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Strive to Achieve Term 2 Week 2
1st May, 2017
Value of the Week
Respect. We respect the rights of others, ourselves & the school in an environment of harmony & personal responsibility. Do you respect yourself, respect others & take responsibility for your own actions?
School Calendar
May
2 Years 7&8 School Liaison
Police Visit
2-4 Year 3, 5, 7 & 9 NAPLAN
3 Secondary Athletic Carnival
4-5 Year 12 UNE Open Day
5 Years 9-12 Tocal Field Day
11 Years 10&11 “Try a Skill Day”
26 Years 11&12 HSC Singleton
31-2/6 Years 3&4 Aussie Bush Camp
Meetings are held at BCS every second Wednesday
of the month 4:00pm 10th May 14th June
8 Meade Street, Bulahdelah 2423
P 02 4997 4329 F 02 4997 4512
Remembering the Fallen
Lest We Forget
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PRINCIPAL’S REPORT:
NAPLAN The National Assessment Program –
Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will take place next week starting on
Tuesday, 2nd May, and run for three days. It is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 and has been an every day part of the school calendar since 2008. NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy. There is no argument that literacy and numeracy are the foundation skills of education and are therefore rightly the focus of a national assessment program. The National Assessment Plan for Literacy and Numeracy is doing what it was designed to do - provide a report card on school, state and national progress in the fundamental areas of reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy.
NAPLAN tests are a very useful tool for our teachers and the schools in that the results guide the development of teaching programs for literacy and numeracy. I know there is some debate out in the community about these assessments and how useful they are for individual students and the general public. Like all forms of testing, standardised tests (NAPLAN) have their limitations and as such should not be the sole measure used to inform a student about their level of achievement.
NAPLAN is just one test on one day of the year (a moment in time test) and we need to keep in mind that NAPLAN was actually designed as a diagnostic test for students. As a school we analyse the data and put in place strategies to remediate any areas that are shown to be of concern and the data over time can be of great benefit to tell us how we are going. For students, it tells them that 'at this point in time you have these skills’ and can point them in the direction of the work required to improve.
NAPLAN is not a test that students can prepare for in the same way they might prepare for an end of term test. NAPLAN tests skills can develop and improve over time and these skills are continuously developed throughout the year. The best way to be prepared or study for NAPLAN is to engage in what is happening each and every day in the classroom.
As a school we make a concerted effort to ensure that our students are well prepared by working with them in the lead up so they get a good understanding on the type and format of questions they will be subjected to in the tests. NAPLAN tests are not designed to trick students but we want to ensure that each student isn’t confronted by an entirely new format of testing, especially our Year 3 students.
We also know everyone gets stressed during tests and exams, even the people who say that they don't. So it is important that we treat the test days as a normal school day. But if you have any concerns about your child and the NAPLAN assessments please contact your child’s teacher or Year Advisers. Don Hudson
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DEPUTY PRINCIPAL:
Welcome to Term 2. We started the term with a productive Staff
Development Day where our staff participated in training that involved:
· planning future directions for the school · reflecting on data · Work, Health and Safety training regarding
respectful relationships and
· planning for the new Syllabus implementation.
We also welcomed our Relieving Head Teacher Mathematics, Mr Andrew Watt who will be replacing Mr Holt while he is on leave. On Tuesday, 25th April, I had the pleasure of marching with students who represented our school, either within the school group or in one of the community groups to acknowledge and remember others on ANZAC Day.
Congratulations to all the students, staff and parents who got involved, either at Bulahdelah or in their local community. I would also like to acknowledge the organisers and presenters of the ANZAC Day March and service. It is through their hard work and efforts that we have the opportunity to remember and reflect on loved ones. We held our own ANZAC Service as a formal assembly when our students returned to school on Wednesday. We were also fortunate enough to have a number of community representatives attend. Particular thanks must go to the English/CAPA (Creative & Practical Arts) faculty for their organisation of the event which highlighted some of our students’ special talents. All students are to be praised for their behaviour throughout the ceremony.
This term also sees the start of our Year 11 students beginning their HSC Courses. In our
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Vertical Senior Curriculum pattern of study, both our Year 11 and 12 students will undertake the HSC exams at the end of this year. Later this term, I will be discussing the School Captain Nomination process with our Year 11 students as we prepare for the voting and announcement of the students that will represent us for the next calendar year. Also in the next few weeks, parents will be receiving reports regarding their child’s progress for the first half of year.
