From the Principal’s Desk

As Term 1 at Oberon High School draws to a close for teachers and students, Year 12 has completed their HSC Half Yearly Examinations. Teachers will assess their performance and design e d u c a t i o n a l s u p p o r t programs to be implemented during Year 12’s last two terms. Year 12 Advisor – Mrs Tania Pringle will be m o n i t o r i n g s t u d e n t achievement closely in this examination period and interviews with students, parents, Year Advisor and Principal will be set early in Term 2.

Sporting competitions are also in full swing and there seems to be an excursion every day. Oberon High students can certainly hold their heads high again, matching it with much bigger schools on the sporting field. Our sport teachers who often give up extraordinary time regularly to select, coach and take away sport ing excursions need to be commended on their efforts.

Our biggest sporting event of the year, ‘Rural Cup’ was postponed on Thursday 27th March 2014 against Molong Central due to ongoing bad weather in the Oberon area. All efforts are now being made to re-schedule the round for the last week in Term 2. Oberon plays Canowindra in Week 8 Term 2 – Thursday 19th June 2014. We may be up against Molong just one week later on Thursday 26th June 2014. A reminder to parents; the home Rural Cup competition starts at 8.30am and finishes at 4.00pm on the day. If you have questions surrounding the Rural Cup organisation please do not hesitate in contacting the school.

The 2013 Annual School Report is now complete and has been uploaded to our schools website and it can now be accessed by all students, staff and parent community. Our school’s website address is www.oberon-h.schools.nsw.edu.au.

Parents can find more information about Annual School Reports, how to interpret information in the report and have the opportunity to provide feedback about the report at: https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/high-performance/annual-school-reports.

I would like to thank the Oberon High School self-evaluation committee who gathered information from evaluations conducted during the year and analysed other information about the school's practices and student learning outcomes. T h e s e l f - e v a l u a t i o n committee and school planning committee have determined targets for the school's future development. Our self-evaluation team included; Ken Barwick – Principal, Craig Luccarda – Deputy Principal, David Boyd – Head Teacher TAS, Cheryl

Fitzpatrick – Careers Advisor, Cathy McIntosh – School Administration Manager, Belinda Massey – P&C President, Adrian Williams – SRC President, Gayle Voerman – P&C Vice-President. Copies of the 2013 Annual School Report can be obtained at our school’s front office.

If parents missed Parent Teacher Evening and wished to see any of the teachers, please contact the front office on 6336 1606 and an appointment can be arranged.

Thanks to all staff for their efforts during Term 1. Our staff will be excited to catch up with students after the holidays and continue with their teaching and learning programs.

The colder months in Terms 2 and 3 sees our students regularly wear their red school jumper and black track pants. School uniform is an essential component in being part of the school team. Wear our uniform with pride and see Mr Barwick or Mr Luccarda if you have uniform issues.

Holidays

Parents need to be aware that Term 2 starts with a School Development Day.

Monday 28th April 2014 – SDD, No students

Tuesday 29th April 2014 – All students attend school.

Principal: Ken Barwick Deputy Principal: Craig Luccarda

Newsletter Oberon High School Educating the whole person for the whole of life

Special points of interest:

Annual School Report

EFTPOS is here

School fees

Deputy’s report

Solar experiments

Norta Norta

Latin dance action

Inside this issue:

Gallery 2

Deputy Principal’s report 4

xsel students 3, 5

Norta Norta 5

Prac. teacher 5

Futsal report 6

Library report 6

Performing Arts report 7

Ballroom dancing 7

P&C news 8

Announcements 8

NAPLAN letter to parents

Cooking success 7

P: 6336 1606 F: 6336 2164

E: oberon-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au www.oberon-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

Term 1 Week 10 04.04.2014

Page 2 Educating the whole person for the whole of life

I am pleased to announce that Mrs Nicole Francis from Lithgow High School was offered and accepted the role of Head Teacher English History at Oberon High School to replace Mrs Christian who moved at the

end of 2013. Mrs Francis is a highly experienced teacher achieving outstanding student results at all levels over many years. Mrs Francis is extremely keen to start at Oberon High School; however we will have to wait

a little longer with her official appointment being the first day of Term 3 – Monday 14th July 2014. Mrs Gillian Purcell who has done a fantastic job during Term 1 will continue to relieve as Head Teacher throughout Term 2. I would

like to acknowledge Mrs Purcell’s efforts and we are certainly in great hands until Mrs Francis arrives. Miss McAlister will also continue at Oberon High School teaching English throughout Term 2. Thanks also to Miss McAlister!

