LAWSON’S LATEST

7 SEPTEMBER 2018 TERM 3 ISSUE 7 THE HENRY LAWSON HIGH SCHOOL

CHALLENGE, ENCOURAGE, ACHIEVE49 SOUTH STREET, GRENFELL NSW 2810 02 6343 1390 www.henrylawso-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

2018 GRENFELL SHOW

Twenty seven students competed in the Grenfell show junior judging, cattle and sheep handlers and exhib-ited sheep and cattle for The Henry Lawson High School.Results of the junior judging and handlers classes are summarised below:

EVENT FIRST SECOND THIRDFruit and vegetable judging Hugo Fenton Georgia Brenner Tara SchaeferGrains judging Stephanie Davies Tara Schaefer Hugo FentonWool judging Ayden Eyles Stephanie Davies Tara Schaefer Cattle judging Tara Schaefer Stephanie Davies Joshua CarpenterMeat sheep Stephanie Davies Tara Schaefer Caitlin StockSheep handlers Brendan Knight Caprhyse Lawler Casey WalkerSchool cattle handlers Tara Schaefer Faith White Angus TrothOpen experienced cattle handlers

Forbes competitor Forbes competitor Angus Kelly

THLHS exhibited 11 sheep, taking out reserve champion ram of the show (second best ram of all of the breeds). For the first time in six years THLHS also exhibited cattle that have been kindly loaned from Devanah Murray Grey Stud Forbes, which is owned by Joanne, Neil and Damian Southorn. This is part of a project team that was initially suggested by Jenifer Kelly and which our P&C have financially supported by purchasing yards, equipment and other supplies. The Angus Bull Devanah Neptune was awarded Reserve Champion Bull and the two heifers and bull paraded well. They had been broken in by John Hutt at Cowra before coming on grounds at school. Mrs Kuhn helped with preparing and exhibiting the cattle, and Gary White erected the cattle yards and took on extra duties to support our cattle and sheep programs. Past stu-dent Becky Eastaway assisted our students by running a workshop at THLHS on Friday afternoon and also helped with loading cattle on Saturday; as Chief Cattle Steward Becky also ran extra cattle parader com-petitions to cater for our students. It was fantastic to look across the show ring and see at least 20 proud parents watching their children compete in the cattle and sheep handlers classes and the pride which the students displayed whilst representing our school.We would like to thank everyone who supported our students at the Grenfell show, especially the Southorn family for their cattle, THLHS P&C, John Hutt, Mrs Kuhn, Gary White, Becky Eastaway and parents who helped with transporting animals. We had a highly successful show.

Principal’s Report HSC major art worksYear 12 student Isabelle Hunter has completed her HSC major art work, ‘Without Strings’. The project has been packaged to be sent to Sydney for marking. We wait with great anticipation and wish Isabelle all the best .Grenfell showWhat a great show last weekend. It was wonderful to have the community come and see our stand and be involved in some of the activities on offer. The Ozobots were a hit with the kids and the Breakout Box challenge certainly tested the grey matter of our older students and parents. The P&C were busy running the dining hall/canteen and I thank all the staff and parents that helped organise and operate the canteen. Thank you also to students and staff that helped out with the stand.

Our show team put on a tremendous display by cleaning up most, if not all, the junior judging categories and were actively involved in sheep and cattle handling. Our sheep performed well with one of the rams named reserve champion. THLHS also exhibited cattle that have been kindly loaned from Devanah Murray Grey Stud Forbes, a step toward new opportunities for our students in future years. Well done to the 27 students involved in the show team.Year 8 information eveningThere was a good attendance at the Year 8 information evening last Monday. Students and parents were provided with information about Year 9 and 10 courses, electives and BYOD. If you have any questions, please call Ms McCulloch, Ms Griffith, Ms Crossley or myself.Year 11 and 12 examsBest wishes to our Year 11 and 12 students for their exams this week. Use the time and feedback wisely to help learn and improve your knowledge in preparation for the HSC in term 4.AgVisionStage 5 agriculture students attended AgVision today, the leading Agriculture careers expo in Australia. Students found the expo motivating and inspiring, with many fantastic hands-on experiences and mentoring from industry professionals.NRL Backyard LeagueOver the next few weeks Stage 4 students will participate in the NRL Backyard League program. The program introduces students to rugby league in a safe, non-competitive and fun environment while delivering important education, health and welfare messages.Next week Stage 4 students will experience Samba. Coming soon• Stage 3 primary partner schools will visit to take part in the

science and STEM challenge day.• Sir Joseph Banks High School Year 9 will visit and be part of

the Weddin Mountains Challenge.

