~~PRINCIPAL’S REPORT~~ P.O Box 843, LEETON 2705 Ph: 69532122 Fax: 69535085 [email protected] ABN: 22 761 278 122 Relieving~~PRINCIPAL’S Principal: Mr REPORT A Morschel~~ Issue No: 5 Term: 1 Week 10 Tuesday 29 March, 2016 , 2013 “Educating young people for active and responsible citizenship”

~~ RELIEVING PRINCIPAL’S REPORT~~

Leeton High School was particularly well represented during the SunRice Festival. Our bus was festooned in pennants for the parade, with a pleasing number of students choosing to join us on Saturday, with the Vengaboys providing a most appropriate sonic background.

Mrs Schmetzer and some of our Hospitality students backed up to serve food at Leeton’s Longest Lunch in Mountford Park. Thank you to everyone who assisted throughout the weekend.

1 Good luck to the Class of 2016, who are buckling down for Mid-Course Examinations, in those subjects that choose to have them. As has always been the case, with no inkling of foreseeable change, I am sure that the marks earned will reflect the effort supplied. Students are advised to seek valuable feedback whenever they receive their results.

Don’t forget to lend your support to our Open Rugby League and League Tag sides, as they battle Yanco Agricultural HS this Wednesday evening. The girls are poised to raise the Dave Sheldrick Cup, should they prevail and we are hoping that our lads can show the same pride that they displayed against St Francis. The winner of this fixture will advance to the next round of the University Shield. Special thanks must be extended to Garry Wilesmith, Clint Halden and Anthony Rudd who volunteered their time and energy to coach these sides, and to Mrs Anthony and Ms Becker for their managerial prowess. As it was said on assembly last week, if people could follow the example of our teams in those games and take that positive attitude into class, then it could be argued that success in the future is assured.

Our P&C Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 22 March in the School Library. With both pleasure and gratitude, we thank in advance those who were elected into office:

PRESIDENT: Jo Pianca, VICE-PRESIDENTS: Liz Tynan, Jacqui Eglinton TREASURER: Julie Axtill SECRETARY: Maria Ryan

Leeton High School owes a lot to our P&C and we wish them well. Please feel free to come to our next scheduled meeting on Tuesday 3 May. Once again, please bring your Golden Apple IGA Dockets into our Front Office. The generous proprietors donate a significant percentage of the sales recorded directly back to your community high school.

The ‘Inquisitive Minds’ Mathematics Enrichment event was held in our MPC on Friday 18 March. Representing Leeton High were 16 students from Years 8 & 9. Organiser, HT-Mathematics Mr Mark Doyle, was particularly pleased with the proceedings and impressed with the enthusiasm for problem solving that our contingent displayed.

Our representative dancers have been busy leading up to the Dance Festival and preliminary work for Schools Spectacular. Dance is gaining great momentum at Leeton High School and is highly likely to be offered as an elective subject for 2017.

Our senior TAS students were treated to a valuable enrichment experience, travelling to Sydney to view the best Design & Technology projects from the 2015 HSC. Thanks to organisers, Mr Dave Killen and Ms Liz Danvers for devoting considerable amounts of time and energy into the organisation and operation of this excursion.

Leeton High School recognises and values the importance of communication between home and school. If you have any questions on any issue, please do not hesitate to call us on 6953-2122 or email leeton- [email protected] with your concerns. Stay in touch with the happenings at your community high school via our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/LeetonHS.

Andrew Morschel, Relieving Principal 2 ~~ RELIEVING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT~~

Using the SMS system for attendance seems to be going well. There have been a small number of messages that have failed to send due to a contact number being incorrect. The system we use will send a message to the first contact and if this is not possible it will send to the second contact or emergency contact. Please contact the school to make sure your details are up to date.

Currently an SMS is being sent for all students that are late to school without a note explaining their lateness from a parent. Also, every Tuesday I have been sending a reminder message for student absences from the previous week. If you receive an SMS for either lateness or whole day absences please reply to the SMS. You need to include a justified reason for your child’s absence. If you feel there has been an error made please contact me at school to discuss it.

