DONNYBROOK DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL 10 Bentley Street, DONNYBROOK, WA 6239

PHONE: (08) 9731 1060 FAX: (08) 9731 1919

WEB ADDRESS: www.donnybrook.wa.edu.au

Volume 134 NEWSLETTER - Issue 4 30 April, 2015

Principal’s Report It was great seeing the students following their combined Easter break and school holidays. From the conversations I have held with a number of students, it sounds like they had a wonderful vacation and got the opportunity to relax and importantly, enjoy the chance to put school work and homework to the back of their minds for a while. Term 2 is shaping up to be equally as busy and exciting as Term 1. The term planner highlights the many wonderful opportunities being offered to the students of Donnybrook District High School. These include: Secondary Interschool Athletics, Kaboom Percussion Incursion, Secondary Faction and Interschool Cross Country, Bunbury Musical Eisteddfod and Year 10 Work Experience. Returning for Term 2 sees the appointment of our new Business Manager take effect. Deborah St Laurenz was the successful applicant from the merit select process that was held towards the end of last term. Deborah brings knowledge and experience to the position that will ensure I am well supported to manage the school‘s human and financial resources. I am genuinely looking forward to working closely with Deborah to make certain the school is striving to meet the needs of the students and the school community. I also welcome Neil Robertson to the position of Secondary Deputy Principal for Term 2. Neil has stepped magnificently into the position and I‘m positive he will do a wonderful job of supporting the Secondary students, parents and staff. Filling the Secondary Humanities and Social Science position Neil has vacated is Genevieve Mellor. Genevieve is one of our highly competent Secondary relief teachers and I trust she will provide high level teaching and learning in this core area. ANZAC Day Thank you to Neil Robertson for coordinating the school‘s ANZAC service. The planning and preparation completed on his behalf ensured the occasion successfully commemorated this significant day. Congratulations to the Student Representative Council for the way they conducted themselves throughout the service. Well done also to the Year 9 students who volunteered to share their research on members of the Donnybrook community who served our country, and contributed to peace and

sovereignty. Congratulations also to the Year 6 students who beautifully recited a very moving poem based on a soldier‘s letter. 2014 Annual Report The 2014 Annual School Report was presented to School Board and endorsed by members last term. The School Report is intended to give parents and carers, together with the Donnybrook school community a clear sense of how students in the school are progressing and what is being done to maximise student achievement. The School Report includes information on the academic and non-academic achievement of the students, progress on identified school priorities, school financial information and highlights of the 2014 school year. The 2014 School Report, is on the school‘s website and I encourage you to take the time to look closely through this. If you have any queries or questions you are most welcome to send me an email or alternatively make a time to meet with me. National Testing Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in the National Assessment Program in Week 4. Students in these year levels are being tested in Language Conventions, Writing, Reading and Numeracy. Please support your child and the school by ensuring they are well rested throughout the next couple of weeks and importantly supplied with nutritious meals. The tests shouldn‘t be something the students fear, however seen as an additional opportunity for them to show the teachers what they are capable of achieving. Later this year, parents will receive individual reports showing how their child/ren performed in these assessments. If you have any queries or questions related to the National Assessment Program, please don‘t hesitate to contact me. Attendance Attendance directly impacts on academic achievement and when a student falls below 90% attendance they are considered to be at risk of not achieving their individual potential. To fall below 90%, a student only needs to miss approximately 5 days of school in a term. I ask that parents and carers please take this into consideration and look to minimise the time their child/ren are absent from school.

Parents and carers are also reminded that they are required to provide an explanation as to why their child/ren are absent from school and there needs to be a reasonable explanation for the absence to be authorised.

Canteen I would like to take this opportunity to urge parents and carers to put their support behind the canteen this term. This support may come through volunteering your time to assist preparing food, utilising the canteen to provide your child/ren with delicious snacks and lunches or attending P and C Meetings. The canteen is struggling to cover costs and if the financial situation doesn‘t improve, it will more than likely have to stop operating. Please keep this in mind and do whatever you can to keep this service in the school. Jamie Milne Principal

Deputy Principal’s Report Senior Campus Welcome back to the start of Term 2.

First and foremost I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our Student Representative Council on their work at the Anzac service last Friday. I would also like to commend all other students on their excellent behaviour and presentation. It was lovely to hear such positive feedback from the audience and see the whole school together on such an important occasion, the 100 year anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.

My role this term as Deputy Principal is to continue to instil in all of our students the importance of hard work and commitment to learning. We have a very busy term with NAPLAN testing beginning in Week 4 for our Year 7 and 9 students. These tests not only provide a snapshot of student learning and achievement, but for Year 9‘s the opportunity to gain their literacy and numeracy competency. By achieving Band 8 in this year‘s test means they will

not have to complete further testing to graduate high school in Year 12. I would also like to remind Year 10 students that they also have exams in Week 7 and they need to begin a study program to ensure they achieve to their potential.

