“enriching Primary education”

MOLONG CENTRAL SCHOOL

“Providing Opportunities for Personal Achievement” Phone: 6366 8224 Fax: 6366 8220 email: molong-c.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Kindergarten to Year 12 Issue No: 9 8th June 2017

SCHOOL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS 13-14/6/17 13 - 14/6/17 13/6/17

ASPIRE PROGRAM Year 9

HSIE CANBERRA EXCURSION – T. Keen

CSKO Under 16’s RUGBY LEAGUE 7s M. Paterson

14/6/17 15/6/17 19/6/17

WESTERN CROSS COUNTRY SECONDARY – M. Paterson

CSKO U 14’s & OPENS RUGBY LEAGUE 7s

M. Paterson

WHITE CARD COURSE – A3 Mr Tony Taylor

MERINO CHALLENGE Last week I was delighted to have a visit from Caitllyn and Brooke Watts who had returned triumphant from the

National Merino Challenge. The challenge is an initiative from the Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) designed

to allow young people to engage with the Merino industry by developing their knowledge, skills and networks,

and involves presentations and demonstrations from industry professionals. Students participate in seven ‘mini-

challenges’ over two days, testing their knowledge of Merino fleece, production, breeding and selection. Brooke

took out first place overall and Caitlyn was not far behind her in 3rd position It was great discussing the event

with the girls as it has exposed them to unique opportunities that exist in the Agricultural Field. A highlight of the

weekend event for the girls was the guest speaker at the Official Dinner. Colette Gamsey OAM addressed the

participants and their families at a dinner. The speech has had a great impression on both of the girls and

challenged their thoughts about life after school. It is great to see Molong Central School on a national trophy!

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Caitlyn & Brooke Watts

CLUB 100 KICKS OFF One of my favourite things to do as Principal of Molong Central School is to share morning tea with students who have reached the goal of reading 100 home readers. 100 Club kicked off last week as I welcomed students into my office to share their thoughts on reading. The students have an opportunity to read or explain what they have been reading. The students bring insightful comments and thoughts to the table about the books they have been reading. I would also encourage parents to read to their children, as parent support during the formative years will help them in all learning areas at school. The NSW Department of Education has produced some great guides to support parents. Please click on the link to find useful tips to encourage reading at home:http://bit.ly/2bvqu8E .

TECHNOLOGY GOALS COMING TO FRUITION As we draw to the end of the 2015 – 2017 School Plan I am pleased to that our Technology Plan has resulted in increased access to technology and availability to teachers and students. Laptops for both Secondary and Primary students have been rolled out, the Special Purpose Room in Primary upgraded and an additional 10 Interactive Whiteboards will have been installed by the end of the Term. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of some Bee Bots. Bee Bots are programmable floor robots. If you would like to find out more about these robots designed for our younger students, please click on the link https://www.bee-bot.us/. I would like thank Ms Georgie Stamotoplous and Lydia Ebert for doing such a wonderful job at ensuring Molong Central School is equipped with efficient technology for teaching and learning. I would also like to acknowledge Mr Andrew Hetherington who works with staff to ensure they have the necessary skills to lead the teaching of technology with their students. Our teachers and administrative staff have been proactive at ensuring they are meeting the needs of a new generation of students.

Mrs Michelle Barrett, Principal

NEWS FROM THE ENGLISH FACULTY

Term 2 has been very busy for the English staff.

The Tempest at Riverside Theatres

Last year Mr Eccleston organised for his class to attend a Performance and Symposium of the play at

Parramatta Riverside Theatres. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented him from accompanying the

students. Year 12 Advanced is studying Shakespeare’s The Tempest for their Area of Study text on

Discovery.

Due to their maturity and lots of negotiation

with the Principal and parents, Year 12 met me

at Mt Victoria for the train journey to

Parramatta. As we were walking towards the

theatre, we bumped into the other two

students. Tieke, Andee, Sarah, Karla, Brooke

and Jessica were a pleasure to accompany on

this excursion.

The students watched an excellent performance of the play that helped them to understand the

different types of discovery concepts and underlying assumptions that we make when looking at the

ideas. All of the students remarked on how much this performance clarified their understanding of

the play, the characters and the language. The performance was followed by a question and answer

session that allowed students to clarify their understanding of the decisions made about how the play

was performed.