New Head Teacher English—History

New Student Representative Council Inducted

Thanks to Mr James Lyle for his efforts in interviewing students who nominated for the SRC for 2014. There was an official SRC Induction Assembly on Monday 24th March 2014 where parents and students enjoyed a presentation of certificates and morning tea. Mr Lyle also provided

an exceptional speech about leadership and what it means to represent others.

Congratulations to all students who were selected. T h e 2 0 1 4 S R C representatives are listed below;

Year 7 - Emily Thomas, Tahlia Maher, Addison

Bilsborough, Bailey Nielsen.

Year 8 - Mike Mrdjenovic, Jake Jones, Melanie Close, Alex Foley.

Year 9 - Harriet McLean, Paige Simpson, Mitch Evans, Tom Whalan.

Year 10 - Kurt Boundy, Brodin Corby, Amy Mills, Lucy Voerman

Year 11 - Shannon Foley, Keely Armstrong, Acacia Howarth, Jaidyn Levanic, Matthew Simmons, Bryce Hotham.

Year 12 - Jessi Parkin, Lydia Moore, Kate Whalan, Adrian Williams, Jesse Curnuck, Alex Pointon.

Items Available for Purchase @ the School Office

Oberon High School now has EFTPOS so that our parents and school community do not have to carry large sums of money to purchase items from the front office or to pay for excursions. The EFTPOS facility is long overdue and I would like to thank Mrs Cathy McIntosh for organising this great initiative which helps move our school into the 21st century.

Item Price

School Polo Shirt $24.00

Polar Fleece School Jumper $28.00

Black Track Pants $22.00

CCC Track Pants $55.00

CCC Shorts $27.00

Calculator $25.00

Art Diary $6.50

Safety Glasses $4.00

The items above are available for purchase from the school office. The school office is open between 8:30am and 3:30pm each school day.

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Page 3 Educating the whole person for the whole of life

General School Contributions and Subject Fees Voluntary General School Contributions for 2014

First Two Children $60.00 each. Additional children no charge

Membership of P & C Association $3.00 single $5.00 family

These General School Contributions will be spent on educational resources for your student.

Payment can be made in one lump sum or in instalments.

The Student Assistance Scheme is available to parents/carers in financial difficulty. Please contact the Principal, Mr Ken Barwick on 6336 1606 for details.

Your financial contribution to the school is much appreciated.

Compulsory Technology Fee Years 7 - 12 For supply of printing paper and materials $10.00

Compulsory Subject Materials Fees Years 7 - 12 These fees contribute to the costs of materials used and consumed by students in the course of their chosen studies. They are published with subject selection guides so that choices can be made, knowing the costs associated with each subject choice. Should parents have difficulty in making these payments for subject materials, they should contact the Principal for support from the Student Assistance Scheme.

Subject Cost Subject Cost Year 7 & 8 Year 11 - 12

TAS Technology Fee $30 Visual Arts $50

(Materials) Metals and Engineering $100

Year 9 - 10 Industrial Technology $60

Industrial Technology Wood/Metal

$60 Information Processes and Technology $20

Food Technology $100 Hospitality Operations $100

Visual Arts $50 Primary Industries $20

Visual Arts Process Diary $6.50 Textiles and Design $50

Information Software Technology

$10 Information Technology $20

Graphics Technology $20 Construction $30

Photography $60 Sports Coaching $20

Distance Education & TAFE Courses

Any students undertaking distance education courses need to pay the course fee to the School of Distance Education.

Ken Barwick Principal

0418 629 198

Mr Jay Quince, xsel Teaching, Learning and Technology Officer (Rlg). visited students participating in the xsel program. xsel is a selective high school provision for students in years 7 – 10. Students and

xsel—gifted and talented

Pictured at left: Susannah Curnuck

(year 7) and Mr Jay Quince

reviewing English assessments.

teachers from across NSW are connected in a virtual selective high school strand for English, mathematics and science. Oberon High currently has 5 students in this program

Page 4 Educating the whole person for the whole of life

As the term comes to a close I have been amazed at the rate at which it appears to have gone. Schools operate on a very structured calendar with many very specific deadlines that are put in place by the DEC and other organisations such as the Board of Studies.

If you then add a large number of curriculum based activities, CHS sporting c o m m i t m e n t s a n d extracurricular activities for special interests it creates a very full calendar. This program density is typical of all schools, however, in smaller schools such as ours it often is more obvious as students are involved in multiple activities.

The number of activities on our Term 1 calendar has been diverse and really have given our students a great opportunity to be involved in school life outside the regular classroom. This is a strength of our school and really helps the development of well-

Deputy Principal’s Report rounded students with d i v e r s e s k i l l s a n d experiences.

