Alstonville High School Newsletter...2019/09/25 · Alstonville High School Newsletter: Issue 15,...

Alstonville High School Newsletter: Issue 15, 25 September 2019

Alstonville High School Newsletter

Developing future citizens and leaders of the community – life long learning!

Cawley Close Alstonville Phone: (02) 6628 5222 Web: alstonvill-h.schools.nsw.gov.au

Fax: (02) 6628 123 Email: [email protected]

Issue 15 25 September 2019

Our strategic guiding question? How can we ensure that our students achieve at least one year’s worth of learning growth from one year’s worth of teaching?

Values

We value and support:

A positive, healthy and safe

learning environment

Respectful attitudes and

actions

Diversity

Pursuit of personal excellence

Service to community

Team work

Quality learning and teaching

Initiative, leadership and self-

discipline

Learning

We aspire to be:

Life-long learners

Creative and critical thinkers

Effective communicators

Skilled in literacy and numeracy

Independent and organised

Competent and innovative with

technology

Environmentally, socially and

culturally informed

Caring and compassionate

Alstonville High School

Our community values integrity

in all aspects of life

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Term 3

25 Sep Wed P&C meeting

26 Sep Thurs Movie World Year 12

27 Sep Fri Year 12 Breakfast & Presentation

27 Sep Fri Last day of Term 3

Term 4

14 Oct Mon Staff and students return for Term 4

17 Oct Thur HSC exams start


Principal’s report

Year 12 Graduation

Friday marks the last day of school for our current Year 12. The day will commence with breakfast. Thank you to the P&C for

catering for students, parent/carers and staff. This will be followed by a formal graduation ceremony in the hall to acknowledge

year 12 student’s efforts this year. Then all they have to do to complete their schooling is sit their HSC exams, which commence

on Thursday, 17 October. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

Southern Cross University Headstart Program

On Wednesday, September 11, after submitting my last newsletter report, I was delighted to attend the presentation ceremony

for students who had completed their first university course whilst still at school. We had nine Year 11 students complete one of

four courses offered. Of those nine students, 3 received High Distinctions, and 2 Distinctions. Two of the students Charlotte Lopes

and Ashleigh Larrescy were the highest achieving students in their respective courses. Ashleigh Larrescy and Lisa Rheinberger were

also asked to speak on behalf of their fellow students regarding their impressions of their courses. Fantastic effort for all students.

YAM

Year 9 students will be involved in the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program early term 4 with 3 sessions. It is supported

by the Black Dog Institute to promote increased discussion and knowledge about mental health as well as developing emotional

intelligence and problem-solving skills.

Term 4

When we return in Term 4, Year 11 students will commence their HSC study. On Monday, October 14, the year 11 students will

be involved in a study and team building day to acknowledge that transition from Preliminary to HSC. They will receive their HSC

assessment books and useful information on how to successfully make it through the year.

Course patterns for 2020 year 11 and year 9 students have been created based in student choices made earlier in term 3.

Current year 10 and year 8 students will finalise their elective choices for 2020 and the timetable team will construct the new

timetable based on this. Juniors will be undergoing their final assessments as the term progresses, so it is a good time to start

revising course content covered this semester.

LIFE LAUNCHER to help kick-start careers

Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Dr Geoff Lee joined Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell today to officially launch a new

website aimed at helping high school students achieve their career goals.

Mr Lee said the NSW Government’s new LifeLauncher site would give students some guidance when it comes to figuring out

their future post-school.

“We know finding the right career pathway can be daunting, so we want to help students by making it as easy as possible to take

the next steps in their lives,” Mr Lee said.

“LifeLauncher will provide information about jobs and how you can achieve your career ambitions through vocational education

and training or university study.

“It also includes concise labour market information to help students understand the future potential of career and study choices.”

Ms Mitchell said it is not uncommon for students to feel lost at the end of school, with so many tertiary courses to choose from

today.

“This site will not only be hugely helpful for school graduates; parents, teachers and careers advisers will also be able to use the

platform to ensure students are supported in making these significant life decisions.”

