Murgon State High School

2 Dutton Street, Murgon Qld 4605 T: (07) 4169 9222 F: (07) 4169 9200 E: [email protected] Murgon State High School www.murgonshs.eq.edu.au

Principal: Simon Cotton Tania Hawthorne (Senior School), Barb Etherington (Acting Deputy Middle School), Morgan Suchoronczak (Junior School)

Murgon State High School acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Wakka Wakka people, of the country on which the school is located and pays respect to their Elders past and present.

Diary Dates

Wunjuada, Welcome! Term 2, Week 4 • 14th May 2021

Murgon State High SchoolBelieve • Challenge • Strive

We will Participate – We are Respectful and Responsible – We are Safe

From the Principal’s desk

Murgon State High School

This week our Regional Director of Education, Ms Leanne Wright visited Murgon State High School. During her visit executive school staff provided briefings on the progress of our school in a number of areas. Deputy Principal Mrs Suchoronczak took Ms Wright through the Literacy wall and the work that is being continued to support student’s literacy by our teachers. Our focus is embedding the teaching of reading that has been established and continues to support students in their reading. Reading tests undertaken by students are providing evidence of student growth in the reading levels.Deputy Principal, Barb Etherington presented the newly developed Student Engagement and Wellbeing Strategy. MSHS now has a comprehensive suite of support strategies for our students. I would like to acknowledge Mrs Etherington’s work and that of the various inter-agencies who attend the school to provide that support: Child Youth Mental Health (CYMHs) Lives Lived Well, Alcohol and Other Drugs (AODs), CRAICCHS, CTC, Crew4Youth, Graham House, Be You, QLD Health/CS/QPS/QAS, Wandama Panel/Complex Care Panel and Uniting Care Intensive Family Support.Ms Wright also visited classrooms to observe the excellent teaching and learning and viewed the progress of the new buildings which are all due for completion by July 19th 2021. We look forward to inviting Ms Wright back to Murgon State High School along with the Minister of Education for the off icial opening of the new buildings later in the year. NAPLAN testing commenced this week with students in Year 7 and 9 partaking in the tests. Deputy Principal, Ms Tania Hawthorne has worked tirelessly to ensure the tests are conducted in accordance with Federal and State Government regulations. I am very pleased to see inter-school football is back after a hiatus due to COVID last year. Selection in teams is dependent on our student’s attendance, attitude and behaviour. A big thank you goes to Mr Nick Young as Sports Organiser and the staff supporting students to get back into footy.Our Positive Behaviour Focus this fortnight is ‘In Class, On Time’. Our explicit expectation is that every

student arrives to class on time and participates in the learning activity provided by our teachers. If students choose to skip class they will choose a consequence. RegardsSimon Cotton, Principal

Wednesday 12th May -

Thursday 20th May

NAPLAN (Year 7 & 9)

Monday 17th May - Sunday

23rd May

National Volunteer Week

Wednesday 26th May

National Sorry Day

Thursday 27th May - Thursday

3rd June

National Reconciliation Week

Friday 18th June

Athletics Carnival

Friday 25th June

Last day of Term 2

Save the date

Book Week 2021: 21-27 August

Above: Pictured left to right - Simon Cotton (Principal), Leanne Wright (Regional Director), Barbara Etherington (Acting Deputy

Principal), Morgan Suchoronczak (Deputy Principal) and Michael Flood (Assistant Regional Director). Tania Hawthorne (Deputy

Principal) was absent conducting NAPLAN with students.

https://www.facebook.com/MurgonStateHighSchool/

https://murgonshs.eq.edu.au/

https://www.facebook.com/MurgonStateHighSchool/

Vale Di Vivash

Di Vivash was a very important member of our Murgon State High School family. She recently passed away and we would like to take this opportunity to celebrate her life and the highlight the positive difference she made to staff and students during her time with us. Di worked as our Scientific Operations Officer, or our Labbie, from 1991 until 2012 and shared her passion for science and education with thousands of children and their teachers. She loved working in the classroom and enjoyed taking students on excursions including Science and Engineering Challenges and Biology trips to Heron Island. Di mentored, inspired and supported teachers (and Science Heads of Department like me) to be the very best educator and person we could be. We remember Di for her kindness, her infinite patience with staff and students, her vast knowledge, her humour and her genuine interest in people and lifelong learning.

Thank you, Di for being such an integral member of our school community for 21 years and leaving your mark on all of us. We miss you.

Barbara Etherington on behalf of all of us at Murgon SHS


Term 2, Week 4 • 14th May 2021Page 2

Deputy Principal - Junior School

Barambah Cluster Middle Leaders Network

As some of you are aware our school Principals from the Barambah Cluster (Murgon SHS, Murgon SS, Cherbourg SS, Cloyna SS, Windera SS,

Wheatlands SS, Goomeri SS, Proston SS and Moffatdale SS) meet each term. In late 2020 I took a proposal to the Cluster Principals meeting

to establish a Barambah Cluster Middle Leaders Network. This proposal was endorsed and planning commenced. Michael Flood (Assistant

Regional Director) joined us for our first meeting late last term. Representatives from the larger schools (Murgon SHS, Goomeri SS, Cherbourg

SS, Murgon SS, Wheatlands SS and Proston SS) have formed the network. It is the role of the ‘chair’ to inform and liaise with smaller schools

(Cloyna SS, Windera SS and Moffatdale SS). I have taken on the role of ‘Chair’ for this network in 2021.

