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 Wednesday 12 - Monday 17 May Y7 & Y9 NAPLANWednesday 19 May Sydney Science ExcursionThursday 20 May Hospitality Hunter Valley ExcursionFriday 21 May Zone Athletics CarnivalWednesday 26 May Open Boys Hockey - TareeFriday 28 May Hunter Cross CountryTuesday 1 June Open Girls Hockey - CessnockMonday 24 - Friday 28 May Y7 & Y10 Half Yearly Exam WeekMonday 31 May - Friday 4 June Y8 & Y9 Half Yearly Exam Week

Our Next P&C Meeting:Monday 17 May - 6.30pm - Room AG03

CANTEEN - Phone 65589963Monday 17 May ElonaTuesday 18 May ElonaWednesday 19 May MerrilynThursday 20 May Emma Friday 21 MayVickiMonday 24 May ElonaTuesday 25 May EmmaWednesday 26 May MerrilynThursday 27 May ElonaFriday 28 May Jodie

NEWSLETTER Friday, 14 May 2021

Care Achievement Respect Effort Responsibilty

It’s quite simple really; a wall of positive phrases or sayings. A wall for positivity, for inspiration, and for reasons to believe in ourselves. This wall is to take a step away from the doom and gloom of the world we are seeing at the moment due to the pandemic and what we don’t see behind closed doors. In today’s world we find that there are too many walls of separation, so as SRC secretaries we put forward the idea to “build” a wall of positivity on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 May. “We created this idea as, in a lot of schools, exclusion and isolation often happen, so this wall was a chance for students to embrace themselves and reach out to people they know that are struggling. This wall is a wall of inclusion, not separation, and it’s a wall where everyone is welcome!”

Courtney Webeck and Lucy Corbett on behalf of the SRC

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

PRINCIPAL’S REPORTOur Year 7 and 9 students are in the middle of their NAPLAN tests. These are being conducted in the library and a number of teachers have been rostered on to support the students in getting started each day. The results from these tests are usually available in September.

Congratulations to Courtney Webeck on becoming Gloucester Sports Star of the Year for the third consecutive year. Courtney’s achievements are a result of her passion and determination to set goals, regularly train and enjoy the accompanying accolades. We wish her every success with her athletic pursuits.

In the newsletter dated 5 March 2021, I reminded parents about booking family holidays during school term. It is a requirement of the Department of Education that parents not book family holidays during the term as this can have an impact on your child’s continuity of learning. For any unavoidable pre-planned extended absences, an application for exemption from attendance needs to be completed prior to leave. Please note that this leave is not automatically granted and will depend on the amount of previous exemptions. Please see the office staff for further details regarding this matter.

The Department of Education is closely monitoring schools and the students who are not meeting the bench mark of 85-90% attendance. This not only includes whole day absences, but includes absences linked to early leavers, late arrivals and truancies throughout the day. The following chart highlights the impact absences have on student learning and potential long-term success.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT continued...You have probably heard recent commentary in the media about the Gallop inquiry into public education in NSW. Teachers are continually learning new skills and adapting to meet the many changes to the way children learn. Such changes include: the impact of social media and the increasing emotional, behavioural and financial needs of young people to support their learning; together with the increased administration, compliance and accountabilities to enable them to compete with the 60,000 plus students who sit the HSC every year to secure the few university positions, TAFE positions, apprenticeships or employment positions. We have an extremely dedicated staff (teaching and non-teaching) to ensure our students’ academic, social, emotional, cultural and physical needs are met. This commitment is evident in our excellent HSC results and post school career/employment outcomes. Public education provides our young people with a very enriched and diverse curriculum which needs to be maintained. To continue such a curriculum, the Gallop inquiry has identified a number of improvements that need to be made in order to sustain and improve student outcomes and conditions. I have included an extract from: ‘Valuing the teaching profession – an independent inquiry. What every parent and carer needs to know about the Gallop inquiry’

“The first inquiry into the work of NSW public school teachers since 2004 has just handed down its final report.

The Inquiry, headed by former WA Premier Dr Geoff Gallop, has recommended major changes to the salaries and working conditions of teachers.

