2013 Volume – Issue 6 Term 2 – Week 3 Monday, 13 th May, 2013 BACK TO SCHOOL School returned after 2 Professional Learnings and I must say I was glad to be back at work. Despite still not talking at my best I feel quite well and thanks everyone for their concern and support over the past months. In particular I’d like to thank John Browett, Sandra Logan and Renelle Mackie who took on the higher duties role and had the school humming. They also catered for my need to feel connected with regular updates and homework sheets to be marked, not to mention soup! I did enjoy my visit to the Athletics Carnival – details later m- where not only were the kids having a great time but I was updated with news of Brandon Fraser’s swimming success and Maddison Perkins’ continued success at Lions Youth of the Year. Brandon represented at the CHS Swimming in 100m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke. Place 3 rd in 100m and 200m Freestyle. His success saw him selected in the NSW All-schools team in 100m Freestyle where he did a 0.24 second P.B. Training is paying off. Maddison competed in Round 3 of the Lion’s Youth of the Year and was very narrowly beaten after her 2 successful rounds. The winner must have been quite outstanding as my experience in Round 1 indicated Maddison would be hard to topple. Last week I also attended the Mineral’s Council ‘high tea’ with Erin Hunter who in her second year of this important scholarship. Congratulations and thanks to all students and their families who participated in this year’s ANZAC march and ceremony. A large contingent of volunteers turned up to march, in the holidays, and be part of this important community event. Thank you also to our band members, Mrs. Langbein, the Browett family, Laura Reeks and Mr.Parker for their contribution to the extended ceremony. They are sound very good. R.I.P. Stephen Craig Unfortunately the term had just started when we had the very sad news that one of our students, Stephen Craig, passed away with an asthma attack on Thursday night. It was devastating news to staff and students and of course utterly confusing and heartbreaking for his family.
Transcript
2013 Volume – Issue 6 Term 2 – Week 3 Monday, 13th May, 2013
BACK TO SCHOOL School returned after 2 Professional Learnings and I must say I was glad to be back at work. Despite still not talking at my best I feel quite well and thanks everyone for their concern and support over the past months. In particular I’d like to thank John Browett, Sandra Logan and Renelle Mackie who took on the higher duties role and had the school humming. They also catered for my need to feel connected with regular updates and homework sheets to be marked, not to mention soup!
I did enjoy my visit to the Athletics Carnival – details later m- where not only were the kids having a great time but I was updated with news of Brandon Fraser’s swimming success and Maddison Perkins’ continued success at Lions Youth of the Year. Brandon represented at the CHS Swimming in 100m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke. Place 3rd in 100m and 200m Freestyle. His success saw him selected in the NSW All-schools team in 100m Freestyle where he did a 0.24 second P.B. Training is paying off. Maddison competed in Round 3 of the Lion’s Youth of the Year and was very narrowly beaten after her 2 successful rounds. The winner must have been quite outstanding as my experience in Round 1 indicated Maddison would be hard to topple. Last week I also attended the Mineral’s Council ‘high tea’ with Erin Hunter who in her second year of this important scholarship.
Congratulations and thanks to all students and their families who participated in this year’s ANZAC march and ceremony. A large contingent of volunteers turned up to march, in the holidays, and be part of this important community event. Thank you also to our band members, Mrs. Langbein, the Browett family, Laura Reeks and Mr.Parker for their contribution to the extended ceremony. They are sound very good.
R.I.P. Stephen Craig Unfortunately the term had just started when we had the very sad news that one of our students, Stephen Craig, passed away with an asthma attack on Thursday night. It was devastating news to staff and students and of course utterly confusing and heartbreaking for his family.
