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We are a Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Successful School

Caswell Street, PEAK HILL NSW 2869

P: 02 6869 1304 E: peakhill-c.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Peak Hill Central School

Newsletter

School Captains 2020

Term 1 Week 3, Friday 14 February 2020

Welcome Back

To PHCS

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Principal’s Message

Principal Mr Scott Olsson Deputy Principal Mrs Anna Brain (Rel) Head Teachers Secondary Studies Mrs Catherine Doyle Miss Lucy Dempsey (Rel) Assistant Principal Miss Grace Stewart Administration Manager Mrs Tanya Stanford Aboriginal Education Officer Mrs Vicki Sharah Head Teacher Access Mrs Crystal Stanford

P & C Committee

President

Mrs Kelly Dart

Secretary/Treasurer

Ms Kim Dern

Welcome back to Term 1, 2020. It only seems like yesterday we were opening Christmas presents in massive dust storms. Fingers crossed more rain keeps coming. I want to congratulate all the students and staff for returning with such a positive attitude and commitment to learning. It becomes so more productive and settled when this mindset is in place. The swimming carnival was fantastic and the students participated all day and with tremendous effort. Thanks to Miss Dempsey for wonderful organisation and the ability to pick Mr Watt to anchor the staff relay team otherwise we were gone. As always in Term 1 it is a very busy time with planning, assessments, WAP camp, work placement and sporting competitions. Please keep an eye out for Facebook, newsletters and permission notes that will go home. I am looking forward to working with everyone to make this term fantastic. Lastly as you know I will be starting as Principal at Bowen Public School next term. This was a difficult decision and I thank the staff, students and members of the community for understanding and wishing me well. The Principal position will be advertised this week and I know you will get a quality leader. As I have mentioned to staff I will be asking two things all term: Firstly, what can I provide students to learn more effectively and secondly what can I provide the staff with to enable them to teach more effectively. Looking forward to everyone excelling this term. We were fortunate on our return to have the Deputy Secretary of School operations and Performance Murat Dizdar attend our staff development day. It was interesting to hear the Department of Education’s vision with drought and bushfire relief. We are fortunate this year to maintain our drought staffing as this allows the school to continue with our increased primary classes, secondary elective options and innovative teaching practices. I’m hoping the drought breaks, employment opportunities return within the rural sector and enrolments return to pre drought numbers so that these teaching and learning opportunities continue. Thanks Murat for the visit and thanks for attending our great school. Mr Scott Olsson Principal

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Deputy Principal Report

Welcome back to a new year, meaning a new start in a new class. Welcome to our new Kindergarten group and welcome Year 7 into secondary. All reports are indicating a positive teaching and learning year is ahead of us. Students positive behaviour, have displayed responsibility for their learning and safe, respectful attitudes in the classrooms and playground. 3 Way Conferences I'd like to start the year by welcoming parents/guardians and their child/ren to attend our 3 way conference afternoon on Friday 17th February from 3:00pm. We are putting on a spread for participants. The idea of the afternoon is to meet families and then to work with students and their families to understand what our students short term and long term goals are for 2020. The intended purpose is to understand these and place these goals in their learning programs. In the short meeting with a classroom teacher or an SLSO/AEO we will focus on asking what are the short term goals your child has and also long term goals. There may be some other questions asked about school related topics, for example; student’s topic of interests/ hobbies or sport they enjoy.

These plans may not be finished in the afternoon. We will continue to develop the Personalised Learning Pathways (PLPs) or Individualised Learning Pathways (ILPs) with parents and students until completed for 2020 school year. If you are unable to make the evening, time will be made to complete one in another time spot convenient for the classroom teacher, parent and student. Policy consultations This term a few more school policies will be developed and consultation sought by parents and community. Notifications of newly drafted policies will be advertised on facebook and also in the school newsletter. If you would like a copy of the draft policies, you may collect these from the Administration office. This week we have drafted: Sun Safe Policy Consultation Period ends: 28th February 2020 Anaphylaxis, Medications and Health Care Plans Anaphylaxis Peak Hill Central School is concerned about the safety and well-being of all our students. Anaphylaxis is a life threatening allergic reaction. Our school does its best to be an allergy aware school. Staff have had training in severe allergy management and we have implemented lots of strategies to help keep students at risk of anaphylaxis as safe as we can. We do have students who live with the risk of anaphylaxis to foods and insect stings. Whilst these children are being taught to care for themselves at an age appropriate level, we ask that you help us educate your child on the importance of: not sharing food with others, washing hands after eating; and calling out to an adult if they think their friend with allergies is sick.