This term has seen a number of changes to the school day including sport being divided into Stage 4 and Stage 5, Period 1 starting at 9.00am (no roll call), inclusion of a LaST timeslot prior to recess (Tues-Fri) and the inclusion of a longer assembly time each Monday.

The change to assembly time I would like to highlight as I believe it has had an impact on our school very quickly. Prior to this year, assembly was each Monday morning before Period 1. It was an information session running for 20 minutes with an extension made on occasions for longer presentations.

This year assembly time has

been made longer with a 40 minute timeslot provided. This has given us the scope to increase the variety of presentations that can be delivered. The focus has been changed to make it more student focused. Staff still use the time for general messages, however, we have included a place for School Captains to address the students at length, as well as opening up the possibility for SRC representatives to highlight their work each week.

We have quarantined a significant portion each week for KLA presentations. These presentations must include student work and activities that s tudents have participated in. Presentations have utilised technology (powerpoints/videos) as well as providing for live performances. The KLA

presentations have been highly successful and have given students a real insight into what other students are involved in around the school.

We have had dance and vocal performances, Science experiments, Technology and Visual Arts major work explanations, Maths in practice and diaries of student activities at the Year 7 camp, swimming carnival and Equestrian competition.

We have also had several guest speakers attend assembly. This is not unusual for school assemblies, however, the longer timeslot and later start has provided a more practical time for visitors.

School is a dynamic place, and it is often difficult to appreciate what goes on unless you have access to a school calendar of all events. The inclusion of the changed assembly structure has provided a tangible way for all students to be made aware of all the great activities going on in the school.

Term 2 also looks very busy and I hope all students enjoy their break and come back ready to work hard. Next term is only 9 weeks which means even less time to squeeze in all the events. Busy just got busier!

“Busy just got busier.”

Rebecca and Ivy preparing Seniors Week Lunch

Year 7 students “Clean up Australia”

Lourie, ‘Fancy’ and Mrs Hotham at Evans Crown

Horse Sports Day

Jake keeps wicket against St Josephs

Right Lucy, Harriet, Danny and Amy—some of our gifted

and talented students in the xsel

program

Page 5 Educating the whole person for the whole of life

little hard to get such activities up and running However, in Term 2 it looks like we will be able to run a NAIDOC Day, and this will be run by the Norta Norta students themselves. Study hubs have now been introduced to allow students to choose a time that suits them to get that little bit of extra help. The group was lucky enough to get some visitors last week from the ‘Nura Gili’ which is a centre for indigenous programs. They were from the

University of New South Wales and they came to speak to the students about possible study options when they finish school, and the pathways that they can provide for indigenous students to getting a university degree, or a stable job. The students found this very helpful, with some even thinking about the Winter School that they provide so students can get an insight into what life is all about after school. Find more information at www.nuragili.unsw.edu.au

Bec Corby

Just how efficient are solar panels?

Educating the whole person for the whole of life Page 5

Norta Norta is a program for indigenous students to help in closing the gap. It involves in-class assistance, group work (assignment help) and cultural activities. In-class assistance provides students with the opportunity to gain a little extra help with understanding the content. Group work focuses on getting assignments in, with support on how to structure assignments and achieve the best mark possible. While cultural activities such as dance have been planned, Term 1 was so busy it was a

Closing the gap with Norta Norta

Mentors from Nura Gili share with the students

Above: Miss Bec Corby—Norta Norta Teacher

Thanks to some great calculations by xsel students Danny Eiler-Carr and Harriet McLean, we found that a small solar panel converts less than 1% of the sun’s energy into useable electricity. Lots of commercial solar panels are each capable of producing 1.5 kilowatts (1500 watts) of power, which seems a lot. When this number is compared to a few devices, however, it doesn’t seem so

good… many hairdryers, vacuum

cleaners, microwaves, toasters, and electric jugs can use up to 2000 Watts each!

a single incandescent light globe draws 100 watts, but how many are in the house?

xsel is a virtual selective program for gifted and

talented students , xsel students Harriet and Danny hard at work in Science

Tim O’Rourke started a 5 week practicum at school this week. Mr O’Rourke is currently studying at CSU in Bathurst for a Bachelor of Teaching and will be working with Mrs Couch in the English and Performing Arts area over the next 5 weeks.

Mr O’Rourke holds a degree in Journalism and worked as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, mainly on Spectrum. He also had a short stint in the military prior to commencing his current studies. Mr O’Rourke considers himself a “master of

grammar”, but not so good on spelling. He is looking forward to meeting the students and working with Mrs Crouch and the students on a number of performing arts projects.

