Nearly everyone knows someone diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), has a family member with ADHD, has been diagnosed themselves, or at the very least has heard of it. The growing understanding of ADHD has led to an acceptance and support for people with the condition, and in turn has helped to lift the stigma from those children and adults diagnosed with it. As a society, we have come a long way in our understanding of neurodiversity, however, there is still a long way to go, and I believe that as a community, we can make a difference by learning about ADHD and supporting those who have it.

Firstly, it is essential to see ADHD not a disease or a flaw. It is a fairly common neurodevelopmental condition that affects around one in twenty Australians. It affects the brain’s executive functioning — the ability to self-regulate and control thoughts, words, actions and emotions. 

It is normal for some people to have ADHD, just as it is normal for some people to be left-handed or have hazel eyes. It is a part of the diversity of human beings, and we must respect and appreciate this natural variance.

ADHD doesn't mean a person cannot be successful; in fact many people have harnessed some of its 'superpowers' to their own benefit. A few people you may not know have ADHD:

• Sir Richard Branson(Virgin Records / Airlines / Galactic)
• Scott Kelly (astronaut)
• Simone Biles (quadruple Olympic gold medal gymnast)
• Michael Phelps (23 Olympic gold medal swimmer)
• Ingvar Kamprad (founder of IKEA)
• Justin Timberlake (singer, actor, producer)
• Emma Watson (actress)
• Dave Grohl (musician)
• Liv Tyler (actress)
• ...and these are just some of the more well known people who have been outspoken about their ADHD. There would of course be many, many more highly successful people who haven't talked about it or may be unaware that they have ADHD.

Children with ADHD often have difficulty paying attention and focusing on tasks, which can be mistaken for laziness or a lack of motivation. They may also be impulsive, restless, and have difficulty controlling their emotions. However, with the right support and understanding, they can thrive in both academic and social settings.

As a school community, we can do our part in helping children with ADHD succeed. Firstly, we can educate our community about ADHD and learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms. We can also work with parents to develop individualised plans that can help support their child's unique learning style. This can include things like preferential seating, breaks during class, or extra time on assessments. With these accommodations, children with ADHD can feel more confident and motivated, which will help them to succeed.

Another crucial aspect of supporting children with ADHD is fostering a positive and inclusive classroom environment. We can encourage our students to embrace their differences and celebrate neurodiversity. By doing this, we can create a space where all students feel valued, respected, and supported.

With understanding and acceptance, we can help these children with ADHD thrive and reach their full potential. If you would like to learn more about ADHD, please follow this LINK.

- Mark Stevens, Head of Primary

There has been a recent change to the National Immunisation Program human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination schedule. The HPV vaccine is free for children in Year 7 through the Queensland School Immunisation Program. It provides protection against a range of HPV-related diseases, including cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, genital cancers, and genital warts.

In February 2023, the National Immunisation Program changed the recommended human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine schedule for Year 7 students from two doses to one dose, using the same vaccine. The expert Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has reviewed recent international scientific and clinical evidence and determined that a single dose of the HPV vaccine gives  comparable protection to two doses.

Beginning in the 2023 school year, the Queensland School Immunisation Program will provide the recommended one dose of HPV vaccine in line with the national advice. The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service Public Health Unit Immunisation service will continue using the on-line consent process as per previous years. You will receive an email with links to the consent form prior to your child’s clinic. 

Except for young people with certain immunocompromising conditions, students who have received their first HPV vaccine are now considered fully vaccinated and will not require any further doses. For those young people with certain immunocompromising conditions, there is no change to the recommendation of three doses of the HPV vaccine.

For more information, please contact Gold Coast Public Health Immunisation:

E: admin.immuniseGC@health.qld.gov.au

P: 1800 940 750

More information can be found at:

• HPV vaccine – Factsheet outlining changes under the National Immunisation Program in 2023
• Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
• Children and adolescents (10 - 19 years of age) - Vaccination Matters (initiatives.qld.gov.au)
• Immunisation | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

If parents are wanting to engage an occupational therapist, Aimee is a locally based OT from Kindercloud who will be starting sessions Mid-April. She is currently travelling away, however, if you would like to email her directly she assures me she will get back to you as soon as you can. Please contact her directly on the information below.

Mrs Kelly Pavey - Learning Enhancement Specialist

TMC’s Got Talent on March 29th promises to be an afternoon full of fun and entertainment. Students from Years 7 - 12 have been eagerly practising and preparing for their performances.

TMC’s Got Talent is an annual event that allows students to showcase their skills and talents in front of their peers and teachers. It is a great opportunity for students to gain confidence, showcase their creativity, and develop their performance skills.

The event will be restricted to a student-only audience due to venue and space constraints, but each act will be filmed and made available to performers.

We look forward to a fabulous afternoon of entertainment in week 10!

Ms Hanna Green

As we get back into a normal routine in Year 7, we are still reflecting on the wonderful time we had at camp. This week in ARC we looked at all the ways we showed our TMC values at camp. Students identified in themselves and others, ways they had shown Kindness, Integrity, Equity and Success.

Staff that attended the camp also completed this exercise and identified one student each as their Year 7 Camp Champion. Certificates will be awarded in assembly on Monday. 