Short Term Goals Long Term Goals

Increase reader from level [x] to level [z] Develop skills in numeracy to measure areas of different shapes Moving from 12 hour to 24 hour time Develop writing skills in the production of different text: focus – Writing formal letters and/ or Writing a job application Providing correct change/ understanding percentage and discounts on prices. Learning to work individually and in small group. Use visuals to communicate needs

Read chapter books Multiply and divide tens and hundreds – place value Create a text using paragraphs Meet HSC minimum standards Improve attendance by 15% Improve spelling/ grammar/ writing skills Develop team collaboration skills Participate in all activities Remain in class and on target

Some examples of goals are:

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Symptoms of food allergy can include:

Deputy Principal Report Continues

Mild to moderate allergic reaction Severe allergic reaction - ANAPHYLAXIS

Tingling of the mouth Hives, welts or body redness Swelling of the face, lips, eyes Vomiting, abdominal pain (note these are signs of a severe allergic reaction if the person has insect al-lergy)

Difficult/noisy breathing Swelling of the tongue Swelling or tightness in the throat Difficulty talking or hoarse voice Wheeze or persistent cough Persistent dizziness or collapse Pale and floppy (young children)

You can find more information about Allergies and Anaphylaxis at website: https://allergyfacts.org.au/allergy-anaphylaxis/what-is-anaphylaxis Medications When a medical practitioner has prescribed medication that must be administered during the school day, parents/carers must:

Notify the school

Provide up to date information from the medical practitioner

Supply the medication and any 'consumables' necessary for its administration in a secure delivery

Parents/carers of children who require prescribed medication to be administered at school must complete a Request for support at support at school of a student’s health condition’ form. Students must not carry medications unless there is a written agreement between the school and the student's parents/carers. How is medication to be supplied to the school? Parents/carers are required to supply medication and any consumables necessary for administration in a secure manner for the safety of their child as well as for the safety of other students in the School. All medication, including blister packs or liquids are to be labelled clearly from a Pharmacy with:

Students name

Quantity to be provided (mg/ml)

How often the students is to take the medication

How the medication is to be administered

How many tablets or how many millilitres are in the packet or bottle on arrival at school.

Expiry date

Disposal recommendations Health care plans Some students may require health care plans for a variety of reasons. An individual health care plan formalises the support for students with complex health care needs. Information from the student's medical practitioner, provided by parents, will inform the collaborative planning process. In the case of medication being administered either before or during school, including students requiring a puffer, a health care plan is to be generated. Forms related to medication and health care plans can be collected at the Administration office on request. If you have questions about the information provided, please feel free to contact the school.

2020 Position Vacant Expressions of interest sought for a Student Learning Support Officer in Secondary until end school year 2020. All potential applicants must have a Working With Children Check Clearance.

Please contact the Administration office for a copy of the Expression of Interest containing the selection criteria.

Mrs Anna Brain Deputy Principal (Relieving)

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Head Teachers’ News Continues

Welcome to the New School Year! A very warm welcome to students, families and community to the 2020 school year. It has been the most positive start to a school year at Peak Hill Central School. A sincere congratulations to the students who are enthusiastic and ready to learn. Thank you to the supportive families who have encouraged this fabulous “leap into learning”!

Welcome Year 7 Congratulations to each and every student in Year 7 this year. Your respectful conduct and exemplary behaviour in class has allowed excellent teaching and learning to happen in each of your classroom so far this term.