Principal’s five - parents, students, community and staff learning together.Absorption is1. Understanding factors that contribute to being absorbed.2. Recognising the feelings associated with being absorbed.Absorption looks and sounds like:• I enjoyed puzzling over that task and felt in the ‘flow’ of

learning.• I only completed on task at a time to help me get into a

flow state.• I set myself a personal goal to five me something to work

towards.• I could tell people why I loved the activity.• I understand that being absorbed help me learn.• I had enough sleep, took short breaks and moved regularly

to improve my mental focus.• I noticed which tasks did and did not interest and absorb

me.• I notice how I felt when I was engaged.• I did not notice the passing of time during this activity.• I could tell people a lot about what I was learning.

Have a great week – Ian Pattingale.

We look forward to seeing you at our next P&C meeting on Monday 10 September.

CELEBRATING PUBLIC EDUCATION AT THE HENRY LAWSON HIGH SCHOOL Where are they now?

Samantha Grandi (nee Causer) – 2008I attended THLHS for years 11 and 12 after completing my earlier schooling at Quandialla Central School. During my time at THLHS I was an active participant in many extra-curricular and sporting activities: I was a member of the school band and choir, as well as a member of many sporting teams and I participated in a TVET program through TAFE on Wednesday afternoons, completing an introduction to hairdressing course. I was elected school vice-captain in 2008, which enabled me to further develop my confidence and leadership skills. My favourite subjects at school were Exploring Early Childhood and Hospitality. I think I enjoyed these subjects the most as I was very interested in both of them, we had amazing teachers teaching them and I was successful at them.I have many fond memories of my time at THLHS. One of the best memories I have is spending time with friends, as well as the support I was given by so many of the teachers that taught me. I remember a teacher who didn’t actually have me in her class read over an assessment for me and provided me with feedback. This just goes to show the dedication and quality of teachers we were lucky enough to have in a small country public school.I always thought I would be a hairdresser/beauty therapist. However, after completing Exploring Early Childhood and my brother, Brett, suggesting early childhood teaching, I decided I would go to university, study teaching and see what happened. I went to the University of Canberra to study Early Childhood Education and never looked back or doubted my decision. During this time I formed many new friendships, not just in my course but also through sporting teams and living on campus. I enjoyed university, even though there were times when I didn’t see the use of studying certain areas, as I couldn’t see a use for it in teaching. I also met my husband, Jay while at university. We married in April 2017. I successfully completed my teaching degree at the end of 2012. I was able to teach as an intern in NSW after I finished my final placement. Jay and I moved to Griffith, where Jay had grown up and I began casual teaching in term 3 2012. At the end of 2012, I was offered a kindergarten class for 2013 at Griffith East Public School, where I have taught kindergarten ever since. I have immersed myself in the school, being a teacher who has been involved in many sporting teams and also the conductor on the school band. Without my experience of these activities at high school with amazing teachers, I wouldn’t have felt confident to take on these roles. I found a love for teaching and have been lucky to find an amazing school to teach at. I have just begun maternity leave, as Jay and I are expecting our first child any day now. I am looking forward to my new adventure of being a mum.I don’t know that I have one career highlight; every day working with five and six year olds is rewarding. Just knowing that you have played a role in assisting these young people grow and learn so much over one year is the most rewarding experience.My advice to others is to follow your dreams, don’t doubt yourself. Your ATAR is not a number that will define who you are or of what you are capable. Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, try something and see where it takes you. I will finish with a quote from Dr Seuss:You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

