2008 Newsletters (PDF Format - Click on Issue links to open)

Issue 1 Highlights.

USA TRIP

We went, we saw, we returned…..

And we’re very happy to be home. “The USA is a very interesting place” was what most        students said - most were never happier to see their      families, even usually annoying younger siblings.

    The twenty-five Prossy High students who accompanied Miss Murray, Mr Albion and Miss Kuypers did us so proud. They represented our school in a mature and responsible manner and the fact that there were no major mishaps is a credit to not only the accompanying teachers but also the students themselves.

There was a diversity and multitude of amazing experiences -  some of them included the sea lions at Pier 39 in San Francisco, the Christmas parade at Disneyland, the world renowned fish ‘show’ at Pike Place Market in Seattle and skiing in the Cascade Mountains.

We shared lots of laughs, misplaced items and sheer exhaustion. Thanks to everyone who helped us get to the USA for our unforgettable holiday.

Angela Murray

Issue 2 Highlights.

COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION

On the Australia Day weekend in January, Whitsunday RADF (Regional Arts Development Fund) and the Whitsunday Shire Council held its inaugural photographic exhibition. Over 260 photos were entered into five main categories. The young adult category (13-17) was taken out by Proserpine State High School students with Emma Jago (first), Jessica Eriksson (highly commended) and James Bedford (commended). Well done!

Issue 3 Highlights.

YEAR 10 SCIENCE CLASSES
DO SOME DISSECTING
Year 10 classes got down and dirty this week dissecting sheep brains. In our science classes we have been learning how the brain functions, what triggers emotions and what parts of the brain cause them. We have also been learning the parts of the brain like the cerebellum, amygdale, frontal lobe, cerebral cortex and many more. The reason we dissected the sheep brains was to get an idea of what the anatomy of a brain is really like. Dissecting the sheep brain was a very educating experiment. I learnt a lot about the brain and I found it very interesting and I’m sure that the rest of my class and other classes did as well.

Tahlia Adamson Year 10 student

Whitsunday Squash Trials

Valentines Day (February 14)

Each year I have been at Prossie High I have thought what a strong contingent of squash players we have had to send up to Townsville for the NQ trials. This year I am positive it is the strongest group yet. Remember that last year a record five players made the NQ team from here, and we still have four of those in contention.

      The senior boys group was full of depth. I feel I have to give a special mention to the players who didn’t make it first. The Tyler brothers, Ryan and Nick, Nathan Sloan and Hylton Warren could easily have gone with a second boy’s team and acquitted themselves well.

So, a lengthy congratulations to Clare Faust, Amy Humphries, Jessica Baxter and Samantha Camm (senior girls), Frans Badenhorst, Soren Knight, Adam Roff and Luke Murray (senior boys), Emma Deicke, Kate Roulston and Lauren Waller (junior girls) and Luke Henry, Sam Hinschen and Luke Willars (junior boys).

Kate and Lauren are better known as rep tennis players, Kate playing for NQ last year, but because there are no tennis trials this year, they and some of the other tennis players decided to try out for another racquet sports.

Good luck to all those players who now trial at the Dalrymple courts in Townsville on Saturday, 8 March.

Roger Madsen

Issue 4 Highlights.

‘STEP OUT’ Bricklaying Program
Sixteen students from years 10, 11 and 12 have enrolled with Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Foundation (ABBTF), ‘Step Out’ program. The course runs for five days and the students involved will learn useful ‘hands-on’ industry skills such as planning and organizing work, reading and interpreting plans , basic setouts, measurements and calculations, using tools, laying bricks and blocks and also learning how to comply with OHS requirements.

This free project is part of the Bricklaying Apprenticeship Support Scheme that was launched in 2007 to address the state’s skill shortage in bricklaying. The boys under the instruction of Val and Steve Manely will construct a garden wall at the front of the school. At the completion of the project they will all receive a certificate of participation and three budding students have the opportunity to attend a thirteen week intensive training course in Mackay. ABBFT then actively seek full time employment offering financial support for these students should they take on an apprenticeship.

