Congratulations to year 12 on completing their Trial HSC examinations last week with diligence and maturity. Now is the time to take the advice of your teachers and really utilise these last few weeks of high school to set yourself in good steed for post school options. Year 12 have been asked to write me a letter telling me of their life for the past 6 years to assist in the process of early entry to universities. The students have had this task since the end of last term and I am enjoying reading them.

I also wish to congratulate year 12 on their behaviour on their reward excursion. The photos indicate how much fun they had and great memories made.

Congratulations to all our students who have been playing finals for the various sporting teams and clubs over the past fortnight. I wish those students still playing over the next fortnight best wishes and good luck. Some people go through their whole sporting life and never get the opportunity to play finals or a grand final so enjoy the moment and good luck.

Thank you to the SRC for holding the Daffodil Day street stall. Our school is proud to be able to assist in such an important fundraising event.

Year 7 and 8 year enjoyed a very informative talk from our Youth Police Liaison Officer from Albury last Thursday. Senior Sergeant Epstein discussed bullying, harassment, physical activity and cyber behaviour with our students. It was a very informative session. She will return shortly to talk to our senior students before year 12 finish at the end of this term.

The next few weeks are extremely busy with Year 10 VALID testing, final assessments for year 12, Wodonga 9 Rugby League, League Tag excursion and the Open girl’s League Tag team competing in the final series of the CHS competition.

I have attached an important letter regarding the Tell Them From Me Survey. This is where we ask the students, staff, parents and care givers to complete an online survey. The information from this survey is valuable in assisting us to improve our school. The consent form for students to participate is attached and as the link becomes available we will inform parents and care givers. I appreciate your assistance in completing this survey. If you do not want your child to take part in the survey please complete the attached form and return it to school by Friday 2 September 2016.

Have a wonderful fortnight!

Kind regards,

Fiona Jackson

• Message from The Principal

• Important Dates

• General News

• Maths Department News

• Science Department News

• Career Adviser News

• English Department News

• Library news

• Assessment Dates

• P&C News

• Photo Gallery

• 30 August : Rugby League Tag Carnival

• 1 September : VALID Science Tests

• 20 Sept at 7pm : P & C Meeting

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Year 12 Ski Excursion

Last week saw year 12 attend their long awaited ski trip at Mansfield and Mt Buller. Behaviour was exemplary, participation was brilliant and the humour was alive and well as the group celebrated the end of their Trial HSC. Unfortunately excessive wind on the Friday meant that skiing was confined to Thursday only, though the group more than made up for this with an adlib trip to the movies in Albury on the way back to Tumbarumba. Well done to all involved in both the fundraising effort and the excursion itself. Bring on the HSC!

- Mr D Smith -

Rugby League/League Tag Carnival

On Tuesday August 30, the school will take five teams to Wodonga to play in the Wodonga 9’s Rugby League and League Tag competitions. Tumbarumba High School will field two Year 7/8 boys’ teams, one Year 9/10 boy’s team, one Year 11/12 boys’ team and one Year 9-12 girls League Tag team. There was a junior League Tag competition for our younger girls, but other teams heard about the prowess from the girls from Tumbarumba and, alas no other teams entered! Permission notes need to be returned by Monday, August 29 at the very latest.

- Mr D Smith -

Parents Online Payments

We would like to remind parents/carers that there is a $ Make a payment link on the front page of the school’s website to do online payments for school fees, excursions, etc. Please contact the school if you have any questions.

Remember that we also have EFTPOS available in the school office.

Lost Property Clothing

All the lost property clothing has been washed. Please come to the office to claim if you have lost jumpers and shirts.

Skoolbag App

Did you know that Tumbarumba High School has its very own App.? “Skoolbag” is the ultimate school to parent communication tool. It provides an easy way to advise parents and carers about school news, events, changes/cancellation of events.

It also allows parents/carers to submit change of details and absences using e-forms. This is a great way to ensure that this information is not lost in the school back pack. The school has a total of 407 members so is a popular communication tool throughout the community. If you don’t have “Skoolbag” it’s easy to install and it’s free. Just follow these directions:

For iPhone and iPad users:

1. Click the "App Store" icon on your Apple device.

2. Type your school name in the search, using suburb name

will help.

3. You will see your school appear, click "Get" then "install".

4. The app is FREE to download.

5. When installed click "Open"

6. Select "OK" to receive push notifications, when asked.

7. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App,

then "Setup".

