19 June 2017

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Parents and Care Givers,

As Term Two draws to a close, I am reflecting on how busy this term has been. I will summarise the major events that have occurred since the last newsletter:

Cattle Show Team: Our student judges were successful at both the Gympie and Maleny Shows. Due to illness our students were not able to attend the Nambour Show, but will attend the Samford Show after the holidays. Thanks to Ms Duffy and Mr Jacobsen for supervising our students.

Building Bridges: This term both Mr Perina and Ms Rush trekked with our students. Parents and our school community were adamant that this program remain in the school, and we wished to support this. Chris Davis brought this wonderful program to our school, and it remains a meaningful legacy to the contribution he made to Maleny High and our children.

Interact Update: Thanks to Mrs Tickle, Mrs Leach and Ms Hindle and Interact for their Free Dress Day and BBQ organisation. Funds raised, approximately $1000, will be going towards the Chaplaincy program.

SATE Update (Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance): Thank you to Mr McIntosh for his presentation at our parent SATE evening. More than 60 parents attended this presentation. Our parents, particularly of the younger students, are very interested in how our school is preparing for the SATE introduction in 2019. We are planning thoroughly and are well placed for a smooth transition to the new system. Mr McIntosh and I will present another evening next term to continue updating our parents.

School Open Day: Thanks to Mr O’Shea, Ms Cath Gray and Ms Jo Henderson for their leadership and management of the school’s recent Open Day. We had a number of families from outside our catchment area attend, which was really encouraging. These families were from Peachester, Mooloolah, Mapleton, Beerwah and the Sunshine Coast Christian College. Our school captains and student ambassadors were terrific as tour guides for our parents. The teachers who invited us into their lessons were outstanding and the conversations that came back to the hall were very positive. I believe that parents and students left having a better understanding of how Maleny High operates, which was one of the aims of the Open Day.

Chaplaincy Update: My thanks are extended to the wonderful people of the school’s Chaplaincy Committee who organised their annual fundraising dinner. On Saturday, 27 May, 50 community members attended a lovely dinner at the Maleny RSL. Darren from ‘Your Dream” spoke and Christie Gicquel, a past School Captain, spoke about her experiences and how Chris, the Chaplain, supported her through some tough times. At the end of the evening $25 500 was pledged, which was an amazing outcome. This money helps to ensure that Lisha, our school Chaplain, can be at Maleny High for at least four days a week for the remainder of this year. I would like to especially mention the work of Mrs Karen Heading, Mrs Fran Tickle, Ms Sharon Penney and Mrs Margret Woods and their ongoing support of the Chaplaincy Program at Maleny High. If there are parents or community members who would like to become involved in the committee, our next meeting will be held on Monday, 19 June from 3.45pm in the school library.

External Assessment Trials: As part of our focus in preparing for SATE, the school participated in a state-wide trial of external assessment in Year 11 English and Maths B. Thank you to Mrs Fredericks and Mrs Barker for overseeing the external trials. Thanks also to the teachers who prepared our students for these tasks: Ms Penney, Mr Mills, Mrs Fredericks, Ms Henderson, Mrs Dawson and Mrs McDermott. Initial reactions were positive from our students. The QCAA will provide us with feedback early in Term Three.

Exam blocks: The end of Semester One exam blocks were given to Year 10 - 12 students, and emailed to their parents, at the start of this week. Year 10 students are being included in these block exams as a way of preparing them for their senior studies. Students will be required to attend school only when they have exams. However, any Year 10 – 12 student with outstanding assessment will be required to attend school EVERY day, regardless of their exams, until they are back on track.

Parent/Teacher Interviews: Interviews will be held on Wednesday, 19 July (Week Two of Term Two). The booking module will be open to parents before the end of this term. We hope to see many parents as possible attending the Term Two interviews.

Until our next newsletter, enjoy the June/July school holidays and staff safe.

Regards,

Deb Stewart

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Absence Line: Ph: 5499 8101

Please leave a message before 8am if your student will be absent from school on that day.

