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 1 Moorambilla Auditions Thursday 17th March, ……………….. Easter Friday Holiday 25th March Easter Monday Holiday 28th March ……………….. Rugby League Wednesday 30th March ……………….. Parent Teacher Interviews Wednesday 30th March 5pm-7pm School MPC ……………….. Year 12 Half Yearly Exams Monday 4th April - Friday 8th April ……………….. SALT Workshop Girls Years 8-11 Wednesday 6th April ……………….. PBL Rewards Day Thursday 7th April ………………... Last Day of School Term 1 Friday 8th April NEWSLETTER 10th March, 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: Brock Ford
Year 12: Daniel Inkley
SRC Co-Ordinator: Chris Marshall
Girls Adviser: Leanne Carswell
VALID Year 8 2015 Reports for student achievement in the Validation of Assessment 4 Learning and Individual Development (VALID Science 8) arrived in the school this week. Individual student reports were sent home this week. It is very encouraging to see that the percentage of students at Level 5 & 6 from 2014 has increased by: Overall - 2%, Extended responses - 10%, Knowing and understanding - 8% , and Problem Solving - 14%. We still have some work to do on Planning and Conducting Investigations. Congratulations to the students involved and to the Science staff for their efforts.
Professional Learning Our strong focus on the teaching of literacy is beginning to pay dividends as can be seen from the VALID results mentioned above. During the last two weeks we have had staff attend training in two programs that will be implemented at Cobar High School. The first one was 2LS (Secondary Learning Strategy) which includes embedding literacy and numeracy teaching strategies in each Key Learning Area. The second one was ALARM (A Learning and Response Matrix) which is a structure for writing extended responses. This will initially be introduced into Years 11 & 12. Staff who are attending the training, will teach other staff in our Professional Learning periods, how to implement these strategies.
Attendance It is vitally important that every student attends school. This means being at school on time every day and for every lesson. Students should have a legitimate reason for not attending school. Excellent attendance is not only vital for success but also a life skill for the workforce.
BYOD In November last year, we launched our Bring Your Own Device Policy. This is open to all students. Students who wish to participate, should see the Front Office or Head Teachers to gain information and the necessary paperwork. However, this is still in its infancy. Parents do not need to rush out and buy a device. Student use of a device in the classroom is through teacher direction.
Driving Students to School If you are driving your student to school, please drop the student at a gate on the perimeter. It is particularly important that parents do not drive into the MPC carpark. It is only a one way road and not safe for lots of traffic. If you are driving your student to school and they are late and you need to speak to the Front Office, please park in the visitor car park near the Front Office. Your cooperation in this is greatly appreciated.
Schools Spectacular We are once again auditioning for Schools Spectacular. Hopefully our audition tape will be successful. Sue Francisco
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.
Invoices for the General School Contribution and Elective Subject Contribution fees have been recently posted.
We would appreciate payment at your earliest convenience. 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 2 payments (beginning of Term1 and Term 3) or by fortnightly payments.
Regional Swimming Carnival
Dubbo
On Thursday 3rd March, 7 students attended the Regional
Swimming Carnival held at the Dubbo Aquatic Centre. We
would like to congratulate these students on making it to the
Regionals and on their excellent results with most of them
swimming Personal Best times.
Makaila Gordon had an excellent day making it to State Level
in 4 events and obtaining PB’s in these events also. In the
100m Breaststroke she improved her previous PB by 7 seconds,
a huge achievement.
We would like to thank
all the parents that
were able to take our
students to Dubbo for
the School Regional
Swimming Carnival.
Open Girls Soccer Team Cobar v Bourke
The Open Girls Soccer team, played a tough game with maximum effort from start to finish. The team camaraderie and enthusiasm that stemmed from captain Annie Mugugia and Vice-captain Taylah Good did not wither as the score slowly but surely increased to 7-1 in Bourke’s favour. With the support of her team mates, Georgie Buckman managed to sneak past Bourke’s solid defence line and scored a fantastic goal for Cobar High School which was a definite highlight of the game. Everyone played to the best of their ability in the hot weather and worked well as a team that were playing together for the first time after only one training session. Well done ladies! A special mention and thank you must be made to Thomas Jones (referee), Jordan Menadue and Ben Griffiths (linesman) who did an excellent job as the Match Officials. We would also like to thank Cobar Soccer Club and the Cobar Shire Council for assisting us in hosting a successful home game at Ward Oval and to the parents and friends who provided support and refreshments during the game.
