1 SOUTH SCOOP Term 3 - Week 6 Friday, 30 August 2019 Designer Muffins in the Making Boundary Rd, Dubbo NSW 2830 PH 02 6882 3744 FAX 02 6882 3213 EMAIL [email protected]WEB dubbocoll-m.schools.nsw.edu.au Wk Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 7 2 September 3 September 4 September Year 7 and 10 Parent/Teacher Interviews 4.00pm to 6.00pm 5 September 6 September 8 9 September P & C Meeting 6.30pm in our School Library 10 September 11 September Year 8 and 9 Parent/Teacher Interviews 4.00pm to 6.00pm 12 September South Campus Creative Arts Night from 5.30pm 13 September Character Day come dressed as your favourite book character. 9 16 September 17 September 18 September 19 September 20 September 10 23 September DUBBO COLLEGE Celebration of Sport Evening 24 September 25 September Year 6 Afternoon Tea from 4.00pm to 5.00pm 26 September 27 September Last Day Term 3
DON’T FORGET!Please register for the new Dubbo College South Campus Parent Portal
If you haven’t already received your email with the instructions, please contact the school.
https://dcsth.sentral.com.au/portal/login
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
I would like to commence my newsletter this week by congratulating our Positive Behaviour for Learning Team and the fantastic work they are doing in regards to rewarding students who demonstrate the values of South CARES. Our fortnightly focus for the past two weeks has been ‘following staff instructions’ which assists to ensure that students can learn at their best, every lesson.
Attached to this newsletter is information regarding the introduction of our new mobile phone policy for Term 4 2019. This policy will be introduced at both South and Delroy Campuses. These letters will also be emailed to all families through our parent portal this afternoon. At the conclusion of our next P and C meeting on 9 September, parents are invited to attend an information session regarding the introduction of the YONDR pouches. This information session will commence promptly at 7.30pm in the school library.
Congratulations to all of the students who have been participating in the Serisier Cup sporting competition against Delroy Campus. The competition has been played in good spirits and we have achieved some excellent results.
Included in this newsletter is a list of items that are not able to be brought into school by our students. This is for the safety and wellbeing of staff and students and in line with Department of Education Policy. The listed items will be taken from students if they are brought to school.
Next week we are conducting Parent Teacher Interviews for Years 7 and 10, followed by Years 8 and 9 the next Wednesday. I look forward to seeing you all at these events.
Ms L MacloedPRINCIPAL
The PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) Team has been meeting fortnightly and working hard to promote CARES at South Campus. CARES is an acronym for our core beliefs: COURTESY, ACHIEVEMENT, RESPECT, EFFORT and SAFETY.
The team consists of staff and students and meetings are used to plan Acknowledgement Activities and analyse data concerning student behaviour. This data then informs the Fortnightly Focus, which is an area n which we may not be succeeding. We then reteach the required skill for positive behaviour to our students. This is done through planned activities during our P3 lessons and informally through interactions with students and staff.
Our Fortnightly Focus for weeks 5 and 6 has been “Following Staff Directions”. This has been promoted through signage, lesson activities, discussion and items at our PBL Assembly. Each fortnight will have a separate focus depending with what area of behaviour our students need additional support.
Teachers have been busy acknowledging positive student behaviour through awarding CARES Coupons. These coupons can be placed by students in the box outside the print room to enter the prize draw that is held during the PBL Assembly each term. They can also use their CARES coupons at the CARES Coupon Canteen that is held once a term. Students may also choose to purchase a ticket for the Special Acknowledgement Event that is held at the end of each term.
Upcoming dates to be aware of include the CARES Coupon Canteen which is running at lunchtime on Wednesday 25 September and the Special Acknowledgement Event (still top secret!) to be held Thursday 26 September.
PBL NEWS
BANNED ITEMS AT OUR SCHOOL
Aerosol Cans (including spray deodorants)
Balls(football, soccer, basketballs etc)
Chewing Gum
Carbonated Drinks & Sodas
Energy Drinks
All Fast Food(chips, hamburgers, etc)
Lighters and Matches
Markers(permanent and whiteboard)
Portable Speakers
Water Bombs
Designer Muffins
Girls Academy NewsGirls Academy would like to congratulate Georgie Butcher and Kiah Gordon on their successful applications to the Rising Stars Leadership Camp with Macquarie University.The two girls will be travelling to Sydney on Monday the 16 September for the three day camp. The students will be completing activities at Macquarie University, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, and at Dar-ling Harbour.Last week, eight Girls Academy students travelled to Bourke to participate in the Ronny Gibb’s 7s Gala Day.The girls played in Under 14’s Netball and made it into the semi-finals with two wins and one loss. Unfortu-nately, the girls were defeated by Warren Central but put up a good game.Well done to the girls who participated in the Dubbo Stampede on Sunday. The Dingo Dash was 5.3kms around the zoo. We would like to thank Little Athletics NSW for supporting Girls Academy with the event. Girls Academy Sports Day is on tomorrow and Friday. Ten of our girls will be playing at Delroy Campus and Charles Sturt University.The girls will be playing Netball, Basketball and League Tag against other Girls Academy schools in the region.
Mrs Cross’s Year 7 Technology Mandatory students recently completed their “Designer Muffin” assessment. Students were required to design and create a new flavour of muffin that would be suitable to sell at the schoolcanteen. These are the results of the practical component.
