RUTHERFORD TECHNOLOGY

HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

23 May, 2014 Email: rutherford-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

www.rutherfordhs.nsw.edu.au Telephone: 4932 5999

Fax: 4932 8166 http:www.facebook.com/RutherfordTechnologyHighSchool

C A L E N D A R J U L Y

16 July School Development Day (students do not attend school)

17 July Students resume school for Term 3

18 July Year 7 & 9 reports sent home

24 July Parent / Teacher Evening in Library and selected classrooms

Office Opening Hours

Please be aware the office is open on Monday, to Friday between 8am and 4pm. Outside office hours a message may be left on the school answering machine. Parents and caregivers are reminded an appointment is necessary before meeting with teachers as they have class, playground duty and other commitments during the school day.

RESPECT

RESPONSIBILITY

COMMITMENT

C A L E N D A R

26th May 2014

National Sorry day

27th May 2014

Business Breakfast

28th May 2014

Coalfields Zone Athletics

2nd June 2014

Yr 11 & 12 Drama Excursion

Riverside Theatre

5th June 2014

Hunter SSSA Wag Trials

6th June 2014

Art Excursion

Cockatoo Island

11th June, 2014

Electives Information Night

Yr 10-11 5.30-7.00pm

Yr 8-9 7.00-8.00pm

THE YOUNG BROTHERS ABORIGINAL DANCE GROUP

The Young Brothers Aboriginal Dance Group went and danced at Mindaribba LALC

for the local Aboriginal community. Also present at this gathering was Local

Member, Bob Baldwin, as well as Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs,

Nigel Scullion.

This was a great opportunity for the brothers to show their talent as well as

knowledge of traditional Aboriginal dancing. We will continue to represent our people

and our school with more dance jobs coming up in the future.

Thank you to all who assisted with making this possible. We look forward to

continuing to develop these relationships, to ensure a positive future for all.

If any brothers who are not currently dancing and would like to join our door is

always open.

Michael Heitmeyer

YEAR 7 REPORT Year 7 have continued their great start to 2014. The students are continuing to settle in with their peers and their teachers, as we proceed on the journey of high school. It is hard to believe that we are almost half way through the year! Term 2 has been a busy one, as we are fast approaching week 5. This term has seen students enjoy their first sports carnival at high school. This was a jam packed day, with a great representation of Year 7 students participating in track and field events. We look forward to watching these students continuing to develop their sport prowess in future years to come. Congratulations and good luck to our Year 7 students representing RTHS at zone. A big congratulations to all Year 7 students who participated in NAPLAN. With 5 exams spread over 3 days, students demonstrated a keen enthusiasm for literacy and numeracy. Students behaviour was exceptional and they should be commended for their attitude and conduct during the exams. With the cold weather fast upon us, this is a timely reminder about school uniforms. School jumpers can be pur-chased from the Uniform Shop, located near the library. If students are unable to wear their school uniform to school, they need to ensure they have a note from their parents. If students are experiencing bullying, they need to remember their first port of call is their classroom teacher. They can also access the 'report a bully online'. Peer mediation is available for minor conflict issues. Students can discuss their concerns with trained Year 10 peer mediators and agree to a resolution. This has proven to have a huge success rate as students respond positively to assistance from students. With a busy few weeks to end the term, Year 7 have much to look forward to. Cowards Punch Presentation will be shown to students on June 2nd. This is a really important presentation for students to be involved about the dangers of physically reacting to conflict. Students with outstanding attendance will be rewarded with a barbecue at the beginning of next term. We will also have the opportunity to watch our budding Year 7 drama students and musicians in the school musical 'Bye Bye Birdie'. Keep up the good work Year 7. It is a pleasure to hear about the wonderful things you are achieving around the school, including the large number of students receiving commendation certificates for Term 1. We want to continue to focus on, and acknowledge students demonstrating our core values of respect, responsibility and commitment both in the classroom and the playground. If there are any concerns, please contact us for further assistance.

Emma Basedow—Yr 7 Advisor and Nicole Marshall—Yr 7 Assistant Advisor

YEAR 12 REPORT

The current morale of Year 12 is very high. They have a positive outlook and they are now starting to think more

deeply about their Formal Assembly and Formal. However, there is a long way to go yet.

