Thursday 24 November, 2016

Dear Parents and Friends of SGS, We have two weeks left of our School year which is amazing. We now prepare for the special events and activities that celebrate the year and head us to Christmas, the time when we celebrate Jesus coming as a baby for us all. I hope everyone can participate in as many of these activities and events as possible, so we can all reflect on the fantastic year we have had. We hear so much about the importance of students having resilience and we can see the challenges that come when they struggle in this area. One of the key factors that we all need to be aware of is helping our young people understand themselves, their

strengths and their weaknesses and how we encourage them to work hard in each of these areas. This is often about them understanding their differences from others and accepting themselves for who they are. Two programmes, or frameworks, we are implementing at SGS strongly support assisting students in this critical area. Building Learning Power (BLP) is focused on building students’ capacities to learn for life, and Positive Education seeks to give students that self-awareness. These are growing areas in our school that will make a difference for each student. We have received good feedback from our Year 7 – 10 camps during the week. All is going well, with students having a wonderful safe time. Important End of Year Dates

Year 6 Celebration Friday 25 November

The Yellow Cottage End of Year Celebration Tuesday 29 November

Secondary Social including new Secondary students for 2017 Wednesday 30 November

Homemade + Homegrown Twilight Markets Thursday 1 December

Whole School Carols/Foundation Sausage Sizzle Monday 5 December

K – 2 Presentation Day Tuesday 6 December

Speech Day Wednesday 7 December Paul Smart PRINCIPAL

Primary News from Mr Feeney The K-1 Athletics Fun Day on Tuesday was a wonderful morning of

enthusiastic participation in a variety of modified athletics activities, and as always, it was delightful to have the support of so many parents, relatives and friends. Thank you for making time to come along. While the weather was certainly warm, the action on the track and in the field was exciting to watch and enjoy with the students. The emphasis at this age is always on participation and fun, sportsmanship and collaboration, and we hope that through these events, we can encourage a pattern that will undergird all that develops in sport and other areas as the children get older. We have now finalised 2017 Primary Staff Class Allocations, which are detailed below: Kindergarten Sally O’Regan Julie Jones Year 1 Felicity Saunders Janine Summers Year 2 Cynthia Brice Libby Tesoriero Year 3 Janet Walsh Kate Robertson Year 4 Felicity Dowdell Trish Betts (x 2 days) / Natalie Kelly (x 3 days) Year 5 Aili Ireland Tim Holden Year 6 Damien Saunders Wendy Thomas We are looking forward to the Year 6 Celebration which will be held this Friday, 25 November, commencing with a special Chapel Service at 1:45pm; fun activities (e.g. students v staff/parents softball) from 3:30pm - 4:30pm over at the Scone Sports’ Complex and concluding with a cocktail (soft-drink) style function at the Scone Bowling Club, which begins at 5:30pm. The 2016 Primary Public Speaking Finals will be held next week on Wednesday, 30 November, from 1:00pm-3:00pm in St Luke’s Hall. Parents and friends are most welcome to attend the Public Speaking Finals which are always a most enjoyable and entertaining afternoon. Do come along if you can. Year 4G student, Clayton Porter, and his sister, Caitlin, recently participated in the Dungog Show . Clayton was awarded 1st Place in 9-13 yrs Paraders while Caitlin was awarded 2nd Place in 13-17 yrs Paraders. Caitlin was leading a heifer for ALMAR Limousins and was awarded 1st Place in 16-20 months Heifer Class, Champion Junior European Heifer, Overall Champion Heifer and Overall Supreme Exhibit. Congratulations Clayton and Caitlin on these really wonderful results. Congratulations also to Jack Henry who continues to excel in his Motocross activities. After recent end-of-season events, Jack was awarded: 3rd Place Overall in the 9-12 Years, 85cc, Cessnock A Grade competition, which comprised 6 rounds across the season, with 3 races in every round. 2nd Place Overall in the 9-12 Years 85cc, Kurri Kurri ‘Joe Elliot’ A Grade competition, which was a stand-alone event. Considering Jack had to deal with a fractured arm injury for part of the season, these are fantastic results. Jack is looking forward to moving up into the 12-16 Years 85cc Division next year. Watch this space! A reminder:

Our K-2 Presentation Morning will be held on Tuesday, 6 December, from 10:00am – 11:30am, in the marquee on the School grounds. All K-2 students should come to School as normal on Tuesday and should wear full School Summer Uniform. Students are free to go home with parents at the conclusion of the K-2 Presentation Morning programme, or may return to class if needed, with their teachers, where activities will be organised for the remainder of the day.