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CLONTARF CORNER – WEEK 6This fortnight South Campus Academy members have been busy with plenty of school sporting carnivals, Clontarf activities, primary school activities and community events. Students have been challenging themselves to achieve positive outcomes both inside and outside of the classroom. Congratulations to all those students who have stepped up and keep up the great work to make the Top Attenders Camp’.
The past fortnight, members have taken part in:
• Well done to our academy members who par-ticipated as contenders and volunteers at the Dubbo Stampede held at the Zoo last week-end. Our volunteer crew helped pack up the stands from the day’s activities.
• Well done to rugby league team members who participated in the Ross Kelly Cup which
is an annual event, held in Sydney. The tourna-ment involved all NSW Academies, our school’s representatives played with spirit.
• Some Year 10 students also availed themselves of Australian Defence Force information clinic, which was informative and gave the boys more occupational options.
• Goanna Woodworks – a selected group were chosen by our school to spend time with Tim Naden making traditional Aboriginal artefacts.
• On Wednesday and Friday mornings we run our training sessions with a large number of participants braving the cold mornings.
• During Contact Time our special guest pre-senter was a representative from our Local Greater Bank, Mary Jane. Mary ran an informa-tive session and talked to the students about goal setting and working towards monetary goals.
• We have also had a few young lads join our Clontarf staff as we start to work into our local primary schools as part of a transition program.
Character DayFriday 13 September
Come dressed as a book character and be ready to have heaps of fun.
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How Yondr Works
POUCH As students enter the phone free space they will turn their phone off and place their phone in a Yondr pouch.
SECURE Once the phone is in the pouch, it will lock. Students keep their phones throughout the day in their school bag.
Frequently Asked Questions What if I want to reach my child during the school day?
EXIT
To unlock the pouch, tap it on any unlocking base.
We want our students to be engaged in their learning. Please refrain from contacting your student during the school day. In an emergency contact the administration office on 6882 3744.
Is there a cost for the Yondr pouch? No. Students do not have to pay for their initial pouch.
What if the pouch gets damaged or is lost? The Yondr pouch is the property of Dubbo College South Campus. The school will provide a replacement pouch at a cost of $10.00 to the student.
Will my student's phone be safe? Yes. Students are in possession of their phone - in their Yondr pouch - for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch in their backpacks where it is completely safe.
What happens if my child's phone is sighted by a staff member during school hours? The mobile phone will be confiscated on the spot. Confiscated phones will be locked away securely in the school's safe. The parent/carer will be contacted to collect the phone from the school between 8.00am and 4.00pm. Phones will not be returned to students.
What happens if my child refuses to hand over their phone? Students will be issued a formal caution of suspension in accordance with the Department of Education's suspension policy. Suspension may result from continued disobedience.
How Yondr Works
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Phones reduce the amount of time students are bored. Whilst this sounds positive, research has tested and shown that boredom is a driver of creativity and productivity. Boredom allows the mind time to wander, consider complex ideas and form opinions and perspective. People exposed to small periods of boredom for example give more to charities, are kinder to others and actively become more involved in their physical and social environment. Reducing student screen time might increase some boredom but will improve their life.
Andrew Bastawrous, an ophthalmologist, says “There’s definitely a myopia epidemic. Many more people are becoming short-sighted than they were a decade ago”. This is thought to be a combination of mobile phone usage and a reducing in focusing outside on people and the environment {also affected by mobile phone usage). “The growth of the eye tends to slow down in your late teens and stop. But what’s happening is that it isn’t stopping. It seems to continue”. The implications of this are not just that there are more people needing glasses, potentially severe visual impairment can result in glaucoma retinal detachment and another retinal problems.
According to recent research people tap, swipe, and click an average of 2,617 times per day. For the top 10 percent of users, this number doubled to 5,427 touches per day. Data collected from Apple and Google show that average users unlock their phones 110 times per day. That is equivalent to six to seven times per lesson regardless of if the phone is on the desk or on silent in their pocket or bag. This shows the ‘old’ strategy is not helping our students succeed.
In the second half of last year more than a quarter of incidents recorded by teachers relate to inappropriate use of mobile phones. Over the same time the phrase “mobile phone” was written 1224 times in relation to negative student behaviour. According to research, (conducted by Spears, Keeley, Bates, & Katz}, one in five young people under 18 {20%} reported experiencing online bullying in any one year and of those incidents almost a fifth of victims are exclusively bullied through devices such as mobile phones.
The biggest lament of teachers in regard to mobile phones is that they lead to student distraction and off task behaviour. Texting a friend is a tempting diversion that many students select over being part of the lesson. Observations of student toilet usage during class time indicate that 1 in 10 toilet breaks appear to be coordinated between friends in different classes through the use of mobile phones. The amount of time students are spending out of the classroom to relieve themselves has doubled.
Teenagers who spend five or more hours a day on electronic devices are 71% more likely to have a risk factor for suicide than those who spend less than an hour a day. Young people who use screens this much are also 52% more likely to sleep less than seven hours a night - a significant amount of sleep deprivation with potential consequences for both physical and mental health. The more time young adults spend on social media, the more likely they are to be depressed or lonely. {The Guardian -12 January 2018)
Some worthwhile reading
Parent/Teacher NightsWednesday 4 September Yrs 7 and 10Wednesday 11 September Yrs 8 and 9
