Term 3 - Week 6 - August 2025

From The Principal

Dear Parent and Carers,

Congratulations to Year 12 Outdoor Recreational Studies class who have just completed a two-night hike to through the Goldfield Trail, Wooroonoonran National Park.  A massive thank you to Mr Paton, Mr Dennis and Miss Carr for leading this hike.

Student Education Training Plan (SETP) Year 10

Congratulations to all the Year 10 students who participated in Student Education Training Plan meetings with school staff.  This vital interview provides support and direction to students to plan their Senior Schooling and beyond pathway.

Thank you to Mr Rohl, Mrs Paton and all the staff involved with SET planning team for leading this process with our students.

No New Learning Day

Once again, a massive thank you to our school community for providing the opportunity for teachers to undertake the before phase of learning moderation planning today.  Tully SHS staff are extremely grateful to our community for supporting our teachers with this vital planning day. 

There will not be a planned day in Term 4.  Tully SHS staff will be provided time in the final week of school year to complete this vital work.

Your feedback on the continuation of these days in 2026 is vital.  Could you please reach out to a member of the P & C Association to provide your feedback. 

Staffing Updates

There have been some significant staff changes due to emergent personal reasons for a number of staff.  We always aim to support all staff and where possible aim to ensure continuity for students. 

The following staff changes are:

• Thank you to Ms Cassie Maddocks and Mr Blair Mortimer who are finishing this Friday at Tully SHS. All the best with the birth of your baby. We wish you all the very best for the future.
• Ms Ebony Harper is currently on leave
• Ms Shayna Jarick is currently on leave to the end of term

Welcome to Miss Keely Jones and Ms Jacqui Garrigan – teachers joining our staff this week.

Further, I am on Long Service Leave from today to 5 September.  Thank you very much to Ms Susan McQuillan who will be acting Principal in my stead.

Student Leadership Positions 2025-2026

Congratulations to our Year 11 students who have nominated for student leadership positions at our school.  The students have been introduced on a full school parade, interviewed by a panel and will be presenting their speeches on Assembly on Monday.

As a community, we have so much to be proud of as our future student leaders are outstanding role models and wonderful caring young adults!  We look forward to announcing the leaders in our Week 9 full school parade.

Instrumental Music Concert

Tully SHS Instrumental Music students, together with the Cluster schools, will present the annual Tutti Frutti concert on Tuesday 2 September at 6pm in the MPC.  The whole community is invited to come along and watch our wonderfully talented students.

Student Free Day

Friday 5 September will be a student free day for all Queensland State Schools.  Teachers have worked these additional hours throughout the year and will not be at school on this day.  There will be very limited staff available on this day.  The purpose of this student free day is to allow the QCAA confirmers to review Year 12 student assessments. 

School Uniform Expectations

Could I remind all parents/carers and students that all students are required to wear closed-in shoes to school at all times.  Crocs are not acceptable footwear but will be supported if students have medical evidence to advise that they must be worn.

The school has received feedback regarding the School Dress Code, in particular winter uniform jumpers.  At the P&C meeting last evening, it was determined that a full review of the school dress code policy will occur at the next meeting – 22 October.  I encourage parents and carers to come along and provide your feedback.

We thank our staff, students and parents for ensuring we are always focussed on safe, respectful relationships at all times.  Please keep up to date with the school website and social media pages as there is so much going on at this time of the year.

Yours in learning,
Ms Helen Carne
Principal

State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP)

Congratulations to Jake, Grace and Nina for being selected to participate in Griffith University's Middle School State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) over the weekend. 

They found the program challenging but absolutely worth the effort, gaining valuable experience and working alongside talented musicians from across the region.

Over just two days, the SHEP concert band prepared a variety of pieces, culminating in a final performance to showcase their talents. The quality and sound were incredibly impressive – especially considering the group had only come together on Friday!

 Our photos show:

 Nina, Grace and Jake with conductor Sharelle Guest at the SHEP concert, moments from the weekend. 

SLT News

TULLY’S GOT TALENT!

It takes a big dollop of courage and confidence to nominate for an event like this, and then to follow through! But every year certain students do this, and provide their peers with a total break from their everyday mundanities and pressures - entertaining them, amusing them, wowing them.

Riley Emmi – who is a regular performer - opened the event with a heart-felt song. Dancers Alicia and Isla, in their individual items, could have been dancing on a professional stage, as they probably will in the future. Natalie and Peria sang with obvious enjoyment and harmony, Stephanie surprised everyone with her powerful voice and guitar accompaniment, and our resident stand-up, Jake, gets smoother and funnier every year. And a group of Year 12 boys performed their swan song – Love – with glorious abandon!

Inspirational, heart-warming, hilarious – a unique Tully High event!

PUPCAKE DAY

Two days later, the SLT sold out of the many cupcakes they baked (and received from some valued donors!) to raise funds for Paws & Claws, the Animal Refuge in Innisfail that we have been supporting for years. Typically, one of their staff accepts the ‘cheque’ on an Assembly, accompanied by one or two of their clients, who immediately melt the student hearts around them. Total money raised has not yet been finalised: we expect it to be close to $600.

NEW TEAM

It is almost time for the Year 12s on our team to leave us, making way for the newly elected leaders of 2025 – 2026. The exiting President, Jarrod Vipiana, and Vice-President, Lacey Condon, have been utterly superb leaders in every way. We hold them in the highest esteem, and will not be surprised to learn about their future successes and achievements. They have been outstanding role models for the team – we are confident that this will be reflected by the other members who are moving forward in the new phase.

English Department

English external exam prep - save the date!