The report states the changes were urgently needed to help address teacher shortages, improve teaching and ensure we can recruit enough teachers to cater for rapidly increasing enrolments in public schools.

Four key findings

1.The inquiry found the dedication and commitment of teachers remains high but workloads have become unsustainable. All aspects of the work of teachers have been altered due to constant policy changes, advances in technology, curriculum changes and the increasingly complex needs of students. Teachers now have heavy administration workloads outside the classroom as well, including data collection and reporting and compliance work. On average, teachers work 55 hours a week.

2.Salaries of teachers have fallen compared with other professions. While the work of teachers has become harder and more complex, their salaries are now significantly below the average of all professions. This dangerous combination is leading to recruitment and retention issues and making it more difficult to attract the high achievers we need for the future.

3.Student numbers in NSW are set to increase and teacher shortages must be addressed. The inquiry found teacher shortages are an issue across NSW and said this had to be addressed ahead of a record increase in enrolments – 200,000 extra students – expected over the next 20 years.

4.Teachers need more time for collaborative work, planning and preparation. The time teachers have each week outside the classroom has not increased since the 1950s for secondary teachers and the 1980s for primary teachers. The inquiry found teachers need more dedicated time to prepare and collaborate with their colleagues, particularly given the increase in the number of students with higher needs."

Mrs Trudi Edman, Principal

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2021This year’s Athletics Carnival was held in beautiful conditions on Wednesday 28 April at the Kay Green Memorial Athletics track.

In the always competitive Champion of Champions events, Nicholas Edwards and Sarah Schiffmann were victorious in the GHS Gift with Travis Sansom and Abbey Seale runners up.

Our age Champions for the day and runners up are listed below:

In the Champion House points score, Mograni were the winning house with a score of 709, with Tibbuc in a close second on 689, Kurricar on 596 and Belbora on 568.

For those that have qualified, the Manning Zone Carnival will be held at South St, Tuncurry on Friday 21 May.

Champion of Champion winners and runners up: Abbey Seale, Sarah Schiffmann & Nicholas Edwards. Travis Sansom absent.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

12 Years winners: Kaylee Bagnall, Marley Young, Nicholas Maggs & Albie Cameron

13 Years winners: Wyatt Griffin, Phineas Hester, Hayley Edwards & Charlotte Marchant

14 Years winners: Brady Farley, Zac Schafer, Jessica Howard, Ruby Bradbury, Kaitlyn Beggs & Mackenzie Schafer

15 Years winners: Kyden De Angelis, Nicholas Edwards, Taleah Higgins & Emily Marsh

16 Years winners: Kate Bradbury, Chloe Tresidder, Olivia Marsh & Harrison Edwards Travis Sansom absent

17+ Years winners: Joshua Howard, Hayden Reid, Sarah Schiffmann & Courtney Webeck

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

GLOUCESTER HIGH SCHOOL PROUDLY PRESENTS

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY BENNY ANDERSSON

BJORN ULVAEUS AND SOME SONGS WITH STIG ANDERSON

BOOK BY CATHERINE JOHNSON

ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED BY JUDY CRAYMER

Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia). All performance materials supplied by Hal Leonard Australia

GLOUCESTER HIGH SCHOOL HALL TUESDAY 15 JUNE - 7PM

WEDNESDAY 16 JUNE - 7PM FRIDAY 18 JUNE - 7PM

SATURDAY 19 JUNE - 7PM

Tickets available online from: https://www.trybooking.com/BPTNT

Alternatively tickets are available from the school office

COST: Adults $10 ~ Concession: $6 ~ Family (4): $30

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

Brooke WillisRole: I am playing the role of Ali in the musical. Ali is one of Sophie’s best friends and arrives on the Island as one of the bridesmaids for Sophie’s wedding.

Musical experience: This is my first musical as an actor. I was a dancer in the musical ‘Into the Woods’, which I really enjoyed.

Favourite musical & why: My favourite musical is The Lion King. I loved the costumes and the songs. They are classics that you know from the movie, so it was great to see if moved to the stage.

