PO Box 454 Wetherell Crescent, COBAR NSW 2835 Phone: 6836 2705 Fax: 6836 1142 www.cobar-h.schools.nsw.edu.au Cobar High School Term 2 BATYR Check in Day Wednesday 22nd June ……………….. Term 2 PBL Rainbow Reward Thursday 30th June ……………….. Last day Term 2 Friday 1st July ……………….. Term 3 Staff Return Monday 18th July Students Return Tuesday 19th July ……………….. Term 2 Awards Assembly Friday 22nd July 10am School MPC ……………….. Parent Teacher Interviews Wednesday 27th July School MPC 5pm-7pm ……………….. Year 12 Trial HSC Exams Monday 1st August - Friday 5th August ………………... NEWSLETTER 2nd June, 2016 Where There’s a Will There’s a Way Positive Behaviour for Learning Respect Excellence Safety
Co Deputy Principals: Shane Carter / John Carswell
Head Teacher English: Carolyn McMurtrie
Head Teacher Maths: Mary Arnold
Head Teacher Science/TAS: Andrew Watts
Co Head Teachers HSIE: John Carswell / Bianka Jacobson
Head Teacher Teaching & Learning/PDHPE: Amie Hill
School Admin Manager: Merryn McIntyre
Year Advisers 2016
Year 6: Sam Dixon
Year 7: Matthew Klopper
Year 8: Lyndsay Klopper
Year 9: Doug Armstrong
Year 10: Andrew Coffey
Year 11: Kim Sutton
Year 12: Daniel Inkley
SRC Co-Ordinator: Chris Marshall
Girls Adviser: Leanne Carswell
Boys Advisers: Mitch Adams Years 7, 9, 11
Josh Brown Years 8, 10, 12
Thank you for supporting Minister Piccoli’s Visit
Thank you to the staff and students who participated in Minister Piccoli’s visit to Cobar High School. Minister Piccoli was met by school captains Niamh Urquhart and Blake Toomey. He then had a conversation regarding Cobar High School with the Captains, Maree Angus Director Public Schools NSW, Mary Urquhart President of the P & C, Mr Shane Carter and myself. Minister Piccioli visited a Literacy Numeracy lesson where he sat with a group of students and participated in a numeracy activity led by School Learning Support Officer Sharon Best. Beginning Teachers Ms Lyndsay Klopper, Mr Connor Boyko and Ms Alexandra Hernando discussed the support available to them and the opportunities to extend their skills. Aurora College staff and students Ms Carolyn McMurtrie, Wilmien Kok and Bryan Mitchell talked with the Minister about the advantages of studying at both Aurora College and Cobar High School. Ms Amie Hill’s Year 12 Community and Family Studies class showed how they are using ALARM to learn the content and to answer Higher School Certificate questions. Mr Josh Brown’s Year 7 Maths class answered a number of questions from Minister Piccoli.
The marvellous morning tea was provided by the Stage 5 Food Technology class who were assisted by Ms Wendy Thomson and Ms Erica Muldoon.
School Administration Manager Merryn McIntyre deserves a special thank you for all her organisation regarding the Minister’s visit. Minister Piccoli also donated three books to the school library. I was certainly surprised when Minister Piccoli presented my Service to Students medal due to my pending retirement. The fantastic staff and students we have at Cobar High School provided a great overview of the school for Minister Piccoli. Any staff or student who was asked to assist with the visit did so and all teaching staff agreed that Minister Piccoli could visit their classroom at any time. Due to the late arrival of the flight the classes scheduled to be visited did not happen and other classes were visited without any warning. This is another wonderful indication of the commitment, dedication and outstanding contributions of our staff at Cobar High School. Sue Francisco
Presentation of Service to Students Medal to Sue Francisco, Principal Cobar High School.