As exams and testing draw nearer I would like to remind parents and carers about meeting with teachers about your child‘s progress. At the end of Term 1 interim reports went home and many parents were asked to make appointments with their child‘s teacher to ensure that high standards and expectations were being met. It is imperative that these meetings are conducted to remedy any issues before Semester 1 reports are written. This is extremely important for Year 10 students as High School interviews for next year are being conducted in the next few weeks and decisions on places are generally determined by the child‘s first semester report. We have an upcoming visit to the school by performance group KABOOM Percussion and an excursion at the end of term, which are a part of our Good Standing Policy.

Good Standing provides an opportunity for those students who follow our schools policies to enjoy rewards and be acknowledged. To participate in these events all students need to maintain their Good Standing, importantly if Good Standing is lost during the term there is a process to complete to gain it back. If parents or carers require any information about Good Standing please do not hesitate to contact the school. With the change in season it is important to remind students, parents and carers about school uniform. Our school uniform consists of the school jacket or navy blue jumper, school shirt with navy blue shorts, pants or skirt. Jeans are not permitted in any school in Western Australia. The uniform shop is open every Wednesday from 8.30am. School uniform is also a part of our Good Standing policy and students will be reminded of this at school.

Neil Robertson Deputy Principal Secondary

Every Wednesday

Early Closure: Junior Campus 2:35 Senior Campus 2:45

Friday 1 May Junior Campus Assembly Yr 3EG/3LP Tuesday-Thursday 12/14 May NAPLAN Thursday 14 May School Board Meeting Tuesday 19 May Kaboom Percussion—Junior Campus 9.15am Wednesday 20 May Yr 8 Immunisation Friday 22 May Faction Athletics Cross Country Yr 7-10 Tuesday 26 May Senior Campus—Assembly 9.00am Monday 1 June WA Day—Public Holiday Wednesday 10 June SWSHS Interschool Cross Country Monday—Friday 8-12 June Year 10 Exams

Uniform Shop open every Wednesday 8.30 am to 9.00am in the Community Library Emerald Street, Donnybrook

Bookclub closes Friday 1 May

Online Bookclub closes

Sunday 3 May

Junior Campus News Teacher Development We have hit the ground running again this term. On the School Development Day in Week 1 our Primary teachers worked with teachers from other schools to develop common assessment tasks in mathematics, with Donnybrook providing the expertise as part of our Teacher Development School role. In the afternoon we revised and learned more about instructional design in a session delivered by experts from Geographe Primary, a Teacher Development School in English. Both workshops provided meaningful strategies to help all our students have improved success in both literacy and numeracy. We are following these sessions up during our Wednesday professional learning meetings. These teacher development strategies are all a part of our continued quest for improved and quality education for your children. National Testing NAPLAN begins on Tuesday 12 May. This should not be a stressful time for Year 3‘s and 5‘s but some children do get a little worked up. You can help your children by ensuring them that the assessment is not a matter of life or death and to treat it like any other work they do in the classroom, having a go and doing their best. It also helps children at school when they are getting adequate sleep and proper nutrition (this, of course, applies every day of the year!) Congratulations to our student‘s Thomas Anderson, Ryan Babich and Scott Tuia who attended the State Schoolboys 12‘s Football Trials in the April School Holidays representing Donnybrook Junior Football Club. There were over 300 participants and all boys displayed great endeavour and sportsmanship. Our congratulations go to these boys with special mention to Scott Tuia who made it through the next trials and was named in the final team that will represent WA in Victoria in July. Well done to the Football Club and to the students and parents involved.

Associate Principal Jeff Brown SCHOOL and FAMILY VALUES FOCUS This term we will be focusing on GRATITUDE and further into the term, MANNERS and COURTESY. Science tells us that an ―attitude of gratitude‖ is a good health choice. Being more grateful more often makes us happier and more optimistic. This is extremely important when we look at young people. Pessimistic

thinking is a significant risk factor for anxiety and depression. Not surprisingly, young children who develop a pessimistic style at an early age are the ones most likely to get depressed and stay depressed (Seligman 1992) Changing students explanatory style for bad events, from pessimistic to optimistic, is seen as an inoculation against mental illness and a protective factor in the development of resilience (Peterson 200;Seligman1995). 1. Gratitude can improve productivity and results: 2. Gratitude attracts what we want. 3. Gratitude affects relationships: be grateful for

people, their contributions, their talents and their actions and let them know how you feel.

4. Gratitude reduces negativity: It is hard to be negative about your situation when you are thinking about things for which you are grateful.

5. Gratitude improves problem solving skills: Too often we look at problem solving with a very jaded view. ‖Something is wrong. We have barriers in the way‖. Conversely, with gratitude, we enter a problem solving situation with a perspective of improvement and opportunity rather than challenge or issue. 6. Gratitude helps us learn. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Behind every problem lies an opportunity. Being grateful for our situation- even if we don‘t like everything about it -allows us to be thankful for the opportunity to learn something new.

