Charleville State High School
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Corner of Partridge and Hunter Streets
Charleville QLD 4470
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Email: admin@charlevilleshs.eq.edu.au
Phone: 07 4656 8888
Fax: 07 4656 8800

5 May 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Masterclass

On April 21 and 22 our Year 11 and 12 OP students travelled to Roma to participate in a QCS masterclass ran by Mighty Minds. Our students received invaluable tips, across a range of areas, which they will be able to use over the next two years in all curriculum classes as well as the QCS test. I am proud to say that our students received very complimentary comments regarding their conduct over the two days effectively demonstrating our 4B’s and 4Vs.

Anzac Day

On April 22 we held our school Anzac Service. It was great to be able to share this significant event with our Mayor and local councillors, other school Principals and RSL sub-branch guests. The theme for Anzac Day 2016 was WWII, as our oldest living veterans were involved in this world event. The ceremony highlighted to our students the continued role the Anzac legend plays in our lives and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Bernie Matthews for his organisation of the event.

On Anzac Day itself I was once again proud to be Principal of Charleville State High School when I saw how many of our staff and students were in attendance at both the dawn service and the main march. Our school had a high turnout on Anzac day, and we are very proud of the school’s representation through those who were able to march on the day. It was also pleasing to see that some of our students also marched at Wyandra. All students that marched received ten Starbucks, which can be used to go towards their Term Two tallies.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

A reminder that our eligible students will be able to attend the Broncos v Panthers football game on the 22nd of July if they have achieved the benchmarks set for participation. Students should be ensuring that their Starbucks are handed in the library to make sure that these are added towards their term two tallies. Students earn Starbucks for following the 4Be’s and 4V’s which we affectionately refer to as “The Charleville High Way”.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

It was pleasing to see so many parents attend our Parent/Teacher interviews on the 26th of April. Parent/Teacher interviews are an important part of our partnership as these enable us to work together to try and improve student results before the end of the semester. If you were unable to attend and would still like an opportunity to talk to your child’s teacher, please ring the office and we can arrange an alternative opportunity.

Attendance

I must say that our attendance last week was very pleasing. Last week I spoke on assembly about the importance of making “Every day count” and in particular on Friday’s and last week we had the best attendance rate of the term with 92% which is also our target. I must say that it was very pleasing to see that our students responded to my request to attend on Fridays, and I hope that this trend continues for the rest of the term.

At Charleville State High School we have high expectations on student attendance, and I thank you for your continued assistance with ensuring that together we can ensure that we make “Every day count.” The best-attended form class in both the senior and junior departments continue to receive a slushie voucher from the P and C. As the temperature gets cooler students can choose a slushie or a hot chocolate.

Cross Country

Even though last week was a short week, we certainly managed to ensure that we fitted as much in as we could. The week culminated with our Cross country on Friday 29th April. Congratulations to all students that ran the cross country and congratulations to Tobruk for their fourth cross country win in a row. It was a great afternoon, and a big thank you to Leighton Webb, Brad Lines and the rest of the staff that were involved in the organisation and running of our Cross Country event.

Breakfast Club

Just a reminder that Breakfast Club is on each Monday and Friday from 8 am at the hall. CWAATSICH run a wonderful program and have a very healthy breakfast on offer. On a Monday and Friday CWAATSICH staff are also running traditional and non-traditional games at lunchtimes. Thank you to CWAATSICH CEO SherylLawton for this continued partnership that assists our students to continue to achieve through healthy eating and physical activity.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN begins for our Year 7 and 9 students on the 10th of May. NAPLAN testing will be held over three days, and students will cover different tests which will cover Spelling, Numeracy (Non-Calculator and Calculator), Grammar and Punctuation and Writing. Naplan testing allows our students a point in time reference to see how they are progressing against other students in the state and also the nation. If you have any concerns or questions regarding these test please don’t hesitate to contact the school.