8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for you

by tapping the on/off switch.

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For Android users:

You must first have signed up with a Google Account

before installing the app.

1. Click the "Play Store" button on your Android Device

2. Click the magnifying glass icon at the top and type in

your school name, using suburb name will help.

3. Click the school name when it appears in the search.

4. Click the "Install" button.

5. Click "Accept" for various permissions (please note,

we do not modify any of your personal data on your

device).

6. Click "Open" when installed.

7. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the

App, then "Setup".

8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for

you by tapping the on/off switch.

Please Note: Some brands of Android phones need the setting in "Notification Manager" changed to "Allow" instead of "Notify" in order for the push notifications to work. The phone must also be running at least version 4 system software to run the app.

For Windows 8.1 Phone and Windows 8.1 or 10 device users: 1. Go to the Windows Store on your 8.1 Windows Phone or Windows 8.1/10 Device 2. Search for "Skoolbag" in the keyword app search 3. Install the Skoolbag app 4. Find your school either by using the keyword search or location service. 5. Click the "Pin" icon to pin the school tile to your Windows Phone home screen. 6. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App, then "Setup" 7. Toggle the Push Categories that are applicable to you by tapping the on/off switch.

Please Note: The Skoolbag Windows App is for 8.1 version Windows Phones, or Windows 8.1 and 10 devices.

Mathletics

Wondering what you can do at home to support your

child’s Maths education? MATHLETICS is a great resource that gives students full access to activities aligned to the Australian Maths curriculum. Accessible either online or offline through a PC, laptop or tablet, it includes interactive, video and print-based activities, games and tutorials. Students are engaged with instant feedback,

rewards and encouragement. To activate your free access to the Parent Console visit www.3plearning.com/parents to enter your details, along with those of your child’s Mathletics account, which can be obtained from their Maths teacher.

- Mrs J Ward -

Scientific Calculators

Thank you to everyone who has made an effort to buy a calculator. It is much appreciated.

Remember if your child is studying Mathematics it is vital that they have a reliable scientific calculator. Without one, their progress will be hindered in most lessons and make it impossible to participate at all in some units of work.

Many students, across all year levels, do not own or have not brought a calculator to Maths class. Please help ensure that your child brings an approved scientific calculator to every Maths lesson. If your child does not have a calculator, they are available from the front office for $21 (price set to rise in October) or can be purchased from most newsagents or department stores.

- Mrs J Ward -

Free Maths Tutoring

Free Maths tutoring and homework help is available every Wednesday this term in the school Library from 3:30pm to 4:30pm with Mrs Ward.

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READY TO FLY

As part of National Science Week, Tumbarumba High School held a Paper Plane Competition. The qualifying round took place on Monday 8 August with all students in Year 7-10 throwing their paper planes. We also had Year 5 & 6 from Tumbarumba Public School come up to enter the competition as well. High School students needed to throw further than 18m and Primary 12m to qualify. Finals were then held on Thursday 18 August.

The finalists had their throws videoed so we could enter the Regional High Flyers Competition. This competition was part of NSW All Schools Paper Plane Challenge. Throws needed to be videoed so that they can be verified by the competition judges.

The winners of the Regional High Flyers Competition will be announced in Sydney on 27 August. Hoping our boy’s throws will put them in contention for the outright winners.

Well done to our competitors and their excellent sportsmanship.

Tumbarumba High School Results were:

• Steven Hoffman – 39.25m • Sam LeCerf – 37.00m • Joel Pratt – 26.90m • Jock Rixon – 29.16m • Daniel Neilson – 27.54m • Augustus Taylor – 24.34m • Callum Murray – 22.85 • Jacob Burgun – 19.44m

Tumbarumba Public School Results were:

• Matt Young – 19.90m • Willem Browning – 18.76m • Hayden Jenkins – 14.35m

Project Based Learning in Action

Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching methods in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge.

In Stage 4 Science and Stage 5 Agriculture this term we have been working on a PBL activity to reach a common goal, but with different complexities. As part of the Cows Create Careers program, the students have been given several challenges to complete and the projects cater for many learning styles and allow for differences in student entry levels.

In this particular lesson (photo) Year 7/8 Science U and Year 9/10 Agriculture were all working together on their challenge, sharing ideas & resources, working collaboratively, breaking down invisible barriers of the classroom and all getting along.

As an educator is was exciting to see this type of learning happening, and although there were many students scattered over the two rooms in this lesson it was evident there was LEARNING BY DOING!

