St Marys District High School

School News Issue 5 - 24th June, 2010

CONTENTS: Principal‟s Report 2

Cross Country - Inter High 3

St Marys School Assoc. News 4

Early Learning News 5

Campbell Town Show 6

Cross Country - ENE 7

Flexible Program 8

General Information 9

School Corporate Logo/Name change

competition form 11

Congratulations Holly Bean (artwork above)

The Butterfly Foundation is creating a 2011 Calendar which will be

launched during Body Image and eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Holly Bean‟s painting is one of the pieces of artwork they wish to use for

this purpose. They will be hosting a launch for both the Calendar and the

Violet and I „butterfly cami‟ on the 7th September at Mars Gallery, Port

Melbourne with all artists invited to attend.

All pieces will be exhibited separately on beautiful A2 print paper which

will be hung from the ceiling for visual effect and viewing.

The Young Archies Award 2010 (artwork left)

Nina Ling has painted a portrait of her sister Maya and entered it in the

Young Archies.

This will be exhibited for 2 weeks at the Tasmanian College of the Arts,

Hunter Street, Hobart; Friday 2nd July til Sunday 18th July 2010.

2

Dear Parents, Students and Community Members,

The formalisation of the federation between St Marys District High School and Fingal Primary School

continues to be a 2010 priority – this move is strongly endorsed by both School Associations. A new

corporate “identity” is being sought that will involve a combined school name and logo in addition to other

operational measures. This strengthened partnership is benefitting all students currently enrolled in the two

schools. Please refer to information in the Newsletter, the Valley Voice and school website.

On a somewhat disappointing note I would like to voice my regret at the recent break-ins and theft that

have taken place at the school during the first week of Term 2. Whilst being extremely annoyed at what

occurred I am more saddened with the associated costs of repair and staff down time that have impacted on

the school community. Those responsible will be dealt with accordingly. This is unprecedented behaviour

at St Marys and I truly hope it is not repeated.

Our BER (Primary Schools for the 21st Century) initiative is progressing according to the timeframe.

The new Early Childhood classrooms should be available within the next two weeks; this will then allow

all primary classes to be placed in their “correct” room. Our primary students, together with staff and

parents are commended for their patience. The pool enclosure is scheduled to commence in late July.

As part of the school‟s absenteeism a SMS system has been activated as at Monday 21st June. When a

student has an unexplained absence on any given day a message (text/ voice mail) will be sent. It is vital

that students who are late to school sign in as this will avoid a message being sent. Similarly the school

will make every effort to ensure our attendance records are carefully monitored. Any issues should be

directed to me not to the administration staff who are acting under my instruction. Similarly parents are

welcome to advise the school on the following mobile phone number: 0457 482 265 if their child is absent

on a given day.

A reminder that Monday 5th July is a student free day for all schools in the area. Staff are required to

work on the day and will be based at Campbell Town District High School. Bus services will be cancelled,

however the school will provide student supervision if required. Please contact the school should you

require this support.

The term ahead promises to be extremely busy – Work Experience, Grade 9 camp, Country Gold, Arts on

Tour, Try a Trade –to name a few of the upcoming events. It is really important that families return notices

within the allocated time to ensure organisation runs as smoothly as possible.

It is only early days yet but the enthusiasm and commitment to study throughout the school has made for a

most positive start to the term. Thank you also to the broader school community for some really great

feedback and support in many areas including sports coaching and classroom assistance.

Regards,

Brian Shepheard

3

INTERHIGH CROSS COUNTRY 2010

On Tuesday 18th May 2010 a small group of students travelled to Launceston to compete in the Inter High

Cross Country Carnival at Kings Meadows High School. The day started with very foggy and cold conditions

but warmed into a nice sunny day.

We started the carnival in excellent form, with Maya Ling finishing 1st in our division for the grade 7 girls.

The other girls (Avalon Chippendale, Dakota Wise and Zoe Simpson) also performed well in this age group to

finish in 2nd place in the teams event.

The other outstanding achievements came from the grade 9 boys teams event, with Corey Thow, Stephen Lea,

Jack Broughan and David Nickson finishing second overall and Tyler Pitstock finishing 2nd overall in our

divission in the grade 10 boys event.

Well done to all participants in this event. The level of commitment to the team and the participation was

outstanding. Thanks to the parents who attended to cheer on our kids.

Laura Coleman

HPE Teacher

4

St Marys District High School Association News

A general meeting of the association was held on Tuesday 18th May, 2010 and was once again well supported.

