NSW Department of Education and Communities
excursion to Nelson Bay on
Wednesday. Thank you very
much to the staff who make it
possible for our students to
engage in these extra-
curricular activities and allow
the students to share
experiences that may last for
a lifetime!
In conclusion I’d like to share
the “Mission Statement” from
Walhallow PS. I would like to
think that at Cessnock High
School we can aspire to
create a similar sense of
community at our school.
At Walhallow Public School
the children are the most
important, not us.
We are honoured by their
attendance, not they by ours.
They are not the outsiders,
they are the reason for our
existence.
We do not do them a favour
by being here, they do us a
favour by allowing us to do
so.
I wish everyone a safe and
restful holiday and look
forward to working with you
again next term in providing
quality educational
opportunities for our
children.
Chris Bice
Congratulations to the following
students who have been
appointed to positions on the
school’s student leadership team
for 2016. Mrs Martin, Mr
Goodwin and I interviewed all
students who were nominated.
The students were then asked to
deliver their candidacy speech to
the school community in a formal
assembly in the school hall. There
was great feedback from staff
about the quality of the students
applying for the positions and the
very high standard of their
presentations. The following
students were elected to the
Student Leadership Team for
2016.
The School Captains for next
year will be Madeleine Hunt and
Adam Robinson. Our Vice
Captains are: Rebecca Noone
and Eliot Jones. The Prefects are:
Samantha Flemming, Chloe
Lanesbury, Haylee Post, Montana
Power, Mia-Jane Thompson,
Dayna Watson, Oliver Burcham,
Luke Ford, Brandon Bedford and
Ben Sams.
Our leadership team will assume
their responsibilities at rollover.
In welcoming our incoming
student leaders I would also like
to acknowledge the contribution
that our outgoing Leadership
Team made in 2015 and thank
them for their support. They
have worked tirelessly to support
the school in many ways. From
volunteering for community
service, dealing with
individual student issues,
representing the school at
special events and generally
promoting all the positive
aspects of our school. Many
of these activities and events
occur outside of normal
school hours. I would like to
convey my personal thanks
and good luck to each of the
outgoing student leaders.
The Schools Captains: Emily
Fairley and Carlo Limen. The
Vice Captains: Sarah Handley
and Joshua Day. The
Prefects: Teegan Banks,
Macia Borowiec, Eliza
Paynter, Faith Price, Jordan
Bridge and Jayden Milgate
Excursions
Approximately 120 students
who have displayed
exceptional behaviour this
term participated in a
Rewards excursion to
Charlestown Square on
Thursday. They were
involved in a range of
activities and seemed to
greatly enjoy the day. I have
been informed that they
acted as wonderful role
models for CHS. This is yet
another example of the high
quality of the students that
attend our school. This
week our students have also
been great ambassadors at
Show Steers, the OATs
program as well as the 8L
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Semester 2 - 2015 Issue 3
What’s On At CHS
17th Sept PBL Reward Day
17th Sept Ride to School Day
18th Sept C2 Formal Assembly
18th Sept Last day term 3
5th Oct Public Holiday
6th Oct Staff and students return
12-14th Oct Year 10 Camp Broken Bay
15th Oct ACE Class Testing
15-16th Oct All My Own Work Year 10
19th Oct P&C Meeting 4 p.m.
22nd Oct Year 7 2016 Orientation
22nd Oct Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza
26th Oct Newc Uni Tour Year 10
27-29th Oct Peer Support Camp
2-4th Nov Year 10 Authentic Assess.
4th Nov CATS Excursion
5th Nov Welcome to the College
9th Nov 2016 Commences
12th Nov College 2 Formal
16th Nov P&C Meeting 4 p.m.
30th Nov Year 7 2016 Commence
11th Dec Presentation Day 2015
16th Dec Last day 2015
26th Jan ‘16 Australia Day
27th Jan Staff Return 2016
28th Jan Students Return 2016
8-10th Feb Year 7 Camp
25th Feb School Photo Day
25th Feb Year 7 Immunisations
Cessnock High School News
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Find us on The Web
cessnock-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Page 2
Term 3 has been eventful for
Year 10 students. During weeks
7 and 8, students in Year 10
attended two weeks of work
experience. During this time
students had the opportunity to
work in an industry of their
choice and get a taste of what
that career would be like.
