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Alstonville High School Newsletter
Developing future citizens and leaders of the community – life long learning!
Cawley Close Alstonville Phone: (02) 6628 5222 Web: www.alstonvill-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Fax: (02) 6628 1223 Email: [email protected]
Issue 1 07 February 2018
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2018. I hope everyone had an enjoyable festive season and that the students all had a great
break.
Teaching Staff I would like to welcome the following teachers to our school for the start of the year:
Allison Larrescy (PDHPE) and Andrew Grant-Frost (HSIE) are joining us in permanent positions and the following teachers in casual positions:
Nadine Ebb (Visual Arts)
Jane Hewetson (Visual Arts)
Denise Kerr (Science)
Tracie Lee ( Library – Friday)
Catherine Smith (Learning Support)
Olivia Thompson (HSIE)
Carlo Ugolini (HSIE)
During the term we will be advertising three permanent teaching positions in Maths/Science, Human Society and
Environment/Language and Creative and Performing Arts. Hopefully these new teachers will start from the beginning of Term 2.
Values
We value and support:
A positive, healthy and safe
learning environment
Respectful attitudes and
actions
Diversity
Pursuit of personal excellence
Service to community
Team work
Quality learning and teaching
Initiative, leadership and self-
discipline
Learning
We aspire to be:
Life-long learners
Creative and critical thinkers
Effective communicators
Skilled in literacy and numeracy
Independent and organised
Competent and innovative with
technology
Environmentally, socially and
culturally informed
Caring and compassionate
Alstonville High School
Our community values integrity
in all aspects of life
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
09 Feb Fri School Photos catch up day
20 Feb Tues Year 7 Welcome BBQ
5:30pm to 7pm
21 Feb Wed Alstonville High School Swimming
Carnival – Alstonville Aquatic
Centre (To be advised)
26 Feb Mon Northern Rivers Zone Swimming
Carnival – Lismore
28 Feb Wed P&C Meeting – 7pm
– Common Room
5 Mar Mon Vaccinations – Year 7 and catch up
Year 8 Gardasil (HPV)
6 Mar Tues North Coast Swimming Carnival
Information Evening – Yr 5/6
5:30pm – 7:00pm
29 Mar Thurs AHS – Cross Country
Alstonville High School Newsletter: Issue 1, 7 February 2018
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School Projects The start to this school year has been remarkably smooth. We still have some work continuing at the front of the school but this
is moving quite quickly towards completion and already I have been hearing some very positive comments from students and
parents. Over the holidays we had a new roof installed over the art rooms and this has been tested by the recent rains and our
previous problems appear to have been resolved.
Next on the list of works capital improvements is some refurbishment of one of our science labs, the chemical storage and
equipment storage for science and the installation of a new darkroom. Towards the end of term we should have new roof installed
over the home science and music rooms.
Year 12 2017 Our Year 12 students from 2017 have every reason to be very proud of their achievements. Not only did they complete six years
of secondary education but they also achieved results to be very proud of. Alstonville High School was the 3rd ranked High School
on the North Coast with over 30 Band 6 results. This was not reported in the Northern Star at the end of the year because they
were provided with some incorrect data. We improved our HSC ranking by over 150 places. Another significant achievement was
that Josh Pagotto received an ATAR of 99.55 which we believe was the highest ATAR on the North Coast. Josh achieved Band 6
results for 8 subjects, a remarkable achievement made possible due to his participation in the High Performance project (plus a
lot of hard work). Importantly we have also been informed that most of our students achieved results that allowed them to
transition into a desired pathway after school. We were very proud of the fact that the number of students achieving lower bands
decreased considerably and the numbers of students who achieved solid Band 4 and 5 results continued to increase.
We are analysing the data from the 2017 HSC and comparing it to existing NAPLAN and school assessment data so that we can
continue to strive to improve student results.
Steps to Success Program This week we are starting the Steps to Success program. Every child has been placed a learning hub (based on year groups) and
will meet on a fortnightly basis with a teacher who will work as a learning coach. These meetings will link into fortnightly year
group meetings. The teachers will meet fortnightly in year group teams to discuss the progress of students and to devise activities
to develop student self-assessment skills and mindsets. We are also implementing the ACE project where twice a term teachers
will report on student progress against a term point scaffold describing essential criteria for learning success. The information
gathered from this reporting process will be included in school reports and link to a revised school merit system that will recognise
student application and improvement.
