8 August 2025

From the Executive Principal’s desk

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Nothing concerns a parent more than when their child seems tired, unmotivated, or is simply ‘not feeling it.’ I remember those mornings in my own home. Pleas for ‘just one day off’ would ring out from my children’s bedrooms and for a moment my heart would constrict at the thought of them in distress - should I just let them stay home?

Our children are the light of our lives and all we want to do is ensure their path through life is smooth. But our job as parents is to also teach our kids resilience, grit and determination. Sometimes this means being ‘tough’, even on those mornings when it’s gloomy and cold, or the idea of putting on their uniform feels like too much effort. As a parent and an educator, I’ve seen time and again how just getting through the front gate can completely turn a student’s day around. A lesson that sparks curiosity, a laugh with a friend, a positive word from a teacher; these moments only happen when on our children are on campus.

At Mansfield State High School, we believe deeply in the power of showing up. Not just for academic success, but for connection, confidence, and a sense of belonging. This is a large school, but at Mansfield, every student matters. Every student is welcomed, valued and known.

Attendance matters every lesson, every day. Each day at school is an opportunity to learn, to grow, connect and build the habits that support a successful future. When students attend school regularly, they:

• learn more effectively
• develop stronger friendships
• experience improvements in wellbeing
• feel part of something bigger
• belong.

On the other hand, even a few absences each month can lead to gaps in understanding, increased stress and a sense of falling behind. The bonds of friendship are eroded, jokes are missed and that moment to shine and feel good in an environment of learning are lost. Time matters in learning. And once it’s gone, it’s hard to catch up.

The result of days off is lost learning, and this will affect student performance. Regardless of how diligent a child is in attempting to catch up on days out of school, absences mean their achievement will suffer. That same distress we wanted to avoid, will simply turn up on their assessments and reports. We know that families are doing their best, and that sometimes absence is unavoidable. However, we encourage all families to be steadfast in prioritising school attendance, even on the tough days.

Let’s work together to build strong, healthy habits that give our students every chance at achieving their best. At Mansfield, showing up each day isn’t just about school; it’s about setting them up for a life of success.

Mrs Karen Tanks
Executive Principal

School notices

School musical 2025

In just over a week, our talented students will take to the stage to perform Charlie and the Chocolate Factory across four shows, including a Saturday matinee. There’s great seats still available, so jump online and book a ticket for what is sure to be another amazing school musical.

Showtimes are:

• 7.00pm Thursday 21 August
• 7.000pm Friday 22 August
• 1.00pm Saturday 23 August
• 7.00pm Saturday 23 August

Book your tickets here: www.trybooking.com/DARVB

For the audience at each show there’s a Candy Bar and some great door prizes for the holder of the golden tickets.

Thank you to our event sponsor Ray White Mt Gravatt for their support of our musical.

SET Plan for Year 10

Thank you to our school community for your support during the recent industrial action that resulted in the cancellation of MyPath and our Careers Expo. SET Plan interviews for students in Year 10 are mandated by the Department of Education and are being rescheduled to meet this requirement.

New date: Tuesday 2 September
Time: Bookings will be offered between 8.35am and 2.45pm

Information will be emailed to parents and caregivers at the end of Week 5 on how to book times through PTO.

2025 Awards Program

Information has been emailed to all parents, caregivers and students explaining the 2025 Awards Process. Please refer to this email for full details.

Please note:

• the 2025 Awards Handbook is on the school website
• there is a new calculation method for academic awards which is explained in the handbook
• the key dates are in the email and Awards Handbook.

Achievement

Diving success

Congratulations to Year 8 student Lincoln who competed at the School Sports Australia - National Aquatic Games last week. Lincoln achieved the amazing result of gold in all three of his individual events and a silver for mixed synchronised diving in an older age category.

An amazing result - well done Lincoln!

QMEA camp

Congratulations to Year 10 students Yasiru and Khushi who were selected among 20 students from a group of 118 applicants to attend a Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) camp at the University of Queensland in the school holidays. Over the three-day camp the students worked with university and industry experts to investigate, create and complete a series of engineering projects including an emergency services vehicle design and an autonomous mining truck.

The purpose of the camp is to expose students to real-world mining and engineering roles and strengthen their understanding of opportunities within the resources sector. It increases the student’s network of contacts and they develop relationships with fellow students as they work in teams.

