Newsletter No. 6

27 April 2017

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Focusing on

classroom

expectations

Page 2 Principal’s News

P&C News

Page 3 & 4 Important NAPLAN Information

for Parents

Page 5 Year 11 Senior Study Day

Special Canteen Promo Harmony Day Poster Comp

Page 6 “Upstairs” at the Library

Music Composition Workshop

Page 7 Music Programmes at Duval North West Representatives

Homework & Study Centre

Page 8 Australian Athletics Champs

Oceania Championships

Page 9 2016 Graduate News

“The Other Talk”

Page 10 2017 Careers Festival

Page 11 Rotary Youth Webinar

Page 12 Community Noticeboard

DATES FOR THE DIARY

30 April Year 12 Prefect Stall @ Markets in the Mall

1-5 May HSC Geography Excursion to Gold Coast

2-5 May Year 8 Excursion to Moonee Beach

5 May UNE Open Day

9-12 May NAPLAN for Years 7 & 9

17 May Tamworth Careers Expo

17 May P&C Meeting @ 6pm

18 May Athletics Carnival

Publication of this newsletter is made possible through the generous support of the

Duval High School Parents & Citizens Association.

HONOURING ANZAC DAY

Top of the Hi l l Newsletter of Duval High School

On the 7th of April, Duval held their ANZAC Assembly to commemorate the soldiers who have

fought in wars and are still fighting today. This ANZAC day marks the 102nd anniversary of Aus-

tralian and New Zealand troops landing in Gallipoli, where they suffered major casualties, with

over 10 000 ANZACs being killed in less than a year.

Duval remembered this by listening to Daley Wood speak on the significance of ANZAC Day and

the Battle of Passchendaele on the Western Front. Christopher Esplin read Wilfred Owen’s poem

Dulce et Decorum Est and the Aboriginal dancers paid tribute to The Sapphires by performing a

medley, reminding everyone of other involvements in Vietnam.

We would like to thank Mr Cameron who played the bagpipes, Mr Myers for playing the trumpet

and Mr Ryan for organising the assembly.

Claire Woods & Emily McGregor

27 April 2017 Page 2

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

Welcome back to another

invigorating term at Duval

High School. Term 2 promises

to be an incredibly busy, yet

rewarding one.

Year 8 will be heading off on

their Moonee Beach study trip,

Year 11 are preparing for

exams, Year 12 have entered

the second half of their final year of school

education, NAPLAN is on next week for Years 7

and 9, and whole-school events like the Athletics

Carnival, Eisteddfod and preparation for our

school musical later in the year are all in the

wings. There are a huge number of competitions,

university open days, careers expos, work

placements and other opportunities coming up to

enhance the quality teaching and learning your

students experience in the classroom.

Meanwhile, the school is preparing for the launch

of the NSW Department of Education’s Learning

Management and Business Reform (LMBR)

package – the new, all-encompassing operational

system for the Department of Education will be

rolled out to schools in this area during Terms 3

and 4 this year, with a “go-live” date of 16

October. The LMBR package is being officially

launched for Group 8 (that is, the Northern

Tablelands) this Friday, 28 April. Following this

launch, School Administrative Managers and

selected School Admin Officers (and Principals)

will receive training in using the package (15

days for SAMs and selected SAOs, 5 days for

principals) from a newly-appointed Local

Deployment Team, led by former principal of

Guyra Central School Jo Burgess. Melanie

Urquhart from DHS has been successful in her

application to be on the local deployment team.

The LDT commence their new jobs on 29 May,

and will undergo intensive training during Terms

2 and 3, in order to support the roll-out to all

schools in the Northern Tablelands area until

Term 2 next year, when they will return to their

substantive positions in schools.

During Terms 3 and 4, I will also be commencing

the community consultation process for the

development of the Duval High School Strategic

Plan (2018-2020). The existing School Plan, in

which the P&C played a critical role in

development, concludes at the end of this year.

We need to begin the process of creating its

replacement before then. This will mean

reviewing the existing School Strategic

Directions, evaluating the success of the 2015-

2017 Milestones, and setting new goals for our

future. I will be inviting the P&C and all

interested parents to attend information and input

sessions about this later in the year.

As the cold weather approaches, can I please ask

all parents and carers to reinforce with their

children the importance of wearing correct

school uniform? We have a broad, fair and

inclusive uniform standard, which has been

endorsed by the P&C and our general

community, and so I think it’s fair to insist that

students wear it!