What do you think will be the challenges in staging the show? The challenges are the scenes. The setting of the scenes change a lot which means the sets have to change so the crowd knows where the events are happening. It moves on to the beach which is tricky when we are on a stage and have to pretend. It has also been a challenge fitting everyone on stage dancing. Because it is Mamma Mia, there is a lot of dance moves to remember for each scene.

What are you looking forward to most? I am looking forward to working with the cast and crew. We have become a lot closer so it will be great to perform on stage with them in front of a crowd.

How do you feel you are going in rehearsals? I feel alright about where I am at in rehearsals. My lines are coming together and it feels like it is all starting to come together.

Ryan BeggsRole: I am playing the role of Sam Carmichael. Sam is one of Sophie’s potential dads.

Musical experience: This is my first musical as an actor. I was in the band in the previous musical, The Wizard of Oz. I liked being in the band but am really enjoying being up on stage and working with the other actors.

Favourite musical & why: My favourite musical is Mamma Mia so I was excited when it was selected as the one we were going to perform. The music is amazing! You can’t beat ABBA. I also love the story line and the way it ends. It is fun for everyone and makes people feel energised.

What do you think will be the challenges in staging the show? The challenges of the staging the show so far has been the set changes and everyone learning their lines. We went no scripts this week and it was much more challenging trying to remember your cues when the script wasn’t in your hand.

What are you looking forward to most? I am looking forward to performing in front of a crowd, in particular, my family and friends. I think the crowd will really enjoy the show.

How do you feel you are going in rehearsals? I always feel really pumped at rehearsals. It is a whole different experience getting up on stage and running through scenes. I am feeling okay about my lines and feel like my acting and singing is getting stronger.

MUSICAL PROFILES

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

BOOK CLUBPick up your Book Club Catalogue (Issue 3) from the LIBRARY.

We encourage orders to be made online via Scholastic book club LOOP: https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx

Alternatively orders can be returned and paid for at the school office by 1 June 2021.

YR 7/8 TRICHALLENGE SPORTWhilst normally on the lookout for new tracks to ride, the Trichallenge group recently found themselves down on the school river block helping the Ag department clean up after the floods.

It was great to see everyone enthusiastically hook in and collect over 140 tyres ready for removal. Thank you!

BILL TURNER TROPHY SOCCER Last Thursday the Bill Turner trophy (15 years) girls played against Great Lakes College (GLC) in round 2 of the competition.

The girls were shell shocked after a very quick goal to GLC and then found themselves down a few more. They then found a little more rhythm and got into the game and showed great determination in the second half.

In the end the girls were unfortunately outclassed to go down 9-0.

Jessica Howard was everywhere in midfield, Bree Norrie was solid as a rock in defence and Emily Marsh was great in defence and then as goal keeper.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

ZONE CROSS COUNTRYOn Thursday 21 April, 14 keen runners travelled to the Wingham, Sporing Complex for the Manning Zone X-Country event.

Two of our students won their respective events with Sarah Schiffmann winning the 17+ Girls event and Kaitlyn Commons winning the 14 Girls.

Also in the 14 Girls, Jessica Howard finished 3rd and Mackenzie Schafer finished 9th.

Abbey Seale finished 4th in the 15 Girls and Sam Collie finished 6th in the 14 Boys.

Courtney Webeck has also qualified for the Hunter region X-Country in the multi-class event.

Good luck to these students for the Hunter event at Tocal College on Friday 28 May 2021.

MATHS CORNER QUESTION (for students and parents)

Question: A represents a counting number. Find the value of A if:

Previous Answer:Make an organised list. After noting that DE and ED are the same chord, list all chords. Be sure to list then in order. We can draw 10 different chords.

FOLLOW-UP: How many chords would there be if the circle shows 6 points? 7 points? 10 points? Is there a pattern? [15,21,45; Triangular numbers]

* Maths corner questions have been provided courtesy of ‘Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) Inc’ an advanced problem solving course currently being undertaken by some of our Year 7 & 8 students.