The platform will combine information on over 3,700 careers and links to 1,534 vocational education and training and university

courses, as well as statistical information on careers and their employment prospects

Attendance and on time

As previously indicated, regular attendance at school is a really significant factor for student success. Not only do students have

the opportunity to complete schoolwork, but also students who attend regularly display enhanced levels of resilience, are more

engaged with their learning and maintain stronger peer relationships. They are less likely to be negatively affected by bullying and

do better academically.

https://lifelauncher.nsw.gov.au/


Simple number facts – 1 day absent per week, equates to 40 days per year, which over 6 years of secondary schooling equates to

1 year and 1 term missed. That is a lot of knowledge lost.

It is also important that students arrive at school on time, with enough time before the start of the first class to catch up with

friends and orientate themselves for the day before heading off to class. Students who arrive late have a more complicated start

to the school day. They have to undergo a different attendance check process that can be time consuming (depending on the

number of people who have arrived late). Their first lesson of the day is impacted by arriving late and missing early instructions or

having to catch up on work that other students have already collected. They can miss out on messages provided to the class or

lose time because the class has moved to a new location. Regularly arriving late increases the chance that a school day will start

with conflict point, because increasingly students will be asked to explain why they are frequently late and plans will need to be

put in place to remedy this area of concern. The impact on lesson continuity increases with the frequency of late arrival. We

appreciate the support that can be provided by students themselves and by families.

Canteen Volunteers

Remember:

John Parker, Relieving Principal

Staff Development Afternoon Last Thursday, our teaching and support staff enthusiastically undertook extended professional learning from 3.20pm to 6.30pm

with an emphasis on collaborative learning teams, Steps to Success student wellbeing analyses, and Performance and

Development Plans, finally culminating in exploring and dissecting the Schools Excellence Framework, which underlies our quality

practice and strategic school planning/evaluation. It was an outstanding opportunity for our staff to consolidate their

understanding of a range of processes in support of high quality teaching practice and enhanced collaboration. I wish to thank our

highly talented and knowledgeable staff personally for their spirited collaborations and positive energy that they contributed. We

are indeed most fortunate at Alstonville High School to have such a dedicated and caring staff in partnership with you, supporting

and caring for our students.

Mr Vincent Trirro, Relieving Deputy Principal

BBQ for Aboriginal students and families On Thursday, September 19, Alstonville High held a BBQ for Aboriginal students and their families. It was a lovely afternoon where

families had the opportunity to socialise, discuss school and community programs, as well as speak to some teachers regarding

their child’s progress.

Please volunteer for our school canteen. We need you – our students need your support!


Thank you to the students and families who attended. We hope to have a BBQ each term.

Kelsey Knee / Aboriginal Programs Coordinator

Holiday Reading

New books in the library are posted on the Sentral home page regularly and school holidays are a great time to catch

up on some great reads. They are also on display at the circulation desk and throughout the library.

Leo the Library Dog

Lynda, from Calm Paws dog training, came in to the AHS library for an assessment and training

session with Leo, who spent his first full day at school. He passed with flying colours, giving and

getting lots of hugs. The next step is ‘crate training’ so he has a safe space to rest throughout the

day. Staff and students are welcome to say hello in a gentle way, with lots of pats and a gentle

voice, but please don’t pick him up.


Year 7/8 History Assignments

Over the last week, Year 7 students have been submitting their assessment tasks on Ancient Egypt, and Year 8 have been designing

Medieval Games. The standard of work has been outstanding, and the effort put in by the students has been great to see. Below

is a selection of the works we have received in the HSIE department this week. Well done to all teachers and students involved.

Agriculture

Agriculture breeding program

We are excited to have been given a donation of bull products from JAD Speckle Park in

Dubbo. We will start an A.I. program in late October and will aim to produce a Speckle

Park/Limousin cross for our show program. I visited their enterprise in term 1 and was very

impressed with the genetics they were sourcing direct from Canada. Justin and Amy had an

efficient operational and management strategy in place which was burdened by drought in

the area. Check them out.

We have also sourced some genetics from GK livestock from a top quality bull to develop

our Red Angus stud.

RED LAZY MC TRADITION 111C

RED BRYLOR KODIAK 3A

Ongoing support from Riverina Stock feeds

We were happy to host a visit from Guy Porter, sales manager at Riverina stock feeds, who dropped off some cattle feed for the

Lismore show program as a special favour. It was great to show him our operation and give him a glimpse of the quality steers we

are presenting at the Lismore show. Thank you to the year 8 students who worked well as a team to safely and hygienically unload

and store feed on the day.

