Around the School 

ANZAC Day 2022 

It was pleasing to see many students and staff attend the Guyra ANZAC Day Service. 

Thank you to our School Leaders for the presentation of prayer and also the laying of a wreath. 

A special mention to Rose Kliendienst who read her story entitled My Pop, the Infantry Solider. Rose had her story published in the NASHOS - National Servicemen In War and Peace book. 

Left-Right: Bella Starr, Garry Starr, Rose Kliendienst and Oliver Starr at the Guyra community ANZAC Service. 

On Monday 2nd May we also held an ANZAC Day Ceremony here at Guyra Central School, all students assembled in the Gymnasium for the ceremony. 

Thankyou to our School Leaders who shared the significance of the Ode and the Last Post.  As always, on ANZAC Day we traditionally recite the Ode, the fourth stanza of the poem 'For the fallen' by Laurence Binyon. Binyon’s poem has become forever linked with commemoration and the rememberance of the fallen. Following the Ode comes ‘The Last Post’. In military tradition, the Last Post is the bugle call that signifies the end of the day's activities. It is also sounded at military funerals to indicate that the soldier has gone to his final rest and at commemorative services such as ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day.

A Special mention and thanks to Mr Ben Tobler for the organisation around this ceremony.  

During Term 2, the Feeling FANTAstic program is being offered to Year 10 girls at Guyra Central School. The program will run in small groups of up to 12 students and be delivered over a 6 week period with 1 hour sessions weekly.

Feeling FATAstic is a program designed to help young people understand and express their emotions in healthy ways; particularly in relation to feeling of depression and anxiety. This program is beneficial for all young people to build their resilience and help them cope with the challenges that life throws at them throughout their teenage years. Over 6 weeks participants use the FANTA acronym, engaging with the following sessions:

Session 1: Feel the Emotion

Session 2 Accept the Emotion

Session 3: Name the Emotion

Session 4: Tame the Emotion

Session 6: Gradutation, Review and Awards

Over the course of the program, participants will engage with different activities designed to help them accept and understand the emotions that they experience. Participants will recieve a folder and a notebook as well as resources to assist them through the program.

The facilitator of the program is Student Support Officer, Kailyn Marsh.

Northern Schools Prime Lamb Competition 

On Tuesday the 3rd of May, 16 Agriculture students from years 7-12 boarded the school bus for the annual Northern Schools Prime Lamb Competition held this year at the Tenterfield Showgrounds, hosted by Tenterfield High School.  The school entered 7 lambs,(3 medium weight, 3 heavy weight and a single led lamb prepared for the show by Brooke Grills).  The students took part in a farmer's challenge on the Tuesday night and our team including Michael Looker, Ashley Donnelly, Piper Kempton and Billy Lockyer each achieved 3rd place in the challenge.  After a very delicious roast lamb and gravy roll dinner, we all camped in the main pavilion and were very happy to catch up with Mr Miller who now works at Glen Innes High School.

In the morning the lambs were judged and the single led lamb event was held. Brooke Grills presented her very well behaved lamb but unfortunately was overlooked by the 

judge in favour of a rather huge Black Suffolk lamb from Peel High School weighing 72kg on the day. The students then took part in the junior judging.  Students were required to judge four pens of 3 lambs and provide their preferences.  All students handled the sheep well.  Levi Vanderwolf performed exceptionally well in his first competition, reaching the finals and then delivering his judging preferences in front of 120 people.  Levi is to be congratulated for the excellent speech he presented in the competition.

All of our students are to be commended for their outstanding behaviour and willingness to have a go at a new skill and to work with students from other schools. It is such a privilege to take our wonderful students on excursion and special thanks to Mr Adrian Cameron for driving the bus, providing extra swags, supervising and encouraging students, handling sheep and for going above and beyond in ALL aspects of his work.

Big Picture Education - Big Picture 1

For Term 1, Big Picture Education students exhibited personal interest projects on a range of different topics. Topics included projects involving the creation of a digital animation about the special FX industry, a demonstration of how to make hand-made fishing lures and a website on aeronautical engineering. Students spent the term researching and creating project products for their end of term Exhibition. 

The high standard and sophistication of some of the Yr 8 & 9 exhibitions was clear to see as shown below.

The exhibition of an animated video on the special FX industry in film and televison

The demonstration of manufacturing hand-made fishing lures

A website and presentation on aeronautucal engineering

Armidale PCYC Fit for Life Outreach Program

On Tuesday 10th May 2022, Armidale Police Citizens Youth Club began running their 

outreach program Fit for Life at the Guyra Central School gymnasium.

Keith Robinson and Brad Killen from PCYC Armidale made the early morning trek to Guyra to deliver the program, which focuses on boxing and fitness, to 20 or so GCS students.

