Term 4 - Week 10 - November 2024

From The Principal

Dear Parent and Carers,

Welcome to our final newsletter for 2024.

On behalf of the Tully State High School community, thank you to all parents and carers for your unrelenting support to our school in 2024.  We have celebrated many wonderful student achievements throughout the year.

Congratulations to Mia van Tonder, who was the winner at the Regional Aspire Awards, Salt House Restaurant Culinary Challenge and Alyssa Patch, for receiving the Encouragement Award for the Agricultural Futures Award. 

Congratulations to Shaun Riley on placing 4^th in the 12 Years Boys Discus at the School Sport Australian Nationals Track and Field. 

Congratulations to all our Year 7 – 9 students who achieved the attendance target and will be participating in the Attendance Rewards Excursion to Townsville on Monday.

Many of our students have achieved outstanding results throughout the year and this is a result of their dedication; and commitment from our staff, families and community all working together to support them. 

Farewell Staff

Farewell and thank you to the following Tully State High School staff:

• Bob Barratt – retirement
• Eve Hutchinson – retirement
• Maria Bowden - retirement
• Louise Campagnolo – relocating to Townsville
• Cassie O’Kearney – transfer
• Tamara Utiera – transfer
• Kady Canfield – relocating to Brisbane
• Ahmed Ebrahim - transfer
• Liam Jarrett - completed position

Staff on leave for 2025:

• Saane Hallie
• Helen Ross
• Warren Giffin
• Susan Sedgman

Tully SHS is extremely grateful for your efforts to support our students over the many years!

Facilities Update

Over the holidays, the following works are planned to occur:

• Internal painting of the school library
• Carpets to be cleaned and pest control
• Synthetic grass to be laid outside Admin and end of Art block
• Removal of rocks and concreting of path outside of Admin.

The major refurbishment of the tuckshop will commence in Term 1.  In preparation for this work, the tuckshop has relocated to the MPC kitchen.  The tuckshop will be trading from the MPC until the project is completed.  All uniform sales will be from the MPC. 

Alternate Activities Week 11

As per the Department of Education requirements, Tully SHS will be running alternate activities in Week 11.   Students can and are encouraged to attend school to enjoy the activities on offer. 

Your Feedback

Next week, I will be emailing all current Year 7 - 11 parents and carers a quick survey seeking your feedback on moderation, frequency of newsletter and timing/planning of some whole school events.

As a school, we need to continually reflect and respond to your needs and feedback.  Please take the time to complete this short survey. 

School Hours

Our office will be closed from Monday 16 December to Friday 17 January 2025.  The office will open again on Monday 20 January 2025.  If there is an urgent issue, I encourage parents to contact the generic principal email.

All students commence school on Tuesday 28 January and will assemble in the MPC. 

Finally, I would like to wish all families a very happy and safe festive season.  If you are going away, travel safe.  Enjoy the time with your children and we look forward to welcoming all our students back in 2025!

Yours in learning,
Ms Helen Carne
Principal

7F Writing Folios

In Year 7, students have been compiling a folio of short writing pieces on a range of topics.  Here are some samples from 7F.

The power of the Arts

Art is for anyone - not just visual art but music and drama. Put on a prop and let it sing in the spotlight. Pick up your pencil and let it dance across the page. You can use watercolour or paint or ink. Let the creativity and inspiration flow through you. Let the music float through the air. Hear the audience laugh as you prance around stage. Creating artwork is a calming practice. As you focus on your artwork, your audiobook or music will fade into the background. You’ll be in the zone. Nothing and no one can distract you.  Naturally, art may be frustrating at first. You are out of time or you can’t remember your lines or the colours aren’t right. But you will improve. Suddenly, the music flows and the colours sing. After completion, it will all feel worthwhile. They’ll see your performance and laugh, they’ll listen to your music and dance, they’ll see your artwork and gasp.

Nina Randall

Letter to the British: artefact repatriation

Dear British Museum Curator,

I am reaching out to you because your museum has something of ours. This artefact is a woven basket made by Australia’s Indigenous ancestors and it is very important to our First Nations peoples. Even though you found this artefact, it still belongs to our Indigenous people’s land. It may seem like ‘just a basket’ but this basket was made with materials from hundreds and thousands of years ago and it has a deep meaning to it. This important meaning is that it shows us how our elders lived and it was used for many things like story telling. It was also important because it was made from the hands of our ancestors and our ancestors tell us about life skills like weaving. We would like to keep our culture alive; we could continue telling our stories about our elders, teach children about their past and awaken a lost skill. I’d like to wrap this letter up with a small summary. You’ve taken a basket that connects us to our First Nations ancestors. You need understand that we are requesting you return the basket back to its land.

Yours sincerely

Mahleya Ketchell.

