Our Mission: To provide a quality comprehensive and inclusive educational environment where all students can achieve Newsletter also on the web at cowrahigh.net Principal: Charles Gauci B.Ed., Dip.T. Deputy Principal: Paul Bullock B.Sc., Dip.Ed. Deputy Principal: Ian Pattingale B.App.Sc., Dip.Ed.
Volume 2014 Issue 14
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT I hope everyone who attended the Cowra Show found time to visit the Cowra High stand. The work on display was outstanding & highlighted the exceptional talent of our students. This year the stand made a point of highlighting the tremendous breadth of our school curriculum. We are, I believe, justifiably proud of the variety of subjects we offer & deliver to Cowra students. Having such choice ensures our commitment to all students and provides a great starting point for their future. At the Show I had the great pleasure of launching our new school website ~ cowrahigh.net. Please take time to visit the site, you might be surprised by what’s going on in our school. You can also link to our Facebook page for upto-date information. Stay tuned in the near future for the launch of our Cowra High App which will provide another avenue to share information on your phone or tablet device. We are proud of our great school and we want you to know why.
Friday 19 September, 2014 the many years, it has been in the quality of the relationships he has developed with his students. Mr Myers is known by students & staff for his quirky humour which always results in a smile, if not a full laugh. His easy going manner and generosity will be missed by all. As one Year 7 student commented to me this week about Mr Myers’ retirement, “Aah, he’s a cool teacher”. Bob, enjoy the rest, your horses and never forget the difference you made to so many students.
On Thursday, we farewelled Year 12 with their final school assembly. It was wonderful being able to present so many Gold Medallions to such worthy students. The assembly was both touching and humorous ~ a fitting way to end the formal stage in their secondary schooling. On behalf of Cowra High staff, I wish the students the very best for their upcoming HSC examinations ~ work hard during the next few weeks, stay focused, but keep it all in perspective. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Graduation Dinner in all their finery. Congratulations to the Cowra High dancers performing in the State Dance Festival in Sydney. Students are only chosen to perform at this festival after successfully passing through a highly competitive selection process. Our regular selection is a true reflection of the wonderful outcomes being achieved in Dance at Cowra High. Bon voyage to the Cowra High students who are spending their holidays jetting off to Japan with Ms Smith, Mrs Perkins & Mr Tapscott. This will be an incredible opportunity to experience and be immersed in another culture with significant educational value. We must thank our Seikei High sister school who are not only ensuring the students experience as many important Japanese cultural sites, but are also providing the opportunity for the students to experience true Japanese life by billeting our students with their families. The end of Term 3 also sees the retirement of Industrial Arts Teacher, Mr Robert Myers. Mr Myers has been a member of the Cowra High staff since 1990. His contribution to the students of Cowra has not only been in terms of
Until Term 4, have a safe a restful holiday. Charles Gauci
TERM 4 Tuesday 7 October School resumes
PO Box 72 • Dowell Street • Cowra 2794 • Telephone: 02 6342 1766 Facsimile: 02 6342 1578 • Email: cowra-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au We value support ~ there’s always someone there to help
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COWRA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER MACBETH EXCURSION
WORLD PEACE DAY
On Wednesday 10 September a group of keen students and teachers ventured to Sydney to see the ever imposing Hugo Weaving on stage in Macbeth. Weaving & the cast were at their best in this modern adaptation of the text.