A walk along Church Street saw the girls decide that

pizza was the right thing to eat for lunch – we

discovered a gelato shop that we had to visit before

boarding the train home.

Back to the Riverside Theatres for the Symposium –

Molong Central was one of only two schools that had

chosen to view the play and take part in the

symposium. The actors came back on stage, now out

of costume. The symposium was delivered by the actor who played the lead role and involved

discussion, explanation and examination of key scenes. The actors performed extracts from scenes

and these were closely analysed to examine the

language, the motives, and the concepts. The

students and I took many notes and found the

experience to be highly valuable.

We left the theatre, bought gelato and caught our

train back to Mt Victoria. A group of three cars then

drove back to Molong. This was a very long day but

more than paid for by the educational value and

advantage for our students.

NAPLAN

May also sees the students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 sit their NAPLAN tests. This year Year 7 sat their tests

in the morning and Year 9 after recess. The students in these two years are congratulated for the

manner in which they undertook the tests. The results of the tests are released in August with Molong

Central School planning a parent meeting at that time.

They used the period before the tests to work with their teachers to review their writing skills. Mr Paul

Stafford led a workshop in Narrative Writing and Nicole Griffith delivered a Persuasive Writing

Workshop.

The English Faculty has also been working towards improving the literacy standards for students in

high school. D.E.A.R. has been introduced school wide to provide students with an opportunity to

read. Research shows that one hour of reading per week exposes students to over one million words

and so builds vocabulary and spelling skills. Comprehension skills are also improved, as during this

silent reading students are more likely to find ways to understand the material they are reading and

to develop their own ways of learning. Reading also provides examples to students of what good

writing looks and sounds like – this is an important building block to improve writing skills. It also

reinforces that reading can be a great way to relax.

We are now midway through our second term of the D.E.A.R. program and despite some initial issues

all students are now engaging in the program and developing their skills.

Students in Years 7 – 10 also participate in the Wordflyers program. This was trialled last year and part

of our School funding was used to purchase access to the program for all our Junior Secondary

students. This is an online comprehension, grammar, spelling, reading and punctuation course that

students use in class at least once per cycle.

We are seeing students make real progress in their literacy components by participating in this

program. Students can access the program at home through the same online login that they use at

school. If parents want to see the program in action or talk about how to support their student’s home

access to the program please make an appointment through the Front Office staff to meet with me.

We are in the middle of our Half Yearly examinations for Years 7 – 10 and Semester 1 assessment tasks

have been set, marked and returned. As you can see Molong Central’s students have been working

hard, both in the classroom and outside it. The English staff and our students have been very busy and

we are looking forward to Semester 2.

COUNTRY WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

Another event in our busy May calendar was the CWA Public

Speaking Competition held at Kinross School. Our Public

Speaking team - Bronte Chown, Leoni Wilson & Madison

Treacy from Year 7 and Sharna Campbell, Katelan Philpott,

Mercades Oste, Claudia Thorne and Bridie Dive from Year 9

have been working hard to prepare for this competition,

spending time writing and practicing a prepared speech as

well as learning the skills required for the impromptu part of

the competition.

They performed well at a very popular competition with

speakers from most schools (Public, Catholic and Private) in the area.

The Year 9 debating team are now preparing for the Lithgow Festival of Speech on 1st June. They have

entered both the debating and public speaking sections of the competition. We are preparing their

first debate as well as selecting, writing and practising their prepared speeches during Sport.

SHAKESPEARE IS DEAD On Wednesday 24th May the Bell Shakespeare Touring Company once again visited Molong Central

School. This time they three actors performed a five-act play called “Shakespeare is Dead”.

The actors initially reflected the same attitude as students towards Shakespeare – “Boring”, “I can’t

understand the words”, “His plays are so old”. Their play proved to students why these comments are

untrue through exercises – everyone up to do the pony gallop to understand the rhythm, extracts

from plays – including those the students are studying this year and the many ideas and themes of

Shakespeare’s work.

At the end of their one hour intensive the students were smiling and enjoying Shakespeare and could

understand why studying his work is considered so important. This workshop gives students a valuable

insight and understanding of the value of Shakespeare, how his work can be used in their lives – thanks

to the session of Shakespearean insults – and help for their assessment tasks.