Looking forward to the Lismore Show


Year 7 cattle visit

A couple of year 7 students came to visit the agriculture plot as part of their duties

with running messages from the office. They had to help with the cattle and chickens

before delivering a bunch of flowers to the office staff as a thank you for a good term.

Ben Holmes

TAS

TAS OPEN NIGHT

Thanks to all the parents in our community who supported our 2019 TAS Open Night.

It was a huge success and we thank the parents and community for supporting us to make it so successful.

The following pictures feature the Major Projects for Industrial Technology and Design and Technology for 2019.

Vanessa Christmas / Relieving TAS Head Teacher


Sport News

CHS Girls Futsal in Goonellabah

On Friday, September 20, Alstonville High School sent an Under 14’s and an Under 16’s team to the CHS Girls Futsal Zone

Competition at the Goonellabah Sports and Aquatic Centre.

Our Under 14’s team (Finlay Tibbs, Imogen Fox, Amalia Jobson, Ella Kampf, Sienna McKinnon, Tully Veronesi and Bella Miljoen)

were drawn to play Lismore High School in their first match. After a very close match, the girls were narrowly defeated 3-2. This

was a courageous performance from the girls – especially considering that at least four of the girls were playing their first

competitive game of futsal ever. It was great to see them step up in the absence of many of the regular Under 14’s players, who

were unfortunately in Tasmania playing soccer on the day. As this was a knockout competition, the girls did not progress to the

next round, but they were able to play a consolation match against Kyogle High School. This practice will help prepare them for

next year’s competition.

In the Under 16’s, our team (Emma Eichorn, Briar Godillon, Jade Parkin, Jade Bailey, Jordan

Thomas, Jordan Butts, Chantelle Rose, Piper Kelly, Freya Kirbach, Georgia Wade, Amalia

Jobson and Ella Kampf) also faced Lismore High School in their first match. The girls played

really well as a team, and secured a 9-1 victory. This put them through to the semi-finals,

where they achieved a hard-fought 1-0 win over Woodenbong Central School. The girls

were really tested in this match, and their cohesion and outstanding defence was fantastic

under pressure. This put them into the zone final against Evans River, where the girls

absorbed some early pressure before triumphing 5-1. As Zone Champions, the Under 16’s

team now progresses to the next rounds – to be held in Coffs Harbour next term.

I would like to congratulate the Under 16’s on their success, and on the way they

conducted themselves and represented the school on the day. It was great

to see the support they showed each other and the patience they

displayed with rolling substitutions in games that only had 12 minute

halves. I would also like to congratulate the Under 14’s on the spirit in

which they played and their enthusiasm for learning new things. I hope this

leads to future opportunities in futsal for the girls.

Mr Doug Gardiner


Touch

Congratulations to Year 12 student Brooke Hofmeyer, who recently competed at the National Youth Touch Championships held

at Sunshine Coast Stadium, Caloundra from Wednesday 18 to Saturday 21 September. Brooke was a member of the NSW

Combined High Schools (NSWCHS) 18 Years Girls Touch Team.

The 18 Years Girls Competition involved 18 teams that were divided into 3 pools - Pool A, B and C. The NSWCHS team was in Pool

C and played the following teams in their pool; North QLD Tropical Cyclones, Western Tigers, Northern Territory Devils, Brisbane

Cobra’s and Sunshine Coast Pineapples. Brooke’s team finished with four wins and one loss in the pools games and they then

defeated NSWTA Development team to move into the semi finals.

In the semi finals the NSWCHS team were defeated 7-4 by QSST Fire. Brooke played very well throughout the 4-day competition,

scored 10 tries and was an integral member of the team. Congratulations Brooke.

Water Polo

Congratulations to the following girls selected in the North Coast Open Girls Water Polo Team. These Girls will now travel to Wagga

Wagga for the NSWCHS Girls Water Polo Championships to be held from Monday 25 to Thursday 28 November.

