Principal Perspective
Welcome back to Term 3!
I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable school holiday break. After what was a busy Term 2, we now look forward to an exciting new term, which has already started with a flurry of activities for our students - including the Mackay Gala Cricket Days, our WWI Front Trench Incursion, Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival, JCU Uni Experience, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music Pathways Outreach Tour, and our NAIDOC AFL House Challenge.
A Positive Start to Term 3
Semester 2 commenced with Positive Culture Day in Care Groups, and it was fantastic to see students engaged in activities designed to strengthen peer connections and enhance House spirit. I commend our students on their positive start and contributions to Care Group culture.
We also took this opportunity to celebrate students who have achieved highly in our attendance benchmarks. Those reaching 95% attendance received recognition, along with the recipients of our 100% attendance draw, proudly sponsored by the P&C Association.
2025 NAIDOC Week Celebrations
Our NAIDOC Week celebrations kicked off last Friday with our AFL House Challenge on the oval. It was wonderful to see strong participation from both junior and senior students, as well as enthusiastic support from spectators.
Special thanks to Joel Newman (Gold Coast Suns Academy Lead) and Brett Baldwin (Mackay Game Development Officer) for running skills sessions and games. Thank you to Chris Viti from Mackay Hospital and Health Service for hosting the Deadly Choices tent, and to Mr Kapitz for organising the event. A big thank you to all staff and students who contributed to making the day such a success.
This year marks 50 years of NAIDOC celebrations with the theme: “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy.”
Our First Nations staff, Mr Arthur Gabey and Mrs Kelli McDonald, have prepared a fantastic calendar of events. This week began with a traditional smoking ceremony and cultural welcome by Mr Robert Congoo during assembly, followed by our First Nations Student Forum in the Resource Centre. Other NAIDOC activities include cultural art workshops, an Eco Barge Clean Seas excursion, a daily "Hunting and Gathering" Care Group challenge, yarning circles, and health talks.
A full gallery of images from the week's events will be featured in our next newsletter.
Senior Student Opportunities
This Friday, former students will return to speak with our senior students about their journeys into tertiary study and employment. These insights will no doubt be valuable, and I encourage students to ask questions and seek advice. We sincerely thank these graduates for reconnecting with our school community and look forward to welcoming them back.
- Imogen Tulk
- Jack Handley
- Grace McDonald
- Sam Rogers
Subject Expo and Information Evening this Thursday
We’re excited for our upcoming Year 9 into 10 and Year 10 into 11 Subject Expo and Information Evening. This is a great opportunity for students and families to speak with the Leadership Team and Heads of Department about senior subject offerings and future career pathways.
Students will explore the displays during Period 4 on Thursday, 24 July, in the Multi-Purpose Hall. Families are welcome to join from 5:00pm. We look forward to seeing you there!
Parent/Teacher Interviews Now Open
Report cards were emailed to families last Friday, along with instructions for booking Parent/Teacher Interviews online. Our school values strong partnerships between home and school. These interviews are essential for academic success, improving performance, supporting student well-being, identifying concerns early, and maintaining consistent support.
We encourage all families to book interviews and connect with teachers. For assistance, please reach out to your child’s teacher. Interviews will be held on Tuesday, 29 July, from 3:30pm to 5:40pm in our Multi Purpose Hall. Please click the following link to book your interviews.
Extra-Curricular Excursions
Last Friday, two exciting excursions took place: a group attended the Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival in Mackay, while our Year 11 students travelled to Townsville for the James Cook University Open Day. Staff reported outstanding behaviour and respectful conduct from our students - well done to all! Thank you to our staff who supported and facilitated these valuable experiences. Student voice from both events has been shared below in our Outside the Classroom section of this newsletter.
Push For Better Wrap-Up
Thank you to our school community for supporting our 2025 Push For Better campaign. This year, 77 students, staff, and community members participated, raising an impressive $3,038.
Together, we completed 222,631 push-ups during the month of June! These efforts help fund the vital work of our local Mackay/Whitsunday Lifeline Service.
Thank you to our Year 11 and 12 student ambassadors, Tyler Hicks and Savannah Lamont, for their leadership and commitment to this important cause.