Please read through the document “Compulsory School Attendance – Information for parents” attached to the newsletter and contact me at school if you have any questions.

Damian Bush, Relieving Deputy Principal

SCHOOL AWARDS

Congratulations to the following students on achieving awards:

EXECTUIVE AWARDS: Tharani Manoharan, Marni Elliott (Year 7), Renee Faoa, Amelie Sachs (Year 8), Malcolm Thomas, Caitlin Garth (Year 9), Mariz Malunas, Cate Mooney-Rapley (Year 10), Chelsea Axtill, Breeanna Scott (Year 11), Daniel Riznic and Brooke Hardie (Year 12).

~~ SCHOOL NEWS~~

SCIENCE COMPETITION

The ICAS Science Competition is offered every year in Australian and overseas schools. This is a great opportunity for students to challenge themselves and test their skills in working scientifically. Each student will receive a certificate recognising their level of achievement. The Science Competition will be held on Tuesday 31 May. Students are given 1 hour to complete 45 multiple choice questions. The entry fee is $5 per student and the deadline to enter is Friday 29 April (end of week 1, term 2). For more information and a permission form, students should see Miss Arena in the Science staffroom.

CHESS REPORT

Congratulations to the LHS Chess team, who competed in round one of the Country Schools Secondary Chess Championship, against Yanco Agricultural High School. The team consisted of Maanu Alexander and Zac Fairweather (Year 9), Chevaughn Moore (Year 10) and Taylor Moore (Year 7). Some of the games were very close and needed much concentration, and although each school won two games, Leeton won on a count back. However, it was easier for Chevaughn who only had to concentrate for half an hour to record a win, whereas in 2015 she had a couple of games concentrating for well over one hour. The team will compete in round two early in Term two.

Chevaughn had a win.

3 OUR FUTURE WORKFORCE

Students participating in the very successful WIN Program for 2016 have been very busy with their work readiness training during this term and will put all their new skills and knowledge into practice when they enter their much anticipated work placement after the holidays. The students have been split into two groups with the first completing their time in the workplace every Wednesday during Term 2 and the second in Term 3.

All WIN students have completed an intensive work ready workshop delivered by local organisation GetSet in which the students covered topics such as; communication and confidentiality in the workplace, WH & S, mock interviews, employer forum, what employers expect and personal presentation and hygiene to name a few.

Those students who have chosen a construction based trade have also completed a White Card course and are now compliant to work on construction sites.

Group 1 has been placed with their host employers and have received their workplace documents which need to be signed by the student, parent/guardian and their host employer. This paperwork is due back NO LATER than THURSDAY APRIL 7th. No Paperwork No Placement! Students have been given a Checklist to ensure all their responsibilities and timeframes are met.

GROUP 1 Stephen Alchin (Ace Smash Repairs), Santo Celi (Southern Central Engineering), Bryce Collins (Nathan Wood Construction), Riley Cowling-Jones (GoodStart Early Learning Centre) Wil Grantham (Riverina Exhaust Systems), Dominique Nunn (Exclusive Skin and Beauty), Ryan Pitt (Hi Marq Services), Dylan Smith (D & A DeMamiel Carpentry), Kyle Tuckett (Block Electrical) and Rubie Wright (Leeton Early Learning Centre).

Best of luck to our first group of excited future employees; they are well prepared for a positive experience. The WIN Program is a wonderful opportunity to spend one day per week in the workplace ‘testing the waters’ for a possible career choice. School to Work programs are a great stepping stone into apprenticeships, traineeships, part time or casual employment for students and for employers a great scouting tool for possible employees.

A huge THANK YOU to the participating businesses who are supporting the program again or for the first time.

Group 2 will be notified of their placement and their paperwork distributed during Term 2 for their Term 3 placement.

JAPANESE CORNER

Students in Year 7 have settled well into their Japanese classes this year. Learning a foreign language can be challenging however it is also a rewarding experience. We’ve studied two topics this term. Our Topic 1 was an Introduction to Japan and Basic Greetings. For Topic 2 we’ve been studying about Japanese Food and Restaurant Culture.