Term 4 will conclude on Wednesday, 7 December, 2015, with our Scone Grammar School Speech Day and Prize

Presentation, which will commence at 9:30am in the marquee on the School grounds. All students should wear full School Summer Uniform. I look forward to sharing these very special occasions with you.

Good Humour for the Week How do vets deal with Bird Flu and Swine Flu? They give birds’ tweetment, and they give pigs’ oinkment. Congratulations to Emma Turner (Year 5 Gold), Emme Mitchell (Year 5 Gold), Gus Malone (Year 4 Gold), Benjamin Froml (Year 2 Gold), Imogen Magner (Year 5 Gold) and Blossom Tanner (Year 5 Blue), who are all celebrating birthdays this week. I do wish each of these students all the best as they enjoy this special day and share the time with their family and friends.

Kinder and Year 1 Athletics Fun Day

From the Chaplain

It’s that time of the year again! Christmas is on our doorstep. As we approach the midpoint of November, Christians acknowledge a new season… ‘Advent’. This means to get ready for something; to ‘prepare’. The people before the time of Jesus’ earthy coming were exhorted to prepare themselves for the good news of the coming of the Saviour. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas at SGS this year, may we be stirred to consider how we might be preparing to receive this good news of Jesus birth this Christmas season?

What is this ‘good news’? The good news of Jesus is that He came! But more than that: the good news of Jesus is that He Himself is the good news. Without Jesus, the story is ‘incomplete’ for we would be disconnected from God. We need Jesus. This year’s theme Bible verse is again helpful! Jesus said: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me’. Jesus came in humble circumstances; something we will be reminded of again in the weeks ahead. He came in poverty so that we, who are in actual fact poor, might become rich. He came to earth as one of us and then died on the cross in our place. As we prepare for Christmas this year, may we be reminded of this good news and stirred to receive it with eagerness.

In Prayer this week: Reflect on: John 14:6 Give thanks for: God’s goodness in sending us Jesus, the resurrection and the life, so we can have a way to be friends with God; Parents, teachers and supporters who truly care for us. Pray for: For the school building project; For families and students who are ill or struggling at the moment: Year 4 and Year 10 students; For your son or daughter’s teacher/s! (specific prayer requests can be sent to prayers@sgsnsw.edu.au to be prayed for by our weekly prayer group- not published in newsletter) Rev’d Nate natkinson@sgs.nsw.edu.au

Tales from The Yellow Cottage

Community Connections are an important part of life at The Yellow Cottage. At The Yellow Cottage, creating a ‘sense of community’ is an important part of what we do. It is integral to the core themes of belonging and identity that run through the Early Years’ Learning Framework (EYLF): ‘Children learn about themselves and construct their own identity within the context of their families and communities’ (DEEWR, 2009, p. 20). Strong links with the local community also provide us with invaluable information and resources. By drawing on community knowledge and expertise, educators are better able to understand the children and families with whom they work, and are better able to provide children with learning experiences that are meaningful and relevant to their lives. Some of the links we have forged with a local community at The Yellow Cottage include Amy’s School of Ballet classes, visiting Occupational Therapist, Janet Brown, local primary schools, including as far away as Ellerston, the residents of Strathearn Village and local Indigenous people. We have participated and helped to organise National Tree Day initiatives, Community Transition to School Information Evening and National Families Week. We have loved being part of National Simultaneous Story Time, Book Week Parades and activities, Scone Literacy Long Weekend and Scone Horse Parade. These are just a few of

the important connections we have made with our local community this year.