Tuesday is an important day for Year 12 General English students.  We have again arranged our annual English Teachers Association of Queensland exam prep seminar and workshop after school from 3 - 5.30 in the library on Tuesday 26th August.

We provide food and refreshment from 2.45 - 3.00 so the students are fuelled and ready for learning. 

Generally, we get a very high attendance rate, and students find the resources, and the Statewide Q & A session very supportive for their study.  

We have also recently viewed a professional performance of Macbeth and conducted a workshop with the actors from the Grin'n'Tonic Theatre Troupe.  In addition, students have access to the Digital Theatre platform for resources to aid in their study for their final exam.   

Coming up in week 7 is the critical mock exam which will provide valuable feedback to teachers and students.  

Please support your child to attend this very important afternoon of learning.

Kathleen Macdonald
Head of English

QATSIF Graduation Ceremony - JCU Cairns

Year 12 QATSIF (Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation) recipients attended a graduation ceremony at Smithfield JCU Campus on Wednesday 06 August. Tully SHS Indigenous Leader Rosealee Norris did an amazing job as the female host.

The ceremony included a range of speakers that provided messages of resilience and determination to strive for better education. The event celebrated the efforts and achievements of Year 12 QATSIF students.

Tully SHS Sports News

FUNDING FOR REPRESENTATIVE SPORT 

Funding is available for students who are selected in Peninsula and Queensland School Sport teams.  Funding is usually available from $50 to upwards of $200 (State) and $500 (National) and is often available up to six months after the championships.  Please check eligibility criteria and information on applying at the links below: 

Cassowary Coast Council Community Grants 

Emerging Athlete Pathways Funding 

Local Sporting Champions Sport Australia 

TSHS P&C – Letter required to request support pandc@tullyshs.eq.edu.au  

Next Step – State School Leavers Survey

The Department of Education is keen to hear from Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school during 2024, before completing Year 12.  

 Eligible students will shortly receive a letter with a personalised link to complete a 5-minute survey. Students may also be contacted by email or phone and have the chance to win an iPad Air for participating.

 The results will help us improve learning experiences and supports for future students. We ask that parents and carers please encourage them to take part.

For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep/ or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

Hearing Screening Clinic - School Holidays

Queensland Sport and Recreation

 Play on! Vouchers:                                              

The Play On! Sports Vouchers program is now OPEN for applications.

Queensland sporting organisations, this is your chance to grow.

• More sign-ups
• More members
• More kids getting active

The Play On! Sports Vouchers are more inclusive, so now’s the time to check your eligibility and apply.

If you're a registered provider of previous Queensland Government voucher programs, you’ll need to log in, confirm your details, and accept the new Play On! terms and conditions to keep redeeming vouchers.

Check your details here: https://sr-cp.sr-enquire.cloud/login

Let’s get more Queensland kids into sport and active recreation!

www.qld.gov.au/playon #PlayOnQld

Tully SHS Student Absences:

                                      Tully SHS Absence Reminders 

A friendly reminder to please notify the school if your student will be late, absent, or requires an early leave pass.

You can contact us via:

Text: 0429 043 650

Call: (07) 40 684 555 (Press 1)

QParents: Log in and submit your student’s absence online

When notifying us, please include:

Student’s full name

Year level

Reason for the absence/early leave/late arrival

Thank you for helping us keep accurate records and support student safety and wellbeing.

QParents - How to register

Creating a QParents account requires you to complete a 4-step registration process.

    1.Enter the invitation code

You must receive an invitation letter or email with your unique invitation code before you can complete this step. If you have not received an invitation letter or email, please contact the school via phone on (07) 4068 4555 or via email at info@tullyshs.eq.edu.au. To enter your code and get started, click register your interest at https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/landing.

    2. Verify your identity

Select next and after accepting the terms and conditions of use of QParents, you will be required to verify your identity by completing an online 100 point identification check using documents including Australian Passport, drivers license, birth or marriage certificate or Medicare card.

    3. Create a QParents account

You will be required to create a QParents account using an email address as your account name. That email address will need to be confirmed before your account will be activated. You may, optionally, also provide a mobile number which will be used by QParents to verify your identity (e.g. send you an SMS code to enter into QParents).

    4. Add your child

Step four, can be done either online or using the QParents app. You will need to request access to view your child's information. You will need to know your child's EQID to do this. You can find the EQ ID on your child’s ID card, report cards, OneSchool or school invoices. It consists of 10 numbers and one letter. The school can also provide this number if needed. After completing these steps, your request to create a QParents account will be sent to your child's school for final approval. 

Why do you need a QParents Account?

 QParents allows parents to connect instantly with their child’s school to access and manage their child’s student information, including:

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence
• Behaviour information
• Academic report cards
• Providing consent for excursions and online services
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details  
• Parents can view or update their child’s details without having to contact the school
• Available anytime, anywhere!                                                                                                                                                

Tully SHS P&C

🧥 Uniform Shop Reminder
Just a reminder that the uniform shop is only open on Wednesdays 8am – 9am.
The new hooded jumper is now available for just $35 – get yours while stock lasts!

P&C Announcement

We have had to make some changes to up-coming meetings due to clashes with other school events.

Please note the new dates:               

Term 4           Wednesday 15 October                  5.30 Grandstand meeting Room

If you have students needing to travel for representative activities both Local or State the P&C is available to provide some financial support, if requested.

The student will need to send a letter of request to panc@tullyshs.eq.edu.au.

T.S.H.S. Tuckshop Menu - Banny Bites

Apprenticeships @ Tully Sugar

Tropical Art Deco Festival

Supagas - Yes We Can

Cardwell Community Rebuild Info Session

T.S.H.S Dress Code

Uniforms Wanted!