28th July, 2017, ISSUE NO. 11

Naidoc Calendar

4th August

NC Athletics Lismore,

Jeans 4 Genes Day

7th August

Year 9 & 10 Commerce Market Day

8th & 9th August

Social Media Program Years 7 - 10

Year 6 Transition Day

14th - 18th August

NHHS Handball Competition

Nambucca Heads High School celebrated NAIDOC week with a special

assembly on Thursday 20th July. Mr Gary Cattanach spoke on the

importance of the theme for NAIDOC this year “Our Language Matters”.

The theme aims to emphasise and celebrate the unique and essential role

that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their

land and water and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song. Locally our

Aboriginal community are Gumbaynggirr and this dialect is being revived at

the Muurrbay Language Centre at Bellwood.

Mr Michael Jarrett opened the assembly with a Welcome to Country in

Gumbaynggirr. Both boys and girls performed a dance at the assembly.

James Donovan, who also plays the

Didgeridoo, choreographed the

boys dance which was fantastic and

enjoyed by all students and the

Elders of the Gumbaynggirr

community who were also in

attendance.

It was also wonderful to see a large

number of certificates presented to

students of all ages and in various

subjects.

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Community

Welcome back to Term 3. Year 12 now have less than eight weeks of school left and are busily preparing themselves for their Trial HSC examinations that will start in Week 6. Enjoy your last term of high school Year 12 and please utilise your teachers’ skills and knowledge to best prepare yourselves for your HSC. Year 11 is now less than one term away from their HSC year beginning and they will also be very busy in the classroom preparing themselves for their Preliminary HSC examinations in Week 10. Students in Years 7 to 10 have started their Semester 2 work with a mature and conscientious attitude. Next week is Education Week, which is a celebration of Public Education in NSW. This year's theme is I Learn, We Learn. It is a celebration of our schools' commitment to ensuring:

System-wide improvement Every student, every teacher, every leader and every school will improve every year. High expectations for all A culture of high expectations for our students and our educators sets high standards, which leads to high achievement. Personalised student learning By teaching to the strengths and needs of each individual, students will be better able to reach and exceed their potential. Wellbeing Every student will be known, cared for and respected. Creating stronger ties with local communities Parents and carers are our schools' partners in the education and wellbeing of each student. Partnerships with local businesses and industry create opportunities for our students to contribute to and thrive in society.

NHHS is committed to all of the above and each of these focus areas are reflected in our 2015-2017 School Plan’s three strategic directions of:

1. “Whatever It Takes” for student success.

2. Capacity Building of whole school staff.

3. School community engagement and participation.

Work has started on our 2018-2020 School Plan where NHHS will continue to focus on these areas as we strive to offer each student at NHHS the opportunities for educational achievement and post-school success. Highlight of the fortnight: Our 2017 NAIDOC assembly. It was great to see so many community members in attendance as we celebrated NAIDOC with two great dances from our Aboriginal students and an awards ceremony. As a school, we thought about the NAIDOC theme of 2017 Our Languages Matter and how lucky we are to live in a community where the Gumbaynggirr language is a valued and integral part of our school. Congratulations to Felicia Jarrett and her Aboriginal Education team for their organisation of the day.

Simon McKinney

Principal

Winter School

This year two Indigenous students from Nambucca Heads High School, Kelli-Ann Ridgeway and Kawana Crowe, attended the Winter School which is held at the University of NSW, Sydney. The UNSW Winter School is a fully supervised, week-long residential program designed to provide Indigenous students in Years 10, 11 and 12 with an opportunity to experience university life. The program is coordinated by Nura Gili who covers the costs for all participants. During Winter School, 100 students are introduced to tertiary studies in an area of their choice whilst also participating in university life with fellow Indigenous students from around the country. Kelli-Ann’s choice of study was in the Education faculty while Kawana chose to study in the science faculty where she was able to extract DNA and hold and observe preserved human organs such as brains and hearts. While attending the Winter School there is also time for some recreation and Kawana was very happy to be able to attend a Rabbitoh’s game.

Nambucca Heads High School now has a dedicated mobile phone number for parents/carers

to SMS the school when they need to contact us regarding their student. You are able to

advise the school of your child’s absence, changes to contact details, leave messages for

teachers etc. The number is 0476 857 222

YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO RING THIS NUMBER IT IS ONLY FOR SMS.

Office staff will check for messages throughout the day and respond where necessary.

If contacting the school using this means you will not be required to send a written note to

explain absences etc.

Kawana Crowe and Kelli-Ann Ridgeway

On Monday 23rd July, Mr Brendan Talbott from Wheelchair Sports NSW visited our school as part of the PDHPE program. The Disability Sports Program began with a talk to students on disability sport including the types of sports played in a wheelchair, the similarities and differences between wheelchair sport and the able-bodied equivalent, as well as some of the challenges of competing in sport with a disability and the positives as well. After listening the students were given the opportunity to play a game of Wheelchair Basketball. There were lots of crashes but a lot of fun. All the students found the game extremely challenging. They now have a much greater appreciation of the ability of disabled athletes and the difficulties people in wheelchairs face everyday.

