129 Ravenshaw Street, Gloucester NSW 2422 / P 02 6558 1605 / F 02 6558 1229 www.gloucester-h.schools.nsw.edu.au / gloucester-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

GLOUCESTERHIGH SCHOOL

Quality education in a caring, innovative environment.

School Calendar 2019

TERM 2Monday 13 May School Photos Wingham Beef Week Mon 13 - Fri 17Tuesday 14 May NAPLANWednesday 15 May NAPLANThursday 16 May NAPLAN Breakfast Club for Students 8 - 9am Friday 17 May NAPLAN Love BitesTuesday 21 May Marine Excursion Y9&10Thursday 23 MayBreakfast Club for Students 8 - 9am Zone Athletics Tuncurry

CANTEEN - Phone 65589963Monday 13 May MerilynTuesday 14 May Jennie SmithWednesday 15 May SusannaThursday 16 May SimoneFriday 17 May MelMonday 20 May MerilynTuesday 21 MayJenWednesay 22 May VanessaThursday 23 MayMelFriday 24 May Allison B

NEWSLETTER Friday, 10 May 2019

Care Achievement Respect Effort Responsibilty

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2019

This year’s Athletics carnival was held in beautiful conditions on Wednesday at the Kay Green Memorial Athletics track.

The 800m and 1500m events for the endurance athletes were revived after many students showed an interest in competing in these events. They were last run in an official capacity in 2004.

Sarah Schiffmann ran both of these events in record time shaving 36 seconds off the previous 800m record and 50 seconds off the 1500m record. She ran 2.21.56 in the 800m and 4.53.28 in the 1500m. She now holds both the Senior Girls 800m and 1500m records. Well done Sarah!

In the always competitive Champion of Champions event ‘The GHS Gift’, Nicholas Edwards and Sarah Schiffmann stole a close victory from runners-up, Eli Zycki and Bronte Wisely.

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2019 continued.....Our age Champions and runners-up are listed below:

In the Champion House points score, Mograni was the winning house with a score of 764, with Tibbuc in a close second on 746, Kurricar on 555 and Belbora on 541.

For those that have qualified, the Manning Zone Carnival will be held at South St, Tuncurry on Thursday 23 May. Notes and further information will follow.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

PRINCIPAL’S REPORTWelcome back to term 2; our students seem to be settling well after their vacation.

This week the students attended the annual athletics carnival. We were very fortunate to have beautiful weather for the event. Students had a wonderful time either seriously competing in events or just participating for fun. The seniors had fun competing dressed in dinosaur costumes, a flamingo costume, as hippies and we even had ABBA on the track. Sportsmanship was high as students encouraged their peers to do well. Thanks to Adam Cameron and the staff for running such a well-structured day, Natasha Donaldson and the SCR who supplied the BBQ for the students and to Margo Cameron and Anne Martin for keeping the staff well-nourished with morning tea.

I have a few other people to acknowledge and thank this week:

• Thank you to Stratford Coal for the generous donations to supply a class set of lap tops for our students. This is very much appreciated and well needed at school.

• Thank you to our senior student executive and the school students who joined me in the Gloucester ANZAC Day march and the laying of a wreath in commemoration of those who gave their lives during wars and conflicts.

• Thank you to Miss Danica Enks who organised the school ANZAC Day commemoration, to Caiden Wakefield (Air force cadet and student) who led the official party into the assembly and to the members of the Gloucester RSL Sub-branch who attended and delivered an address to the student body and presented the library with a book ‘NSW and the Great War’.

This week Year 10 students have been completing the Minimum Standards testing and next week NAPLAN will commence on Tuesday. Information on both of these events have been sent out in previous correspondence. Also, a reminder school photos will be on Monday next week. Another busy week for our students and staff.

The staff development day this term focused on staff wellbeing and a better understanding of the plethora of social media platforms, apps and games high school students are accessing and the impact this is having on student communication, relationships, sleep habits and mental health issues. This was presented by ‘The Cyber Safety Lady’ – Leonie Smith.

You may have heard the students talking about the construction works being undertaken in the school grounds. We have had many small plumbing leaks in the playground during the last few years. This has led to excessive water accounts and ongoing costs to repair each leak under the cement. The Capital Works Program has funded the total repair of that pipe line and the pipe line from the centre of the school to the Agriculture farm. This has caused a significant disruption to the playground facilities but will reduce the cost to regular repairs and excess water bills in the future. We have also had to have the library roof replaced. Fortunately there has been minimum disruption to library access and use due to the amount of tradesmen working on the project to complete it in the least amount of time possible.