Lilly Scott yr8 Amy Bransgrove yr9 Hannah Gilmour yr9

Grace Hadlow yr9 Amalia Jobson yr9 Erin Bryce yr10

Eva Jones yr10 Emma Bransgrove yr11 Jessica Chate yr11

Tess Gilmour yr11 Charlotte Lopes yr11 Mikayla Nelson yr11

Paul Francis / Representative Sports Organiser

Communication Corner

Final reminder to Year 12 to make sure all applications for Universities, Scholarships, accommodation, early entry and

disadvantage schemes are completed as they have varied closing dates. TAFE Information and online applications for 2020 will be

available Oct-Nov 2019 so please check NSW TAFE websites and local TAFE websites for course listings etc. Good luck on your

term 4 Exams and continue to contact me if you need any Careers/Post School assistance throughout the year. I will be checking

my school email regularly over the holidays if you need to contact me.

Reminder Medicine and Allied Health Seminar (not Nursing) Term 4 Week 2-Friday 25th October 2019 - Students in Year 11 Science

courses or 10 Science 1 have put names down to attend a seminar in Lismore at Northern Rivers Rural Health, Uralba St. The day

comprises workshops and presentations from students and qualified Health professionals. Possible areas include Medicine and

Allied Health (eg OT, Physio, Speech therapy, Radiography, Dietetics, Pharmacy but not Nursing). I will be discussing with science

staff the suitability and motivation of students that have nominated to develop a priority list. Permission notes etc. will then be

given to students this week or Early Week 1 Term 4.


POSITIONS VACANT- a) Ballina Cabinetmaker is looking for a full time apprentice to commence as soon as

possible. Could be a keen Year 10/11 or 12 student (may negotiate around HSC Exams for right applicant).

Applicant must be keen, motivated, have common sense, strong work ethic and good communication.

Good numeracy and literacy is also an advantage. See me in Careers Office or Email for further information

before being referred to the potential Employer for an appointment.

b) Crossing Café Alstonville Main St are often looking for people with Barista

training and experience and casual café staff. Contact the Manager- Darren

in person at the Café or phone 66288700.

SCU Head Start Ceremony was held at Lismore Campus on Wednesday for our students who completed a University Unit, at the

same time as their school studies in Year 11 or Year 12, during Semester 1. Mr Parker and I attended with students and parents.

Congratulations to our students below who received their certificates.

BIO00201 Biology

Harry Hampson

Ethan Houlden

Ashleigh Larrescy

ENG10759 Processes and Philosophy of Engineering

Lisa Rheinberger

Dianni Shannon

COM10110 Visual Communication and Design

Kairo Byrne

Charlotte Lopes

COM00207 Communication in Organisations

Lily Christmas

Arjah Newman

Special mention also goes to Lisa Rheinberger and Ashleigh Larrescy who gave speeches at the ceremony about their experience.

We were also successful in achieving the highest result in 2 out of 4 subjects- from all local school students in the Head Start

classes - with High Distinctions, for Biology - Ashleigh Larrescy and Visual Communication & Design - Charlotte Lopes. Well done!

Ashleigh Lisa Charlotte

STAR Early Offer

Applications for 2020 Semester 1 STAR close 12th Oct 2019

Dear Year 10 and 11,

A reminder to let you know that applications for Head-Start close 12 October. This will be the last reminder you will receive before

your school holidays start. Students who are currently in year 10 or 11 are encouraged to apply now to start in March 2020. On

completion of this 12 week program and year 12 studies, students will have a guaranteed offer into a Southern Cross University

degree.


Some benefits of the Head-Start program:

Free to apply

No university tuition fees

Credit towards a relevant approved Southern Cross University course

Guaranteed place in a Southern Cross University degree upon successful completion of the 12 week program and year 12 studies

For more information and to apply, visit scu.edu.au/headstart today!

https://sae.edu.au/news-and-events/events/byron-study-for-a-day/?date=2019-10-19&id=1212

Karen Horne Careers Adviser Email: [email protected]

2019 Northern Rivers Science & Engineering Challenge (NRSEC)

The 3 July 2019 edition of the Alstonville High School (AHS) Newsletter recorded the participation of motivated Year 9 and 10

students in the 2019 NRSEC at the Lismore campus at Southern Cross University in June 2019. Alstonville Rotary was pleased to

note that AHS placed second against the seven other schools it participated against on Friday, 21 June 2019.

