The Canobolas Rural Technology High School

Friday 7th June, 2013 Term 2 Issue 8

A school that, in partnership with all students, staff and parents, strives for each and every student to excel in a broad range of areas and activities

Icely Road Orange NSW 2800 Ph: 02 6362 1677 Fax: 02 6362 4481 Website: www.canobolas-h@det.nsw.edu.au Email: canobolas-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

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A school that, in partnership with all students, staff and parents, strives for each and every student to excel in a broad range of areas and activities

. It has been a very busy and eventful term for the Home Economics Faculty. At the end of last week we bid a sad adieu to two of our staff members, Ms Tammy Howarth and Ms Cathryn Pankhurst, as they both began their maternity leave. We thank both these wonderful ladies for all their hard work throughout the beginning of the year and we are looking forward to hearing the news of their new family members in the near future. At the beginning of this week we had the pleasure of welcoming Miss Lucy Schirmer, Mrs Jennifer Shepherd and Ms Bec Reagan into our faculty. Miss Schirmer, Mrs Shepherd and Ms Reagan bring with them a wealth of knowledge and fantastic skills and we are very excited to have them on board as part of our team. Our kitchens have been a hive of activity this term, as all our students have been busily cooking up a storm. Year 8 Masterchef students have been planning for their competition day next Wednesday. We are very excited to be welcoming back Masterchef’s very own Merle Parish for the judging. We wish all teams involved in this competition the best of luck. Year 9 and Year 10 (100hr) students have just begun working on a new unit titled ‘Food for Special Needs’ and Year 10 (200hr) students are looking at ‘Food Trends’. We have had some great Mediterranean and Scandinavian inspired dishes made by our Year 10 Hospitality: International Studies students. Year 11 and 12 Hospitality students have been kept occupied with lots of opportunities for catering. The standard of the food they have been presenting is fantastic and they have received compliments from all who have been lucky enough to enjoy a taste of their dishes. In the coming weeks we look forward to seeing these students involved in catering for Zonta Antique Fair and The Ultimate Spectacular, both at Orange Function Centre. Year 12 Textiles and Design students have being working hard, completing their Major Textiles Projects. Earlier in the term, Mrs Jody Robinson came in for a ‘working bee’ where students spent the day sewing and embellishing their projects. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Robinson for giving up her own time to come in and work with our students. We look forward to seeing all Major Textiles Projects completed half way through next term. During Week 9, Year 12 CAFS students will be travelling with Miss Robinson to Sydney to work with the St. Vincent de Paul Night Patrol. This excursion aims to connect students’ learning of the core topic ‘Groups in Context’ with real life situations. Whilst in Sydney students will also attend a HSC enrichment day. We look forward to hearing about their experiences on their return. As the term progresses, Year 7 and 8 Technology projects are also coming together. This term we have classes designing and making a wide array of items including models of mini golf courses and dream bedrooms, monster soft toys, boxer shorts, smoothies, restaurants and cartoon strips. Hopefully by the time our next newsletter is out, we will have some images of completed projects to share with you all.

Home Economics Faculty News

Finally, we would like to commend all of our students on their hard work in Home Economics classes this term. It is rewarding to see our students learning new skills and increasing their knowledge across all of our subject areas. Keep up the great work!

The Home Economics Team

Dear Parents and Members of our School Community Welcome to week 6. With only three weeks until the end of the term our junior students are mid-way through their exam period and have been sitting their half yearly exams across a range of subjects. Exams are an important component of what we offer at Canobolas High School as they give our staff an understanding of where we need to move with our students in the future. At the conclusion of this exam period, reports will be written for all students and sent home at the end of the term. If you would like to speak with your child’s teachers about the progress of your child, please feel free to contact the school to arrange an appointment. WELCOME TO OUR NEW STAFF I would like to welcome back to our school Ms Jen Shepherd who has been with us in the past and has returned to fill the vacancy of Mrs Pankhurst who has taken maternity leave until the end of next term. I would also like to welcome Miss Lucy Schirmer who joins the Home Economics faculty for Mrs Howarth who has also taken maternity leave until the end of the school year. I am sure you will find both of these staff an asset to our school.