The school has had a few inquiries about our OPAL program. I have included information about the OPAL program in this newsletter.

Mrs Trudi Edman, Principal

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

OPAL - ONGOING PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT LOGWhat is OPAL and how does it work?

OPAL is a system designed to provide feedback about student academic performance and engagement on a regular basis. This gives students important information about how you are performing in your subjects and across the school. OPAL is designed to be a supportive tool, used to encourage you to give your best consistently.

Twice each term, each of your subject teachers will record a value for your performance in OPAL. You will receive a copy of your individual OPAL data via email. Archived data that can be used to see your progress over time will also be available to you.

The values to be entered appear below, with values of 5 to 10 based on professional teacher judgment about each student. These values are awarded with respect to:

• Completion of class tasks and homework • Completion of projects, assignments and assessment tasks • Displaying a strong classroom work ethic and engagement in the learning process • Attendance

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

OPAL LevelsBlack OPAL

The student(s) who receives the top average over the cycle achieves a Black OPAL and receives one Merit Award (6 Credits)

Blue OPAL

A student achieving an average of 8.5 or above across subject areas achieves a Blue OPAL and receives 3 Credits

Green OPAL

A student achieving an average above 7 and less than 8.5 across subject areas achieves a Green OPAL, which indicates that the student is achieving at a commendable level, earning them 1 Credit

White OPAL

A student achieving an average above 6.75 and yet has a subject that receives a 5 will receive a White OPAL. The student will be referred to the Head Teacher in that subject who will counsel them as to what needs to change in terms of preparation, attitude and performance.

Yellow OPAL

A student achieving an average above 6 and less than or equal to 6.75 or a value of 5 in more than one subject is deemed to be “causing concern” and will receive a Yellow OPAL. These students will be required to undertake a formal interview and abide by the consequences of this process.

Red OPAL

A student receiving a Red OPAL is deemed to be “at risk”. A student issued a value of 1 in a particular subject OR receiving an average of 6 or below across all subjects will receive a Red OPAL. These students will be required to undertake a formal interview and abide by the consequences of this process.

Formal Interview protocols

A student who receives a Yellow OPAL will be interviewed by the Principal, Year Head Teacher and/or Year Adviser, who will issue a warning regarding the consequences of continued lack of progress. This warning is recorded and placed in the student’s file. Parents / Carers will be contacted and this contact will be recorded in the student’s file.

A student who receives a Red OPAL for receiving an average of 6 or below will be interviewed by the Principal, the subject Head Teacher, Year Head Teacher and/or Year Adviser as appropriate, who will issue a warning regarding the consequences of continued lack of progress. This warning is recorded and placed in the student’s file. Parents / Carers will be contacted and this contact will be recorded in the student’s file.

Two or more Yellow or Red Opals in a term will lead to an interview involving the Principal, parents, the Year Head Teacher and/or the Year Adviser as appropriate.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

NAPLAN ONLINE 2019From 14 May to 17 May, our school will participate in NAPLAN Online. The information brochure for parents and carers addresses common questions about NAPLAN Online testing.

One of the main features of the NAPLAN Online format is that it is a tailored (or adaptive) test. The tailored test provides a more precise assessment of your child’s performance in the areas of reading, language conventions (grammar, spelling and punctuation) and numeracy by adapting to responses. As your child progresses through the test, questions may be easier or more difficult, to better assess his or her ability. Your child should not be concerned if he or she finds the questions more difficult than expected – the pathway may be more challenging.

Many of the same questions appear in both paper and online tests, but not every student doing the online test will be answering the same questions in the same order.

Your child’s NAPLAN results and scores are based on the number and complexity of questions he or she has answered correctly.

Students are required to bring in headphones and, if possible, a mouse to use with laptops.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher.