A number of issues were discussed including the purchase by the association of two Nintendo Wii Fit Gaming consoles, which are

expected to compliment existing Primary and Secondary Health and physical Education Programmes.

Gratifyingly NAPLAN inclusion rates were excellent. Results are due late term 2, with tests marked externally. In addition to the

school being advised of student results, parents will also receive a copy of the assessment.

High on the agenda was the impending Federation of Schools, between Fingal and St Marys due to take full effect in 2011. In

anticipation, both a new corporate logo and name must be devised and to this end the Association has decided to invite entries in a

competition, which will be open to the school body and the community, as part of our consultation process. Details of the competition

are in the newsletter also. We look forward to receiving many innovative proposals representative of both schools.

To coincide with National Science Week, the St Marys Community Science Fair has been scheduled for Wednesday 18 th August 2010

at the Town Hall. It is proposed that with the staff, association and community assistance, Years 6-8 will be charged with the operation

of the Fair, which will be patronised by Primary students. The theme of the Fair will be „biodiversity‟. We anticipate that this event

will be most valuable for all involved.

Other issues regarding formalising student assistance within the canteen and general canteen policy were also tabled and discussed.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 13th July @7pm in the staff room.

I hope to see you there

Tanya Greenwood

President

5

Launching into Learning (Birth to 3 program): Thursdays 11am - 12:30pm

Stepping Stones (Pre-kinder): Thursdays 1:30pm - 3pm

It has been wonderful to see so many families, within our community, engaging in our early learning programs. We have a number of babies attending our Launching into

Learning sessions, along with 2-3 year olds who love painting, play dough, outdoor play, story time and singing.

Our pre-kinders are enjoying Stepping Stones sessions as an opportunity to interact with other children and to become familiar with the school environment. The baby

nursery, home corner and current pet shop have proved very popular for imaginative play and role playing with this group.

It would be great for more children to be involved in these fun, play based sessions, as research suggests that children who attend early learning programs often do better

once attending school.

If you have a pre-school aged child, bring them along for a play! You can enjoy a cup of tea, a chat with other parents and have fun participating in various activities whilst

interacting positively with your child.

Rebecca Hibberd and Genevieve Aulich

Early Learning Team We hope to see you there!

6

On Friday 28th May grades Kinder-6 from St

Marys District High School and Fingal

Primary School attended the Campbell Town

Show.

Even though the weather was looking miserable with drizzly

conditions, we headed off in high spirits.

We saw the wool classing, sheep dog trials, animal nursery,

mechanical bull riding, jeeps, face painting and much more..

Though it was a little damp at the show it was nothing compared to

the weather that greeted us upon our return to St Marys!

It was also fantastic to see our art work displayed in the Art

Competition. Well Done to the children who received prizes.

Thank you to parents who came a long and helped the children

have a terrific time.

7

Mathinna 2010

On Tuesday 22nd June 2010 a small team of representatives travelled to

Mathinna for the annual ENE Cross Country.

St Marys were running in Division one against St Helens, Scottsdale and

Bridport. St Marys Finished 4th overall.

It was a beautiful sunny day, a very unusual occurrence for this event

and we had some outstanding individual performances for the day. In the

grade 3 boys Jerome Smith finished 2nd and Brody Spriggs 3rd overall. In

the grade 3 girls Saree Salter finished 6th overall. In the grade 4 boys

Lachlan Gee finished 3rd overall and in the grade 5 boys Jordan Riley

finished 7th Overall.

Thank you to all the runners that represented our school so well on the

day and tried their hardest in every race. Thanks also to the ENE

Association and to the Mathinna community who put on a fabulous day.

8

Michael Thomas, Michael Larby, Jackson Spilsbury and Jamie Izard, pictured above,

have been working on a flexible program in MDT with Mr Duke.

Michael, Jackson and Michael chose to make clocks after shaping a piece of timber,

they varnished their photo, which had been enlarged, onto the timber. The clock

motor was installed and hands were attached, finishing with a piece of rope around

the outside to decorate.

Jamie shaped his boomerang and hand painted it. They were all very pleased with

their finished product.

9

April was Autism Month across Australia

As mentioned in the last newsletter, individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have a wide range of difficulties and

abilities. As previously mentioned there are 3 main core characteristics of ASD. Usually by the age of three children who have an

ASD display these characteristics:

Social interaction and relationships

They might not respond when people speak or gesture towards them, even when their names are called out They often make

little eye contact with others and usually won‟t copy other people‟s actions, like clapping. They may not be interested in chatting

or playing, especially with other children and have trouble with giving and sharing.