Sergeant Mark Garvey and Senior Constable Warren Furphy, from Guyra Police Station also attended the Week 1 session to connect with our local students.

Our second week of the program saw upwards of a dozen students successfully engage in the program and with their peers. Through physical fitness, nutrition 

and social engagement, Fit For Life aims to improve overall wellbeing as well as prevent and divert youth from offending behaviours.

PCYC’s Fit for Life will be running every Tuesday morning in the GCS gym from 7:30-8:30am and is open to students of all ages.

GRIP Leadership Day

On Monday 16th May 2022, Year 6 students involved in leadership roles within the school 

attended a GRIP Student Leadership Conference in Armidale. the program highlighted key components of leadership and involved the students in many interactive activities.  The students now have lots of different ideas to explore.

It was a lot of fun and students were able to interact with students from many different schools.  

Thank you to Adrian Cameron for driving us safely to Armidale. 

Mrs Louise Grills 

Classroom Teacher 

.

Dress-up days are a lot of fun but pyjama days are the best kind of fun! 

On Wednesday 18th of May 2022, our Student Representative Council held a 'Pyjama Day' at our school to raise money for Ronald McDonald House.  

Pyjama Day was a huge success with staff and students joining in on the day wearing pyjamas, oodies and onsies. Our school raised over $200 for Ronald McDonald House.  Ronald McDonald House is an organisation that provides support for families when a child is diagnosed with a serious illness.

Congratulations to our SRC for co-ordinating our Pyjama Day and thank you to all of our students and families who supported this very worthy cause.  

Stage 3 Silver spent time during the morning creating very convincing speeches why Pyjama Day should be every day at Guyra Central School.  

Project Green - Dignity Bag Presentation

On Wednesday 18th May 2022, Guyra Central School Project Green students hosted a working lunch with  Armidale Women's Shelter’s Penny Lamaro. The purpose of this visit was to hand over the emergency/dignity bags and personal care items which were kindly donated by the community. Each emergency/dignity care bag was sewn by our Project Green students using fabric and recycled produce bags. The students filled each of the bags with donated personal care items and boxed up any extra items that did not fit into the bags and presented the bags to Penny Lamaro (Armidale Womens Shelter). Our emergency/dignity bags will  be distributed around the region as needed. 

The students spent time discussing with Penny on how these donations would be used, why community donations are so important and how these items can make a difference to the lives of others. We also had time to showcase our current project and discuss how they could be useful to their organization.

This year's project is blankets, but we have decided to get a bit creative with the materials that we are going to use. After some research we found an organization that has found a way to make warm blankets out of used chip packets and recycled plastic bread bags. After some discussion it was decided that we would have a go at making some out of chip packets and also make some traditional knitted and/or crocheted blankets as well. If you would like to support the students of Project Green with these projects we will be collected used, washed chip and bread packets. If you have some knitting needles/crochet hooks or wool not being used that you would be happy to donate we would gladly put them to good use.

Premier’s Debating Challenge- Year 5 &6

On Thursday the 19th of May, Mrs Bronwyn Paull and Mrs Michelle Kliendienst took the Year 5 Guyra Central School Stage 3 Debating team to Uralla Central for the first round of the Premier’s Debating Challenge. The Premier's Debating Challenge is open to all NSW government schools with the aim of developing the reasoning and public speaking skills of students from Years 5 and Year 6. The debating team was Tom Ward (1st speaker), Dean Rumbel (2nd Speaker) and Elsa Kliendienst (3rd Speaker) and William Collins (4th Speaker) and Zac Raper (support team member). 

The topic was: That we should ban all tests in primary schools. Our Guyra Central team was the negative team and they spoke clearly with a well structured debate. Our GCS team won the debate. 

Mrs Christmas was the adjudicator, who came from Tamworth to adjudicate the debate and she gave our team a range of helpful feedback to further improve their public speaking and debating skills. Elsa Kliendienst received a special mention as “Speaker of the Day” for her excellent summary of the team’s arguments and eye contact with the audience in her role as 3rd speaker. 

On Friday 24th May Guyra Central Indigo debating team visited Armidale City public school with Miss O’Hara and Jenny (SLSO) to verse the Armidale City Public school blue team in a debate. The topic they had to address was that primary schools should teach extra maths and science instead of teaching music. Our team was lucky and got to take the affirmative (positive) approach. They had some very good points but unfortunately in the end the win went to the Armidale City Blue team. Our next debate will be at Guyra Central school versing the Guyra Central Silver team.

Mrs Bronwyn Paull 

Assistant Principal

Miss Sarrah O'harra

Classroom Teacher