The Barambah Cluster Middle Leaders Network will work beside the Barambah Cluster Principals group on priorities in our schools. We

recently held our second meeting with great outcomes and a lot of enthusiasm for the future. We will meet twice a term. One of the two main

focuses and pieces of work for 2021 will be to continue the building of transition and preparation for secondary school across all cluster schools

whether that be for entry into Year 7 or 11. The second priority which will encompass all schools and teachers is to improve moderation of

student assessment across cluster schools. I look forward to working with all schools through the Barambah Cluster Middle Leaders Network

and sharing updates with you in the future.

‘Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.’ Ryunosuke Satoro.

Murgon Mustangs Junior Rugby League – Domestic Violence Round (this weekend)!

As a school we have been privileged to be offered the opportunity of hosting representatives from both the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation

and the NRL (Alan Tongue and Gavin Cooper). Gavin Cooper is a past Murgon State High School student. On Friday 14th May, Year 8 and 10

students will undertake an education presentation based around domestic violence, respecting self and others. I encourage families to come

along to the Family Fun Event being hosted by the Murgon Mustangs Junior Rugby League Club at the Murgon Showgrounds. Information has

been provided in this newsletter regarding game times. I look forward to seeing you there.

Great Readers Believe Challenge and Strive!

I encourage all students (and parents) to read for a minimum 20 minutes a day! Nagy and Herman (1987) discussed the concept that children

who read for 20 minutes a day see 1.8 million words per year in comparison to children who read 1 minute per day only seeing 8,000 words per

year. A small amount of reading per day makes a big difference and I encourage students to make the time for this in their schedule each day!

Yours in Education

Morgan Suchoronczak

Deputy Principal - Junior School



Deputy Principal - Student Engagement and Wellbeing

Ngara Yumbin (hello everyone)

Friday 14 May is “Do it for Dolly Day”.

We are not participating in the event as a school due to other events scheduled that day, including a presentation about domestic violence from the Baden-Clay Foundation and NAPLAN testing.

On our Murgon SHS Facebook this week, we have posted resources for students and their parents.

Dolly’s dream https://

dollysdream.org.au/what-

we-do/

Dolly’s dream Parent Hub

https://dollysdream.org.au/

parent-hub/

Warning signs https://

dollysdream.org.au/wp-

content/uploads/2021/04/

Warning-signs-that-teens-

are-being-bullied.pdf

Are your words causing

damage? https://

www.youtube.com/

watch?v=7UPYE8grP7o

If you or your student is worried about bullying, please seek help from your child’s teacher, the Year Level Coordinator, the Youth Support Coordinator, the Guidance Officer, the Deputy Principal or the Principal. We have counsellors from Lives Lived Well and Crew4Youth visiting our school every week to work with students. If you are interested in your child working with one of these counsellors, please contact me and I will organise the appropriate paperwork for you to sign.

Online NAPLAN Testing for Years 7 and 9

Deputy Principal Ms Tania Hawthorne is coordinating the online NAPLAN testing this week and next. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) explains the process:

As children progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the

essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults.

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national

standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support

teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.

Unfortunately, some students may appear anxious about the testing process.

There are videos, fact sheets and resources about anxiety on School TV to support students and their families. https://murgonshs.eq.schooltv.me/category-latest-newsletter

Kind regards

Yanande

Barbara Etherington, A/Deputy Principal

Student Engagement and Wellbeing and

Tania Hawthorne, Deputy Principal Senior

School



https://dollysdream.org.au/what-we-do/



https://dollysdream.org.au/parent-hub/

https://dollysdream.org.au/parent-hub/

https://dollysdream.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Warning-signs-that-teens-are-being-bullied.pdf





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UPYE8grP7o



https://murgonshs.eq.schooltv.me/category-latest-newsletter

https://murgonshs.eq.schooltv.me/newsletter-resource/437/498

https://murgonshs.eq.schooltv.me/newsletter-resource/435/498

Mother’s Day Raffle

Interact

Congratulations to our Mothers

Day Raffle Winners!

1st place - Miss Graham

2nd place - Bridey Wessling

3rd place - Ashlyn Williamson

Thank you Mrs Leszkiewicz and Interact for a great initiative.

On behalf of Interact we would like to thank everyone that supported the Mother’s Day raffle. Congratulations to Ms Emma Graham, Bridey Wessling and Ashlyn Williamson who were the winners.

This week we are raising awareness for the Do It

For Dolly organisation. You can find information about the organisation and the support they can provide to parents and carers on the Murgon SHS Facebook page.

We would also like to thank Chappy Deb and the Petite Girls group for starting knitting and scrunchies for Operation Christmas Child.

Amy Leszkiewicz

Mathematics/ Science Teacher

School NurseYour brain is a supercomputer and your SELF TALK is the program it will run.

