GUNNEDAH HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Find us at: Marquis Street, Gunnedah NSW, 2380 Phone 02 6742 0155 Fax 02 6742 4429 Website: www.gunnedah-h.schools.nsw.edu.au Email: gunnedah-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Issue 5 04.04.2014

Dear Parents and Caregivers

It is hard to believe Term 1 is nearly over. Firstly, I’d

like to acknowledge the work of a number of

members of staff who organised some major events

over the past few weeks and mention what is

occurring before the term ends.

Last Thursday was the Yr 6-7 transition evening. Can

I thank transition co-coordinator, HSIE Head Teacher

David Gale and Year 7 Year Advisor for 2015,

Rowena Singleton, for the work and organisation. We

tried a change of arrangements this year with this

evening and it received positive feedback from the

families that braved the wet conditions.

There was a BBQ from 5.30 to 6 pm where staff and

families chatted informally, presentations from staff

providing information from 6 to 6.30pm and then

members of the Senior Council took parents on a tour

of the site.

Can I also thank Louise Hill on the Art staff who

does a wonderful job each year organising and co-

coordinating our school photos. Again this ran very

smoothly and the manager of the photography

company came to me at the end of the day

complementing Louise on her organisation and the

students of GHS on their co-operation and polite,

friendly manner.

Events that will be occurring before the end of term,

include Year 12 students to receive their half yearly

reports before the end of week 10 and a

Parent/Teacher night for Years 12, 11 and 7. This

will be held Tuesday, 8th April from 4.30-6.30pm.

Please come along and find out how your student has

started the year.

Shane Kelly, Principal.

Excellence and

Innovation in a

Unique and

Caring School

Semper Optime “Always Your Best”

YEAR 7 TEXTILE CLASS “TIE DYE APRON”

Issue 5 04.04.2014

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UPDATE S TUDENT & F AMIL Y DATA BASE

Gunnedah High School would like to update our

student and family data base.

Forms were recently sent home to parents, if you

missed filling in the form or it has been misplaced,

a copy can be picked up from the front office.

Funding for NSW schools has changed and is now

allocated using

The Family Occupation and Education Index

(FOEI).

The information provided will soon be extracted

by the Department, to determine our funding and

staffing for 2015.

It is important that all forms are returned to the

school as soon as possible.

HARMONY DAY

Harmony Day is celebrated on

March 21 every year with

schools across the country

organising events that celebrate

the cohesive and inclusive

nature of Australians.

It’s a day when all Australians

celebrate our cultural diversity. It is also the United

Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of

Racial Discrimination. The continuing message for

Harmony Day is that “Everyone Belongs”, which

means all Australians, are a welcome part of our

country, regardless of their background.

It’s a day to reflect on where Australia has come

from, recognising the traditional owners of this land.

It is also about community, inclusiveness, and

respect, celebrating the different cultures that make

Australia a great place to live

It provides a great opportunity for students to learn

that not only do they share common ground with

other cultures but also that our differences make

Australia a special place to live.

Everyone Belongs

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Gunnedah High School students

visited Gunnedah South Primary School to participate

in Anti-Bullying

Activities

NATIO N AL DAY OF A C TIO N AG AINS T BULLYING AND V IOL ENC E

This annual day provides a focus for all schools to

say Bullying. No Way! and to strengthen their

existing everyday messages that bullying and

violence at school are not okay at any time. National

Day of Action against Bullying and Violence is held

annually on the third Friday of March. It is an

opportunity for the whole school community to 'take

a stand together' against bullying and violence.

The day is an initiative of the Safe and Supportive

School Communities Working Group made up of all

Australian education authorities. It is managed by the

Queensland Government on behalf of Australia's

government, Catholic and independent school

communities.

This year Gunnedah High students and staff

supported the combined days by wearing the theme

colour orange and proudly wore “Take a stand

together” wristbands purchased from the Bullying No

Way group. Harmony Day stickers were provided to

all to wear as well.

Highlights of the day were:

A student made visual presentation which was

played at roll call to the whole school which relayed

the message of anti-bullying and cultural inclusion.

Congratulations go to Janika Readett for her passion

and commitment in putting this together, along with

Jenny Furner, Jessie Ison, and Josh Torr for their

work behind the scenes.

Photos were taken of Miss Thompson’s drama

students who used their bodies to spell out the words

“Speak Up”. Thanks go to these students.

A competition for the best anti-bullying or harmony

day poster was won by Shaun Bridge who earned a

$20.00 canteen voucher for his efforts. Highly

commended certificates were awarded to Rosie

Readett and Tyler Price.

Well done to everyone who helped make the day

possible!

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After School Tutoring

GHS Library 3.30pm – 4.30pm

Do you need help with homework or assessment tasks?

Would you like access to computers or the internet for study?

On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons you can come to the library between

3.30pm and 4.30pm. Teachers will be there to help you understand the task requirements

and assist you with your studies. It doesn’t matter what subject you are working on, we

will do our best to help you out!

