Around the school

Meet our new Aboriginal Education Officer - Tremane Patterson

Guyra Central School is delighted to announce that Mr Tremane Patterson will  be working as an Aboriginal Education Officer in both our primary and secondary departments. Tremane joins the Guyra Central School team with a strong connection to our students, staff and community.  Tremane was educated at Guyra Central School and has dedicated his career to conservation land management at Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area and sharing his knowledge about Country in school and community settings.  Tremane is an involved and respected member of several community groups and is the current President of the Guyra Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) during 2023. He has been extensively involved in the organisation of cultural school and community events. Tremane will work directly with Miss Eunice Blair with families and collaboratively across Guyra Central School assisting students to build their personal strengths and engage in school life to improve our students’ learning outcomes.  Tremane is passionate about expanding culturally inclusive learning programs in our school community and will be a valuable member of our team at Guyra Central School. 

Grandparents Day with Guyra Central School 

It's easy to love Grandparents because of how much love they return. Grandparents are the perfect blend of wisdom, caring deeds, wonderful stories, laughter and love.

Guyra Central School celebrated our Grandparents on Friday 18th August 2023 with our   Grandparents Day Assembly followed by by a morning tea in stage 3 classrooms.  

Our Grandparents were entertained by our stage 3 students who performed a bush dance they have been learning during term 3.

Our Grandparents had the opportunity to look around our gymnasium and see all of the fabulous art work our students made for Grandparents Day before having morning tea with their Grandchildren in stage 3's classroom.  

Guyra Central School would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our Grandparents for attending Grandparents Day.  

GCS students perform well in the Premiers Spelling Bee Regional Finals 

Each year more than 150000 students statewide participate in The Premier's Spelling Bee. The Premier's Spelling Bee is a fun and educational way for students to engage and improve in their spelling. 

This year Guyra Central School have 2 primary students who have qualified for the Regional Finals. Sophie and Zac both  eagerly practiced their spelling words in anticipation for the competition. 

 On Monday 7th August, Sophie Rumbel (Stage 2) and Zac Raper (Stage 3) spelt their hearts out via zoom in the Regional Finals for the opportunity to secure a position in the state finals. Sophie and Zac both went extremely well in the Spelling Bee. Sophie Rumbel finished second overall n the competition.   

Guyra Central School would like to congratulate both Sophie and Zac on their achievements in the 2023 Premiers Spelling Bee. 

Music with Mr G and Kindergarten

The kindergarten students have enjoyed taking part in music lessons during term 3 with Mr G. Mr G very patiently works with each student to let them experience how each instrument is played. Brass instruments including the trombone and trumpet were our focus. The students also got to try out a violin, learning about how the bow is held and moved to make different sounds. They thought it was quite unreal that the bow is often made from horse hair!

If your children has come home singing 'We will rock you' that's because they have also been learning to sing this song together using the microphones. It was a treat to watch.

Positive Behaviours for Learning 

Look at our lovely Early Stage One students receiving their snowbursts!

We have reintroduced our Snowburst awards as part of our Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) program . PBL engages teachers in utilising strategies that improve the learning and wellbeing of students in our school setting. Each student has their own snowburst display in the classroom. Please feel free to come in and have your child show you theirs . Well done kindergarten!

Celebrating 175 years of Public Education in NSW 

During week 6 Guyra Central School celebrated Book Week and Education Week.  On Tuesday 22 August students dressed up as their favourite characters and participated in our Book Week Parade.  Lots of initiative and work went into many of our students’ costumes as well as staff costumes.  Thank you to our parents/carers for the effort that went into the making the costumes and making our students look so good. 

This year’s Education Week theme is ‘175 years of public education in NSW and focuses on learning from our past, celebrating our achievements and embracing the future with confidence.This year marks 175 years since the establishment of public schools in NSW. Founded in 1848, the Board of National Education was formed and tasked with establishing a public education system in NSW.