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Stephen was a much loved friend, student, colleague of Blayney High School and he will be missed. He was farewelled yesterday and I have never been more proud, and sad, of the Blayney High community. Our thoughts are with his family and close friends and we offer our continued support. He will be in our hearts and thoughts for a long time.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING Term 2 began with two highly productive development days for staff. Day 1 saw primary and secondary teachers from all schools in Blayney, Orange and Molong together for a presentation from Dr. Rich Allen on new student engagement techniques. Tuesday’s focus was the development of new teaching and learning programs that align with the new Australian Curricula. Students in Years 7 and 9 next year will be the first to switch across to the new curriculum in English, Maths, Science and History and staff across the SEG are working together to ensure quality and consistency as well as using each other’s expertise. Other faculties had an extended session from Dr. Allen and then the opportunity to meet in groups discussing higher expectations and successful HSC strategies. During the holidays we also received the news the school will receive $122, 000 in a National Partnership program to support the teaching of literacy or numeracy. Selected schools were nominated on the basis that they had the capacity to take on a large project and make a significant difference with the extra resources. This will include considerable funds for the professional development of all staff and is another boost to Blayney High’s efforts in providing the very best opportunity for our schools.
WIZARD OF OZ Queues were long when we announced the opportunity for our Year 7-10 students to attend the Wizard of Oz with pre-theatre dinner on Thursday. Due to bus sizes, etc. some students did miss out and I’m sorry but we have a list of names in case of late withdrawals. Thanks to our NAB Schools First grant we are able to provide this great event and will have further projects for seniors and juniors as well throughout the year. Our own Jordan Lane will be on stage so “Break a leg, Jordan”. Students will be asked to provide their review in the next newsletter.
HECTIC WEEK This week will be very hectic and due to Stephen’s funeral newsletters have not been distributed till Tuesday. Year 11 are also sitting their Preliminary Half Yearly exams, Year 7 and 9 have NAPLAN Tuesday → Thursday and our Year 6 schools are visiting for Science, Wood Technology and Mathematics this week. Reports for Year 12 should be posted later this week and overall I was quite pleased with the results. Parent interviews will be requested for students causing concern.
COMING EVENTS Week 3 YEAR 11 EXAMS Tuesday, 14th May Transition
NAPLAN – Language/Writing Ancient History Excursion
Wednesday, 15th May Transition NAPLAN – Reading
Thursday, 16th May Transition NAPLAN – Numeracy P&C MEETING
Friday, 17th May Transition Volleyball Excursion NAPLAN – catch-up day
Week 4 Monday, 20th May Year 11 Exams Tuesday, 21st May Senior Debating Excursion
U14 & Opens League Friday, 24th May Volleyball Knockout
STATE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS Six Blayney High School girls travelled to Bombaderry during the last week of term to represent Western Region in the State Championships. The girls were Kate Toohey, Jess Cochrane, Brittany Howarth, Hannah Stammers, Grace Mooney, and Tanesha Hahn.
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The girls were part of a Western team which had only one member from the previous year’s team who were placed third. The teams which placed fourth, fifth and sixth were very close with some very tight 3 set matches and were placed equal 5th. A count back on points placed the team 6th despite defeating the team which finally placed fourth. Kate Toohey was awarded the Western Coaches’ Medal for outstanding play and sportsmanship. She held the team together through some very difficult games, her efforts were inspirational to the junior players. Congratulations to Kate and all of the girls involved. (Mrs. Dickson)
GIRLS NETBALL Late last term the girls netball team travelled to Orange to play in the regional knockout. The girls won 3 of their 4 matches. Game one was against Bathurst High who got away to an early lead in the first half. After a slow start where Blayney made a few too many unforced errors, the girls clawed their way back into the game but were unable to take the game within the time constraints of the shortened half. In games two and three, the girls played some excellent netball defeating Boorowa and Grenfell convincingly. The fourth game was a fully timed game against Forbes, as a pre-season competition, fitness was always going to be a factor. Blayney dominated the first quarter taking a 12 goal lead which proved too much for Forbes to overcome. Congratulations to the team, Paige Henry, Grace Mooney, Georgie Nixon, Breanna Baart, Stephanie Baart, Laura Funnell, Hannah Stammers, Sophie Stammers, Kate Toohey and Courtney Simmons. Your efforts on the day and sportsmanship were outstanding. Thanks also to the parents who supported the team and assisted with transport. (Mrs. Dickson)
REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS FOR PAIGE Congratulations to Paige Henry, who has been selected in the Western Region Netball team. It has been quite some time since Blayney High had a representative in Netball - Dianna Fearnley and Danielle Viney in the 1990’s were our last representatives. Paige will travel to the State Championships at the end of May.