Collection of Students during school hours:

If you wish to collect your student(s) during school hours, please ensure that all arrangements are made prior to the student attending school, as we do not have phones in classrooms. Please provide a note or a phone call to the school detailing/outlining the departure time, reason and who will be collecting the student.

Office Hours

FAST FACTS

FROM THE GEOGRAPHY DEPT

Year 12 Geography: Guest Speaker

On Monday, 29th of May Hannah Williams from Stockland paid a visit to Maleny High’s Year Twelve Geography classes to talk about the new Aura development currently under construction on the Sunshine Coast. She spoke about the social, economic and environmental effects that the development would have on the area, as well as what Stockland were going to do to counteract these. Her speech was accompanied by an in-depth PowerPoint, summarising the stages of the development as well as the final outcome and plans for the future.

With nearly 20km of walking and bike paths around Aura, this development is considered to have world class public transport and amenities. Named the City of Colour, the Aura development intends to be home to more than 20,000 residents on the Sunshine Coast, and over 700 hectares of conservation park areas. Hannah’s valuable time was greatly appreciated by both staff and students, and we look forward to seeing the final outcome of the Aura development.

Written by Arabella and Shivanii

YEAR 12 GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP TO BRISBANE

On Tuesday, 6th of June the Year 12 Geography cohort travelled to Roma Street Parklands and Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

The purpose of the excursion was to inspect both sites to further our knowledge of the social, economic and environmental impacts of the three sites (Roma Street Parklands, Suncorp Stadium and the RNA Show-grounds) in order to justify our conclusion about where a new 80,000 seating capacity super-stadium should be located. As one of the biggest green spaces in Brisbane, the demolition of Roma Street Parklands for the stadium posed many environmental concerns.

The expansion of Suncorp Stadium, on the other hand, posed mainly social concerns. Expansion combined with a higher seating capacity meant more traffic congestion, light and noise pollution. We were given guided tours through both sites, which were very informative and beneficial in gathering evidence for our assessment.

Both tours were fun, enjoyable and were very helpful for our upcoming Response to Stimulus essay exam.

By Claudia and Sascha

INTERNATIONAL HOMESTAY

Have you ever considered hosting an International Student?

Hello parents and caregivers,

Maleny High will be experiencing a very international flavour in Term Three.

Our yearly Study Tour friends from Kaisei and Sakura High Schools in Japan will again be visiting us in July and August. They are both small groups and are here for 13 and 6 nights respectively.

In addition, we will have students from Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain, Belgium and Brazil studying at the school under the International Student Program (ISP). These students are with us for between one term to one year.

I am seeking homes in the Maleny and surrounding areas to participate in this amazing and rewarding program by providing a safe and caring home for these students. You do not need to be a family with students enrolled at Maleny High to be a homestay provider. In fact, I’d love to hear from families with young children, singles, retirees etc. Homestay families receive a non-taxable allowance to cover student expenses. You will be provided with an orientation to the program and ongoing support for the duration of the student’s time with you, including 24/07 access to a staff member via mobile phone.

Standard requirements for homestay are:

• All members of the household over 18 must hold a current Blue Card (I can assist with applying for this card – there is no cost to the applicant).
• Provide a bedroom (not shared*) with a bed, study desk, chair and light, and wardrobe storage (*short-term Study Tour students may share a bedroom with a child of the same gender and similar age).
• Provide all meals.

If you have ever considered hosting a student, or have questions about the program, please contact me:

Email kpric80@eq.edu.au Phone 54998161 or 0417 738699

Karen Price
International Student Homestay Coordinator

SCIENCE NEWS

Physics Phun

Students investigating the properties of spherical mirrors

Light is CRAZY! Seriously, no joke. You’ve probably heard that light is a wave and a particle – like what? But did you know if two photons of light collide there are two possible outcomes? One, the light intensity increases (okay, so that’s expected) or two, the light intensity decreases, and can completely cancel out – so in physics terms “light + light = no light”. Don’t believe me? Google search “diffraction through a single slit” or “interference of light”.