P and C meeting

On behalf of the P and C, I would like to invite you to the May meeting which will be held next Wednesday on the 11th of May beginning at 5.30 pm in the Administration building. The P and C Executive and I look forward to seeing you there.

Facilities Update

A Block is all but finished being painted. The painting contractors have now moved onto B Block. B Block is scheduled to be finished towards the end of May. I am sure that you will agree that the painting of these buildings is continuing to add to our welcoming nature of our school facilities. We look forward to continuing to upgrade our facilities where possible.

Trivia Night

This Friday is Trivia Night. Our annual Trivia night is our only fundraising event for our two sports tours that our students participate in each year. There are certainly some great memorabilia on offer at auction. Some of these items include Queensland State of Origin Jersey; Cowboys signed jersey, Australian cricket shirts, and many other things. I look forward to seeing you there. Thank you to all of our staff involved in the organisation of this very worthwhile event.

School Vice Captains

On Tuesday on assembly, we held a ceremony to welcome Caitlin Doneman to the role of school vice-captain. Caitlin replaces Jayden Aramoana, who transferred schools at the start of this term. We welcome Caitlin to our student leadership team.

It is important to us that every day, in every classroom, every student is learning and achieving. Charleville State High School thanks you for your support in this partnership.

Marcus

Teaching and Learning @ CSHS

The Purpose of Learning

Students often ask why they are learning what we put in front of them each lesson. According to Mortimer Adler the purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live. That is, we are trying to encourage and develop lifelong learners through what we do on a daily basis in each of our classrooms and elsewhere around the school. As we all know one of the best ways to learn is to put the theory into action. It is the hands-on activities and skills development that drives teachers. This is particularly the case in subjects based on practical skills, including Industrial Technology and Design, Hospitality/ Home Economics, Agriculture and many more.

Practical application of learning - Hospitality Students and the Café project

One such opportunity for the practical application of theory is underway for our Hospitality students and the Café project. Working with the Charleville School of Distance Education, the goal is to have our students cooking, baking and serving morning tea to visitors to Charleville who take the tour of CSDE each week during tourist season. Not only is the intent to have students work on their customer service skills, but also focus on business skills through the development of menu design, budgeting and marketing of the project.

As the Café project is in its infancy students have been working towards developing their culinary skills. They have begun this journey with testing different scone recipes and asking for feedback from staff and students. This challenges their ability to bake consistently and present food others want to eat, as well as accept that the customer is always right. Furthermore, students are beginning their barista training under the guidance of our teaching staff to ensure that they will be able to provide a full morning tea service to the tour customers.

The Café project will see a trial of student skills on Wednesday May 4th when a group of our local senior citizens visit CSDE and the café. Thank you to Healthy Ageing and our senior citizens for participating in the tour and morning tea training session, providing essential feedback to ensure that students can refine their skills and provide a service to tourists paying for the tour in the future.

Ultimately the Café project is just the beginning and is exactly what learning is about and we look forward to seeing students grow and learn.

Year 7 and 9 Students: NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy)

If you have a student in Year 7 or 9 they may be getting a little anxious regarding the NAPLAN tests coming up on Tuesday 10 May, Wednesday 11 May and Thursday 12 May.

What is the purpose of NAPLAN?

While it is acknowledged that the NAPLAN tests can cause anxiety for some students, the purpose of NAPLAN is to assess the skills of all Australian students in literacy and numeracy against national minimum standards.

What is tested?

A series of (5) FIVE tests will assess areas of literacy and numeracy.

The following areas of literacy are assessed in three papers:

  • Language conventions - spelling, grammar and punctuation
  • Writing - knowledge and control of written language
  • Reading - comprehension.

In numeracy, students are tested across two papers (calculator and non-calculator) and the content areas assessed are:

  • Number
  • Measurement, chance and data
  • Space
  • Algebra, function and pattern (formal algebra for Year 9 only).

Results from the tests will provide important information about children's progress in literacy and numeracy. Following the tests, schools and students will receive a statement of performance in relation to the national minimum standards.

What do students need to do?

Students need to try their hardest, focus on their own work and turn up to each exam on time. Year 7 students will sit their tests in the library and Year 9s will be located in A Block. Both year levels have been preparing across Term 1 and recently sat trial exams. These trial exams provide feedback for our staff on student progress and areas to focus on, as well as to familiarise students will the processes that will take place on May 10th, 11th and 12th.

For further information about NAPLAN and the tests please do not hesitate to contact the school or go to the links below.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/p-10/naplan/general-information

http://www.nap.edu.au/

WHAT ARE OUR YEAR 11 AND 12 STUDENTS, AND THEIR CURRICULUM, WORKING TOWARDS?

Easy answer - the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). However, the amount of opportunities provided today to senior students means that that there are so many other things they can work towards. For example, a school-based traineeship/ apprenticeship, work experience, vocational education certificate, sporting goals etcetera. The only thing hampering the success of our senior students today is their own drive and determination.

What is a QCE?

The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is the minimum requirement expected to be achieved by all school leavers at the end of a senior course of study. Year 11 & 12 students accrue points for the subjects that they are passing in their senior years and are required to accumulate a minimum of 20points to obtain a QCE. We encourage all parents with students in Year 11 and 12 to contact the school if they want to discuss this certificate so they can help support their students as much as possible.

http://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/589.html

How are we supporting your student to attain their QCE?

1. QCE tracking

After each reporting period we analyse the results and determine if students are on track for their QCE or not. From this analysis we develop plans for individual students to attain their QCE, after conversations with students, parents and staff. These conversations have begun for Year 11 and 12 students, with Mr Kohli (HOD Maths/ Science/ Senior Schooling) and myself working with students most at risk to get their direction back on track. This process is repeated after each reporting period to ensure that everyone is following a path that best meets their future needs.

79% of our Year 12 cohort are on track for their QCE for 2016. Our target is 100% QCE attainment and 79%, while a good start, falls short of the mark. With the help of a wide range of staff each student is provided every opportunity to achieve this important outcome. It is also important to remember that this data is based on projected outcomes, that is, what students would gain if these results were achieved at the end of their senior studies in November 2016. This means that there is still a great deal of opportunity to get back on track. There is no reason for any student not be able to attain their QCE if they are truly committed to their own education and putting in the effort required for future options to be open to them

2. Student Accountability Program [Year 10-12]

The Senior Student Accountability Program, or SSAP, is a key element of our Responsible Behaviour Plan for senior students at CSHS that forms the basis of the safe and effective learning environment. The program enables students to monitor their own behaviour, attendance and completion of required assessment during their post compulsory studies.

How does SSAP work?

Each student will start with 0 points at the beginning of each year of Year 11 and 12. If students regularly attend school, arrive on time, complete and submitted all assessment/ exams on time and communicate clearly with the school if there are any issues ahead of time then the SSAP will not impact on your student. In fact, such students will be rewarded through the School Wide Positive Behaviour System (SWPBS). However, if not then the following points will be accorded to students:

2 points

Per each late arrival to school without an acceptable reason and documentation (e.g. note, phone call from parent to the office)

4 points

Per each day of absence that is not explained within (5) five school days

15 points

Per each piece of assessment this is not submitted, or sat, on time, or unable to be marked against syllabus criteria prior to the draft/ due date set each semester. The assessment schedule is provided to all students to help avoid this situation occurring.

*Senior students are able to apply for extension to such dates with the appropriate paperwork, ahead of the date and with valid and documented reason/s.

3. Other support networks (apart from the classroom)

There are many avenues to support students at Charleville State High School including:

Guidance Officer: Kate Trulson

Heads of Department -

Sebastian Kohli (Maths/ Science)
Cassandra Kohli (English/ Humanities)
Sabrina Goodingham (Junior Secondary/ HPE/ LOTE/ The Arts)
Bernie Matthews (Technology/ VET)

Year level coordinators:

Year 7 – 9 Katherine Goult and Sam Barrow
Year 10-12 Leighton Webb and Jemma Day

Careers/ Transition advice: Sue McDonald

Youth Support coordinator: Jenny Peacock

School based Youth Health Nurse: Jen Sellin

Chaplain: Les Penrose

There is also a study/ homework group that meets on a Tuesday afternoon that all students can attend. Students interested in attending this session need to see Mr Kohli for the parent approval form.

