May 2010 - Atherton State High School - Education Queensland

Monthly Journal of Information Technology
PH : ‐ 4030 5222 Fax : ‐ 4091 3847 Email ‐ the.principal@athertonshs.eq.edu.au Website www.athertonshs.eq.edu.au
NAPLAN 2010
Testing Times with NAPLAN
Amidst much controversy and discussion about NAPLAN we are pleased to say that all things
went well. It was great to see all our students calm and well prepared for this testing period
and acknowledgment must be made to the English and Maths teachers for their efforts.
NAPLAN is a national testing scheme which
tests students’ knowledge and under‐
standing of literacy and numeracy at differ‐
ent junctures during their educational jour‐
ney. The test is held at the same time
across Australia and the data collected is
used to inform decisions about educational
practices. If you wish to know more, visit
Education Queensland’s website, or you
can contact the school.
David Bushby and Chris Honan:
Happy managers of our NAPLAN testing.
May 2010 Edition
this issue
NAPLAN
Cyberbullying
Mocktails
Year 10 Short Story
Kindy Kids at the Ag Farm
Community News
And Much More
Date Claimers
BEACON SITE TOUR: HAIR,BEAUTY AND
FASHION 01‐06
YEAR 11 HELPING FRIENDS PROGRAM 01‐
06
YR 10 BST JCU ACCOUNTING & FINANCE
CAREERS DAY 02‐06
CHUO UNI H.S. DAY VISIT 03‐06
INDIGENOUS CORE OF LIFE 08‐06
YR 8 ‐ BRAINSTORM PRODUCTIONS 08‐06
FULL SCHOOL PARADE 10‐06
QUEENS BIRTHDAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY 14‐06
BLOCK EXAMS 15‐06
AUST CHAMBER ORCHESTRA QUARTET 16‐
06
BEACON SPEED CAREERING 17‐06
SKILLS STREAMING 18‐06
FULL SCHOOL PARADE 21‐06
BEACON SITE TOUR HAIR, BEAUTIY &
FASHION CAIRNS 22‐06
INTERHOUSE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 24‐06

Musicians Hit High Note
Well done to our school string quintet
The Atherton SHS string quintet
took out first place at the local
Tableland Young Performers Ei‐
steddfod on Saturday 15 th May.
The girls beat the Mareeba SHS
saxophone quartet with their ren‐
dition of Bach’s Minuet in G, and
also attained the highest mark
across all instrumental sections.
The adjudicator commented on
how polished the performance
was and, in her written feedback
she also mentioned the group’s
excellent intonation and ensem‐
ble work.
The quintet, which comprises
Zoe Reitsma (violin 1), Ebbonny
Oliver (violin 2), Holly Panigas
(viola), Rebecca Quinnell (cello)
and Genevieve Kruyssen (double
bass), worked hard to perfect the
piece, along with their teacher
Ms Cottone.
If you would like to see the quin‐
tet and larger group in action, the
full string ensemble performs at
the Malanda Variety Concert on
Friday 4 th June and the quartet
performs on Saturday 5 th June.
CYBERBULLYING
CYBERBULLYING! I was fortunate
enough to attend the ‘Qld School Alli‐
ance Against Bullying’ sponsored semi‐
nars, conducted by Dr Michael Carr‐
Gregg. The seminars were focussed on
bullying and in particular, cyberbully‐
ing. I came away with a confirmed view
that this “new” form of bullying can
have the most devastating effects on
our children. I also came away knowing
that as a community we can put into
place measures to assist the fight
against it.
�� Did you know that 60% of students
access the internet without any
supervision?
�� 80% of parents didn’t know that
there are parental controls on
Xbox
�� 90% of teenagers’ socializing is
done through technology
Dr Carr‐Gregg emphasised on several
occasions that one of the best measures
parents/carers can take is to become
more knowledgeable about the tech‐
nologies children are using. I have in‐
cluded a brochure with links for par‐
ents/carers that may be of assistance.
Regards, John D
Cybersafety Brochure
Who’s Chatting to Your Kids?
Mr John Daley
Guidance Officer
ASHS
If you have concerns about internet
safety please contact Mr Daley for
further information and advice.