Wheelchair Basketball

OFFICE HOURS

Nambucca Heads High School Administration Hours: 8am - 3.30pm Monday to Friday

Telephones will generally not be answered outside of these hours

Telephone: 6568 6777 Fax: 65688318

Year 12

Year 12 should be working hard on preparing for their trial HSC Exams which will be held from 21st - 25th August. If they

have any spare time students should now start to think about their post school options. UAC (University Admission Centre)

Books have arrived and are available from Mr Horan with the UAC website also being a great resource as any new courses,

added since printing, will be displayed! Applying to UAC to record their University preferences will open on the 2nd of August

- Late fees apply after 29th September. Early Entry Applications are due to the Careers Adviser by the 15th of September

(University of Wollongong is earlier and are due before 21st August). Parents/Carers please ensure your child reads the

information which has been emailed and given out, in paper form at school, to students. It includes important dates and

information about the processes involved. Depending on where and what a student wishes to study there may be exceptions

to the above dates eg. University of Wollongong, closes 21st of August (for submissions to be processed by school). Of

particular interest is the information for UNE (University of New England) and SCU (Southern Cross University). Many of our

former students have attended these Universities. They also provide very attractive Early Entry or Principal Recommendation

schemes (both are now direct applications with no need to put down the available courses via UAC). NOTE pupils may still

apply via UAC and their ATAR results for UAC Rounds.

University of Wollongong Information http://www.uow.edu.au/future/early-admission/index.html

University of New England http://www.une.edu.au/study/study-on-campus/get-early-entry

Southern Cross University http://scu.edu.au/futurestudents/index.php/29/

Pupils have also been sent information regarding Entry Pathways for both

Sydney University and UTS.

Sydney University

http://sydney.edu.au/future-students/domestic/undergraduate/e12//

University of Technology (UTS)

http://www.uts.edu.au/future-students/undergraduate/essential-information/educational-access-schemes/inputs

The are also other “Early Entry” pathways namely the School Recommendation Scheme (SRS). The SRS Booklet is now available from the Careers Office so see Mr Horan for a copy. Pupils need to choose the institution they are applying to and make it their first preference via UAC for the Early Round offers in December.

Pupils who may have experienced an educational disadvantage also may need to apply via UAC and need to collect an

Educational Access Scheme Booklet from the Careers Office. Parents who wish to find out more information, please feel free

to contact the Careers Adviser with any questions. Pupils may also apply for Equity Scholarships (ES) on the UAC website. Year 10

Students are reminded that their Work Experience needs to be finalised. Any students who have not organised this, need to

see Mr Horan, if you require assistance. The dates for Work Experience are; First week 20th – 24th November, Second

week 27th November – 1st December. Parents/Carers please encourage your child to participate in this valuable program

and complete the paperwork ASAP.

Year 10 students will shortly be making their selections for Year 11. Pupils will be issued with a selection sheet where they

will choose 1 subject per line. English is compulsory and you need to choose at least 12 units – most subjects being worth 2

units. Parents and pupils will be able to receive more information at the Subject Selection Information evening on

Tuesday 8th August at 6:00pm in the School Library. Any questions prior to that time should be directed to the

Careers Adviser.

Mr Horan - Careers Adviser

Careers News

School and Community Notices

Regular attendance at school is essential if students are to maximise their potential. Schools, in partnership with parents/

carers, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students. While parents/carers are legally responsible for

the regular attendance of their children, school staff, as a part of their duty of care, monitors part or whole day absences. If

your child is marked absent at roll call, without an explanation, an SMS will be sent to the mobile number on the student’s

record.

Parents/Carers are responsible for:

Enrolling their children of compulsory school age in a government or registered non-government school or registering

them with the Board of Studies NSW for home schooling.

Explaining the absences of their children from school promptly and within seven days to the school.

Ensuring that their children attend school regularly.

Taking measures to resolve attendance issues involving their children.

School Staff are responsible for:

Providing a caring teaching and learning environment which fosters students’ sense of wellbeing and belonging to the

school community.

Recognising and rewarding excellent and improved student attendance.

Maintaining accurate records of student attendance.

Implementing programs and practices to address attendance issues when they arise.

Providing clear information to students and parents/carers regarding attendance requirements and the consequences of

unsatisfactory attendance.

If your child is absent from school, for any reason, notification must be received by the school within 7 days,

otherwise the absence will remain “unjustified”. This could affect any Government payments you or your

child receives.

School Attendance

Nambucca Heads High School P&C

would like to advise that there will

be a price rise of between $2 - $4 on

our school uniform commencing 1st

September. Some stock - of limited

sizes - is available at the current

price.

WIN A 7 DAY TRIP TO JAPAN

OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS IN YEARS 9 - 10 - 11 - 12

Imagine - $2 for every word you write - that is what

this trip is worth - at least!

Topic - Japan is due to host the Summer Olympic

Games 2020 & the Rugby World Cup 2019. What are

some of the lessons Japan can learn from Australia's

own hosting of these major sporting events, to lead

to the success of these events?

Only 5 - 6 pages - Deadline 23rd August. Come see Sensei if you are interested. You can do this!