Thank you for your continued support of your student, the school and the educational process. If you would like any further information regarding the topics above please don’t hesitate to contact the school. Together we can make a difference in the lives of our future leaders.

Regards
Donna

STUDENT SERVICES - UPCOMING EVENTS

TRANSITIONING FROM SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES- Cheryl Auchter has advised eligible Year 12 students about an information session for them and their family to discuss post school options. This will occur at the High School on a date to be advised.

NDIS INFORMATION WORKSHOPS- Attached to the newsletter is a flyer about upcoming NDIS workshops in Charleville on May 11th. There are two timeslots in the day to help parents of children with a verified or diagnosed disability navigate the new NDIS system.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the new way of providing individualised support for people with disability, their families and carers. The NDIS is the insurance that gives us all peace of mind. Disability could affect anyone and having the right support makes a big difference.

The NDIS provides eligible people a flexible, whole-of-life approach to the support needed to pursue their goals and aspirations and participate in daily life.

Our SWD teacher, Mrs Cheryl Auchter may be available on the day to support our parents at these workshops. We will contact all eligible parents before the workshops are held and pass on further information. Please feel free to contact the school for clarity around this service at any time.

HOW READING WORKS AT CSHS

As parents we are all aware of how important reading is in the early years. But is the need to read still applicable in the teenage years? Yes of course! At Charleville State High School we provide students a comprehensive reading program aimed at our better readers’ right through to those that struggle. We provide an in-class reading focus across all subject areas and teachers are expected to teach reading. Supporting this process are our LLI and MultiLit programs.

Here are some ways you can help your student at home:

  • encourage them to self-select reading materials as well as class texts;
  • read reading aloud to young people at secondary level — this practice is enjoyed by teens too;
  • be a role model – read and show an interest in reading;
  • find out what your student likes to read so that you can connect them with books of interest to them;
  • talk about books from class or home, not limiting the discussion to just what they do at school;
  • allow and encourage an aesthetic response – love characters, loathe characters, give up on books halfway through, re-read favourite books;
  • share what it means to be a passionate reader;
  • communicate the important value of the practice by putting aside time at home for reading books for pleasure;
  • finally, don’t assume that equipping them with an e-reader will automatically lead to increased engagement in reading. Research does not yet support the popular contention that young people prefer using e-readers. Thus, continuing to provide access to paper books is important.

CWAATSICH HEALTH MUSTERS- 19th and 20th May

We have been advised that there will only be one more Health Muster due to the availability of the specialists involved.

If you have not returned your forms, and would like your child to be seen by a variety of health care providers, please return them to the office as soon as possible. It is not too late to be included regardless of what year level your student/s are in. We will make sure every student who has returned a form has an appointment.

PARTNERSHIP MEETING- THURSDAY 5th May at Charleville State School

On Thursday 5th May the second Parent Partnerships meeting will be held. This meeting will be hosted by Charleville State School and we encourage all parents of Indigenous students to attend.

FROM THE CLASSROOMS…

SPOTLIGHT ON… JENNIFER SELLIN- SCHOOL BASE YOUTH HEALTH NURSE (SBYHN)

How long have you been a nurse for? I have been nursing for three years

What is your favourite food? Italian food, chocolate (lots of) + anything homemade is fantastic

What is the best part of your job? Getting to know the students on a daily basis, being able to support an individual at any time and seeing results is a rewarding job. Also CSHS support team is amazing and they are fantastic people to work with.