Newer students, teachers and parents may not be aware of the origin of the Science & Engineering Challenge. It was developed

by Newcastle University twenty years ago, initially to serve the local region. However, with support from local Rotary Clubs

Newcastle University eventually expanded its Challenge throughout Australia (and more recently in New Zealand). The primary

objective of the Challenge is to encourage students to think about taking careers in science, engineering and technology, and to

remind them of the necessity of choosing pathway subjects (mathematics and science) during the latter years of secondary study.

http://elink.clickdimensions.com/c/4/?T=NDg3ODc2NzU%3AMDItYjE5MjYwLTBhMmEzMDJkZmJhODQwMmY5MjA3NDhjOTQ0OGRkNTUy%3Aa2FyZW4uaG9ybmVAZGV0Lm5zdy5lZHUuYXU%3AY29udGFjdC0xZTFlM2Q1ZDRmMmZlNDExODEzMmQ4OWQ2NzY1ODIyNC01OWUwZmE2NGU3ODg0MDcyOGQ4YzhiNmUyMDQzOWViMw%3AZmFsc2U%3AMQ%3A%3AaHR0cDovL3NjdS5lZHUuYXUvaGVhZHN0YXJ0P19jbGRlZT1hMkZ5Wlc0dWFHOXlibVZBWkdWMExtNXpkeTVsWkhVdVlYVSUzZCZyZWNpcGllbnRpZD1jb250YWN0LTFlMWUzZDVkNGYyZmU0MTE4MTMyZDg5ZDY3NjU4MjI0LTU5ZTBmYTY0ZTc4ODQwNzI4ZDhjOGI2ZTIwNDM5ZWIzJmVzaWQ9MzJkODc1YTEtYWZkOS1lOTExLWE4MTItMDAwZDNhYTNlNzdj&K=2QXyJ0xzCV-2ma1-XjdlWg

https://sae.edu.au/news-and-events/events/byron-study-for-a-day/?date=2019-10-19&id=1212

mailto:[email protected]

http://elink.clickdimensions.com/c/4/?T=NDg3ODc2NzU%3AMDItYjE5MjYwLTBhMmEzMDJkZmJhODQwMmY5MjA3NDhjOTQ0OGRkNTUy%3Aa2FyZW4uaG9ybmVAZGV0Lm5zdy5lZHUuYXU%3AY29udGFjdC0xZTFlM2Q1ZDRmMmZlNDExODEzMmQ4OWQ2NzY1ODIyNC01OWUwZmE2NGU3ODg0MDcyOGQ4YzhiNmUyMDQzOWViMw%3AZmFsc2U%3AMA%3A%3AaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2N1LmVkdS5hdS9zdHVkeS1hdC1zY3UvaGlnaC1zY2hvb2wtc3R1ZGVudHMvZW50cnktcGF0aHdheXMvc2N1LWhlYWQtc3RhcnQvP19jbGRlZT1hMkZ5Wlc0dWFHOXlibVZBWkdWMExtNXpkeTVsWkhVdVlYVSUzZCZyZWNpcGllbnRpZD1jb250YWN0LTFlMWUzZDVkNGYyZmU0MTE4MTMyZDg5ZDY3NjU4MjI0LTU5ZTBmYTY0ZTc4ODQwNzI4ZDhjOGI2ZTIwNDM5ZWIzJmVzaWQ9MzJkODc1YTEtYWZkOS1lOTExLWE4MTItMDAwZDNhYTNlNzdj&K=bHPvpr8xLpTQXtgW6NEX9A


The local Challenge (NRSEC) was an initiative of Alstonville Rotary with support from David Silcock (AHS), which led to a formal

and valued partnership between it and Southern Cross University in 2007. The very first NRSEC was held on a single competition

day consisting of just eight teams including AHS. Since then there has been a steady increase in demand, and the NRSEC is now

staged over three days with 24 secondary schools from Grafton to Tweed Heads competing against each other (involving 587

students this year). We now also stage three Science Discovery days for primary students from the same catchment area.

Below is an image of the AHS team participating in the first NRSEC in 2007 – where are they now?

Bob Costello, Chair NRSEC


Community Announcements


Please click the link for the show schedule:

http://www.northcoastnational.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Schools-Schedule-2019_1.pdf

http://www.northcoastnational.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Schools-Schedule-2019_1.pdf

Alstonville High School Newsletter...2019/09/25 · Alstonville High School Newsletter: Issue 15,...

Documents

Transcript of Alstonville High School Newsletter...2019/09/25 · Alstonville High School Newsletter: Issue 15,...