Tim O’Rourke—Prac teacher

Futsal players make it to State!

Page 6 Educating the whole person for the whole of life

learning, in general, and information literacy, in particular. I like to tell the students that the mere fact I turn up for work each day improves this school’s exam results – an exaggeration that amuses me - but it is true that a teacher librarian acts as a conduit to good information and skills. At Oberon High School students are invited to use library facilities, including my help, before school, at lunch, and after school. In recent weeks I have helped edit

“I bet I could help them get better grades.”

drafts of assessment tasks, m a d e s u g g e s t i o n s concerning improving the quality of resources used and made numerous suggestions of fiction to read for related texts. However, I have time to do more. Please encourage your children to come to the library. They may not think they need any help on their work or assignment but if they give me a chance I bet I could help them get better grades.

Miss Grace Teacher Librarian

Under 14 Futsal team with Miss Weekes

Under 16 Futsal team with Miss Weekes

A significant American investigation into school libraries “School libraries work!”, a study of 13,000 students in Ohio in 2008, “sought to understand how students benefit from school libraries and to quantify the school library’s relationship to student learning.” Nearly 100% of the students who took part in the research said the school library and its services helped them with their learning. In fact an effective school library program has been shown to be critical in facilitating

More and more students take advantage of the Homework

Centre held on Thursday afternoons in the

school Library

What’s happening in your Library?

Homework Centre 3:30 to 4:45

Thursday Library

Three Futsal teams travelled to Bathurst on 14th March to contest the regional competition. Our teams played against Orange, Mudgee and Cowra, and d i sp layed outs tanding sportsmanship throughout the day.

The Under 14 boys and Under 16 boys teams both made it through to State level and we wish them all the best when they play in Penrith at the end of July.

Homework Centre

“...outstanding sportsmanship …”

The Open girls team narrowly missed out, but they will have an opportunity to qualify for State when they play at Katoomba next term.

Page 7 Educating the whole person for the whole of life

Dance, Drama & Music Electives

Congratulations to all students for their efforts and enthusiasm this term. We look forward to another fabulous term! Assessments: Year 11 Drama Tuesday 8 April, Year 7 Music Monday 7 April

Comedy, Tragedy, Split Leaps and Semi-quavers!

and enthusiasm. It has been an absolute pleasure teaching and I look forward to the next instalment that will begin Term 2, Week 2.

Holly “Twinkle Toes” McTrustry

Ballroom/Latin Dance Lessons The first term of dance lessons has come to a close. Over the course of the term, dancers learnt the Cha Cha, Samba, Slow Rhythm, Tango and Rumba. Thank you to all the dancers for their support

Talent Show

All students are invited to participate in the Talent Show, which will take place Periods 5 and 6, Friday 11 April. Please put your name on the noticeboard outside Room 1 if you would like to perform on the day. Audience members are welcome to attend in the Gym.

Chloe, Cayley, Jess and Acacia, treading the boards

Dancers—showing their moves

It’s delicious!

Dakoda Lourie

John

Students in the HSC Hospitality class have been cooking up a storm, making mouth-watering Caesar Salad, Poached Chicken with Mango Salad and Deep Fried Coconut Prawns, in recent classes.

The samples shown here indicate the high level of presentation skills the students are displaying.

Sophie C.

Danielle

Shannon

Ivy Zoe Sophie R. Tastes good, and looks good, too!

Educating the whole person for the whole of life Page 8

Oberon High School

2013 School Magazine

now on sale

$15 at the office

Announcements

Dates to remember—2014

P&C meeting—Thursday 10 April

Cross country—Friday 11 April

Talent Quest—Friday 11 April (periods 5&6)

Last day of Term 1 – Friday 11 April (All students & staff)

Staff First day Term 2—Monday 28 April (All staff)

Students First day Term 2—Tuesday 29 April (All students)

Heavy Metal Youth Art

12-18 year olds

Waste 2 Art—Hands-on tools workshop

with Oberon sculptor/artist Harriet Fasher

FREE Sunday 6 April 9am—3pm

Details / Bookings essential: Friends of Oberon Library Inc

Celia Ravesi 6359 3109 cerave@bordernet.com.au

Supported by Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal

Essay help video Teachers talk about essay structure and how parents can help, even if they're not familiar with the topic. The package comes complete with a range of useful reference sheets on tasks such as critical analysis, evidence and references. Find out more: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/english/english-tips/writing-essays

Expressions of Interest for Futsal (Indoor Soccer) Competition

Senior Mixed Competition subject to demand on Wednesday Nights

Men’s Competition subject to demand on Thursday Nights WHERE DO I PLAY?