AB BC CD DE AC BD CEAD BEAE

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

MARINE WORKSHOPRecently, three students participated in the Midcoast Secondary Leadership Program run by Take 3 and facilitated by Midcoast council. The workshop, held in the new Taree council office space brought together passionate and motivated community members to discuss a range of issues such as the indigenous perspective, the waste stream from a council perspective, the impacts of waste on the marine environment focusing on the Helmeted Manning River Turtle, reducing waste at the source as well as a practical litter audit. Bailey Hughes, Elise Coombes and Sarah Henderson represented the school with distinction and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Take3forthesea is an organisation building a global movement of people who are connected to the planet.

“This was personally an amazing experience. It was not only great to sit down and discuss issues face to face but go out and be a witness to the them first hand. The Take3forthesea concept is that if everyone picked up at least 3 pieces of rubbish a day, no matter where you are will make a difference - because the oceans are downhill from everywhere. Even a desert 1000’s kms away eventually play a part in the plastic pollution crisis. We need to stop being so careless with all rubbish - As an example, within 5 minutes Elise and I picked up 150 cigarettes butts from next to a bin!” Sarah Henderson

“We need a healthy ocean for our own survival.” Elise Coombes

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

SKATE WORKSHOPSWe had the following information sent to us from the Youth Community Development Officer at Midcoast Council, regarding Totem Collective, who will be running a series of FREE skate workshops that may suit some of our children this weekend.

Gloucester Skate Park (Billabong Park, Gloucester)

Sunday 16 May, 10am-2pm

Click here for the Registration link

HSC Help Webinars, from Monday 7 June

The University of Newcastle have once again partnered with InspirationED to deliver a free series of HSC subject specific webinars. They will be delivered by teachers and HSC Markers. Students will have the opportunity to gain advice on how to prepare for their respective subjects and ask questions. The webinars will focus on particular sections of the curriculum.

The first webinar is on Monday 7 June, 7:30pm, an introduction session 'Maximising your HSC'. We invite students and their parents to join in to the session.

Date: Monday 7 June, 7:30pm Audience: HSC students and their parents To register: Click here

All sessions will be free to students, and will complement their studies at school and home. The following sessions are specific to HSC courses, and will cover specific module areas.

English Advanced, Paper 1 Tuesday 8 June, 7:30pm Mathematics Advanced, Topic 1: Functions Wednesday 9 June, 7:30pm Biology, Module 5 Thursday 10 June, 7:30pm Chemistry, Module 5 Monday 14 June, 7:30pm Physics, Module 5 Tuesday 15 June, 7:30pm Economics, Topic 1: The Global Economy Wednesday 16 June, 7:30pm All webinars are open for registration.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

CAREERS NEWSUAC Guides have arrived!It is imperative that all Year 12 students considering applying to university collect a copy of the UAC GUIDE 2021-2022. I will be distributing the UAC guides to Year 12 students during our 1 on 1 meetings during Weeks 3 and 4 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 UAC guide is an important tool to help decipher which courses to apply for and list as a student’s 5 preferences. The Guide 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.

Mr Mike De Angelis, Careers Adviser

Talking about Koalas

with Koala experts, carers and advocates

Cate Faehrmann MP Chair of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Koala Populations and Habitat in NSW

De Brierley Newton Nature Conservation Council of NSW

Penny Drake-Brockman Gloucester Environment Group

Have your questions answered

Tues 25th May

6.30pm for 7pm - 8.30pm

at Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group

88 King Street, Gloucester RSVP essential for CovidSafe practices RSVP to: Sue Kingston email sueellenkingston@gmail.com

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITIES LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT WWW.DEC.NSW.GOV.AU

Compulsory School Attendance

Information for parents

Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. NSW public schools work in partnership with parents to encourage and support regular attendance of children and young people. When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier and your child will build and maintain friendships with other children.

What are my legal responsibilities?

Education in New South Wales is compulsory for all children between the ages of six years and below the minimum school leaving age. The Education Act 1990 requires that parents ensure their children of compulsory school age are enrolled at, and regularly attend school, or, are registered with the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards for homeschooling.

Once enrolled, children are required to attend school each day it is open for students.