Guyra Central School celebrated 175 years of Public Education in NSW with our official Education Week Assembly on Friday 25 August 2023.  During our Education Week Assembly students, staff and our school community were given the opportunity to watch our Big Picture Education videos based on the Big Picture students Toby Handebo, Dante Lloyd and Lily Eddy and their journey in Big Picture Education. 

Each year Guyra Central School present 4 recipients with a Certificate of Recognition for their contribution to education at Guyra Central School.  

Our certificate of recognition recipients are - 

Miss Annablle Collins (Year 9) – presented to Annabelle for commitment to her own education, showing diligence and enthusiasm for learning.

Mr Billy Ryan (Year 6) – presented to Billy for being a conscientious student who works hard to improve his learning.  Billy is a sportsperson who demonstrates excellent sportsmanship and inclusion of others. 

Mr Tremane Patterson (Community) – presented to Tremane for being instrumental in the establishment of Guyra’s Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and for his commitment to strengthen relationships by making connections between the school and the community. 

Mrs Louise Dowden – (Staff) – presented to Louise for her exceptional organisation of school events. Louise always goes above and beyond to complete tasks for staff – even with a moment’s notice. 

Congratulations to Brooke Grills (Captain), Jada Alefosio (Captain), Trisha Varley (Vice Captain) and Max Raper (Vice Captain) who were announced as Guyra Central Schools School Captains for 2024.  Guyra Central School would like to acknowledge and congratulate our outgoing leadership team for the outstanding job they have done as our school leaders. 

Following our Education week Assembly, Guyra Central School held ‘The Guyra Gift’ and annual Education Week Tradition.  Guyra Central Schools 1996 Year 11 Sport and Recreation class were the innovators of the 100m handicapped race which involves K-12 students, staff and community members.  This years Guyra Gift winners were – Kodah Mckellar (stage 2), Jake Tibbs (Year 10) and Aidan Brown (Year 8). 

Our New Play Equipment 

On Tuesday 12 September 2023, our transition students were more than willing to try out the new playground equipment. They have been watching on each week as the new play areas have been built. Each play setting is fantastic and a welcome addition to our outdoor play space. This week, we have encouraged talk with our Infants and Primary students about the amount of planning, cost and effort it takes to have these great additions within our school. As educators, we are always working  to foster a strong sense of responsibility and respect for our school environment and hope this same perspective is taken at home. We encourage you to please speak with your children about what respect looks like in the playground, not just for others but for our environment. This includes our natural and built settings. So much effort goes in to every improvement that is made within our school and we urge our students to understand how fortunate they are to have such a wonderful learning space. 

Mrs Nikki Robinson 

Classroom Teacher 

Celebrating Fathers Day

Fathers Day is the day to celebrate fatherhood, parental bonds, and the important role they play in our children's life. Guyra Central School treated all of our Fathers, Grandfathers, Step Fathers and all of the special role models in our student's lives to a very special breakfast for Fathers Day on Friday 1 September 2023. 

Our breakfast was a huge success with many students and their loved ones attending the breakfast.    

On behalf of Guyra Central School, we would like to say thank you to Mrs Emma Vidler for all the organisation around Mothers Day, Grandparents Day and Fathers Day activities along with all of our staff and students who have assisted in the success of each of these events.  

Shearing for beginners

During week 5 Guyra Central School had eight secondary students attend a pilot shearing program for beginner shearers. The program was hosted by Armidale TAFE with students traveling by bus to a local shed for 5 full days. Students learnt all aspects of working in a shearing shed working as part of a team. All of our students made excellent progress with their shearing and crutching skills. 

Guyra Central School Year 11 student Hayden Wallace received an AWI,Australian Wool Innovations, beginner shearer start up pack worth over $2000.  Hayden is completing a School Based Traineeship and received the pack for his ongoing commitment and excellence in developing his shearing skills. This is wonderful recognition for Hayden's hard work. 

Many thanks must go to the fantastic instructors Leo Fitter, Ross Thompson and David Lockrey for a fantastic week of learning for Guyra Central School students.  Many thanks also to Mrs Gwyn Pearson who attended each day, Mr David Richardson and Mr Angus Hill for attending part of the week with our students. 