Please pay: subject fees (by instalment if necessary); for the Year 12 Jersey (it will not be issued until fully paid) and

for the Formal tickets.

Students are expected to complete homework, revise, summarise, study and prepare for assessment tasks until the

last day of Term 3. Please encourage them to do so and take an active interest in their HSC preparations.

Students can access the HSC timetable on line.

Some students have expressed an interest in being a blood donor. Paperwork is being completed and I commend

the students on their choice.

Make sure that all paperwork that needs to be returned to the school is completed and returned. Some students

have not returned paperwork relating to the Formal or their School reference. I am doing my best and if the students

are disappointed in my work because they have not provided me with the information, they must accept the

responsibility.

Kevin McMullen—Year 12 Advisor

YEAR 8 REPORT Year 8 have had an exciting start to this term. They kicked it off with the athletics carnival where many teachers commented on how well behaved year 8 students were throughout the day. Congratulations Danny Vale who has been crowned age champion for the 14’s boys. Many students from year 8 have progressed to the zone stage including Danny Vale, Derence Torrens, Tyson Portsmouth, Jock Sullivan , Ethan Sanderson, Blake Barnes, Emily Forth, Tahila Bell, Roselle Kleyn and Jazmine Elkins. What a talented sporting year group that Ms Wells and I have inherited. Year 8 not only excel at athletics but they also make up a large percentage of our school Knights knock-out team. This list includes Danny Vale, Tyson Portsmouth, Bryce Keogh, Beau Wilson, Daniel and Defence Torrens, Tahj Robinson, Jock Sullivan, Blake Young, Corey Stephenson, Ethan Sanderson, Bailey Woollcott, Reece Wilson and Bailey Gaiter but it’s not just the boys who are doing well in the sporting arena. Rozelle Kleyn has been doing her part for the girls reaching zone level at swimming, cross country and athletics. Yesterday year 8 were given permission and medical forms for the Great Aussie Bush Camp which has been scheduled for 1 September to 3 September. I cannot recommended this experience enough to students. It’s a great 3 days where they get to complete activities that make them step outside their comfort zone, make new friends, getting an enjoyable experience with staff and gain independence. Many students mentioned that they had been to this camp in primary school. I personally have been 5 times and still love the experience it’s important to note that secondary students have an increased variety of activities that they can complete that they were not al-lowed to do in primary school such as the giant slide. Deposits for camp can be paid at the front office. If you are looking for more information about school events and positive stories about Rutherford Technology High School please like us on our Facebook page. On this page you can get information about carnivals, excursions, positive results, participation in events and the general goings on around the school.

Loretta Wells—Yr 8 Advisor & Madi Thompson—Yr 8 Assistant Advisor

INTER-SCHOOL HORSE SPORTS

Congratulations to the girls who represented our school at the Inter-School Horse Sports at Singleton on Friday. The 4 girls who participated were Caitlen Cross, Kelly Atkins, Lisa Moy & Megan Atkins. Lisa scored 1st in barrel racing, 2nd in hacking and 2nd in jumping. Megan was 3rd in barrel racing, 3rd in hacking & 4th in jump. Well done, team on your excellent results

RTHS KITCHEN RULZ AT THE BUSNESS BREAKFAST The pressure is on Year 12 Vet Hospitality students as the countdown to the Business breakfast begins – 3 more days to go. The class with Mrs Smailes, Mrs Weber and Mrs Keath have been busy practicing their skills as they prepare to cater for the 93 guests at the Business Breakfast on Tuesday 27 May. This major event for the school is organized and emceed by the ‘Aspire Ambassadors’ – 14 students from Years 10-12 who nominated themselves to participate in leadership roles across the school. The Year 12 group uses this event to showcase their competencies as part of their Hospitality course. With Hannah Wheeler stirring the pot, no doubt, the meal will be an outstanding success. More to come in the next newsletter……….