What is your greatest achievement? Travelling the world

Until next time,
Jenni
Deputy Principal- Student Services

Last Week: Positive Behaviour Learning at CSHS

Starbucks

Starbucks are awarded to students who demonstrate the 4 B’s and the 4 V’s while in the class room. Students can also attain starbucks outside of the classroom, such as lining up responsibly outside the library, being safe by wearing a hat on the oval or showing respect to the volunteers that run the tuckshop.

Silver Award

Congratulations to Aaliyah Kennedy and Amber Hinz on receiving their silver awards for reaching 200 Starbucks so far this year. Well done girls, keep it up!

PBL Trip

Last week we confirmed the final details for our PBL Rewards Trip to go ahead when we received tickets to the Broncos vs Panthers NRL match at Suncorp Stadium on the 22nd of July. 60 students will be invited to attend the trip to Brisbane to watch the Round 20 clash between the Broncos and the Panthers. Even if students are not avid rugby league fans, it is a fantastic opportunity for them to spend time with their friends and experience an electrifying atmosphere amongst 50,000 fans at arguably one of the best sporting grounds in the world. So make sure students are at school every day, demonstrating the 4 B’s and 4 V’s and they may be fortunate enough to attend what promises to be an exciting trip.

PBL Meeting

Our next PBL meeting will be on Tuesday 17th of May at 7:30am where our newly trained PBL staff will be updating the current team on new ideas to develop PBL at Charleville State High School. Parents and community members are welcome to attend.

11 English Communication

The Year 11 English Communication students are well underway to completing their second piece of assessment for Semester 1 2016. Students are creating an advertisement on a topic of their choice and writing a proposal to accompany it. Students have found this task challenging, yet engaging. Students have enjoyed creating their ads and using their knowledge of persuasive techniques to enhance the effectiveness. Students find writing scripts difficult, yet most are feeling comfortable to present to their peers because they know each other well.

Some student comments include:

“This is my favourite English class since I’ve been at this school. I’m looking forward to having this class next year.” – Jay Steedman.

“Every time I have English I look forward to coming into the class because it is fun and I learn something new.” – Jack Baker.

Info from the GO

Reducing anxiety around test time

The article this week goes out to our Year 7 and 9 students who are about to sit their NAPLAN test. Importantly these tips can apply to any year level in helping to reduce anxiety around assessment and exam times. Just remember, it is one test at one point in time. Just aim to do you very best!

TIP 1:

When we get stressed or anxious about sitting exams, our bodies tend to become tense and we often forget to breathe which reduces the oxygen to our brain. If we can remember to stop and breathe through our nose for five seconds in and five seconds out, you will find that it calms your body down and begins to relax the muscles. For more breathing and relaxation tips to help you before exams or in everyday life, download the smiling mind app (free!).

TIP 2:

Studies have shown that the food that you eat actually affects your mood and ability to concentrate. Try to make sure that you eat a well-balanced diet with all the essential nutrients your body needs for your brain to function well. Try to avoid eating junk food or and drinking caffeine or sugar as this often makes it harder to concentrate and get a good sleep prior to the test.

TIP 3:

Physical exercise is good for our mental health and also for our brain function. Often when we are tired, exercise is the last thing we feel like doing. A quick walk, run or cycle to help clear your mind will get your blood pumping. It will help you focus and will help to increase your energy levels.

Sleep is vital for our emotional wellbeing. Often when we get stressed or anxious around exams, we tend to stay up worrying about the next day. Some simple breathing techniques before you sleep can relax your mind. Reduce using technology before you go to sleep and get an early night to keep you well prepared.

TIP 4:

Self Talk - the way that we talk to ourselves (the voice inside our head) has a huge impact on our mental health. It has a huge influence on the way you feel about yourself and positive self-talk can be very effective in preparing yourself for the exam. Tell yourself ‘ I can do this’ or ‘I’ll give this my best go’ to help keep your confidence levels up.

TIP 5:

Ask for help! Connecting with others and talking about your fears or anxieties can give you the support you need. Often others will be having the same feelings/emotions and you can share ideas about how to help you through the difficult times. Family, friends and other school support, such as your teachers, Mrs Peacock, Chappy or myself are there to help, so don’t hesitate to ask!