Camping rules

Why would you sit at home and watch television when you can sit by a fire and watch the sun go down? You cannot give me a reason not to go. Not one. Hate the sleeping? There’s a tent or a van for that. Too hot at night? Well guess what, there are fans and even the night’s breeze will cool you down. Nothing tastes better than some crystal-clear creek water flowing through the rocks. Swimming is magnificent when its super cold and then you can sit by the fire to warm up. When you are laying on your swag, looking at the stars and can people laughing, you know you’re having a good time. So, camp at a creek, or on the beach or even in the middle of Australia. There are always better memories and lessons when you’re camping.

Logan Jesse

Message to younger Tom – from present Tom

Dear Tom

 I hope you get this soon as it is important. This is a warning. First off, when you enter high school for the first time, DON’T leave the time table in your pants. Second thing,when you do your first food studies practical lesson, you will cook fried rice but it goes poorly so don’t plan anything that lunch. Third, two weeks before you go to Bali, make sure you get an AARA form (I think it’s called that idk) because all of the head of departments need to sign it. Fourth, make sure you turn down the heat every time you cook the pasta sauce.  Turn down the heat to 3 every time to avoid over cooking; it happens twice this year. Next is to make sure that you sprint as fast as you can to the tuckshop on Friday because there is pizza at first break. Many people try to cut in line all the time so just be cautious about that.

That’s all I can tell you without breaking the universe or something like that so heed these warnings and stay safe.

Kind regards

Future Tom McBride

You Won’t Be Delighted By Dolly’s Delight

When my brother and I arrived at Dolly’s Delight we expected more. The restaurant is beautiful but the food is NOT! Dolly’s Delight is more like Dolly’s disappointment. We waited twenty minutes to get into the restaurant (with a reservation) because they gave our table away.

The service was not acceptable. The waitress, with her whiney voice and her unpleasant attitude, was rude and obnoxious. After we ordered, it took another half an hour until we got our meal.

I ordered a medium rare steak at the price of $250, way over what I would normally spend. When my steak FINALLY came out, it was like charcoal.  I took one bite and a gas like favour filled my mouth. On top of that, the menu said it came with a side salad, but did I get one? NOOO!  Then, to top of my night, the chef refused to take my dish back because I had touched it.

I ordered a gorgeous looking chocolate mud cake with coffee filling for desert but, once again, it was horrible. The filling was dyed to look like coffee and the cake tasted as if it was mud from a garden.

I was sure that all the complaining I did would play off but I was wrong, really wrong. The steak ended up costing $300 dollars (I didn’t even get a side salad) because I complained and the cake was just under $100 dollars.  I strongly do NOT recommend this restaurant, especially if you are broke because and the experience my brother and I had.

Indy Grimaz

Pop Culture Through the Years

Our Year 10 History students finished the year with creative flair, bringing our Pop Culture Unit to life. Students dived into the fashion trends, popular movies and music and the global sporting landscape from the 1950s until today. Throughout the term they investigated not only the beliefs and values of society in each decade, but also the ways teenagers have shaped popular culture and influenced the way we consume fashion, movies, music and sport.

Some amazing creations showcased our students’ talents for innovation, creativity and knowledge of popular culture over the past 70 years. The interactive display was on show in the Library for students and staff to see during Week 8 of this term, reflecting the dedication of our Year 10 History students in this unit of study.

A Day in the Museum

A trip back in time…

This term, Year 8 students have been studying the fascinating world of the Aztecs. From the amazing chinampas (floating gardens), to the intrigues of human sacrifice, to a society built around hospitality, Year 8 History students have been leaning about how the Aztecs had a unique and surprising culture. Students were tasked with creating a walk-through museum filled with Aztec artefacts. They displayed a range of creative and practical skills and wrote historically accurate and informative artefact blurbs. The Humanities Department would like to congratulate students on their impressive skills and knowledge. 

P & C 2024 Report

What a year of changes it has been for Tully State High School Parents and Citizens Association! This was my first year as President, filling the role left by Wendy Finlayson who remains as Vice President, Trish Ryan as Secretary and Tammy Slone as Treasurer rounding out the Executive team for 2024.  I thank them and all the team for a smooth transition into the President’s role. The school also had a significant change to its leadership team: we welcomed Helen Carne as our new Principal, who will continue into the new year.

The P&C of all schools remains a vital link between the school and the community. This year, one of my goals was to increase our high school’s visibility in the community. In 2025, we will continue to move our meetings to various locations throughout the Tully SHS catchment.  It was nice to see some new faces at our final meeting; we hope to see you and others regularly next year with new ideas.

We ran the canteen at this year’s Tully Bull and Bike Ride. I thank all the volunteers who worked extremely hard before, during and after the event - we couldn’t have done it without you.

