RUTHERFORD TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

RUTHERFORD TECHNOLOGY

HIGH SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER 30th APRIL 2021

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

3 May Family Planning NSW

5 May U15’s League Gala Day

5 May Marc Glanville Premiership

5 May Year Meetings

6 May School Athletics Carnival

7 May Lawn Bowls Knock Out +

HSSA Trials

12-17 May NAPLAN (Year 7 & Year 9)

14 May Hunter Valley Careers Expo

Rutherford Technology

High School

Avery Street

Rutherford NSW 2320

Phone:

02 4932 5999

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

https://rutherford-h.school.nsw.gov.au

Office Hours:

Monday-Thursday 8:00am-4:00pm

Friday 8:00am-3:30pm

Outside of office hours, a message

may be left on the school answering

machine.

An appointment is necessary before

meeting with a staff member, including

the Principal or Deputy Principal, as

they have class, playground duty and

other commitments during the school

day. Please call our Administration

Office to make an appointment.

YEAR 12 REPORT

Term 1 was a busy term for Year 12. Students have successfully made it to the halfway point of Year 12, and are to be commended on their efforts. Students received their Semester 1 reports at the end of last term, as well as information regarding their formal. Students are encouraged to ask their Year Advisor if they have any concerns. Year 12 HSC Study Skills Workshops are starting up again for Term 2, with sessions on Writing in the HSC, Mastering Major Works, Wellbeing, Succeeding in Science and Band 6 Examination techniques. Students are encouraged to attend the sessions that would benefit them, to be eligible for early leavers. As it gets colder Year 12 have been excellent role models for the school by wearing full school uniform and are looking good in their jerseys. This is great news as not wearing full school uniform can limit your involvement in excursions and incursions in the school. Remember to keep up the good work Year 12 and keep motivated as we head towards submission dates for HSC Major Works, our Trial Exams and the eventual HSC exams. Ms Genevieve Scott Year 12 Year Advisor

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COMMITMENT RESPECT RESPONSBILITY

RUTHERFORD TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER - 30th APRIL 2021

Year 7 and Year 9 NAPLAN Online Testing will be running over four consecutive days commencing on Wednesday 12th May 2021 and concluding on Monday 17th May 2021. Students who are absent will complete these exams upon their return to school. Any questions please contact Mrs Alice Stutchbury, Head Teacher Literacy and Numeracy.

MESSAGE FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

It is so great to see our FaceBook feed full of photos of students participating in extracurricular activities again! Lots of sports heading out, CCC Dance group performing and our Agriculture students going to Tocal Field Days just to name a few. Our Stage 6 Parent/Teacher afternoon was this week, if anyone was unable to make the afternoon please make contact with the front office and they will assist organising an appointment with the staff you wish to speak to. Year 12 Thursday morning study workshops started this week. They have been given their session timetables that outline sessions available to them, allowing them to select workshops that will benefit them the most. We are very appreciative of the Head Teachers and teachers who give up their time to plan and run these sessions. I just want to thank those families who are working with us as we ensure our uniform is worn each day. The vast majority of our school is in uniform daily and when something rare and unforeseen happens, their carers ensure a note is provided or contact made. We have been allowing students to wear long sleeved black or white tops with no logos under their polos (so the school emblem is still visible). Active wear is not part of our uniform. This week RTHS played an integral part in organising a Youth Sector Cross-Training Conference to improve sector relationships and outcomes for young people and families. Presentations were provided by many government and non-government services including Education, Department of Communities and Justice, Police, Health and Mental Health Services. It was fantastic to see so many services working together for our community and we are incredibly proud of Mary Kate who has worked so hard to get this conference off the ground. Unfortunately we are still finding students vaping at school. This is not a “safe alternative” to smoking and remains incredibly dangerous. Mrs Tina Pratt Deputy Principal

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Rutherford Technology High School’s X-Country was held the last week of Term 1 and was once again a great success with participation from students across all Years from 7-12. Congratulations to the Age Champions on the day and qualifying runners who will represent RTHS at the Zone Cross Country to be held Friday 30th April 2021 at Mount View. Thanks to our Sports Organisers, Mr Connaughton and Mr Miller and our team of volunteer staff for their hard work in organising and supporting the run.

