From the Principal's Desk

Welcome Back - Term 2

As we start a new Term, we start with an intense sporting rush, with PSSA District Cross Country, PSSA Boys Softball and the Rural Cup, with us taking on Canowindra on our home soil. It has been so good to see students enjoying these activities again and I would like to thank the staff for their extra efforts in supporting these important events which give our students the opportunity to expand their experiences. Future newsletters will contain information about these events.

Last Term, we had the opening of the Wellbeing Hub which is an initiative developed by Molong Central School to enhance the wellbeing of students to ensure they are holistically supported throughout their education. This initiative aligns with the Department of Education’s Wellbeing Framework for schools, which is the commitment that public schools support students to connect, succeed and thrive at each stage of their development and learning. The Wellbeing Hub at MCS thereby ensures that every student at Molong Central School is known, valued and cared for.

The Wellbeing Hub is home to our School Councillor, Student Support Officer (SSO), Aboriginal Education Officers (AEO) and the MCS Wellbeing team. The Wellbeing Hub provides free information and confidential support services to our students and their parents/carers. The Wellbeing staff work to support students, parents and carers around everyday topics such as family, friends and school or simply feeling ‘down', to more serious issues, such as mental health, bullying, nutritional health, smoking, alcohol and other drug use, homelessness, child abuse and suicide. 

Additionally, the Wellbeing Hub provides a facility for visiting services and community agencies to access, enabling them to provide professional support to our students and families. 

We see that the future use of the Hub will not only support the students but also parents and the wider community to access Wellbeing resources. If you have any questions about the Wellbeing Hub please don’t hesitate to call the School for more information.

Over the holiday, our Show Team was involved at the Royal Easter show and were very successful.

SYDNEY ROYAL EASTER SHOW REPORT 2021

George Betts, Bronte Chown, Makayla Townsend, Claire Miller, Hunter Chown, Rowan Miller and Bree Chown spent the first three days of their Autumn holidays representing the school at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. They were supported by their teacher, Mrs Pokoney, as well as parental helpers Mr & Mrs Chown. The group has been preparing for the show since Term 4 last year, with other show team members Kelsey and Reagan Quinn.

The Show began with the Paraders Competition where the students are judged on their knowledge of Angora goats and ability to show off their animal to the judge. The youth class was hotly contested, with our students up against students from Naranderra High School. Claire won the class with George 3rd, Rowan 4th and Hunter 6th. Makayla and Bronte both received Highly Commended prizes for their efforts. Next up was the Senior’s Class, where Mrs Pokoney managed another win with Claire’s grumpy goat. Bree was last up in the Junior class where she demonstrated a strong knowledge of her animal and was awarded an equal First Place.

The second day saw the animals being judged in the ring. This is always a busy and long day for the students, as they show our animals, as well as assisting other stud owners. Our animals competed well and returned two first prizes, two second prizes and three third prizes in total. A special mention must go to George, as his commitment to helping and dedication to learning impressed the judge so much that he was allowed to sash the “Best Goat in Show” award. The breeder, also impressed with George’s help throughout the day, allowed him to hold the winning animal for the official photograph. The judge later commented on how well spoken and polite our students were. Molong Central is truly lucky to have extraordinary students who represent our school so well.

The last day involved the State Junior Judging competition. This requires the students to judge fleeces and animals on their qualities and prepare a speech outlining their thoughts. Bronte, George and Makayla represented the school superbly receiving 3rd, 4th and 5th prizes respectively. We were all very impressed with their efforts, given their limited experience in this competition.

The team had a fabulous time at the Show and are already planning big things for the future of the stud. The students will also be competing at the Orange Show coming up shortly, so if you are heading to the show, stop by and see the wonderful work the students are doing.

I look forward to working with you all throughout the term ahead.