Mr Stafford Cameron

Principal

P&C NEWS

The P&C held its Annual General Meeting last

night, 26 April. Caroline Winter was elected

unopposed as President for the coming year.

Susie Winter accepted the position of Vice

President, Sally Lucas will be Secretary, and Sue

Muir will continue as Treasurer.

Suellen Simpson agreed to retain her role as

Canteen Convenor, and Sue Muir will retain the

role as Canteen Finance Officer.

The AGM was followed by the April monthly

meeting. The new bus-shed, partly funded by

P&C, is expected to be completed by the end of

June. We also agreed to approve a funding

request from Ms Cotton (Librarian) to purchase

furniture for the library, and a request from the

English faculty for a computer/laptop storage

trolley.

It has been great to welcome a few new faces to

our last couple of meetings, and we extend an

warm invitation to all parents/carers to join us for

our next meeting on Wednesday, 17 May, at 6pm

in the Principal’s Office.

P&C Committee

WARM UP! WARM UP! HOT MILO

& other items (excluding chips & large coffee milk)

FOR SALE

in CANTEEN before SCHOOL

27 April 2017 Page 3

27 April 2017 Page 4

27 April 2017 Page 5

YEAR 11 SENIOR STUDY DAY

Early in February, Year 11 had a Senior Study and

Wellbeing Day to prepare us for the many

challenges and experiences we will face as we

undergo the next two years and the HSC. The day

focused on the academic aspects of life such as

studying and time management as well as mental

and physical wellbeing and ways to seek help if

necessary.

During the first session we were given an

introduction to being a senior by Mr Cameron,

where he outlined the responsibilities and

freedoms we would be given as senior students

of Duval, followed by a presentation on NESA

(NSW Education Standards Authority) by Mr

Partridge where he relayed some advice he

would’ve given to his Year 11 self. Next was a

personal recount of Armidale Regional Council

Administrator, Dr Ian Tiley’s, life. Dr Tiley

encouraged us to pursue our passions and

continue to learn long into our lives.

The second session was opened by Mrs Webb

who gave a presentation on dealing with the

stress that comes with being a senior as well as

finding a balance between school and our

personal life. She highlighted the importance of

exercise, a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy

amount of sleep. Next was Mr Grafton with an

active movement activity followed by some

effective study techniques using colour and other

visual stimuli.

Our last session was run by Ms Hoddinott who

spoke on the importance of a ‘growth’ mind set.

Ms Armstrong closed the day with some words of

wisdom like “You are not your ATAR” and

reassured us that with the help of other teachers

and our ‘Big Mama Bear’ we will get through the

next few years happily and successfully.

Chidimma Okonkwo, Bridget Pattison

and Elizabeth Bizo

HARMONY DAY POSTER

COMPETITION

The Harmony Day Poster Competition is an

annual initiative open to all primary and

secondary students across NSW and

ACT. Students are encouraged to visually

articulate their interpretation of the 2017 theme –

Strength In Harmony. Some of the great work

created by Duval students are shown below:

SPECIAL PROMO @ CANTEEN

BEGINNING 8 MAY

Buy 1 600ml Flavoured milk to be in the

draw to win a $30 gift voucher, drawn

each Friday!

ONLY ONE WINNER EACH WEEK!

Amelia Randall

Year 10

Lucy Mair

Year 7

Yuho Takayama

Year 7

Breanna Boyd

Year 8

Ms Armstrong

27 April 2017 Page 6

“UPSTAIRS” AT THE LIBRARY

Duval is excited to announce that as of the beginning of Term 2, "Upstairs" in the library

will become a staffed area for Senior students to

receive assistance with their planning,

organisation and study programs.

A teacher has been timetabled during most of

the periods that senior students have a study

period, so that any Senior student can access

their help if required.

It is our aim that all Senior Students use their time

at school effectively and efficiently to alleviate

stress and pressure outside of their schooling

hours.

We strongly encourage ALL Senior students to

make use of this new resource supplied for them.

There will also be notice boards placed with

extra useful information to assist them, and study

sessions/lectures will be run fortnightly

throughout the term.

We look forward to continuing to work with our

Senior students to ensure the best outcomes

come HSC time.

Mrs Munday

Transition Advisor

MUSIC COMPOSITION WORKSHOP

Adam Lucas (Year 10) attended the elite Academy

of Saint Martins in the Fields (ASMF) Composition

Workshop in Sydney during the school holidays.