FUTSAL BOYS

Today we had 5 boys teams represent the school in futsal and had a lot of success. The u/16s A team headed up by Ryan Hall coaching, successfully won the Hunter Valley U/16 boys division which now means they will be com-peting in the Newcastle, Central Coast and Hunter Valley school championships. We had our U/19s boys A team do exceptionally well playing in the grand final with no Subs losing 2-1. However the boys did enough to also qualify for the Newcastle, Central Coast and Hunter Valley school championships. It was a great day with a lot of excitement, passion and enjoyment. Big thanks also to our 3 sports Coaching boys Ryan Hall, Nicholas Bakhius and Luke Darcey for helping out with all the teams. Stay tuned to hear how our girls go tomorrow.

Matt Robinson and Toby Butler—Coach

FUTSAL GIRLS Another good day with all students representing our school with pride and respect. We had a very young U/14s team try there very best today but unfortunately couldn't win a game, though they did have a lot of fun. Massive thanks to Nick Bakhius (yr 12 sports coaching) for running their team. U/16s girls team came very close but unfortunately lost the semi final, playing some really good and exciting futsal. Our U/19s girls played exceptionally well all day, outplayed every opposition but unfortunately lost to a final minute goal to Kurri to lose the final 2-1. However these girls have qualified for the Newcastle, Hunter Valley and Central Coast regional championships. Also a massive wrap to Kalista Hunter who played in every game for both the 16s and 19s today.

Matt Robinson and Toby Butler —Coach

SENIOR STUDY Students in Year 12 are currently working towards completing their assessment tasks and class work. As we are already almost half way through this term, students need to keep checking the due dates for assessment tasks. Students have also been involved this week in a First Aid Course which will see students equipped with some valuable skills. Singleton Study Days for HSC students will be held on Friday 30

th May. The cost is $50 and this will go to-

wards workshops involving HSC Markers and lecturers. It is a valuable opportunity to ask questions of people in the know and mix with other HSC students from different schools. Students need to see Miss Boughton before the end of Week 5 regarding this. The following assessment tasks are due in the upcoming weeks.

SCHOOL MUSICAL Rehearsals are well and truly under way for our musical production of ‘BYE BYE BIRDIE’. Miss Hornery, Miss

Clunies-Ross and Mr Avery have the cast and band under control during sport lessons. There are 15 school

days left until the show

begins.

WED 18th

June, 7pm and THURS 19th

June, 7pm in the MPC.

Buy your tickets from the Front Office.

Senior Science Research Task L Smith Week 4

Mathematics General 1 Investigation Project D Carratt Week 5

Design and Technology – Multimedia

MDP Marketing Plan J Marks Week 5

Legal Studies Essay K Daly Week 5

Mathematics (Advanced) Written class test G Archbold Week 5

Mathematics Extension 1

Written class test Week 5

Mathematics General 2 Written class test K Watson Week 5

Food Technology Food Product Development – Design process steps

C Minett Week 6 (theory) Week 8 (prac)

Business Studies Case Study / In-class extended response

T Butler Week 6

CAFS Research Methodologies Part C M Thompson Week 6

Music 1 Elective 3 + Core Composition L Hornery Week 6

English – Advanced Critical study of Texts – Poetry Gwen Harwood

Oral Task

J Blackwell Week 6 or 7

YEAR 11 REPORT

Welcome back to term 2. One common question is how can parents assist their child cope with the demands of senior study. The most obvi-ous forms of support a parent can offer are the practical, physical things:

Provide a good place to study. Ideally it should be quiet, a comfortable temperature, with good ventilation, good lighting, adequate desk or table space, and free from distractions such as TV, noise, a telephone, inter-esting conversations, little brothers or sisters.

Provide good balanced meals.

Encourage sensible levels of sleep and some form of regular exercise. This also helps with symptoms of de-pression and anxiety.

Encourage a reasonable balance between work and leisure, with moderation in late night parties.

Of equal importance are the things you can do to provide a positive and understanding emotional environ-ment:

Be supportive and encouraging. Encourage confidence by reassuring them, if you have doubts, keep them to yourself.

Highlight strengths and weaknesses. Encourage your child not to dwell on failures. Reframe failures as mis-takes as something we can learn from, something that can give positive directions for remedial action

Appreciate that it is normal for people under pressure to become supersensitive and explosive from time to time. Family members are usually the first targets, try not to overreact over these outbursts.