Tuesday 16 September was the United Nations World Peace Day. As Cowra is home to Australia’s world peace bell, each year the Cowra Chapter of the World Peace Bell Association organises a dinner & guest speaker to observe this occasion. Guest speaker at the dinner hosted by Rotary, was John Albrecht from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Sydney Theatre was transformed into an intimate setting with the audience re-positioned on the stage and the theatre an empty backdrop to the performance. The audience was treated to an up-close, personal view of the actors & their performance and we felt as though we were a part of the production. Hugo Weaving delivered a faultless performance and he played the conflicted Macbeth perfectly. He delivered his lines powerfully and enabled the audience to connect with this tortured version of Macbeth. Students were lucky enough to have Q & A with the cast and our students from Cowra High asked insightful and thought provoking questions. Thank you to all the students for their exemplary behaviour and to Mr Phil Roxburgh, our trusty bus driver, and Ms Rachel Elwin for accompanying us on the excursion. Anne Maree Rice English Teacher
A highlight of the dinner is the awarding of senior and Youth Peace awards. Eleven Cowra High students ranging from Years 8 to 12 were nominated as either individuals or as members of the group of Breakout 70th Anniversary Youth Ambassadors for the Youth Peace Award. Cowra High is proud of all these fine young people for their most worthy nominations ~ Dylan Oliver, Jessie McLean, Maddy Jones, Luke Reid, Yoshi Kondo, Tayla Garratt, Isabelle Lloyd, Emma Rowston, Lily Shingles, Lucy Wilson & Olivia Perkins. Congratulations to Vice Captain, Dylan Oliver, who was named as the recipient of the Youth Peace Award for 2014 ~ well done Dylan. COWRA HIGH DANCERS PERFORM AT STATE DANCE FESTIVAL This week saw two lots of dancers from our school perform in the prestigious State Dance Festival held at the Seymour Centre in Sydney. First up were the members of the Cowra High Dance Company who performed a dance titled The Bridal Train on Wednesday evening. The Company comprised 22 students from Years 7 to 12 who have been expertly prepared by Mrs Alison Buckley.
Macbeth
Macbeth photos courtesy of Sydney Theatre Co.
Today, Year 9 students,Imajen James & Jesse Murray, performed with the NSW Public Schools Aboriginal Dance Company which ended the 2014 State Dance Festival. Imajen & Jesse had spent the preceding four days preparing for their performance under the guidance of Bangarra Dance Theatre. Only the very best dancers are chosen for the State Dance Festival so it is indeed an honour for Cowra High to feature so prominently with so many dancers.
Cowra High Dance Company Bridal Train
PO Box 72 • Dowell Street • Cowra 2794 • Telephone: 02 6342 1766 • Facsimile: 02 6342 1578 • Email: cowra-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
COWRA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER PBL MERIT SCHEME NEWS Term 3 has been a very busy term for PBL and the Merit Scheme.
Page 3 In Week 7 there was a sausage sizzle for senior students who are on Gold Eagle award level in the merit scheme and in Week 9 for junior students.
At the Week 7 & 8 assemblies nearly 100 Gold Eagle Certificates were awarded. These were mainly to Year 12 students but also included students from Years 7, 8, 9 & 11. It is wonderful to see so many students progressing through the Merit Scheme. Year 12 students who reached Gold Medallion status were presented with their medallions at their final assembly yesterday.
Also this term there have been special Year barrel draws for Years 8, 9, 11 & 12. Year 10s will occur early next term. There has been a PBL barrel draw at nearly every assembly this term which has seen many prizes won. Special thanks to Mr Embroidery, Bushmans Boots & All and Sportspower for their ongoing sponsorship and thank you to new sponsors McDonalds Cowra & Eagle Boys Pizza.
Following is a list of the students who were awarded Gold Eagle Certificates at recent assemblies.