As well as introducing these two important initiatives we are continuing to concentrate on improving student literacy and
numeracy. We will continue to focus on student extended writing and PEEL. We have developed extensive text type resources
and will be highlighting important literacy and numeracy strategies each week. We will also be rolling out a school wide numeracy
strategy to remind students that numeracy knowledge and skills can be applied in every subject area. In particular, we want to
draw special attention to mental arithmetic.
Sport Changes Sport has also had a revamp and has a year group focus for 2018. Whilst I acknowledge that some students may be nervous about
this change we believe that we can build stronger teams of teachers around the new model and ramp up the quality and
consistency of delivery. We also hope to link sport more explicitly to the House Cup.
These are just a few of the initiatives we are introducing in 2018. We are determined to work on being an even more student
centred school. We believe we have done some good work in 2017 and we want to do even better in 2018. We want to be able
to answer tour guiding question; how do we know our students are achieving at least one year’s worth of growth from one year’s
worth of teaching?
Student Achievements Over the weekend I was informed that Erica Kelly (Year 12) was the runner up in the North Coast Group of Show Societies Zone
Finals. The zone included Mullumbimby, Maclean, Kyogle, Casino, Lismore, Woodenbong and Alstonville.
While her success is something to be proud of by itself, Erica’s motivation for entering the competition also drew praise. Erica
indicated that she wanted to show that you could achieve and make a difference without having to worry about contesting some
Alstonville High School Newsletter: Issue 1, 7 February 2018
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sort of popularity contest. Erica has demonstrated that quiet achievers can make a positive impact and achieve recognition.
Congratulations Erica!
Please volunteer for our school canteen. We need you – our students need your support!
David Silcock
Principal
Alstonville High School Sport in 2018 We are very excited about the new format sport will follow at Alstonville High School this year.
Sport is offered in year groups and should ensure greater participation amongst peer groups.
Sport will be held during Periods 3 and 4 (11:40am -1:40pm).
Year 7 is held on Thursdays
Year 8 on Fridays
Year 10 on Mondays
Year 9 on Tuesdays
School sports uniform can be worn all day on these days
As per department guidelines, all students in Years 7 to 10 are required to participate in 2 hours of structured physical activity.
We look forward to an engaging and enjoyable year of sport.
Doug North (Head Teacher PDHPE)
Lisa Morrow (Sport Organiser)
Science All homework tasks for the Semester 1 have been issued to students. This year we will be looking to focus students on being more
aware of their progress in science. To help with this the faculty is pretesting students on spelling and knowledge. The spelling tests
were done last week and students should have their results. We are asking that between now and Week 9 when they will be
retested that they work on improving their results rather than seeing a mark as a pass or fail. Copies of the spelling words and
their definitions have been emailed to all Year 8 to10 parents with Year 7 parents to be emailed next week. I encourage parents
to help students learn the key terms definitions and the spelling. Copies of the homework have also been sent out attached to the
email.
Year 8 and 10 Major Assignments for the Term will be issued next week and copies of the task will also be emailed to parents.
Thanks for your help in encouraging students to complete these tasks, the enthusiasm shown by students (some of which have
already handed in the first task) is outstanding.
Allan Pelley / Head Teacher Science
Northern Rivers Zone Swimming Carnival
The Northern Rivers Zone Swimming Carnival will be held at Lismore Memorial Pool on Monday 26 February (Week 5, Term
1)
Due to the Alstonville Aquatic Centre's redevelopment, our swimming carnival will be held after this date.
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Students who would like to compete at the Zone Swimming Carnival must nominate at the tables outside the PDHPE
Staffroom.
The fastest two competitors in each event and the fastest four competitors in the 50m freestyle will qualify for the 50m
Freestyle and the 4x50m age relay team for the Zone carnival.
If you don't nominate you will not be considered.
If you nominate and are selected, you are expected to attend and compete in this event at the Zone carnival.