Mrs Rebecca Smith

Agriculture Teacher

Art Masterclass

Guyra Central School is lucky to have some very talented students in the Visual Art classes. Students from 9,10 and 11  Visual Art  classes had the opportunity to attend a painting masterclass at school.

Leah Bullen, a respected local artist spent over two hours with our students teaching the students some advanced painting skills, with an emphasis on colour mixing.

 The workshop will continue in week 2, Term 4. The students will spend more time on their paintings.

NERAM and the New England Regional Art Gallery arranged and sponsored the workshop at Guyra Central school. The workshop has been a valuable educational experience for our art students to experience a new approach to  building their skills.

This is what two of our attending students said about the workshop so far:

"The overall visit was nice and chill. There was no pressure and everyone participated in the activities we were given.

It was pretty easy and I'd like to do something similar another time.

We had a card sheet which we added mixed colours to, with a goal to create a gradient with the instructions. Afterwards we chose an image and had to try to make the colours in the images."  Kate- year 10

"In the workshop I enjoyed trying to match the colours with the colours in the photo. I also enjoyed trying to mix the colours trying to get them right. The people were very helpful whenever I asked." Archie- year 9

Early Stage 1 PDHPE

During week 8 Early Stage 1 explored their knowledge of healthy and unhealthy eating habits in PDHPE by making Mr Potato Heads, Students used a range of 'always' food and 'sometimes' foods. All of Early Stage students were very creative and clever making their Mr Potato Heads and were able to easily identify which foods are the most healthy choices to eat.

Athletics

Congratulations to all of our students who attended the Secondary North West Regional Athletics Carnival and the Primary Armidale Zone Athletics Carnival on Friday 28th August 2023.

This year Guyra Central School had secondary students represent in the NSW CHSSA State Athletics Carnival. Robert and Quin Ashman both competed in Javelin and our Junior Girls Relay Team ran in the 4x100m relay at Olympic Park. Congratulations to all of our students who competed in the CHSSA NSW State Athletics Championships.

Our Primary students competed in the Armidale Zone Athletics Carnival at the end of term 2. The weather was misleading and students ran in windy conditions. Congratulations to Lincoln Atkin who is 2023 Senior Boy Age Champion for Armidale Zone. Lincoln had an outstanding day winning the 1500m, 100m, 200m, 800m and 3rd in Long Jump.

Guyra Central School had an all-round successful day. 

Here are some of our results:

Ashton Hutton - 2nd place 8 year 100m boys

Manatu Ashman - 1st place 11 year 100m girls

Tae Torrens - 2nd place 11 year 100m girls

Sammy-Rose Dowden - 2nd place 100m girls

Manatu Ashman - 2nd place 200m girls

Sammy-Rose Dowden - 2nd place 200m girls

Ashton Hutton - 3rd place Junior Boys 800m

Ava Williams - 1st place 11 year Girls 800m

Rose Gordon - 3rd place 3rd year Girls 800m

Brax Hutton - 2nd place 11 year Boys 800m

Senior Girls Relay Team - 1st place 4x100m relay

Dean Rumbel - 1st place Senior Boys Discuss

Flyn Byers - 3rd place Junior Boys Shot Put

More success followed for the primary students who qualified to attend the North West Athletics Carnival in Tamworth. Lincoln Atkin was the first Guyra Central School student to qualify for the PSSA NSW State Carnival in 1500m. Manatu Ashman qualifed for the the 11 year girl 100m. The 12 year Girls Relay team ran their way to victory and secured a position on the North West team heading to state.  Lincoln Atkin and Sammy-Rose Dowden both qualified for the 200m sprint.    

Lincoln Atkin, Manatu Ashman, Taeraleigh Torrens, Oakley Brazier and Sammy-Rose Dowden will all attend the PSSA NSW State Carnival during week 3 in October.  Good luck to these students.  

Fathers Day Breakfast

Guyra Central School Dads are terrific!