Lyndsay Klopper
Open Boys and Girls Touch Football
Cobar v BourkeOn Friday the 4th of March the Open Boys and Girls Touch
Football teams travelled to Bourke to play in the first round
of the Combined High Schools Touch Football knockout
competition.
The Girls played first and started well against Bourke
defending their line and taking their time in attack, being
conscious to not force any errors. Bourke scored first in the
11th minute, creating an overlap on the outside to score in
the corner. The Cobar girls did not let this get to them and
quickly retaliated, with Brennah Aumua slipping through
Bourke’s defence to even the score a minute later. The
score only remained level for two minutes, when Bourke
created another overlap on the outside and scored again,
taking it to 2-1.
During the second half, Cobar’s defence was strong, preventing Bourke from scoring again. In attack they had
another two opportunities to score through an overlap on the outside by Zoe Carter and a break by Kaitlyn
Byrne, however Bourke were too quick and were able to tag both players before they could put the ball down.
The Boys played second and got off to a
great start with two tries by Braith
Good in the opening 10 minutes. Bourke
scored not long after, but Cobar’s attack
was too strong and
Luke Grey crossed
the line in the 13th
minute. Bourke
scored again just
before half-time to
take the score to 3-2
Cobar’s way.
The second half was just as exciting to watch as the first half, with a number of tries being
scored between both teams. Braith scored again in the 3rd minute, quickly followed
by another try to Bourke. Nick Buckman then scored to increase Cobar’s lead by
two, however Bourke closed the gap to a one point difference scoring minutes later.
Henry Brookman then sealed the game with an intercept try in the 13th minute.
Bourke scored again close to full-time, however did not have enough time to level
the score before the end of the game. The final score was 6-5 Cobar’s way. The
Boys will now progress to the second round and are due to play Nyngan.
All students’ are to be congratulated on the exemplary behavior and sportsmanship
they displayed on the day. Cobar High would also like to thank David Gordon for
driving the bus and Tina Gordon for taking photos on the day, it was very much
appreciated by both staff and students.
Cobar High School Students are
MAD ABOUT SCIENCE!! Questacon visits our School.
On Wednesday the students at Cobar High School were treated to a visit from
Questacon in Canberra. It was designed to develop the student’s skills in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The sessions were based around how innovations are developed from the prototype
through to the finished product and the necessary problem solving skills required
along the way.
The first task was to make cardboard objects that would sink, hover and fly in the
wind tunnels provided. The challenge was made for the group to make over 70
different prototypes with all groups exceeding this amount. The next session was
called ‘What Would MacGyver Do?’ and revolved around developing a solution
based upon a few simple items.
I would like to thank Mrs Klopper for organising the day.
Cobar Junior
Soccer –
2016 Winter Season
Online registration now open. All registrations to be completed online by:
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. Dates for 2016 entry fees and competition dates are:
Payment must be received by the due dates, or if you prefer, several/all entries may be paid in advance. It would be appreciated if correct money (cash or cheque) could be brought to the Administration Office as we do not carry change and we do not have eftpos facilities.
All students are invited to participate in any/all of the competitions. If your student is not in a Select Class, information and return slips may be obtained from Year Advisers or the Front Office. We wish your student well in the competitions and thank you for supporting your child’s learning.
