Narrabri High School Community News Educational Excellence and Innovation in a Unique Caring Environment

Meetings 19th june in Library

6.00pm Canteen Committee 6.30pm P & C Meeting

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Principal’s Report

As you read this newsletter I will be lucky enough to be touring around the UK with Mrs Charalambous. This holiday was booked last November, and I was unable to change it. Whilst I can't say that I won't be having an enjoyable time, in many ways I would rather be at school, especially as events have transpired enabling me to have the opportunity to be Relieving Principal. We will be back for day one of Term 3, and I will continue as Relieving Principal until the process to select the next Principal is completed. This has taken longer than expected, and it is likely that the new Principal will not commence duty until the start of 2018. In my absence I am very confident that Ms Broderick will do a great job as Principal, Ms Johnson will relieve as one of the Deputy Principals and Ms McKinstry will be Head Teacher of Science. Mrs Walters will be Relieving Head Teacher Administration.

As was mentioned in the last newsletter we will be working on improving the wearing of uniform next term. In the last couple of weeks of this term you will see a letter explaining the reasons for this decision and how the school is prepared to support you. The P & C has decided that we are a uniform school, and this was reaffirmed at the May meeting. The community and businesses are supportive of this because they realise that an important part of schooling is preparing young people for work, and there are very few work

C a l e n d a r

June

19-23 Year 11 Work Placement for Primary

Industries, IT, Tourism & Nursing

20 Year 11 & 12 Parent/Teacher Night

5pm -7pm

22 MADD Night, Betty Berriman Hall

26-30 Year 11 Nursing Work Placement

27 Years 8 & 10 Parent Teacher Night

5pm-7pm

30 Last Day Term 2

July

17 Staff Development Day

18 Students commence Term 3

27 Years 7 & 9 parent Teacher night

5pm-7pm

August

7-17 HSC Trial Exams

8 Subject Selection Night Year 11,

2018 6pm (TBC)

September

6-8 CHS Athletics, Homebush

22 Last Day Term 3

October

9 First day Term 4 for Staff & Students

places that do not have a uniform or a dress code. Please carefully read the letter and policy directions that you will receive, and if you would like to talk to a staff member please call the school. On Tuesday, May 30th a community meeting was held at the Bowling club. This was not organised by the High School, and originally it was intended that the Chamber of Commerce (of approximately 20 members) were to discuss perceived issues with Executive Director, Frank Potter, our Director, Public School, Ruythe Dufty, and myself (originally Mr Jones). This intended private meeting became very public, with approximately 109 people in attendance. I presented, and spoke towards, a PowerPoint presentation which highlighted all of the great things that our school does in the community, and in supporting the youth of Narrabri. It also highlighted some of the recent directions that we have been taking, and some upcoming initiatives. Make no mistake, we have a very good school, but we are always working to do better in response to our changing society. I would thank everyone for attending and the input that was provided. The highlights for me were the comments made by Lorraine Robinson of Year 12, who along with Chelsea Wheeler, Ashleigh Dunn and Olivia Bange decided to attend and give a students' point of view. The future is certainly bright for our youth, and the actions of these young ladies are mirrored on a daily basis at school when many students show maturity and take responsibility for their actions. Furthermore, our P & C President, Mrs Amanda Wales, emphasized that the 'C' in the committee's name stood for 'citizen', and that everyone in town was welcome to come to our monthly meetings. Ruythe Dufty is compiling a list of questions and discussion points that were raised, and she will work with both Frank Potter and us, along with the local community to reach mutually acceptable solutions. I am pleased to report that our partnership with the Narrabri Shire Council via the Federation Farm project is making great progress. We received $18, 000, after a successful harvest. This money will be used to update the furniture in the library to make it an even more effective learning area. I would like to acknowledge the work of the Federation

Farm committee and particularly the outstanding hard work of the site manager, Gary Coulton. A big welcome to Mr Steve Sampson, who is the Relieving Home School Liaison Officer for the remainder of the year. Steve is not new to our area and is well known in the community. He will work with nearby schools and parents to improve student attendance. Both the Junior Boys and Girls toilets are back in action, after receiving a major refurbishment by the Department of Education. They look great, and have been well received by the students. Towards the end of next term there will be major work done to the front entrance of the school and the administration area. It is great that we continue to get improvements done to our school.