On the day of the exam, keep your routine as normal as possible. Eat a healthy breakfast, drink lots of water and take a healthy snack for before you begin. Remember to breathe and believe in yourself

Adapted from www.Headspace.org.au

Reading Corner

How to move from a dependent to an independent reader:

This week’s edition will look at strategies that you can use to help your child/ren to move from being a dependent reader to an independent reader. It is important to point out that this does not necessarily mean that once your child becomes an independent reader they will never struggle with reading again. Instead, what it means is that they will be able to apply strategies to be more successfully in their reading. They will know how to struggle through a text, how to develop the patience and stamina to stick with a text, and figure out what is stopping them from understanding the text.

Dependent readers need confidence to move to independence. They need confidence in their ability to:

  • Understand texts
  • Determine meaning of words
  • Read with fluency
  • Read for enjoyment and information
  • Have a positive attitude toward reading
  • Develop the stamina to continue reading difficult texts.

In our reading program at CSHS we address each of these areas with the aim of improving students’ confidence. Not surprisingly, they all have a ricochet effect on each other. This means that if you see improvement in one’s confidence to understand texts then quite often an improvement is seen in their confidence to develop stamina.

Below is a table with examples of dependent behaviours with strategies to address this.

If a child….

Then try….

Consistently has difficulty answering questions and discussing the text.

Working on comprehension activities: extending their vocabulary, making predictions, making connections, questioning the text.

Stumbles through words, tries to sound out a lot of words, reads very slowly, doesn’t recognise high-frequency sight words and misspells a lot of words.

Practising word recognition, spelling and fluency.

Does not believe that he/she is a good reader and does not participate in discussions about the text.

Increasing confidence about his/her ability. Encourage discussions around reading and choose appropriate levelled texts to see success with reading.

Resists reading, says that he/she cannot find texts that interest him/her and claims that reading is boring.

Visiting the school or town library and learn about different genres and topics that might interest him/her.

Happy reading!
Ange Stirton

E is for Excitement – E-Block that is…

Ominous Onomatopoeia & Abundant Alliteration

There are two productive sources of loud noise in the school to which the goats bleating continuously from the Ag plot and the sounds from the sports oval don’t measure up. One source is the Donga; that lovely air-conditioned haven for the music students and their dedicated teachers. Right next door is the E-block Science Lab, and the ‘experiments’ that happen there in…

Be it the ‘doof, doof, buzz’ of a speaker pounding a non-Newtonian fluid into insensibility, or the small but surprising ‘fweet’ of that flammable gas Hydrogen huffing in a test tube, there’s always an interesting noise in E-block.

When ‘scritch, fwoom’ the Ruben’s Tube is alight and humming, students and teachers alike marvel at the amazing shapes the crackling propane gas can make. Music serves our science students well, as we ‘plink, plink’ on taught strings, and bang on the drums in our study of sound.

What sound would a bean stalk make, reaching for the light? Could a little light music change how it grows? Perhaps a continuous heavy metal riff would alter its course.

The scrape and clang of glassware, the ‘woosh’ of a Bunsen burner bursting into flame, the beep of the scales, the calming hum of the air-conditioner (it’s just too quiet in there without it sometimes), there’s always some useful emissions echoing in E-block.

Sport! Sport! And more Sport!

What an opening to the year we have had so far. It seemed that as one event finished, another one started.

Sport started this year during in week 2 Term 1 with Miss Sellin taking a group of girls to Chinchilla for the Under 18 Softball trials. From these trials Darryl-Rose Williams was selected for the South West team.

Week 3 Term 1 saw our school swimming carnival being held, with Tobruk once again showing that effort and participation are what wins these events. With our carnival also acting as district trails for swimming, Haidee Burgess was successful in meeting the qualifying standards and competed at the SW trials in Miles. Haidee tried hard, but unfortunately was unsuccessful in making the SW team this year.