(Mrs. Dickson)
YOUTH WEEK ACTIVITY – Grow it Show it On Thursday 11th April Blayney High School Agriculture Department hosted a hands-on cattle workshop for the youth of Blayney. The event focused on the benefits of breeding and using stud cattle in the commercial herd as well as displaying cattle for a judge (cattle ringcraft). There were 24 students that attended the event that was held in the school cattle yards with cattle on loan from the Milner Family “Rosedale Charolais” and Matt Bright “Bryson Charolias” as well as the Agriculture departments two Poll Hereford steers. Students gathered on the front lawns for lunch before we moved down to the cattle yards were we were introduced to our first guest speaker Lucy Newham, who has extensive experience in both the commercial cattle world and great success in the stud industry. Lucy has worked with nearly every breed of beef cattle and has exhibited and judged throughout Australia and overseas. She has written a book on showing and feeding for show and sales and is currently working as a stud cattle consultant, so her knowledge is vast and sharing of her stories encouraged lots of questions from the students. Our second guest speaker for the day was Ben Emms from Ray White Emms Mooney our local agent and the number one Livestock Office in Australia for Ray White. Ben’s knowledge of the cattle markets and selling options for beef cattle was received enthusiastically by the students, prompting them to ask many questions including “why should we buy bulls from reputable suppliers?” The final part of the afternoon included students handling the animals and practicing their ringcraft with tips and encouragement from Lucy. Participants really enjoyed this part of the afternoon and were disappointed when the afternoon came to an end. The afternoon was enjoyed by all participants in the event and students were keen to have more opportunities to get industry experts involved in the learning process.
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I would like to shout out a big thanks to Blayney Shire Council for their contribution for the event and to our guest speakers, local studs and the youth that attended the event. (Mrs. Dowsett)
BILL TURNER UNDER 15’S SOCCER The Blayney Girls took on Mudgee in their recent round of the Bill Turner Shield competition at Blayney showground. A cold windy afternoon meant the game was slow going in the opening exchanges with both teams trying to get a grip on the conditions. The midfield dominated this period of the game with Ellen Brown, Georgia Calub and Eliza Ewin heavily involved. As possession varied in the first half Stephanie Baart, Kodi Fuller, Tamika O’Neil and goal keeper Jess Jones were often kept busy at the back during the Mudgee attacking raids. When the girls cleared the ball to the midfield and the fringes opportunities began to open up for Holly Uhr, Sophie Stammers and Karlee Funnel up front but were not converted into points. Positional and strategy changes for the second half breathed extra life into the Blayney side and with a weight of possession and field position the pressure was building on Mudgee. Continual attacking raids set up by Ciara Connor, Ellen Brown and Kodi Fuller forced a Mudgee foul resulting in a sport penalty. Sophie Stammers made light work of the penalty and the Blayney girls went one point up. Sticking to the game plan, Blayney continued to attack the fringes with quick ball from the back by Tamika O’Neil to Ciara Connor who in turn lofted a lovely ball over top to send Sophie Stammers on the chase. Blayney soon had their second goal as Sophie Stammers guided the ball in a one-on-one situation to back of the net. Down 2-0 Mudgee pushed the attacked in the final quarter of the game but strong defence by Mya Brown, Ellen Brown,
Kodi Fuller and Cara Gillham and cool composure from Jess Jones in-goal kept Mudgee to 0. An excellent showing by all girls against a skilful Mudgee outfit, they showed excellent teamwork and were a fantastic representation for Blayney High. Congratulations girls you should all be proud of yourselves. (Mr. Salmon)
CHS BOWLS On the last Monday of Term 1 our Lawn Bowls team consisting of Maddie Lees, Corey Aurisch and Bevan Aurisch went to Parkes to compete in the Western Region CHS Bowls competition. For a relatively inexperienced team they performed very well recording a win over Narromine, a draw against Canowindra and a loss to a very strong Grenfell team. Blayney needed to beat Grenfell to make the semi-finals but alas it was not to be and unfortunately none of our team were selected in the regional side. However they were excellent ambassadors for the school and I expect even better results from them next year. (Mr. Stinson)
Corey Aurisch in action at the CHS Bowls