Mary Bullock Merit Scheme Co-ordinator
Year 7 ~Tegan Ashlin, Emerson Baratto, Maddison Brooks, Alana Bush, Nicola Carter, Luke D'Elboux, Phoebe Farrell, Brodie Graham, Mitchell Hatch, Georgia Keppie, Shiayn Newham-Gregg, Noah Ryan, Ellee White, Drew Willis & Lochie Wilson. Year 8 ~ Sarah Gardiner, Shania Ambachtsheer, Glenda Brien, Samantha Davis, Jaylee Dunn, Georgia Lewis, Olivia Perkins, Chantell Rhodes, Patrick Ryan, Jade Te Weehi, Victoria Thompson & Montana Walker Year 9 ~ Tayla Garratt, Erin Johns & Emma Rowston Year 11 ~ Caitlin Devery, Paige Ellis, Alyssa Hindmarch, Drew Johnstone, Alexander Lazarou, Kate Lewis, Goldie Oliver, Luke Reid, Matthew Rowston, Vivienne Wells & Thomas Wheatley Year 12 ~ Jemma Banham, Kayla Banks, Sancia Baratto, Grace Barron, Eliza Braddon, Kaitlyn Brooks, Jessica Brown, Bernadette Buckley, Abbey Bull, Breeanna Burns, Brock Cameron, Dominic Carter, Luke Cassidy, Benjamin Clements, Andrew Dedoncker, Shailee Dolbel, Meghan Duncan, Cameron Edgar, Mae Eldridge, Jessica Francis, Monique Gillespie, Brody Hannan, Dana Hannan, Katiya Haran, Taylor Harding, Jessica Harris, Brodie Hart, Lucas Hayes, Millie Healey, Curtis Hibberson, Hayley Hodgkinson, Tylah Jeffries, Keira Kachel, Bonnie Keys, Cloe Lynch, Cheryce Mayo-Simmons, Courtney McGregor, Jessie McLean, Thomas McNamara, Joshua Mills, Courtney Mossman, Hannah Murphy, Emily Murphy, Bradley Napoli, Samantha Nicholson, Dylan Oliver, Lochlan Philpott, Naomi Reid, Bianca Riggio, Jasio Rimene, Stephanie Roots, Finlay Rowston, Geoffrey Symons, Jessica Tarrant, Kaitlynn Trethewey, Georgina Veney, Brandon Vickary, Daniel White & Alex Wilson
Year 12 Gold Eagles
T’Sharnah Murray was a recent winner of the $50 Visa Card donated by Mr Embroidery
PO Box 72 • Dowell Street • Cowra 2794 • Telephone: 02 6342 1766 • Facsimile: 02 6342 1578 • Email: cowra-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
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COWRA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER VACCINATION CLINIC
The third HPV vaccination for all Year 7 students and Year 9 boys has been scheduled for Friday 24 October ~ we encourage students to be at school on this day. P&C NEWS Thanks to staff & parents who came along to our meeting earlier this month at the Cowra Services Club ~ it was lovely to see some new members in attendance. At our meeting we were lucky to have Mrs Louise Rowston attend, who showed us some amazing photos of students’ work completed within the Technical and Applied Science faculty. It was very interesting to hear of the many diverse opportunities which are available through this faculty, and the excellent facilities available to students at Cowra High. One of the issues discussed at out meeting were the changes to Year 9 & 10 electives in 2015, when students will have the opportunity to study three electives. Parents were assured at the meeting by the Principal that this change will result in no reduction of teaching time for key learning areas in English, Maths & Science, and will provide students with an increased range of subject choices. The release recently of NAPLAN results suggest that Australia has a significant equity problem in education, and little progress has been made in alleviating disadvantage in recent years. The Government's proposed $1.2 billion cut for NSW schools by not honouring the Gonski funding arrangements will result in fewer staff, resources and less support for students with higher needs after 2017. These planned changes will impact our students and I would urge parents to register their support for the Gonski funding model at www.igiveagonski.com.au, if they have not already done so. On behalf of the P&C Association, I would like to wish our Year 12 students and their families the best of luck for their upcoming HSC examinations. Our association is not meeting again until November, due to the school holidays, and our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 5 November 2014 at 7:30pm at the Cowra Services Club. Please consider coming along to this meeting to meet other parents & staff, and have a say about your child's education. Trisha Long President
STATE AFL REPRESENTATION This week, Brahe-Ashlie Reid of Year 9, has been in Brisbane, where she represented NSW/ACT, following her selection in the state Indigenous Girls AFL team. Although NSW lost their first game against South Australia, Brahe starred by scoring 2 goals. Brahe received a knock to the head in their next game which was won by the strong Northern Territory team. We look forward to hearing further state game reports and to welcoming back our latest state representative sports person. NEW SCHOOL WEBSITE cowrahigh.net Last week at the Cowra Show we launched the new website for Cowra High School. The new address is cowrahigh.net ~ check it out!! The site is fully device responsive so you can access it easily on your phones or tablets as well. The site has been completely designed and constructed by staff at Cowra High, with no outside assistance, and is a great showcase of all the amazing things that happen at the school. The new site is very easy to keep up-to-date and so is a great source of up-to-date information for parents, students & staff. Over the remainder of this year we will add more & more web pages and functionality to the site, with the aim of making the site as useful as possible. If you have any questions or ideas for the site fill in the contact form on the site and send your ideas through to Steve Howard at the school.