At the Wallerawang Indoor Sports Centre, Barton Ave, Wallerawang (next to Wallerawang Public School)

TO REGISTER OR EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST? Contact Carleen on 0402 205070, or by email

cpc_chook@hotmail.com or come to the REGISTRATION NIGHT

Wednesday 16th April 6.30pm – 8.00pm at Wallerawang Indoor Centre

REGISTER YOURSELF OR A TEAM Registration and Competition Fees apply

P&C NEWS The next meeting of the P&C will be

THURSDAY 10th April 5pm OHS Library.

Agenda items for this meeting are

Grant application progress Yr 12 Graduation Ball Fundraising 2014 – raffle? Other ideas Projects to be funded Uniforms progress

I look forward to working with more parents and teachers to enhance the opportunities available to all students. If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to be part of the P & C please do not hesitate to contact me, Gayle Voerman 0419 445 767.

For local information facebook.com/oberonrollerderby

oberonrollerderby@gmail.com

Bathurst’s first ever roller derby bout is coming! April 12, 2014 at the Bathurst Indoor Sports Stadium. It is hosted by South Side Derby Dolls (S2D2), a not-for-profit member owned and operated roller derby league based in The Shire in NSW. They are the 2013 5x5 Roller Derby Champions.

Skaters, juniors and officials from local leagues in Oberon, Bathurst and Orange will attend a training day and bootcamp in Bathurst during the day. The bootcamp will be ‘closed door’ during the day with a full length feature bout open to the public at 6pm, with first whistle at 7pm.

Tickets from; www.centralderby.eventbrite.com.au—$12ea online, $15 on the door, Kids under 10yrs free  

For media & photographer passes for the event, quote or interview contact: Media & Promotions Manager PSYCLONE CILLA, media@southsidederby.com, m. 0412 028 143

ROLLER DERBY HITS BATHURST!

Na onal Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy 2014 

LETTER TO PARENTS

In May 2014 the Na onal Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will be completed by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. NAPLAN has the support of all State and Territory Educa on Ministers and will assess the literacy and numeracy skills of students across Australian schools. 

The results of the tests will provide important informa on to schools about what each student can do, and will be used to support teaching and learning programs. Parents will receive a report indica ng their child’s level of achievement. Each student’s level of achievement will be reported against the na onal minimum standard. 

Background informa on (student name, gender, date of birth, language background and Aboriginality) will be collected as part of the Na onal  Assessment  Program.  This  informa on  is  treated  confiden ally  and  held  securely  to  ensure  that  every  student’s  right  to     privacy is maintained. 

The NAPLAN tests will be conducted from 13 ‐ 15 May 2014. 

In the Numeracy tests students do not require any measuring tools such as rulers or protractors. In Years 7 and 9 there will be two Numeracy tests: one where a calculator is allowed and one where calculators are not to be used. For the calculator test, the    student should use the calculator that they currently use at school. 

In 2014, as in previous years, the Wri ng task will be a single common task for all students. The 2014 Wri ng test will require  students to respond to either a persuasive or narra ve Wri ng prompt. However, the genre of the prompt will not be disclosed prior to the test period. 

Wherever possible, schools will organise for individual students who are absent at the  me of tes ng to complete missed tests at another  me during tes ng week. Individual students are not permi ed to sit tests a er Friday 16 May 2014.  

Students may be considered for exemp on from the tests if: 

·  they are newly arrived in Australia (less than one year before the test) and with a language background other than English, or 

·  they have significant intellectual disability and/or significant co‐exis ng condi ons which severely limit their capacity to     par cipate in the tests. 

All other students are expected to par cipate in the tests. Disability adjustments which reflect the student’s normal level of     support in the classroom may be provided. Large print, Braille, coloured paper versions and electronic tests are available to meet the needs of individual students. 

Access to disability adjustment or exemp on from the tests must be discussed with the school Principal and a parent or carer  consent form must be signed. Students may be withdrawn from NAPLAN by their parent or carer. This is a ma er for considera on by parents in consulta on with the Principal. If you wish to withdraw your child from the tests, a parent or carer consent form must be signed. 

Please make an appointment with the Principal of the school your child a ends if you would like to discuss your child’s              par cipa on in NAPLAN. 

Addi onal informa on about NAPLAN can be found at www.nap.edu.au/NAPLAN/Parent_Carer_support/index.html. 

Ken Barwick 

Principal – Oberon High School 

Friday, April 04, 2014 

TUESDAY 13 MAY WEDNESDAY 14 MAY THURSDAY 15 MAY

Language Conventions (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) Writing

Reading Numeracy (Number, Algebra, function and pattern; Chance and data; Measurement and Space)