In other exciting news, I wish to congratulate Bianca Clarke (pictured) from Year 8 for receiving a Harding Miller Education Foundation Scholarship. Bianca will travel to Sydney Town Hall to receive her award in the next few weeks. This scholarship program provides the tools and support to lift the educational achievements and career aspirations of high potential girls who are facing adversity. This scholarship support begins in Year 9 and is awarded for 2 years. At the end of Year 10, scholars are invited to reapply for another 2 years’ support. The value of the 4 year support is approximately $20,000. Successful applicants will receive the following: · High quality laptop · 4G mobile broadband · Laptop helpdesk support · Face-to-face tutoring (40 hours each year) · Online tutoring & other online tools · Coaching support · Career and subject selection advice · Money to help cover the costs of uniforms
and school equipment · School excursions and fees · Stationery and books.
Both Mr Jones and I will be in the crowd at Town Hall cheering on Bianca as she receives this prestigious award. Deb Gilbert
Monday afternoons in the Student Support Centre Starting at 3:30pm and finishing at 4:30pm.
Homework Help Club is a school event. All students who are looking for a place to study or require study assistance are welcome to attend. Mr Prowse (Maths Department) will attend all
sessions and is willing to help with all subjects to the best of his ability. There will also be access to computers.
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YOUTH LITERARY AWARD 2017:
‘HOME’ BY BAILEY SHULTZ:
Recently, we entered Year 12 Advanced and Standard English creative writing stories into the Norm McVicker Youth Literary Award. This is a highly prestigious national competition, attracting over 100 entries from across the country in the Year 11/12 section.
Bailey Shultz should be congratulated, receiving a Commended Award for his discovery story entitled ‘Home’. Below are some excerpts below from Bailey’s creative writing entry. Well done, Bailey. Vanessa Shultz, Head Teacher, English.
The incessant roar of the plane engine combined with the cabin turbulence echoed how I was feeling. My insides had been churning since I'd received the unexpected news. This flight felt like an eternity, sleep evaded me and even the impeccable attention from the flight attendant failed to soothe me. Home... I hadn’t ventured home in so long. Life had been simple then. Now, my Father lay stonily in a hospital bed, fate
uncertain. As a dutiful son and loving brother I had returned home quickly but what would I say? How did I feel? Dad had always been such a mystery. Uncertainty returned; that feeling of lack of control. Again, I was a ship without a rudder, a plane without a pilot. Why had my Father always cast his shadow upon my life? In a moment of anagnorisis, I discovered that everything I had achieved in my adult life had been to prove my worth to my Father. The humming of the plane lulled me into acceptance as we politely taxied the runway.
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The house emerged from the foliage, the house I grew up in. The house that used to be so bright was now fading. The verandah floorboards were deteriorating and the lawn was overgrown, the house was decomposing just like my Pather. Inside in my Father's room, I hastily collected the items my sister had asked me to retrieve. The hallway seemed a lot smaller than I remembered. Whilst in his room my eyes began to wander. The drawer screamed at me, the same drawer that we were forbidden to touch as children. Boom boom. Boom boom. My heart began to pulse heavily as I opened the drawer. The contents were jigsaw pieces of my Father's life. There was no gun or sharp knife as my sister and I had imagined and feared. Instead, photographs and letters littered the space, penned with neat handwriting.
Photographs of a young man in uniform alongside his mates, which upon close inspection strangely resembled me, told a story. Secured in velvet pillow boxes were several medals faded with age. I picked up the dog tags, evidence of a life unknown to me. In colour, juxtaposed to the black and white war photos, was a small album cluttered with snaps of my graduation, my family, my sister outside her business and her children. Quietly, I escaped the room. Safely outside, I cast a final glance across the paddocks and saw my sister and I skip across the grass. My mobile phone interrupted my memories, its bright melody ironic and foreboding. As I listened to my sister's grave news, the photograph which I clutched of my proud and laughing Father in uniform, comforted me…
The Year 12 Hospitality students will be running the canteen at the Secondary Athletic Carnival this Wednesday, 3rd May.