School Captains and SRC Induction – Change of Date Please note that there has been a change of date for the 2020 School Captains and SRC Induction: 10am Friday 28 February in the School Hall, this will be followed for Morning Tea for the Parents and recipients.

WAP Camp at Burrendong Dam This Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the 12 to 14 February, the students in Year 11 and 12 from the Western Access Program joined with the teachers and students from across the Program to have a fantastic week of hands on learning, combined with a range of sport and recreational activities. It was so enjoyable to see the students interacting with staff and students with a huge amount of enthusiasm and energy. Thank you Mrs Crystal Stanford for your thorough organisation and planning to make the Camp so successful for everyone involved.

Save the Date – Café Russell The Year 12 Hospitality class will be running Café Russell at School on Wednesday 25 March from 11am to 1pm. The students will be serving morning tea and lunch, you may eat in or take away and the menu will be posted shortly on Facebook and in the school newsletter. We would love to have as many customers as possible, so please see our helpful office staff to place your orders.

School Uniform Students are looking fabulous in their school uniforms in 2020! Thank you to families for supporting the wearing of uniforms at Peak Hill Central School.

Extra Study Time and Support For any student in Year 7 to Year 12, who would like to

Head Teachers’ News

have any extra support or assistance with their classwork, homework or assessment tasks, Secondary staff are available to work with students on Monday afternoons from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. Please let Mrs Doyle or Miss Dempsey know and we can arrange this assistance for you. Thank you everyone for your positive start to 2020. Have a wonderful fortnight! Mrs Catherine Doyle Head Teacher

Off to a Great Start! The school year has started off excellently, with students and staff demonstrating an enthusiasm for learning. Congratulations to those students trying their best to achieve, it has been great to see so many smiling faces in the playground and in classrooms. We have lots planned to make this the best year yet, and invite all community members to be involved. On Monday 17th February all parents and carers are invited to attend the 3-Way Conference afternoon, to discuss their students Individualised Learning Plan or Personalised Learning Plan. Best Start Year 7 For the second year running, our Year 7 students are taking part in the Best Start Year 7 Assessments. Best Start Year 7 is a new literacy and numeracy assessment package for schools to use in the first five weeks of Year 7. It is designed to provide teachers with consistent and up-to-date information about new students' skills and abilities in literacy and numeracy, identify students at risk of falling behind and help inform targeted teaching and intervention strategies. Stage 6 WAP Camp I visited the Year 11 and 12 students at Burrendong Sport and Recreation Camp this week. The students were having a great time and participating in exciting activities such as archery. The camp is a great opportunity for the students from Peak Hill to form strong relationships with their Subject Co-ordinators, as well as with students from other schools. I look forward to seeing what our outstanding Stage 6 students can achieve this year.

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Welcome back everyone and a special welcome to all our new students and families. We are looking forward to a great year. Please remember to read the newsletter each fortnight and ‘like’ and ‘follow’ our Facebook page to see what great things happen here at PHCS. Unfortunately we lost Mrs Lisa Levick on the final days of last year, but I want to thank her for her hard work at PHCS and wish her every success in her new role as Assistant Principal at Middleton Public School. This meant a small re-structure of classes for this year. Classes for 2020 are: K/1/2: Miss Elsie Woodley 2/3 : Miss Tiarne McLeod 3/4: Ms Michelle Ross 5/6 : Miss Grace Stewart During my times off class, I have wandered the primary classes to see how students have settled in and I am so proud! Every student is demonstrating respectful, responsible, safe and successful behaviours in every class. A big congratulations to the students and also the primary staff for planning engaging and quality lessons. Miss Grace Stewart Assistant Principal

Head Teachers’ News Continues Assistant Principal

Annual Swimming Carnival On Friday 7th February we held our Annual Swimming Carnival at Peak Hill Memorial Pool. It was a fantastic day with the highest attendance in my five years of teaching here. Thank you to so many community members for coming and supporting the students, who swam excellently. Mungery/Bogan was the winning house on the day, with a total of 320 points, while Harvey/Newell were very close behind after a valiant comeback with a total of 302. Age Champions: Primary Junior Boy: Shaquille Buchanan Junior Girl: Indika Gavin Senior Boy: Michael Redpath Senior Girl: Ruby Bell Secondary: Junior Boy: Jacob Bell Junior Girl: Cieanna Cohen, Jada Redpath and Emma Beeby Senior Boy: Roy Read Senior Girl: Jada Read Miss Lucy Dempsey Head Teacher (Relieving)