Miss Schirmer CONGRATULATIONS A huge congratulations to Mr Scott and his wife Demelza who gave birth to their second child this week. Freya Anne Scott was born on Sunday evening. Mum, Dad and Freya are all doing well.

From the Principal’s Desk

EXCURSION NOTES I would like to inform parents and students that a change in our excursion policy has been made. All students involved in excursions are now required to have their permission notes and all required monies into the school office at least one week before the due excursion date for overnight excursions and at least two days prior to the excursion for all other activities. Students will not be permitted to attend excursions if they are unable to follow these procedures. If there is an issue from a parental perspective, please do not hesitate to contact the supervising teacher who will ensure allowances are made to accommodate your needs. SCHOOL SOCIAL The SRC are busy planning another school dance on Thursday 27th June. Unlike previous social dances, this one will take place during school hours from 1pm – 3.20pm. I have made this decision with the safety of students and staff in mind as well as ensuring that the cold weather will not play any part in the running of the event. Students will be able to purchase tickets from next week and tickets will be available until 24th June.

I hope you have a wonderful fortnight. With my warmest regards

Chad Bliss Principal

TERM 2 AND 3 CAN BE TIME OF COLDS & ILLNESS. MAKE SURE YOU SEND IN A NOTE OR CALL THE SCHOOL TO EXPLAIN YOUR CHILD’S ABSENCE AS

SOON AS POSSIBLE. SCHOOL IS A PLACE FOR LEARNING AND MAKING

FRIENDS. EVERY DAY AT SCHOOL COUNTS?

IS YOUR CHILD AT SCHOOL TODAY?

Students in the Small Ensemble are to be commended or their hard work in rehearsing and performing at the Cowra Eisteddfod on Tuesday May 22nd. Up against larger ensembles of thirty plus students from the Central west and Canberra they held their own and came second place in both sections entered. In the Secondary Schools Ensemble section the group played the “Theme from Batman” and the Australian composed “Ayre and Dance”. The adjudicator, Ross Fiddes, complemented the ensemble on their “brilliant arrangement” of the familiar Batman theme, comparing it to chamber music. He also recognised the “tight and clean” playing of the students. Ms Brine, the groups conductor, should be congratulated on working with the students and developing their ability to play as a group. In the second section, Open Instrumental Band, our students played “What a Wonderful World”. A difficult piece, the students played well and demonstrated again how well they play as a cohesive and sympathetic group. Working in small groups requires students to be aware of each other and learn to work as a team. Before heading to Cowra, the group visited the 4/5 year olds class at the Albert Street Children’s Centre in Orange. They were invited by the class teacher, former Canobolas High student Kimberley Lang. The ensemble played two pieces “Batman” and “Harry Potter” themes for a very excited young audience, before talking about their instruments and engaging the children in play with percussion instruments. The ensemble on the day consisted of Ellena Hicks (Year 8), Jacinta Perceval, Laura Alexander, Madison Ewins (Year 9), Kaitlyn Woods (Year 10), Chris Gogala, Hannah White and Alex Brown (Year 11). Two members were unable to play on the day due to other commitments. Each of these students did themselves, their teachers and the school proud.

Geoff Pelley Head Teacher

Creative and Performing Arts

Small Ensemble Big Day Out

Mr Squiggle with the Eisteddfod program

The Small Ensemble playing for children at the Albert Street Children’s Centre

Canobolas High music students showing pre-schoolers percussion instruments

Group at the Cowra Eisteddfod, with the Art faculty’s Mascot Mr Squiggle.

TRANSITION Canobolas RTHS continues to provide the best opportunities for Year 5 and 6 students to transition into high school. In consultation with Mr Craig Booth (Principal, Bletchington PS), CRTHS will allocate the services of Miss Wiencke (Science), Mr Parker (PDHPE), Miss Brookes (Maths) and Miss Lynch (Home Economics) to Bletchington PS to coordinate transition activities in Term 3. This is an exciting prospect for our school where Mrs Di Burrell (Transition Coordinator) will provide valuable support . This will work in conjunction with our already successful transition links between our primary feeder schools in Glenroi Heights PS, Bowen PS and Orange East PS. IMPROVING LITERACY AND NUMERACY NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP (ILNNP) As Mr Bliss has alluded to previously, our school is currently involved in the ILNNP. The team of planning teachers will be led by Mrs Wright and includes Mrs Rose, Mrs Grant, Miss Gottschall, Mrs Padroth, Miss Hiscox and Mr Colley. The team will develop a model to integrate literacy strategies into secondary classrooms, working to strengthen best practice in literacy teaching across all KLAs. All staff will participate in Professional Learning opportunities in Term 3 to strengthen their capacity to deliver high quality, student-centred lessons in every classroom across our school well into the future. If you are on Twitter, I encourage you to follow our school. To work with our already popular Facebook page, Twitter will be another means to connect and share with our community and promotes all the great things that happen here at Canobolas RTHS.