On our journey of investigation of the properties of light, our senior Physics students ventured into the University of Queensland to see how they are using light there. Although our trip had a rocky start (Miss Elkins locked her car keys, along with everything else, in her car and we all had to wait for RACQ), it was well worth it.

At UQ James Bennet, a physics Ph.D. student, explained to us that Physics is about “measuring” and got us started on prac to see if we could measure the wavelength of green light with our newly refreshed knowledge of diffraction. Our Physics students were diligent, and we had some pretty accurate measurements calculated.

The science fiction lab room

After our prac, James lead us to his Physics lab that he shares with other physics Ph.D. students. When we walked into that room, it felt like we were transported into some science fiction world. There were wires and old school monitors everywhere – I can’t believe that the 32 of us managed to fit into the room. James gave us a simple explanation of some of the experiments.

One of them was using a laser to stir a container of Helium-3 which, at a particular speed, would instantaneously create a vortex. If you spun it faster and faster nothing would happen until you hit the next particular speed and two vortexes were produced, rotating each other. Another experiment used nearly 40 glass lenses to reflect and bend light in order to control and manipulate Rubidium, which he said is the technology they can use to control miniature planes. There was an experiment to do with Schrodinger’s Cat, but that is getting far too complex to explain here.

The pitch drop experiment

The final part to the excursion was our visit to the Physics Museum at UQ. There we got to view the world’s longest running experiment, (begun in 1927) the pitch drop experiment, along with some other cool old-school Physics technology dating back to the 1600s.

To finish off with, here are a couple of quotes from our fantastic Physics students regarding the excursion: “Really good to reinforce what we did in class, and that it had real life applications” and “I think it was interesting and opened up the career possibilities in Physics.” Of course the students also commented on the amazing food, and fancy buildings, but you can ask them about that yourself!

Melinda Elkins
Science Teacher

SPORTS NEWS

Year 7 Sport:

All teams have now been finalised for the Winter competition. This competition starts in Term 3 and Maleny will be represented in AFL, Rugby League, Soccer, Volleyball, Touch Football and Netball. Teams have been training hard on a Thursday afternoon, working on skills, teamwork, cooperation and tactics during sessions.

Year 8 Sport:

We are coming to the end of the Winter Competition for our Year 8 students. Maleny has had some great results, beating some of the other ‘big’ schools in some hard-fought games. The finals day will be held in Week 10, with the top 4 teams (schools) for each competition battling it out for overall champion team. We wish all our Maleny teams the best of luck for the remainder of the competition.

FROM THE P & C

2017
UNIFORM SHOP OPENING HOURS

TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
8.30AM – 9.30AM

Why not register for ‘Flexischools’ to purchase your school uniforms online, 24 hours, 7 days a week! Pick up is available 5 days a week.

Once registered, you can purchase uniforms OR pre-order your tuckshop!

Flexischools

Online ordering is a convenient way to place orders, providing a 24/7 payment and ordering system that can be accessed from home, work or a mobile device.

Online ordering is faster and more accurate, giving parents peace of mind that their order and payment is received accurately at the school.

This service is available for canteen and uniform orders for Maleny State High School.

Registration Instructions:

Free, easy, online registration.

Step 1: Click the REGISTER button below.
Step 2: Enter your email.
Step 3: You will be emailed a link to an online form - follow the link.
Step 4: Choose a username and password and complete the form.
Step 5: Add each student and their class.
Step 6: Top-up the account - VISA, Mastercard or Direct Deposit.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Managing Type 1 Diabetes in Children: A Parenting Perspective

Being a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes can be extremely stressful. The University of Queensland is seeking parents of children with type 1 diabetes to take part in a research study that will explore factors that could help or hinder parents in managing their child’s diabetes. If you are a parent of a 2 to 10 year old child with type 1 diabetes, we would love to hear from you! By sharing your experiences (confidentially) you will help us identify better ways for health care professionals to support parents and families. To complete the online survey, please go to: the link below. For further information about the project or to request a survey to be posted to you, please email Jade Grambower at j.grambower@uq.net.au or call Dr Amy Mitchell at the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland on (07) 3346 1202. Thank-you!