School Stream

This year PHCS will no longer be using the ‘School Stream‘ App. As of Friday, 21 February 2020 the app will be deactivated and can no longer be used for absentee notifications. If your child is absent from school you can now send a text message to the school on 0418 191 352 (this number is only available for messaging purposes) or call the school on 6869 1304. Mrs Anna Brain Deputy Principal (Relieving)

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This year as with last year we are putting an emphasis of the running of the SRC (Students’ Representative Council) onto our student leaders. Peak Hill students have a proud history of representing their school and community with dignity. We saw this before the school year even began with two of our SRC members, Cooper Dart and Jada Read, delivering a Welcome to Country on January 26. We have a few ideas in store for Term 1 (one being shave for a cure) but make sure to check the Facebook page for upcoming projects and events from our committed and tireless SRC. Mr Michael Labone SRC Coordinator

The School Writing Competition for 2020

is NOW OPEN! All Australian school students from Kindergarten to Year

12 can enter.

Write a poem or short story for your chance to win

$1,000 cash ($500 for you & $500 for your school)! As

well as one of the AWESOME prizes below.

Entry is FREE!

Entries close Tuesday 31st March, 2020.

There is NO theme You can write about whatever your heart desires!

Poems no longer than 16 lines.

Stories no more than 500 words.

Story Ideas: See if any of these kick start your imagination!

1. Whoever said 'Pigs can't fly' had never been to

THIS farm...

2. I'm so proud of myself, today I broke the world

record for...

3. I'd always wanted a superpower but never in a

million years thought it would be this...

4. Being a famous YouTuber is awesome. It's the

best job in the world. Especially the part when...

5. I stared at the lotto ticket in shock. I had just won $50 million dollars!!! Enter online: www.write4fun.net Email: admin@write4fun.net Mail to: Po Box 2734, Nerang DC, Qld, 4211 Fax to: (07) 5574 3644 Ph: (07) 5574 3622

What a busy start to the year. First we had the swimming carnival, this week we had Best Start for Year 7 and next week we are already up to Week 4. As every year at Peak Hill Central School the roles and responsibilities of our teachers get a shake-up, with that being the case I (Mr Labone) am now the Year Advisor for Stage 4 (Year 7 and Year 8). I am looking forward to a great year filled with learning and personal growth for our students. This year my hours at the school will be from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm most days so if you ever have any questions or concerns feel free to ring anytime and I will do my best to either be straight on the phone or to call you back. Looking forward to a wonderful year. Mr Michael Labone

Stage 4 Year Advisor

SRC

Stage 4 Year Advisor

Writing Competition for 2020

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Swimming Carnival

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Swimming Carnival

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K/1/2 with Miss Elsie Woodley

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We started our English unit on insects. After reading ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ we created our own story about a very hungry animal. Kindergarten students have started learning the sound b, a, t, s and i, though our soundwaves program. Year 1 and 2 have been revising the sound ‘b’ and ‘bb’. We used cupcake wrappers to make our caterpillar bodies and added eyes and legs. Miss Elsie Woodley Classroom Teacher

K/1/2 with Miss Elsie Woodley Continues

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Year 2/3 with Miss Tiarne McLeod

Welcome back to a wonderful new year in Years 2 and 3! Our class has had such a beautiful start to the year, focusing on how we can try our best to work hard and be kind as a team. We’ve hit the ground running, already producing quality writing and art, and demonstrating our amazing mathematical thinking. I am blown away by how nicely 2/3 have settled and am loving seeing them help each other out in and out of the classroom. I’m looking forward to an outstanding year getting to know the students and parents/carers of 2/3 and seeing growth in all areas.

Keep up the good work!

