7 September 2018
Newsletter Articles
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Dear Parents/Guardians
I am sitting in a hotel room in Tasmania where the temperature is around four degrees and warms to around nine degrees during the day. Thank goodness for internal heating! The reason I am in chilly Tasmania is to work with academics to develop a leadership program which assists principals in introducing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) into their schools. It has been a very unique opportunity; certainly one that does not come around often, and I am very pleased to have been selected from principals around the country. I have enjoyed meeting other principals and listening to how they are working in the STEM leadership area. I am, though, looking forward to getting back to balmy Maleny this week.
In the meantime our Year 12s have been sitting the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) tests this week. Thank you to Mr McIntosh, Mrs Fredericks and Ms Penney who have been part of the preparation program. Thanks also to our school’s Interact committee who prepared breakfast so that our students went into their exams with full stomachs. Mr McIntosh tells me that our students have used their time very well, and seemed confident both before and during the tests. We will find out at the end of the year how well our young people have performed. Mr McIntosh is quietly confident that Maleny High will do very well this year.
Speaking of our students performing well, Maleny State High School was recently named as one of the three best performing public schools on the Sunshine Coast for NAPLAN! This year’s cohort improved in reading, spelling and writing. Well done to our students who sat the tests. Three years ago Maleny High introduced the Reading to Learn framework as a key component in recognising text structures and how to improve comprehension and writing skills. We were also expecting that this would positively impact upon our students’ NAPLAN results, as these are important strategies for all learning areas. The entire staff is being trained in this framework and we are starting to see some real traction with our efforts. Congratulations to the students and their teachers.
I am very proud of two of my staff members, Ms Penney and Mr Kranz, who were selected to present the work that they do with their classes using One Note, at the i-Educate state technology conference. They were asked to co-present with Microsoft, which is a big deal at any conference. Congratulations to you both. I’m looking forward to Ms Penney and Mr Kranz sharing their work with the entire staff. Using One Note has become more and more popular with our teaching staff as they can upload class notes and resources so that students have their own copy. If a student is away and their teacher uses One Note, then they have a copy of the lesson. One Note also allows students to collaborate with each other on problems or questions posed by their teachers. I encourage all families to invest in a device for their child to bring to school, as this is a valuable learning and collaborative tool.
In saying this, a recent topic of conversation at this principal’s conference is how students should be using their devices during break time. This is an issue that is under debate in many educational settings. I would really like to continue this conversation by chatting with the parents of Maleny High, and will be calling parents over the next few months to discuss this topic further and gather your personal opinions.
Also, Mr O’Shea and I have been out visiting our feeder schools, discussing our great school with Year 6 parents and showing them just what Maleny High offers. We are hoping that our Year 7 students next year enjoy the option of being part of our Music Excellence Program, STEM and/or Dance Extension programs. It is encouraging to see so many out of catchment families choosing Maleny High as their preferred schooling option.
Looking ahead to 2019 most students, by the time this newsletter is published, should have handed in their subject selection forms. This year, in both the Junior and Senior school offerings, we have made some additional changes. In the Junior Secondary school we have included Enterprise, and Media Studies. In the Senior school, Economics; Film, TV and Media; Cert. II in Construction; and Cert. II in Engineering have been added. If your child has not handed in their forms yet, please do so as soon as possible as some classes have already been filled and have now gone to waiting lists.
Recently, I had the honour of helping to officially open the National Cross County event which was held at the Maleny Golf Club. I had never been to such a sporting event, and found it well organised. Competitors from New Zealand, the ACT, Northern Territory and all other states were in attendance. Our school band, conducted by Ms Druitt, was asked to provide entertainment and played for well over an hour. Considering this band has only been performing since Term Two, they are truly exceptional. My thanks goes to Isabella Gray who delivered the Acknowledgement of Country and Dylan Johnson who sang the national anthem. Thank you both for giving up your Friday afternoon to represent the school.
As the term winds up students are preparing for their assessment. Some are also busily writing up their application for Presentation Night awards, whilst the Year 11s are nominating for student leader positions. It is certainly a busy time at school.
Until next term have a great break.
Warm 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
CANTEEN AND UNIFORM SHOP
Please note the uniform shop is open during the following hours only:
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY 8am till 11am
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.
Visit the website to register:
http://www.flexischools.com.au/
Once registered, you can purchase uniforms OR pre-order from 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.
http://www.flexischools.com.au/
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.