Mr Colley

Around the Grounds with Mr Colley

On Tuesday the 27th May 2013, the year 11 Debating Team competed in Rounds 1-3 of the Premier’s Debating Challenge at Bathurst High School. They were joined by Bathurst High, Orange High, Blayney High and Oberon High in fierce intellectual competition. The Canobolas team consisted of Rebecca Hobden, Tameeka Thorley, Hannah White and Joshua McDonell. Unfortunately, the team were narrowly defeated in each of their two debates. However, we were then lucky enough to host the same 5 schools for Rounds 4 & 5 of the competition. Not only were the Year 11 team able to compete in two more debates, one of which they won, the students of Canobolas High also had the opportunity to watch some skilled debaters take the floor. This was a fantastic opportunity for them as they learnt how to be persuasive and confident when speaking publicly. I would like to thank Jacinta Percival, Max Pearce, Shay Osborne, Jessica Whan and Liam Fisher for helping host the students from the visiting schools and acting as chair people and timekeepers. A further thanks is extended to Margaret Brown and James Norman who came and adjudicated the event.

The Premier Debating Challenge

On Sunday 26th May 2013, 13 students from The Canobolas Rural Technology High School woke early and made their way to the Salvation Army Building to volunteer their time for the annual Red Shield Door Knock Appeal. The students involved were: Hannah White, Tameeka Thorley, Jacinta Percival, Emily Milne, Emily Dickinson, Emily Cole, Chloe Onley, Taylor Taufa, Adam Wilkinson, Nicholas Howell, Adam Radburn, Christopher Rothnie and William Drayton. Students had to form a team and were given an area of Orange in which they knocked on doors to collect donations for the charity. They then had to return to Salvation Army Headquarters where they counted their money and were rewarded with delicious food and drink – also prepared by volunteers. The event was a huge success for the Salvation Army and Canobolas students helped to collect a massive $55 000 that will go back into the local Orange community.

The Skillset ‘Try A Trade’ Roadshow will be visiting our school on Thursday 20th June, 2013, to provide students with the opportunity to Try A Trade.

Selected students from Years 9, 10 & Senior Support classes, will have the chance to learn more about various trades, by trying some of the hands on skills required for them. This should motivate students to seek information about future career choices and encourage them to gain the best possible school education to enable them to have that choice.

This activity is free of charge to students.

About ten trades from the following areas will be represented: Engineering/Welding, Childcare, Carpentry, Cooking/Hospitality, Electrical, Automotive, Painting/Decorating, Plumbing, Horticulture, Tiling, Hairdressing and Bricklaying. Each trade will have a separate area/booth, with small groups of students spending about 10/15 minutes in a variety of trades.

A local tradesperson, apprentice or TAFE teacher will be in each booth and teach students a simple task related to their trade. They will also discuss: training requirements, a typical day’s work, working conditions and career pathways.

There are limited places for each Try A Trade session. If your child has a strong interest in gaining an apprenticeship, please contact Mr Holmes at school on Phone No. 63621677 and he will place your child in a Try A Trade session.

Hopefully, all students attending Try A Trade will find it an informative and worthwhile activity.