Wow! Your response to our call for help with catering at the Grenfell Show was amazing!Some of you cooked slices, scones and other delicious treats. Others worked on the day, making sandwiches, serving food, washing up and singing along loudly to Jen’s playlist, while some worked behind the scenes taking on jobs that helped the day to run smoothly. Thank you to the Dads for taking charge of the barbie! Thank you to all who contributed in your own way. This was a very successful fundraiser for the P&C and a great team effort, with staff and parents working together and supporting both our school and our community.A big thank you to Hannah Troth for pulling it all together. She didn’t leave a stone unturned in her planning. We also acknowledge the assistance given by Grenfell Rotary Club for generously sharing their experiences of catering at the show, to help in our purchasing decisions and overall planning.We’re already fine-tuning the plan for next year’s show, so if you have any suggestions, bring them along to our P&C meeting on Monday 10 September.

SILVER MADLast Friday a number of students were treated to a home-made soup lunch as a reward for achieving silver merit level since our last reward event earlier this year. Approximately 50 students were able to attend, enjoying a variety of soups including potato and leek, roasted pumpkin and chicken with sweet corn, served with home-made garlic bread too! The delicious feast was prepared by our Year 11 hospitality class. Students who were unable to attend due to a clash with another event will be included in the next silver merit reward day.

HSIE HAPPENINGS A lot has happened over the last few weeks in HSIE.Students displayed learning at the school show tent last weekend. This included models of future sustainable cities. We also received results back from the business studies competition. This resulted in a super effort by Sarah Knight who received a distinction. Congratulations to all students who participated.

Year 8 announced the winner of the lolly guessing competition. Emily Edwards from year 7 was the lucky winner with a guess of 522. The exact amount of lollies was 521; very close. Well done Emily.

Around the roomsYear 7 geography have been investigating our magnificent local landform, the Weddin Mountains. Whilst Year 8 are busy learning about water in the world (very relevant at the moment!) Year 9 are discovering how humans have altered biomes to produce food for our growing world population. Lastly year 10 have just completed an assessment task on human well-being.Business and legal studies are busy studying for their trials and can see the end in sight. Best wishes to all students.Stay tuned for the results of the geography competition, sure to be some great results there.Just a reminder of a couple of tasks that are coming up for Years 7,8 and 10 geography classes.Week 8 - Year 7 Weddin Mountains brochure and model.Week 9 - Year 8 water in the world topic test (in class).Year 10 - Human well-being topic test (in class).

ASSESSMENT REMINDERSYear 11 Advanced English Critical Essay: due Friday 21 September week 9.Year 11 Standard English Writing Portfolio: due Friday 21 September week 9.

NEWS FROM GRENFELL PUBLIC SCHOOL

Josh has been representing GPS in the Western Rugby Union Team (as jersey number 7 - flanker) at the State Carnival held in Coffs Harbour this week. The team had a great carnival and came away with three wins and three losses.

NEWS FROM CARAGABAL PUBLIC SCHOOL

WELL-BEING CORNER “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle”.

PlatoYou can’t know what’s really happening in someone else’s life. The most popular, attractive, and successful person at school might have problems you’re clueless about. Even on your own bad days, you can spread a little kindness – a smile, a gesture, a word, a generous and unexpected act. You might brighten another person’s day, and you’ll feel better about yourself too.

TODAYI will be kind.

National Tree DayWe have planted our plants donated by Weddin Community Native Nursery for National Tree Day! Fingers crossed they’ll get a good soaking.We have thinned out our poppies and look forward to watching them grow and bloom in time for Rememberance Day in November.