Miss Tiarne McLeod

Classroom Teacher

Year 3/4 with Ms Michelle Ross

Hello, As most of you are aware my name is Ms Michelle Ross (nee Hando). I am a former PHCS student. This year I will be teaching the gorgeous Year 3/4 along with two fantastic Student Learning Support Officers; Mrs Gai Strahorn and Mrs Denielle Cartwright. I would like to welcome all students and their families back for a wonderful school year. Stage 2 students have returned with a positive attitude to learning. The students all look stunning in their full school uniform.

Congratulations on a brilliant start to Term 1.

Term 1 Learning Areas: English Mathematics Culture Swimming carnival and Cricket gala day – Sport The First Contact – History Friend and Foe - Science PD Health / PE Creative and Performing Arts Matrix – Homework

Stage 2 Student of the Week is Beau Hando-Wrigley

Ms Michelle Ross

Classroom Teacher

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Year 3/4 with Ms Michelle Ross Continues

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Year 5/6 with Miss Grace Stewart

Mathematics Students in Stage 3 have been focusing on place value in Mathematics. They enjoyed a game which required both strategy and a little luck to create the largest number. Students had to make at least a 6-digit number and some even challenged each other to make 9-digit numbers. Miss Grace Stewart Classroom Teacher

Stage 4 and Stage 5 English with Mr Michael Labone

English This term we have Stage 4 studying Advertising and Stage 5 studying Documentaries. This allows our students to apply their knowledge of English to different and challenging contexts. Our focus in the classroom this year is exceeding our own personal best. It is my job to work with our students to make sure that they are more confident with reading and writing on the last day of the school year than they were on the first. Next week a note regarding the watching of films will be sent home so please take care to read the note and to then contact the school if you have any issues or concerns. Homework will function a little differently this year than

previously. On a Friday I will be sending home parts of

the work students will be doing the following week. So

instead of having students repeat what they already

know they will be able to prepare for what they will be

learning in the future. The students who go through

this work will come to school Monday morning with an

advantage.

Mr Michael Labone Classroom Teacher

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Food Technology Year 8 students were very excited to finish the day by carefully measuring, making and baking a delicious batch of fresh banana and chocolate muffins. Mrs Catherine Doyle Classroom Teacher

Year 8

Technology The students in Year 8 Technology enjoyed discovering how exciting magnets and forces are in class today. Mrs Catherine Doyle Head Teacher

Career News

TAFE Services With over 1,200 courses, certificates and degrees, TAFE NSW can help your students be whatever they want to be. Students will graduate with the strong theoretical knowledge, practical skills and industry experience that TAFE NSW is known for. Guide student ambition towards a career they will love. Students can: * get a head start on their career with our TVET programs, * earn while they learn with our school-based apprenticeships and/or traineeships, * study one of our No ATAR required, affordable, hands-on degrees and gain valuable work experience, * get job ready with over 1,200 courses, certificates and degrees across 130 campuses as well as online. https://www.tafensw.edu.au/careeradvisor Defence Work Experience Program The Defence Work Experience Program coordinates work experience placements for secondary and tertiary students at Defence establishments in all Australian states and territories. Applications for 2020 placements are now open. To see available placements see the link below or email Defence.WorkExperienceProgram@defence.gov.au with any enquiries. Visit http://www.defence.gov.au/workexperience Subject Selection Suggestions for Future Apprentices These flyers are suitable for both school-based & post-school apprenticeships & traineeships. Each flyer sets out a possible career path for the student and then suggests the elective subjects that will make that career path possible. The subject lists cover choices in years 9 & 10 and 11 & 12. Download the flyers from https://tinyurl.com/aefsubjects and https://tinyurl.com/acfipssubject. Students and parents are invited to make a time to come and meet with me to talk about how best to support students towards their future career path. Mrs Catherine Doyle Careers Adviser

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School Calendar - Term One 2020

Community Information

Soccer - Peak Hill Spurs

Any child interested in playing under 9’s soccer please contact:

Tanya Gavin 0429 309 419

Karen Robinson 0466 074 493