Mirani State High School JUNE, 2021 ISSUE 6, 2021 ABSENTEES PHONE: 49667 160 TEXT: 0429 699 120 P: 07 4966 7111 | F: 07 4966 7100 | E: [email protected]www.miranishs.com.au | Augusta Street Mirani | PO Box 58 Mirani Queensland 4754 Principal’s Update June 23 Athlecs Carnival 24 Athlecs Carnival 25 Year 7—12 reports issued 26 Dance Aussie Gold Comp July 13-14 UniX Senior—Townsville at JCU 15 Whitsunday Voices Date Claimers Principal’s Report This is my first newsleer as Acng Principal at Mirani State High School. I will be filling in behind Sco Cage for next term as well. It was also a pleasure to follow on from Bruce Heggie’s leadership of the school from the start of the term – Bruce is highly respected for his leadership of a number of schools in the region. I last worked at Mirani SHS as Deputy Principal in 2015. It ’s been a nice welcome back seeing so many familiar faces among staff and parents. In my me at Mirani during Term 3, I will be supporng staff and students through a number of key events including: Year 10 SET Planning, Year 6 into 7 enrolment interviews, the Year 12 Formal, our inaugural Camp for a Cure (this sounds like an amazing event) and preparing our Year 12 ATAR students for their external exams. Staffing changes At the end of this term, we bid goodbye to three key staff. In truth I could not summarise their work here in this report, but they have each made unique, longstanding and significant contribuons to Mirani SHS and our school ’s culture. Julie Van Der Veen (Guidance Officer) and Wendy Sievers (Head of Department, English). Julie is rering at the end of Semester 1, but will connue to work in the community support industry up in North Queensland. Wendy will be taking leave and then returning for the last week of the year to finalise her rerement. She intends to stay connected to the school next year, hoping to come in and do some supply teaching and working at the tuckshop.
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Mirani State High School
J U N E , 2 0 2 1 I S S U E 6 , 2 0 2 1
A B S E N T E E S
P H O N E : 4 9 6 6 7 1 6 0
T E X T : 0 4 2 9 6 9 9 1 2 0
P: 07 4966 7111 | F: 07 4966 7100 | E: [email protected] www.miranishs.com.au | Augusta Street Mirani | PO Box 58 Mirani Queensland 4754
Principal’s Update
June
23 Athletics Carnival
24 Athletics Carnival
25 Year 7—12 reports issued
26 Dance Aussie Gold Comp
July
13-14 UniX Senior—Townsville at JCU
15 Whitsunday Voices
Date
Claimers Principal’s Report
This is my first newsletter as Acting Principal at Mirani State High School. I will be
filling in behind Scott Cage for next term as well. It was also a pleasure to follow
on from Bruce Heggie’s leadership of the school from the start of the term –
Bruce is highly respected for his leadership of a number of schools in the region.
I last worked at Mirani SHS as Deputy Principal in 2015. It’s been a nice welcome
back seeing so many familiar faces among staff and parents. In my time at Mirani
during Term 3, I will be supporting staff and students through a number of key
events including: Year 10 SET Planning, Year 6 into 7 enrolment interviews, the
Year 12 Formal, our inaugural Camp for a Cure (this sounds like an amazing event)
and preparing our Year 12 ATAR students for their external exams.
Staffing changes
At the end of this term, we bid goodbye to three key staff. In truth I could not
summarise their work here in this report, but they have each made unique,
longstanding and significant contributions to Mirani SHS and our school’s culture.
Julie Van Der Veen (Guidance Officer) and Wendy Sievers (Head of Department,
English). Julie is retiring at the end of Semester 1, but will continue to work in the
community support industry up in North Queensland. Wendy will be taking leave
and then returning for the last week of the year to finalise her retirement. She
intends to stay connected to the school next year, hoping to come in and do some
supply teaching and working at the tuckshop.
J U N E , 2 0 2 1 I S S U E 6 , 2 0 2 1
P: 07 4966 7111 | F: 07 4966 7100 | E: [email protected] www.miranishs.com.au | Augusta Street Mirani | PO Box 58 Mirani Queensland 4754
New appointments Starting in Term 3 in substantive leadership roles are:
Stacey Skipper: Head of Department, Performing Arts Scarlett Adams: Head of Department, Social Sciences Ethan Ross: Head of Department, English
Stacey joins Mirani with a background in both dance and drama. Stacey’s worked with me at Pioneer SHS and most recently has worked as Acting Head of Department, Performing Arts at Mackay Northern Beaches.
Scarlett and Ethan have been long term teachers at Mirani SHS since 2013 and 2015 respectively. Both have been backfilling as acting Heads of Department over the past couple of years, ensuring that there is a smooth transition from one leader to the next in each department.
Shaun Hutchinson will be acting Guidance Officer for Semester 2. This past semester Shaun has been the Guidance Officer looking after Years 7 and 9, and now he takes over the care and support of all year levels.
We wish all of our appointments the best of success in their new leadership positions.
