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

March 2020

Meetings 16 March in Library

6.00pm Canteen Committee 6.30pm P & C Meeting

SAV

O

IR C’E ST P

OUV

OIR

NA

RR A

B

RI

Principal’s Report

We have had a busy start to the new school year. Firstly, I apologise for the "Welcome newsletter" not having the list of new staff on the last page-this is rectified with this one. Our new Year 7 cohort have settled in very well, and they have impressed me with their application in class when I have visited them. As you may be aware, we are asked to indicate to the Department of Education, early in each August, an estimate of our projected enrolment for the following year. With the exception of Year 11, the numbers were comparable, and we have a total enrolment of 507 students, which is a little down on the number we began with in 2019. Two of our Year 12 students have already been successful, with Sara Charles winning the prestigious Lillian Hulbert prize and Meagan Dampney winning the local area Lions Youth of the Year award. Congratulations to Lauren Brown for her selection to participate in the music Solo Camp, run by the DoE this month. With regard to staff we congratulate Mr Rumsby on the birth of his son, and wish Ms Garnsey well, as she takes maternity leave prior to the birth of her second child and also Mrs Rickard who will be taking maternity leave for the birth of her first child. We welcome two additional staff, with Mr Donohoe working in HSIE, and Mr Napier returns to assist us each day in with class cover. Similarly, Mrs Stanford has returned to teaching, as a casual, and she has really enjoyed being back in the classroom. Mr Kolmajer has volunteered to fundraise and dance for our Biennial “Narrabri Stars” event. He will be tapping into his Spanish heritage with a Latin dance. The school will be doing some fundraising to support him with the Cancer Council event. The swimming carnival was held recently with Andrew Coleman and Rosie Ross both breaking records. This year participation was up, but there was less dancing….I guess it is hard to do both! Currong regained their crown as champion house, but only just. It really was a very competitive carnival with lots of

points swings: I can remember that Marrara were in first place, and half an hour later they were relegated to fourth! It was great to see so many parents and community members enjoying the occasion. In recent weeks I spoke to the students on the assembly about appropriate use of electronic devices in the classroom, and reminded them of the school policy. The basic rule is that they should be kept in bags, unless you are concerned that they may be stolen-if that is the case, please take them to the assigned area of each classroom for safekeeping. The school will be seeking community and student comment on our mobile device policy, as there is a mandatory review in place for 2020 in all government schools. I also discussed the prohibition of aerosols at the school because of the great dangers that they pose to some staff and students. Students are encouraged to bring a roll-on deodorant instead, as there is not

C a l e n d a r

March

24 Photo Day

April

3-9 Year 12 Half Yearly Exams

1-3 Year 7 Bush to Beach

9 End of Term 1

10 Good Friday (Public Holiday)

27 Staff Development Day

28 Students Return

29-30 Year 11 Half Yearly Exams

May

1 Year 11 Half Yearly Exams

20-22 Year 11 Crossroads

June

4 Year 11/12 Parent Teacher Night

5 Athletics Carnival

8 Queen’s Birthday (Public Holiday)

23 Special Assembly

23 Year 7/8 Parent Teacher Night

July

2 MADD Night

anyway of knowing who may be affected by aerosols or the degree of the reaction. Some parents may remember that a former teacher, Mrs Newman was taken by ambulance to the hospital on two occasions due to aerosols. I know there are many people who also have minor reactions and experience a shortness of breath or headaches. Although the corona virus is yet to reach Narrabri, I think, it has affected the Europe History excursion, which cannot take place as scheduled in April. We are investigating other options, in the hope that we will be able to reschedule for later in the year.