Subject Entries and Payment to CHS close Test Date Entry Fee
Australian Geography (Available only to students in
Select Classes)
31 March 2016 As per Invoices mailed 24.02.16
16-27 May 2016 $3.00
Australian History (Years 8 & 10 only)
24 March 2016 25 May 2016 $6.00
ICAS Digital Technologies (formerly called Computer
Skills)
24 March 2016 17 May 2016 $8.00
ICAS Science 27 April 2016 31 May 2016 $8.00
ICAS Writing 4 May 2016 14 June 2016 $17.00
ICAS Spelling (Year 7 only) 4 May 2016 15 June 2016 $11.00
ICAS English 10 June 2016 2 August 2016 $8.00
ICAS Mathematics 10 June 2016 16 August 2016 $8.00
The 2016 Premier's Reading Challenge opens on 7 March!
Dear Parents and Carers,
Your child will take part in this year's NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC). This is a program that encourages students to read quality fiction and non-fiction books from a selected list nominated by the premier's office. The list can be found on: https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html
What does the challenge involve?
Children are to read the books on their own or be read to by parents/carers. For years 7-9 students need to read 20 books,15 of these books must be on the PRC booklists and 5 books can be their own free choice.
PRC books can be found in our school library and in the local council library. Students can borrow PRC books from the school library at recess or lunch time.
In addition, all books can either be read in paper format, or electronically on eReaders, Kindles, iPads, or in audio format on CDs, DVDs, iPhones, Smartphones or iPod Touch.
All books need to be read and recorded online by 26th
August (11:59 pm).
PRC Certificates will be awarded in December.
All the information is contained on the PRC website including the booklist for each level of the challenge:
https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
How to participate:
Students can begin their reading now and log on from 7th March. To log on:
1 Go to the PRC website https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html, or Google Premier's Reading Challenge NSW 2016.
2 Select the "log on" button from the menu on the left of the PRC website
3 Enter the student's DEC user name and password. (This is the same as the one used by students to access the internet at school). 4 Enter the PRC ID code (found on the reading lists) for each book the student has read.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
In Term 1 2016, your school is taking part in the Tell Them From Me student survey. The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey to help them improve. The survey is completed on-line and is run by an independent research company, The Learning Bar, which specialises in school-based surveys.
Staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. Where fewer than five students respond to a question, the results will be suppressed. The survey typically takes 30 minutes or less to complete and will be administered by the school during normal school hours. Once the surveys are completed by students, reports are prepared and in most cases are available to schools within three business days.
As well as schools getting student feedback, the Department of Education, through the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE), has access to data from across NSW and is running a research project to look at state-wide patterns of student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices. The research is looking at how these things impact on student outcomes, including academic performance. Individual students and schools will not be identified in any CESE publications, and all information will be handled in accordance with the relevant privacy legislation. Students’ personal information will not be disclosed by the Department to any other person or body other than as required by law.
This research will help schools in New South Wales to better understand how to improve student wellbeing and engagement. It will also help teachers and principals discuss what works to improve student outcomes.
Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. Your child will not take part if either you or your child do not wish. If, during the survey, your child is uncomfortable answering any question, he/she should leave it blank and move on to the next question. Your child can stop the survey at any time.
If you do not want your child to take part in the survey, please complete the attached form and return it to your child's school by Thursday, 24th March 2016.
More information about the survey and the research is available in English on the CESE website: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents
Sue Francisco / Shane Carter Dr Jenny Donovan Co Principals Executive Director Cobar High School Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation
CENTRE FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS AND EVALUATION WWW.CESE.NSW.GOV.AU
Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation
Tell Them From Me student surveyFrequently Asked Questions (parents and carers)
1. What is the Tell Them From Me student survey?The Tell Them From Me student survey asks questions about factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other outcomes. It aims to help improve the learning outcomes of students. The survey is designed to measure, assess and report insights from the student point of view at the school and system levels. The focus of this NSW survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.