Wow! What a busy start to the term for Year 10. There have been lots of things happening around our school, keeping them all occupied. Recently, two groups of Year 10 students attended Orange High School to listen to guest speaker Brent Sanders. The girls group attended a workshop titled “Back Off”, which focused on self-protection, self-motivation, mental strength, assertiveness and basic conflict psychology. The boys then attended the seminar titled “Secret Bloke’s Business” which examined critical issues including peer pressure, decision making, self-discipline, respect, motivation and essential keys required for success. Both seminars were extremely beneficial to all students who attended and on the whole students were engaged and enjoyed the presentation. Another recent revelation for Year 10 was the introduction of their new h o o d i e s . S t u d e n t s received their jumpers last week and everyone is very happy with how they look. Most students who purchased a jumper have been sporting them with pride every day. I encourage Year 10 to keep wearing their jumpers and keep up the great work with wearing their uniforms, especially as the cold weather is upon us. As we progress through the school year, I encourage all Year 10 students to begin thinking about their plans for the future. Early next term, we will be holding a subject selection evening. Keep your eyes peeled for further information that will be issued soon. In closing I would like to thank Year 10 for their beautiful card and chocolates they organised in appreciation of the jumpers. Also I would like to encourage all students to begin getting their merit awards together and bring them in so they can be tallied before our next medallion ceremony.

Year 10 News

The picture below was created in 6CSP, part of the Support unit. The age group of the class is 13 to 15 years. The mural was created as a way to cover the wall that was first used as a Graffiti wall, in an attempt to develop ownership of the room and class. It was suggested that we paint the Aboriginal flag to connect the students who are of Aboriginal descent. We further examined the connection between the Aboriginal students who are from two distinct peoples, the Wiradjuri and the Buntamarra. After investigating the various Aboriginal people, we discovered more diversity. We found that two of the students are Anglo Saxon Australian and Mr Frade is South African. The mural became a task to find a way of incorporating all nationalities and peoples. The Aboriginal Flag represents the Aboriginal students as a whole, the stars are the Southern Cross formation from the Australian flag, the Goanna represents the Wiradjuri People, the Carpet Snake represents the Buntamarra People and finally the South African flag in the shape of the country of South Africa. Many hands contributed to the final result. Trey and Mitch painted the majority of the mural, which used Percy’s original ideas.

Support Unit

On Tuesday 7th May, Mr Williams drove Brea Caughlan, Brooke Connelly and myself (Sam Bennett) to Sydney for a leadership excursion. We reached Sydney at about 7pm, parked the car at The Entertainment Centre and walked to the YHA where we were staying. We got changed and walked up George Street to the Event Cinemas where we watched Identify Thief. We then walked back to the YHA and fell asleep soon after.

On Wednesday 8th May, we woke up at about 6am and had breakfast. We then walked back to The Entertainment Centre to put our bags in the car and to catch a taxi from Central Station to Parliament House. We were an hour early so we walked down to Martin Place where we met Mel Doyle as they were filming Sunrise. We then ducked into the Lindt Chocolate Factory and had a hot chocolate. It was then time for us to walk back over to Parliament House where we were to go through a very intense security check. There was a large group of Year 12 SRC and Student Leaders from within the Central NSW area that made the trip for the day.

During our first session we heard from speakers including; The Fair Trading Minister, Andrew Gee, Barry O’Farrell, NSW Premier and Member for Hornsby, the Greens Member and The Murray Darling Member. All of these speakers spoke of community change, having your voice heard and their reasons for joining Parliament.

After that, we went and sat in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. It was a ‘sitting day’ which allowed us to hear the proceedings. After that we walked to Government House and went on a quick tour where we were able to see beautiful and delicate hand painted walls and fire places. We were not able to take photos in the house but we were able to out in the garden where we could see the Opera House, the harbour and a well maintained garden.

Once Her Excellency Governor Marie Bashir arrived, we sat in ‘The Ballroom’ and listened to her speak of the respect she had for Year 12 students, Aboriginal students, the first people on our land and also the fact that she is the first female Governor. After she spoke, she answered questions about career aspirations, females in male dominating jobs as well as acceptance within Australia in relation to foreigners. We were then given the chance to shake her hand and have a photo taken with her. She was beautiful wrapping her arms around us and welcoming us in for the photo.

It was fantastic to be given the opportunity to go and listen to Her Excellency speak. A massive thank you must also go to Mr Williams for dealing with three teenage girls.

Secondary Schools Leadership Visit to Parliament House

Here are some of the new titles in the Library: Anthem for Jackson Dawes – Celia Bryce When Megan arrives in the cancer ward for her first treatment, she’s frustrated to be on the children’s ward. There is one other teen there, cute rebellious Jackson Dawes. Can the power of first love overcome the heartbreak of cancer? Borrow this book and find out how this love song ends.