Welcome to Clontarf Year 7

The Narrabri boys held an induction camp for the Year 7 cohort for 2020. With 19 boys on the books unfortunately we could only get 10 boys on camp. We headed to Dubbo for a couple of days of learning and interacting with the Dubbo South boys. On arrival we were met by 30 eager young men from the Dubbo South Academy and we participated in a game of touch football. Following the game, we made our way to the local pool to cool off for a while, it was great to see the boys mixing in well and getting to know each other. After the swim we showered and headed back to Dubbo South Academy to set up our swags for the night. Next up was dinner at the South Dubbo Tavern for a large meal, chicken schnitzel, didn’t know chooks were that big, great value thoroughly enjoyed by all. Time to have a yarn with the lads in the Academy room. Welcome to Clontarf boys, induction time. As the boys made their selves comfortable on their swags we discussed the Clontarf program and what it meant to them. There were some great questions during the discussion and it was clear that because we had conducted Year 6 Primary School transition sessions in 2019 the boys had a grasp of the program. It was time to hit the sack and lights out. The following morning, we were up at 6.30 am and were treated to a cooked breakfast from the Dubbo South Academy, thanks men. It was now time to head to Dubbo Zoo for an entertaining morning travelling around in Buggy’s, the boys were stoked. Once our tour had been completed we were invited to the education centre

and had a hands-on experience with some wildlife. Lowana West, Indigenous Programs Officer was amazing with the boys, the boys weren’t sure about the snake though a little bit shy. Time to make our way back to Narrabri with many stories been told throughout our journey with many smiles and laughter along the way.

Lions Youth of the Year

Congratulations to the four students who participated in this year’s Lions Youth of the Year, Sara Charles, Meagan Dampney, Andrew Coleman and Alex Loder. The students had to firstly go through an interview process which tested their general knowledge of Narrabri and international events as well as questions relating to how they contributed to the local community. The second part of the competition was presenting a speech at the Lions Youth of the Year dinner and then they had to answer two impromptu questions with a time limit of two minutes.

The winner on the night was Meagan, who will now go on to the regional final. We wish Meagan the best of luck and know she will a great representative for Narrabri High School and the community.

Mr Kolmajer Dancing with the Stars

There will be a trivia night on the 20th March at the Narrabri Sporties Bowling Club. The cost will be $20 per person with proceeds going to the Cancer Council in their fundraising drive. As part of Mr Kolmajer’s participation in Narrabri’s

Dancing with the Stars at the Crossing Theatre on the 9th May, the trivia night on 20th March will be a great opportunity to have a fun night out while also supporting this great cause. Each table will be between 6 to 10 people with lucky door prizes and other fun activities to be announced on the night. So, put together a table and let either Leo Kolmajer or the school know on 6792 1633 and come and join in the fun.

Lillian Hulbert Memorial Award

Congratulations to Sara Charles this year’s winner of

the Lillian Hulbert Memorial Award. The annual prize is presented to a young Narrabri person aged between 15-18. The recipient must fulfil a range of citizenship criteria including academic achievement, sporting prowess, volunteering and community work.

Sara was nominated for her charitable and volunteer activities, volunteering her time in school and the community, including assisting with Narrabri Pony Club and Riding for the Disabled, volunteering for the Narrabri Show, NOSH Narrabri, Eulah Creek Machinery Day and also her involvement with Karar School of Dance and Narrabri Church Way and a Prefect at Narrabri High School.

New Staff Members

Year 7 Japanese

Year 7 Japanese students have started the year off well. They are currently learning how to say who they are and greet each other in Japanese as well as introduce themselves. Year 7 have also started learning Hiragana, one of the writing scripts in Japanese (there are 3 all up). We have been cutting out flash cards, which the students are able to take home to further their knowledge. Students have created a name poster where they have decorated a background and then drawn their name in Japanese script with ink. They all did a great job for their first time writing Katakana (another Japanese script). In their culture lessons they have been comparing Australia and Japan and finding out different islands and cities in Japan and putting these on a map. Students have also been learning about Setsubun, a festival in Japan that occurs in February where people wear masks and throw soy beans at each other.

Open Girls Basketball

The Open Girls Basketball team travelled to Tamworth with Miss Robinson on Monday 2nd March to compete in the CHS knockout gala day.

With very little experience playing basketball and Miss Robinson explaining the rules to some of the students on the trip to Tamworth the team played exceptionally well.

Narrabri played Gunnedah High School in their first game where they managed to stay in front until the end of the game. Maddison Russell scored a brilliant goal in the last minute of the game which we thought would take us on to win the game. Little did the girls know, accidently throwing the ball to a girl on the Gunnedah team in the last 6 seconds would result in her scoring a 3 pointer and Gunnedah winning 22-20. We then had to play a very experienced Peel High School team who went onto beat us 46-22. The team consisted of Maddison Russell, Elsie Ford, Zara Foley, Alexandra Bennett, Martha Harvey, Alex Hall, Jacqueline Collett, Tashanny Clark, Laine McCauley & Krista Zarka.