Last Wednesday Sue Francisco was presented with a Service to Students Medal for 34 years teaching by the Minister for Education at Cobar High School. Sue commenced teaching at CHS in 1982 and has made a great contribution to education during her career. She currently holds the dual role of Principal, Cobar High School and Principal School Leadership. Beyond Cobar High School Sue’s contributions have included: Contributing to Country Areas Program (CAP), by providing succinct advice about
schools’ needs.
Leading professional learning and providing support for deputy principals across the previous Western Region. Recognised with life membership from the both the Western NSW and NSW Deputy Principal Associations.
Active in Secondary Principal’s Council and chair of the Secondary Principal’s Council Rural Education reference group.
Ensuring the Bourke School Group was an effective and collegial group, bringing together staff in remote schools to support each other.
Being an active and involved member of the local community-netball, fundraising, community events.
Relieved as Director, Public Schools NSW.
2016 Cobar High School Athletics Carnival
Wednesday 1st June was the day set aside for our 2016 School
Athletics Carnival. The day weatherwise was 3 seasons in 1 day,
but the rain held off. Many students dressed up on the day and
these colourful and enthusiastic competitors were cheered on
by fellow students, staff and a number of family members. We
would like to thank everyone who came down to support and
encourage the students, which helped to make it a very
successful and thoroughly enjoyable day.
133 points separated the 1st and last Sport Houses. The results
being; 1st Chesney on 573 points, 2nd Great Cobar on 493
points, and a tie for 3rd with Fort Bourke and Occidental on 440
points.
We had 9 records broken and these results were announced in the last Newsletter.
2016 Athletics Age Champions are:
Girls Boys
U/12 1st Tarnia McCormack 1st Zane Taylor
2nd Tommy Rogers
U/13 1st Hannah Carroll 1st Ben Griffiths
2nd Allira Hurst 2nd Tyler Coughlan
U/14 1st Brennah Aumua 1st Dylan Boland
2nd Madasan Taylor = 2nd Alex Mahayothee
= 2nd Seb Best
= 2nd Riley Brown
U/15 1st Abby Carswell 1st Braith Good
2nd Sandie Mitchell = 2nd Jacob Christie
= 2nd Ashley Davies
U/16 1st Julieanna Barrett 1st Nicholas Buckman
= 2nd Haleigh Thornton 2nd Luke Grey
= 2nd Hannah Kriz
U/17 1st Taylah Good 1st Robert Good
2nd Kaitlyn Byrne 2nd Andrew Rorke
Congratulations to all these students and to all students and staff that participated
on the day.
Drumbeat Program (Discovering Relationships Using Music, Beliefs, Emotions, Attitudes & Thoughts)
During this Term Barnardos have been running the Drumbeat Program with a group of Year 8 students. The
Drumbeat Program aims for participants to improve self-esteem, to explore connections between making music
within a group and to assist group members in developing healthy relationships.
During the sessions the students are introduced to five core learning strategies,
which are drum songs, playing rhythm based games, conversations,
improvisation and finally a performance. Within each of these strategies
students are able to develop a variety of skills which are:
Teamwork through shared experience
Exploring peer pressure, communication and dealing with individual
emotions
Insight into key relationship issues and the different relationships that exist in real life
Promoting self-belief, creativity and flexibility in handling change within their lives
Students to recognise their achievements and their new potential to manage life
These skills were developed by the students through playing the drums, group discussions and mind mapping of
the students’ ideas on teamwork, emotions, communities and relationships.
All students participating in the program have become involved in learning the drumbeat songs and rhythms and
have shown great enthusiasm in all components of the program.
Thank you Zanette and Amanda for
running this worthwhile program with
the Year 8 students and giving them this
great opportunity to develop these
important life skills.
CHESS Cobar High School v Wellington St Marys Catholic School
Wednesday afternoon Cobar
High students Bryan Mitchell,
Tyler Whittaker-Goodwin and
Ashley Trudgett played
Wellington St Marys Catholic
School via the Internet.
Cobar High School were
defeated on a countback.