Mrs Lin Eccleston, English Department

YEAR 7 SCIENCE – TOPIC CELLS During the last week Year 7 Science have been studying Topic Cells. They have learnt that all living things are made up of cells which make up tissues, organs and body systems. They have learnt to use a microscope and have prepared slides of mould, onion skin cells, pond water and weed and have also dissected organs of an animal’s body. The students have discovered many new skills and are looking forward to preparing many more microscope slides in the coming weeks. Mr David Blowes, Science Faculty NEW LAPTOPS HAVE ARRIVED! Molong Central School are the very grateful recipients of a community grant from Orange Credit Union to supply two laptops for the Secondary Learning and Support program. These laptops will enhance student learning, increasing literacy and technology skills. Students will be able to access a variety of individual learning activities and this equipment will further support the achievement of individual learning goals. A huge thank you to Orange Credit Union for their support.

WHAT’S ON WEEKS 7,8 & 9 TERM 2

9/6/17 Yr 10 PDH – Road Safety Assessment Task due

13/6/17 Yr 9 Commerce – Personal Finance Assessment due

15/6/17 Yr 8 English – Novel task due

20/6/17 Yr 12 HSC Maths Gen 1– Assignment due before school Task 3

21/6/17 Yr 12 Ext. 1 English – Preliminary Task due

Secondary News

NEWS FROM HSIE The sharemarket game has just finished with Molong entering teams from years 9, 10 and 11. There was in excess of 15,000 registered teams this year, with schools represented from within Australia and internationally. Students receive a virtual $50,000 they can invest over 10-week period in 200 companies listed on the ASX. The prices students buy and sell shares are at the same prices they would get in the live markets so it is as close to real life share trading as you can get. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their knowledge of the sharemarket. First place went to Lachlan Whiteman who made nearly $4000 from his investments. Second place went to Courtney Mines, Sarah Hobbs and Catilyn Watts and third place and first time players was Alysssa Watts, Lucy Jones and Katelan Philpott. Mrs Alicia Chisholm, HSIE faculty

MERIT AWARDS

Merit Jesyca Pearson Claudia Thorne

Mercades Oste Alyssa Watts Hannah Betts

Jake Murray Diamond Tieke Thomas

Mr Scott Taprell Deputy Principal

PRIMARY NEWS

Boys Softball Last week the MCS boys Softball Team travelled to Jack Brabham Fields in Orange to play Cooerwull Public School (Lithgow) in the Western Region Final. The MCS team were reining Champs so the pressure was on! Captain Max Yelland won the toss and elected to field, which was a critical decision in the end. The boys were a bit flat in Cooerwull’s first batting innings and allowed 4 home runs. We then came out to bat and only managed 1 with some very good pitching and tight fielding from Cooerwull. The second innings was a totally different story. The boys came out firing and got 3 outs in succession with some truly outstanding fielding and catching in both the infield and out, keeping Cooerwull scoreless. It was our turn to bat and with steadfast resolve and patience we made 4 home runs to bring the score to 5-4 our favour. The third Cooerwull batting innings was similar to their second. Excellent fielding and catching once again from the MCS boys kept them to 2 home runs. Our 3rd batting innings started a little shakily with 2 outs one after the other. BUT, again, patience and fantastic base running saw the boys take 10 home runs giving us the lead 15-7 which was the final score. The Western Selector was at the game and he praised both teams for such outstanding quality softball and congratulated the MCS boys on their passion and commitment to the game. We now await the results of the North West competition. We will be road tripping again to either Tamworth, Armidale or Narrabri……watch this space!! I would like to make a special thanks to Glenn Meehan for his assistance with scoring and strategizing and to our wonderful cheer squad and to all the parents who get these boys to the games……THANK YOU!!!!!

School Uniform Over the past few weeks, students have been spoken to in regards to not wearing their school uniform. I am very aware that it has turned cold very quickly this year but our students are wearing jumpers that are not school uniform and are looking a little untidy. Jumpers and uniforms can be purchased from Fencing 1 or another alternative is to utilise the Clothing Pool at School. If you have any concerns with the above please do not hesitate to contact me. District Athletics Carnival After two shots at the carnival due to rain, we finally have the results of the Orange District Carnival held in May. It is very exciting, as a number of our students have now qualified for Western. The following students will be representing Orange District later in the year. They are as follows:

Girls: Abbie Lyons 8yrs 100m Amelia Lowe 9yrs 100m Maggie Kirby 10Yrs 100m Jun Girls 200m Jun High Jump Taylah Hobbs 11Yrs 100m 11Yrs 200m 11Yrs 800m Imogen Collins 13Yrs 100m Emily Pearson Sen Girls 800m Demelza Lee Jun Girls High Jump Paige Bohringer 11Yrs girls Shotput Boys: Carter Kirby 12Yrs 100m 12/13Yrs Boys 200m 12/13Yrs High Jump 12/13Yrs Shotput Flim Cummings 12/13 Boys High Jump Ryan Huggett Jun Boys Long Jump Bailey Peschka 11Yrs Boys Long Jump 11Yrs Boys Shotput 11Yrs Boys Discus Lochie Bohringer Jun Boys Shotput Jamaine Trapman Jun Boys Discus

Plus the Junior and Senior Girls Relay teams. Well done and congratulations to everyone! A great effort!

CLUB 200

The following students have reached

Club 50 William Bloomfield Hayley Miller Lucas Penson Ayden Penson Preston Moorhouse Fergus Whittle George Davis Archie Chrystall Ella Ring Noah Szulik Adelaide Swift

Club 75 Ashton DeGabriel Patrick Thorne Alice Wilson Lillian Ford Zoe Strahorn Jimmy Fowler Natalie Fowler Mia Saxelby Cody Brown Alice Barnard Tengis Meiklejohn Thomas Harper Noah Ripps

Club 100 Ongkar Saha Olivia Hobbs Banjo Fowler Annii Fowler Alby Fowler

Primary Awards Bronze

Abby Peschka

Silver Charlotte McDouall Marlee Bunting Bryce Bollinger Nikola Bollinger

Gold Jim Bloomfield Jimmy Fowler Marli Mills Hannah Wilson Mia Saxelby

Platinum Lydia Philpott Dewk Mills Nicholas Bloomfield

Principal’s Banner Ella Ring Lillibelle Dive Charlie Brown

Principal’s Badge Amelia Punch Olivia Hobbs

PRIMARY NEWS

STUDENT OF THE WEEK – Week 5 T2 Class Student

K Macaw Jorja Griffith – For improved listening and following instructions.

K Quail Lilly O’Donnell – For fantastic interaction during class discussions.

1/2 Cassowary

Cody Brown – For a well written information report on Dairy Cows.

1/2 Eagle Emily Goff – For a fantastic effort in Science.

1/2 Lyrebird Amelia Behan – For a great start to MCS

3/4 Babbler Lochie Bohringer – For a fantastic improvement in writing persuasively.

3/4 Sunbird Toby Vis-Lowe – For improve sentence work in Literacy.

3/4 Thornbill Indy Webb – For being a quiet and conscientious class member.

5/6 Magpie Max Yelland – For excellent participation in class discussions

5/6 Rooster Claire Miller – For good use of problem solving skills.

5/6 Toucan Stella Johnson – For a fantastic exposition on a Palm Oil Plantation

Library Thomas Gavin – For being an attentive student who responds well to books.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK – Week 6 T2 Class Student

K Macaw Mahayla Donner – For clever counting and number work.

K Quail Sefton Power – For improvement towards task completion.

1/2 Cassowary

Ayden Treacy-Drady – For working hard in Literacy.

1/2 Eagle Edward Harris – For an outstanding speech on dumplings.

1/2 Lyrebird Lillian Ford – For having a positive attitude towards her work.

3/4 Babbler Dakota O’Keefe – For fantastic effort in all areas of CAPA

3/4 Sunbird James Cremona – For outstanding effort and application in all areas.

3/4 Thornbill Cody Peschka – For outstanding effort and application in all areas.

5/6 Magpie Harrison Hill – For a brilliant speech about Rube Goldberg

5/6 Rooster Kelsey Quinn – For excellent work ethic.

5/6 Toucan Olivia Power – For being a conscientious student

Library Lilly-Jade Duncan – For being a quiet worker who always does her best.

Have a fabulous week! Jane Backhouse Deputy Principal - Primary

CANTEEN 9/6/17 – 23/6/17 HELP IS DESPERATELY NEEDED ON THIS ROSTER. Please give one morning per month to the

Canteen-that is all it takes. Ring the Canteen on 6366 9009 from 8.30am-1.45pm. If you can’t work on your day just call me. Thank you, Tina McGovern, Canteen Manager.