ART DEPARTMENT NEWS
Visual Art Awards
The Creative Generation Visual Art awards were held last Thursday night at the University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery. This year Agnès Mohan represented our school and entered the competition with her video called "Travelling". This video is based on the essence of time and looks at 'what if time didn't exist'. Would there be no distinction or change in our lives? She asks the question, "maybe we live in a 'continued process of existence' and our lives are always travelling".
Agnès was one of three students, that night, who received the Excellence Award. This is a great achievement, as there were 477 entrees overall in the State, with only 33 recipients of the Excellence Award. Agnès Mohan's artwork will, next year, be exhibited at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Brisbane. A fantastic achievement!
Mrs A Reilly,
Yr 12 Visual Art Teacher
Persuade Me
This term, during lunchbreaks, Mrs Judy Brodie from the Maleny Blackall Range Lions Club worked with some of our Year 10 and 11 students to help develop their skills and confidence when public speaking. The focus was on persuasive techniques and how these can be manipulated to position an audience and encourage them to accept a particular point of view. Over the course of the workshops, students were asked to prepare a short speech on a chosen topic, which was critiqued by their peers. Impromptu responses were also included, as these are very tricky and many people struggle with thinking on their feet. In our final meeting, Mr Ron Hilton from the Maleny Players came to give us some tips about voice control, enunciation, projecting and phrasing.
We are very grateful for Mrs Brodie and Mr Hilton for their time, expertise and advice.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
Reducing plastic waste: 3 environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic wrap
By Rhoen Kennedy
It has become a staple for many Australian households, and is often an overlooked item in our food cart: plastic wrap. But the seemingly harmless, ever so convenient plastic wrap, is not only a waste of money, but also has disastrous effects on the environment.
Also known as glad wrap or cling wrap, plastic wrapping has been used for generations, starting in the 1930s when it was implemented by the military to wrap planes in an attempt to prevent deterioration from dust and rust. It wasn’t until the early 50s that it started to appear in kitchens and homes, coming in all shapes and sizes, perfect for your kitchen drawer. From preserving leftovers, to bundling objects together, it was an easy and affordable solution to so many problems. Right?
Recently concerns about household plastic use have arisen, particularly the alarming amount of waste produced by our country. Shockingly, the average Australian household can produce up to 2.25 kilograms per day, and 1.5 tonnes of waste in a year!
Plastic wrap, among many common plastic household items, is made of a form of plastic called low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is a non-toxic and break-resistant material, allowing it to be reused and recycled.
While that may sound great, these plastics end up in our landfills and remain there for possibly hundreds of years until they decompose. Researchers have also discovered traces of diethylhexyl adipate in LDPE, which have been linked to breast cancer and low sperm counts. They found heat makes chemicals leak into your food and drink, meaning that if you reheat your leftovers covered in plastic wrap, you may not just be eating last night’s lasagne.
However, there are alternatives! While some are more expensive than others, when it comes to saving our environment they are a short-term solution for a long-term problem.
First on the list is bee’s wrap, a reusable and environmentally sustainable alternative, made from cotton cloths which are doused in beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin. It simply uses the heat from your hands when wrapping food or objects to create a seal, therefore preserving the food. It keeps its shape while wrapped and, once it has been used, just wash it and boom, it is ready for use once again. It is available for purchase on Amazon as well as on various other websites. Prices vary from $30 to $40, depending on the amount you buy (most come with a small, medium and large sheet). Even though this may seem pricey, it is reusable and will last much longer than your regular plastic wrap. Buy them here on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Bees-Wrap-Sustainable-Reusable-Assorted/dp/B0126LMDFK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?&srs=10242418011&ie=UTF8&qid=1504102523&sr=8-1&linkId=c97aac594fcbae7fee4cbd54eb96bd25
Another alternative is to use containers! Tupperware containers are reusable, dishwasher-safe and reliable storage options for anything, however they are still plastic. Similar products are available locally too. Due to their long life span (most containers can last for many years) they are much more sustainable than plastic wrap. Nevertheless, Pyrex or any glass container such as mason jars, and stainless steel containers are completely plastic free and another viable alternative to plastic wrap.
Silicone food wraps are an alternative that is not only vegan and eco-friendly, but BPA, PVC and lead free. This is essentially a longer-lasting version of wax paper (or baking paper), made from a food-grade silicone (meaning that it’s a safe and quality way to store food). It is stretchable, sealable, bakeable and can stick and wrap to any food or object in need of storing. Just like the bee’s wrap, simply wash it to reuse. This alternative is slightly cheaper than bee’s wrap, costing $24.95 for two small and two large reusable sheets.