Students were placed over a
large area from Newcastle to
Singleton, we even had one
student placed at Taronga Zoo
in Sydney! All students have
returned to Cessnock High
School with great stories of fun
experiences and a little bit older
and a little bit wiser. I would like
to thank Mrs Walker for
organising this opportunity for
the students and to
congratulate all students who
completed work experience
and represented Cessnock
High School with pride.
During the first 5 weeks of
Term 4 Year 10 will be
completing a program to give
them a kick start before
entering the college. During
these 5 weeks students have
the opportunity to attend a
camp. The camp aims to build
the capacity of students
through a range of activities
focusing on building skills for;
YEAR 10—Mr Ryan time management, study
techniques, team bonding and
overcoming challenges. Back at
school students will be working
on completing a portfolio
demonstrating their work
completed in Year 10 and
participating in academic skills
workshops.
Year 10 will have their formal
assembly, receiving their
portfolios and awards at school
10.30 a.m on Thursday 5th
November, all students are
expected to attend and be in full
school uniform. Later that
evening (6 p.m) is the last event
for students before they move
into College 1, the “Welcome to
College” function to be held at
The Sebel Kirkton Park ($85 per
person incl 2 course meal, drinks
and dj, invitations have gone
home this week). This will be a
night to celebrate together
before knuckling down for the
beginning of their HSC.
Year 10 will commence The
College (senior studies) on
Monday November 9, 2015.
Mr Ryan
MS MACDONALD—DEPUTY PRINCIPAL YEARS 8, 10, COLLEGE 2
Term 3 has flashed past once again
with lots of activities and
successful accomplishments from
our students and staff.
The term began with Year 10
finalising their subject selections
for College with most students
being successful in gaining the
subjects of their own choice. This
year we have been able to run
over 20 different senior courses
for College 2016-2017.
Year 10 also completed a very
successful two weeks of work
experience and I was pleased to
hear so many positive and
encouraging stories from our
community in regards to Year 10's
work experience placements. I
would like to thank Mrs Walker
for all her wonderful work in
finding places for students and
working tirelessly to ensure that
students were well-placed and well
looked after whilst out of the
school. Cessnock High School is
one of the only schools left in the
Hunter that fully manages work
experience for Year 10 and I
believe it is of huge benefit to our
students. Many have been
successful in finding part-time
work or offers of full-time work
from this experience.
Year 12 have also had a busy term
leading into their departure from
13 years of formal schooling. This
is a very important milestone if the
life of a student and probably one
they have been looking forward to
for a long time. This term has been
spent fund-raising, organising the
farewell and of course studying
hard for their Trial HSC
Examinations. All of this has been
under the watchful eye of Mrs
O'Neill who has been incredible in
her mission to help Year 12 raise
funds for their formal and gift to
the school. We wish Year 12 all
the best for the next few months
and in whatever they decide to do
once they leave Cessnock High.
Year 8 are also about to make the
big step into Stage 5 studies and
they have each chosen 2 electives
for study throughout Year 9 and
10. Stage 5 studies allow students
to focus more closely on the core
subjects of English, Maths, HSIE,
Science and PDHPE, whilst also
having the opportunity to study
their two electives. This will be a
change of pace from the large
amount of mandatory subjects
students have completed in Stage
4 and I hope the students make
the most of this transition into
Stage 5.
Finally, I would like to thank all the
staff of Cessnock High School this
term who have continued to
provide a caring, positive and
challenging environment for
all our students to thrive,
learn and develop into the
young adults we now see
before us.
I wish all our staff, students
and families a wonderful and
safe Spring holiday, and look
forward to seeing you all next
term.
Mr Scrivener and the Industrial Arts students had the job of doing a cement slab, what a great working experience for these students, and a great slab.
U15 Girls’ Basketball
Round 2 team (above)
Top: Miss White, Hollie-Rose Leigh, Janayah
Lake, Jordana Dunn, Tori Cassidy, Emily
Dederer, Maddison Sinclair, Krystal Dent
Bottom: Tarnee White, Chantel Sinclair,
Merrissa George
SPORTING SUCCESS—Miss White
Page 3
Cessnock High School News
This past term has seen ten
Cessnock High School
students progress through an
Outdoor Activity Training
Schedule (OATS) focusing on
building protective factors
through participation in
challenging outdoor activities.