Don't panic when they announce on the evening before the exam or assessment task that they know noth-ing. (Reassure them, even if you think they could be right. "Just do the best you can. We know you're giving it your best shot." is a good standby.)

Avoid nagging. (That doesn't mean you can't give a nudge or gentle reminder from time to time. Note that sometimes one parent can do this more successfully than the other.)

Encourage your child to utilise any free periods and seek help from teachers or the school counsellor if he or she is having any difficulty with subjects, study organisation, stress or anxiety about assessment tasks and examinations.

Remember the occasional hug and "“I love you" do not go astray, even when they are 17 years old. Try to encourage and allow your child to be as independent as you can possibly stand. The more independent he or she can be in meeting the demands of senior school, the better prepared he or she will be to succeed at a tertiary level or in the workforce.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if the need arises.

Nella Clarke—Yr 11 Advisor Congratulations to Edwina Latham, who is the winner of the NSW Mining Scholarship, Hunter Region, Year 11 2014.

WHO IS ‘ROSE PETAL’?

Description:

Height: 190 cm

Weight: 95 kg

Gender: Male

Age: unknown

Clothes: well-worn jeans, boots need polishing, blue cap, yellow polo neck, yellow/blue jersey.

Occupation: Agriculture teacher, part time farmer, loving Dad, ‘Jack of all trades’, has a very tolerant wife, full time

larrikin, mentor to Year 12 Agriculture students on a 3 day excursion to Dubbo for farm visits.

An exciting adventure for the students, Mrs Fletcher and Mr Rose Petal (aka Mr O’Leary):

a tour of Fletcher sheep abattoir;

a visit to Mr O’Leary’s father’s farm at Dubbo where they mustered, drafted, ear-tagged, dehorned, NLIS

chipped weaners, observed farming practices;

a walk around Western Plains Zoo;

a camp oven cooking night around a camp fire.

A trip to remember.

REBECCA LANE, MAITLAND CITY LIBRARIAN AND YEAR 12 ADVANCED ENGLISH

Year 12 and 11 Advanced English classes and Mrs Blackwell were all ears when Rebecca Lane, Programs Librari-

an from Maitland City Council visited as a guest speaker.

Rebecca shared her time discussing the enormous range of resources and programs the library has on offer to sup-

port all students and especially senior students. The resources range from books, magazines, CDs, author visits,

newspaper articles to internet access. Librarians have university qualifications and are very experienced in providing

support to all students. The library also provides spaces for individuals to have quiet study time or groups to have

shared study opportunity.

Rutherford Technology High School students are very lucky to have the Rutherford Library as a resource so close to

the school. Thank you, Rebecca.

BOYS TENNIS

The tennis team (Michael Brown, Ryan hall, Aaron McDonald and Bryce Pratt) played Thursday and had a winning day. Their first match against Frances Greenway was won very comfortably (Aaron and Ryan won their doubles match 6/1 while Michael and Ryan won 6/0) all the boys won their singles matches 6/0. Their next match against Singleton was a lot closer. Aaron and Ryan won both their doubles matches 6/4 and 6/3 while Michael and Ryan won one and lost one 6/2 and 4/6. The singles were shared with Ryan and Aaron winning 6/3 and 6/1 respectively while Michael and Bryce lost 4/6 and 3/6 respectively. This gave the boys the winning margin of 5 matches to 3 and so progress to the next stage. All the boys played well and displayed excellent sportsmanship. Their behaviour was outstanding and they were a credit to Rutherford High. The boys should be congratulated on their sportsmanship, behaviour and the win if you get the chance. Paul Forbes—Tennis Coach

UNIFORM

Rutherford Technology High School is a uniform school, as is the wish of the school community. It has been pleasing to hear the messages of support from parents as we take steps to deal with a slight downturn in the standard of our winter uniform. Uniform will be monitored daily and it is the expectation of the school that all students will be in full school uniform. On the rare occurrences where students can’t wear uniform a note from home should be brought outlining the problem for that day only. If parents require financial assistance in purchasing uniform please call the school to obtain a Student Assistance Form. Our uniform is only supplied by the school uniform shop, and no other items of clothing are deemed as school uniform. JUNIOR GIRLS

SENIOR GIRLS

JUNIOR BOYS

All Year Skirt: RTHS check skirt from uniform shop

Shirt: RTHS yellow/white Senior Polo from uniform shop or RTHS yellow dress shirt from the uniform shop.