Home Ec Happenings
Congratulations
Congratulations to Kevin Russo, a valued
ancillary staff member at Atherton State
High School, on winning a bronze medal
in swimming recently. Well done!
Mocktails
Term Two has begun by show‐
casing the best of our Hospitality
students’ talents. Firstly, several
Year Eleven students were in‐
volved in catering a lunch for a
forum for Tableland Farmers and
the Queensland Minister for Pri‐
mary Industries, organised by the
Tablelands’ Futures Organisa‐
tion.
Following this, our Year Twelves
put their beverage‐making skills
to the test in a Mocktail compe‐
tition. A multi‐coloured display
of fantastically flavoured drinks
was produced and evaluated by a
panel of guest judges. Max
McAulay and Kate Snow proved
the winners, with Taylor Hastie,
Teleah Burton, Mitchell Hall and
Maddie Frame all being place ‐
getters.
Max with his winning Mocktail
The term will finish as busily as it
started with several more catering
events already booked and the Year
Twelve Coffee Shop already run‐
ning. In what is proving to be an
increasingly popular annual event,
the coffee shop is currently selling
a range of café style foods as well
as the usual crowd pleasing drinks
such as iced coffee, milkshakes and
espresso coffees, so be sure not to
miss out!
Breakfast Club Feeds the Multitudes
Over 200 for breakfast in a day!
Working hard but still smiling were Murray, our school chaplain,
Phyllis Pianta and Cynthia Kuhn, Breakfast club volunteers, who
reported feeding over 200 Atherton High School students in a day
the other week. Boosted by the number of students preparing for
their NAPLAN testing, numbers swelled as kids fuelled up their
brains before taking on the challenges of the school day. Well
done and thanks to the breakfast crew.

About the Story
This Year 10 English assignment required stu‐
dents to read a novel and then write a short
story inspired by its themes and characters.
Sami’s class read A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove
by James Moloney. This novel follows the life
of teenager, Carl Matt, and his brother, Harley.
They have been abandoned by their mother,
Kerry, a single parent who is struggling with her
own personal demons. Kerry has been away
before, but this time she doesn’t come back,
leaving Carl struggling to understand why. At
the end of the novel, we find that Kerry has
been tragically killed in a bus crash whilst on
her way home.
Sami chose to write a story that details Kerry’s
final hours, explaining her motivations for going
home. She worked hard on developing an
economy with words, choosing phrases care‐
fully for nuance of meaning and emotional im‐
pact. I hope you enjoy it.
Amanda Pascoe (English teacher)
Two Travellers
By Sami Knowles
Kerry walked alongside the north-bound highway, ignored by the
passing traffic. Dark memories of the past stalked her; the purpose
of her life long forgotten, erasing all chance of happiness
with it. She stumbled listlessly through the long grass; running
from the past, although too scared to face her future.
They sat in the dully lit room facing each other; the shrink and the
client. “Kerry, you have been visiting me often these last few
months but every time you return it seems like we are back at
square one.” She doesn’t understand Kerry. Nobody does. Soon
after that, she walked out; slamming the door so hard the building
shuddered. Absorbed in her own thoughts she sauntered through
the sea of strangers crowding the streets.
“She’s a waste of time. They all are. Nobody understands,” she
muttered to herself as she made her way to the taxi rank. Once
again, she swore she would never go back.
She slipped into the back of the taxi.
“Take me north,” she ordered.
“Can’t go no further than the intersection of the north bound highway,”
barked the taxi driver.
“Yeah, whatever.” She didn’t really take any notice of what he
said, or the fact that the sun had almost completely disappeared,
until he dumped her on the side of the highway, chucking her
knapsack on the damp ground.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“Don’t care. Service station’s a few kilometres up the road. Walk!”
The fare had emptied her wallet and all she could do was stare as
the taxi’s tail lights faded with the daylight.
The intermittent drone of the traffic was like a hypnotic drum driving
her feet forward. She was startled back to reality by a rustle in
the grass. She stepped back a few paces.
“Who’s there?”
Cautious and weary, a baby joey hopped out of the long grass.
“Hey little fella. Where’s your mummy?” she murmured to the
shivering joey. He was weak and tired and no longer had the energy
to be scared. He took the last few hops to Kerry’s feet and
leant back on his hind legs. He was abandoned and had no one
left to love or care for him. Kerry leant down and cradled him in
her arms.
“Hey, come here. It’s alright. I won’t leave you. We have to stick
together now. You and me. Two lone travellers. Come on. Let’s
get you warm”
The joey watched on with curious eyes as Kerry carefully placed
him on the ground and began to empty her knapsack. She