Last week, 7N and 7D participated in our practical lesson making sushi. It was a great learning experience as they were given the opportunity to make one of the most popular Japanese dishes in their own classroom in Leeton! (Ingredients used are available at Woolworths or IGA). Some students were even daring enough to try Tofu, Wasabi, Nori (dried seaweed), Miso soup, Beni Shoga (pickled ginger strips), Shoyu (soya sauce). Let’s just say it was an interesting experience for many. (^^”)

For parents or caregivers who want to help their child with their Japanese studies, you may access the following Quizlet Links below to learn about the Japanese script and phrases we’ve been studying in class. It’s a great interactive vocabulary flashcard tool that has games, quizzes, Japanese audio for students to listen and repeat for pronunciation practice. Every Year 7 student is enrolled in a Quizlet class with their own study sets and has been taught how to use it.

Topic 1 Greetings vocab: https://quizlet.com/_24mj21 Japanese Script 1: https://quizlet.com/_24mi3b Topic 2 phrases: https://quizlet.com/_257kx8 Japanese Script 2: https://quizlet.com._24mjvl Topic 2 Food vocab: https://quizlet.com/_257jrz

4 NAPLAN 2016

NAPLAN tests will be conducted from 10-12 May 2016 for all students in Years 7 and 9. All students will receive an information letter to parents shortly. If you do not receive a letter, please contact the front office. Should you wish to discuss your child’s participation in NAPLAN or access to disability support, please contact Liz Murdoch or Andrew Morschel.

RIVERINA DANCE CAMP

During Week 8, four Leeton High School students, Dearne Hunter-Boyd (10), Skye Heeb (8), Madison Teerman (8) and Zoe Locke (7), all attended the Riverina Dance Camp held at . This camp was run by Wagga High School teachers Kathryn Fisher and Mel Brown and included workshops run by industry professionals. Students participated in workshops exploring a number of dance styles, including lyrical, contemporary and musical theatre. The three day camp culminated with a short concert featuring each of the works the students had been rehearsing over the duration of the camp. This fantastic opportunity allows for students to further their skills beyond the classroom. All girls thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were fabulous ambassadors for Leeton High School. Congratulations Dearne, Sky, Madi and Zoe.

How to get started

 Visit ouronlineconteen.com.au  Sign up by completing the registration form  Receive a confirmation e-mail  Log into the website  Select your school and enter your child/ren names  Add Credit and order you meals

LHS has 2 cut off times. 9am for recess orders and 10.30am for lunch orders. ~~ SCHOOL SPORT~~

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Our athletics carnival will be held in the last week of the Term, ½ day Wednesday 6 April and all day Thursday 7 April. If there are any parents that would like to help out on one or both days please contact the school on 6953 2122.

YEAR 7- 9 LEAGUE TAG GALA DAY

On Tuesday 15 March, Year 7-9 students travelled to Griffith to play in a League Tag Gala Day. Initially the day was cancelled because of hot weather and we were very thankful as it was a beautiful day for footy. First game was against Wade High School and we had a comfortable win. A great early try to Olivia Eisenhut ensured we were off to a good start and Hannah Bennett cemented our win by scoring again. Successful conversions by Captain Emily Wright of Year 7 put us off to a convincing start.

Our second game against West Wyalong wasn’t so successful and we went down by a try in a game that made us run hard and apply some very good defence to a quick opponent. The highlight of our third game against St Francis was a run-away 70metre try by Jenna Elliott.

There were a lot of talented players at the gala day, some very drilled in their League Tag. Leeton High players tried hard and never stopped defending making some great tags and breaks. There were some standout players on the day: namely The Wright sisters, Jenna Elliott, Elise Holt, Tamara Bartram and Felicity Allen. But there were some girls who had no experience with the game who were awesome players and showed some great skill in the game: Chloe Matthews, Marni Elliott and Courtney Ingram ran fast and tagged hard. Congratulations to Emily Wright of Year 7 who stepped up as Captain and yelled lots of support and instructions on the field. Thanks to Mr Wright and Mrs Anthony for their organisation and support on the day.