Shorts: Black tailored shorts for summer.

Shoes: Black leather

Socks: White

Winter Top: RTHS hoodie or RTHS Jacket or RTHS woollen jumper

Track suit: RTHS black bootleg, or RTHS track pants.

Summer Shirt: RTHS light blue/white Junior Polo from uniform shop or RTHS light blue dress shirt from the uniform shop.

Shorts: Black tailored shorts for summer.

Shoes: Black leather

Socks: White

Winter Top: RTHS hoodie or RTHS Jacket

Pants: RTHS black trousers from uniform shop, or RTHS track pants.

Summer Skirt: RTHS check skirt from uniform shop

Shirt: RTHS light blue/white Junior Polo from uniform shop or RTHS light blue dress shirt from the uniform shop.

Shorts: Black tailored shorts for summer.

Shoes: Black leather

Socks: White

Winter Top: RTHS hoodie or RTHS Jacket or RTHS woollen jumper

Pants: RTHS black bootleg, or RTHS track pants.

SENIOR BOYS

SPORT AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT (GIRLS AND BOYS)

Note: Sport uniform may be worn to school on Thursday for sport for Years 8, 9, 10, and 11. However, PE classes and integrated sport groups must wear normal uniform to school and change for their activity.

Lesson Expectations

Summer Shirt: RTHS yellow/white Senior Polo from uniform shop or RTHS yellow dress shirt from the uniform shop.

Shorts: Black tailored shorts for summer.

Shoes: Black leather

Socks: White

Winter Top: RTHS hoodie or RTHS Jacket

Pants: RTHS black trousers from uniform shop, or RTHS track pants.

All Year Shorts: RTHS Sports shorts from uniform shop

Shirts: RTHS Sports shirt from the uniform shop

Shoes: Sports shoes.

Socks: White

Cold Weather Top: RTHS hoodie or RTHS Jacket

Tracksuit: RTHS track pants.

Punctual – arrive on time Juniors line up quietly outside room. Seniors wait outside the room Before entering the room - hats off, phones/Ipods away No gum or food (water allowed on hot days) Bags outside practical rooms – no valuables left in bags

Seating plan – as directed by the teacher Organised straight away – equipment (including workbook) out, listening Engaged in activity straight away Only touch classroom equipment when instructed

Stay on task and complete work Follow class/school rules- eg no eating or drinking (water hot days), stay in seats, no hats Phones/Ipods only out if directed by teacher for class work Follow school book work rules Work till the end of the lesson Respect Responsibility Participation Cooperation

Self-evaluation/reflection –what have we learnt? Homework copied down Dismissal procedures

pack up only when directed

Stay seated until directed by teacher

If using computers – log off and turn monitors off

Stand behind chairs and put them in/ or on table as directed

Clean up any rubbish

Leave room only when teacher directs

RYDA ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION – YEAR 11 FIELD TRIP Reminder: Notes and payment are due by Friday 6

th June. Please support this valuable

experience. On Friday 20th June 2014 students in Year 11 will have the opportunity to participate in the Ryda Road Safety Edu-

cation field day at Tocal College. With a kind sponsorship from Maitland Lions Club, the cost per student is only $15

(actual cost is in excess of $60). This highly engaging and interactive program is an excellent opportunity for your

child to gain invaluable education and insight into the dangers on our roads and how to prepare for a lifetime of safe

driving. Further and more detailed information has been handed out to all Year 11 students in a permission note.

Please note that this program qualifies towards the compulsory 25 hour “Crossroads” course that all students must

complete in Year 11.

YEAR 9 REPORT

The last few weeks have been a busy time for Year 9 in preparation for the lead up to NAPLAN. Last week Year 7

and Year 9 students will complete a series of literacy and numeracy tests which are components of NAPLAN.