You can purchase this item using the following link:
https://www.biome.com.au/food-wrap-covers/18379-agreena-3-in-1-food-wraps-4-pack-9369998002832.html
Even just reusing any packaging, for example plastic packaging for bread, as much as you can before you throw it away is a thrifty way to save money and cut down on your plastic waste.
But next time you’re at the grocery store, think before you buy.
Teracycle Colgate Community Garden Challenge
The Teracycle Colgate Community Garden Challenge is a competition for Australian schools, from pre-school to high school. Points are collected from votes and donating old dental care products. The prize is one of five recycled garden sets.
Your plastic dental products are a major pollutant. Toothbrushes, dental floss containers and many similar products are not uncommon items in oceans and landfill. Teracycle is collecting this waste and recycling it into garden sets (which our school has a chance of winning), so it doesn’t end up in the environment.
We need points! You can donate your old products at the Student Services window. One unit of waste is worth 10 points.
If you go to their website below or google ‘Teracycle Australian School Competition’ you can vote for Maleny State High School. Every vote is a point.
https://www.terracycle.com.au/en-AU/contests/colgategardenvoting
Athletics Carnival drink stall run by Environment Committee
By Clae Webster and Anika Sumby
The Athletics Carnival is a day where our school has freedom to express our school spirit and celebrate with our fellow peers as they compete in an intense but friendly competition between our school houses. With all the running, jumping, screaming and throwing, hydration is important and nothing is better than a cold drink on a hot day.
Our environment committee had it covered, selling soft drinks for $1.50 each, with a 50c refund for the return of empty cans.
The environment committee stall was open for the entire two days of the carnival (Thursday 26th and Friday 27th July), staffed almost entirely by dedicated members of the student body, some of whom even took orders down the hill to the teachers supervising the event.
In that time we not only raised around $200 for the Seniors’ end of year gift, we made sure hundreds of cans found their way into recycling instead of landfill or just lying around our school.
You may be wondering what happened to the used cans we collected, well we crushed them and disposed of them in the aluminum recycling cage located in our own school’s staff car park.
FLEXI SCHOOL NEWS
The Maleny Youth Festival is back in 2018, transforming the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre into a magical gypsy encampment with music, food, stalls and workshops from 3:00-9:00pm on Friday, September 14.
INTERNATIONAL STUDY TOURS
Our second study tour for the term from Sakura City, Japan, has finished. Although the group was only with us for six days, it was certainly a memorable experience for both their students and ours. A lot of activities were packed into a very short time, and the students entertained us at a school assembly prior to their departure.
Again, huge thanks to the fantastic response from both families wishing to host and students volunteering to be “buddies” at school. Without such great participation, these programs would be very difficult to run.
Following on from the hard work that our buddies did this year, the International team have decided that new student roles need to be created to better support international students in our school. It has been proposed that four positions as International Ambassadors be created and that these positions commence at the start of 2019. The positions will be one boy and one girl from Year 10 and one boy and one girl from Year 11, 2019. These will be official Leadership roles within the school, and have been approved by our Principal, Ms Stewart. Students will have the opportunity to nominate for a position until 14th September. Forms are available from me.
Lastly, Eleonora, our Italian student, leaves us this term. She has been such a positive addition to the student population, and always has a smile on her face. We will miss her presence in the school.
Ciao and buona fortuna Eleonora!
Karen Price
International Student Homestay Coordinator
54998161 / 0417738699
FROM THE P & C
Our P&C ran a Father's Day Stall from the 27th through to the 31st August. We would like to thank everyone who came and supported it. So many students stopped by the stall to pick up cards and gifts for Dads, Grandads and the many other important father figures in their lives. The P&C hopes all the dads had a fantastic Father's Day.
The P&C is planning our first annual Maleny Monster Mash which will be held on Saturday the 27th of October. This was initially being planned for Friday, but due to the amount of time it will take to decorate and set up the hall we have had to move it to Saturday. We want this event to be the best that it can be because that's what everyone deserves, and having it on a Saturday enables it to be even more amazing.
Some people may be wondering what a Monster Mash actually is. Ours is a combination of a few things ranging from a costume ball for everyone, fun house activities for the younger kids and a haunted house walk-through for the teens/adults in a separate area from the younger children. It will have a live band, dancing and loads of unique food and drinks. There will also be costume contests with prizes awarded and loads of raffles for some pretty awesome items. The Monster Mash has something for everyone: Ghoulish Games, Monstrous Music and Freaky Fun. This is an event you don't want to miss.