Left to right: Matthew Horton (Acting Principal), Stacey Skipper (Head of Department, Performing Arts), Shaun Hutchinson (Acting Guidance Officer), Scarlett Adams (Head of Department, Social Scienc-es), Ethan Ross (Head of Department, English). Own-ing brown shoes and sharing similar heights were not pre-requisites for these positions, by the way
Left to right: Julie Van Der Veen (Guidance Officer),
Wendy Sievers (Head of Department, English). Julie
and Wendy first met when they were studying to be-
come teachers at university, and now finish their ca-
reers at the same school.
Also bidding us goodbye at the end of this term is
Judy Bull Judy’s work in the office has been critical
to our admin operations, particularly in the area of
monitoring daily attendance and touching base with
parents when their children are sick or their education is
affected in some other way.
Right: Judy Bull, middle right, with some of
our office staff Mel, Rhonda and Annette.
Judy, you’ll really be missed.
J U N E , 2 0 2 1 I S S U E 6 , 2 0 2 1
P: 074966 7111 | F: 07 4966 7100 | E: [email protected] www.miranishs.com.au | Augusta Street Mirani | PO Box 58 Mirani Queensland 4754
Communications to the school Your opinion genuinely matters. One way that we can get a sense of the school’s standing in the communi-
ty is through the annual School Opinion Survey. This year, parents will receive an email from the Depart-
ment of Education that will have a link to this year’s survey questions. The survey will run from 15 July to
30 July, i.e. the first three weeks of Term 3. We will send out reminders to parents about this at the start of
next term.
If you don’t receive an email from the department, it could be because the email we have on your son or
daughter’s records is out of date. Let the school know so we can see if we can resend the invite to your
current address.
Acting Principal - Matt Horton
Communications from the school We publish this newsletter every month. This means that the newsletter isn’t the best medium to get in-
formation about school events in a timely fashion. To keep families better informed about coming events
involving our school, every week we will be publishing a “What’s happening each week” summary on our
Facebook page. The events listed in this summary will reflect what is listed on our whole-school calendar,
i.e. events that typically affect all of the school, a whole year level or a large cohort of students. It won’t
be possible to provide precision here, regarding what every class is doing. An example of the summary is
provided below, covering the events of the last week of term and the first week back. We’ll be publishing
two consecutive week’s of events so students and their families can have sufficient prior notice.
P A G E 4
Administration
M I R A N I S T A T E H I G H S C H O O L
“We seek
to
develop
students
who are
curious
and
creative
and
aspire to
excellence”
PRINCIPAL: Mr Scott Cage SENIOR SECONDARY DEPUTY : Mr Scott Cage
MIDDLE SECONDARY DEPUTY: Mr Michael Post JUNIOR SECONDARY DEPUTY : Mrs Shellie Laidlaw
P: 07 4966 7111 | F: 07 4966 7100 | E: [email protected] www.miranishs.com.au | Augusta Street Mirani | PO Box 58 Mirani Queensland 4754
Term 2 has seen a group of indigenous Year 8 students undertake the Deadly Choices Healthy Life-
style Education Program delivered by Queensland Health’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Health Unit. We hope your student gained knowledge about how to have a healthy body and mind by
making positive choices about things lsuch as what to eat, the benefits of exercise and healthy rela-
ATSIAP Challenge
Big round of applause to Annie Skuse, Lacey Bloye, Charley Wilson, Michael Tones, Terese Gorey and
Matisse Bloye for participating in the 2021 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aspirations Program
(ATSIAP) Challenge. This is the first year we have had a team participate but not only one, there were
two. Alongside the students were mentor teacher, Scarlett Adams and me. The program challenged
and enhanced the creative and critical thinking of each student individually and as team members.
Four challenges were undertaken where their academic, social, cultural and artistic talents created
works they were very proud of. We have some developing leaders who will shine in their future.
Education is our passport to the future,
For tomorrow belongs to people who prepare for it today.
(Malcom X)
P A G E 6 M I R A N I S T A T E H I G H S C H O O L
We are so proud of you Semester 1 is almost finished; exams or assignments have been commenced or could be completed then Report Cards will be home soon. Academic outcomes can be affected by absences, student’s commit-ment to subject responsibilities or your child just can’t grasp what is required of them and is too shamed to ask their teacher for help. High attendance is vital to gain full knowledge of subject areas. Is your stu-dent completing homework, doing assessments when at home to make deadlines set by subject teachers? If your student is too shy to ask teachers for help, please get them to come and talk to me or you can email me and then I will touch base with your student as well as teachers to develop a solution. As a time management skill – get your student to set reminders on their phone and write it in their stu-dent diary, usually one or two weeks before due dates. If your child develops this habit earlier in their secondary education, it will be very helpful, as we know this is a life skill to take on board. I encourage each family to support their high school student to be a positive engaged student. If you wish to share an outstanding achievement on behalf of your student please don’t hesitate to email me with details and a photo. Deb Francis Youth and Indigenous Support Officer
P A G E 7 M I R A N I S T A T E H I G H S C H O O L
Finance Information Internet Banking
Mirani State High School
Reference - Invoice # or
Student Name
BSB 064—707
Account No 0009 0191
Commonwealth Bank
Payments can be made
directly to our bank
account or bpoint.
Payment plans are also
available.