dumped half of its contents on the side of the road,
leaving only a few clothes to cushion the joey. She presented
the opened bag in front of his nose. He dived in,
feeling the familiar comfort of his mother’s pouch. She
strapped the bag across her chest and resumed her
walk with a new determination and purpose.
The bright neon glow of the service station appeared in
the distance. As she approached, she noticed a security
guard moving from vehicle to vehicle, searching
boots and bags for dangerous objects. A baby joey
surely couldn’t be considered dangerous. Not willing to
risk it, she stayed in the shadows and sneaked around
to the dark side of the building where she saw an old
notice board hanging on the wall. Stapled on top of the
paper jungle was a bus timetable. It showed when the
tour buses were due to arrive, leave and stop over. It
also showed their final destination. She scanned the list
for a familiar location. There! A bus was due in about
an hour and was then heading north. Home.
The joey was squirming. Tired after being jostled by the
long walk, Kerry decided they had enough time to sit
down and rest before the bus arrived. She slid between
the parked semitrailers and settled in the shadows
against a pillar. Loosening the straps on the knapsack,
she laid the joey on her lap for a few moments’ rest
before the next leg of their journey. The journey that
would lead them home. And this time, it would be different.
Snapshot
Year 10 Beacon Ambassador students en‐
gaged in a program designed to build per‐
sonal communication and presentation
skills . Entitled “Polish” it forms part of the
Beacon suite of rich personal development
learning activities .
COMMUNITY INPUT VALUED
Numbers
Add to Your
Future
A number of professionals from the
Atherton community are providing
a meaningful insight into the use of
Mathematics in various careers.
Maths B teacher, Di Jelbart, and
Guidance Officer, John Daly, have
arranged for a variety of guests to
speak to the Year 11 (and some Year
12) Maths B classes about the use
and application of Maths in their
profession. The draft list of speakers
to date includes:
Jamieson Barnes: Medical imaging
Chrissie Barrett: Speech pathology
Adam Hogan: Pharmacy
Tom de Ridder: Veterinarian
Karl Boundy: Dentistry
Frank Matthew/Joe Hill: Accoun‐
tancy/Actuary
Brendan Twine: Surveying
Bryan Stevens: Optometry
Atherton State High School values
the contribution that they have
made to our students and wishes to
thank them for their commitment,
as well as their organisations for al‐
lowing them the time to visit our
school.

Invasion of the Little People!
Atherton High agricultural students share the joy of learning about rural indus‐
tries with the children of Atherton Daycare Centre.
On a misty Atherton morning a small tribe of little people looking rather like hobbits in‐
vaded the High School. Well not really. As part of the Agriculture program, children from
early childhood centres in our community took the opportunity to explore and learn
about the animals at the school. I can assure you as a parent of one the littlies that they
had a great time. My daughter came home beaming about how she patted a chicken, a
mouse, a goat , a cow …. I am sure there wasn’t an animal that escaped a pat from her or
her friends. I am also reliably informed by one of my wife’s students that the goats are
well and truly fed. It would seem that one handful of feed is not enough and that if you
have time to go back and get fifty more handfuls then that is better.
I would like to congratulate and thank the agricultural students for their care and concern
when showing all the kids from the different childcare providers about the animals. It
makes me immensely proud as an Atherton High teacher to see this maturity and re‐
sponsibility displayed by our students. This was a great experience. I am also sure that the
listing of all the animals on the farms as I drive anywhere with my daughter should some
day abate. (Another thing I can thank the Ag Dept. for.)
Jason Pascoe

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
daisy pulls it off
‘Daisy Pulls It Off’ is hitting the Tablelands by storm. This fast moving musical play by
Denise Deegan is highly dramatic and extremely funny. It is set in an English Girls’ Board‐
ing School in the 1920s where everything appears to be spiffingly jolly but underneath the
surface all is not as it seems. Mean bullies scheme while heroines strive to do what is
right. A mysterious story evolves surrounding lost treasure and a missing person. The plot
wends its way through midnight feasts, dorm
fights, exciting hockey games and a cliff rescue. Who will solve the mystery and who will
win through in the end?
With a cast of 22,‘Daisy Pulls It Off’ opens on Friday, 28 May at 8pm at the APA Theatre,
Atherton. On opening night the audience is invited to come dressed in the style of the
1920s. ‘Daisy Pulls It Off’ also shows on Saturday 29 May, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June at
8pm. The closing show will be a matinee on Sunday 6 June at 2.30pm. Adults $20, Conces‐
sion $15, School Students $10 and Family tickets $50. Bookings at Tableland Books, Ather‐
ton, ph. 4091 5137.
FREE Well Women’s Clinics
Service includes Pap Smears, Sexual Health Screening, Breast Awareness,
also info on Contraception, Continence, Menopause, Lifestyle Issues, Do‐
mestic Violence, etc. All services are provided by a specially trained Qld
Health Nurse.
Millaa Millaa Health Centre – Tuesday 8 th June
Ph: 4097 2223
Malanda Health Centre – Wednesday 9 th June
Ph: 4096 5339
Herberton Hospital – Thursday 10 th June
Ph: 4096 2222
Want to promote a
community event?
Then contact us at
the school either by
email or phone.
Dates 12th & 13th July 2010
Show www.athertonshow.com.au