A better educated generation A better future for our nation
PO Box 72 • Dowell Street • Cowra 2794 • Telephone: 02 6342 1766 • Facsimile: 02 6342 1578 • Email: cowra-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
COWRA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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YEAR 12 DRESS-UP WEEK Staff and students from Years 7 – 11 have been kept entertained over the last few days as Year 12 celebrated their final week of school by dressing-up in clothes to represent a special daily theme. This began last Thursday when the theme was “Thrift Shop Thursday” which saw an amazing array of outfits sourced from Vinnies and the Salvation Army store, plus some from their parent’s wardrobes. The next day was “Something Beginning with F Friday”, where fairies, felines, football players, farmers, fitness instructors and the Flintstones were on display. Monday’s theme was “What I want to be when I grow up”, where students dressed as labourers, scientists, explorers, firemen and even Bat Woman and Superwoman. Then it was “Bogan Tuesday”, which saw flannelette shirts feature prominently. Finishing on Wednesday the theme was “Gender Bender” ~ the boys made beautiful girls while the girls were handsome males.
Something starting with F Friday
Well done Year 12 and best of luck in the HSC exams.
When I grow up Monday Thrift Shop Thursday
Bogan Tuesday
PO Box 72 • Dowell Street • Cowra 2794 • Telephone: 02 6342 1766 • Facsimile: 02 6342 1578 • Email: cowra-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
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COWRA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
PARENT TRAINING PROGRAM There is a two day Parent Training & Information course for parents of students with Autism on 25 & 26 November in Cowra. The course is highly recommended and is available to parents on the Positive Partnerships website. The course will help parents to better understand their child and to support them and manage them more effectively. http://www.positivepartnerships.com.au/public/ index.cfm
Bike Week Europa Park Saturday 20 September 10am
COWRA JUNIOR CRICKET Summer is coming …and so is the 2014/2015 junior cricket season. See you at the following registration days at Sportspower. Friday 19 September at 4pm Saturday 20 September at 10am COWRA SWIMMING CLUB
Bike Safety & Road Rules
Cowra Swimming Club 2014/15 season registrations will be held at the Cowra Aquatic Centre on: Saturday 27 September 10am – 1pm Thursday 2 October 4 – 6pm
Freebies BBQ Drinks Proudly provided by Cowra Shire Council, Rotary Club of Cowra, Cowra PCYC and NSW RMS
Cowra Swimming Club caters for all ages and levels of swimmers. The first club night will be Tuesday 7 October at 6pm. Further enquiries call Kerry Lewis on 0428 600 450.
CRAFTY KIDS RETUNE All free-to-air TV channels in Cowra will change frequencies on Wednesday 24 September which means that viewers will need to retune their digital TV, set-top box or digital TV recorder. Viewers should wait until after 3.30pm on 24 September before attempting to retune their equipment. Retuning is done by using the remote ~ for most systems viewers should press the ‘menu’ button on their remote and follow the prompts to retune.
Free art and craft session for kids during the holidays ~ suitable for 9 years up. When: Time: Where:
Tues day 23 & Wednesday 24 Sept 10am to 3pm Cowra Information & Neighbourhood Centre, 5 Vaux St
A light lunch & refreshments will be provided. Bookings are essential due to limited places by phoning 6342 4900. This project is proudly supported by Chance’s Clothes Project, Family & Community Services and Cowra Information & Neighbourhood Centre Inc.
PO Box 72 • Dowell Street • Cowra 2794 • Telephone: 02 6342 1766 • Facsimile: 02 6342 1578 • Email: cowra-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au