Head of Senior School

Mark Wittig

Welcome to the Senior School. (Year 9 - Academy II)

We created our Senior School like the other schools within our school quite deliberately. The senior years of formal schooling are a time where many students are reluctantly forced to start thinking about the mysterious time beyond school. In the past two years we have brought our Stage 5 (Year 9-10) electives courses into line with the changes that were brought about by the removal of the old School Certificate. The staff have risen to the challenge of writing and designing a raft of new elective courses more geared to the needs of our students in the world that they live in today, and the world that they will live in tomorrow, if you will.

Most will be familiar with our Academy model which is designed to increase the number of subjects that we actually offer and run at Higher School Certificate level; which means more students should be able to study actually what they want; and most importantly in line with recent developments and changes at the new NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). At the end of 2016 NESA changed the process to allow schools to deliver this model easier. They did this because more and more schools

Senior School students now cooperate in their learning with more teachers than they would in a traditional Primary School but fewer than in a traditional Secondary School. Master classes led by not one but two teachers are a feature; CAPaBLE (Creative and Passion-based Learning Experience) classes introduce a whole range of twenty first century learning skills; and finally full use of whole school resources for students through a broad range of elective subjects. The success of these initiatives is being borne out in the achievements of our students and by the fact that we are being sought out at numerous forums across the state and we have hosted and will be hosting teachers from across our local area and increasingly from other areas around the state to learn more about what is happening at Uralla Central School. They are coming because of the outstanding program that Dan Williams and his team has developed and the fantastic outcomes that our students are achieving under their teachers guidance.

On a more mundane level the Principal, Michael Rathborne, and the Deputy Principal, Tracey Jenner, have an oversight role across the whole school.

The Head of Senior School is responsible for the overall coordination of the daily running of the Senior School and in conjunction with the rest of the school executive for setting curriculum directions.

The Head of Wellbeing, Bruce Nield, coordinates student wellbeing initiatives, learning support with our Learning and Support Teachers and our School Learning Support Officers.

Within the whole school Wellbeing structure there is a Senior School Wellbeing coordinator (Drew Eastlake) who assists the Head of Wellbeing specifically within the Senior School.

Any discussion of general matters, issues or concerns can be raised with class teachers or any member of the structure outlined above.

Academy Prep

Study Skills Handbook Update

Top Five Habits For Students

Work Placement

As a component to all VET courses, students are required to undertake 70 hours of work placement. Last week the majority of Hospitality students completed their first 35 hours at Gloria-Jeans, McMaugh Gardens Aged Care Facility, Munchies, St Kilda Hotel, TG’s Child Care Centre, Tuck In Takeaway, Uralla Bowlo and the White Rose Café and Pizzeria and two students chose to be recognised for prior learning at the Alternate Root Café and Naturally Healthy Café & Shop.

This photo below was taken on Leyton Hambly and Brayden Doyle’s final day of work placement at the Uralla Bowlo. Matt Gilbert (General Manager at the Uralla Bowlo) gave the students the opportunity to plan, help prepare and serve breakfast to local business owners. The students also had the opportunity to meet our local mayor Michael Pearce and NSW Member of Parliament Adam Marshall at the event.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our local businesses that have taken the time to give students the opportunity to extend their skills in a commercial environment and support our students in their unique learning experience. Their support has been greatly appreciated by the students.

Preliminary Geography

Today the Preliminary Geography students did some stream watch testing below Mt. Mutton in the Uralla Creek.

STEAM

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