These activities include rock
climbing, abseiling, caving and
hiking. The program
promotes the development
of self-confidence,
resilience, team-work and
decision making skills while
dealing with anxiety and
environmental stresses.
Students are encouraged to
identify and replace self-
destructive behaviours with
productive alternatives.
The photo below captures
OATS PROGRAM—Mr Reardon
the students standing on a
rocky platform in the
Pokolbin Range before
descending over the edge.
The Return to School Centre
have been doing 'Querkles' of
famous people.
'Querkles' are colour-by-
number drawings made up
entirely of overlapping circles.
They can be very intricate and
the students have time to do
only do a little each day (after
lots of school work!) so it
often takes around five days
to finish one 'Querkle'.
So far our current students
have finished Marilyn Monroe,
Elizabeth Taylor, Amy
Winehouse and Mohammad
Ali. Work in progress
include Kurt Cobain, Jimi
Hendrix and Frida Kahlo.
After we've worked
through all the famous
people portraits we'd like
to tackle the Querkles that
feature famous works of
art e.g. the Mona Lisa.
RETURN TO SCHOOL CENTRE NEWS—Ms Doolan
Round 1 team (below) Top: Tarnee White, Maddison Sinclair, Emily Dederer, Hollie-Rose Leigh, Jordana Dunn, Miss White
Bottom: Chelsea-Leigh Wilson, Chantel Sinclair,
Janayah Lake, Angela Campbell, Krystal Dent
Well done to our Under 15 Girls Basketball Team on
getting through to the 3rd round of the knockout
competition!!
Tyson Barker’s Querkle Cain Lumley’s Querkle
This year has been very rewarding
and worth all the hard effort that
Year 9 students have made. As
Year 9 has progressed through
the year they have seen their
school responsibilities increase as
they move towards Year 10.
This year has brought Year 9 lots
of happy memories and various
achievements. They have been
provided with many opportunities
to be involved in both the school
and wider community, such as
excursions, representative sport
and other representative
activities. As Year 9 students,
some of you will also be provided
with the great opportunity to
participate in programs such as
Peer Support.
Cessnock High School has a
focus on students doing the
best they can. As their Year
Advisor I wish to thank parents
and carers for your continued
support and interest in your
child‘s progression through
school at Cessnock High
School. I firmly believe students
in my year group and your
children will ultimately succeed
in achieving their dreams whilst
we continue to build the
partnership between the home
and school.
I wish to thank all my students
in my year group for all their
SUPPORT CLASS—Ms Bruce
Page 4
YEAR 9 ADVISOR—Mr Penglaze
hard work and I look forward
to continuing our journey
together into Year 10.
Finally I would like to finish
with a quote from Gail
Devers:
‘Every accomplishment starts
with the decision to try’.
‘Learning the ropes’
During Term Three support class
students were fortunate enough to be
offered a second opportunity to sail
with the volunteer group ‘Sailors with
disABILITIES’ (SWD). Following a
fabulous experience sailing Sydney
Harbour in Term One, the students
were very keen to test their sea legs
again. This time though, the boat was
docked in Newcastle, enabling our
students to see the largest bulk
shipping port on the
east coast of Australia,
up close and personal.
The group sailed on
the ‘Winds of Joy’ on
the last day of winter,
and were blessed with
glorious sunshine. All
VACCINATION CATCH UPS—Ms Robson
WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS MISSED A
VACCINE—If your child has missed any
vaccinations they will be offered any
missed doses at the next clinics at their
school.
WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS NOT
RECEIVED ALL VACCINES
BEFORE THE END OF 2015.
Any Year 7 student with missed doses of
vaccine can be caught up in 2016.
Additionally – any year 8 student
who commenced HPV vaccination while
in Year 7 and are yet to finish all 3 doses
of HPV (and who has not received any
from their local doctor) can still receive
these at the next clinic at their school.