Earlier last term students underwent a practice NAPLAN. Feedback from both students and teachers regarding the

practice setup's assistance in helping students undergo the actual NAPLAN proved to be a positive. One Year 9

student said he felt more prepared than he had been in Year 7 because he was sitting in the same class room with

the same teacher in a set location, and going through similar test papers made him feel more confident in knowing

how to respond to specific questions.

Meanwhile there has been a number of welfare programs being run over the next few terms. One of these pro-

grams, known as REACH brought students from each year together and gave them opportunities to not only learn

about each other but to also explore aspects about themselves. REACH encouraged and challenged students

through a series of interactive group activities aimed at building upon team work, self-esteem and positive self-

identity. Likewise the girls' PCYC and SHINE groups are other programs that encourage Year 9 female students to

develop a healthy body image through partaking in tailored made physical fitness, health, beauty, social etiquette

and personal development programs.

Jesse James—Yr 9 Assistant Advisor

CANTEEN ROSTER 26 May K Cresswell 27 May Volunteer required 28 May A Hudson 29 May D Potts 30 May Volunteer required 2 June K Cresswell 3 June Volunteer required 4 June K Hobbs 5 June D Potts 6 June Volunteer required

UNIFORM SHOP Uniform shop has plenty of stock for the cooler mornings, winter jackets, trackpants. Online ordering is available through the school website. Click on the Daylight logo to enter and you pay via Paypla or Credit card. Orders can be picked up from the Uniform Shop, also phone orders are welcome. Hours of Uniform Shop Tuesday 8.00am to 12 noon Thursday 12.30pm to 4.30pm

Rutherford Technology High School has launched its 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/

THANK YOU: to our sponsors Tranter Lawyers Clements Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Hunter Valley Buses McDonalds Rutherford Rotary Club Rutherford Telarah Maitland City Bowling Club J&S Engineering Sue's Clothing Rutherford Hunter Valley Training Company Hair by Natalie Rutherford Maitland Business and Professional Women Rotary Club of Maitland Sunrise Daylight Schoolwear Lioness Club of Rutherford Maitland Business Chamber Lions Club of Maitland Mrs Robyn Parker MP Mr Joel Fitzgibbon MP University of Newcastle Macquarie Generation Maitland City Council Maitland VIEW Club The Maitland Mutual Nick Swanson, Harvey Norman, Rutherford RTHS P&C

The Breakfast Club at RTHS would like to acknowledge the support that Woolworths Rutherford have

provided for the early morning breakfast throughout the year.

Rutherford

THANK YOU TO OFFICEWORKS, RUTHERFORD

Jay Killian, Manager of Officeworks at Rutherford is a great supporter of RTHS and has generously donated 1000

printed flyers to advertise our musical.

Don’t forget: 18th, 19

th June, 7.00pm in MPC for the production of ‘BYE BYE BIRDIE’.

Don’t forget, also, to support Officeworks when buying supplies for school.

YEAR 10 REPORT

Year 10 have settled well into Year 10 thus far and having been able to visit most of their classes, it’s been good to

see the level of quality work coming out of our students. With Miss Thornton on Maternity Leave, there is a tempo-

rary change of scenery in the Year 10 team, with Mr. Buckie taking over as Year Advisor and Miss Carmody step-

ping into the role of Assistant Year Advisor.

In term 1, Year 10 students were involved in the Lovebites programme, teaching them about healthy relationships,

how to spot the warning signs of unhealthy relationships and how to support friends who are in unhealthy relation-

ships. This programme culminates in a creative session, where students write a song or create artwork designed to

bring attention to the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault. The creative talents displayed by Year 10

were exceptional and produced excellent results. Several of our Year 10 students were interviewed recently by the

Maitland Mercury about their participation in this programme.

N-awards and Uniform continue to be major points of focus. As we push further into Year 10, it’s important that stu-

dents remember to continue submitting assessment tasks on time and to the best of their ability. With the colder

months approaching as well, it’s important to ensure that students are wearing the correct school uniform, with

hoodies and scarves available at the Uniform shop. If students are out of uniform, it is critical that they bring a note.

With subject selection for Year 10 going into Year 11 coming up, it’s important that students start to look towards the

future and consider the paths to their chosen careers, and start looking at what subjects will help them towards their

goals.

Graeme Buckie—Yr 10 Advisor