Ghostheart – Ananda Braxton-Smith Set in the past, Braxton- Smith recreates the world of Carrick, on the Isle of Man. Mally is different to her brothers and sisters and this is why Dolyn Craig seeks her out. He is a sneak and a bully, so what does he want from her? This is number 3 in the Secrets of Carrick series. Goodreads gives this book a 4/5 rating.

The Watcher in the Shadows – Carlos Ruiz Zafon Zafon creates a world of heroes, villains, magic and adventure in a world where children fight and solve mysteries. What starts as an idyllic summer turns into a nightmare when Irene discovers the secrets locked in the toymaker’s crumbling mansion. Slowly put together the pieces of the puzzle and become immersed in the creepy world of mechanical beings, dark corridors, secret passages and strange lights. This dark and spooky tale is sure to

send shivers down your spine. What the Raven Saw – Samantha-Ellen Bound Raven is an unlikely hero, watching the comings and goings from his partially collapsed church steeple. He is reluctantly drawn into the church’s activity – helping a ghost, rescuing a suicidal man and catching a collection plate thief. This fable explores the importance of friendship and helping others.

Don’t forget Senior Study Sessions are held in the Library immediately after school every Thursday. Also Toni Gibbs is available at lunchtimes if you need help with assessment tasks.

Bibliomania

GETTING READY FOR CAMP What do you remember most about school camp? Children can feel a little anxious before they go - but then don't want to come back home! Here's how to help them feel confident about camp as departure day approaches. Find out more: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/development/getting-ready-for-camp PARENTING IDEAS Parenting expert Michael Grose opened his Facebook page to readers' questions for a little while recently and was inundated. It's worth jumping online to have a look - if only to see you're not alone in your parenting challenges. Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/parentingideas.com.au PITFALLS OF BENCHMARKING Now that you have children of your own do you still keep an eye on your peers? Do you use the progress and behaviour of their kids as benchmarks to help you assess your own performance as well as your child’s progress? According to this article, it’s not a wise strategy. Find out more: http://parentingideas.com.au/Blog/May-2013/The-pitfall-of-benchmarking-with-other-people-s-ki BEHAVIOUR What happens when children go through puberty? Our experts share their tips on how parents can support kids through the teenage years. Hosted by journalist and mum Rachel Friend, the School A to Z video webcast features a panel of experts answering a range of common questions about behaviour and development. http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/development/getting-off-to-a-good-start/good-start-chapter-three

Parent Tips

Fitness Perfection, in partnership with Royal Life Saving Australia, is now taking bookings for their Term 3 Swim and Survive program. The term starts Monday 15 July until Saturday 21 September and includes: Free membership for all children enrolled on swimming days (including week-ends). Each family receives a complimentary 10 visit care for use of the gym, pool or group fitness. Please contact Fitness Perfection on 6362 6195 to secure you spot.

Girls Night In will be held at Club Newstead, Hill Street Orange on Saturday 10th August 2013. Tickets are only $25 per head and this includes hot finger food, delicious dessert bar and lots of laughs, all while raising money for a great cause. Tickets can be purchased individually or you can book a table of 10. Tickets are available from NAB, Summer Street Orange, Club Newstead or you can contact Julianne Pearce on 0429 020 672. The dress for the night is Pink PJ's. Lots of fun, so get the girls together and join in.

The Woolworths Earn & Learn program is back! This community program enables schools throughout Australia to earn educational resources simply through the school community shopping at Woolworths.

Last year, our program provided 720,000 pieces of educational equipment to more than 12,500 schools and early learning centres. Schools selected from thousands of different items through our program, highlighting how each school’s needs are different and how critical a breadth of range is.

From Monday 8th April until Sunday 9th June 2013, when you shop at Woolworths you will be given a Woolworths Earn & Learn Point. There’ll be one Woolworths Earn & Learn Point for every $10 spent, excluding cigarettes, liquor and gift cards.

Collect these Woolworths Earn & Learn Points and your local school will be able to redeem these for educational resources.

Schools can choose resources based on their unique needs, across every educational category possible, including mathematics and English resources, science equipment, arts & crafts materials, sports gear and more.