For more info:

• learn how to support your child during NAPLAN

• read more information for parents and carers

• view types of questions on the public demonstration site

• access translations of the parent information brochure

• watch a video that explains the NAPLAN Online tailored test

• download the frequently asked questions on tailored testing

SCHOOL PHOTOSDon’t forget school photos are Monday 13th May. • Online ordering now open- the online code is on the sheet that has been given to the students• Online ordering for portraits/packages is available until midnight 18 May 2019 (Saturday)• Online ordering for family photos is available until midnight 12 May 2019 (Sunday)• All students have received information about prices and package options• Families that would prefer to pay the photographer on the day will need an envelope – please try to have the correct change as there will be minimal change available on the day

HOMEWORK SUPPORT FOR STUDENTSGreat news! Starting Week 4, Gloucester High School will offer students access to a Homework Centre every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Homework Centre is a place to complete homework tasks, learn study skills, work on assignments and access information with teacher support and guidance. The Homework Centre will operate at lunchtime in GG17. See you all Tuesday lunchtime Week 4.

Mrs Donna Croker

WANTEDVintage ladies bike for use in our school musical ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Please contact Scott Davis via email at scott.davis10@det.nsw.edu.au or phone 0448337101 if you can help.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

GLOUCESTER SHOW 2019Students from the Technology and Applied Science Department once again presented a number of projects from the TAS subject areas in the Gloucester Show. As usual, the quality of work presented was to a high standard. In particular, James Connor who pocketed $30 and Lachlan Harvey $21. Other notable entrants were James Terras, and the talented Jessica Kernahan who submitted a range of entries for her metal windmill through to vegetables and leading cattle. Once again, a big thank you to Bruce Barnes who organised the section, and Morna Wilson who, without her support our students work would not be on display.

Another noteworthy effort from the show was Sadbh Renshaw taking 1st place in the new Fine Arts Open Section, Student Works.

Congratulations to all who entered or participated in this years show. Students and general community members are encouraged to continue making projects and present them for next year’s show.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

Dance & Vocal arrangements by Peter Howard

Orchestration by Larry Wilcox

Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company

Gloucester High School Presents America’s greatest and best-loved fairytale!

By L. Frank Baum With Music & Lyrics by Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg

Background Music by Herbert Stothart

BOOKINGS: Gloucester High School Phone: 6558 1605

VENUE: Gloucester High School Hall

WHEN: Tuesday 25 June at 7pm Wednesday 26 June at 7pm Friday 28 June at 12 noon & 7pm Saturday 29 June at 7pm

COST: Adults $10 Concession: $6 Family (4): $28

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

WIZARD OF OZ: 2019 MUSICAL PROFILEWho: Anneka Hooke

Role: Dorothy Gale

Musical Experience: Suessical (2015), Into the Woods (2017)

Favourite musical and why: My favourite musical is Les Miserables, because it conveys the importance of love and compassion. The musical asserts that these are the two most important gifts one person can give to another, and I think this is an important message.

What are your first impressions of the play?

My first impressions of the play are that it runs nearly exactly the same as the 1939 movie of the same name, making it extremely familiar to most of the cast members, with easily understood humour and story-line. With costume, set designs, cast and crew, it is sure to be quite a colourful production.

What do you think will be the challenges in staging the show?

Challenges in staging the show will be the set designs, screen projections and some of the larger props (the tornado); oh, and of course using a real dog as Toto.

What are you looking forward to most?

I am looking forward to production week, when the entire musical comes together and everyone is excited for the upcoming shows.

How are rehearsals going?

We have blocked the entire musical and run through it twice. Now we are focusing on scenes and character development. We have decided to use a real life dog as Toto, and after trialling a couple of dogs, we have found a suitable dog, which will make the musical more engaging.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD: BRONZE GROUPOn the last Friday of term 1, the new group of Year 9 Duke of Ed students camped out on the School Ag block down by the Gloucester River. While primarily an opportunity for students to practice using their equipment, Sergeant Luke Kearney once again discussed general defence force training techniques as well as teaching basic navigation skills. Due to time constraints, Luke took us on a shortened exercise through the caravan park and around Mrs Bell Green’s property at the foot of the Bucketts.

With perfect weather, the Bronze group all enjoyed the experience and would like to thank Mrs Sorrensen, Sgt Luke Kearney, the Gloucester Caravan Park and especially Mrs Bell Green for allowing us to plot and navigate a course around her paddocks.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

CAREERS NEWS

UAC Guides have arrived!It is imperative that all Year 12 students considering applying to university collect a copy of the UAC GUIDE 2019-20. I will be distributing the UAC guides to Year 12 students during our 1 on 1 meetings in the first few weeks of this term. The UAC Guide (University Admissions Centre) provides information for students wishing to undertake an undergraduate course in NSW and the ACT. The Guide unfortunately no longer offers comprehensive details of the 1,900 individual courses available. This information will now have to be researched by students in their own time online. The UAC guide is still an important tool to help decipher which courses to apply for and list as their 5 preferences. It does still highlight the LSR (lowest selection rank, ATAR cut- off) and the GA (guaranteed ATAR) which is obviously important for the preference process. I will also provide students with an information sheet that outlines how to use the guide and important sections to read.

