18 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to the 2019 school year. I sincerely hope you had a wonderful summer vacation and a relaxing break. I look forward to working with you all again this year, and welcome our new families.

As a school we have had a positive start to 2019. All staff came together for three Student Free Days (from the 23rd to the 25th of January) to focus upon our key school priorities for the year (see below).

Key priorities of Maleny State High School in 2019

In 2019, we are ‘staying the course’ with the work that was commenced in 2018. Educational research clearly, and consistently, indicates that it takes time to embed changes in any organisation, and that a sharp and narrow focus over an extended period of time is what produces a lasting impact. Our school is no different.

Therefore, our 2019 agenda can be summarised into three key areas:

• Student Wellbeing and Engagement.
• Senior Secondary. Our aim is 100% QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education) attainment, and a smooth implementation of the new QCE system and completion of the final year of our current Senior system.
• Junior Secondary and an unrelenting focus on our teaching practices. These are: Reading to Learn, Gradual Release of Responsibility, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning, and increasing our use of digital devices in our classrooms.

The key component of this work remains the building of staff capacity in these areas.

Welcome to Maleny High BBQ

On Wednesday, 6 February, the school hosted an afternoon BBQ for our new parents so that they could come along and meet the Administration team and some of our teachers. Our P&C president, Danielle Watt, was also on hand to welcome our parents and families.

The P&C were able to provide each parent with a ‘Parent Survival Kit’ to help them through the first couple of months of high school. During this presentation Danielle encouraged parents to fill out a P&C membership form (which can be presented at the AGM next month).

P&C membership allows parents to receive the agenda and reports before meetings, and minutes afterwards. This is another avenue whereby families can keep informed about what is happening at a school level. The P&C have an exciting calendar of events planned for this year and are always looking for an extra pair or hands, or a great new idea. For example, the whole school would benefit from any parents who could spare some time to volunteer in the school canteen. If only one parent can do a couple of hours per week then the burden falls entirely upon that single person. But, if five parents are able to help out, then a roster can be created and the load can be shared. I will email to parents, in the following weeks, a list of initiatives where people may be able to help.

Welcome to our new staff

This year, we are joined by a number of new staff. We welcome:

We also welcome back Mrs Eve Klages from her maternity leave.

Staff Roles and Responsibilities

Within this newsletter you will find a list of our Heads of Department, House Leaders and a list of our teaching staff. All students have a timetable, so if you would like some information about what is happening in your child’s classes, please look at the timetable and contact their class teacher/s.

Should you have any concerns regarding assessment or curriculum, please contact the relevant Head of Department. For wellbeing and/or behaviour concerns, please direct your queries to the specific House Leader.

For our new families, this may be a different structure for you to get used to but, at Maleny High, we are focused on supporting our students and providing them with every possible opportunity for success. Please consider printing (or saving) the relevant pages, and then highlighting your child’s teachers and House Leader for quick reference.

Beijing Study Tour

In Week Three Maleny High hosted a group of eight students from Beijing, China. Thank you to those families who opened up their homes and hearts to these students. As usual, Maleny High and our community provided some wonderful experiences and many memories. Relationships and friendships have been formed which, in turn, fosters understanding, tolerance and diversity.

Year Seven ‘Awesome’ Program

Our 2019 Year Seven students are the fifth cohort to undertake this initiative. The ‘Awesome’ program aims to provide another platform for our youngest students to get to know their teachers and Senior Student Leaders a little better. With 143 Year Seven students this year, there were plenty of opportunities to make friends, and develop rapport and relationships. It was great to see our most Junior, and most Senior, students engaging in the program and getting fully involved.

Many parents have been contacted by their student’s teachers by now. As a school, we are committed to increasing our home/school correspondence, and keeping parents informed of what is happening in classrooms. We hope this information is helpful when engaging with, and encouraging, your student in their school work. If you have any questions about what is happening in class please don’t hesitate to contact your student’s teachers.

Until our next newsletter, take care.

Deb

ACADEMIC SUPPORT AND CONCERNS

If you have any questions about curriculum or assessment that is being delivered or any other concerns contact the relevant Head of Department.

School Support Team

STUDENT WELL BEING AND BEHAVIOUR CONCERNS

House Leaders

If you have any concerns regarding how your child is settling in, any concerns about friendship groups, any concerns about attendance or uniforms your child’s House Leaders are the first people to contact.

Classroom Teacher Contact Details

If at any time you want to make contact with your child’s teachers please use the below email addresses.