5 DAVE SHELDRICK LEAGUE TAG

The Leeton High senior League Tag team were the winners of the day as they were first try scorers in the Dave Sheldrick Cup. It was a fast and competitive game where fitness was the biggest contributing factor. A tough defence from the Leeton High girls was what ultimately won us the game. Congratulations to the girls on their attitudes and effort at both training and in preparation. The team is looking forward to playing a competitive Yanco side this week. Thanks also to Anthony Rudd for his coaching after school and to Mrs Anthony for the organisation and support.

RIVERINA STROKEPLAY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

On Tuesday 22 March four Leeton High students travelled to Wagga Wagga Country Club to compete in the Riverina Secondary Schools Strokeplay Golf Championships. The weather was perfect and the students, Kurt Bloomfield, Travis Collins, Boyd Williams and Talise Rudd (all from Year 9) had a fantastic yet challenging day finding the firm and fast greens of the Country Club particularly challenging to negotiate. For some of these students it was the first time they had played a golf course other than their home track of Leeton.

All students represented Leeton High with pride and demonstrated the exemplary sportsmanship and etiquette we have come to expect from our sporting representatives. A huge congratulations is extended to all the students and especially to Talise Rudd who gained selection in the Riverina Girls Team. This team will compete in the CHS All Schools Team Championships at Tamworth Golf Club late in Term 2. This is the first time in recorded history a girl from Leeton High School has been selected to represent Riverina in Golf and hopefully this fantastic effort can inspire other Leeton High students, both boys and girls, to take up the much underrated and extremely rewarding sport of Golf.

Mr Di Salvia (Riverina Golf Convener)

TOUCH GALA DAY

On Tuesday 22 March students from Leeton High School travelled in the school bus to Griffith to play in the Touch Gala Day. The fields were in excellent condition and the weather was perfect for playing.

The girls played first. Both teams showed excellent field position. The team was ahead but near the end of the game Griffith scored in the corner. Round 2 against the girls demonstrated much better discipline and defence. They won the game by one try.

The boys played Wade High School in the first round. Wade High and Leeton High were well matched. Both teams showed outstanding skills in their footwork and support of each other in defence. Unfortunately Leeton lost that game. Against Finley in the second round Leeton High played excellently. The movement of the ball and positional play was executed well. They won this game by a try.

As both teams came second in their pool, the semi-finals meant they played the team that came first in the other pool. Both teams played Yanco Ag High School. Both teams did very well to play in the hot conditions. Unfortunately the girls and boys bowed out of the competition.

The students were exceptional throughout the day. They supported and respected each other, the other teams and the game itself. Special mention to Morgan Wilesmith, Isaac Collins, Madeline Warburton and Hannah Bush for refereeing as well.

Leeton High can be proud of these representative students.

Girls Team: Ally Bush, Hannah Bush, Siarne Deeves, Jorgy Eglinton, Caitlin Garth, Elli Gill, Brooke Hardie, Nakeia McVittie, Taylah Ronfeldt, Edie Rudd, Talise Rudd and Madeline Warburton Boys Team: Kurt Bloomfield, Liam Bowker, Isaac Collins, Bryce DeMamiel, Liam Giammona-Thorpe, Keanen Ingram, Tamaki Kohere, Blair O'Connell, William Ormond, Angus Smith and Morgan Wilesmith Riverina Golf Championships

DATES TO REMEMBER

Tue 29 Mar – Wed 6 April – HSC Exams Tues 26 Apr – Staff return Term 2 Wed 30 Mar – Dave Sheldrick Shield Wed 27 Apr – All students return Term 2 Wed 6 Apr – Athletics Carnival (1/2 day) Tue 10 May – Thur 12 May - NAPLAN Thur 7 Apr – Athletics Carnival (all day) Sat 28 May – Performing Arts Excursion Fri 8 Apr – Last day of Term 1

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