Items for sale are: Bacon & Egg Burgers: $3.00 (available from 8:30am) Choc Chip Muffins $1.50 Blueberry Muffins $1.50
Sausage Sizzle $2.00
Tea $2.00 Coffee $3.50 Hot Chocolates $2.00
Orchy $2.00
Small Water $1.50 Large Water $4.00 Iced Tea $3.50 Small Packet Chips $1.50 Large Packet Chips $2.00
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ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL:
Welcome back to Term 2. I hope everyone enjoyed the
holiday break. Bulahdelah Central School Primary Term 2
Captains are Kurtis Barry and Ruby Roberts. We look forward to their support throughout the term. Congratulations to Maddi Tassell and Polly Sullivan for the excellent manner in which they represented their school as our Term 1 Captains. At the end of Term 1, the Primary Department held Easter celebrations. Students from Kindergarten to Year 3 had an Easter egg hunt. All students then took part in an Easter hat parade with each class having a name raffle to choose the prize winners. A big thank you to our P&C for purchasing and organising the Easter raffle. Century 21 in Tea Gardens also ran an Easter colouring competition for the local schools. Congratulations to Savannah Harvey on her second place prize and Izabell Read on first place. Thank you to Jodie Genner for your efforts in co-ordinating this competition and to Century 21 for the great Easter egg prizes and gift cards.
Already we have finished Week One. Our first day of term was Monday, 24th Apri,l which was our 'Staff Development Day'. Bulahdelah Central School staff participated in a range of professional learning activities including a Work Health and Safety information session and collegial work on our School Plan. The Primary Department then continued on with discussions around our new HSIE (Human Society and Its Environment) Australian Curriculum NSW syllabus which now includes both Geography and History. Our local Tahlee Camp and Conference Centre then gave a presentation on their facilities which are available to support the implementation of the new syllabus.
BCS held a memorable (K-Year 12) ANZAC Assembly on Wednesday, 26th April. To further commemorate the memory of the ANZACs, local member, Mr Stephen Bromhead, attended a primary school assembly on Thursday morning to present a book to our school Captains entitled 'The Story of the First World War for Children'.
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He talked about the importance of our children understanding and valuing the significance of 'mateship' or positive friendship skills. His presentation aligns with our PBL (Positive Behaviours for Learning) focus which promotes positive behaviours in our school. Mr Bromhead was very impressed with the high percentage of students who attended Tuesday's ANZAC march and dawn service.
On Wednesday, 10th May, our P&C will be holding a Mother's Day stall where gifts ranging from 50c to $10 will be available to purchase. Students (K-12) are welcome to purchase from the stall. Thanks are extended to our committed P&C for their generous efforts in purchasing, packaging and selling the gifts to raise funds for our school. The stall will be held in the hall after recess due to morning NAPLAN testing. Thank you to Belinda Cunningham who has again donated prizes for a Mother’s Day raffle that will be run on the day. The raffle has three prizes and the tickets will be $1 each. Students may take home a book of 5 tickets prior to the stall. Secondary students are also welcome to collect tickets from the front office to sell.
The Mother’s Day stall is an important fundraiser for our P&C and so we encourage families to support it. The Primary Zone Cross Country Carnival takes place on Friday, 12th May. An information note will be sent home this week. All participating students will travel by bus and will be accompanied by Mr Pye and Ms Mostyn. Notes will be sent home this week. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy & Numeracy) takes place next week, Week 3. Testing will occur on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (9th, 10th and 11th May) for students in Years 3 and 5. Please ensure your child is at school for each of our testing days. It is also important that students arrive at school promptly in the mornings as testing begins at 9am sharp. NAPLAN results usually arrive in late Term 3 or early Term 4. A reminder to our Year 3-4 parents that permission notes and deposits for the Great Aussie Bush Camp are now overdue at the office. We would appreciate your support in finalising these this week. Carol Wills
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WINNERS OF THE P&C EASTER RAFFLE:
1st Melanie Pringle 2nd Mikey Dodsworth 3rd Josie Morgan
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Egyptian servants were
smeared with honey to
keep flies away from
the Pharaoh.
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“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” John Cotton Dara
P&C Meetings: Wednesday 10th May; Wednesday 14th June
Next Newsletters for Term 2: 15th & 29th May; 13th & 26th June
End of Term 2: 30th June
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bulahdelah-Central-School/1422587698030518
http://www.bulahdelah-c.schools.nsw.edu.au
Wednesday 3rd May Secondary Athletics Carnival