The teams competed in a number of challenges at the camp, with Mansfield student Khushi a member of team JOAK, the overall winner of the MDP Challenge.

Queensland football selection

Congratulations to Year 7 student Bailey on her selection in the Queensland Girls Football 10-12 years team that will compete at the National Football Tournament in Ballarat during October.

Good luck Bailey and the Queensland team!

Learning

French Immersion camp

At the end of Term 2, our Year 9 French Immersion students attended the immersion camp on the Gold Coast. Staff from the camp were very impressed by our students’ positive attitude, teamwork, and willingness to dive into every activity - rain or shine. From chilled water adventures (raft building and stand-up paddle boarding) to group challenges (amazing race, team challenges, field games and archery), the students gave maximum effort and represented our school with pride. We’re so proud of their energy, effort, and the way they embraced every moment. Bravo! 

Bastille Day

Students were immersed in French culture and fun during Bastille Day celebrations! The day featured a variety of engaging activities, including a thrilling scavenger hunt, challenging word games, and a lively session of French karaoke that had everyone singing along. One of the highlights of the event was the inaugural Bastille Day Bake Off. Congratulations to our talented winners: Ella, Skye and Isla, whose delicious creations wowed the judges.

Merci to everyone who participated and helped make the day a memorable celebration of French language and culture!

Extracurricular events

French Theatre

At the end of Term 2, 60 Year 11 and 12 students attended a play performed in French. This was produced by the Brisbane French Theatre company which is a community theatre group that writes original plays performed in French, with the added bonus of English subtitles. This allows the play to be accessible and appreciated by non-French speakers and those who are learning French, as well as the French community in general. It was a wonderful night with lots of laughs and some students were able to meet the actors and congratulate them in French.  Bravo!

Year 11 Snow Trip

The Year 11 Snow Trip was a phenomenal week of extreme sports, snowball fights and buffet meals for a lucky crew of 50 students and 5 teachers.

The group enjoyed a stay at the Perisher Valley, NSW from Saturday 28 of June to Saturday 5 July during the school holidays. Spirits were high (even on the long bus trips to and from the snow fields) as students learned how to snowboard and ski in the various locations the Valley has to offer, such as Smiggin Holes, Blue Cow and Perisher itself.

Our days were filled with lessons from great instructors, pushing ourselves physically and mentally to the next level of sportsmanship, and unforgettable bonding experiences that ranged from getting stuck on chair lifts in the rain to stacking it on camera to much applause.

It was amazing to see the students step up in multiple ways, showing great resilience and determination, with some even managing the hardest runs at the end of the week after just picking up a board or skis for the first time! The group was kind, helpful and looked out for each other, which is a testament to the excellent cohort. Special shout-outs go to the winners of our much sought-after awards, in particular “The Kalpo” winners, Sophie and Lincoln, as well as the King/Queen of Snowboarding - Kyle and Emily, and King/Queen of Skiing - Ben and Eva. A huge thank you to all involved, including the parents/carers of the students in attendance and our teaching team on the trip.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 12

Next

School events

Visual Arts Open House

On Tuesday 22 July The Arts Department held a Visual Arts Open House, providing a valuable opportunity for our school community to view and celebrate the creative achievements of our Visual Art students across Years 7 to 12.

The event featured a diverse range of work, from drawing and painting to sculpture, digital art, and mixed media installations. All of our Art classrooms were filled with artwork and the gallery showcased some of our finest.

The quality and thoughtfulness of the work on display was impressive. Many pieces demonstrated a high level of technical ability, and others stood out for their strong conceptual development and individual voice.

We commend all participating students for their commitment and thank the Visual Art staff for their investment in students’ Arts Education and curating such a professional exhibition. Thank you also to the families and staff who attended and supported the event - your presence makes a real difference. The Open House was not only a showcase of artworks, but a genuine celebration of the role that creativity plays in student learning and wellbeing.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 15

Next

Meet a Scientist

“Meet a Scientist” presentations are informal scientific talks that offer students the opportunity to meet passionate scientists and ask all types of intriguing questions. These presentations are free and all students are always welcome.

We encourage all students with an interest in Science to come along to one of our Term 3 presentations from 3.00pm in the Science Centre.