WSILS

Year 10 Food Technology students recently had the pleasure of a demonstration from Marino Roberto, the Whitsundays most accomplished pasta maker. Special thanks to Marino for giving us his valuable expertise and taking time out from his very successful Deli on the main street of Airlie Beach. Thanks for the delicious pasta!!Many thanks, on behalf of all Year 10 Foods students,

Angela Murray

Positive Pathways

Last week, (25-29 February) a group of students from the Special Education Unit and Learning Support Centre embarked on a trip to the Australian Agricultural College at Burdekin. It was here that they started completing competencies, that will ultimately see them attain a Certificate I in Rural Operations. The students that are undertaking this course are Ben Adriaans, Jardi Bauer, Jake Coyne, Sigrid Eitler, Michael Nicholls, Sarah O’Brien and Trevor Ritchie. All students worked hard across the week and participated in things such as operating and servicing chainsaws and mowers, basic landcare and building maintenance and riding horses. The students will be heading back to Burdekin on 28 April to complete more competencies focussing on agricultural support work. Everyone that attended the trip had a fantastic time, and can’t wait to head back again!

Shelly Swan

Issue 5 Highlights.

Horrorific Production

Mrs Napier is M.I.A., nobody can make a phone call into or out of J block staffroom, the stage in the Multi-Purpose Hall is permanently cluttered with paint, backdrops and all sorts of weird and wonderful props, a  multitude of staff are madly painting, promoting, planning or pinning and  students are dashing out of classes for fittings, meetings and rehearsals – all sure signs that this year’s musical production is well and truly underway.

Little Shop of Horrors, a musical by composer Alan  Menken and writer Howard Ashman is about  nerdy  florist shop worker, Seymour, who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. Based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, this Broadway hit has been staged all over the world and now comes to the Whitsundays.

Starring Rohan Hughes as Seymour, Alex Davies as Audrey and a host of other talented young performers, Little Shop of Horrors sure was a frightfully spectacular event. No doubt, Proserpine High once again did justice to a classical stage production.

Season Kick Off

School Boys Rugby League has played two games since the last newsletter. Our first game was an away match against Mirani State High School in the year 8s; U15s and Opens age groups. In a tight match Mirani won the year 8 game by two points with a try in the last minute of the match.

     The Prossie U15s won convincingly at seven tries to nil, Harry Quod scored four tries! The Opens represented by five year 11s and five year 10 boys played with some Mirani subs against the Mirani A side.

The Prossie ‘young guns’ were in the game at halftime sixteen to twelve but lost the second half as fatigue set in.

Last Wednesday (round 2), we had our first home games at Les Stagg oval – thanks to the senior teams for letting us use their field. The year 8 team was a pleasure to watch as they calved up the Sarina side to win thirty-two to zip! The U15s, after leading twelve to nil, had a moment of madness where Sarina scored three tries to lead by four at the break. With the large crowd of supporters behind them, the boys came home to win thirty-two to sixteen at fulltime.

The Opens rejuvenated by the return of their five year 12 players were courageous in their defence against a side that dominated possession of the football and position on the field. The boys repelled attack after attack to be defeated sixteen to six in a physically demanding encounter. The referees were fantastic thanks Corbin, Brian and Dave although, I’d suggest ear plugs to keep the bugs out for our next home games on April 23 and 30.

See ya there.

Ian Dachs

Issue 6 Highlights.

On Saturday 1 March, Proserpine High rugby league players were privileged to have a training session with Johnathan Thurston from the North Queensland Cowboys. Johnathan taught the boys some new drills and answered an array of questions from the players.

A big thanks to Filby’s Motors Proserpine for their support, Mr Ian Dachs, Deputy Principal who made this all possible. It was great to see all players were having fun and enthusiastic to have Johnathan present. Well done to Proserpine High rugby players, your participation in this event is praiseworthy. A great start to a new season.

Miss Leah O’Donohue

Issue 7 Highlights.

Paced out space!!

It was amazing to find out how spaced out our solar system is.  On Thursday, 24 April, Ms Robert’s year 10 science class paced out a model of our solar system. Starting at the front gate, with a basket ball to represent the sun, we walked to each planet and placed an item of proportional size to represent the planets.