9/6/17 2nd FRIDAY

Melissa Wilks

12/6/17 2nd MONDAY

13/6/17 2nd TUESDAY

14/6/17 2nd WEDNESDAY

15/6/17 3rd THURSDAY

16/6/17 3rd FRIDAY

Barbara Chown

Belinda Mills

Help Needed

Help Needed

Melissa Wilks

19/6/17 3rd MONDAY

20/6/17 3rd TUESDAY

21/6/17 3rd WEDNESDAY

22/6/17 4th THURSDAY

23/6/17 4th FRIDAY

Barbara Chown

Help Needed

Help Needed

Donna Taprell

Melissa Wilks

Week 7 Term 2

JUNIOR FICTION

Olive of Groves and the right royal romp – by Katrina

Nannestad, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo (PRC title Stage 3 &

Stage 4)

Ruby red shoes – by Kate Knapp (PRC title Stage 2)

The sisters Saint-Claire – by Carlie Gibson, illustrated by Tamsin

Ainslie (PRC title Stage 1)

The Jungle book: The strength of the wolf is the pack – by Scott

Peterson and Joshua Pruett

The wizard’s wand – by Geronimo Stilton

Thea Stilton and the Madagascar madness – by Geronimo

Stilton (PRC title Stage 2)

SENIOR FICTION

The Inventory series: Iron fist - by Andy Briggs

A thousand pieces of you – by Claudia Gray

How to catch a witch – by Abie Longstaff

A whole new world – by Liz Braswell

JUNIOR NON-FICTION

Just four ingredients for kids – published by the Australian

Women’s Weekly

Fantastic beasts and where to find them – by Michael Kogge

Robert Irwin dinosaur hunter: Big book of dinosaurs –

published by Random House Australia

Minecraft Annual 2017 – by Stephanie Milton

Hi Everyone,

On Wednesday 7th June Mrs Barrett & I will accompany eight

students to Lithgow High School for the official launch of the

‘Central West High Schools Wheelers e-Platform Consortium.’

Students from 15 schools will be treated to a day of activities

with the highlight being a talk from acclaimed Australian

author, Morris Gleitzman. A report about the day will appear

in the next newsletter, so stay tuned.

Scholastic Book Club catalogues for Issue 4 have now been

distributed to students. Orders are due to the Library no later

than 3:30 pm on Thursday 8th June. I will keep LOOP orders

open until the end of the weekend. Paper orders need to be

delivered to the Library, labelled with your child’s name &,

where possible, the correct money sealed in an envelope or a

zip lock plastic bag.

Congratulations to Year 6 student Chloe Brouff & Year 5

students Kelsey Quinn, Reagan Quinn & Emmison Shapland,

who completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge last week. I

commend them for their dedication over the past few months

to complete the Challenge for 2017. A wonderful effort girls!

Mrs Hall

at.wilson@bigpond.com

CONFEDERATES - Samone Vennard

thevennards@hotmail.com

CITY – Christie Johnson

orangecityhockeyclub@hotmail.com

CYMS - Janeen Toner

janeen@randworange.com.au

EX-SERVICES - Gail Kennewell

gailkennewell12@gmail.com

MOLONG - Joe Clayton

ardens@skymesh.com.au

at.wilson@bigpond.com

CONFEDERATES - Samone Vennard

thevennards@hotmail.com

CITY – Christie Johnson

orangecityhockeyclub@hotmail.com

CYMS - Janeen Toner

janeen@randworange.com.au

EX-SERVICES - Gail Kennewell

gailkennewell12@gmail.com

MOLONG - Joe Clayton

ardens@skymesh.com.au

Mid Year Drum Recital Featuring students of Mr Noonan. Parents, grandparents, friends & anyone who is interested in seeing some brilliant drum performances

are invited to attend. When: Tuesday 27th June Time: 1:15pm Where: in the School hall. Cost: Free

From the LIBRARY. . .

MOLONG CENTRAL

SCHOOL

P&C

STREET STALL

FRIDAY 16/6/17 WOOD RAFFLE,

CAKES, SLICES ETC. NB: A detailed note will be sent home with

students next week.

c

Mobile Blood Service visiting:

Molong Railway Station Carpark, Mitchell Highway

Monday 19 June 8.45am – 2.00pm

Drink up! Have 3 or 4 glasses of water or juice in the hours before you donate Eat! Have a good sized breakfast or lunch Please bring photo I.D. with you