It is great to acknowledge the success of six of our Music students who will be performing at the Opera House. Year 8 students Alexandra Bennett, Lucy Gordon & Bree-Anna Johnson who have been selected in the State Junior Wind Band. Year 10 students James Madden, Dylan Gordon and Matt Nash have been selected in the State Senior Wind Band. The Cross Country and Athletics Carnival were hugely successful, the highlight being four records broken by Bella Stewart, Don Watkins, Will Alexander & Will Morley. Finally, I wish both Miss Hall and Ms McKinstry, along with one of our casual staff Ms Emily Ellwood, the best wishes of the school as they are about to go on maternity leave. By the next newsletter we may know the names of the new cherubs and future Narrabri High School students! Dinos Charalambous Relieving Principal

School Based Traineeships and Vocational Education

Opportunity

Career Expo Tamworth

On June 26 at the Crossing Theatre, Careers Network and State Training Services will be conducting the Narrabri Industry Pathways Workshop. This workshop is part of an initiative to promote school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SBAT’s) and vocational education courses in Narrabri. It is primarily aimed at employers, parents and Year 9 and 10 students, although there will be information pertinent to other students from Years 8-12 as well. SBAT’s involve students completing between 100 and 180 days of paid on-the-job training with qualified employers while company students have gone on to start their careers in these areas or have used them as a springboard to further education Over the past few years we have had SBAT’s in nursing, automotive services, business services (banking and office work), agriculture, construction, plumbing, child care, property services, community services, allied health, aged care and hospitality. The aim of the workshop is to bring employers, schools, interested students and parents together. The objectives are to: • Promote students to potential employers offering employment opportunities in their industry • Link interested Year 9 and 10 high school students with employers from a range of industry areas • Share information with employers, students and parents about the School Based Traineeship and Apprenticeship program • Provide students and parents with information about Vocational Education & Training courses that are available for study as part of the HSC or as mainstream courses outside of school. Any of our students who may be interested in a vocational pathway are strongly encouraged to attend with their parents, if possible. The parents of Year 10 students should be mindful that students will be making their subject selections for Year 11 early next term, and this workshop may provide invaluable information on which they can base their choices. Any employers or other business people who would be interested in finding out more about our vocational training courses and SBAT’s are also urged participate. More information is provided in the Expression of Interest attached to this newsletter. If you would like to attend this free event, please complete the relevant section at the bottom of this and return it to the school by Wednesday 21 June so that planning can go ahead. We look forward to seeing you there.

A few weeks ago, over 80 students in Years 10, 11 and 12 travelled to the TREC centre in Tamworth as

part of the annual Tamworth Career Expo excursion. The event has become an accepted part of the school calendar and is designed to expose our students to representatives from a wide variety of training and educational institutions, potential employers and various apprenticeship centres and employment agencies. As usual, the Expo was well received by our students, most of whom indicated that they had managed to glean useful information and contacts in the brief time allowed to them. Judging by the bags of pamphlets and other merchandise that came home with them, parents and students had plenty of reading matter to keep them occupied for some time to come. Thanks goes to those teachers involved, Mr Russell, Ms McKinstry, Ms Hall and Mr Randall, and to the students, whose conduct and behaviour reflected well on our school and its values.

EXCHANGE STUDENT

exchange student from

Belgium, Cleile Stuyck is

arriving in July and we

Agriculture Produce

for Sale at the foyer

Debating News

On Monday, 15th

May the year 7/8 debating teams for Narrabri High travelled to Wee Waa to contest the Premiers Debating Challenge.

The challenge is a state-wide round robin competition aimed at developing public speaking and reasoning skills in students at NSW Government Schools.

The debates were held in the Library at Wee Waa High and Dr Kate Bricknell adjudicated. Dr Bricknell also gave the students a mini debating workshop, helping them develop their skills in the construction of arguments and rebuttal techniques.

The topic for the first debate was, ‘That parents should only allow their children to watch TV on the weekends’. Narrabri A team represented by Charlie Thomson (1

st speaker), Eliza Weissen (2

nd speaker),

Amara Grant (3rd

speaker) and Jessica Berney (team adviser) debated for the negative and were narrowly defeated by the Wee Waa side. Dr Bricknell was impressed with all four debaters and complimented them on their manner and presentation.

The topic for the second debate was, ‘That we should lower the voting age for State and Federal elections’. Narrabri debaters, Joshua Taylor (1

st speaker), Chanula

Wanasinghe (2nd

speaker), Sofia Fawcett 93rd

speaker) and Karl Schlack-Whitehouse (team adviser) argued the case for the affirmative. Narrabri won the debate comfortably, using strong and sustained arguments.

Narrabri High School would like to thank Wee Waa High for their hospitality and great competitive spirit.

