SECONDARY NEWS
From the Assistant Principal

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing concluded today for the majority of students in Years 7 and 9. They sat the final paper in Numeracy this morning.

If a student has been absent on one or more of the testing days, catch up sessions will be held this week.

Debating

Mrs Watchirs has asked interested students to put their names down for an upcoming debating day to be hosted by Holy Trinity.

Please see Mrs Watchirs for further details.

Problem Solving Day at UNE

Eight Year 8 students travelled to Armidale last Friday to participate in the Year 8 Problem Solving Day at the University of New England, organised by the New England Mathematical Association (NEMA). The two teams competed against a number of schools from as far north as Bellingen and as far west as Dubbo.

Holy Trinity was very successful on the day and took out first and second place in the Small Schools/Central Schools section of the competition. The team of Year 8 boys placed first narrowly defeating the girls; with only one point separating the two!

Congratulations to the following students:

Jasper Newton, Campbell Walsh, Isaac Hutchings, Charlie Harris, Anita Thivakon, Charlotte McInnes, Alice McInnes and Lil Rainger.

Thank you to Mr Lewis and Mrs Rainger who supervised the students on the day.

Winter Uniform

From the beginning of June all students are required to be in full winter uniform. Many students are already wearing the winter uniform and are to be congratulated for their efforts in being dressed according to the uniform code. If students are not correctly attired they are required to present a note to their Pastoral Care teacher and to remedy the situation as soon as practicable.

Please be aware that representative sports jackets, cattle team shirts and other sweaters are not acceptable uniform for day to day wear. The uniform shop has a list of requirements for all students. If there are any queries please contact the school.

Lost Property

There is a substantial amount of lost property in the staffroom. Students should check if they are missing any items of clothing, including shoes. It is advisable to clearly mark all items with names so that property can be easily and promptly returned to the correct owner.

School Production-Term 3

Rehearsals have begun for the production which will be held in Term 3 - 'The Outback Debutante Ball'.

Ms Melvin has spoken with all of the Secondary and students interested in being involved in the production in a myriad of ways have already attended meetings and expressed their willingness to take part.

Please see Ms Melvin as soon as possible if you would like to be involved.

Time Management

It is a busy term ahead and students need to ensure that they are well prepared for all assessments. Regular application to homework and revision will assist students in all subject areas.

How Much Sleep? (Prue Salter March 2013)

We all know that sleep is important for general health, for growth and development and for emotional wellbeing. You may also know that important memory processes take place while you are sleeping, ensuring you retain what you are learning and studying.

Perhaps you have heard that teenagers need between nine to ten hours of sleep per night. But where does this come from and how valid is this claim? In 1980, Mary Carskadon of Stanford sequestered a group of adolescents in the university’s sleep laboratory for several days, letting them sleep for as long as they wanted, up to 10 hours. She found that the teenagers slept just over nine hours, with very little variation. This single “naturalistic” study is the primary basis for the adolescent sleep recommendation.

However, some researchers argue that just because teenagers slept nine hours when left alone does not mean that this is the best thing for them, just like letting people eat whatever they want is not necessarily the best thing for their health. So there is no definitive answer at this point in time.

The amount of sleep needed by teenagers is most likely very individual, just like it is for adults. It is probably safe to assume that adolescents need more sleep than adults and that the average for most people is at least 8 hours of sleep per night.

Pay attention to the signs and have students listen to their body. If they lie down in bed and fall asleep instantly, this is a sign they are not getting enough sleep for their body. It should take at least 15 minutes to fall asleep. If they wake up in the morning and are feeling exhausted, then check all lifestyle factors: are they getting enough sleep, eating healthily and getting enough exercise?

If teenagers are sleeping in for many hours on a weekend, unfortunately, this does not mean they are “catching up” on their sleep.

According to University of Texas Southwestern sleep specialist Dr. Gregory Carter, when we think we’re catching up on sleep, what we’re really doing is messing with our circadian cycle — the body’s internal clock which dictates sleep patterns. Excessive sleeping in is in fact a signal that during the week students need to go to bed earlier. The aim is to work out the optimum bedtime so that the need to catch up on large amounts of sleep on the weekend is eliminated.

There is nothing wrong with having a power-nap in the afternoon when students get home from school, as long as the nap is no longer than 40 minutes. A short nap can help students regain their energy levels and allow them to focus on the work they have to do that evening. However, a longer nap will also disrupt sleeping patterns for that night.

Semester Assessments

This term there will be no formal semester exam week. Assessments will be on-going during the term and a number of formal in-class tasks will be undertaken.

Students will be provided with the necessary information and revision guides. For students to achieve their best possible results it is essential that they adequately prepare for these assessments.

There will be exams in Weeks 6/7 for semester courses.