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YEAR 12 CAFS EXCURSION Year 12 CAFS students are studying minority groups within the community and are completing a major study on ‘The Disabled’. To enhance their knowledge in this area, they visited a number of places that work with people who live with a disability. The first place we visited was ‘The House With No Steps’ at Forbes. Our students were taken on a tour of the biscuit factory. This place was a fascinating place as were able to see first-hand how the biscuits are made and packaged. Each person had a task and the level of responsibility was dependent on their disability. The nest port of call was Wangarang Industries at Orange. Wangarang is another place that offers supported employment for the disabled. The jobs ranged from peeling labels off wine bottles to collating paper files and scanning them to sewing and repairing hospital shower curtains, blankets and towels. Again, there was a job for everybody. Our final stop was Anson Street School. The CAFS students were amazed at the facilities this school offers. It had a fully functioning gym with equipment and physiotherapists and a spa for hydrotherapy. The school was purpose built for people with disabilities so there weren’t any stairs and each classroom had its own bathroom and adjoining kitchen/dining area. The CAFS students gained a lot of knowledge and insight through this excursion. They were able to see how people with a disability are supported through employment and their positive contributions to the community. (Ms. Adams)
FACTS DAY On Thursday, 31 of our Year 12 students went to the FACTS Day at CSU in Bathurst. This is an annual Career and Tertiary Information Day that is put on by the Central West Careers Advisers’ Association. Over
900 students from private and public schools from our area participated in the event. The day has two parts. Our students started with a motivational talk from Bruce Buchannan who is the manager of the Orange Business Enterprise Centre. The talk was held in a large lecture theatre which gave any students wishing to go to university a taste of what university lessons will be like. They then had an hour to talk to representatives in the careers market. There were about 65 different organisations represented. They included universities, TAFE, private colleges, major employers and employment agencies. Our students seemed to use their time wisely in the careers market and I received many favourable comments from the market representatives about their politeness and the quality of the questions that they asked. (Mr. Stinson)
AG EXCURSION On Wednesday the 8th of May the Year 11 Agriculture and Year 12 Primary Industry classes travelled to a Field Day at “Keirmont”, a property on the Mid Western Highway owned by the Hanks family. The Field Day was run by the NSW Central West Catchment Management Authority. It is a field day run annually for local schools to participate in. The students learn from Industry representatives about a range of environmental issues associated with farming. The main topics covered were Soil degradation and land use capabilities; water and catchment management; sustainable pasture production; and native vegetation on farms. As a component of the Field Day, school groups will now go onto create a farm plan based on the “Keirmont” property. They can plan and design for any enterprise production system on the property that they
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choose, but they must take into consideration all the issues of sustainability and farming for the futureinto account in their designs. Well Done to the Primary Industries and Agriculture classes for their participation and representation of their school on Wednesday and Good Luck for your farm plans! (Ms. Dunford)
WESTERN TOUCH REPS Congratulations to Grace Mooney and Sophie Stammers, who recently represented Western Region in the U15 Touch Team. The girls travelled to Newcastle to play in the State Championships. The team won 3 and drew 2 of their 8 matches, this result was one of the most successful tournaments for the Western team in many years. Sophie was named players’ player, and both girls represented the region with an outstanding level of sportsmanship. This is the second representative team for Grace this year, as she has already represented in Volleyball. Sophie has also had an outstanding year representing in U15 and being selected for the Western open touch team. (Mrs. Dickson)
BOYS’ TOUCH FOOTY The boys touch footy side headed to Wellington for the WSSA Final 8 Series which is a very impressive achievement on its own. The team played Orange High in their first match and were very competitive against the eventual winners. The fitness level and structure of Orange was impressive and they pulled away late in the match beating Blayney 6-2. Casey Wallace, Nathan Wells, Simon Ewin and Kailen Graham all had strong games and especially worked very hard in defence. The boys’ second pool game was against another strong touch footy school in Canobolas High. The game was very tight with both sides very creative in attack and willing to put their bodies on the line in