Sports Houses Students are encouraged to wear the following house colours to all their sports carnivals:
House and Colour
Years 7, 8 and 9
(Surname starting with letters)
Year 10, 11 and 12
(2015 Roll call group)
Crawford / Red A to D Rolls 1 to 8
Lumley / Green E to J Rolls 11-18
Maguire / Yellow K to R Rolls 21-28
Marshall / Blue S to Z Rolls 31-38
Paul Francis / Sports Organiser
Careers News
Calendar of Events
1 March Thursday Year 12 University/TAFE Roadshow at Alstonville High School Hall Period 5.
“Careers Communication Corner”
1. Welcome to 2018, especially new families. Contact details for Careers Information are [email protected] or
66285222. We have a Careers website that is free to access www.alstonvillehighcareers.com. This has a variety of useful
information headings and drop down menus.
2. TAFE/TVET 2018 - Due to changes to offers, late applications/withdrawals and funding for TAFE 2018, the orientation and first
day of lessons will be on Wednesday 14 February. Information on Campus meeting locations and times to start/finish were handed
to students in the TLS Meeting with Sharon Brasher TVET/Schools Liaison Officer on Tuesday 6 February. Information on bus times
was supplied to myself and will be issued to students over the next couple of days.
3. General Information
Year 12 - UMAT entry to some Medicine/Health courses registrations has opened.
School Recommendation/Early Entry/Scholarships varies from place to place. Students need to check individual universities and
their application details and any extra eligibility requirements. Some information will arrive late Term 2 or early Term 3 to school.
SAVE THE DATE - University and TAFE visit to Alstonville High School will be in the school hall on Thursday 1 March during Period
5 : 2:20pm – 3:20pm. It is expected classes will be cancelled and ALL Year 12 will attend for awareness raising. Parents are also
welcome to come along and gather information. Notes with more details to be distributed to Year 12 in the next week.
4. School Leaver Vacancies - Immediate start:
There are two local employers looking to hire an apprentice. One is in the field of refrigeration and air conditioner mechanic and
the other is in cabinet making vacancy. Must be reliable, keen and have a good work ethic as minimum criteria.
- Refrigeration/air conditioning apprentice. Hot roof work, various locations - Cabinet making apprentice. Both in shop and on site work.
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This can be a Year 11 or 12 or a recent school leaver in Year 12 2017. Please see Mr Groves / Head Teacher in Industrial Arts for
further information.
Karen Horne / Careers Adviser
NSW SCHOOL
VACCINATION PROGRAM 2018
Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.
In 2018 the following vaccines will be offered to:
All year 7 students -
- dTpa vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (whooping cough) as a single dose - human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in a 2-dose schedule at 0 and 6 months All year 10 and 11 students – - Meningococcal ACWY vaccine as a single dose
Parent Information Kits that include an Information sheet, consent form and privacy statement will be sent home to parents /
guardians. To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents / guardians are advised to:
read all the information provided
complete the consent form, including signing their name next to the vaccine/s they would like their child to receive
return the completed consent form to their child’s school
ensure that their child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic.
Please note that students who commence HPV vaccination in school clinics in Year 7 but do not complete the course during the
school year may be offered catch-up doses at school in Year 8. Parents will be notified by letter/ or text from The Public Health
Unit if this applies to their child.
Students who have any HPV doses at their GP will be advised to complete the course with their GP.
Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal or phoning the
school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at:
www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation
To improve vaccination completion, students will be opportunistically offered any missed doses throughout the year where
possible.
A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination.
Current Northern NSW Vacancies- HVTC Vacancies page APPRENTICESHIPS • Cert III Light Vehicle Automotive. Job ref # SD000092 Location: Ballina TRAINEESHIPS • Cert III Customer Engagement. Job ref # SD000110 Location: Lismore
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Alstonville High School Newsletter: Issue 1, 7 February 2018
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WHOLESALE NURSERY
POSITIONS VACANT
We have a position available in our wholesale
nursery. We will be offering a traineeship to
the suitable applicant.
We require our employees to be able work
with a fast pace team. No experience required,
just need to be cheerful and willing to learn.
Enquiries please phone: 6628 0777
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