Congratulations to our Year 12 cohort on finishing your secondary school! We wish you well with your future aspirations.  To all the students who received recognition at the Awards Nights, we congratulate you also. The P&C continues to fully fund the Senior and Junior Citizenship Awards.  Our 2024 recipients amongst the many deserving nominees were Stefanie Van Tondor - Senior Citizenship, and Charlize Gee -Junior Citizenship.

Thanks to our Tuckshop convenor, Tania Gilbert, and assistants Janice Irwin and Maria Calleja, the Tuckshop has been working hard to keep the menu fresh, healthy and tasty!  Tania and the team have been trialling alternatives to keep costs to a minimum while still keeping food delicious and nutritious.

Last year, we acquired funding for renovation to our tuckshop, with plans to incorporate a new uniform shop. This is a necessary project and will set the school up to service students for the next 40 years. In the interim, the Tuckshop and Uniform Shop will relocate to the MPC.

The Uniform Shop is open Wednesday mornings during the school term, staffed by Janice Irwin. Our pop-up shop is on again at the MPC from the 20 January; bookings can be made online now. We were excited to introduce a long-sleeved shirt and navy hoodie to the uniform options, and have received good feedback from students.

In 2025, we will continue to run our tuckshop and uniform shops at an affordable price level for families, while still remaining financial enough to provide assistance to the school and high achieving students, always with the goal of making your child’s time at Tully High School memorable. It will be fantastic to see some new parents/carers at meetings to contribute towards the decisions made. This is your and your children’s school, and our path to the future should be reflective of the current cohort.

Regards
Katie McLaughlin

Nurture Mental Health and Wellbeing During the Holidays

As the year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to offer my warmest wishes for the holiday season. This year has been filled with growth, challenges, and achievements — testaments to the resilience and determination of our students and the unwavering support of their families. Remember to be kind to yourself this holiday season. Christmas can be a time of joy and celebration for some, but for others, it can be stressful and isolating, even intensifying mental health challenges. It’s important to acknowledge how you feel during this time of year and prioritise your mental wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of those you care for.

To our students: You’ve shown courage in facing new experiences, perseverance in your studies, self-growth, and kindness in your interactions with others. Remember, growth often comes in the quiet moments when you’ve overcome obstacles that seemed insurmountable. Take pride in how far you’ve come,and know that every step forward matters.

To our parents and carers: Your support, encouragement, and understanding are invaluable. Whether it’s guiding through academic pressures, navigating friendships, or simply being a listening ear, your role is vital. Thank you for the dedication and care you show every day.

As the holidays approach, I encourage you to take time for rest, connection, and reflection. It’s a season for togetherness, but it’s also a time to honour self-care and embrace the joy of simple moments. Whether it’s sharing a meal, taking a quiet walk, or simply being present, these moments create lasting memories.

May this festive season bring peace, joy, and renewal to your hearts and homes. I look forward to seeing the continued growth and success of each student in the new year.

Remember to:

1. Recognise Emotions - acknowledging how you feel is the first step in prioritising your mental health. Don’t forget to check in with those you care for and encourage open conversations about feelings.
2. Look After Yourself - maintain healthy habits by eating nutritious food, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, getting quality sleep, and avoiding excessive alcohol and caffeine.
3. Choose Supportive Connections - whenever possible, spend time with people who uplift and value you. Prioritising positive relationships can enhance your sense of connection and wellbeing.
4. Have Realistic Relationship Expectations - be realistic about what you can expect from relationships during the holiday season. Setting achievable expectations can help reduce stress and prevent disappointment.
5. Set Boundaries - it’s okay to say no to things that don’t serve your wellbeing. Your needs are just as important as those of others, so prioritise activities that support your mental health.
6. Give Thanks - keep a daily gratitude list and focus on appreciating the small things. Practising gratitude can help shift your mindset towards positivity and contentment.
7. Take Time Out - allow yourself time for rest and relaxation. Go for a walk in nature, watch a movie, read a book, or engage in any activity that brings you joy and peace.
8. Create Your Own Traditions - whether you’re spending Christmas alone or with others, consider starting your own traditions. Choose activities that bring you joy and give you something to look forward to each year.
9. Gift Yourself - treat yourself to a gift, even something simple like a self-care stocking filled with items that lift your mood. You could also create one for a friend or neighbour—acts of kindness can boost mental wellbeing.
10. Connect and Give Back - engage with community groups or volunteer. Helping others is a great way to combat loneliness and build supportive relationships.
11. Keep Coping Strategies Handy - create a list of strategies that help you through challenging times and keep it somewhere visible for easy access when needed.
12. Seek support– whether it’s reaching out to a trusted friend or a professional support service, it’s important to acknowledge when you may need help. If you have been experiencing concerning symptoms for over two weeks, book an appointment with your GP, call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for 24-hour confidential health advice, or find a mental health service in your area.