2010 BLOCK EXAMS
Block exams for Year 11 and 12 students will be held on Tuesday 15 th , Wednesday 16 th , and Thursday 17 th June this Semester.
This year we will be trialling a new system for block exams and it is important that students understand these important changes:
�� Students are required to attend school as usual - if they are not in a block exam they are in a classroom.
�� These timetabled and supervised classes will offer students the opportunity fro focussed study, exam preparation and completion
of assignment work. Some classes will be combined for cover.
�� You are required to bring study/assignment/reading materials for each of your classes.
�� If you do a traineeship/apprenticeship/work placement or attend TAFE and you have a scheduled block exam you need to inform
them that you will be attending school for that session.
�� Only students participating in block exams will be required at the hall.
Students do not stay at home over the block exam period.
In an effort to have a successful block exam experience, please note the following information:
1. Students are expected to be in full school uniform including jumpers and fully enclosed shoes. This is a normal school
day. No student will be admitted to an exam wearing thongs.
2. Block exams timetables will be distributed to all students by their classroom teacher in the classes listed prior to the block
exams. Extra copies of the block exam timetable will be placed on the hall door, on the A block student notice board and at the
library. Your child’s Welfare Team Leader will also have extra copies.
3. There are two exam sessions a day.
�� The first one goes from 8.45am until 11.20am.
�� Recess 1 exists as normal.
�� The second goes from 12.00pm until 3.00pm. You do not go out of the exam for Recess 2 – you will be ½ way through an
exam.
4. Ensure you have a good lunch/breakfast before starting the exam sessions. This will improve your energy and concentration
levels.
5. There is the opportunity for ½ hour study period prior to the start of the last exam session each day. Students may bring
in study materials but must place them closed, on the floor, near their feet prior to commencement of the exam. Teachers will supervise
this.
6. Students will be asked to complete a BLOCK EXAM ATTENDANCE SLIP upon arrival at the exam. This is filled in placed in
the top corner of your desk for collection by the supervising teacher. This confirms your attendance.
7. On the day of your block exam you will need to bring:
�� Your own pens, pencils, erasers, ruler, calculator or any other items you will need for your particular exam. Your teachers
should confirm this with you. These should be placed on an A4 loose leaf plastic folder not a pencil case. This is in line with the
practices for the QCE.
�� A water bottle. There is a water tap in the hall but to limit movement during the exam sessions you should bring your own water.
�� Special nutritional requirements – these should be discussed with Mrs Grimshaw or Mr Pascoe prior to the block exams. Exams
in the afternoon session will extend over a 3 hour period without a break so people with special nutritional requirements need
to be aware of this and take steps to solve any issues.
�� Tissues - if you have a cold.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL STUDENTS SITTING BLOCK EXAMS.

Principal’s Message
Mr Anthony Whybird
The past month has again highlighted the outstanding
achievements of the students from our
school. We have success on the sporting field
including our U13 league team in the semi finals,
David Edwards and Maddie Vit being selected in
the Australian U19 cycling team and going to Italy
and Angus MacGregor off to England for the
world sailing championships. Culturally our students
performed brilliantly at the Eisteddfod, our
senior drama students powerfully presented their
work to the community and our music students
wowed the crowd with their Spirit of Youth concert.
Academically our children are gearing up for
end of semester testing, including block exams.
Congratulations to all our students who are
winners through their participation and good luck
with upcoming assessment.
P&C News
P&C President Janet Liston
Q&A
Can my child mix the formal and
everyday uniform?
No – the formal uniform must be
worn entirely as stated in the policy
When will the old yellow everyday
uniform be phased out?
All students are expected to be in
the new everyday uniform by 2011
What footwear is able to be
worn?
Covered shoes that protect the entire
foot must be worn at all times.
Where can I see the policy?
Either the website or contact the
school
How can I be involved in uniform
discussions?
Contact Helen Carne to get on the
P&C Uniform committee
An excellent meeting was held last Monday with discussion focussing on
how we can continue to support the students in the school. The tuckshop is
going gangbusters and is moving $15 000 to the P&C for further projects in
the school. The P&C has also proudly been supporting students like
Tenielle Dunbar who has represented the school at parliament as part of
youth forums. We welcome parent input – please either come to the meetings
or email pandc@athertonshs.eq.edu.au. Our next meeting has moved
forward to Monday June 21 – we hope to see you there!
Atherton State High School
Maunds Road
Atherton, Qld, 4883
07 4030 5222 ph
07 4091 3947 fax
www.athertonshs.eq.edu.au