Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

Wetherell Crescent, PO Box 454, COBAR NSW 2835 Telephone 02 6836 2705 Facsimile 02 6836 1142 email: cobar-h.admin@det.nsw.edu.au www.cobar-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

NEWSLETTER Cobar High School

Principal - Safija Bristina 9 February 2017

Issue: Term 1, Week 3

Term 1

Swimming Carnival

Thursday 16 February

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Mid Term Break

Friday 24 February

Monday 27 February

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Selective High School Testing

Thursday 9 March

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Years 7-12

Parent/Teacher

Interviews

Wednesday 29 March

5pm-7pm

School MPC

………………..

Year 12 Half Yearly Exams

Monday 3 - Friday 7 April

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Last Day of Term 1

Friday 7 April

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Go to Cobar High School Facebook

to see current stories about our great school.

Assessments due Week 4 (13-17 February)

Year 12: Hospitality

Assessments due Week 5 (20-24 February)

Year 12: Ancient History

Positive Behaviour for Learning Vision Statement:

“Cobar High School strives for

excellence in a

safe and respectful environment”.

- Respect - Excellence - Safety -

Welcome Back! Welcome back to a new school year after our long summer break. All students have returned looking strong and smart in the correct uniform. Our new year 7 students have settled in with confidence and are adapting well to their new school environment. I would like to thank Mr Joshua Brown (Year 7 Adviser) for all his hard work and organisation to help with their transition - please remember, the Year Adviser is the first person to contact if you have any issues you would like to raise with regards to your child’s education.

Expectations for Success We want to guide and facilitate all students to meet their potential and achieve their personal best. In order to do this, I ask all students to: 1. Wear school uniform, especially the correct footwear which is black leather shoes. This allows all students

to access the full curriculum and not miss out on any significant learning experiences. Also, when students are dressed in school colours it is easier for staff to supervise and keep our students safe from a distance.

2. Use their mobile phone appropriately. Phones should be switched off and out of sight when in class to remove any distractions from learning. The teacher is always in charge of their class and at times they will give permission for various devices to be used in class if it supports learning. Note, it is a privilege to bring a mobile phone to school and students who misuse this trust will be asked not to bring them to school.

3. Eat and drink healthy foods. In hot weather we encourage students to keep hydrated and drink lots of water. Energy drinks are NOT ALLOWED at school - they can have an adverse affect on anyone but especially young people. Fizzy drinks are occasional drinks that will be sold on special days from the canteen. Students should not bring fizzy or energy drinks to school ever.

4. Use social media with integrity and intelligence. What you post today will last forever - even if you delete it. Act with respect and responsibility at all times. Misuse of social media could impact your future career.

5. Be ready to learn. Organisation and time-management are half-way to success the rest is hard work. Bring correct equipment and seize opportunities to learn through participation. Students who persevere with learning from mistakes, learn the most. So, never give up, keep trying and you will be satisfied with your best effort.

Staffing We welcome new staff to our school. Ms Claire Wood (School Counsellor - started Term 4 2016), Ms Ella Moratti (HSIE Teacher), Mr Jesse Andrew (School Learning Support Officer) and Ms Helen Spencer (Mathematics Teacher - successfully appointed permanently through merit selection). Mrs Carolyn McMurtrie will be Acting Head Teacher English Aurora College and based at our school and Mr Dan Inkley will relieve as Head Teacher English for CHS.

School Strategic Directions (School Plan 2015-2017) All staff spent the first three days at work engaged in professional learning in preparation for the 2017 school year. Staff completed mandatory training in child protection, Workplace, Health and Safety, Anaphylaxis and CPR Training and reviewed their Performance Development Pans to build their capacity to deliver quality teaching that improves your child/children’s learning outcomes at school. We also reviewed our strategic directions.

In our final year of our current plan we will continue to consolidate and strengthen our capacity to promote and implement our Positive Behaviour for Learning wellbeing program, use 2LS and ALARM strategies in the classroom to teach students to understand what they hear, read, write and see at school as well as learn to write sophisticated responses to questions. Our staff will continue to use the numeracy continuum to support student growth in numeracy skills across all Key Learning Areas and staff will systematically develop Personalised Learning Plans for all students as required and those who need specific goals or extra support to succeed. We will refine assessment tasks so that they are explicit and allow for several feedback loops so that students have the opportunity to submit their best work. Finally, we will launch our student leadership challenge for our students to be recognised for all their contributions at school and in the community. It will be a fantastic year of learning!

Student Administration School attendance is the foundation for success at school. If you plan to take your child out of school for more than five consecutive days please apply in writing to myself for approval first. More than 100 days leave will require Directors Approval. All other absences can be explained by a phone call, a written note or electronically via email or the school app. Also, please wait for invoices to be sent home before paying your school contribution and any elective-subject fees. We expect invoices to be sent out in week 4 of this term.

Warm regards and hoping you all continue with our strong and smart start to the school year. Safija Bristina Principal

From L to R: Ms Wood, Ms Moratti, Mr Andrew and Ms Spencer at School Development Day after Induction.