CHS Cricket North West Cricket Team

Elsie Ford and Jacqueline Collett represented NHS in the North West Team at the CHS Girls Cricket carnival at Bathurst recently. Overall, they played 6 games over 4 days, including 4, 20/20 matches and 2, 50 over matches. Jacquie took 2 spectacular catches on the first day and followed up with some good batting in

other games. Elsie batted and bowled well, including a couple of quick 4s and outstanding running between wickets. In the game against Hunter on a weird little pitch, Elsie unfortunately crushed the tip of her index finger, leaving her unable bowl for the rest of the carnival. She did however continue to bat, one very tough cookie!

They were undefeated throughout the carnival and went into the final against Sydney North with some very good statistics. Jacquie opened the batting, facing Sydney Sixers player Stella Campbell, and stayed in for 10 overs, an outstanding achievement in itself. The girls were runners up in the final which is the best a North West girl’s cricket team has gone since 1994. We are very proud of the way Elsie and Jacquie represented NHS and played in the spirit of the game.

North West Swimming Trials

On Tuesday 3rd March fifteen Narrabri High School students attended the North West Swimming Trials in Armidale. They were competing for a place on the North West Team to attend the Combined High Schools Swimming Championships at SOPAC in April. The students were excellent ambassadors for the

school with several helping the primary swimmers on the Monday by warming them up and cheering them on. The swimmers acquitted themselves well with some outstanding results. Christian Roth was the 12 year old boys champion and Millie Collins the 13 years runner up, with a number of swimmers finishing in the top 5 of

their age group. The relay teams were extremely successful with the boys and girls open freestyle relay, the girls and boys open medley relays, the girls all age relay and the 12 x 50m relay all qualifying for Sydney. The 16 years girl’s freestyle relay only missing out by

0.28seconds Congratulations to Jonathon Charles, Andrew Coleman, Millie Collins, Summer Fernance, Ayden Hunter, Clare Jensen, May Krishna, Alexander Mison, Charlotte Penberthy, Keegan Richardson, Christian Roth, Daniel Smith and Ella Tomlinson for qualifying in the North West team.

Twilight Swimming Carnival The annual twilight swimming carnival was held at the Narrabri Aquatic Centre on the Thursday, 27th February where the four houses battled it out for the 2020 title. The students had a great night with participation high. Winning House: CURRONG New Records: Rosie Ross 14 years 50m Backstroke & Andrew Coleman 17 years 50m Freestyle Age Champions: Male 12 Year Boys Champion – Christian Roth 12 Year Boys Runner up – Lochie Michell 13 Year Boys Champion – Daniel Smith 13 Year Boys Runner up – Charlie Bennett 14 Year Boys Champion – Lucas Hogan 14 Year Boys Runner up – Isaiah Cochrane - Digby Chiplin 15 Year Boys Champion – Bernard O’Connor 15 Year Boys Runner up – Alex Mison 16 Year Boys Champion – Ben Thomson 16 Year Boys Runner up – Lachlan Large 17 Year Boys Champion – Andrew Coleman 17 Year Boys Runner up – Tewiki Mason Female 12 Year Girls Champion – Summer Fernance 12 Year Girls Runner up – Isabella Keys 13 Year Girls Champion – Millie Collins 13 Year Girls Runner up – Sienna Wallington 14 Year Girls Champion – Rosie Ross 14 Year Girls Runner up – Clare Jensen 15 Year Girls Champion – Ella Tomlinson 16 Year Girls Champion – May Krishna 16 Year Girls Runner up – Martha Harvey 17 Year Girls Champion – Charlotte Penberthy 17 Year Girls Runner up – Mae Harvey - Alex Hall

Year 8 Future proofing Study

Attention Year 8 parents and carers The Black Dog Institute invites your child to participate in its largest ever research initiative, the Future Proofing Study. A world-first, this study aims to discover how we can put teenagers’ smartphones to positive use to drive mental health and wellbeing on a large scale. 50% of mental health problems emerge in adolescence, yet teenagers are unlikely to seek help until these problems impact on school attendance, academic results and relationships. Even when these problems become obvious, many teens avoid seeking help due to cost, stigma and trouble finding the right services. By using app-based healthcare tools, we can put evidence-based mental health programs into the hands of all young people, whenever they need them and wherever they are. Your Year 8 Student requires consent from a parent or guardian to take part in the study. You can register your consent via a short online form, this will provide extended details and privacy information found here www.fpstudy.org.au/DK0st or complete the paper form which will be sent home with students. All participating students will receive a $20 gift card. For further information please contact The Year Advisor Therese Robinson or School Counsellor Steven Rees.