Touch Football TeamCaragabal Public School Year 3-6 students are very excited that their touch football team has progressed to the round robin finals stage of the competition.This means they will be heading to Sydney on

27 September to play four games of touch football against other small schools across the state.

NEWS FROM QUANDIALLA PUBLIC SCHOOL

TTFMThis term, our school will be participating in the Tell Them From Me surveys which ask parents and carers questions about different factors that are known to impact on student well-being and engagement.The survey will help our school understand parents’ and carers’ perspectives on their child’s experience at school. These include: communication between parents/carers and staff, activities and practices at home and parent/carer views on the school’s support of learning and behaviour. This valuable feedback will help our school make practical improvements. The survey will typically take 15 minutes or less to complete and is completely confidential. The parent survey will be conducted between 27 August and 26 October. Although participating in the survey is entirely voluntary, your responses are very much appreciated. More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au. To access the survey for our school go to: https://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/8grhg

Healthy Harold and Rae are here today in the Life Education Van, the students all love visiting the van and it is a valuable resource to help students learn

about making good decisions around their wellbeing.

Future Moves ExcursionWyalong Public School

Tuesday 4 September, 2018

WEDDIN MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE - SEPTEMBER 2018During week 9, from 19-21 September, our Year 9 students will take part in the annual Weddin Mountain Challenge. This year however, we are hoping to make a few changes and we are very excited to be inviting 20 students from Sir Joseph Banks High School, our partner school in Revesby, to join us. The students from Sir Joseph Banks come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and it will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to make some new friends and connections.This means that our program will be slightly different to that which we have followed in the past. We will camp out at the mountains on the Wednesday night and walk over the mountain on Thursday, from Ben Hall’s cave to Holy Camp Road, returning to school in the afternoon for showers and a freshen up before dinner at school and evening activities. Students will spend Thursday night sleeping at the school before heading out for a farm visit on Friday morning.With planning well underway, and to assist with this process, we would like to ask if there are any farmers in our community that may be shearing at this time and would be happy to host a visit from our ‘city cousins’. It will be a great opportunity for us to showcase the Weddin Shire and the advantages of living in a regional area. We would also like to invite Year 9 parents to join us out at the mountains for both, or either, the camping and walk over the mountain. It is always lots of fun and at this time of the year we are generally lucky with the weather. More information will follow as we finalise details over the next few weeks. If anyone can assist with the farm visit, or any Year 9 parents would like to book in for the camping, please contact Nicola Mitton at school, 6343 1390.

STUDY SKILLS - SEPTEMBER Students sometimes ask ‘What is the best way to study?’. To answer, there is no best way. An important lesson for students to learn is that everyone learns in different ways, everyone has different approaches and preferences, and what works well for one person may not work well for another. This truth applies to all aspects of effective learning – time management, research skills, writing skills and so on. There are certainly good techniques and strategies available in all of these areas, and also approaches that work well for the majority of students. However it is essential that all students try different techniques to see what works best for them. Preferences could also change over time, so it makes sense to at least once a year stop and reflect on approaches to learning. What did you do, what worked, what didn’t, what should you change, what should you keep, and what new things could you try. This is what ‘metacognition’ is all about. It means taking the time to try and understand more about the process of learning and your role as a learner. Students who take a metacognitive approach to their learning are much more likely to improve their results. How can you find out different study techniques to try? Talk to the people around you – friends, siblings, parents – ask them what techniques they have used. Also ask your teachers what they would recommend for their subject. You can also visit the unit on the Study Skills Handbook that covers how to study for tests and exams. You will find lots of active studying strategies and grids to help you plan for exams. Just remember – there is a worst way to study – just reading your notes over and over and hoping the information stays in your head!Our school’s subscription details to this online study skills website for secondary school students are – www.studyskillshandbook.com.au User name: THLHSPassword: 49success

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?The response we have had from the Grenfell community regarding our Where are they now? column has been extremely positive, but we need your help to keep the column going. If you would like to contribute, or know of a past student that would be interested in contributing, please contact Terese Sheehan on 6343 1390 or email terese.sheehan@det.nsw.edu.au

Come join us in a yarn and a cuppa

On Wednesday 12th September

At Lions Park/Old railway station

From 10am-2pm

This event is in aide of R.U.OK DAY the theme is

Working together This a chance to check in with your friends, family, co-workers

Show your support to your community just by asking R.U.OK

Its about making a difference, starting that conversation

We will be providing a free morning tea and a sausage sizzle

Tea/coffee and cold refreshments

So, come down and show your support