SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal
Summer Uniform
With the arrival of Spring students are able to wear their summer uniform. We remind students to wear either summer or winter uniform, not a mixture of both. It is also advisable to check the forecast as early Spring weather is often a time with great temperature fluctuations. The lost property bin in the Secondary staffroom has a number of jackets and other items of clothing. Please check in the coming days as at the end of term all items will be taken to St Vincent de Paul.
Elective Information Evening
Year 8 and Year 9 students will soon receive an information handbook, which is a guide to the elective courses of study available to Year 9 and Year 10 in 2019. An elective information evening will be held on Tuesday 23 October (Week 2, Term 4) in the Library at 7.00pm. Parents and students will have the opportunity to meet with staff to discuss the various elective study options for students in 2019.
We look forward to meeting as many parents as possible next term. If you are unable to attend and require some assistance please contact Miss Bailey at school.
Excursions
Final notes and relevant information pertaining to the excursions for Year 8 and Year 9 students have been sent out to parents in recent weeks. Please contact the school if you have any queries relating to the upcoming excursions in Week 10.
Year 7 & 8 Semester 2 SRC Elections
Years 7 and 8 students serve for one semester on the SRC. This gives them the opportunity to be involved in this important student body and gain experience for future years in the Secondary.
Congratulations to the newly elected SRC members for this semester:
7E: Isaac Hutchings
7M: Jock Hollis
8G: Jesse McGuire
8M: Holly Ryan
Thanks to the representatives from Semester 1 – their contribution to the SRC was greatly valued.
First Aid Training
The Inverell Shire Council is providing students aged between 14 and 20 with the opportunity to undertake First Aid Training.
The course is being offered on Tuesday 2 October and Wednesday 3 October from 9.00am - 1.00pm on both days. At the successful completion of the training students will receive a Certificate in First Aid.
This course is FREE of charge and interested students can enrol with the Inverell Shire Council.
'Unstoppability'
Several of our students have been busy rehearsing with Ms Melvin as part of a group of Holy Trinity students that will perform next week in a production at the Inverell Town Hall titled ‘Unstoppability’. This production is being coordinated by Mrs Stephanie Marshall who has assembled students and adults (some with disabilities) to perform together and celebrate diversity within our community.
This an exciting performance opportunity for our students and we are proud of them for volunteering to represent their school.
There are two performances; an evening performance on Wednesday 19 September from 6.00pm - 7.00pm open to the community and a matinee for schools on Thursday 20 September from 12.00 - 1.00pm.
For students in the performance, some important details are listed below.
Students involved are required to be in full black clothing including socks and shoes (school shoes are fine). Tights, tracksuit pants, hoodies, long sleeve shirts are all permitted. There is no cost for attending the night performance, however, you may wish to donate to charity on the night.
Wednesday 19 September:
Students will be bused to the Town Hall for a dress rehearsal 10.00am - 12.00pm.
Evening performance - students will need to find their own transport to and from the Town Hall. They are required to be there at 5:30pm for a 6.00pm start and the performance should conclude at 7.00pm.
This performance is open to the public so parents/caregivers are welcome to watch, there is a light supper provided after the show.
Thursday 20 September:
Students will be bused down to the hall (with all students Years 7-10 who will make up some of the audience) at approximately 11:30am for a 12 noon start time. They will return to school at 2.00pm.
Thanks to Ms Melvin for coordinating and supervising the involvement of our students.
Girl Empowerment Workshop
Danielle Miller CEO and Co-Founder of multi award-winning business, Enlighten Education, author of numerous books, TV presenter and Australian of the Year nominee, is coming to Inverell to conduct a workshop for teen girls on Friday 21 September.
Female students from across our region have been invited to participate in these workshops to be held at the Inverell Public School. Holy Trinity Years 9 & 10 students will be attending the 12.45pm - 3.15pm session.
Enlighten Education is Australia’s leading provider of in-school workshops for teen girls on body image, self-esteem and empowerment. Enlighten was founded in 2003 and works with more than 20,000 girls each year across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.
