What's been happening??
Principal's Report
Dear parents and caregivers of the Cowra High School Community,
Week 8 sees the holidays in sight and many students are continuing to prepare for many different challenges that arise in the classroom and a variety or extracurricular activities. Watching the determination and courage of students embark on challenges striving to reach their potential is breathtaking and the most exciting part on being a principal. Addressing the Year 7 2020 parents on Monday evening I spoke about all the amazing aspects of Cowra High School, but what really stands out the most is that all the staff, students and the community are a family. This family allows students to thrive in a nurturing environment with wrap around support for their wellbeing and allowing students to engage in quality teaching and learning.
Over the next weeks I am excited to be reading student reports. This will allow me to get to know all students’ academic achievements and how I can support staff with valuable professional learning and continue to build engaging learning environments for Cowra High students.
On Monday evening we welcomed Year 7 2020 parents and their children. I was thrilled to see many eager Year 6 students from our primary schools and their enthusiasm with a touch of nervousness for the year ahead. All students received a personalised information pack and the students that were unable to attend will have the pack posted home. For information about transition to high school please contact Louise Rowston, our Deputy Principal, and she will ensure that you are supported with any queries.
Year 12 this week are studying hard and working with their teachers on last minute tips and tricks leading into Trial Examinations in Weeks 9 and 10. In the library last Thursday I was so proud to see so many senior students working hard preparing and working with staff refining skills ensuring they give themselves the best possible opportunity.
Congratulations to Nicola Carter of Year 12 who has been selected through live audition to perform as a featured dancer in Hip Hop, Contemporary and Jazz ensembles at Schools Spectacular. This is an outstanding achievement and a great deal of hard work and commitment showcasing amazing talent.
Congratulations to Lucy Murray who has been selected as a featured dancer in the style of classical ballet. Furthermore the Ballet Choreographer for Schools Spectacular awarded Lucy a scholarship to the International Principal Artist Workshop in Sydney. Lucy is another example of the amazing talent representing regional students in NSW.
Congratulations to Leroy Murray who is one of twenty students selected in the Australian Secondary Schools Under 14's Rugby League Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Team. Boys who trialled were from Queensland and NSW, very tough competition. Well Done!
Congratulations to Nicole Lowe-Tarbert and Mikelli Garrett who were awarded the Monthly Sports Person of the Year. This is just another example of students challenging themselves. Well done!
If you love listening to music our talented music students will be performing in the Cowra High School Hall on Thursday evening starting at 6:30pm. Tickets are $5 and you can purchase these at the front office. Students have been working hard to perfect their performances and I wish them all the best.
This week on Thursday evening is the P & C Annual General Meeting, then following, a meeting in the Cowra High School Staff Common Room beginning at 5:30pm. Can I encourage all the Cowra High School community to attend and be part of the amazing team that works tirelessly to ensure that all students are known, valued and cared for.
In conclusion I would like to share the commitment of all Cowra High School staff to ensure that all students are improving every year in the classroom and encouraging them to participate in extracurricular activities. The staff build these skills in their students where our motto ‘Knowledge is Power’ underpins the teaching, learning and wellbeing of all students.
Kind Regards
Helene Hamilton
Principal
Night of Music Thursday Night 20 June 6:30pm
Congratulations Clayton!
Clayton Hayes, who is currently playing Football in the ACT (NPL) National Premiers League U 16’s , for Gungahlin United Football Club, has been awarded with this year's Cowra Sports Person of the year, Cowra Services Club Scholarship.
Additionally Clayton has just recently been selected to play for the Talented Sports Program (TSP) Western U15’s team for the Coast Cup in July that will be held at the brand new Central Coast Recreational and Sporting Complex, Tuggerah.
The tournament will be run from Monday 8 July and Wednesday 10 July.
The Under 15's tournament will comprise of Hyundai A-League (HAL) Academies (Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners FC, West Sydney Wanderers), TSP sides (North, East, South, West, Far South, Far North, Southern/Western, Riverina) and NPL sides from Newcastle. There will be 16 teams in Under 15s.
Australian Joeys Coach Trevor Morgan plus FFA Staff and FNSW Staff will also be attending to identify players
for Elite Games and as part of the pathway for the Australian U15 Teams along with other pathway programs.
Support News
Support working hard on collecting stickers for Woolworths Earn & Learn. They are hoping to earn some great new sports equipment!
On May 28 Cowra High support students went to Bathurst to play indoor soccer. It was a cold day but students all competed well. We came third against five other schools. A great effort by everyone!
Year 7 Wellbeing Day
Monday May 20 was the Year 7 Wellbeing Day at Cowra High School. The focus of the day was ensuring students in Year 7 are building positive relationships and have the skills to cope with challenging situations.
We were fortunate to have several experts present information and activity sessions. Sessions included: Cyber Safety, presented by our Police Youth Liaison Officer, Teamwork and Building Resilience, presented by Cowra Information and Neighbourhood Centre, Personal Hygiene and Diet, presented by Cowra Community Health and Anti-Bullying and the Importance of Kindness, presented by Headspace Bathurst.
The students were eager and active participants throughout the day and we received excellent feedback.
Our final session saw our Year 7’s reconnect with our wonderful Year 11 Peer Support Leaders who ran ice breaker games and finished with a tug-o-war competition on the oval and a giant PBL prize draw. Students were able to collect coloured eagles throughout the day for exhibiting respectful and responsible behaviour.
Thank you to all our visiting presenters and the staff who helped supervise and organise the day: Mr LePage, Mrs Brien, Mrs Hughes and Mrs LePage. A special thank you to Mr Newbery and his Year 11 helpers for assisting with the BBQ lunch.
Kathryn Keefe
Year Adviser
Assembly Awards
Writer Igniter
Stage 6 English students recently participated in a creative writing workshop called ‘Writer Ignitor’. The day was presented by Peita Mages, from Clever Cookie Academy, and saw 60 students from both Advanced and Standard develop skills in creating engaging and imaginative responses. Peita encouraged students to write 10 short writes, which allowed them to explore characterisation, setting, symbolism, tension and mood. It was a fun way to spend a cold day and everyone walked away with pages of inspiration that they have now taken back to the classroom to develop further with their teacher. Thank you to Peita Mages for a fabulous workshop and for her kind words;
I wanted to thank you SO much for inviting me into your lovely school to host Writer Ignitor.
Your students are not only talented, they possess a GREAT work ethic and fighting spirit!
I wish them great results in the HSC and know that with you and your team guiding them they are in great hands!
FYI - I've received about 98% rave reviews from your students and everyone listed numerous things they got out of the day.
They've been so kind and generous with their feedback and I truly hope they got some great things out of the course!
Please let me know if I can ever be of help with any other courses. They are an absolute pleasure to teach!
Best regards,
Peita