Soccer was the next sport to hold its SW trials and Charleville took a bus load of inexperienced yet keen players to the trials. After playing together for the past three years, it was the boys Open Soccer team that shone on the day. Although none of them regularly play soccer they remained undefeated and impressed the selectors, with Blake Thompson and Jayden Aramoana being successful in making the SW team.

To round out the Term 1 the Under 15 and Open trials for both netball and rugby league were convened in Roma. All of the Charleville teams competed strongly, but with such strong competition, selections into the SW teams were difficult. Nayiyana Briggs was selected for the Open netball team and Jim Duff selected for the Open League team. Watjarra Briggs made it a family celebration by being selected in the Under 15 Rugby League team. Thankfully the Easter holidays came to give our students a chance to recharge and ready themselves for Term 2

This term continued the same hectic pace as the last. This time it was the Under 15 and Open Touch teams that were required to travel to Chinchilla for selection trials. These trials were once again filled with lots of games and plenty of competition. Charley Peacock was successful for the Open Girls and both Renee Duff and Lucy Frousheger gained selection in the Under 15 team.

It was then time for our 12 year old students to compete in Netball and Rugby League trials. With only a small number of our students being in this category our students had to rely heavily on the other schools within the district to compete in the trials. Even with a small number of representatives we were able to have two students selected. Zoe Radnedge will compete in the State Under 12 netball trials, and Jayson Aramoana was successful in gaining selection into the Rugby League team.

Finally, this update concludes with the cross country. The school’s cross country carnival was held at, and around, the school last Friday afternoon during periods three and four. The day followed the usual format of running the serious competitors at the start, while those less inclined competing in a series of activities designed to work on team spirit and collect points for their respective houses. By the time the Fun Run was completed, and the points tallied, it was Tobruk that continued their incredible run of success. Remember Alamein and Kokoda, even Usain Bolt loses a race….eventually.

The race times for the Cross Country are currently being analysed and the students will be notified of their selection to compete in the SW Cross Country trials. These trials will be held at the St George golf course on Friday, 27 May. At this stage, there will be a bus travelling across on the day to allow as many as possible to compete in the trials. Information concerning these trials will be handed out to the relevant students after discussions between all of the schools within our district.

Industrial Technology and Design

What a fantastic start to the year in the ITD Department. Students have been busily working on a variety of projects with some very impressive results.

Grade 7 students have constructed a key holder. They had to follow a design process to come up with their designs.

Grade 8 students have been busily working on a timber pencil box. Once again having to follow a design to personalise their projects by designing the artwork on the lid. They used poker burners, paints and coloured pencils assist with this process. They followed as set of plans and were introduced to a variety of hand tools.

Grade 9 students have been constructing a serving tray out of pine. They have had to read and interpret plans. Some of the students have learnt the importance of measuring twice and cutting once. The students have constructed dovetail joints to join the tray together with some of the joints being of an exceptional standard. Students also personalised their projects by designing the handles.

Grade 10 students have been constructing a chess table and now understand the importance of taking their time and a lot of care. The students have had to design their legs, with some realising the design they had chosen is a little more difficult that what they expected. All students have enjoyed the challenge. A lot of time has gone into the sanding of these jobs to create a very smooth finish.

Engineering students have been working on a metal toolbox. They have learnt techniques for oxy welding, marking out and cutting. They have had to interpret plans and manipulate their work to fit. Students have been learning the basics of oxy welding and the importance of WH&S in a workshop.

The Certificate I Construction students have been knocking down gardens, constructing gardens fitting out our new trailer and constructing a new plasma cutting bay inside the workshop. Two groups of students have the exciting and challenging job of constructing some new furniture for the office. All students will need to present their costs a design to Mr Jones for approval. What better way to learn than having to speak directly to the client!

Construction students have also constructed picnic tables. Some of these are located at the train station in town while others are located around the school.

Barry Wastie
ITD Teacher

ITD
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ITD
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