Lamb Competition

Glen Innes High School recently made a remarkable impression at the Northern Schools Prime Lamb competition held in Armidale. Represented by 23 enthusiastic students and 10 Poll Dorset lambs, the school showcased both skill and passion across a dynamic series of events.

Students immersed themselves in interactive workshops that covered a broad spectrum of agricultural skills and knowledge. Highlights included:

Exploring electronic identification systems for livestock
Developing basic sheep handling skills
Learning the art of livestock photography
Participating in a highly popular cooking demonstration, which proved to be the event’s absolute highlight

The competition also featured junior judging activities where Glen Innes students performed exceptionally:

Liam Wilkins secured an impressive 4th place in Stage 4 junior judging
Skye McIndoe triumphed as the champion, earning well-deserved recognition for her excellent judging skills

We also entered a pen of three lambs in each weight division—light, middle, and heavyweights—along with an individual led lamb beautifully presented by Naishia Grob.

Placings in the hoof section included:

Led lamb: 4th place (individual)
Light weight pen: 5th place
Middle weight pen: 3rd place

The competition’s crowning glory came from the hook section, where the heavyweight pen was named the Champion Carcass—an outstanding achievement.

This remarkable success is a proud testament to Glen Innes High School’s dedicated Agriculture program, highlighting the hard work, skill, and commitment of both students and staff.

Congratulations to all involved for a stellar performance at the Northern Schools Prime Lamb competition!

Scott Miller

Ag & Science Teacher

Instructive Maths Pathways

This year, our Year 7 cohort has been trialling a new program to supplement their mathematics learning. Instructive is a curriculum-aligned Maths learning and teaching program, informed by research and learning science, and developed by teachers.

Students receive two main modes of learning activities: whole-class explicit lessons and personalised, differentiated exercises. Rigorous diagnostic testing is used to determine what students already know and what they’re ready to learn next. This empowers students to grow along their own continuum from wherever they happen to be, ensuring students receive targeted learning to their specific needs. Students complete tests, approximately every 3 weeks, to demonstrate what they’ve learnt and get teacher feedback to assist them when needed. This regular teacher feedback helps them develop the skills they need to progress.

A powerful tool within Instructive is the ability to track student growth percentages. A student who has successfully learned a full unit would achieve 100% growth. If a student has learned any missing skills from previous years or mastered extension skills, they can have growth rates over 100%. This helps us to track the entire learning of students and reward those who have achieved at levels above and beyond. Teachers use this detailed data on each student to better understand their progress and provide them with a tailored, scaffolded learning experience and a Learning Profile.

While this is a powerful tool to maximise student growth, it does not replace our exceptional maths teachers. Students are still receiving explicit teaching from experienced teachers in all lessons, while this program helps to further develop the learning of students in all classes.

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