2. What kind of questions will the survey ask?The survey questions relate to the following 18 measures for primary schools:
Participation in sports
Behaviour at school
Effective learning time
Participation in extra-curricular
activities
Homework behaviour
Teaching relevance
Sense of belonging
Interest and motivation
Teaching rigour
Positive relationships
EffortExperience of being bullied
Valuing school outcomes
Skills and learning challenge
Advocacy at school
Positive teacher student relations
Expectations forsuccess
Positive learningclimate
The survey questions relate to the following 22 measures for secondary schools:
Participation in sports
Homework behaviour
Expectations forsuccess
Positive learning climate
Participation in clubs
Behaviour at school
Experience of being bullied
TruancySense
of belonging
Interest and motiviation
Effective learning time
Aspirations: finishing Year 12, University, TAFE
Positive relationships
Effort Teaching relevance
WellnessValuing
school outcomesPositive learning
climate
Teaching rigourAdvocacy at school
Advocacy outside school
Positive teacher student relations
− −
3. How have schools been selected to take part?The survey is open to all NSW government schools at no cost to them. Your child’s school has decided to participate.
CENTRE FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS AND EVALUATION WWW.CESE.NSW.GOV.AU
4. How will taking part in this survey benefit my child’s school?The Tell Them From Me student survey will provide school principals and school leaders with insight into student engagement, wellbeing and effective teaching practices at their school, from the perspective of students.
Data collected from the survey responses are quickly compiled into reports for school leaders. Principals can then use this information to help them identify emerging issues and plan for school improvement.
5. What does my child need to do to participate in the survey?The survey typically takes less than 30 minutes and is conducted entirely online through a secure website operated by the survey developers, The Learning Bar. Schools will make computers or laptops available so that students can complete the survey during school hours.
6. Does my child have to participate?No, participation in the survey is optional. Your child will not take part if either you or your child do not wish. If, during the survey, your child is uncomfortable, he/she can choose to stop the survey at any time. The majority of questions in the survey can be skipped. Parents/students have a right to apply for access to, and correction of, a student’s information.
7. Will the school be able to identify my child from their responses?Staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. Where
fewer than five students respond to a question, the results will
not be made available.
8. What sort of analysis will be done of the survey data?Once the surveys are completed by students, reports are prepared and in most cases are available to schools within three business days. School leaders can use the data to better understand the experiences and views of students at their school.
The results will help all schools better understand the relationship between wellbeing, engagement, effective teaching and student learning. Results from CESE’s analysis of this data will also help teachers and principals discuss what works to improve student outcomes. This supports the Department’s continuing focus on quality teaching and leadership. The data will be retained for future analysis to help us better understand the nature of student engagement and wellbeing over time.
9. Can all school students participate in the survey?The primary school survey is designed for students in Years 4 to 6. Schools are encouraged to allow as many students as possible in these Year groups to participate. Secondary schools are encouraged to allow as many students as possible in Years 7 to 12 to participate.
10. When will the Tell Them From Me survey happen?The surveys will be conducted in all participating schools at the
end of Term 1 and (optionally) Term 3.
What is CESE?The Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) is part of the Department of Education.
CESE has been established to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of education in New South Wales. CESE will identify and share what works, creating new opportunities to improve teaching and learning across all of education.
More information about CESE is available at: www.cese.nsw.gov.au
What is The Learning Bar?The Learning Bar is a Canadian education company that specialises in school surveys for both primary and secondary students. Its survey, Tell Them From Me, is the largest national school survey in Canada, used in nine of Canada’s ten provinces. More than 2,600 schools and 1.7 million Canadian students have participated in the survey over the last nine years. Australian schools have been participating in the Tell Them From Me surveys since 2012.
The Learning Bar is led by Dr J Douglas Willms. Dr Willms is a Professor and Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy at the University of New Brunswick, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Literacy and Human Development. Dr Willms led the development of questions on student engagement for the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
More information about The Learning Bar is available at: www.thelearningbar.com
If you have any questions about the parent survey, please contact CESE via email: [email protected] or by telephone: 9561 8056 /9561 8688 /9561 8370.
Tell Them From Me Student Feedback Survey non-consent form
If you do not want your child to participate in the student feedback survey, please sign this form and return it to the front office by Friday, 24th March 2016.
I DO NOT give consent for my child/children to participate in the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. Name of student/s …………………………………………………………………………….. Year ……………………………………………………………………………………. Name of parent/carer ………………………………………………………………………...
Signature of parent/carer …………………………………………………………………….