defence. Blayney ran out winners 4-2 in a highly entertaining game played in great sportsmanship. Nick Tilburg had a good game and he was well supported by Alex Turner and Morgan Fuller. With a win and a loss Blayney needed to win their final pool match against Parkes if they were to advance into the semi-finals. Blayney got off to a great start scoring 2 early tries and were in control of the match until Parkes were able to score a try against the run of play. The score remained very tight for the remainder of the match however the desire of the Blayney team ensured they won the match with the score 6-4 when the fulltime whistle was blown. The victory meant that the Blayney boys progressed into the semi-finals stage and were drawn to play the well drilled Dunedoo High School. The Blayney side were feeling the effects of three tough matches and found it hard to compete with the impressive Dunedoo side. Matt Hobby and James Hotham continued their consistent performances in the semi-final. Ned Hobby and Brendon Beauchamp worked very hard in both attack and defence, unfortunately for Blayney the Dunedoo side ran out comprehensive winners. The boys should be very proud of their efforts and the top 4 finish is an indication of the talent in the side and the hard work the team put in at training. The most pleasing aspect of the team was the high standard of sportsmanship they showed in every match they participated in. (Mr. Toohey)
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL On the last day of Term Blayney High held its annual Athletics Carnival. The weather was fantastic and the student body responded accordingly. Throughout the day student participation was of a high standard and the passion for House support was evident with an awesome distribution of colours.
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At the completion of the Carnival the following students had achieved Age Champion status- Boys Girls 12 Years Patrick Standing Chloe Mitai
Ngatai 13 Years Brad Cheney Karlee Funnell 14 Years Brandon Fraser Sophie Stammers 15 Years Lachlan Farr Grace Mooney 16 Years David McKenzie Laura Funnell Opens Matthew Hobby Storm Strong In addition there were many records broken through some high energy efforts: Chloe Mitai Ngatai 12 Years 400m Brad Cheney 13 Years Boys’ High
Jump & Shot Put
Karlee Funnell 13 Years Girls’ Javelin Rachel Chapman 15 Years 100m & 400m Mikaela Hopkins Open Girls’ 800m Amy Lea Lawson Open Girls’ Javelin Well done to all these students. At the completion of competition the House standings were as follows –
Terra 1387 Pyro 1140 Aero 957 Hydro 919
Well done to Terra House on an outstanding effort. Overall, a very pleasing day. Well done to all students and in particular the House Captains who once again did a tremendous job. Also to the teaching staff who enabled the smooth running of this Carnival. (Mr. Tilburg)
WESTERN REGION REPRESENTATIVES UPDATE Blayney High has continued its reputation for producing a large cross section of sporting talent. Towards the end of last Term numerous students had demonstrated excellence in their sporting endeavours and been rewarded with both State and Regional selection. Well done to Brandon Fraser on his outstanding efforts in swimming. After his success at the State
Carnival Brandon was rewarded with selection in the NSWCHS team to contest the NSW All-Schools competition in the 100m Freestyle. Great effort Brandon. In addition there have been a variety of students qualifying for Regional representation: Matthew Hobby Open Boys’ Soccer Paige Henry Open Girls’ Netball Tyson Henry 15 Years Rugby League Stophie Stammers Open Girls’ Touch These students will represent Western at their respective State Carnivals throughout this term. Well done and good luck to all. (Mr. Tilburg)
YEAR 7 CAMP On Tuesday and Wednesday last week (May 7th and 8th), Year 7 students went to Bathurst for their overnight camp. On day one, they went to the Sheep and Cattle Drome and Ten Pin Bowling. I think this group set the record for most minor injuries sustained at the Sheep and Cattle Drome with an injured toe, a twisted ankle and a cut lip all before the session started. Later, there was some very interesting technique and form shown at the Ten Pin Bowling with some students perfecting the granny bowl – a two handed bowling technique thought lost to civilisation but rediscovered by Ciara Connor and Reagan Gentle. At night, students took part in many bonding activities as well as roasting marshmallows on the campfire. Paige Selten and Mckenzie Graham proved that they were semi-professional Preacher in the Pulpit players dominating the event. Robert Pattison demonstrated that size isn’t everything and devoured about 5 pizzas all on his own.