Remember, you are not alone – there are plenty of support services and resources available. Here are a few:

The Black Dog Institute has developed tips to tackle common holiday worries.

Lifeline has created a similar Christmas holiday mental health toolkit.

Helping Minds has tips for protecting your wellbeing.

Dear Mind has tips on how to take time for yourself.

The Queensland Government’s mental wellbeing intiative offers wellbeing apps, courses, links and podcasts.

My mental health offers mental health carers and family support resources.

SANE Forums connect you with people who’ve been there too.

For phone support call:

Lifeline – 13 11 14 | https://lifeline.org.au/

Beyond blue – 1300 22 4636 | https://beyondblue.org.au/

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467 | https://suicidecallbackservice.org.au/

Kids Help Line – 1800 55 1800 | https://kidshelpline.com.au/

ADIS (alcohol and drug support) – 1800 177 833­

Credit to: https://www.qldmentalhealthweek.org.au/mental-wellbeing-holidays/

How to become a Computational Biologist

Computational biologists use advanced computer programming and mathematical modelling to analyse biological data. Their work helps solve complex biological problems, leading to breakthroughs in areas such as disease research, drug development, and environmental conservation.  If you’re fascinated by both the natural world and the power of technology, and have strong maths and computer skills, this career could be a perfect fit for you.

What skills do I need as a Computational Biologist?

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency in programming languages
• Solid understanding of biology
• Advanced mathematical and statistical knowledge
• Excellent data analysis capabilities
• Strong attention to detail
• Effective communication and collaboration
• Adaptability to new technologies

What does the job involve?

• Developing algorithms to analyse data and sequences
• Creating simulations of biological systems
• Using machine learning to predict biological phenomena
• Analysing large experiment datasets
• Collaborating with other researchers on experiments
• Writing and testing computer programs
• Interpreting complex biological data results
• Presenting findings at scientific conferences

What industries do Computational Biologists typically work in?

• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
• Health Care and Social Assistance
• Education and Training

What kind of lifestyle can I expect?

Most computational biologists work full-time in office or laboratory settings. The work can be intellectually demanding, with tight deadlines for projects or grant applications. However, it also offers a degree of flexibility, with opportunities for remote work in some cases.

Salaries for computational biologists are generally competitive, especially as you gain experience and expertise. The field offers excellent opportunities for career growth and the chance to work on cutting-edge research that can have significant impacts on human health, environmental conservation, and our understanding of life itself.

How to become a Computational Biologist

To become a computational biologist, start by earning a bachelor’s degree in computational biology, bioinformatics, or a related field like computer science. During your studies, it’s recommended to seek out internships or research assistant positions to gain practical experience. Many positions require advanced degrees, so you’ll likely need to pursue a Masters Degree or PhD, especially for research-focused roles. Throughout your education and career, you’ll also need to stay updated with the latest developments in both biology and computer science.

What can I do right now to work towards this career?

• Develop your programming skills through online courses or coding bootcamps.
• Join a biology or computer science club at your school. Look for summer programs or workshops in computational biology for high school students.
• Read scientific journals and blogs to stay informed about current research in the field.
• Reach out to local universities or research institutions to see if they offer shadowing opportunities.

Laptop - Minimum Specifications

Senior students are expected to have their own laptop to access digital learning every lesson.  

Minimum Specifications

Windows Laptops/Tablets - Minimum Specs 

• Windows 11
• Pentium (purchased 2017 onwards) or equivalent 
• 5Ghz compatible wireless card
• 4GB RAM
• 256GB SSD

MacBook/Pro/Air - Minimum Specs 

• i3 processor or higher
• 4GB RAM
• 128GB SSD

All BYO devices are expected to have a battery life to last a full school day (6 hours). 

All specialist Graphics / Engineering/ Multimedia/ Digital Technologies/ Film and TV classes are held in specialist school labs. Families of students undertaking specialist subjects (Graphics/Multimedia/Engineering) may wish to purchase laptops with equivalent specification to our computer labs. 

• i5 Processor
• 8GB Ram
• 256 SSD
• Dedicated graphics

Touchscreen and Stylus are optional. 

Microsoft Windows laptops are preferred for students undertaking specialist subjects.  

Software 

Free Microsoft Office  

All state school students from Prep–Year 12 can now download multiple free copies of the Microsoft Office 365 suite to their personal computer. 
To download Microsoft Office 365, click  here 
(You must have an active EQ email address & password) 

NOTE: 

• Dropbox and Google Documents are not accessible at school for students. Please use your EQ OneDrive account.
• Personal OneDrive accounts will not work at school
• iCloud does not work at school

Student Stationery Requirements 2024

Have Your Say

Ultimate Triple Treat NASA

Tilapia Tournament - 2024

2025 Scholarships

Mamu Community Xmas Party

Open Hearts

Uniforms Wanted!