Enlighten Education’s programs help teenage girls decode the mixed messages they receive and help them develop self-esteem and confidence. Enlighten encourages girls to reach their own conclusions and to know their own minds, rather than telling girls what to do, focus on informing, inspiring and empowering them. The workshop encourages girls to be discerning consumers and critical thinkers and to find their own voice and power in a complex world.
This event is hosted by the Country Women’s Association (CWA) Inverell Branch and the Department of Education with generous donations from the Inverell community.
The initial cost has been subsidised by the CWA and the $5 payment required to attend the event will be covered by the school.
There will be no cost for our students to attend this event.
The CWA is also holding a High Tea event for the community on 22 September at the Inverell Club with Danielle as the guest speaker. Tickets are available from the Inverell Tourist Information centre and you can call Pam on 0401 214 744 for more information.
Inverell's Got Talent
Inverell East Rotary Club is hosting the 9th ‘Inverell’s Got Talent’ in the Town Hall on Friday, 26 October 2018.
Again there will be 2 Sections: Junior (School Years 5 to 8) and Senior. Entry to the Competition will be free and will close Friday 12 October. Late entries will only be accepted if there is room on the program.
Entry forms will be available at the school office, Inverell Tourist Information Centre, Facebook and Inverell East Rotary website.
Cash prizes from $100 to $1000 will be awarded on the night.
Auditions will be held in the Town Hall on Tuesday 16 October between 4 and 9pm. Entrants will be contacted by the Committee to organise a suitable Audition time after Entries close. All Solo or Group performers in Song, Dance or Instrumental are invited to nominate. Other forms of entertainment eg Juggling are most welcome.
This is a great opportunity for talented students and adults to perform in our Town Hall.
Tickets to the Finals will be $15 Adults, $10 Secondary Students & $5 Primary and Younger Children. Supper is included. Tickets will be available from 1 October. Tickets will be available online at https://www.trybooking.com/420448 or using cash or card through the Inverell Tourist Information. The Town Hall seats just over 400 people so don’t miss out on a great night of entertainment. For more information contact Tim Newberry 0427506874 or Dick Hudson 0407893005.
STUDY SKILLS TIP – BEST WAY TO STUDY?
Students sometimes ask ‘what is the best way to study?’.
The 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
Learning Collaboratively
We are all different in the way we prefer to learn. Some students like to work in groups, and
others prefer to work alone. Some students like to discuss things over Skype or messenger
and some like to work together in person. There is a reason why we have the saying ‘two
heads are better than one’, so let’s see how this applies to different types of students.
If you think you always prefer to work alone:
It is great that you are very self-sufficient. Students who prefer to work alone are
often confident in their own abilities. However, sometimes these students make it
more difficult for themselves by not asking for help when they need it. So if you are
this type of student, don’t struggle on alone when you get into difficulties or don’t
understand something. Being able to ask for help when you need it is an important
skill for academic success. Just become more aware that you don’t always ask for
help and instead try reaching out a little more when you need help.
The other area to consider is that when you talk about things with other people it can
often help you to see things from a different perspective. By discussing ideas with
another person, you also may find you clarify your own thoughts. By not being open
to collaboration, you might not develop your ideas as well as you could or you might
not see potential issues that a fresh pair of eyes and ears might discover. If you
haven’t done much collaboration, give it a try and you might find yourself surprised at
how valuable you find the experience.
If you already love working with other people:
Make sure that you always contribute equally and don’t expect other people to do all
the work for you.
Collaboration doesn’t mean cheating. For example, it is ok to discuss an assignment
and what you think it is about and how you might approach it, but it is not ok to write
the assignment together and hand in similar pieces of work.
Collaboration also doesn’t mean wasting time. If you are working with other people
make sure you are staying on task and not getting distracted.
Every now and then you have to do things on your own. If you always do your Maths
homework with your friends, you might not really know what you can and can’t do on
your own. The first time you find this out could be a test which could be a big issue.
Always ask yourself if the work you are doing is going to be enhanced by
collaboration or if it is more appropriate to try the work on your own.
It is important each night to have a certain amount of homework time on your own. If
you want to collaborate when you are working at home, make specific times to do
this. Don’t Skype the entire night with your friends. Instead have set times for
collaboration and set times for independent work.