Letter of Thanks from the O’Regan Family

Thank you to everyone in the SGS family for their ongoing support over this challenging and incredibly sad time. Alby, Daniel, Tully and I truly value everyone’s love and support and feel so blessed to be part of such a strong school community. Every hug has been needed, every kind word listened to and every prayer appreciated. Thank you for all the food. It is true that cooking and eating are certainly well off the radar so all meals have been appreciated. All the flowers do brighten up our days and the beautiful cards that share not only your feelings but many memories of our Adam. Thank you to the parents that encouraged their children to sing at the funeral. I know this was not easy for the kids but so perfect! Adam loved VoiceWorx, loved music and loved being young at heart. He would have been so proud of each child for being so brave that day. It was hard, I too had to have a red frog! Adam totally loved his life and SGS was a solid part of that. He thought our kids were so lucky to be part of something so unique and real. Of course we have seen the special qualities of our school in full swing over the past five weeks. A very special thank you to Julie Jones who has rallied to keep the Kindergarten wheel turning. And Rev Nate, Graeme and Paul who have supported us unconditionally as we face each day. All the teachers and Admin staff have been there for the kids and myself. Thank you. It is true that a new ‘normal’ does start to emerge. It’s nothing like the old one and sometimes it’s really hard to accept. However, there are still silver linings and of course there are daily blessings. The kids and I take strength from Adam and try to ‘dig deep’ each day. He really taught us all through his daily actions. Every day he would say to me ‘look what we have around us, now get up and let’s get into it’. We are holding these words close. And of course I am watching my children with total pride and love as they show resilience, courage and strength. Sending our love and endless thanks. From Sal, Tully, Alby and Daniel (Team O’).

Curriculum Corner

Lowe Wines, Mudgee- HSC Geography David Lowe of Lowe Wines in Mudgee generously gave up his entire morning on Friday, 18 November to share his knowledge and experience of the Wine Industry with our HSC Geography students. The Wine Industry is the focus for our current topic and within that study, students need to investigate an individual enterprise. Lowe Wines is our case study and David guided the class through the winery, cool storeroom, laboratory and finally the vineyard and explained how his organic vineyard and winery operated and the many local, national and international influences on his business. David’s decision to produce wine organically means there are differences in vineyard design and management which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly compared with traditional vineyards. The detailed information David provided to us about the Wine Industry, generally, and Lowe Wines specifically, consolidated and extended the understanding the students had gained in their extensive study of the topic in the classroom. Both Year 12 and I sincerely appreciate David’s support of our learning. Kate Gallagher Senior Geography Teacher

HSC Geography students: Kris Telfer, Elizabeth Croaker, Brydie Moore, Zenanee Clout, Toby Barry and Fintan

Conway at Lowe Wines.

David Lowe explaining the vineyard design to SGS HSC Geography students.

Curriculum Corner

Year 7 English Year 7 English at their creative best designing visual representations around the themes covered in the novel Blueback, by Tim Winton. The aim of the exercise was to try to incorporate each theme into their work; the sea, family, belonging and environmental sustainability. Mrs Moore

Hannah Gatwood & Alby O’Regan Sophie Inder

French at SGS Year 7 French had some fun making langues de chat dipped in chocolate, a very traditional biscuit although it is not exclusive to Christmas time Year 9/10 made a buche de Noel which is the traditional French Christmas cake (Christmas log as it looks like a log for the fireplace).

Homegrown + Handmade Markets

Not long to go now…….THUIRSDAY 1 December, 3.00pm to 8.00pm

Delightful Dinner Options from Grammar Grind Café —pizza, sushi, nachos, fish & chips Live Music Entertainment Tori Vines - 6.00pm to 8.00pm Over 50 stallholders committed……….Towarri Alpaca's, Max Loves to Grow, Charlie Loves Things, Sienna & Rosemary, Willow Craft Gifts, Ms Trix, Hetty's Creations, Corner of the Garden, Digjies with a Difference, Made for Skye Rose, Little Love-Lees, Amanda Paradice Jewellery, Harper & Willow, Ma-son & Walsh, Succulents by the Brook, Honey Bee Design, Made by Nic Jewellery, Billy & Dolly, Two Little Sisters Candle Co, Ornamental Earth, Sunny Skies & Flutterbys, Phylli Design, Mannie & me, Teapots & Tractors, Pukara Estate, Variety Childrens Charity. Stallholders under SGS Banner…...Kids Creative Corner - on the spot craft activities, SGS Factory selling Plants, Recycled Timber Products, Grammar Grind Chilli Jam, Shortbread, Xmas Cakes & Lem-on Curd, Student Art & Produce Stalls, Cake Stall, Doughnut Stall, Super Great Shakes, Louise Broom-field's Cards, Year 3 Plant Stall, Nick's & Mick's Ducks,The Yellow Cottage Gift Wrap, Year 4 Sponge Throwing, Graceful Bites, Year 4 ‘Guess How Many Balloons in the Bus’ Guessing Competition, Catie's Cakes, Upper Dartbrook Christmas Eggs, Gingerbread House, Sweets + Treats, SGS Drink Stall, SGS BBQ. A festive afternoon to relax & enjoy all that is on offer. We look forward to seeing you! __________________________________________________________________________________