Key dates

Service at Mansfield

Welcome to Service at Mansfield, a place where students can develop their leadership skills, enrich their school and local community, and most importantly create a culture of belonging which is our student school theme for 2025.

Interact Club of the Year

On Sunday 20 July, our Rauchle Service Club Executive Leaders proudly represented our school at the Rotary Youth Interact Conference, hosted at St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School—and returned with outstanding recognition as Rotary District 9620’s 2025 Interact Club of the Year.

Our RSC President Caesar, Vice-President Raina, Treasurer Ravneer, and Secretary Christina impressed the judges with their outstanding presentation, teamwork, and deep commitment to community values and "Service Above Self."

The conference also provided a valuable opportunity for our students to connect with Interact members from across the district, share ideas, and explore new ways to make a positive impact within both our school and the wider community.

This recognition reflects the strong culture of service that has long been embedded in our school, a foundation built by many dedicated students and teachers over the years, and one that clearly continues to flourish through the inspiring actions of today’s RSC leaders and Interactors.

We are immensely proud of the team’s hard work and passion and thrilled to see their dedication acknowledged beyond our school community.

Georgina Dunlop RSC Coordinator and Interact Coordinator Natalie Robinson

P&C Association

The next P&C meeting will be held Tuesday 26 August as an online meeting. Join us to discuss our exciting plans to improve the school’s physical environment in 2026 and beyond with information on how the P&C Association’s financial contributions will support these initiatives.

Date: Tuesday 26 August
Time: 6.30pm
Location: online with access via a link

The link to access the meeting will be automatically provided to all P&C Members. If you are not currently a member and would like to receive the meeting link, please register your details in our online form to receive the link: online meeting registration for non-members.

If you would like to become a P&C member, just fill in the online 2025 Membership Application form.

Any enquiries about the P&C can be emailed to  info@mshspc.com.au.

Employment opportunity

Our Uniform Shop is seeking a part-time Deputy Uniform Shop Convenor. This is a permanent, school-term paid position which would suit someone who is available to work mornings.

The Uniform Shop is operated by our P&C Association and this role includes:

• assisting parents and students to select uniform items
• processing and packing of online orders
• unboxing, counting and packing away of stock deliveries
• availability to work in the week before school returns in January each year.

While prior customer service experience is desirable; on the job training will be provided and applicants with before school availability during school terms, who are friendly and can work in a small team are encouraged to apply. A paid Working with Children Check (Blue Card) is required for this position.

To learn more about this opportunity or to submit an application, please email the Mansfield State High School P&C Association at info@mshspc.com.au before Tuesday 19 August.

Student services

Student Services team

QTAC information

Term 3 is a busy one for our Year 12 students with the opening of QTAC applications.  We are continuing to encourage our students to check the QTAC website for closing dates and regular updates to course information and university open days.

QTAC applications opened on Tuesday 5 August and students are encouraged to have their applications completed prior to Tuesday 30 September 2025 to take of advantage of the $70 application fee offer. After this date the fee will be $150 please visit QTAC for further details.

Classroom presentations

The Guidance Team have recently delivered university updates to Year 12s to keep them informed of what changes have been made to courses this year. The Guidance Team are also delivering presentations to each Year 12 classes over the next few weeks and will provide information relating to QTAC applications and preferencing of courses. 

We are asking students to fill in the preference sheet available on the Guidance Officer student sharepoint page before coming to see a Guidance Officer to assist with supporting the QTAC application process. Students can book an appointment with us by visiting Student Services or by emailing GuidanceStudentAppointments@mansfieldshs.eq.edu.au

Australian Institute of Family Studies

Have you heard about Australian Institute of Family Studies? This is a government funded website which has the latest research, publications and events relating to family matters.  There are also free webinars available.  “Supporting children’s wellbeing when working with separating parents” is being held on Tuesday 12 August 2025.

To register please visit the Australian Institute of Family Studies website.

Happy Families

Mansfield parents and caregivers are able to access the Happy Families website free of charge. If you have not already accessed this wonderful parent resource which has a wide range of parent resources including podcasts, books and articles, we highly recommend you take a look.

They process to access the site has been updated. Using the link below, please click through to the site and down to the form which will allow you to create a new Happy Families account to access your school membership. The code for Mansfield will automatically load if using the link below.

Mansfield Happy Families school account access: Click here

There is no charge to access this parent resource.