Principal: Jim Michalanney 8531 9500 – Chairperson Governing Council: Keith Simmons 0407 396 749
It is through working together, with respect, that we can achieve excellence
Murray Bridge High School
Excellence, Respect and Working Together Tel: 8531 9500 Fax: 8531 9595 Email: [email protected] Website: www.murraybridgehs.sa.edu.au
TERM 4, WEEK 6 – 21 November 2016
From the Principal Jim Michalanney
Year 12 Exams – Well done to all Year 12s who have completed their final
exams. Year 11 exams begin next week.
Staffing - panels for leadership positions have nearly all been completed. We will
be in a position to announce all successful appointments in the very near future.
Student Free Day - as previously advised, there is a Student Free Day on Friday
25th November as staff will be involved in a Professional Learning Day in regard
to Moderation of the Australian Curriculum. This will be to ensure that there is
consistency in the provision of quality learning programmes for all of our
students.
Year 7 Transition Visits - will be held on Tuesday the 6th and Thursday the 8th
of December. Year 7 students who will be attending Murray Bridge High School
in 2017 are involved in a program of visits to the school. Over 180 students will
spend a day here attending classes, touring the facilities and having their questions
answered. This program gives Year 7 students the opportunity to live the life of a
Year 8 student. They will take different lessons throughout the day and meet
with different teachers.
Our Year 11 Peer Support students will also be on hand to provide the Year 7s
with a tour of the school and answer any questions or concerns they may have
about high school. We look forward to this group of students making a smooth
transition into Murray Bridge High School in 2017.
Laptop Leasing Scheme - next year we are offering all of our Year 8s the
opportunity to be involved in the Laptop leasing programme as previously
discussed. We have narrowed down the best possible machine for the most
competitive price.
‘Bringing Your Own Device’ (BYOD) is still acceptable but we do hope to
transition all of our students to access a similar device for consistency in their
learning. Please contact the school if you have still not registered your interest in
this excellent programme.
Whole School Magazine for only $30 - I encourage you all to take advantage of
the opportunity to pre-order this year’s whole school Magazine that overviews in
reports and photos the many of our achievements of our students in 2016.
Remembrance Day
On Friday, 11 November we held our Remembrance Day Ceremony to pay
respects to the fallen. Staff, students and special guests attended the ceremony. I
would like to thank Helen Peake for organising this very special event and thank
the students for their exemplary behavior showing our values of Excellence,
Respect and Working together. More details and photos are on page 2.
CALENDAR -TERM 4
Monday, 21 November
Year 12 Dinner
Wednesday–Friday 23–25 November
SAASTA Shield
Thursday, 24 November
Last day for Year 11
Friday 25 November
STUDENT FREE DAY
(Australian Curriculum Moderation)
Monday, 28 November
Year 11 Exams begin
Tuesday, 29 November
Finance Committee – 4.30pm
Tuesday, 6 December
Transition Day
Presentation Night – 7pm
Thursday, 8 December
Transition Day
Tuesday, 13 December
Parents & Friends – 5pm Governing Council – 6pm
Friday, 16 December
Last day of Term 3 – 2pm dismissal
School Magazine
If you have not ordered your 2016 school magazine, an order form is
on page 7 of this Newsletter.
It will be available for sale at the end of Presentation Night on
Tuesday, 6 December.
All pre-orders will be available for collection and payment from
Wednesday, 7 December.
Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 21 November 2016
2
Remembrance Day Ceremony by Helen Peake
While some Year 12 students sat a Legal Studies exam the
rest of the school gathered on the front lawns to pay their
respects to the fallen. At 10.30 am the service commenced
with the arrival of the Catafalque Party made up of 4 Air
Cadets and led by Walter Harris. This was followed by the
entrance of a lone drummer (Jacob Lavery), accompanied
by 3 didgeridoo players – Russell Rigney, Keynan Harradine
and Dylan Hele.
Greg Carter welcomed us to country, Principal Jim
Michalanney spoke briefly followed by David Laing from the
RSL Club. Wreaths were laid by the newly elected Prefects,
the ILC, the Disability Unit and the RSL.
Walter Harris (Air Cadet) read The Ode, Staff member
Sean Hickey played the Last Post and the school fell silent
for one minute, to be brought back to life with the playing
of the Reveille.
The Concert Band and the Vocal Ensemble combined for
the National Anthem, the Catafalque Party dismounted and
the assembly drew to an end.
“LEST
WE
FORGET”
Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 21 November 2016
3
Disability Unit Update by Dr Christine Roberts-Yates
Agriculture The senior students attend the Roper Road Ag Farm each week
and look forward to leading the steers from the paddock to the
yard to be weighed. They thoroughly enjoyed helping to bale
wool this week for sale.
Remembrance Day Ceremony Jason Spackman and Mr Coulter laid a wreath on behalf of the
Disability Unit at the Remembrance Day service. Earlier in the
week, the students had discussed the meaning of Remembrance
Day and its relevance in the 21st Century.
DECD Media visits the Disability Unit The senior students enjoyed showcasing their skills in our
STEM programme to Mark Giorgio, the Communications
Advisor from DECD, when he recently visited the Disability
Unit to film the students working with the Socially Assistive
Robots assembling a computer and screen and building
Leonardo’s self-supporting bridge using the Law of Statics. We
look forward to the finished product on DECD media.
Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 21 November 2016
4
Dorothy in Wonderland by Emily Adams
With what was the biggest audience Drama has seen in
years the Year 10/11 Drama class performed their
rendition of Dorothy in Wonderland to an audience of
well over 100 people.
The play followed the story of Dorothy who, after her
adventures in Oz, is caught in another tornado which takes
her, not back to Kansas, but to Wonderland. It is here that
Dorothy meets a new range of strange and unusual
characters.
The Year 10/11 Drama class spent the last 7 weeks
rehearsing, blocking and creating characters for the
performance. I am extremely pleased with the effort of the
Drama class to create interesting and humorous characters
through both their spoken dialogue and their movement.
Drama aims to teach students valuable life skills in order to
aid them when they leave school. We work on skills such
as confidence, collaboration and creativity through
workshops, activities and performances and the Year 10/11
class have excelled in their development of such skills
through the performance. Well done!
Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 21 November 2016
5
Mentor Teachers Award Winner
Luke Starczak, chemistry teacher was
honoured at the Mentor Teachers
Award evening at the University of
Adelaide on Friday, 4 November.
He took out the Role-model award:
the Mentor Teacher who modelled
all the attributes, beliefs and qualities
desired in an education professional.
He was nominated by third year student teacher Robyn
McBride who completed an observational practical with Luke.
What Robyn said about Luke in her nomination.
“Luke was so passionate and knowledgeable about chemistry that he made the students he taught want to stay and take part even when they didn’t have to. His enthusiasm for the field shone through and made me really want to take part even though I was nowhere near as confident in the activities he was doing than he was. He was contagious and energetic and deserves to be recognized”. Congratulations Luke!
LOST PROPERTY
If you have lost any article of clothing please check at the Student Services Office. Any items/clothing not collected by the end of term will be donated.
Lorraine Pearce - a caring tutor
Loraine has been nominated for the
federal AEU ‘Arthur Hamilton Award
for Outstanding Contribution to
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Education, 2016 under the category of:
improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education.
Loraine has worked at MBHS for six years as an HPI and
works with Aboriginal students in mainstream classes, tutoring
them to strive and achieve at their highest level.
Feedback from staff and students Loraine currently works
with, supported the nomination with comments such as:
“Loraine is excellent at ensuring that all task requirements are being met and that students have an understanding of what is required of them and being a tutor, Loraine regularly delves into the mentor territory, becoming a strong support system and a good listener for any student who has non-school related troubles”. We appreciate the difference Loraine has made to our
Indigenous student’s academic success and wish her all the
best with this award nomination.
Just 2 Deadly Awards 2016
“The National Deadly Awards are
an annual celebration of Australian
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
achievement in music, sport,
entertainment the arts, health,
education, training and community.
The word 'Deadly' is a modern
colloquialism used by Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islanders to indicate
'great, fantastic and awesome’.”
Our local event was held in the Murray Bridge Town Hall on
Friday 11th November. We celebrated local Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander student’s graduating from Year 7 and
Year 12.
We had 4 Year 12 students from MBHS attend this evening -
Gordon Rigney, Tony Horrocks, Fiona Garlett and Wilbur
Dempsey. We recognize the effort and success of these
students. They are positive role models for the younger
Aboriginal students in our community.
Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 21 November 2016
6
Parents and Caregivers are invited to attend the
GOVERNING COUNCIL MEETING
Tuesday, 13th December 2016 - 6.00 pm Venue to be advised.
Please call Tania on 85319508 to register, prior to Monday December 12.
AGENDA
Approval of Materials and Services Charges for 2017, Parents and Caregivers may choose to write to Governing Council with any queries or concerns, to be forwarded to Murray Bridge High School Finance prior to December 13. Letters will be tabled and discussed at this Governing Council Meeting. The proposed Materials and Services Charge for 2017 is $305.00 (the standard sum set by DECD). The payment of the standard sum is legally enforceable. The Notice of Charges also includes specific compulsory course costs as stated in the Curriculum Handbook. These costs are also legally enforceable. In line with the standard sum set by DECD, the 2017 School Card is $305.00 for approved secondary students. The 2017 Materials and Services Charge is payable by the end of term 1 (Thursday 13 April, 2017). The options for the payment of the 2017 Materials and Services Charge are:- Payment in full (cash/cheque/EFTPOS) at the beginning of the school year or before the end of term 1 (13 April, 2017). After this date the Charge becomes legally enforceable. This information will also be provided with the 2017 Materials and Services Charge invoice sent out by the school in January 2017. Payment by instalments. The specific instalment arrangements must be in writing and must be negotiated between the individual parent/caregiver and the school.
Completion and approval by DECD of a School Card Application at the beginning of the school year.
Centrepay arrangements through Centrelink.
Direct credit to the school bank account.
ABStudy
Direct Debit arrangements from your bank account to the school bank account
Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 21 November 2016
7
Want to study Medicine at Uni?
If you are currently in Year 11 and think you may want to study
Medicine, Dentistry, or Health Sciences at University, you will need
to sit the UMAT. The UMAT, or Undergraduate Medicine and
Health Sciences Admission Test, is used by universities to
determine the offers into these courses.
The Rural Doctors Workforce Agency (RDWA) offer rural and
regional students FREE preparation workshops to optimise their
results in the UMAT, starting with the two day event in January.
Students who have attended these workshops have reported that
they are essential in order to successfully complete the UMAT.
For more information about the UMAT, visit umat.acer.edu.au or
speak with Sarah Florey-Fox at the school. For further information
about the workshops contact RDWA as per the advertisement below.