Sports Photos 2016 The sports photos have arrived and can be viewed in the Library. Please feel free to come & have a look at the photos, located in the Library. These photo can also be viewed & ordered online at: www.theschoolphotographer.com.au School Online Code: S606VT34S If you wish to order please either:

Pick up an order envelopes from the Library Front Desk. Fill out/enclose payment and return to School by the 30 November 2016.

Visit the School Photographer website (above) and order/pay online

The School Photographer is aware that students may have been in a number of photos and as a re-sult of this have offered a discount for multiple photos. The photos are $16.00 each, 2 for $30.00, 3 for $42.00, 4 for $52.00 or 5 for $60.00. Any addi-tional orders over 5 photographs are $10.00 each. This discount is only available per family order. *Please note if payments are not received before photos are sent to the school, a late fee of $5 will be incurred*

Calling out to all our school families...

to help supply baked goodies for our

SGS Cake Stall

at the

Homegrown + Homemade Market

Please attach an ingredient list

Please drop off to the TTC on

Thursday 1 December

Thank you for your support

Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.trybooking.com/233121 or contact the Murrurundi Public School during School hours 65466057. If people want to contribute to this fundraiser but can’t make the event they can make a donation and or purchase raffle tickets via this same link. Also they may be interested to know that along with the performances by Chloe Hall, Finlay O’Neill, Scot Finnie (from Sydney thepianoman.com.au) and country music artist, Adam Harvey – the SGS’s very own Tori Saunders (Vines) will be performing.

Community Notices & News For Your Diary

Week 7 (A) Thursday 24 November Camps – Years 7 – 10 to 25 November Power FM Brekkie Foundation Meeting Friday 25 November Camps – Years 7 – 10 return Year 6 Celebration Week 8 (B) Monday 28 November IT students - Yrs 9, 10 & 11 - Google HQ Sydney Tuesday 29 November The Yellow Cottage end of year celebrations Wednesday 30 November Secondary School Social – Year 7 2017 invited to attend Denman Rotary Year 6 Dinner Thursday 1 December Twilight Markets Week 9 (A) Monday 5 December Foundation Carols & Sausage Sizzle commencing 6pm Tuesday 6 December K-2 Presentation Day commencing 10am Wednesday 7 December Years 3 – 12 Prize Giving Day commencing 9.30am End of Term

Canteen Roster

Week 7 (A) Wednesday 23 November Jenny Crackett, Bernadette Holz Thursday 24 November Fiona Bailey, Pip Baker Friday 25 November Fiona Bailey, Tracey Stewart, Georgie Ryan Week 8 (B) Monday 28 November Jenny Crackett, XXXXX Tuesday 29 November Fiona Bailey, XXXXX Wednesday 30 November Fiona Bailey, Belinda Sowter Thursday 1 December Jenny Crackett, Sinead Scott Friday 2 December Jenny Crackett, Erryn Day, Karen Yelverton Week 9 (A) Monday 5 December Jenny Crackett, Fiona Bailey Tuesday 6 December Jenny Crackett, Fiona Bailey

XXXXX Help wanted please

Ideas for Christmas Gifts that make a difference. Finding it hard to think of the right gift for someone - those who don’t need anything, or those who are hard to choose for?? Consider giving a gift to them that will make a real difference in the world. (and are tax deductable!) This is how it works – you decide how much you want to spend on that person. Choose a gift from the cat-alogue – maybe some school supplies, or safe water, or a goat to provide milk for a family (items range from $5 to $10,000). The money you spend gets sent through TEAR Australia to purchase those items on your behalf for someone in need. You get a card giving details about the item, which you can send to your friend or family member telling them that it has been bought on their behalf. You also get a tax deductable receipt. You may like to consider fundraising as a group and working towards one of the larger gifts E.g. a well or health worker or community school class. You can look at the catalogue and order your gifts on line at www.usefulgifts.org If you want to send a card, order in enough time for the cards to be posted out to you. You can also send ecards. Catalogues are available from the school office