RTHS X-Country Age Champions - 2021 The RTHS Athletics Carnival will be held at Maitland Athletics track on Thursday 6th May 2021. This recently upgraded venue provides an excellent facility to run both track and field events. Students are encouraged to participate in as many events as possible on the day, however for many, this will involve an excellent social opportunity to enjoy a fun day with their peers, while others will set their sights on higher representation. Support of these days help make them a success and an enjoyable day for all. Being a compulsory school day, all students are expected to attend. With Dalwood taking out the House Championship for the Swimming Carnival, the opportunity arises for Holmesville, Hungerford or Tolbar to stake their claim on the 2021 sports honour board through the Athletics Day. Good luck to all houses!! Year 7 began “off-site” sport lessons at the end of Term 1 in their double sport period, which occurs once each fortnight. This will continue in Term 2, with students walking to Maitland City Bowling club to participate in a Lawn Bowls program hosted by the club followed by Basketball sessions held at Maitland Federation Centre later in the term. A reminder that the permission note distributed to all Year 7 students giving parental permission to attend off-site facilities under direct supervision of their teacher, must be returned in order to attend these venues. There is no cost for Lawn Bowls, and a fee of $5 per session (3 in total over 6 weeks) will be required for the Basketball Program. A reminder that if not yet paid, a $50 bus fee must be paid to the front office to ensure these activities can take place. This fee is included in your child’s annual fees, so if these have been paid it does not require any further payment. Targeted Sports Programs have been reaping strong results. In Football both our Girls Bill Turner Cup team has progressed to the third round after a 2-0 win against Mt View; the Boys play Maitland in Round 2 in May. In Rugby League, our U/13 Boys team won their Division in the Michael Hagan Cup after strong wins against Callaghan Wallsend, Warners Bay, Hunter River, St Catherines and St Josephs Aberdeen. They now play in the Hunter final against St Clemente Mayfield in June. We wish all our teams the best in their up-coming games! Followers of the RTHS Face Book page would have seen regular updates of our TSP and Dance students looking great in their uniforms and wearing the RTHS colours with pride. Keep an eye on this page for regular sporting updates both in the lead up to events and post events for results. Mr David Thomas Head Teacher PDHPE Faculty

12 Years Girls Jorja Reading

12 Years Boys Nate Robson

13 Years Girls Shennesa Jenkins

13 Years Boys Jack Frost

14 Years Girls Cora Hodder

14 Years Boys Blake Burton

15 Years Girls Ava Davies

15 Years Boys Ned Sutherland

16 Years Boys Jack Ward

17+ Years Boys Matthew Houghton

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“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” — Buddha

Focusing on the present is the key. Being present in the present is the place to be. What has this got to do with anything?

Attendance.

This week in our PBL lessons we have been thinking about how our attendance can impact our learning and our school experience. If students miss too much school the outcome is obvious - they miss out. But as stated the key is to focus on the present.

If your student has been missing school, then focus on the moment (today) - that is, getting back to learning. If you are worried about how their future will be affected because of too many absences, then focus on the present - today, focus on getting them back to learning . If you are wondering what to do now, then focus on the present - get back to learning - get back to school. Focus on what is important.

OK, Enough philosophy for now.

What do the experts say?

According to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), almost a quarter of students miss at least a month of school. Most Australian students attend school regularly, with 75% of Year 1-10 students attending at least 90% of school days in 2018. However, a closer look at this data indicates something concerning. If 75% of students attend at least 90% of the time then the reverse suggests that 25% (1 in 4) Australian students were absent for more than 10% of school time, or 20 or more days. These students are missing at least a month of school over the schooling year.

The biggest drops occur between Years 7 and 10, where there is a 3.7%-point drop in the national average attendance rate from 92.5% to 88.8%. This means around 69,000 Year 7 students and 97,000 Year 10 students missed at least 10% of school in 2017 (ACARA, 2018; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018)., Food for thought indeed!

The institute continues, Non-attendance has a variety of effects on students, both academically and socially. Absenteeism can increase social isolation, including alienation and lack of engagement with the school community and peers, leading to emotional and behavioural issues. It is also associated with an increased likelihood of drop-out.

Alright that is the bad news…so what do we do to improve the attendance of our students?