Fathers Day is the day to celebrate fatherhood, parental bonds, and the important role they play in our children's life. Guyra Central School celebrated Fathers Day with an invitation to all the father figures in our students life to attend a very special breakfast on Friday 1st September 2023.  The morning was enjoyable and it was fantastic to see so many special people at the school spending the morning with our students. 

Thank you to Mrs Emma Vidler and our SRC for making this fabulous morning happen. 

Primary Creative Arts Night 

After three long years Guyra Central School have been able to return to its traditional live format  and after weeks of rehearsing, Guyra Central Schools Primary Department performed for our school community in our Creative Arts Night on Wednesday 13th September 2023.  The night was a true celebration as our students showcased their performing talents in dance, drama and music in various ways during the night.  

All of our students are to be commended for their engagement in their performances and for displaying our core values - Pride, Respect and Responsibility in representing the school in this event.  

Thank you to Mrs Emma Vidler and staff and students  involved in the organisation of our Primary Creative Arts night and for making our Creative Arts Night a huge success.  

 Stage 2 Thalgarrah Excursion 

Guyra Central School stage 2 students set off on an overnight adventure in the last week of term 3 to Thalgarrah.  Elsie Post and Aoife Collins shared their experience about the first day stage 2 spent at Thalgarrah.

Day 1 by Elsie Post - Stage 2

Yes!!!!!!! We are about to hop on the bus to go to Thalgarrah.  The teachers are just putting our luggage on the bus and then we will be leaving.  The trip on the bus felt quick and it was only 5 minutes until we were arriving at Thalgarrah and we were all getting super excited.  Yay.......We have arrived! 

We met our Thalgarrah host Matt who quickly instructed us to get our luggage off the bus and into our rooms so that we could get straight into a game of 'Moon Ball'. Moonball is game that uses a huge inflatable ball that the participants need to keep the ball in motion and not allow it to hit the ground until you reach the target. The game was a great way to start our Thalgarrah adventure and we could not wait to see what was coming next.

We had some morning tea and Matt did an activity with us to learn each of our names.  The activity involved a tennis ball.  We formed a semi-circle and had a race.  We needed to return to the semi-circle in order of our dates of birth.  Unfortunately we were not very good at this activity, maybe next time!

Our next activity was a called 'Dragon Ball'.  Dragon Ball is a team activity and each team member gets pipe that need to use to get the 'Dragon Ball' to the dragons nest. Our teams were all unsuccessful in getting the ball to the dragons nest but Team 1 were really close.  

Ding, ding, ding...... the bell went and it was time for lunch.  After lunch we went orienteering.  Orienteering at Thalgarrah is when you split into groups and go on a treasure hunt. Finding them, clipping them on your sheet of clues.  Marian (Thalgarrah Chef) had afternoon tea waiting for us when we finished orienteering.  It was a yummy burger and some cake and it was delicious. 

It was time to split into red and blue teams for 'Tribe and Territories'.  Tribes and Territories is always a popular game at Thalgarrah and we often play it at school.  

Marian (Thlagarrah Chef) made an amazing lasagne for dinner.  We were all really enjoying the food. After our delicious dinner we all grabbed our torches and played spotlight and we all had a turn of hiding. We were all starting to wear out after an exciting day at Thalgarrah so we all had our showers and put our pyjamas on.  Our final activity for the evening was a game of 'Mouse Trap'.  As the music played we would run around, when the music stopped the mouse trap would close.  If any people were in the mouse trap they would then become part of the mouse trap.  The game went on unitl we were all part of the mouse trap.  

Our first day has now come to an end. We are ready for a mug of hot chocolate and sleep.  We can't wait until the morning to see what Matt has planned!

Day 1 by Aoife Collins 

At the start of Thursday we were driving off in the school buses.  While we were driving we played music and sang songs, everybody was screaming the the tunes so we didn't sound very good.  When we arrived we played 'Moonball' and ate our morning tea.  After morning tea we played a game of 'Magic Carpet' where we had to throw a tennis ball as part of the game. We needed to form semi circle in date of birth order, it took us a long time to get in order.  

