the view

Newsletter 17 February 2017 | Vol. 24 | No. 3

In recent conversations in our staff meeting times, there has been great discussion about the kind of students we visualise at the end of their Avondale School educational journey. Typically, consensus suggested a desire for respectful adults, individuals responsible for their own learning, students who have achieved their personal best throughout their schooling, and maturing adolescents who have developed a sense of good values and morals.

So how do we all help our students/your children grow in these traits? The Department of Education and Training suggests these 5 things:

1. Have hopes, dreams and ambitions for each child • Believe in your child’s potential and abilities and be sure to tell them! • Let them know you have high aspirations for them.

2. Foster an enjoyment of learning • A shared positive attitude to learning increases the likelihood of

completing Year 12. • Help your child plan, set goals and follow through when they start

something.

3. Share moments of the day • Encourage their interests, discuss current affairs and connect about

TV shows, movies and books. • Engage in a ‘highlight’ reel of the day or week.

4. Read together • Reading aloud as an adult and/or allowing your child to read aloud

to you helps them do better at school.

5. Be involved together • Research suggest when schools, families and community groups

work together and support learning, children do better and develop positive attitudes to learning.

What a great set of ideas to work on together to bring the best out in our students!

REFERENCE – https://www.education.gov.au/what-can-i-do-help-my-child-do-well-school#_ednref8

Benton CraigHead of Secondary

Swimming Carnival

SPORT GENERAL

P rimaryLeadership TrainingLast week our Primary Captains and Prefects participated in a Leadership Training Day. This day aimed to empower students to be servant leaders in our school. They learned about the leadership attributes Jesus showed us and the importance of leading by example. Pr Mel spoke to the students about their role as spiritual leaders in our school. Mrs Cooper and Mr Hill discussed the impact our leaders can have on the overall culture of our campus. It was a day of learning to work as a team and that great leaders don’t tell you what to do…they show you how it’s done.

Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival There were 294 enthusiastic students from Years 2-6 at the Primary Swimming Carnival this week. The colourful House areas and the loud cheering from students and parents helped to make this a spectacular event on the sporting calendar. The House Captains did a great job in encouraging and motivating fellow students. There were 6 long-standing records broken on the day by the following students:Caitin C 8 Year 50m Freestyle & BreaststrokeJayden T 9 Year 50m Freestyle & BreaststrokeTegan C 11 Year 100m Freestyle & 50m BackstrokeCongratulations to MACQUARIE HOUSE for winning the carnival, especially since they haven’t won it since 1997!Macquarie 784 points Watagan 688 points Pacific 660 points Hunter 602 points In the last six years, each of the four Houses have won this event. The swimming team to go to HRIS has been announced and permission notes and program have been sent home. The swimming presentation will be at assembly on Monday, February 27, weather permitting.

HRIS Swimming Carnival Thursday, February 23The HRIS Swimming Carnival will be held at Maitland Pool next Thursday, February 23. Mr Head would like all students on the HRIS Swimming Team to attend the School Swimming Club on Tuesday, February 21 to go over strokes, kicks and touches so we minimise disqualifications at HRIS.

Sport Uniform Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2 students wear their sport uniform on Mondays. Years 3-6 students wear their sport uniform on Fridays.

Primary Chess Competition Change Of Date To Wednesday, March 15Please note there has been a change to the date for our Primary Chess Competition. It will now be held on Wednesday, March 15. Thank you for noting this.

SPORT

3.30 - 4.30 PM THURSDAYS ALL THIS TERM in the iCentreA chance to:» do independent study» complete your homework» get some help with writing (just sorting that essay out!)» get some help with maths (even that tricky homework question!)» get some guidance on that assessment task you need to start!

Hope to see you there!

STEP UP

We Learn ∙ We Value ∙ We Serve

SecondarySwimming Carnival What a great Swimming Carnival we had on Tuesday at Wyong Pool. The weather was kind to us, with the rain only coming as we loaded onto the buses at the end of the day. Of the 340 students who attended we had an excellent participation rate.The team to progress to the HRIS Swimming Carnival on March 15 is displayed in the PDHPE Office window. All team members are urged to continue to train over the next few weeks. Age Champion trophies will be presented at the start of Chapel on Monday, February 27.Congratulations to our House Captains who coaxed and pushed team members into the races to get House points. Pacific House ended up winning the day. A big thank you to the staff for their hard work, the parents who came to cheer and the students who put in the effort in the pool.