Week A

Monday Mr. P. Twining – Science

Miss E. Holdom – all subjects

Wednesday Mrs. E. McInerney – all subjects

Miss E. Holdom – English

Thursday Ms V. Lewis – English

Ms M. Watson – PDHPE

Mr. M. de Groot – all subjects

Week B

Monday Mr. K. Lee – TAS

Mr. P Twining – Science

Wednesday Miss E. Holdom – English

Mrs. E. McInerney – all subjects

Thursday Mrs. A. Watson – English/all subjects

Ms M. Watson – PDHPE - Ms S. Collins - TAS

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YEAR 7 VIO LET - CL AYMATIO N

This term the Year 7 Violet Class has been busy

creating a range of fantastic claymation animations.

This task required students to work together in pairs

and choose a nursery rhyme of their choice. They

then created their nursery rhyme characters out of

clay and painted their own background. When the

characters and background were complete, students

spent time taking many photos while slowly moving

the clay characters on top of their background

between each shot. These pictures, along with music,

were then imported into Windows Movie Maker to

create their very own claymation animation.

UNE GRADUATIO N

Congratulations Miss Kimberley Smede

Miss Georgie McKay

and

Miss Ashley Mooney

RETIREMENT

Farewell

Mrs. Gail Hill

Friday 21st March was Mrs.

Gail Hill’s final day at

Gunnedah High School.

GHS wishes Mrs. Hill all the

best in her retirement

endeavors. Mrs. Hill has

been a great inspiration and

mentor to many students at

Gunnedah High School during her 40 years of

service. Happy Retirement, Mrs. Hill.

SC HO OL HO LID AY KID S AND FA M IL Y C AM P S

It’s not too late to book your child into a NSW Sport

and Rec holiday camp. There are also family camps

available year-round, for an active, family-friendly

(and pocket-friendly) getaway. Find out more:

http://bit.ly/1hWxTra

ESSAYS DUE SOO N?

Learning how to plan, write and polish an essay is a

skill that takes a long time for most people to learn.

Different types of essays follow different rules of

structure. If your teen is currently working on an

essay, you’ll find this video (and the links to fact

sheets on the right hand side of the page) really

useful in explaining the “how to” of essay writing as

it’s taught in NSW public schools:

http://bit.ly/1lji1mZ

REMINDER: PARENT/ TEACHER CONFERENCES YEARS 7,11,12

TUESDAY 8th APRIL 2014 4:00PM TO 6:00PM

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2014 SRC REPS

Year 7 Representatives

Jessie Betts, Riley Bunce, Cody Higgins, Ashleigh

Mills.

Year 8 Representatives

Cassidy Harris, Denita Megson, Blake Partridge,

Dustie Woods.

Year 9 Representatives

Lachlan Batnic, Mary-Ann Golding, Brianna Hagan,

Jaxon Holbrook, Kustiani Tuckerman.

Year 10 Representatives

Samantha Craig, Mitchell Davidson, Bianca Day,

Ciara Eveleigh, Jennifer Furner.

Year 11 Representatives

Amelia Alker, Mitchell Brandon, Meg Jaeger, Clara

Megson, Paris Morley, Sophie Suter.

FLYING SOLO

Kayla Smith, Year 12,

winner of the

2013 Chris Middlebrook

Flying Scholarship

has recently completed her

first solo flight.

Well done, Kayla!

NATIO NAL YO UTH WEEK 4-13 APRIL

www.gunnedah.nsw.gov.au/

4 C AREER TOOL BO X’S

4 Career Toolbox’s for students with a disability

across the New England/North West will be held at

the following venues:

TAMWORTH (venue TBA) Friday 9th May

INVERELL (Inverell RSM club) Friday 16th May

MOREE (Moree Services Club) Friday 23rd

May

ARMIDALE (Kent House) Thursday 29th May

These free community seminars are specifically

designed to deliver information and advice to

students, parents, education staff & service providers

about the types of support services and programs

available when students with disabilities finish school

Café

Optime

For Information

about what’s

happening during

Youth Week go to

Gunnedah Shire

Council’s Web Site for

the list of activities

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND OPEN DAY

FRIDAY 2ndMAY 2014

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YEAR 10 SC IENC E

Miss Eagles, Year 10 Science Class, recently

had fun making sherbet.

YEAR 7 APRO NS

Mrs. Collins Year 7 Textile class are putting the final

touches to their aprons. The students have tie dyed

their fabric before sewing.

WEP S TUDENT EXCHANG E

Choose from over 20 countries around the world to

complement your secondary studies with an

international, cultural exchange experience. You will

be invited by a welcoming, volunteer host family to

live and learn like a local teenager, attend school

overseas and make new friends. You will return more

mature, independent, goal-oriented and with

memories and skills for life.

Early Bird Special – Save $500!

WEP is currently offering Early Bird discounts for

programs starting in January '15 to any of the

following countries: Brazil, Belgium, France,

Germany, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland,

Spain, Norway, Thailand or the USA. Application

deadline: 30 May ’14.

Visit www.wep.org.au

Call 1300 884 733

Email info@wep.org.au

YEAR 7 PEER S UPPO RT

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Term 1

finishes

Friday 11th April.

Term 2

recommences:

Staff: Monday 28th April

Students: Tuesday 29thApril

The Principal and Staff

of

Gunnedah High School

wish you a very

Happy Easter

DESIGNED BY: ZOE FLEMING YEAR 7