What is RTHS doing?

In partnership with the entire school community, we are focussed on providing a safe and welcoming learning space for all students. Underpinning this are our core school values; We expect RESPECT, we require RESPONSIBILITY, and we pro-mote COMMITMENT. If as a community, we focus on these things, then school becomes that safe and welcoming place we all want.

So as a parent what can I do to get my child to school?

Remember the focus is on the present. What can we do now? The Child Mind Institute has some great ideas:

♦ Get involved. As a parent, your presence in the academic life of your child is crucial to their commitment to work. ♦ Use reinforcement. Kids respond well to social reinforcers like praises, hugs, high fives, and those kinds of things.

They start to achieve because it feels good for them. ♦ Reward effort rather than outcome. The message you want to send is that you respect hard work. ♦ Help them see the big picture. For older kids who have developed an understanding of delayed gratification, sometimes simple reminders of their long-term goals can help push them. ♦ Let them make mistakes. No one can get A’s on every test or perfect scores on every assignment. While kids need

encouragement and it is healthy to push them to try their best, know that setbacks are natural. ♦ Make the teacher your ally. One of the most important things you can do for your child is to work with their teacher.

The teacher might have additional insight about how to motivate your child, or what they might be struggling with.

Attendance is, as has been pointed out, crucial to the development (both social and academic) for every student. Getting to school is the first step. Focussing on the present is the key. Don’t stress about what is going to happen down the track, concentrate on the now. What can we do now to get our kids to school. To finish with, another quote, this time a Tibetan proverb, “A child without education is like a bird without wings”.

Take care and see you all next time - Cheers! Mr Andrew Rutherford Rutherford Technology High School PBL Team

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TERM 2: WEEK 2 – LOTE / ICT FACULTY & LIBRARY PBL AWARDS

LOTE / ICT Year 7 Chace Excellent Work Ethic in ICT Paige Commitment to Learning in ICT Year 8 Alex Always Striving to Complete Work at a High Level Heather Enthusiasm and Commitment to Studies Isaac Amusing Editing Abilities in his Speaking Assessment Jeremy Enthusiasm and Commitment to Studies Makayla Commitment to Learning in ICT Year 9 Imogen Enthusiasm and Commitment to Studies James Enthusiasm Towards Learning New Skills in iSTEM Year 10 Courtney Improvements in Pronunciation and Fluency Jayden Always Completing Work and Helping Others in ICT Luca Striving to do his best in ICT Year 11 Izach Always Completing Classwork on time and Listening Attentively Kiara Thought-provoking Conversation Topics in Class Olivia Diligence to Learning a Second Language Thomas Consistent Effort and Diligence in Class Year 12 Andre Enthusiasm and Commitment to Studies Cadence Enthusiasm Towards Class and Helping Others Jack Great Practical Skills in ICT Nadia Enthusiasm and Commitment to Studies

LIBRARY

Beckham Doing a Great Job Coordinating the Yugioh Tournament During Term 1 Kayne Willingness to Assist in the Library Melanie Persistence with Practicing New Skills Peter Being a Positive Role Model in the Library Tyler Willingness to Assist in the Library Tyson Support and Enthusiasm when being Convinced to try New Learning Activities

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The wearing of school uniform at Rutherford Technology High School Is mandatory. The school uniform is manufactured and sold by Daylight Sportswear at a dedicated onsite Uniform Shop at the

school. This is the ONLY location that the school uniform is available for purchase.

Uniform Shop Hours:

Tuesday 8:00am-12:00noon

Thursday 1:00pm-5:00pm

Purchase Online: daylightsportswear.com/Rutherford

Please ensure all orders are collected from the Uniform Shop

MASTERCARD, VISA & EFTPOS ACCEPTED. CHEQUES NOT ACCEPTED. NO LAYBY.

Uniform Shop: Contact Vanessa - 0478 920 262 during business hours

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Rutherford Technology High School canteen is operated by the P&C and offers Flexischools, and as

we encourage cashless payments, a friendly reminder that the canteen has EFTPOS - please note that

cash is still accepted. Flexischools ordering MUST be in by 9:00am and in accordance with Healthy

School Canteens, pies and sausage rolls are only available at ‘Break 1’.