It was almost time for lunch and we had one more activity to do before having a well earned break. The activity was a game of 'Dragon Ball' where we used pipes to get the dragon ball to the dragon nest.  After we ate our lunch we were all doing gymnastics and throwing frisbees while we waited for our next activity.  

We were all excited for orienteering which was our afternoon activity and what made this a great activity was that we went on a treasure hunt with the clues we were given. We used a compass to follow the directions we were given and when we arrived at each point we put stamps on a piece of paper.  After a big afternoon of following direction we were all ready for more food and a drink.  We had the yummiest afternoon tea - burgers and french fries! We then finished the afternoon playing a favourite game of ours of 'Tribes and Territories'.  The aim of the game is to protect the hidden cone from the other team.  If the other team manage to get the cone they run as fast as they can with it.

We were all getting pretty tired and looking forward to dinner.  The food at Thalgarrah is so good, we had lasagne and ice cream before a game of Spotlight. I was the winner of spotlight.  

We all had showers and finished our night with a game of 'Mouse Trap' and a cup of hot chocolate.  We brushed our teeth and went to bed.  

Our stage 1 students had such a fantastic time at Thalgarrah they wanted to write letters to Matt to thank him for everything.  

Stage 2 had the most enjoyable trip to Thalgarrah and could not wait to write thank you letters to Thalgarrah. Below  are some of the letters Stage 1 mailed to Thalgarrah:

Dear Matt

We wanted to say a big thank you for making our excursion at the end of term 3 a lot of fun. The activity I liked the best was dip netting for water bugs and seeing them.  

The food tasted very delicious.

Best wishes from Indigo Atkin

Dear Matt

I wanted to say thank you for teaching us about nature at Thalgarrah.  I liked the orienteering because I got to go flag to flag.  

From Hamish Brown 

Dear Matt

We want to give you a thank you for making our excursion to Thalgarrah a lot of fun.  The activity i liked the best was dip netting for water bugs especially the mayflies.  The food was very exciting to look at and it also tasted very delicious.

Thank you very much Matt.

Best wishes from Ivy-Rose Brazier 

Dear Matt

I want to thank you for making our excursion so much fun at the end of term 3.  Also, can you say thank you to Maria for all the yummy cake, kebabs and the hot chocolates.  Thank you for everything.  I really loved being there.  

From JJ Landsborough

Dear Matt 

We wanted to say a big thank you for making our excursion at the end of term 3 a lot of fun.  The activity I like the most was Tribes and Territories because we got to get our faces painted and we got put in jail.  The food was pretty exciting to look at, it also tasted scrumptiously delicious.  

Best wishes from Hugh Kliendienst

Prime Pork Competition 

On the 6th of September, a number of Agriculture students from year 7 to 10 took part in the Prime Pork Competition hosted at the Bingara Showgrounds. Guyra Central school took three pigs from our school to compete in this competition.  Our pigs were awarded 'On the Hoof' ribbons  (2 x 4th placings and a 3rd placing) and a 1st placing 'On the Hook' for our Berkshire boar in the large porker section. Karleah Alefosio (Year 8) also achieved a 3rd placing for her pork judging which is an excellent achievement for her first judging attempt. All students were a delight to take away for the excursion and we look forward to more successes next term.

Year 8 Technology Diorama Project

During the last  5 weeks of term 4, Year 8 Technology and Mrs Smith have been designing and constructing a real life design project for the Southern New England Landcare and Guyra Landcare Groups.

The students were provided with a design brief that required them to design a diorama of a catchment to demonstrate desirable and less desirable catchment management practices. The diorama had specific dimensions of 1m x 50cm and needed to clearly display catchment management, good and bad. The students obtained a piece of timber board of the correct dimensions and set about creating the landscape using paper mache and cardboard. They also created animals and other features of the landscape. The finishing touches were generously provided by Kay Smith and Nancy Vickery. The combined efforts created a beautiful artwork. This has been a very worthwhile project, teaching our students about catchment management and it was also fun for everyone involved.

The diorama was on display for everyone to see during the Southern New England  and Guyra Landcare stall at Troutfest.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the creation of this magnificent diorama.