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On day two, they were treated to a two hour martial arts session, at Pollet’s Martial Arts Centre, followed by swimming. Students were lucky to have a one hour Muai Thai session with the owner of the Centre Ian Pollet and another session with professional UFC fighter, Brian Ebersole. Students seemed to enjoy both sessions, the highlight being the Sumo Wrestling in the fighting cage; the crowning event being the death match between Shawn Sandry and Miss Adams. At swimming, Patrick Standing defied all the odds by taking out the belly flop competition with a stunning reverse back flop that left the audience stunned. Students were some of the most enthusiastic and best behaved I have ever taken on an overnight excursion. One little old lady at McDonald’s commented that they were “the most lovely well-mannered kids” she had seen. (Mr. Kay)
13 YEARS COUNTRY CUP On Monday 6th May Blayney High participated in the CRL’s “Country Cup” competition. The CRL chose to use King George as the venue for the Bathurst/Orange area. The competition is open to both Public and Private schools. In an excellent day’s footy the Blayney boys were successful at advancing to the next stage of the competition. The team played some top footy on the day defeating St Stannislaus 26-6 and James Sheahan 14-10 in their matches. Well done boys on some great teamwork. The team consisted of many players who contributed plenty of hard work in advancing to the next stage. The team consisted of Captian Patrick Duggan who led the side forward all day long with Ryan Kelly, Stuart Lee, Aaron Wells, Ryan Hunter, Patrick Standing, Morgan Fuller, James Read, Alex White, Ethan Coyte, Brad Cheney, Harry Martin, Joey Hobby, Hayden Paine and Bailey Penrose. A top effort by all team members who now play in the next stage of the competition to be held at Parkes in the last week of term. (Mr. Tilburg)
MUSIC HAPPENINGS TERM 2 – GROUP MUSIC ACTIVITIES In the holidays we were not able to make a complete Instrumental Ensemble for the ANZAC Day service as many students were away. However, we were joined by a very worthy group of an ex-student, a parent and teachers with their family all on instruments. Thank you to Laura Reeks, Mr Lawrie Parker, Mr Browett and his musically talented family, and Ms Langbein. All these people joined Tahnia Parker, Grace Pattison and Monique Garner in making sure the ANZAC service
was commemorated well. The feedback for our musical contribution was very encouraging. Please remember to encourage your children if they have played in a band before to come and join the Blayney High School Instrumental Ensemble. I am happy to include recorders, flutes, clarinets, trumpets, saxophones, violins, trombone and guitar. Vocal Group We now have a very large group for Vocal Group activities and I am looking forward to an assembly performance soon. There are 23 children on the books, with at least 18 turning up each week to rehearse. I am finding the modern approach is working very well with this group and arrangements of the songs can be produced to create more interest in a performance. “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift or “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele are looking like the first songs that will be performed soon at an assembly. Band This term we are planning a performance of our songs that the guys want to do. We are now including a singer (surprise guest artist!) in the line-up and look forward to showing off the talent in this Year 10 group.
(Ms. Langbein)
Sports Taping courses in Blayney Sports taping is an important skill for coaches, trainers, teachers, parents and players involved in sport. Correct sports taping can help prevent injury and also help with injury rehabilitation. Level 1 covers beginner technical and practical advice of taping including wrists, ankles, fingers and thumbs. Level 2 covers advanced techniques for the shoulder, elbow, wrist, Achilles tendon, knee, shin and soft tissue techniques - hamstrings and quadriceps. Participants receive a certificate of attainment upon successful completion of the course. Call Sport and Recreation on 6362 6623 for more info or visit www.dsr.nsw.gov.au Level 1: 6-9pm 13th May Level 2: 6-9pm 20th May