Don’t forget a Record of Vaccination is
given to each student for each
vaccination. Parents/guardians should
ensure that this record is kept for future
reference and should not assume that their
child has been vaccinated if they do not receive
this Record of Vaccination. Any questions, visit
the NSW Ministry of Health website at:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/
Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx
students participated in sailing the boat, with
“raising sails” and “steering the boat” being
the most popular ‘best bits’ of the day as
reported by students. Support staff would
like to thank the SWD crew, who try to
emphasise looking beyond challenges at
what can be achieved. They have twice gone
out of their way to give CHS students with
special needs a fantastic, positive experience
that has reinforced a healthy ‘I can’ ethos in
the support unit.
Beanies for
Sophie raised
$450, great job
Cessnock High
School students,
staff and Settlers
Village West
Cessnock.
Semester 2 - 2015 Issue 3 DEBATING REPORT—ABBIE GRADY
Recently, students from CHS were
fortunate to attend a two day
debating workshop at Kotara High
School. Excitement filled the air on
our first day and as Michelle drove
us on the CHS bus, we looked
forward to refining and developing
our debating and public speaking
skills.
Lectures filled the first day. There
was so much information and we
all walked away with more
knowledge. Even Mrs Bennett who
supervised us for the two days
commented that she had learnt lots
of new ideas.
Page 5
COLLEGE 2—Mrs O’Neill
Book Packs
$20
Next term (Term 4) we will be once again selling book
packs for Years 8-10. Collect them from Cessnock
High School Office, these are reasonably priced at $20
each and contain 9 books, pens, pencils and all of the
essential stationery items needed to start the new
school year on November 9, 2015. (Items for electives
are not included in book packs) Get in quick, there are
limited packs available.
The second day was more active
with a mini debate consisting of
CHS boys against the girls. From
this we learnt about what each
person should do on the team,
such as providing evidence for
our arguments. We learnt a lot
about the methods and structure
of a debate.
What a great two days! The
things I enjoyed most were the
debate we participated in and the
information we gained.
Thank you to Mrs Bennett,
Michelle and Kotara High School.
Abbie Grady—8C
As we near the end of the term, we
also near the last few days our
College 2 students will attend
school!! This Friday, 18th September,
we will have our Graduation
assembly at 10:30am, followed by
lunch at the school. We will then say
goodbye to the students for the last
time – excepting of course when they
return for their HSC exams next
term.
For most of the students it has been
a very busy year. Some have been
attending TAFE courses while still
completing classes at school. Some
have been completing the
Horticulture class here at school on a
Monday. Whatever it is they have
been studying, they have hopefully
given it their best and the results will
be worth it!
The leadership team, led by our
capable Captains Carlo and Emily,
have been excellent role models for
the younger students. They have led
by example in being very studious
students and fulfilling the
expectations of their roles at the
same time. Many other students have
shown their maturity in assisting with
younger students regularly at Breakfast
Club and break times in the room set
aside for the School Support Officer,
Stacy Jacobs. Some even choose to
spend their free lessons there, which I
believe has occasionally tested Stacy’s
patience! However they are more than
willing to do jobs for her and I am sure
she is thankful.
Although we haven’t had a specific
fundraising team, many students have
spent a great deal of time raising funds
this year. We have had several smaller
activities that took a great deal of time
from some, but the ultimate fundraiser
was our Krispy Kreme event. Many
thanks to all of you who supported
this! We had to collect 190 dozen
doughnuts!! Many thanks also to Stacy
Jacobs who organised a small van to
collect them. We will be deciding on
what to spend it on as a gift for the
school this week.
Most students are probably spending
more time thinking about the formal at
the moment than their studies, as many
are talking about it. The formal will be
held on November 12th at The Mercure
Hunter Valley Gardens. The students
chose the location, and it should be a
great night.
Although I have only been Year Advisor
for the past 2 years, it has been very
enjoyable and I will miss the students
terribly. I wish them all good luck in
whatever it is they choose to do once
the formal and the year is over. I know
from speaking to them that they all
have their own plan, well most of them.
I am sure you too, as parents and
carers, are looking forward to when
the stress of studying and what to wear
to the formal is over!
MATHS/SCIENCE CHALLENGE—Mr Atkinson, Ms Mowatt
Page 6
Cessnock High School News
LaST Update The learning and Support
Teachers (LaST’s) have been
working hard at Cessnock High
School to improve literacy. This
has been achieved in numerous
ways from providing in class
support to running intensive
literacy withdrawal groups.