Narrabri teams will now debate each other on the topic of Education, and then host Quirindi High School.

Back, Karl Schlack-Whitehouse, Charlie Thomson, Sofia Fawcell, Erin

Flower. Front: Eliza Weissen, Amara Grant, Jessica Berney, Joshua

Taylor, Chanula Wanasinge

Where are they now?

Kickstart Physics

Primary Challenge Helpers

Wow! It has been 20 years since I attended Narrabri High School and completed the HSC in 1997… feels like a lifetime ago! I thoroughly enjoyed my school years and not only did I have an amazing group of friends I had some of the most dedicated and awesome teachers whom I firmly believe gave me strong foundations for my career. These teachers to mention a few Peter Hood (2 and 3 unit Agriculture), Dave Galvin (Business Studies) and Jodie Robertson (2 unit Mathematics) showed excellence in their approach for education. They taught through building a rapport with the students to earn respect and encourage a willingness to learn and participate by making education an enjoyable experience. Agriculture and Business Studies were my favourite subjects. The teachers made learning fun and I had a rural background from growing up on our family farm and was keen to learn more about the business side of farming. I was offered a Tocal Ag scholarship in year 10 but after much thought realised the importance of completing the HSC for my future career possibilities.

It was with strong foundations from Narrabri High School and the mentorship of the Late Len Sevil that I believe have held me in good stead for my career as a real estate agent and opening my own business Carla Baxter Real Estate. It is now that I am able to start giving back to the High School through sponsorship and contributing to the Cambodia House Building project organised by Kathy Bailey (another amazing teacher!) This in turn gives me great satisfaction that I am able to support the students of today and witness them develop their skills with the encouragement and dedication from the existing teaching staff.

With a great team behind my business being Ros Hay, Leah Baguley and the unwavering support of Leanne Booby, all of whom attended Narrabri High School. I look forward to my business growing even further so I am able to continue giving back to the community, Narrabri High and the students and staff of the future.

Seven students departed from Narrabri in the pre-dawn chill on Tuesday 30 May to travel to Dubbo to participate in the Sydney University Kickstart Physics workshops. The university brings out its Science communication students, and its 2

nd year laboratory equipment, to revise the first-

hand investigations of two core topic from the HSC course. The day was very beneficial to the students who had the opportunity to talk to the presenters about university study as well as enriching their understanding of the course. Unfortunately, Mrs Charalambous hit a kangaroo outside Coonabarabran (an authentic Australian experience for Italian exchange student Alessandro Carenini), necessitating some emergency repairs after a cold wait for the tow truck and an early return home. Many thanks to Rachael Russell who continued on with the other four students and stayed with them for the day, arriving back in Narrabri around 7:30pm. Also thanks to Tom Gordon from the Kickstart Physics group who refunded the cost for the students who were unable to attend.

On Wednesday 7 June, eighteen Year 11 students and one Year 12 student volunteered their time to assist Narrabri Rotary and the University of Newcastle run the Primary Challenge day at the Crossing Theatre. The students represented Narrabri High School with distinction and a number of Rotarians and challenge helpers specifically referred to the valuable contribution of the volunteers. Words like, autonomous, enthusiasm, initiative and leadership were repeatedly used to describe the students.

Callum Campbell and Will Lonergan assisted with the earthquake tower. Ty Hensley and Thomas McLoughlin ran the bridge challenge. Abbie Bartlett and Fariha Sadeque were in charge of the flat pack groups. Bella Stewart and Chloe Myers led the Mars Rover activity. Zaine Saunders and Nick Ferguson

Science & Engineering Challenge

Cross Country

were the leaders on the electricity grid event. Matthew Druce, Cora Smith and Toby Davison kept the confounding communications kids on track. Liam Davis, Adam McLeod-Hennessy and Jesse Bennet steered the minipult builders. Britany Schipp, Teagan Penberthy, Emma Atkinson and April Squire assisted the students building the bionic hand.

Twenty-eight Year 10 students gathered at the Crossing Theatre at 9am on Thursday 8 June to complete in the annual North West Challenge hosted by Narrabri Rotary club. As several schools had withdrawn close to the date, Narrabri High School organised a last minute team of Year 9 students to make 5 teams competing on the day. There were four full day tasks: the Bridge, the Mars Rover, Flat Pack furniture and The Catapult. The other four teams had to complete two half day tasks, either: Bionic Hand and Confounding Communications (creating a code to send via optical fibres) or Helter Skelter (earthquake tower) and Electracity.