Canteen Roster

Monday 3rd May 2021 Michelle Sinclair

Tuesday 4th May 2021 Michelle Sinclair

Wednesday 5th May 2021 Volunteer Required

Thursday 6th May 2021 Volunteer Required

Friday 7th May 2021 Michelle Sinclair & Kylie Hobbs

Monday 10th May 2021 Michelle Sinclair

Tuesday 11th May 2021 Michelle Sinclair

Wednesday 12th May 2021 Volunteer Required

Thursday 13th May 2021 Volunteer Required

Friday 14th May 2021 Michelle Sinclair & Kylie Hobbs

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UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE: YEAR 10 SUBJECT SELECTION – PARENT INFO SESSION WEBINAR

Tuesday 8th June 2021 6:00pm–7:00pm Register: https://uonewcastle.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GuRLtO9RQQGfloyS6b_0fw Sam Doherty, the senior manager of Admissions, will be running a live University of Newcastle Parent Webinar, covering key topics such as how to apply to university and the various entry schemes that are available for your child.

A great session for parents with students in Year 11 and 12.

FRIENDLY REMINDER TO REGISTER FOR THE BELOW:

2021 CAREER ADVISERS WORKSHOP Tuesday 1st June 2021 9:30am–3:15pm The coach will be leaving Callaghan at 8:15am and returning by 4:30pm. Register https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nyxUhafqdE6JtaresYH-YBHyDXmjc9JGlq-rwOqksmdUN1QzMENGVTlPTExRMUoySEdYUTZXMkhNQSQlQCN0PWcu

Tuesday 25th May 2021 6:00pm–7:00pm Register: https://uonewcastle.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SkqmPDG3R5qYH4RK6GmMIw Let us support you through the subject selection process with our 3 simple steps!

We encourage both parents and students to register for this digital event.

Presented by a panel of current Student Ambassadors who will share their stories and experiences, we cover the subject selection process (including our 3 simple steps on how to select your HSC subjects), as well as case studies and examples, and some general

University information.

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE: PARENT WEBINAR

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=nyxUhafqdE6JtaresYH-YBHyDXmjc9JGlq-rwOqksmdUN1QzMENGVTlPTExRMUoySEdYUTZXMkhNQSQlQCN0PWcu

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To help remote island kids get a modern education Paradise Taveuni Resort has donated the chance for you to win a holiday of a lifetime in Fiji. Located on the beautiful island of Taveuniin the north east of the Fijian Islands. Right on the water front near some of the world’s best diving. And the Fijian people will make you feel welcome like no other.

Your holiday for two includes:

• 5 nights in an air conditioned room.

• Full cooked breakfasts, lunches and two course dinners (drinks not included).

• Ground transfers to and from the airport.

• Rainbow Reef snorkelling experience with divers.

• Flights NOT Included

Prize is valid for 18 months after the date that COVID travel restrictions, from your country to Fiji, are lifted. Travel dates are subject to availability.

Drawn: 30th June 2021

Funds raised go to Its Time Foundation School Solar. We thank Paradise Taveuni for generously providing the package at no cost.

If you make a holiday booking via Info@ParadiseinFiji before the prize is drawn, and mention the code you receive in the thank you email, the resort only requires a FJD500 deposit to lock in your holiday on your preferred dates - for the winner that will be refunded.

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Maitland

Rutherford Technology High School has an

Official Facebook Page – just go to Facebook

and look for “Rutherford Technology High School

NSW Official Site” and click on “Like”.

We will be using the Facebook page to keep everyone

informed about events at the school, important dates for your

diary, and general information about the school.

Link:

http://www.facebook.com/RutherfordTechnologyHighSchool

Maitland

RTHS SUPPORTERS

The staff and students who are involved in the

Breakfast Club would like to acknowledge the

generosity of ‘Bakers Delight’ at Rutherford who now

provide us with bread. There are many local

businesses who donate their time,

service or products to our school.

We express our appreciation and hope our school

community can reciprocate.

Rutherford

https://staffowa.det.nsw.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=aa33ec5c32a6425a86daed6b48457bc3&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2fRutherfordTechnologyHighSchool

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151509108346729&set=a.494827881728.283935.20531316728&type=1

Documents

RUTHERFORD TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER