a meeting time for this day, please use the online booking system to do so or contact the school for assistance.

Today marks the final day of timetabled classes for our Year 12 students. This is an exciting time for these young adults and marks the end of the one of the most critical phases of their life – formal schooling. A highlight of the week has been the Year 12 Fest on Tuesday where students completed CPR for Life, a school scavenger hunt, some teams activities and, of course, more dance practice. The students have also made their own fun this week, having organised different themed adventures each day, and have shown their respect and gratitude to their teachers and our school community with their fun antics. For many, attention now turns to the external exams and finalisation of other assessments, before their culminating formal and graduation events in Week 7. In the mean time, students should be checking their MyQCA accounts to ensure all of their learning has been banked, and ATAR students should also check that they have selected to share their ATAR result with the school in their QTAC account.

From the Deputy's Desk -Middle Schooling

From the Deputy Principal Middle School

Over the next few weeks students in year 9 and 10 will be entering their assessment phase. It is really important that students speak with their teachers to discuss any barriers they may see that impact their ability to complete their assessment. When teachers have this information, they are able to work with families to put reasonable adjustments in place to help students to meet assessment timelines.

It is a good idea when planning for upcoming assessment to plot your rough draft and due dates on a piece of paper or place them on a calendar in a place where you go a lot – the fridge door is always a pretty good place.

Congratulations to the large number of Year 9 and 10 students who have been awarded positive behaviour tickets and are collecting your prizes from A15. Thank you for applying our school rules in so many different circumstances. As you may have heard from our student, we are ramping up the stakes for Positive Behaviour for Learning acknowledgments; 10 tickets result in a free ice-cream, 20 tickets in a $5.00 tuckshop voucher. We must acknowledge the positive work our staff are contributing to this initiative.

The middle school team we are starting to have conversations with students about their future pathways, specifically possible work experience options for our Year 9 cohort. We will be communicating with students, parents and caregivers’ further information about our Year 9 students engaging with local community organisations who can provide work experience during week 10. This information will be available via email, our Face Book page and a scheduled information night later in the term. Please keep an eye out for this information or contact Head of Junior Secondary Ms Jesse Bolton – jbolt54@eq.edu.au

Many value added programs have been included in our calendar for this term. Red Frogs Queensland visited the school to talk with our Year 8 and 9 cohorts with a focus on ‘Resilience, Purpose, and Identity’. This presentation segued into many activities organised for Queensland Mental Health Week from 9th-13th October. Our Year 9 leaders worked with our Support Staff to provide inclusive activities during recess times that promoted the importance of endorphins for our mental health. Congratulations to the following students and staff for their leadership of the events organised:

Jack Zappala, Jake Paronella, Kayden Payne, Emily Paulger, Sophia Nunn, Mia Portelli, Madison Marshall, Amber Kattenberg, Brooke Trentin, Hannah Clark, Sharna Abdy, Alana Denigan, Miss White, School Chaplin Belinda Fowler, School Based Nurse Chris Silva.

A reminder that

· The school Year 10 school year finishes on Friday 24 November.

· The school Year 9 school year finishes on Friday 8 December.

Students should plan to maximise every day of the term and end positively. The school will plan culmination activities around these dates and celebrate the end of another year of schooling together… but first we need to remain focussed on completing our assignments and exams.

Ann Grimshaw (with help from Ms Bolton, Head of Junior School)

Deputy Principal Middle School

From the Deputy's Desk- Junior Schooling

What a start to our final term for 2023. The busyness of the school, along with change of weather and the Jacaranda’s being in bloom have seen an increase in energy across the junior secondary cohorts. Staff and students have been busy with many teaching and learning activities, value adding programs and presentations.

Many of our year 7 and 8 students have engaged fully in a holistic approach to their education; participating in the arts open night, Queensland mental health week activities, Positive Behaviour for Learning initiatives and promoting safe, kind behaviours. This was exemplified in week 2 when we had a guest speaker from Queensland Red Frogs present to the year 8’s and 9’s on the topic’s of ‘Resilience, Purpose, and Identity’. Our year 8 students demonstrated the four school values to a very high standard; where the presenter commented on their exemplary interactions and respectful behaviours. Well-done year 8.

More value-added presentations will occur during Junior Parade in week 4. Head of Junior Secondary, Ms Bolton, along with her team have organised several guest speakers to present from Queensland Police Service, Better Together and Vocational Partnership Group. Each guest speaker will have a specific topic to present to the students, ranging from; online safety, community inclusion programs, consent and personal boundaries and Youth Support Programs. These are fantastic topics to follow on from the activities and messages delivered during Queensland Mental Health Week.

Year 8 Camp

Year 8 camp expression of interest forms have been sent home to year 8 families. The year 8 camp is a wonderful opportunity to build life-skills, relationships and leadership leading into year 9. The camp will be held from 4th-6th of December at Daradgee Outdoor Education Camp, Innisfail. If you have not communicated your response via the survey monkey, please contact the school. This will enable us to better plan and budget for this educational experience, and reward our students with positive experiences in real life scenarios.

Enrolment at Atherton State High School 2024 Year 7

If you are wanting to enrol a student at Atherton State High School in year 7 for 2024 then please complete an enrolment pack. Packs can be arranged by contacting the school office and were distributed to Primary Schools earlier in the year.

Once your enrolment paperwork is filled in, you will need to complete an enrolment session at the school. Please contact the school office to book an appointment.

All students need to have completed their enrolment paperwork and interview to be able to participate in the term 4 transition day on November 29.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Positive Behaviour for Learning has taken a slight change of direction in Term 4. The committee acknowledges the continued, consistent work of our staff to acknowledge the effort and dedication to support and acknowledge our students who uphold our four school values: We are Respectful, We are Responsible, We are Successful, We are Safe. The students

and staff have provided feedback to our committee that greater equity in receiving prizes for their acknowledgment tickets is needed. We have listened!

This term, students will be able to bank their tickets at first recess to work towards: 10 tickets = an ice-cream, 20 tickets= a $5.00 tuckshop voucher. This initiative has already generated momentum, with 320 tickets handed in over the past two weeks. Congratulations to all students who are demonstrating our values and committing to the ethos of the Atherton State High School community. Value must also be acknowledged with our staff involvement, without their consistent conversations with students focusing on our four values, these initiatives and student acknowledgments would not be possible; thank you staff.

Lastly, as we roll into the back end of the year, can we please remind students of their responsibility towards their academic progress and success. Assessment tasks are starting to be issued, timeframes, drafting and organisation leading into end of year reporting results in much busyness. This can overwhelm the students, and the teachers. Please remember to communicate with your young person’s teacher if they are requiring additional help or time. As you may be aware, teachers have timeframes to meet for the department and can best plan when they are informed. This includes if you’re family is heading off on holidays early. Communication is key, even if it is a simple phone call to the office.

Finance Update

Dear Parents/Carers/Guardians, Outstanding Accounts Reminder:

As we are now in Term 4 please finalise fee payments as our records indicate that we currently have a number of student accounts that remain Outstanding.

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. Year 12 Fees and Formal ticket payments should also have been finalised, please do this ASAP. These tickets will be handed out after exams are completed.

We now offer EFTPOS in both Reception – L block and Student Services – A block.

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 available • 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

Sailing Star does it again

Breanne Wadley recently won the Queensland Youth Championships sailing in the ILCA 4 Class.  Competing against a fleet of 42 boats, Wadley came out on top, winning five out of eight races after three days of rigorous training conducted by Olympic coaches.

Open Mic Sessions

This year students and staff have been presenting a selection of songs at various OPEN MIC sessions in the Library for events such as Are you Okay Day or just to celebrate the Talent in our school and to bring the community together for some fun!!

Students such as Imogen Kelly and staff Daniela Gray sung a couple of songs such as “Afterglow” by Ed Sheeran and “Turning Tables” by Adele in Term 3 and “Fix You” by Coldplay for Are you Okay Day, which was appropriate for the day.

Other Staff members such as Dean Sullivan and Joe Quinn performed a number of songs on their guitars as well, which the audience also loved.

Open Mic performers

QUT Visit

 From Ryanne Telford

At the QUT Summit program we were able attend different sessions and learn what studying in these areas would look like. I was fortunate enough to learn about computing mathematics, electrical engineering, interior architecture, and industrial design. Talking to the QUT students and lectures was incredibly rewarding and allowed me to better understand what my life next year could look like, as well as job opportunities. My favourite part of this program was making connections and friends but also exploring different areas of study that I could follow.

Oscar Byrne

Bianca, Ryanne, and I applied for the QUT Future You summit in the first half of this year, and luckily were drafted into the program. The application process was quite extensive, consisting of various questions about our interests, potential career goals, and our thoughts on what we might like to study. From my answers I was put into the "mind" stream which out of the potential 8-10 streams is the science-y sort of one, but there is truly something for everyone, there are artistic streams, as well as engineering, health and medicine, business, education, as well as a few others. The program itself was great with the 4 different activities all being quite engaging and interesting, especially the astrophysics one where we got to work with actual data from the JWST to process an image, the lecture itself was fantastic as well. There were plenty of guest speakers from all different walks of life, most people will find someone they can relate to here, but personally I didn't which is ok. There were two different days to the program as well, with an optional attendance campus-wide scavenger hunt on the first day , and the last day was focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. The first day was fantastic and really helped familiarise me with my surroundings as well as the people I will be spending the next few days with. The last day I initially thought was going to be quite dreary but it did end up surprising me, it certainly wasn't the highlight of the program but it wasn't too bad, if you do enjoy entrepreneurship however you will love this day. But in my opinion one aspect of the summit far surpassed all the others, and that was the people I met and spent time with down there, I made some good friends quite quickly and thoroughly enjoyed their company whilst at the summit, boarding with them as well was also great fun. If you are worried about monetary cost as well it is nowhere near as bad as you would think, with the program being free, as well as free accommodation, food, and discounted flights. All in all, if you are grade 10 or 11 and interested in QUT, want to explore what you might find in your career or degree, or just want to have a bit of fun I highly recommend you consider applying for the QUT Future You STEM Summit as it was a fantastic experience for me as well as Bianca and Ryanne from what they've told me.

and Bianca Le'Gear

The QUT Future You Summit was an amazing experience that I had the opportunity to partake in over the recent school holidays. Oscar, Ryanne, and I each submitted an application earlier this year, and fortunately we were all accepted into the program. All participants were separated into streams based on their future careers goals and aspirations that we had written about in our applications. There were 10 streams with a large range of focuses, from 'art and soul' to 'health', that were tailored to providing each participant with interesting experiences relevant to their future goals. I was sorted into the ‘mind’ stream, and it was fascinating to learn more about the fields that I am interested in pursuing through a variety of lectures and practical activities. It provided me with more certainty about my chosen courses for university study next year, and gave an insight into some of the careers I could pursue post-grad. The program was free to attend, and the university provided us with free accommodation, three meals a day, and discounted flights. Bording with many other students that had a wide variety of interests was also a great experience, and it was a highlight of my whole year to meet some amazing people that soon became my friends. I already miss a lot of them, and can't wait to see them again when we (hopefully) end up at the same university. For anyone in grades 10 or 11, I would highly recommend applying for this program, as it is a fantastic opportunity to help decide your future pathway and explore the career opportunities that you could pursue.

Presentation Evening

Hannah Rises for the World.

Hannah Rises for the World!

At the beginning of the year, grade 12 student, Hannah Smith, applied to Rise; an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust that finds promising young people from all over the world, and provides opportunities for life as they work to help others.

To apply, Hannah had to showcase her potential through videos, projects and group interviews. Her application was devoted to developing a project that publicised her talents and benefitted the community.

As an active advocate for mental health, Hannah’s Rise Project worked towards cultivating cultures of trust and connection within high schools to improve the mental wellbeing of adolescents living in rural communities. Research shows that early intervention with intense input at the beginning of a person’s illness leads to better outcomes. This drove Hannah to reflect and consider strategies to apply in the educational environment.