We are very pleased with the
students’ participation, positive
attitude, commitment and
dedication to the withdrawal
program and as a result we are
seeing improved results both in
their learning and attitude.
Students are taught explicit
skills in phonics,
comprehensions and Focus on
Reading. With these skills
learners are better equipped
to utilise this knowledge
within the classroom, and have
become more confident
learners.
It is a pleasure
to be a teacher
of such
delightful young
learners and a
staff member of
a school so dedicated to
improving literacy across the
curriculum.
LaST NEWS—Miss Baczynskyj
After using up more than half of the
lunch break and still unable to find a
winner it was decided that this year
there will be joint champions.
Congratulations to both teams on a
tremendous performance.
In the Stage 5 competition there were
20 students competing and once again
the results were close. The champion
team on the day contained Jeremy
Smith, Cody Robinson, Kyle Gillis and
Jace Price. Congratulations.
Our final competition involved teams
from our partner primary schools where
teams could include Year 5 or Year 6
students. The teams worked well
together through a series of rounds and
a mathematics relay and after some
strong results in the final couple of
rounds Abermain Public School took the
title as Champion School for 2015.
Congratulations and thanks to all who
participated.
The Maths/Science Challenge has
been run and won this year, with
some excellent teams taking part.
This year the competition was run
in stages; Stage 4, 5 and one for our
partner primary students.
The Stage 4 competition saw more
than 50 students compete in what
proved to be a very close and
exciting contest. After the final
round a team from Year 7 and Year
8 were locked together on points
and underwent a number of sudden-
death questions to decide a winner.
Kitchener Public School Cessnock East Public School
Winning Stage 5 team
Winning Stage 4 teams
Winning Primary Team Abermain
Cessnock Public School
SRC NEWS
Members of the SRC have been
kept busy this term BBQ’s and
fundraising for our school.
Students have continued to raise
money for ‘Kick a Goal for
Sophie’, moving towards our
$2000 goal. Thanks to all those
students who continually give of
their own time for the good of
others. You are an inspiration!
Leaders for our 2016 school
year have been nominated after
a rigorous process which sees
them, participate in an interview
before a panel and present a
speech to the student body. This
is a very serious process and can
be nerve-wracking speaking in
front of peers. Congratulations
to the new leaders. 2016 School
Leaders were inducted at the
College 2 Farewell Assembly at
the end of term. A ‘Farewell
Year 12’ disco was held on
Wednesday night. College 2
chose a 1920’s ‘Great Gatsby’
theme and looked great
dressing up in their finery.
Well done to all our SRC
members on your fine efforts
this year - especially College 2,
You have been an exemplary
group of young leaders and we
wish you all every success in the
future.
Cessnock High School is very
proud of the young men and
women you have become!
LIBRARY—Mr Riley
Page 7
SRC NEWS—Mrs Martin
It has been another fantastic
term for Positive Behaviour
for Learning at Cessnock
High School. Our students
have achieved great results
across a variety of areas,
both academically and in the
representative arena. Our
school is committed to
providing a positive and safe
learning environment for all
students. Following a
successful reward excursion
to Maitland Cinema last
term, students were given
the opportunity to select
their reward for term 3.
After much deliberation,
they elected to go to Strike
Bowling at Charlestown
where they played Laser Tag,
Ten-Pin Bowling and Karaoke.
It was a great day had by all,
particularly Mr Penglaze who
performed the Titanic classic
‘My Heart Will Go On’, which
brought tears to the eyes of
the students. The PBL team
would like to thank all our
students for their effort and
readiness to learn this term.
Bring on the V8 Supercars in
term 4!
Mr Hamilton
PBL Universals. Respect,
Responsibility, Ready-to-
Learn
Above: Enjoying the pleasures of the library, Jayden Gurnhill, Ky Callaghan, Callum
Campbell, Brian Davey
Right: Students with new books, Holden Hines, Jayden Gurnhill, Ky Callaghan, Brian
Davey, Callum Campbell, David Schmidt.
Left: David Schmidt, William
Hammett, Jayden Gurnhill
Right: Year 9 visit the library,
Shaun Czemerys, Ryan Franklin,
Daniel Still, Tarron White,
Zachary Tattersall.