P A G E 8 M I R A N I S T A T E H I G H S C H O O L
EPILEPSY AWARENESS Mirani High School celebrated Purple Day on 26th March to raise awareness and much needed funds for Epi-
lepsy QLD. Grade 12 student, Madison Fisher of Grade 12 organised the day as part of her QCIA goals. Madi-
son liased with Epilepsy QLD, displayed posters around the school and sold purple merchandise.
Madison raised $410. Each donation, every dollar raised will help over 30,000 Queenslanders living with Epi-
lepsy. Money raised will go towards phone calls with epilepsy educators, contribute to Epilepsy training for
education providers so a child can safely attend childcare or school, and provide personalised epilepsy man-
agement plans to reduce seizure activity.
Bella Davies made purple ribbons to hand out on the day. Thanks to both of these students for their efforts
within the school community.
P A G E 9 M I R A N I S T A T E H I G H S C H O O L
September 10 – 11 Camp for a Cure will be held at Mirani SHS. Year 11 and 12 students who are participating
in the event should have returned their note and $10 payment in Week 9.
Reflecting Mirani’s long history of supporting events like Relay for Life, Camp for a Cure will maintain our stu-
dents’ passion and enthusiasm for supporting cancer research in the Valley. Camp for a Cure is a local school-
only fundraising event, and will be held at our awesome hall and surrounding oval. Fundraising will include
gaining sponsors for the walkathon portion of the event, as well as several school-based events in the lead-up!
Our incredibly talented Year 12 student Bree’anna Page has designed our logo for Camp for a Cure, we thank
Bree’anna for sharing her talents and time!
In Week 8 we held a very successful pyjama free dress day, raising just shy of $400.00 towards our goal. Thank
you to all staff and students who wore their pjs – and to parents who made mad dashes for wintery attire for
their kids!
We are now raising funds for the two main events of 2021! Students have collected sponsor booklets and
should be out looking for sponsors to nominate a one off, or per lap, donation for our walkathon. Students will
need to collect all funds before the end of term 3, to ensure that all monies are banked before the holidays.
The second event which is raising a lot of attention is the Chop for a Cure – students Ethan Zarb, Jayce Gorman,
Conor Farnham, and Shakira Horder will be shaving their heads, along with Ms Adams in Week 9 of Term 3.
Right now, staff and students are able to nominate and donate (a minimum of $5) to snip a ponytail off one of
the participant’s heads prior to the shave! Along with these students, India Sayles, Bianca Peckett and Aubrey
Fontelera will be lopping off their ponytails! Aubrey will be donating her locks to the Ponytail Project, an organi-
sation which makes wigs for kids undergoing treatment. We are very grateful to our volunteers and commend
them on their bravery and commitment.
Finally, get your teams together – TRIVIA is back! In week 3 term 3, the battle for top place and the wooden
spoon is on. Teams of 6-8 can nominate now, with a $10 entry fee per person and nibbles on the table, what
more could you ask for? Prizes, fun, and fundraising are the name of the game, and the elusive coin toss game
may just make another appearance…
We hope to see you at trivia, and thank you for your ongoing support of our students in their passion and drive
to make a difference in the lives of patients and families dealing with cancer.
Thank you,
Ms Adams
P A G E 1 0 M I R A N I S T A T E H I G H S C H O O L
News from Chappie Rex
Did you enjoy the last week in May? The ‘cool’ is here, winter is rolling in. We are so blessed with beautiful
weather. AND a Chappie in 6 Pioneer Valley schools!
Chappy Week this year ran from May 23-30 and it celebrated the role chaplains play in helping school com-
munities guide students successfully through their Primary and Secondary school years. In each school with a
Chappie, their flavour will be unique but there are common elements.
Chaplains are present in schools at the invitation of the Principal, in consultation with the local community,
and with the support of the Parents and Citizens (P&C) Association. So thank you Pioneer Valley for valuing
our contribution.
Chappies can be found running games, activities, Breakfast Clubs, SU-pa Clubs, Chat sessions and being avail-
able to listen, care and encourage with a message of hope. Along with the Student Support service inour
schools we are about fostering a supportive, caring school community here in the Valley.
Local churches, businesses and community organisations, are a wonderful support network for the schools
and the Chappies. We would love your input into the service as members, representatives, volunteers and
potential FUTURE Chappies!
Parents, staff and students in the school community regardless of their religious beliefs, are welcome to uti-
lise our service. Some activities for students do require Parental consent and all my activities are voluntary.
Our next P.V.C.C. meeting is Wednesday, Term 3, Week 4, 4th August 2021. If you like, save the date and
come along to Mirani High at 4pm. We’d love to have you contribute too.
The 2021 QLD Chaplaincy Snapshot is available at: www.suchaplaincy.org.au/snapshot2021 .
Some Interesting Facts
Every year Chappies have over 169,680 formal conversations and 448,450 informal chats with students.
The top 5 issues for students were; Friendships and peers, Harassment, Mental health, School behaviour and
Family breakdowns. These 5 make up 56% of Chappie’s chats.
Thanks for helping Chappies in the Pioneer Valley have a role in the wellbeing of your school communities.