Communication and language Children with ASD usually take longer than the average child to learn language. Children with an ASD will find it hard to

comprehend language, so understanding simple instructions and social rules can be difficult. When children with an ASD do

have language skills, they talk about their own special interests, and rarely use language skills to communicate with others. They

might echo what they hear, repeating patterns of words without attaching any meaning to them

Repetitive behaviour and routines

Even from a young age, children with an ASD will often prefer the same routines – feeding, sleeping or leaving the house needs

to be done the same way every time. They might be upset by even minute changes. Many children with an ASD also like to

repeat behaviour, like lining their toys up in a particular way over and over again. Older children with an ASD might have very

narrow and intense interests that may or may not be age appropriate.

Although each individual diagnosed with an ASD has these 3 core characteristics that define their condition, it does not define

them as a person. Every person with an ASD is a unique individual with their own set of likes, dislikes, personality and

capabilities. Get to know someone in your school community who has an ASD or talk to their parents and remember to be

Autism Aware. For more information call 1300 288 476.

Please be Autism Aware.

Monday 28th June

In school Hall

2:10pm

All parents/carers welcome.

10

13 Gray Road, St Marys, TAS, 7215.

Phone: 6372 3900 Fax: 6372 2543

Email: st.marys.district.high@education.tas.gov.au

June/July 2010 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

24 June

ENE Sports day #3

Speech & Drama

Excursion - L’ton

25 June

28 June

11/12 Parent Meeting

29 June 30 June

1 July

ENE meeting

2 July

5 July

STUDENT

FREE DAY

6 July 7 July

NHSSA Round 4

8 July

Try-A-Trade Day

9 July

12 July 13 July

Performance - Gr 3-10

St Marys School Assoc.

Meeting 7pm staffroom

14 July

State Primary Cross

Country

15 July

ENE Gymnastics Gr 3-6

Science Challenge

Next Newsletter

16 July

ENE Gymnastics P-2

SALE

Polo tops and

polar fleece jumpers

Sizes 18 - 24

$10ea

limited colours

and sizes

Available

First in best dressed. Cash or card only

no holds (Available at school office)

What: Hilarious night of serious silliness, raising funds for a

local family for their

daughter Madison who has West‟s Syndrome.

When: Friday 20th August

Where: St Helens Golf Club

Time: 7.00pm

Cost: $35 per person or $60 for 2

(Bar will be open)

For further details contact:

Kristi Chapple 0409 284 733

or Rebecca Mason 0409 253 504

11

Fingal Primary/St Marys District High School Association News

It’s Time for a Change

During 2011 the federation between Fingal Primary and St Marys District High School will

be formalised. Members of both schools‟ communities have been working hard to ensure

there is a smooth transition, with maximum benefits for student learning outcomes. Staff

and students already have participated in a range of joint activities at both campuses.

We now enter the next phase in the formal development of the Federation. Both schools

have a long, proud history of educating students from across the Fingal Valley, St Marys and

east coast communities, ranging from Bicheno to St Helens. We would like to acknowledge

the achievements of all former staff and students associated with the success of both schools.

Given both schools will operate under a single school association, combined budget and

staffing allocation it is now time to look for a new, integrated identity. During the coming

years this will allow representation of both campuses under a united banner. As part of the

federation process a new corporate identity is needed – a new name and logo that will

encapsulate the history and uniqueness of both schools. The new corporate name and logo

will be used in all future correspondence, stationery and ultimately in uniform design.

We are calling on all students, past and present, family and community members to offer up

their ideas and suggestions as to what our new identity might be. You may have knowledge

of local history, graphic design or geographical place names or just be an interested

observer.

Please contact any member of either school association committee if you would like further

input to this process – all ideas are welcome.

Attached is an entry form to allow you to contribute your suggestions. All entries must be

received at either school office by 30 July 2010 marked attention School Association

President.

All entries will be considered, but no guarantees can be made for the final selection of your

suggestions. Members of both St Marys and Fingal School Associations will hold a meeting

to select the final name and logo.

Prizes will be awarded for each successful contribution.

Gary Barnes Tanya Greenwood

President President

Fingal Association St Marys Association

12

St Marys District High/Fingal Primary School Association News

It’s time for a change!

Entry form new school name competition: proposed school name:_______________________ name:______________________________________ address:____________________________________ contact tel:__________________________________

St Marys District High/Fingal Primary School Association News

It’s time for a change!

Entry form New School logo competition

Name:_____________________________ Address:___________________________ contact tel:________________________ (Please keep in mind that any design will possibly be

embroidered onto uniforms in the future - try to keep it

simple)