“We need to engage with young adults, break the stigma of mental health, and encourage them to seek help whenever they feel it’s necessary.”

Hannah has been a School Prefecture for two years and remains by her students’ sides to assist and support them throughout the year/s. By “stepping up” the leadership and mentoring roles, Hannah feels as though each cohort would be a step closer to bearing the culture of trust and connection she’s aiming for. She also proposed the idea of leaders participating in a Teen Mental Health First Aide course, setting up a support group run by students for students, and for the school to allocate a space for whatever needs necessary (i.e. senior lounge, study room, club meeting area, etc.).

In April, Hannah received an email notifying her that she’d been selected as a Rise Finalist! This meant that she was one of the top 500 applicants worldwide. The second part of the application consisted of presenting her ideas to a variety of panellists and uploading documents of support. She also participated in a Finalist Day to secure her chances of becoming 1 of up to 100 Rise Global Winners. As part of her journey, Hannah joined educational and social impact courses to level up her skills and networks. In particular, she completed the “We Are The Ones” Youth Advocacy program with “Africa Matters”, which consisted of weekly zoom meetings and assignments.

Last week, after months of waiting, Hannah was informed that she had been selected as a 2023 Rise Global Winner! This meant that she successfully demonstrated attributes of brilliance, perseverance, integrity, empathy and calling within her application and interactions with the panellists throughout the year. As a winner, she received benefits to help scale her impact. These benefits include:

Residential Summit

One fully-funded in-person residential summit with other members of the Rise Global Winner cohort.Higher Education Scholarships.A four-year post-secondary education scholarship, including tuition and a living stipend.

Started Technology Packages

A technology package, such as a laptop or tablet, to be determined before or during the first term/semester of post-secondary education.

Network Matching

Access to a network of other Global Winners, community members and partner organisations, as well as career development programming.

Funding for Ideas on a Competitive Basis

Opportunity to apply for funding to experiment with innovative ideas to address major problems in local communities or around the world, ranging, for example, from seed money to start a social enterprise to a grant for a non-profit.

Hannah is only 1 of 100 successful applicants world-wide, and 1 of 3 Rise Global Winners from Australia for 2023. Congratulations, Hannah!

Applications are now open for 2024. If you, or someone you know is interested in applying for such opportunities,find out more information at https://www.risefortheworld.org/. 

Hannah Smith Rise Winner

All about Bees

Currently our three year 9 Agricultural science classes are currently learning about bees. Students will learn the importance of bees right through to collecting and sale of honey.

Students collecting honey

Senior Agricultural Students out and about

Recently the senior agricultural science students visited two farming enterprises on the tablelands. Students were able to see the production chain and the technology used. Thanks to Howes farming and Gumtree farming for spending time with our students and explaining how your businesses operate.

Students at Howe Farming and Gumtree Farming

Arts Open Night

On Friday 6^th October the Atherton State High School Arts Department hosted our annual Arts Open Night, an event that left everyone in awe of the amazing talent of our students. The night showcased our students' boundless creativity and talent, through an array of amazing musical performances from both instrumental and classroom music, fantastic drama performances, many wonderful film productions, and breathtaking visual art displays. The atmosphere was brimming with enthusiasm and appreciation as parents, teachers and students came together to celebrate the incredible artistic prowess of our school community.  This night served as a reminder of the power of art to inspire and unite us all.

Arts Open Night is an event that exemplifies the wonderful qualities of the Arts, as it serves as a platform where students can unleash their creativity and showcase their talents to the entire school community. This event cultivates a sense of pride and accomplishment among our students, as they see their hard work and dedication come to life on both stage and in their art exhibits.