The importance of arriving on time

Arriving at school and class on time:

• Ensures that students do not miss

out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day

• Helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine

• Give students time to greet their friends before class

• Reduces classroom disruption

Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents.

What if my child has to be away from school?

On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:

• being sick, or having an

infectious disease • having an unavoidable medical

appointment • being required to attend a

recognised religious holiday • exceptional or urgent family

circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral)

Following an absence from school you must ensure that within 7 days you provide your child’s school with a verbal or written explanation for the absence. However, if the school has not received an explanation from you within 2 days, the school may contact you to discuss the absence.

Principals may decline to accept an explanation that you have provided if they do not believe the absence is in the best interest of your child. In these circumstances your child’s absence would be recorded as unjustified. When this happens the principal will discuss their decision with you and the reasons why.

Principals may request medical certificates or other documentation when frequent or long term absences are explained as being due to illness. Principals may also seek parental permission to speak with medical specialists to obtain information to collaboratively develop a health care plan to support your child. If the request is denied, the principal can record the absences as unjustified.

Travel

Families are encouraged to travel during school holidays. If travel during school term is necessary, discuss this with your child’s school principal. An Application for Extended Leave may need to be completed. Absences relating to travel will be marked as leave on the roll and therefore contribute to your child’s total absences for the year.

In some circumstances students may be eligible to enrol in distance education for travel periods over 50 school days. This should be discussed with your child’s school principal.

Diverse educational programs that challenge and inspire students

NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITIES LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT WWW.DEC.NSW.GOV.AU

If a student misses as little as 8 days in a school term, by the end of primary school they’ll have missed over a year of school.

My child won’t go to school. What should I do?

You should contact the principal as soon as possible to discuss the issue and ask for help. Strategies to help improve attendance may include a referral to the school’s learning and support team or linking your child with appropriate support networks. The principal may seek further support from the Home School Liaison Program to develop an Attendance Improvement Plan.

What might happen if my child continues to have unacceptable absences?

It is important to understand that the Department of Education and Communities may be required to take further action where children of compulsory school age have recurring numbers of unexplained or unjustified absences from school.

Some of the following actions may be undertaken:

• Compulsory Schooling

Conferences

You may be asked, along with your child, to attend a Compulsory Schooling Conference. The conference will help to identify the supports your child may need to have in place so they attend school regularly. The school, parents and agencies will work together to develop an agreed plan (known as Undertakings) to support your child’s attendance at school.

• Application to the Children’s Court

– Compulsory Schooling Order

If your child’s attendance at school remains unsatisfactory the Department

may apply to the Children’s Court for a Compulsory Schooling Order. The Children’s Court magistrate may order a Compulsory Schooling Conference to be convened.

• Prosecution in the Local Court

School and Department staff remain committed to working in partnership with you to address the issues which are preventing your child’s full participation at school. In circumstances where a breach of compulsory schooling orders occurs further action may be taken against a parent in the Local Court. The result of court action can be the imposition of a community service order or a fine.

What age can my child leave school?

All New South Wales students must complete Year 10 or its equivalent. After Year 10, and up until they reach 17 years of age, there are a range of flexible options for students to complete their schooling.

Working in Partnership

The Department of Education and Communities recognises that working collaboratively with students and their families is the best way to support the regular attendance of students at school.

We look forward to working in partnership with you to support your child to fulfil their life opportunities.

Further information regarding school attendance can be obtained from the following websites:

Policy, information and brochures:

Please visit the Department of Education’s Policy library

The school leaving age: Please visit the Department of Education’s Wellbeing and Learning website

Do you need an interpreter?

Interpreting services are available on request, including for the hearing impaired. The Telephone Interpreter Service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 131 450. You will not be charged for this service.

For further advice and questions contact your educational services team

T 131 536

Learning and Engagement

Student Engagement & Interagency Partnerships

T 9244 512 www.dec.nsw.gov.au © February 2015 NSW Department of Education and Communities

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 Web: www.gloucester-h.schools.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.

New members welcome! Please go to the Gacci website to register first. $5 to be paid on the night.