PBL EXCURSION—Mr Hamilton
College students completed a Body of Work for their Visual Arts
Higher School Certificate Examination. The work represented here
(and on the next page), illustrates the diversity in art forms
and conceptual ideas. Works were developed over 15 weeks,
bringing together artistic intentions and research of influential
artists and their artworks. Ms Robson
HSC ARTWORKS
Cessnock High School welcomed 240 students in Years 5 and
6 for a sport gala day. All local primary schools attended and
showed great
participation and
sportsmanship.
The message for the day was “I like to move it” . Students were taught
the importance of regular physical activity to prevent lifestyle diseases and
achieving holistic well-being.
Students earned their team points in a tabloid event and also in a soccer
round robin competition. All teams had to design a team bandana and
earned there teams extra points in bonus round activities including gangnam
style, heads and tails and strike pose competitions.
A great day was had by all and the winning teams won a football to take
home. A special thanks must go to The College Sport Coaching class and
Year 10 PASS class students who helped run the day and to Mrs Troy for
organising the BBQ and bandanas.
YEAR 5/6 TRANSITION SPORTS GALA DAY—Mrs Miles
WORK EXPERIENCE—YEAR 10
Liam repairing a fountain at The Convent, Pokolbin
Jayk weighing sausages at Barry’s Quality Meats
Jacob gives 2 thumbs up to working at the Council.
Caeley stocking the shelves at Best and Less
Daniel stocking the shelves at Best and Less
Thomas - Planning for the future
Year Advisors Year 7 Mrs Martin
Year 8 Ms Burke
Year 9 Mr Penglaze
Year 10 Mr Ryan
College 1 Mr Goodwin
College 2 Mrs O’Neill
Head Teachers English Miss Payne HSIE Mrs Duncan
Maths Mr Atkinson PD/H/PE Mrs Miles
Science Ms Mowatt CAPA Ms Falconer
TAS Mrs Fairweather
Support Mrs Bruce Rlg
Suspension Centre Ms Doolan
Cessnock High School has continued to excel in
the sporting arena this term. Individually, we had
3 participants represent their school, Coalfields
Zone and the Hunter Region at the NSW CHS
State carnival held over three days at Sydney
Olympic Park. Congratulations to Jeremy Smith,
Liam King and Mitchell O’Neill for such an
amazing achievement. Liam’s 4th in the shot put is
an outstanding result and the whole school and
Coalfields Zone is proud of his efforts.
Our team sports have also excelled this term
with the U/15’s girls basketball beating two
strong opponents to advance to the Hunter
Schools round robin tournament. Ms White and
the girls have recorded the best result for a CHS
team in many years.
Despite term 3 and 4 seeing the end to the
year’s major carnivals, students still have a
Cessnock High School
Aberdare Road,
Cessnock NSW 2325
Phone: 4990 1977
Fax: 4991 1815
Email:
NSW Department of Education and Communities
Principal: Mr Chris Bice
Deputy Principals:
Year 7, 9, College 1
Mrs Liana Gill
Year 8, 10, College 2
Ms Hayley Macdonald
The Back Page
FROM THE SPORTS DESK Mr Goodwin
Newsletter by Email
I would like to receive my newsletter by email. My email address is:
______________________________________________________@ ________________________________. _______ . ______
Student Name: ______________________________________________ Year: _________________
Parent Name: _______________________________________________
Newsletter Editor:
Email: [email protected]
number of opportunities to participate in
sport for the remainder of the year. Year 7
gala day ran at Maitland Park on the 11th
September with great success in 2015 once
again. As usual the weather was perfect
along with the behaviour and participation of
all of our attending Year 7 students. This
annual day is always a fantastic opportunity
for students to mingle and compete with all
other Year 7 students across the Coalfields
Zone.
Before the sporting year is out the Year 7
and 8 netball and cricket gala days and a
number of rugby league opportunities are
events that students should keep an ear out
for during the morning messages. I look
forward to seeing Cessnock High School
continue to perform and succeed in all these
sporting opportunities.
State Athletics Representatives, Liam King, Mitchell O’Neill, Jeremy Smith. Congratulations on a fantastic effort to all three boys.