One of the most remarkable qualities of the Arts Open Night is its ability to foster a sense of unity and belonging within our school. It brings together students from diverse backgrounds, interests and subjects, allowing them to collaborate and appreciate each other's unique talents. This event highlights the importance of arts education in nurturing well-rounded individuals who can think creatively, communicate effectively, and empathize with others. It reminds us all that the arts are not just an extracurricular activity but a fundamental part of our educational experience, enriching our lives in countless ways. The Arts Open Night is a testament to the invaluable role of the arts in our school culture, making it a truly worthwhile and cherished tradition.

Of course, an even such as this requires the work of many people and we would like to thank the Food and Nutrition teachers – Mr Rod Green and Mrs Andrea Khan and their wonderful helpers for cooking tasty snacks for the event. Thankyou to our tuckshop convener Joyce Cahill and her staff for their contribution to catering. The P&C lead by Mr Paul LeGear ran the bar for the evening which was enjoyed by many. To staff who lent a hand on the night, we than you.  Finally, we would like to thank all of the amazing student helpers throughout the day who assisted with setting up for the night and all the students who were willing to perform and/or share their works with our community.

The Arts Staff of Atherton High.

Some of the wonderful work from our talented students

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 36

Next

Griffith University First Peoples Health Unit Art Competition

Griffith University First Peoples Health Unit Art Competition. The Griffith University First Peoples Health Unit Art Competition is open to First Nations High School and Young Community Member (Primary School) students, as well as post-school Community Members.

The mediums you can enter include:

• Painting
• Drawing
• Sculpture
• Digital Art
• Mixed media 

The Theme for the 2024 competition is Healing our country, land and waterways.

For more information, you can go to:  https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-health/first-peoples-health-unit/art-prize

Sugar World Excursion

A group of students accompanied by our CEC Sharon Anning-Caulfield and teacher Mat Simpson made the journey to Sugar World on Friday 13^th October 2023. Students who are part of our in-school program: The Former Origin Greats (FOGS) ARTIE (Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education) that achieved 90% school attendance for term 3 and demonstrated positive behaviour were invited to attend the day. A great day was had by our attending students who demonstrated our school values.

The Former Origin Greats ARTIE Academy focuses on improving school attendance via commitment, positive reinforcement and support. This is achieved through the incentive-based challenges each Term. The focus is on improving and maintaining attendance for students engaged in the Academy. Students are incentivised to achieve strong attendance results and are rewarded and acknowledged for their efforts.

TERM 4 Attendance challenge reward is either a FOOTBALL OR NETBALL. To be successful in the attendance challenge, participants must achieve 90% Physical Attendance. Physical attendance is based on the time a student is physically present at school or is involved in a school related activity such as an excursion, school sport or a traineeship.

Sugarworld Excursion

Chris' Spot on Health

The next time painful or stressful feelings threaten to overwhelm you, here is a 30 second activity that is actually science-based that can help. Here’s what you do: get something to write with and get something to write on. Write down a word that describes the emotion you’re experiencing. Like angry, anxious, exasperated…..It doesn’t have to be comprehensive. Just a word or two will do.

What you are doing is actually something called AFFECT LABELLING—the act of naming one’s emotional state. It helps to blunt the immediate impact of negative feelings and kickstart the process of climbing back down from stress. Instead of trying to push an emotion away, the idea is to draw it closer by feeling it, identifying it, and putting a label on it.

Why it works?? An emotion, which is a passion, ceases to be a passion, as soon as we form a clear and distinct idea of it. At that point, the mind becomes less submissive to the emotion, and can exercise greater control over it. Also, the fact that there is a name for what you’re going through means that other people have experienced it as well, which makes an overwhelming emotion feel less…WELL… overwhelming!!

Now for the “sciencey” stuff!!! In a study where subjects were shown photos of faces expressing strong emotions their brain signals showed greater activity in the amygdala, which is involved in generating emotions. When asked to label the emotion, however, the subjects showed less activity in the amygdala, and greater activity in a region of the right frontal lobe known as the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rvlPFC), a region involved in vigilance (alertness) and discrimination (being able to recognise and understand the difference between things). In effect, assessing and naming an emotion seems to transform the emotion into an object to be analysed, thereby disrupting its intensity.