For students interested in applying for universities outside of NSW, there are no longer print versions of the VTAC (Victoria Admissions Centre) or QTAC (Queensland) Guides. The information can be found online.

VET Primary IndustriesTocal College Open Days

Friday 12 & 19 July

Friday 4 & 11 October

During open days students get the opportunity to chat to teaching staff, receive an overview of courses, and take a tour of the College and its commercial farms. For more information and to make bookings for lunch please contact us on 1800 025 520 or 02 4939 8888, or email info@tocal.com

http://www.tocal.nsw.edu.au/future-students/college-open-days

What is ADFA?Receive service training while studying for your degree, earn a salary while learning, and graduate with a rewarding job and no HELP debt. Forged from a unique partnership between the ADF and the University of New South Wales, the Australian Defence Force Academy offers world-class education plus cutting edge military and leadership training. On our Canberra campus, in addition to being expertly trained in the art of leadership and management, you’ll undertake a degree in Arts, Business, Engineering, Information Technology, Science or Technology.

https://www.defencejobs.gov.au/students-and-education/australian-defence-force-academy/what-is-adfa

Defence Careers Nights – Nearest to You

Newcastle – 13 May – Women in Defence Sydney – 13 May – Aviation Careers Facebook Q&A- 16 May – Navy Officer Careers Sydney – 16 May – STEM Careers Q&A

https://www.facebook.com/pg/DefenceJobsAustralia/events/

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

CAREERS NEWS continued.....How to Become a Teacher Step by StepHSC students, this is your step-by-step guide to becoming a teacher in a NSW public school

https://www.teach.nsw.edu.au/becomeateacher/hsc-students

Great Video on being a Youth Worker

Youth work is a career that involves working for and with young people in a variety of ways. The key thing that differentiates a youth worker from other community service workers is that young people are their primary focus. It’s about ensuring young people feel supported in developing the skills they need to make positive changes in their lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe0POZZeV44

LIBRARY NEWSSCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB Issue 3 Term 2, 2019

ORDERS DUE - 20 May 2019

Every purchase from Scholastic Book Club helps the school to buy extra classroom resources.

Scholastic Book Club orders for Term 2 are now open and orders will close on 20 May 2019. Please collect a copy of the latest catalogue from the Library.

The easiest way for families to order and pay for Book Club is to use the online LOOP platform. This will ensure that students get their orders, which are delivered to school for free, and that the correct payment is received. Please use the link to register and start your order www.scholastic.com.au/loop

LOOP is also available as an app, for both apple and Android devices.

Families who order via LOOP will receive a free reusable book bag with their second order for the year, and a poster and bookmark for those who place their third order.

For cash payments, please ensure you have the correct money and that the envelope is securely sealed with your completed order form. This makes it a lot smoother to process all orders and ensures the order can be submitted to Scholastic in a timely manner.

Thank you to everyone who ordered from Book Club in Term 1. When you order through Scholastic Book Club, Gloucester High School earns Scholastic Rewards; 20% of what you spend goes back to the school. Your support, in ordering from Book Club, has allowed the school to buy additional books and classroom supplies, including the pictured collection of classics - keep an eye out for them in the Library soon!

Travel Concession CardsIf you are 16 or older, please collect your Travel Concession Card from the Library. Thank you

SCHOLASTIC - Book Club

Pick up your Book Club Catalogue Order (Issue 7) from the LIBRARY.

Orders for this issue need to be returned and paid for at the Front Office by 28/10/16

Principal Mrs Trudi Edman Deputy Principal Mr Mik WiselyAddress: 129 Ravenshaw Street, Gloucester NSW 2422Telephone: 6558 1605 Fax: 6558 1229Email: gloucester-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

SCHOOL VISION STATEMENTGloucester High School aims to develop a supportive learning environment that engages all students,

teachers and community in the pursuit of excellence.