Secondary Swimming ClubWhere: Morisset Swimming PoolWhen: Every Tuesday and Thursday, 6.45 – 7.45 amCost: $5.00 – this includes pool entry, coaching, transport back to school and breakfast.Transport: Parents need to drop students to the pool. The School bus will then take all students back to School for breakfast.Ability: Students need to be able to confidently swim 400m.Please note this is not a learn-to-swim session. It will focus on some stroke correction and aerobic conditioning as well as developing overall swimming fitness.If you have any further questions please feel free to contact Mr Ward in the PDHPE department via reception on 4977 0200 or by emailing bward@avondaleschool.nsw.edu.au

2017 House CaptainsHunter (RED) CaptainsLucas J, Samantha WSamuel S, Jemma W

Pacific (BLUE) CaptainsChad Mackey, Paige FLachlan B, Amity B

Watagan (GREEN) CaptainsNathaniel G, Amy MGriffin L, Sarah A

Macquarie (YELLOW) CaptainsTyler H, Casey HZac H, Lisa C

p. (02) 4977 0200

e. admin@avondaleschool.nsw.edu.au w. www.avondaleschool.nsw.edu.au

p. (02) 4977 0200

e. admin@avondaleschool.nsw.edu.au w. www.avondaleschool.com.au

SCHOOL TERMS 2017Term 1 January 30/31 - Friday, April 7Term 2 Wednesday, April 26 - Friday, June 30Term 3 Monday, July 24 - Friday, September 22Term 4 Monday, October 9 - Monday, December 11

CALENDAR

Like us on Facebook for regular information updates. Search for Avondale School (Preschool to Year 12).B

Primary Calendar - Term 1HRIS Swimming Carnival ..............................................................February 23P&F Meeting 3.15pm Admin Building - all welcome! ......................... March 2Primary Parent Teacher Night ............................................................. March 9School Open Day ............................................................................... March 14Chess Competition (new date).......................................................... March 15Run Around Australia ................................................................March 20 - 31SWOMP (Super Week of Mega Praise) .....................................March 27 - 31Daylight Saving Ends ............................................................................. April 2Primary Cross Country ........................................................................... April 3Year 5 Camp ......................................................................................April 5 - 7

Secondary Calendar - Term 1Duke of Edinburgh Camp ...................................................... February 17 - 19Secondary Week of Worship ................................................ February 20 - 24Year 8 & 10 Info Night (8 - 6.45pm, 10 - 7.30pm) Music Build .....February 20Year 7 Vaccinations Dose 1 ...........................................................February 21Year 12 Visual Arts Excursion .......................................................February 22Year 11 Biology Excursion ............................................................February 23All Schools Triathlon ....................................................................February 23sYear 12 VET Work Placement (Non-ATAR) ..................February 27 - March 3Year 9 & 10 Textiles Excursion ............................................................ March 2HRIS Prefect Afternoon Tea ................................................................ March 2

PLEASE NOTE

We Value Honesty

LIBRARY

private Music TutorsAre you interested in having music lessons? We have many great tutors and instruments available to learn on. Please contact tutors directly to arrange lesson times.Kylie Stacey piano (Simply Music, AMEB, traditional) 0409 939 302Ngareta Rorich piano (Simply Music) 4973 6086Angela Miller piano (Simply Music) 0421 464 797Jan Hughes piano 4977 2037Merilyn Aveling-Rowe piano 0422 714 747Cybèle Coutet voice (AMEB) / piano (AMEB) 0423 455 977Alison Hodge voice 0420 528 868Gabriel Ontanu voilin / viola 0447 262 260Esther Albert cello / violin / double bass 0439 420 661Emma Jones flute 0432 925 199Fred Cracknell saxophone / clarinet / brass 0404 082 151Oliver Doyle trumpet 0418 975 033Jake Bisognin guitar 0400 389 612Zayne Mariassouce guitar 0421 730 045Mitchell Wallace bass guitar / guitar 0435 578 723Garry Lawler group guitar lessons / ukulele 0438 608 180James Dennett drums 0401 549 084

The View EditorialYou have noticed (or maybe not) that the editorials in this year’s newsletters are longer but from different people. We are going to move through a cycle of different staff and their areas of expertise and interest to hopefully provide you as parents with some useful insights and tips on various topics over the year. Thus enjoy an editorial in sequence from the various staff including Administration - Principal, Head of Primary, Head of Secondary, our Pastoral Care Team, Learning Team, Sport Coordinators and others. We will try and share ideas on spiritual inspiration, developing character, educational trends and support, and ways to provide you with some strategies as parents to deal with the complex world your young people are growing up in. We welcome feedback on anything in the Newsletter and we hope it engenders some positive discussion as a family as well.

What is Avondale Parents and Friends (P&F)? We are the parent organisation at Avondale School. We are volunteers interested in nurturing the mission of the school by creating and fostering a connection between Avondale School parents, friends, students and staff. Our mission is to support, communicate and facilitate the education of the children in positive ways. We welcome ALL interested parents, staff, friends, relatives and guardians of students attending our school! No need to sign up ... just turn up at our next meeting! Admin Building, Thursday, March 2, 3.15 - 4.00 pm sharp. See you there!

K-6 Library BorrowingKindy to Year 6 students have been eagerly bringing their library bags to the iCentre and borrowing lots of library books this week. Most students have jumped right in and begun borrowing our colourful picture books, fabulous fiction and informative non-fiction books. Remember that if you forget your library bag on your library day you can come to the iCentre the next day and do your borrowing.

Years 7-12 Library BorrowingSecondary students have been making the most of the library this week too. Intriguing fiction and educational non-fiction have been borrowed for leisure and study purposes. Enjoy your books!