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Early Entry Applications Year 12 students interested in applying for early entry for their chosen university need to be looking on the university websites for the dates and application forms. •Charles Sturt University www.csu.edu.au School Recommendation Scheme (SRS) 5 bonus points Campuses: Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Canberra, Dubbo, Orange, Parramatta, Port Macquarie and Wagga Wagga •La Trobe University www.latrobe.edu.au School Access La Trobe (SALT) 3 bonus points Campuses: Albury-Wodonga, Mildura, Shepparton, Bendigo and Melbourne •Sydney University http://sydney.edu.au E12 •University of Technology Sydney (UTS) www.uts.edu.au Principals’ Recommendation Scheme 1 bonus point •University of Canberra www.canberra.edu.au School Recommendation Scheme (SRS) 2 bonus points •University of Newcastle www.newcastle.edu.au School Recommendation Scheme (SRS) 4 bonus points Campuses: Newcastle, Ourimbah and Port Macquarie •Educational Access Scheme (EAS) Some students will be eligible for Educational Access Schemes. These are for students who have experienced long-term educational disadvantage due to circumstances beyond their control or choosing. Defence Force Students looking for information about jobs with the Defence Force need to visit their website. www.defencejobs.gov.au

University of Sydney The University of Sydney would like to invite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to apply for the University of Sydney Wingara Mura-Bunga Barrabugu Summer Program held from Sunday 15 January to Friday 20 January 2017. This program is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students commencing in Year 9, 10, 11 or 12 in 2017. Applications accessible here: Year 9, 10 Wingara Mura, 11 or 12 Bunga Barrabugu During the Summer Program, students will stay in a residential college at the University of Sydney, explore the campus, take part in hands-on tutorials, learn about a variety of subjects offered here at Sydney, speak to our current students and staff, and meet other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students from across Australia. The University of Sydney will cover all associated costs for successful applicants including travel, accommodation and meals. Due to popular demand, we cannot guarantee a place for every student. Students are therefore encouraged to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Further details can be found at: http://sydney.edu.au/compass/indigenous/summer-program/index.shtml Applications close on Friday 16 September 2016.

Entry to University All Year 12 students applying to go to University next year must apply online through the University Admissions Centre (UAC) website. The UAC website opened on the 3 August 2016. Students can submit up to 9 preferences for courses and Universities and this must be done by the 30 September 2016 or late fees apply. Fee: approx. $41.00

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YEAR 7-8 ENGLISH

The students in 7-8 M and 7-8 U taught by either Mr Mulherin or Mr Blenkins are currently studying different versions or appropriations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The students have been examining how responders or readers can make inferences about characters from words in texts. The students have also been developing their writing skills and have started writing a scaffolded essay based on the PEAL paragraph structure. This acronym - PEAL - stands for Point, Evidence, Analysis and Link – and helps students to structure the sentences within each body paragraph of an essay. The students have been locating and using quotations from the abridged novels to support their arguments. Students have been using the 2LS Character Inference Chart scaffold to collect quotations from the class novel.

We are really looking forward to focusing on the graphic novel version of Frankenstein and this will provide students with a chance to compare and contrast the different appropriations of the text. There are quite a few differences so the students have to be very alert and constantly making connections between the two texts.

The final text-focused activity will be the viewing of an old Frankenstein film made in the 1930s. The students will be issued with their assessment task in the next week or so. Students are reminded to return their film viewing permission notes prior to viewing the 1930s film based on Mary Shelley’s novel.

Miss Hussell’s 7-8 English students are studying legends and have completed a comparative study of different versions of Fisher’s Ghost. The students are now examining and writing about sporting legends in Australia - they may feel inspired by the successes at the recent Olympic Games in Rio. The students will be completing in-class reading-comprehension assessments and also a listening task later in the term.

YEAR 9-10 ENGLISH

Students are busily working on creative writing tasks based on the concept of Betrayal. The students are using a variety of different sentence structures to make their writing more engaging and effective. The students have examined some model scripts and are now developing their ideas and planning scaffolds which can be used under examination conditions.

The students in Mr Blenkins’ English classes have been workshopping scenes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This process really helps students to understand not only the language of Shakespeare, but also the characters and how they interact with each other.

Miss Hussell’s students have been studying the brand new graphic novel versions of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The students are examining how the concept of betrayal is represented through the various characters and their actions. Both Hamlet and Macbeth are texts on the current HSC reading list 0- so the current unit based on Betrayal has provided students with exposure to texts they may study for their HSC in just two years’ time.