The workshop was a collaborative project run

jointly by The Arts Unit (Department of Education

and Communities - DEC), The Opera House, and

ASMF. For three days, students were immersed in

a creative compositional process facilitated by

the English composer John Webb (who

accompanied ASMF on their Australian Tour). The

result was an original work for orchestra which

was performed on the last day. Only thirty

students, and a handful of staff from all over NSW,

participated in the workshop.

The best thing about the workshop was working

with like-minded students and staff who were

enthusiastic about creating new music for the

orchestra.

Bruce Myers

Music

27 April 2017 Page 7

MUSIC PROGRAMMES AT DUVAL

Music is encouraged and promoted at Duval High

School through our classroom music program;

which is compulsory for students in Year 7, and

then optional for students from Year 8 onwards.

Students in this programme can participate in

performing, composing, and listening activities in

music, regardless of what level of musical ability

they possess.

Students seeking more musical activity are

encouraged to participate in our co-curricular

musical ensembles: choir, stage band, and string

ensemble. These groups are promoted through

regular performances and participation in special

events such as Schools Spectacular, Celebration

Choir, and instrumental festivals.

An important way which Duval High School

encourages and promotes music at the school is

by producing school musicals. These productions

are a great way to engage the whole school

community in a major singing, acting, and

dancing event. These are popular events, well

supported by students, staff, and the school

community, and are one of the many reasons why

students and parents choose to make Duval High

School their school.

Exceptionally committed individual music

students are encouraged to participate in gifted

and talented programs run by the DEC such as

Solo Vocal Camp and State Music Camp.

Bruce Myers

Music

NORTH WEST REPRESENTATIVIES

Congratulations to the following students who

have been selected to compete in State

Championships later in Term 2!

Open Hockey:

Nikki Cleanthous

Darby Chalmers

Kiran Lennon

Open Football—Boys

Darby Chalmers

Adam See

Lachlan Harris

Angus Wheatley

Lachlan Williamson

Open Football—Girls

Lauren Acton

Izzy Winter

Briane Saxby

Anisha Rajanathan

Mr Model

Sports Coordinator

Announcing………..

HOMEWORK

and

STUDY CENTRE

Every Wednesday 8-9am

DHS Library

with

Mrs S Stroud

NEEDED! PRELOVED UNIFORMS

Our cupboards and shelves are bare.

Can you help us to get ready for winter?

Please donate your uniform items to-day.

27 April 2017 Page 8

A U S T R A L I A N A T H L E T I C S

CHAMPIONSHIPS

Duval was represented by four athletes at the

Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney on

the 26 March. Stuart Geddes (Year 12) was

competing in his third National Championship

while William Vince-Moin (Year 12), Marvin

Palad (Year 9) and Declan Rich (Year 9) were

competing at their first National Championship.

All athletes came away running personal-best

(PB) times or even season’s-best (SB).

William Vince-Moin was the first

to run, competing in the U20 T20

Para 1500m, 800m and 400m.

William’s best results were in the

1500m and 400m where he

placed 4th in each event; and then

backed up with a 5th in the 800m.

He achieved PB times in all his

races. As this was William’s first

Nationals he was a bit nervous in his first event,

but once his first race was out of the way he

relaxed and enjoyed the higher standard of

competition. He has returned from the

championships a much better and improved

athlete.

The next to take to the track was

seasoned athlete Stuart Geddes

in the U18 2000m steeple. This

event was a highly competitive

race with 23 runners. Stuart got a

good start and at the first water

jump was sitting in 10th position,

moving up to finish in 7th position

and running a SB time. Stuart’s

next race was the U18 3000m with 29 athletes,

including three athletes from New Zealand. This

was also a competitive race because athletes

were competing for a position on the Australian

team to compete at the Junior Commonwealth

Games in Bahamas. The pace was furious at the

start and by the third lap Stuart was starting to

cramp, but with a never say die mentality

finished the race in 22nd position and was the

20th Australian to cross the line.

Marvin Palad was the third of the

Duval athletes to take to the

track. Marvin’s first race was on

the U16 NSW 4 X 100m relay

team, where he helped the team

to win the gold medal. Marvin

ran the first leg of the relay,

getting the team off to a good

start and shaking the nerves out of his system for

his 100m the next day. Marvin is the first junior to

make the Nationals in the sprints from Armidale

and competed in the U16 100m. With a big field

in the 100m Marvin ran a PB to finish 6th in his

heat and 13th overall.