     Mercury was a mere grain of sugar 10 metres away from the basket ball ‘sun’. Venus and Earth were a little bigger represented by a grain of coffee sugar at E and K blocks. Mars was the same size as Mercury and was located at D block. It was weird to look back from D block to see the basketball ‘sun’.  Jupiter, the largest planet, was on the volley ball courts and was the size of a ping pong ball. We used a Smartie to represent Saturn to show its odd shape because of its rings. This was placed at the end of the cricket pitch. Uranus would have been in the neighbouring cane paddock, with Neptune and Pluto being in the very far distance.

Our solar system really is massive!! We are now looking forward to presenting our models on seasons, eclipses,          equinoxes and solstice.

Rebecca Roberts

Issue 8 Highlights.

Issue 9 Highlights.

Issue 10 Highlights.

Fanfare
On Tuesday, 3 June, the Instrumental Music Program sent two ensembles, Concert Band and Stage Band to the Whitsunday regional final of Fanfare, a state-wide music competition run by Education Queensland. For our students, it was an opportunity to perform in a professional venue – the Mackay Entertainment Centre, receive feedback from industry professionals, and hear what other student ensembles are performing. After listening to ensembles from Sarina to Bowen perform, we felt confident that our music-making skills are amongst the best in the district. We brought home two SILVER AWARDS, and a solid second place in the competition. Congratulations must be offered to Mackay North who put on a truly polished performance and raised our expectations of our own playing standards. The adjudicator made special note of our students’ stage presence, expression in playing, and the musical strength of our soloists, Rohan Hughes (trumpet), Lawson Mee (tenor sax) and Alex Davey (vocals.). I was personally delighted with the response of the audience to our performance. Numerous people from the public pulled me aside to express their delight in the entertainment value of our show. We always seem to win the crowd! Congratulations instrumentalists!

Deb Tunbridge

HOME ECONOMICS UPDATE
 

Under 8s Big Morning Out
 

As part of Certificate III assessment, Mrs Haig’s year 12 students participated in Under 8s Big Morning Out celebrations on Thursday, 29 May. Mrs Reichel’s year 11 students came along and had the opportunity to soak up the kid’s enthusiasm, enjoy the fun atmosphere by return to their childhood themselves, by observing and participating in the activities on offer. This yearly event was held on the grassed area at the rear of Proserpine State School.

The purpose of the Big Morning Out for Certificate III students was to demonstrate their ability to:·

plan, prepare, deliver and evaluate activities appropriate to the under 8 age group;·

interact appropriately with children and their parents;·

to design activities which were gender and culturally appropriate;·

to investigate the Workplace, Health and Safety requirements;·

complete risk assessments for the specific activities students designed.

Students returned to the high school very weary, but excited from their successful real life experience with under 8 children. Many thanks to the coordinators, Suzanne Connors and Christina Gounaris, for the opportunity to demonstrate our competencies.

Year 12 Certificate III students

Issue 11 Highlights.

Well done!

Issue 12 Highlights.

Issue 13 Highlights.

Issue 14 Highlights.

Issue 15 Highlights.

Issue 16 Highlights.

Issue 17 Highlights.

Issue 18 Highlights.

2008 REEF FESTIVAL WEARABLE ART AWARDS

Saturday 15 November

There are age categories for ages over grade three (including adults/teachers), a special category for The Year of the Reef (with age prizes too) and a category for Whitsunday winners (Wearable Art that has previously won prizes here).

Thank you to all the students who have already entered the 2008 Wearable Art Awards. There are some really interesting entry descriptions and it promises to be an exciting event. 

There have been some exciting developments in the Reef Festival Wearable Art

· The Rotary Club of Airlie Beach has offered sponsorship of the prizes to encourage youth creativity and there are now some great cash prizes being offered in all categories. There will also be a Public Choice voting prize.

· The film maker who will be filming the Wearable Art Event will definitely be there, thanks to Rotary’s      assistance. It is a great chance for you to appear on national TV on the Aurora Channel. The film maker will prepare his footage as part of the TV documentary as well as making a DVD available for all entrants.     

· A private photographer will be with the event all day and will take photos of each entrant which will be available on very inexpensive individual CDs.

Be part of the colourful and exciting Reef Festival. Go on the Reef Festival website to see what else is happening at: www.whitsundayreeffestival.com.au. Remember too, that anyone can put a float in the street parade and you are welcome to feature your wearable art creation on a float to give it even greater exposure.

Issue 19 Highlights.

Issue 20 Highlights.