Visual Arts Update A new year for Visual Arts let me update you with what the students have been working on. Year 7 have started this year by looking at the elements of art such as line, colour and shape to name a few. They are working towards created an artwork of their house using these three elements to make a vibrant artwork.

Year 8 begin this year with looking at the topic of Land and Water. Already students are demonstrating their understanding of composition and perspective for their assessment of painting a picture of the Kaputar Range. Year 9 are gaining a gaining a deeper understanding of Visual Arts taking a journey through the Modern Art period and developing their skills in contour drawing. Year 10 are being pushed out of their comfort zone this term. They are learning that artworks can come in larger sizes. They have been working with different ways of applying paint and experiment with different mediums to a cityscape Year 11 have gone back to the basics of drawing, developing a stronger foundation and also experimenting with different mark making strategies such as drawing on black paper and using canvas sheets to paint on. Year 12 are progressing nicely with their Body of Works. Each student is doing something completely to the other, each showing of their skills in their chosen medium. Already many students have shown skill and talent in their artmaking. Mrs Laird and I are looking forward to a creative year from the Visual Arts students.

Careers News

Indigenous Entry Into Macquarie University Applications Open in May Walanga Muru’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Entry Pathway (ATSIEP) is an opportunity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students to gain entry Macquarie University even if they will not be eligible for an ATAR. Entry involves completing an online application and attending an interview. At the interview students will also learn about any scholarships and prizes for which they may be eligible. Students will know within 2 weeks from the day they attend their interview whether they have been successful. Students can apply at: https://it-mqu.formstack.com/forms/aboriginal_and_torres_strait_islander_entry_pathway

Australian National University ANU Course Applications Now Open! The Australian National University is now accepting direct applications for their 2021 undergraduate courses. Applications close on 25 May. Upon completing the online application form students are automatically considered for admission, on-campus accommodation and over 200 scholarships. Interested students can apply at: https://experience.anu.edu.au/direct-applications-info. ANU Scholarships There is also information available on a couple of scholarships at ANU: the Tuckwell Scholarship and Kambri Scholarships (for Indigenous students). Year 12 students please see the email sent to your school account on 24 February for further information and links. Applications for these scholarships have a similar time frame to the ANU course application (above). Job Jump Newsletter The school Careers section subscribes to a regular course and careers newsletter called Job Jump. This is forwarded to Year 12 students via their school emails. It contains details of opportunities and services available to students throughout the state, including information on university admission schemes, scholarships, traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities, career and course seminars, open days and so on. Students and parents are encouraged to keep abreast of this Newsletter.

Meet Kylie from TFSS Reconnect

Hi, my name is Kylie. You have probably seen me around the school in my green shirt. Well here is a little bit about what I do. I work for TFSS in a program called Reconnect. It's a free service for young people aged 12-18 who are struggling a little bit with

staying at school, getting on with their families or with their living situation. Together we can work out some goals, ways to get on better with your family or figure out how we can make school a more enjoyable experience for you. We can do this with individual work, or we can also do some things in a group. I really enjoy my work and I hope us working together will be a really positive experience for you as well. Come and see me at school if you want to have a chat or call me on 0499 236 220 @

Free Student Exchange

FREE STUDENT EXCHANGE LIVE ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION

FOR STUDENTS & FAMILIES

Meet our staff, hear comprehensive information on all aspects of exchange, find out about discounts and

scholarships available and ask questions.

Wednesday, 25th March at 5.30pm (AEDT /Sydney time)

Register now

Visit studentexchange.org.au/info-sessions/ or call 1300 135 331 for more information

Student Exchange Australia New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation, registered with all state and territory Departments of Education around Australia and with the Ministry of Education in NZ. We are leading the way as the first secondary exchange organisation in Australia and New Zealand to be certified to ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) and we ensure the highest standards of care and support to our participants.