Richard Clark

As we move into the assessment period it is important that students are well prepared for all tasks. Students will perform at their best if they plan ahead by preparing a study plan and working with their teachers to ensure they have a clear understanding of the expectations for each task. If parents have any questions regarding assessment please contact your child’s class teacher.

It has been a very busy fortnight for students with the Bell Shakespeare and Far Out Science excursions the Secondary Disco and Cricket against Holy Trinity. Congratulations to all students involved in these events for the wonderful way they represented the school, reports from all these events spoke highly of the maturity and engagement of our students.

Finally, congratulations to Gemma Mihill for progressing to the next round of the Rotary Public Speaking Competition and to Jack Montgomery on his selection in the 15 years Northern Region Cricket Squad.

Vaccines in 2017

ALL Year 7 Students:

> Varicella vaccine (chicken pox) as a single dose - for any student who has not had the disease or vaccine

> Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) (dTpa) adult vaccine – as a single dose to all year 7 students who have not received a recent adult dose.

> Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine – in a 3-dose schedule with 2 month gap between doses 1 & 2 and a 4 month gap between doses 2 & 3.

CONSENT FORMS – a single consent form provides the opportunity to consent for all three vaccines.

The consent forms will delivered in the first week of

Term One 2017

If you have any questions please contact your local Community Health contact by email or phone.

Secondary Disco

Far Out Science at the University of New England

by Alana Goldman

On Thursday 27th November 29 Secondary students from Years 7, 8 and 9 attended the 2016 Far Out Science (FOS) event at the University of New England (UNE), Armidale. The Far Out Science event is an opportunity for the UNE to showcase the various faculties of science (biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, botany) or applied sciences (e.g. nursing, sports science, psychology) within the university campus, to school students. Ultimately, the aim is to improve student interest in Science at a school level so that young people consider a career in this area later in life.

Over 500 students from twenty schools from across the North-West and North Coast regions attended the FOS event. Each school participated in four different activities on the day. St Philomena’s students participated in the following activities: The Physics of Fun; Microbes All Around Us; Nursing Science; and, Sports Science.

The Physics of Fun session was about the science behind bouncing balls of all sizes and elasticities; the action of a swinging pendulum and how this relates to swings in a playground; how the mass and physical size of a paper aeroplane affects its ability to fly; and, the reality that most toys involve a large degree of physics (e.g. car racing sets; loop-the-loop car racers; and toy guns which shoot out foam bullets).

The Microbes All Around Us session involved each student making-up a broth of yeast to create a small-scale fermentation reaction. This was followed by observing a collection of various microorganisms using powerful microscopes; creating their own microscopic slide of fungi for observation; and checking out the activities of an experiment of slime mould and how a unicellular organism has the ability to move its way through a man-made maze to reach a food source.

The Nursing Science presentation was divided into four smaller activities which involved learning about how to bandage a person’s arm after snake bite using a traditional bandage and a “Smart Bandage” (see explanation below); exploring the location of the taste buds in our mouth for sweet and sour foods; listening to your heart beat using a stethoscope; measuring each individual’s pulse, oxygen saturation of the blood and vital capacity (that is, the volume of air able to be held in our lungs after inhalation of one breath); and, investigating under ultraviolet (UV) light the germs upon our hands prior to and after washing (Wow!!! This final activity really alerted students to how easily germs are spread and the importance of washing your hands thoroughly).

The Smart Bandage is an elasticised bandage developed to assist with the application of the correct bandaging pressure during the treatment of snake bites. When bitten by a snake, the affected limb should be bandaged from the snake bite, up (or down) the limb. This is to reduce the spread of the poison. The Smart Bandage has rectangles printed upon it. The rectangles are positioned down the middle of the bandage. When the bandage is stretched during application, the rectangles turn into squares. The appearance of the square during the bandaging process indicates to the user that the correct pressure has been applied. If the bandage is pulled to tight, then the squares turn back into rectangles. Effectively this is a foolproof tool to assist with treating snake bites and should be added to all first aid kits.

The Sports Science session involved each student completing a series of physical tests. The data collected on each test was recorded so that analysis and discussion of the results obtained could be completed at the end. Each student had to measure their height and leg length. Then students proceeded to complete the following physical tests of their strength: how high could they jump in two different vertical jump tests, one which involved the use of their arms and the other which did not allow any assistance gained through arm swing; and, how much energy they could generate on an exercise bike whilst completing a six second sprint. The presenters of this session made special mention about how impressed they were with the enthusiasm and commitment shown by all the participants and most importantly the tremendous sportsmanship demonstrated, especially through the encouragement of each other whilst competing.

A special thank you to Bernie Seery for her attendance on this excursion. Overall student participation and behaviour were EXCEPTIONAL. All students involved are to be congratulated for their superior representation of our school and the mature, respectful and honest manner in which they acquitted themselves on the day. Well done to each of you!!! It truly was a pleasure to take you on this excursion and I hope that you have all gained something from the experience.

Students in Attendance:

Year 7: Jacob Berry, Chloe Brazel, Oliver Cook, Kaatje Dean, Colby Kilpatrick, Alaina Seery, Dwayne Van Der Craght, Nathan Yeatman.

Year 8: Maddison Bell, Daniel Brown, Clancy Carroll, Brennan Cumberland, Oscar Davis, Joshua Elbourne, Nicholas Fisher, Abbie-Lee Gray, Chloe Makim, Chloe Marshall, Blake McMillan, Jack Montgomery, Brooke Muller, Montana O’Neill.

Year 9: Maria Bouliopoulos, Sara Campbell, Djurdjina Cikota, Emma Conroy, Alliyah Davison, Zoe Maunder, Paris Phillis.

Rotary Public Speaking Competition

by Lauren Donnelly

On Monday 7th November, Gemma Mihill competed in the Rotary Public Speaking Competition in Warialda. Gemma had previously won the Moree Rotary Public Speaking Competition. She was required to write a five minute speech, and perform in front of an audience. Gemma chose to highlight the issue of World Hunger. A dinner was provided, allowing her to mingle with fellow competitors. Gemma was successful in her endeavour to win this competition and will proceed to the next level in February 2017.

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