Each team faced setbacks during the day and demonstrated determination, sportsmanship and persistence. After the first half day challenges were complete, Narrabri Year 10 was sitting in second place but by the next score update they were in fourth behind the Year 9 team. After the final of the bridge testing, all the students waited nervously for the result as Narrabri had not won the challenge for a number of years. Despite not having entries in the Bridge, Flat Pack and one Bionic/Communications challenge, Narrabri Year 9 came in third place! It was announced that 5 points separated 1

st

and 2nd

, then reigning champions Coonabarabran were announced as runners up and a cheer erupted from the Narrabri teams. As the scores were announced, the teams that had won individual challenges were announced. Dylan Gordon, James Madden, Matthew Nash and Layten Smith were the overall winners of Confounding Communications and Caleb Newell-Frawley, Jason Foxe, Makayla Johannesen and Daniel Hall as the winners of the Mars Rover challenge

with the Year 9 team a close second. Callan Webster, Reece Anderson and Alexander Loder from Year 9 won the Catapult, with Narrabri Year 10 moving into second place on their final launch and the winning Bridge builders were Pat Wheeler, Nathan Suckling, Will Alexander and Auley O’Shea. The Year 10 team will be travelling to Newcastle in Science Week in August to compete in the State finals. All students were excellent ambassadors for the school, behaving in a respectful and courteous manner at all times. Thank you to Rotary and the local sponsors for providing the funds and personnel to run another successful challenge.

The 2017 Cross Country saw a chilly afternoon present ideal running conditions for competitors, with a number of runners burning up the track. Winners on the day were: 12 Year Girl - Ella Tomlinson 12 Year Boy – Tim Shields 13 Year Girl - Martha Harvey 13 Year Boy – Brock Davies 14 Year Girl – Charlotte Penberthy 14 Year Boy – Cody Sheperdson 15 Year Girl – Caitlyn Ford 15 Year Boy – Jonty Schwager 16 Year Girl – Jenna Baxter 16 Year Boy – Colby Williams 17+Year Girl – Sam Baxter 17+Year Boy – Ben Freeman Good luck to those students competing at Coolah on Friday the 16

th of June.

All Schools Swimming

Athletics Carnival

The weather was kind to us this year for the 2017 athletics carnival, turning out a beautiful day. MARARA continued their dominance of the athletics carnival, making it 3 in row! This year saw the running of a “gift” handicap race where the fastest runner in each age competed in the race. The boys saw Nick Tomlinson giving away as much as 23 metres to some younger competitors, but taking the race

in the final stride. The girls raced a great battle up the straight with Caitlyn Dewar prevailing.

We had 4 records broken on the day with Don Watkins taking out the 12 years boys discuss with a new record of 25.75m beating the old record set in 2004 by 10cm. Bella Stewart continued on her way to clean sweeping the high jump records with a new record of 1.60m eclipsing the old record held since 2002 by 8cm. Will Alexander broke the 16

years boys’ javelin record by a full 1.04m, taking it out to 47.95m, which has stood for 32 years! Will Morley set a new 17s boys long jump record of 6.22m beating the old record by 27cm, which has stood for 30 years! Well done to the new record holders.

Age champions on the day were: 12 Year Girl - Ella Tomlinson 12 Year Boy – Don Watkins 13 Year Girl - Dianne Roberts 13 Year Boy – Angus Gourley 14 Year Girl – Charlotte Penberthy 14 Year Boy – Cody Sheperdson 15 Year Girl – Mae Harvey 15 Year Boy – Felix Johnson 16 Year Girl – Bella Stewart 16 Year Boy – Will Alexander 17+Year Girl – Caitlyn Dewar 17+Year Boy – Will Morley Well done to all the students who competed and tried hard on the day and thank you to the parents that came to support their children. Lastly a big thank you to all the staff for helping out on the day. M McConnell Sports Organiser

On Friday 12

th May, eight Narrabri High School students

travelled to Sydney to compete as part of the CHS swimming team to compete at the NSW All Schools Swimming Championships. Ella Tomlinson and Nick Tomlinson competed in individual events – 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke. To be chosen to compete at this level Nick and Ella were the top 3 fastest in their age group out of all the public schools in NSW – an amazing achievement. Our medley relay teams were also selected as one of the 3 fastest and competed finishing 7

th and

swimming faster than they swam at the CHS championships. Members of the relay team were Angus Browning, Andrew Coleman, Dylan Gordon, Nick Tomlinson, Rachel Caton, Lucy Gordon, Charlotte Penberthy and Ella Tomlinson.