News From Around The School

Pictured is Dr Kate Bricknell of Crossroads Education

Dr Kate Bricknell continues with Study Skills Development for Years 11 & 12

Over the past few years, Dr Kate Bricknell of Crossroads Education has worked closely with our Year 11 and 12 students to help them develop important skills they will need for their HSC and beyond. Our Year 11 and 12 students recently benefited from a second whole day workshop. With more than 28 years experience teaching in rural and remote schools with the Department of Education, Dr Bricknell's workshops for senior students focus on developing students' skills in the areas of;

Effective time planning
Study skills
Stress management
Essay writing skills

Shakespearean Scholarship

'Never let an opportunity pass you by' is a philosophy that teachers regularly work at instilling in the minds of their students. Wee Waa High English teacher, Ms McCluskey lives by those words herself and earlier this year applied for one of the coveted Bell Shakespeare Company scholarships.

With a great love of Shakespearean drama and the written word, Ms McCluskey was eager to win a place at the 2020 workshop. The Bell Shakespeare Company offered just 15 scholarships for rural and regional English and Drama teachers from around Australia to attend the workshop where the focus was to learn more about the great writer and performer, as well as how to teach Shakespeare’s works for increased student engagement.

The four day training course consisted of specialised training in the practical teaching of Shakespeare's many plays, as well as theory components of analysing Shakespeare's life and death. On each day of the course there was a large physical component which showed Ms McCluskey and the other participating teachers how to implement a more active approach to drama in the classroom. Ms McCluskey explained, ‘We played many games, and learnt skills that could we easily transfer into a range of lessons within our schools.’

Another highlight of the workshop program was a visit to the NSW State Library where she got to tour of the 'Shakespeare Room' and access a rare copy of The First Folio.

‘The First Folio was published in 1623, eight years after Shakespeare’s death’ explained Ms McCluskey. ‘Apart from the Bible, this volume is now considered the most influential book ever published in the English language. It’s the only copy in Australia.’

‘Another great opportunity was the opportunity to view the Bell Shakespeare company's production of 'Hamlet' on the opening night at the Sydney Opera House.

National History Challenge

Would you like the chance to win $1,000? Yes? Then it’s time to unleash your inner detective!

If you could go back in time, where or who would you most like to be? Maybe it’s about your family heritage, your community’s past or perhaps you’re itching to know something about Australia’s past or world history.

Maybe you’re a lover of History, or are looking for a challenge to improve your skills in research and writing. If this is the case then the National History Challenge is for you. If you are selected as a State or National finalist, you could win between $200 and $1000 prize money.

So don’t wait. Our Teacher Librarian, Miss Cuddigan would love to discuss your ideas. Entries close Friday 28th August. You can also take a look at the NHC website http://historychallenge.org.au/ or their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Premier's Reading Challenge

The 2020 PRC is still underway, students have until Friday 28th August to submit their reading record. The rules have changed this year to assist students complete the challenge. The main changes are;

Students in Years 7 - 9 still need to read 20 books, but 10 can now be of your own choice (up from 5), along with 10 from the PRC reading lists
Students can also include any books read in class, online, or at home as a subject requirement
If you choose not to participate this year you will not be disadvantaged in receiving cumulative PRC awards in the future. The Challenge will include Year 10 in 2021 to allow current Year 9 students to achieve the Platinum award.

The full list of rules can be found at https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/rules.html

There are copies of the 2020 PRC Years 5 - 6 and 7 - 9 book lists in the library, and they can also be found on the PRC homepage https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html

In regards to borrowing books from school, students are able to borrow up to 5 books at a time to complete the challenge. Upon returning books to school, new procedures have been put in place to increase sanitation. Students need to return the books to the library office as they need to be kept separate from other library resources for 24 hours.

Please see Miss Cuddigan if you need assistance in selecting PRC books or have any questions about the challenge at all!