Each email address end with @eq.edu.au

UNIVERSITY OFFERS

Congratulations to our graduating students who have been offered placements for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Environmental Management
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (Drama)
• Bachelor of Biomedical Science
• Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design)/Bachelor of Engineering
• Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design)
• Bachelor of Nutrition
• Bachelor of International Studies
• Diploma of Nursing
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
• Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology
• Bachelor of Design (Landscape Architecture)
• Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)
• Bachelor of Forensic Science
• Bachelor of Creative Industries
• Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology)
• Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Social Work
• Bachelor of International Studies
• Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical)(Honours)
• Bachelor of High Performance Sport

As you can see, our students are heading in many different directions. The University of Qld, Qld University of Technology, Griffith University and University of Sunshine Coast were, by far, the more favoured universities. We did have more offers, but several of our students have elected to defer their studies for a year.

On behalf of the staff at Maleny High, congratulations and good luck with your future studies.

Advice on reporting of cyberbullying

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner would like to remind us all that help is available for those affected.

The eSafety Office’s world-first cyberbullying reporting service for children works with social media platforms to have harmful content quickly removed, preventing escalation of the impact. Any Australian under the age of 18, or an adult authorised by the young person, can report cyberbullying to:

We understand, from this firsthand contact how, distressing cyberbullying can be, so we work with a range of mental health organisations to provide support for those affected.

The eSafety Office has referred more than 6,000 young Australians to Kids Helpline (www.kidshelpline.com.au or ph 1800 55 1800) for mental health support by online chat or by phone, and we have developed a Wellbeing Directory for easy access to mental health organisations.

We also provide educational resources for parents and carers , to help guide their children.

We urge the media to include this information in any reporting of cyberbullying.

For more information, please contact:

Deborah Rice - Communications & Marketing Manager
02 9334 7861 and 0455 211 918 or media@esafety.gov.au

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.

CANTEEN AND UNIFORM SHOP

Our canteen ladies have started the year with a new cash register system and unfortunately this has slowed the line-up considerably as they acquire the skills needed to operate at their normal efficiency. Please consider pre-ordering lunches via the FlexiSchools app (link below). If you use this system, your student can “jump the queue” and simply collect their order from a separate counter.

New “crowd control” railings are being constructed, which will enable students to “self-serve” more, and will assist with a smoother traffic flow for the students. It will also prevent students from pushing in.

With the new school year, a new menu was introduced. We’re excited to be able to offer many old favourites and have introduced some new and healthy (Smart Choices approved) items. A Slush Puppie machine has been installed which also meets Smart Choices guidelines due to the apple juice base. This has been a big winner with the kids in this hot weather!

The ladies would love assistance in the form of volunteers. Even if you only have an hour or two to spare, we welcome you. Please contact me for more information.

Karen Price
Canteen Operations Manager
kpric80@eq.edu.au
0417738699

INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT

We’ve had a crazy start to the new school year, with the arrival of four new students, Sakura, Mana and Fu from Japan, and Eline from Germany. The girls have all settled in and are enjoying the many positive aspects our school and community have to offer.

Our first Study Tour for the year was from China, and they were with us from 11th to the 16th February. Thanks to the willingness of our teaching staff, this group of girls experienced damper and billy tea from an open fire, a bee-keeping demonstration and 3D printing, along with dancing and cooking up a storm! We escorted the students for a tour of Maleny Dairies, and the students had a taste of some of our curriculum by accompanying their MSHS buddies to some of their classes.

Some of our International Student Committee girls are stepping into their roles as buddies for the first time, along with some of our students studying Chinese language. Thanks, girls, for your invaluable assistance!

And as always, our wonderful host families are providing excellent care outside of school. Thank you to all, without your positive participation there would be no International Program at Maleny SHS!

Karen Price
International Student Homestay Coordinator
kpric80@eq.edu.au
0417738699

SPORTS NEWS

The swimming carnival was held on Friday, 7th February. Please find a list of age champions and final house points below.

12G: Eliza Portas
12B: Darcy Higgins
13G: Isabella Peterson
13B: Rhys Martin
14G: Tamsyn Douglas
14B: Max Judge
15G: Asha Martin
15B: Dylan Linnane
16G: Luka Pirie
16B: Joel Weyman
OPEN G: Danae Mundt
OPEN B: Jacob Mitchell

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Hinterland Junior AFL

Players wanted in all age groups.

Landsborough Scout Group

The Landsborough Scout Group is keen to grow its Joey Mob and Venturer Unit where an exciting new opportunity awaits you.

Rhee Taekwondo

Rhee Taekwondo is a traditional martial art that teaches effective self-defence techniques and is suitable for the whole family. We promote values such as respect, honour, integrity, self-discipline and perseverance, as well as respect for parents and teachers.

Caboolture Comets Softball Club

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