Positive SELF TALK boosts your confidence, helps you succeed in sports, helps you achieve your goals, gets you through challenging times.

Negative SELF TALK lowers self esteem, spoils true friendships, stops you from achieving your goals, increases your stress.

The things you say to yourself and how you feel about yourself, have a big impact on you and are incredibly powerful.

Instead of a FIXED MINDSET lets change to a GROWTH mindset as a way of thinking. You will be amazed at how much better, more positive you feel. Practice saying ... l can, I love, I believe, I am good at... l try new things, I am brave for trying, I don’t give up, I believe in me.

Ruth Porter School Based Youth Health Nurse

Community Safety – Rock Throwing (Murgon and Cherbourg)Murgon and Cherbourg police would like members of the public to remain vigilant as there has been a recent increase in calls for service regarding persons throwing rocks at buildings, cars that are both parked and being driven and people.

The consequences of such actions may include property damage and injury.

If you witness a rock throwing incident, please call Policelink on 131 444 if it is non-urgent and 000 in emergencies. If you have any information relating to any recent incidents of rock throwing in either Cherbourg or Murgon, you can also anonymously call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at https://www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.

Congratulations!



https://www.crimestoppersqld.com.au

Year 10/11 Biology students have recently completed a practical in class in which they investigated the conditions necessary for photosynthesis. They compared starch present in normal, variegated and de-starched leaves.

Erica Marschall, A/HOD Mathematics & Science

It is with great excitement that I share that ten of our students were

recently successful in applying to be River Ambassadors on Bunya to the

Bay.

Bunya to the Bay is an award winning educational experience grounded

in Aboriginal culture and heritage that follows the Brisbane river from

the source to the sea.

In July and August this year, our students will participate in a group of 40 students to relay in teams. They will walk, cycle and canoe over 340km

of challenging river terrain. Scientific, personal, social and adventure learning experiences will build their understanding of the many facets of the

Brisbane River. They will spend time with Elders on country connecting with deep and dynamic cultural heritage traditions and values.

Congratulations go to; James Flavel, Amy Henderson, Lachlan Zelinski, Bridey Wessling, Peter Bhaktavatsalam, Girra-Dahla Watson, John

Gyemore, Michael Fisher, Rocky Ruf and Aquilla Malone. We know that they will do Murgon State High School proud and take away some

valuable experiences that they will be able to share with us all as River Ambassadors.


Year 10/11 Biology

Bunya 2 Bay

Year 9 ScienceYear 9 Science students conducted a flame test to identify metal salts based on the colour of the flame. They saw colours such as red, yellow, purple, orange and green. They also discussed the real world applications of using different coloured flames.




Did you know that Boeing, one of Clontarf’s partners, travelled from Brisbane last Wednesday to spend time with the program.

One of the special guests was an ex-Murgon State High School student, Mark O’Halloran. They joined Clontarf from both Murgon State High School and Murgon State School at the PCYC for their afternoon activity of touch footy and basketball.

Thursday morning saw them jump on the bus early and ride along with Barwoo as he did pickups for our morning training. Mark chose Thomas Langton as the Top Trainer of the Week and then sat down and shared breakfast with the boys. After that they mad a pit stop to both Clontarf rooms at the state schools before going through the Ration Shed at Cherbourg.

The plans are to have a relationship and pathway into Boeing and open up the opportunities for rural communities.

Ryan Brown

Did You Know?

Both Rugby League U15s and Opens teams have dominated the

Broncos Wide Bay Southern Division in Round 1. They will now

progress to play winning teams from the Northern Division.

Good luck boys!

Hayden Knight

Head of Department (HPE & Senior Schooling)

Did You Know?Psychologists find that, over time, feeling grateful boosts happiness

and fosters both physical and psychological health, even among

those already struggling with mental health problems. Studies

show that practicing gratitude curbs the use of words expressing

negative emotions and shifts inner attention away from such negative

emotions as resentment and envy, minimizing the possibility of

ruminating, which is a hallmark of depression. Gratitude is one of

the key pillars of The Resilience Project (TRP), something that we

practise weekly with all of our students! Try asking your children

questions of gratitude over dinner tonight - make it a family

discussion!

Did You Know?



Sporting Highlights

Team Murgon was playing football in Cairns last week!

Last week we saw another game of school footy. All 3 of our teams had wins against Kingaroy. Well done boys!

U13s won 30-20 after a great come from behind victory.U15s won 38-24. U18s won 42-32.

Mia Sandow played in the U15s Wide Bay Netball Team last week!



Sporting Highlights

CricketOn Friday 30th April we had a group of boys head off for cricket. In game 1, Xavier Christian College (2/148) defeated Murgon State High School (4/149) with 3 overs remaining. In game 2, Murgon State High School (7/152) was defeated by Sholam Catholic College (6/153) on the last ball of the game.

Mr Young accompanied the boys and was extremely proud of their huge effort. Every student contributed to the team’s performance and the students represented the school and themselves with pride. The sportsmanship, resilience and determination showed on the cricket field was tremendous. The boys were unlucky not to advance to the next stage of the tournament.

Community Notices



Community Notices



Documents

Murgon State High School