Well done to all our Year 7 campers and special well done to these 6 students

Our champions are:

Lottie A

Levi B

George H

Marlee P

Eve S

Ariana S

Mrs Helen Garner

This week in Science, Year 9 has been investigating Body Systems. The students have been looking at the ways that organ systems interact and work together to maintain body balance.

As part of their learning, 9 Vic have built model lungs to demonstrate the role of the diaphragm in breathing. Hands-on exercises are a fun and effective way for us to learn new concepts.

Miss Liz Black

Today Year 2 had the pleasure to having a very special visitor at school. Ludo Stevens joined our English lesson this afternoon to help teach the students all about the procedure of washing a dog. Each week Year 2 have been focussing on a different procedure and writing the steps to complete a task. On Thursday the students wrote the steps for washing a dog and today we completed the task. Each child got to help with different steps such as wetting Ludo, washing Ludo, rinsing Ludo and drying Ludo. It was a great afternoon and Ludo was very well behaved. Thank you to the Stevens family for bringing him to school today! 

Mrs Gemma Newman and Ms Tahnee Brown 

Hello everyone, Director Fern here. We have had an absolute blast in drama this term so far with a crazy variety of lessons and projects. The Prep classes are currently working on freeze frame acting to make a photo-based picture book. They are going to be working on costumes and props soon. 

Year 1 is exploring puppets with a focus on fun characters, projecting their voices and soon making their own puppets. 

Each Year 2 class is creating their own story dance based on the same piece of music. The classes will share the performances with each other to see how the same heroic music shaped two different ideas. 

Year 3 is doing a deep dive into the elements of drama with lots of theatre exercises and games to highlight each concept. Later they will use what they have learnt to present short fairy tales plays to their classmates. 

Year 4 is developing a combined maze experience with actors throughout to create mood and excitement. The main focus is on how light and sound can be used to evoke emotion. 

Year 5 has been running lessons on stage fighting and sword work so that we can produce a choreographed and narrated battle to music. We have just locked in the characters and story. 

And finally Year 6 have been looking at short films as a snapshot of how to present the elements of drama. They will then create short films themselves - if we can track down all the props they want. Anyone have an ambulance lying around?! We are at the stage of building some things we need, to at least be symbolic of the props the Year 6's wanted.

There are a huge number of projects going on and I'm sure some of your children have been going home and telling you about swinging swords, or a witch's lair, or the door that tried to eat Mr Fern, or the Bear Game, or a hundred other little moments. I thought it would be nice to share how much fun we are having every day. 

Mr Stuart Fern

Pre Prep has had a super start to the year establishing new classroom routines, one of which is how we like to recycle and take care of our environment at ‘The Early Learning Centre’.  As we explored the centres ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ we discussed how we can look after the land.  

One of the ideas is what to do about rubbish. Pre Prep  explored the idea of learning which coloured bin was to be used for our rubbish and which one for paper to be recycled. Playing a game the children enthusiastically explored feeding the bins the right kind of rubbish!

Our families have been recycling at home too, supplying us with a variety of items that could have been thrown away but brought into the ELC.  Pre Prep have  collaborated on a  project called the  glueing  table to develop children's own awareness of what recycled materials might look like and be used for.

Learning Goals:

• To further develop an understanding of sustainability, looking at how objects can be reused.
• For the children to begin to use imagination and creativity as they glued different objects.
• For the children to begin to develop an understanding of a collaborative project, becoming aware that we are working together on one project .
• To support numeracy and literacy, classifying, counting objects, developing and awareness and purpose of text.   

Problem solving space and working together on shared ideas of cities and volcanoes Pre Prep is now buzzing with the knowledge that recycling/ reusing materials is fun when we do it together especially when we get to be creative and imaginative.  

Next we have just registered for a program to look after our outdoor environment, ‘Get Grubby’ which comes to us from an ABC Show with the same title.  Scenic Rim has supported us to subscribe so we can't wait to get started. 

Creativity and imagination  excites children’s curiosity and passion for learning. It enables learning to happen, as the mind opens up to new possibilities. This supports the development of lateral thinking and problem-solving skills that are necessary for academic success. It is for this reason that arts education is essential for a holistic curriculum that encourages self-expression, uniting the body and mind to transform learning for children.

Mrs Rachael Fernandez

Year 12's have been hard at work on their second art submission, their IA2. Pictured are Brody S and Anais B with Anais' final artwork.

Ms Jenny Radley

On Wednesday, two Year 5 and 6 mixed teams attended the Primary HIA Netball Day held at Jimboomba. The students have been training for the past 3-4 weeks, with many of them never playing Netball before. 

TMC took on both The Koorablyn International School and Hills College throughout the day. Team 1 consisting of all Year 6 students, won all three of their games by convincing margins while Team 2, who were made up of both Year 5 and 6 students, won one of their games and narrowly lost the other two.

This meant as a whole, TMC were equal winners for the event, tied with Hills College.

All students should be commended on their effort, attitude and enthusiasm throughout training and the competition. 

We would also like to thank our High School students, Annabelle Holmes and Grace Lawrie who gave up their time to umpire games throughout the day for us. 

Mr Luke Bourke

View the schedule for the Tamborine Mountain Show Here

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