There are many ways to practice gratitude. Make a list of 3 things you are grateful for today. They can be big (your family) or small (someone held a door open for you today). If there is a person you can thank or show your appreciation to, do it now. (A quick phone call or an email is a good start) Notice the small things around you. Look at what you have, not at what you don‘t have and be grateful. Share this way of thinking with your children. Make a Gratitude jar or tree where notes can be place showing gratitude. There are many online resources for you to find more information and activities. 365grateful.comau.reachout.com/all-about-gratitude Google gratitude and gratitude for kids for endless ideas.

Debbie Cann

Primary Interschool Swimming Carnival Year 4 Runner up Champion Boy Tom Simmonds

Year 6 Runner up Champion Boy Scott Tuia

Would like to invite you to our Annual Supper, Dinner and Matinee Show at the

Big Apple Theatre, 186 Grist Rd, Donnybrook

Norma Leigh Nursing Home A Comedy written by Jo Hamlet

Directed by Sandra Scaffidi

Friday 22 May: Dinner (3 course meal) $55 per head Doors Open 6pm. Dinner starts 6.30 pm. B.Y.O

Saturday 23 May: Dinner (3 course meal) $55 per head Doors Open 6pm. Dinner starts 6.30 pm. B.Y.O

Friday 29 May: Supper $27 per head Doors Open 7.30pm. Show starts 8.00pm. B.Y.O

Saturday 30 May: Dinner (3 course meal) $55 per head Doors Open 6pm. Dinner starts 6.30 pm. B.Y.O

Sunday 31 May: Matinee (Afternoon Tea) $23 per head.

Doors Open 1.30pm. Show starts 2.00pm.

Tickets from Donnybrook Newsagency 97311059 EFTPOS available

(no door sales)

We are a not-for-profit Troupe. Sorry no concessions.

Enquiries please phone 9731 1236.

Music News

A huge thank you to Mrs Clare Rosman who so kindly sewed timpani skirts to look after our precious timpani/kettle drums in the music department! Even though she no longer has a daughter at the school she was happy to help us out. Thank you Mrs Rosman!!!

SOUTH WEST HIGH SCHOOL INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

On Wednesday 29 April our Years 7 - 10 interschool athletics competed with great ability and endeavour to achieve first place in the meritorious shield. Great persistence was Shown by all athletes. Special congratulations to Year 7 Zac Trigwell who was recognised as Year 7 Champion Boy (B Division) and Year 7 Tom Graham Runner Up Champion Boy ( B Division), Year 10 Joel Wood was also announced as B Di-vision Champion Boy. Well done and thank you to all competitors who represented our community with great pride.

Donnybrook District High School Parents & Citizens Association (Inc.)

The DDHS P&C is a group of community minded parents and citizens who work together to assist the

school to:

Create a forum where parents can provide feedback to the school;

Provide a canteen service;

Operate the uniform shop;

Fundraise to enhance the school environment (for example, to provide additional play equipment,

seating and shade);

Sponsor end of year academic / civic / sporting awards; and

Support school events, for example with catering, additional equipment etc.

Participation in the DDHS P&C is a great way to:

Find out what is happening in the school;

Contribute to the quality of your child‘s education;

Have a say in proposed P&C activities and priorities;

Gain new skills and experiences; and

Develop friends and local networks.

You can be involved in the DDHS P&C by:

Sharing your ideas at general meetings – you don‘t need to have a specific role to attend;

Assisting with fundraising events;

Volunteering at the canteen;

Volunteering at the uniform shop; and

You may have a specific area of expertise that you can contribute.

For more information contact a P&C member or attend a meeting – details provided on the attached sheet.

If you‘re ready to get involved, and commit to ―just one thing‖, please complete the attached form and return

it to the office at either the Mead or Bentley Street campus.

Your contribution can be as small or large as you can manage,

but your ongoing support of the DDHS P&C is invaluable.

DDHS P&C Volunteer Nomination Form DDHS P&C encourages all families (including parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, carers etc.) to assist

with ‗just one thing‘ throughout the school year to benefit our children and the entire school community.

We appreciate that people are busy, but if everyone can contribute a little bit of their time it will make a big

difference.

I, _________________________________________________ (name) Parent / family member of, _________________________________________________ (Student Name) Wish to be involved in the following DDHS P&C activities:

____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

Please contact me via (email / phone/ text)

Email _____________________________________

Mobile _____________________________________

Home Phone _________________________________

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

For more information, please contact DDHS P&C members:

Deb Brealey lazyblackdog@hotmail.com.au 0411 097 126

Sue Williams Sue.Williams2@education.wa.edu.au 9731 1060 or 0409 109 181

2015 Activities

Fundraising Events Wood raffles etc…..

P&C supported events Helping out at Sounds of Sunset for example

Uniform shop Wednesdays 8.30 - 9.00 am at the community library

Canteen Tuesday to Friday, from 1 to 3 hours, food preparation &/or serving; and

catering for special events & student meal deals

General meetings Twice a term, on a Thursday 7.30pm, Seminar Room – Community Library