This study adheres to the Guidelines of the ethical review process of The University of Queensland and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. This research project has been approved by the UQ School of Psychology Ethics Review Committee (Clearance Number: 2016001875).

Thank you for considering my request, and I hope you can help us out with this important work. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries or concerns.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Kind regards,

Jade Grambower, BSc / BA (ExSc, Psych) (Hon), MAppPsych (Health)
Candidate | Parenting and Family Support Centre | UQ School of Psychology
The University of Queensland, ST LUCIA, QLD 4072 | Ph. (07) 3346 1202

Email. j.grambower@uq.net.au

RHEE TAEKWONDO

Looking for a fun and healthy activity the whole family can get into? Rhee Taekwondo could be for you! Get fit and healthy, learn effective self-defence, and develop self-discipline & perseverance, all while having fun.

Instructor, Nathan Arrowsmith, is a second dan black belt who has been teaching Rhee Taekwondo in Maleny since 2006.

"Rhee Taekwondo is suitable for anyone wanting to enjoy good health and fitness," said Nathan. "Students learn practical self-defence techniques that have proven effective over centuries. Training challenges the mind and the entire body, developing coordination, balance, agility and poise."

In addition to the physical aspects, Rhee Taekwondo promotes positive attributes.

"Values such as honesty, integrity, respect, sportsmanship, achieving excellence and proper behaviour are the foundation of our classes," said Nathan. "Our students develop positive attitudes such as perseverance, self-discipline and increased motivation as they set goals to reach new levels."

Lessons are fun, and are adaptable to a wide range of age, ability and fitness levels.

"We do not encourage, nor teach, fighting and violence," said Nathan. "Self-defence takes many forms and students are taught to be aware of their surroundings, and think instead of panic in potentially serious situations, as well as how to react to any threat."

Rhee Taekwondo is an Australia-wide organisation, founded by World Master Rhee in 1970. Master Rhee visits the Sunshine Coast on a regular basis, providing an opportunity for students to learn from a world taekwondo master.

New students are welcome, simply come along to the Maleny High School at 6pm on any Monday or Thursday.

Phone Nathan Arrowsmith on 0419 496 160 for more information, or visit the website below.

MALENY LIBRARY INFORMATION

• Membership is free, Most of the collection is free using your library card, and wi-fi is free and available at all branches 24/7.
• If you are after a last minute read and it is not on our shelf, and you can’t wait for a reservation, you may be able to borrow an eBook version to read on your phone or tablet for free.
• As well as our print collection, many of our resources are available electronically including eAudiobooks, eMovies, eMusic, eMagazines and access to a number of online sites to help with research and assignments – all free using your library card.We have free tech help – individual and group options - so if you need help with a new iPad or phone please come and see us.
• We are currently focusing on children’s literacy and are keen to support parents through the free First Five Forever story time and rhyme time sessions.
• Our Friends of the Library group has a book sale the first Saturday of the month where you can grab a bargain.

We have friendly staff who are keen to support our community – to entertain, inform and empower them.

Kind regards,

Amanda Kennedy | Maleny Library supervisor
Library Services | Community Relations
Community Services | Sunshine Coast Council

Phone: 07 5435 3125
Email: amanda.kennedy@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au
Mail: Locked Bag 72, Sunshine Coast Mail Centre Qld 4560

UQ OPEN DAYS

Join us for UQ’s Open Day events at the St Lucia and Gatton campuses.

Figuring out what you love and what you want to do are often the hardest decisions to make. At Open Day you will have the opportunity to speak with current staff and students, take a campus tour and attend information sessions about studying and life at UQ.

This year, our Open Day dates are:

• St Lucia: Sunday 6 August, 9.00am-3.00pm
• Gatton: Sunday 20 August, 9.00am-3.00pm
• Pharmacy Centre of Excellence Experience Day: Sunday 20 August, 9.30am-1.00pm

For information, contact:

Office of Marketing and Communications

Phone: 07 3365 1606
Email: openday@uq.edu.au

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