Danielle Watt
P&C President
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Young Endeavour Youth Scheme
The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme is pleased to announce that applications are being taken for young Australians aged 16-23 to join a voyage on the national sail training ship, Young Endeavour.
A voyage on the Young Endeavour is an exciting experience and a unique opportunity for youth to develop skills for life. Our internationally recognised development program builds self awareness, develops teamwork and leadership skills, and fosters a strong sense of community responsibility.
Father Francis Hefferan Memorial Bursaries & Awards 2018
The family of the late Rev. Fr Francis Hefferan, parish priest of Nambour Catholic Church, set up a benevolent fund nearly two decades ago, specifically to reward young people for outstanding efforts in academia, the arts or other innovative pursuits and to encourage them to achieve their goals.
The fund committee that administers the bursaries and awards comprises representatives of the community, schools and St Joseph’s Parish.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 25 years, from throughout the Sunshine Coast, are invited to apply for cash bursaries and awards.
See the attached for further details on how to apply.
Official Scholarships
Send in your stories of students with a dream to win a $500 scholarship.
Maleny Anglican Parish
Are holding their Annual Spring Fete on Saturday 8 September from 9am – 2pm.
Maleny Golf Club
Maleny Golf Club runs a Junior Golf Clinic every Wednesday from 3:30pm to 4:30pm for all students aged 18 years and under. All equipment is supplied by the golf club – all the students have to bring is a hat, water bottle and wear enclosed shoes. If the students are already members of the golf club the clinic is free. If students are not members, the cost is $2 per session. The cost for 12 months membership for juniors is only $50.
For further details, call the Golf Club Manager / Head Golf Professional, Ellesha Michie, on 0411 515 402 or email mgc.manager@malenygolfclub.com.au
Ellesha Michie – Golf Club Manager / Head Golf Professional
Ph: 07 5499 9960 Mob: 0411 515 402
Email: mgc.manager@malenygolfclub.com.au
Website:
http://www.malenygolfclub.com.au
15 Porters Lane, Maleny, QLD, 4552
Like us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/malenygolfclub/
Follow us on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/malenygolfclub/
Maleny Lions Welcome Dinner
Maleny & Blackall Range Lions host the ‘Welcome to Maleny’ dinner annually and have done so for 13 years.
All newcomers to Maleny and District over the past year or two are invited to come along to the 13th annual Welcome Dinner to meet local residents, businesses, community groups and make new friends.
Moving to a new state or town can be daunting for some people. The Lions Club of Maleny Blackall Range would like to help your move be a great experience.
Guests will enjoy a buffet meal catered for by The Orangery. Local community groups will give short speeches in relation to their organisation, and displays from other groups will provide guests with information. All newcomers will be given an information bag to take home, together with native plants kindly donated by Barung Landcare.
Kind regards
Nicole Hilton
Maleny & Blackall Range Lions
M: 0404 232 770
Roadcraft Driver Education
Roadcraft Driver Education is holding an open day on Saturday, 15 September. Please see attached flyer for details.
Sunshine Orienteers Club
It is a sport that the whole family can participate in either socially or competitively. Just a few benefits from this sport include: physical fitness, mental agility, concentration, decision making and problem solving skills.
Orienteering:
A walk/run/ride in the forest with a twist!
Go solo or grab your family and a map, and go in search of targets.
Sunshine Orienteers will show you the way.
Two events just North of Caboolture.
Foot event: Sun 16/9/18. 8:30am. 2-7 km.
Mountain Bike event: Sun 23/9/18. 8:30am. 3-40 km.
More info:
http://www.sunshineorienteers.com.au/events
Ph. Deb 0439979260.
A limited number of $5 entries through Moreton Council’s Healthy and Active Program
Event # 402 and # 443.
Deb Gordon
Promotions
Sunshine Orienteers
info@sunshineorienteers.com.au
http://www.sunshineorienteers.com.au
0439979260
World Education Program Australia Limited
World Education Program (WEP) Australia is a not-for-profit student exchange organisation. WEP offers high schoolers the opportunity to complement their secondary studies with time overseas, attending school and living with a volunteer host family. Students return with second language abilities, enhanced maturity and skills for life.
Application deadlines for student exchange programs departing in January 2019 are now open. Please encourage any interested students to enquire about their options now, so as not to miss out.