The last of the athletes to compete

was Declan Rich in the U16 2000m

steeple. Declan was both nervous

and excited to compete in his first

Australian Championships,

competing in only his third-ever

steeple and coming off a bronze

m e d a l a t t h e S t a t e

Championships. With some

encouragement and calming advice from fellow

steeple runner Stuart, Declan quickly got into his

rhythm and settled into his race and came away

with a 14th place and a new PB.

All athletes competed at a high level and showed

sportsmanship well past their ages and no doubt

will compete at this level again. Congratulation to

all athletes!

Scott Geddes

OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

After the recent Australia Athletics Champion-

ships two Duval students have just been named

in the Australian Regional Athletics team to

compete at the Oceania Championships in Fiji

in late June.

Stuart Geddes, who was selected in

the team last year, has been selected

again in the U18 800m, 3000m and

2000m steeple.

William Vince-Moin has been selected

for the first time in the open Para

400m.

Stuart and William will be competing against

athletes from Australia, New Zealand, Cook Is-

lands, PNG, Fiji and other Pacific Nations.

They will be joined by three other Armidale

athletes selected to represent the Regional

Australia team.

We wish both Stuart and Will all the best!

27 April 2017 Page 9

2016 GRADUATE NEWS

Karl S impson

applied for a gap

year position in

the Australian

Defence Force

throughout his

Year 12 at Duval

during 2016. This

involved many

trips to Newcastle

u n d e r g o i n g

rigorous testing on

all levels. He was successful in being offered a

position and upon acceptance prepared for

enlistment on 16 January 2017.

Karl started his 1st recruit training at Blamey

Barracks in Kapooka, near Wagga Wagga. He

was assigned to 4 Platoon, Alpha Company; and

this would be his total focus for the next 12

weeks.

Army recruit training is one of the most

demanding and challenging pursuits one can

undertake. To be able to successfully complete

this recruits have to be physically tough, mentally

prepared and display commitment, courage,

initiative, teamwork and honesty throughout the

80 days, 7 days a week from 6 am until 10 pm

which is an enormous commitment.

Having attained this Karl was able to proudly

March Out with his Platoon on the 7th April 2017.

His family and friends travelled to Kapooka to

witness this outstanding achievement and wish

him well for the next stage in his career. He is

now stationed at South Bandiana, Victoria, and

has commenced his Initial Employment Training

for a duration of 40 days, after which he will be

posted to a unit for the rest of 2017.

Congratulations Karl, we are very proud of your

achievements!

27 April 2017 Page 11

27 March 2017 Page 6

Rotary Youth Expo Webinar

Your local Rotary Club does more than raise money for worthwhile projects and hold meetings for its

members.

Around 12 major youth events are run in the district each year. These are fun personal development

and hands-on career information events that run for a day, a weekend or a full year.

Activities include agriculture and science programs in areas such as: marine science; dairy, beef,

sheep and equine enterprises etc.; engineering; astronomy and related sciences; and, overseas ex-

change programs of 3 and 12-months duration, public speaking and one that mimics a meeting (and

debating) of the United Nations. These activities generally target students of Years 9, 10 and 11.

Webinar – Wednesday 10 May, 2017

Rotary is conducting a webinar for students, parents and teachers to hear more about some of these

events. We invite these groups to join the webinar and be motivated by stories from enthusiastic stu-

dents that have attended some of the programs. Hear about the fun and learning that they enjoyed.

Find out when these events are running and how to apply.

People wishing to participate simply register by emailing their interest and name to

<youth@armidaleamrotary.org>. Instructions for joining the will be provided by return email.

The webinar will be held on Wednesday 10 May, commencing at 7.30pm, and will run for one hour –

participants

Please support your students (and their parents) and teachers to tune into this opportunity. Please cir-

culate the enclosed flyers to your Year 9, 10 and 11 students and teachers with responsibilities in ca-

reer education, science, agriculture, English, and History. A message on your school Facebook on

news feed would be great too, and would inform parents of the event also.

In addition, Rotary hosts a Facebook page to facilitate posts about Rotary Youth and vocation activi-

ties. Like District 9650 Rotary Youth Activities on Facebook, or if you are not connected, view the site

by doing a web search - Facebook.com/d9650youth

Russel Glover

Co-Director, Youth

Rotary Club of Armidale AM

27 April 2017 Page 12

Looking for a way to keep your child active and entertained on a Saturday morning?

Armidale City Westside Football Club could be just what you need!!

We invite you to join us for the 2017 soccer season.

All ages and skill levels welcome.

Registration is still open.

Contact Aaron on 0432 555 732 or jump on to www.myfootballclub.com.au