GIVE IT A TRY

Year 12 Offer of Free Dental Treatment

Hi to all Year 12 students and parents/carers

Wish to have your teeth checked prior to graduating?Give our call centre a call and make an appt, van currently at Atherton State School.Dental appointments are available now.

Come and visit us at one of our dental facilities.

Simply call 1300 300 850 to book an appointment for a FREE dental check-up.

Eligibility includes:Children aged between 0-17

Current Medicare Card is required

 Parents must please attend with children. High Schoolers first appt only.

Free children’s dental care is available from Cairns and Hinterland Oral Health Service with available facilities on the Tablelands via the School Clinic and visiting Dental Vans.

For more information on Cairns and Hinterland Oral Health Services

Visit – https://www.health.qld.gov.au/cairns_hinterland/html/cairns_north_oral

Call today to find out how your friendly School Dental team can help

School Savvy FNQ

Good afternoon. I hope this email finds you well.

My name is Kumi, I am running School Savvy FNQ by Centacare FNQ this year.

We warmly invite you to the launch of the Atherton School Savvy program on 27^th October 2023. We will introduce School Savvy Program and calling out for donations to Tableland/Atherton community.

We will collect the donation, sort, and clean them, then will set-up the One-day pop-up shop on 19^th January 2024 for local families.

Friday, 27th October 2023 at VPG Atherton office (5 Comet Ave, Atherton)

10:30-11:30 Launch

11:30-12:30 Stakeholder meeting (Any school, services welcome)

School Savvy Program is for local young people and families who's in need of Essential School resources to get ready for the new school year.

We are calling out for donations of school uniforms, school supplies and computers to the communities in Term 4, we collect them, clean them and then will provide them with coin donations for each product at the temporary pop-up shops in January.

With all supports from organisations and business partners, we supported over 1400 children, held pop-up shops in 4 locations, and 93 free Haircuts in 3 weeks in January 2023.

Centacare FNQ will have five locations in FNQ in January 2024. Cairns, Trinity Beach, Edmonton, Innisfail, and finally added the Atherton pop-up shop for the very first time! We are so excited to extend area to support in Far North Queensland. 

Aerospace Industry Education Awards

Imogen is a finalist for the 2023 Queensland Aerospace Industry Education 
Awards 
Year 12 student, Imogen Kelly, has just been announced as a finalist for the Queensland Aerospace 
Industry Education Awards. These awards are an annual event organised by the Queensland 
Government’s Aerospace Gateways into School Program (AGISP). Atherton State High School is an 
aerospace gateway school. 
Imogen is a finalist for the Year 12 Aerospace Award and the award for the Female Aerospace 
Scholarship. Imogen is passionate about the aerospace industry and will be starting her Aircraft 
Maintenance Engineer apprenticeship next year.  
Imogen will be flying down to Brisbane later in November this year where the winners of these 
awards will be announced at the Aerospace Awards Ceremony by the Honourable Di Farmer MP, 
Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Development. We wish 
Imogen all the best!

Snap Art Exhibition

The SNAP art exhibition officially opened on Friday night at the Old Post Office Gallery in Atherton.  Thank-you to all who came to support the students. It was a lovely night celebrating Visual Arts here on the Tablelands.

Congratulations to Harry Lawrence and Bella Diggins in year 12 who both received awards on opening night for their artworks.

If you missed the opening, it will be available to view during gallery hours until the 24^th November 2023, 86 Herberton Road Atherton.”

SNAP

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 13

Next

From 2019 to 2023

From 2019 to 2023! 💥⏳✏️

In 2019 Ms McGuigan bought some personalised pencils to use as an end of year gift for Year 8A English. She challenged them to see if they could keep them until they graduate, with the promise of a class party. This week, four years later, they had their ‘pencil party’ where students brought along their pencils, reminisced on their high school journey and talked about their future plans as this chapter closes. 

Ms McGuigan says she hasn’t taught the cohort since Year 8, but over the last four years has enjoyed having students excitedly approach her on playground duty, in supervising lessons, or even in the supermarket to tell her they still have their pencil.