A large number of parents, students and caregivers have already spoken to Mr Blenkins about English study options for Years 11 and 12. If some parents or caregivers were unable to attend the subject information session in Week 6 and they wish to clarify the different English subject options, they are encouraged to contact the school.

SENIOR ENGLISH

The students studying the Standard English course with Miss Hussell are examining how texts represent war. The students have been analysing a variety of poems, including Rupert Brooke’s poem “The Soldier”. Many of the analytical skills being acquired by students will be applied to their study of Wilfred Owen’s war poetry in the HSC course. Students should be working on their writing folder assessment task.

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Mr Blenkins’ Advanced English students are studying how racism is depicted in texts. The students have been examining Shakespeare’s Othello. The students have been working on their writing folder assessment based on the last two electives.

Competitions:

Students are reminded to submit their short stories ASAP. The Elyne Mitchell Writing Competition closes in Week 7 and some administrative paper work also needs to be done prior to students’ stories being submitted to the judges. Quite a few students have been submitting drafts, which is is very pleasing to see.

The CWA writing competition for 2016 is based on the idea of mates and mateship. This is a very broad topic and will lend itself to THS’s creative writers.

CREATIVE ARTS: VISUAL ARTS, DRAMA, MUSIC

The 7-8 Visual Arts students have been working with the clay medium in their artmaking. Students have been experimenting with the pinch pot and coil pot methods of using clay. Students have been creating monsters using the pinch pot method. We hope to feature images once the monsters are glazed and fired in the kiln.

A number of HSC visual art process diaries were on display at the recent senior subject selection evening. Many students and parents were impressed by the range of major works completed by HSC students at THS. Mr Mulherin’s 9-10 Music students have been performing at recent assemblies – and the school community has really enjoyed the performances.

The students’ performance skills have genuinely evolved through this process as they have become more and more confident. We are looking forward to future performances of the standard we have enjoyed this term.

Mr Blenkins’ 9-10 Drama students have been acting out the play “the Real Inspector Hound” by Tom Stoppard. This absurdist play has many funny lines which has been amusing for all concerned. The play moves at a very fast rate and involves two play critics viewing and assessing a clichéd and at times confusing crime fiction play.

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CODING WORKSHOP

A small group of interested students attended the MadMaker workshop on Friday 12th August. This workshop was presented by Owen Brasier, from the University of Sydney as part of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) initiative funded by the Australian Government and with sponsorship from Google.

Students learnt about the STEM disciplines through activities relating to light, sound, motion, data capture and analysis, and coding.

Students were challenged to follow examples of coding and then write their own lines of computer code to complete tasks. By the end of the workshop students were successfully writing coding instructions that took information from the inputs in the Arduino board to control the outputs on the board, or to control the computer.

One task was to generate a different coloured light for each of the buttons on the board. Students learnt to use the primary colours of red, green, and blue and then generate secondary colours including yellow and magenta.

The workshop introduced students to the fundamentals of embedded computing using an Arduino Esplora board, which was linked to their computer. These boards have a range of sensors including an accelerometer, a joystick, slider resistor, four press-buttons and a microphone.

Mackenzie Mills showing Mrs Finnemore how a clapping noise triggered a change in the image on the computer monitor. This required students to write IF statements to achieve that specific outcomes.

Other tasks used a simple processing program to move a coloured ball around a screen. Some students then recorded this on Moviemaker.

Teachers completed a two hour professional development training session. The MadMaker program, based on the national curriuclum, integrates STEM into the classroom. The teachers engaged with the coding tasks and this introudction will lead onto more STEM activities for students.

Next term students will be able to participate in the MadMaker challenge to complete a range of hands-on interactive activities to further develop their STEM skills.

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Please take note of the following Assessments and Homework Task dates that are coming up.

Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting on 16 August. The outcome was very positive.

We are still investigating the suggestion to change the school uniform. A survey will go out to all students, parents/carers and staff. The subcommittee for this project will have a meeting on 30 August to discuss the survey.

The Naplan results came back and Mrs Jackson is very happy with the results.

We would like to congratulate our Wakakirri Dance Group who did an amazing job in Sydney bringing home the Spirit of Wakakirri award. Well done to everyone.

Our next meeting will be on 20 September at 7pm in the Science conference room. Everyone is welcome to attend.

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