HSC Enrichment Seminars Dubbo
Bryan Mitchell, Zara Ralph, Blake Toomey and Niamh Urquart recently attended the HSC Enrichment
Seminars held in Dubbo and gained valuable information about their specific HSC subjects over the two
days. The presenters were experts in their chosen field and many had been a member of an HSC
examination committee in the past. They shared valuable information on revision strategies as well as
hints and tips for answering questions in the exam when it comes to crunch time. The four students found
the seminars to be worthwhile and were eager to share what they had learned with their teachers and
peers. They are to be congratulated on not only displaying respect to the presenters and other HSC
students at the seminars but for continuing to strive for excellence by working on their assignments when
away from school for two days. Thank you to Mrs Nicholson for organising yet another wonderful
opportunity for our Year 12 students.
A L A R M A Learning and Response Matrix
Year 11 Students following the new ALARM
procedure in their Business Studies Class.
Cobar High School ARCO (Anti-Racism Contact Officer)
Every NSW Public High School must have a trained ARCO. My name is Sue Donaldson and I am Cobar
High School’s ARCO. My role is a first contact for students and staff who experience racism in the school
environment. I can assist in identifying the issue and attempt an informal resolution. Further, if the matter
needs escalating, I can help in drafting any necessary documentation and forward the matter to the
appropriate person.
I can be contacted by telephone at Cobar High School on 02 6836 2705, in person or by email on
Each year our students are offered the opportunity to participate in external competitions run by the University of NSW, The Australian Geographical Society and the History Teachers Association of Australia. These competitions provide our students with valuable experience of testing procedures outside our school environment.
The ICAS English Competition will be held on 2nd August and the ICAS Mathematics Competition will be held on the 16th August.
We wish your student well in the competitions and thank you for supporting your child’s learning.
AECG
Meeting
Cobar Public School
Staff Room
Thursday 21st July
3:30pm
All Welcome
P & C Meeting
Tuesday 2nd August
7:00pm
School Library
All Welcome.
STUDENT INVOICES Re: General School Contribution & Elective Subject Contributions
In order to be able to provide the items used by students in their electives and to maintain a fair and
equitable distribution of consumables it is essential for all students to pay their Elective Subject
Contributions. When students elect a subject, they do so with the knowledge that they are required to pay
the advertised contribution.
Elective subject contributions (Years 9 to 12) depend on the subject(s) chosen and are payable for
consumable materials required by students for the practical component of the course.
Although General School Contributions are voluntary they are essential in enabling our school to continue
to provide a quality education to our students.
Outstanding invoices for the General School Contribution and Elective Subject Contribution fees were sent
out this week. Payments can be made to the Front Office by cheque or cash (please enclose the correct
amount) or by direct deposit.
Direct deposit details:
Cobar High School Administration Account
Westpac Bank
BSB: 032 001
Account No. 147713
Please put your student’s name on deposit to ensure correct invoice is paid.
Alternatively, fees may be paid by fortnightly payments.
What’s On - Weeks 9 & 10, Term 2
Monday 20th June: Professional Learning; Sydney: C McMurtrie
Tuesday 21st June: Professional Learning; Sydney: C McMurtrie
Wednesday 22nd June: Professional Learning; Sydney: C McMurtrie
BATYR Check in Day
PBL Advance Tier Professional Learning; Dubbo: S Carter, J Carswell, L Carswell,
B Jacobson
Thursday 23rd June: Western DP Meeting; Parkes: S Carter, J Carswell
Friday 24th June: Western DP Meeting; Parkes: S Carter, J Carswell
Monday 27th June: Professional Learning; Bourke: K Mulligan
Tuesday 28th June: Professional Learning; Bourke: K Mulligan
Wednesday 29th June: PSL Meeting; Dubbo: S Francisco
Thursday 30th June: PSL Meeting; Dubbo: S Francisco
PBL Rewards Day
Friday 1st July: DJ Workshop: Cobar Youth Centre
PBL Vision Statement
“Cobar High School strives
for excellence in a
safe and respectful
environment”.
Cobar High School PO Box 454 Wetherell Crescent, COBAR NSW 2835
