IRRAWANG HIGH SCHOOL Promoting excellence in academic, cultural and sporting performance Newsletter - Issue 1 - February 2016 Important Dates From the Principal’s Desk TERM 1 WED JAN 27 - FRI APR 8 Firstly, I would like to welcome all the new families that Mon 15 - Yr12 VET Work P’ments have commenced with Irrawang High School this year. Fri 19 Feb As an educator there is tremendous pleasure hearing the Wed 17 Feb Zone Swim Carnival buzz among students and staff at the beginning of the school year. How wonderful it was to hear the excitement Thur 25 Feb P & C Meeting 6:30pm in MICA of everyone catching up with friends, of receiving new timetables, of nervous anticipation by Year 7– the list goes Fri 26 Feb School Photos on. Tue 1 Mar Regional Swim The challenge for us as a school community – students, Carnival parents and staff – is to maintain and build on that Stage 3 Open Evening excitement. Mon 7 Mar School Photo Backup Day I believe that, as a school community, we should have A joy of, and commitment to learning is already students’ academic success and their well being as a strongly evident around the school. I have been most Mon 7 - Yr12 VET Work P’ments dual focus for our actions everyday. impressed with the staff’s commitment to delivering Fri 11 Mar excellent public education, something that parents, I have started the year with high expectations of our Tue 8 Mar Athletics Carnival carers and the community rightly expect. If you have staff and students in both those areas. I expect any concerns throughout the school year, I encourage Mon 14 Mar Yr 7 Vaccinations students to work hard and work to their potential, you to approach the school, as it is better to sort a Yr 8 Catch ups demonstrate respect to the staff and fellow students problem rather than continue for a period of time and to become the best person that they can possibly Tue 15 Mar Backup Athletics worrying about it. become. Carnival I feel privileged to be Principal of Irrawang High School. Congratulations to all students receiving fine results in Tue 22 Mar Cross Country The staff, students and community have been most the 2015 HSC. The students, their teachers and parents Years 7 & 8 welcoming and supportive and I am excited at the are to be congratulated on the results. Congratulations Yrs 11/12 Busn Studies challenges and opportunities ahead for education to all the class of 2015 for a successful year and we look Ex’sion - Weathertex generally, as we strive to provide the best educational forward to the 2016 cohort results. We are still waiting opportunities for all students at our school. Thur 24 Mar Cross Country on all the data from the Board of Studies and the DEC Years 9 -12 so that we can do a full analysis of the cohort’s I am looking forward to many years of working with the Fri 25 Mar performance. Good Friday Irrawang High community. Irrawang High School is a Positive Behaviour for Mon 28 Mar Easter Monday Learning (PBL) School that values respect and Background Wed 30 Mar Yr 10 Stockton Beach responsibility in creating a caring learning environment Mr Baxter has held a broad range of leadership Excursion and supports students to achieve their personal best. positions across the state in the Western Region, Blue The school offers all students the opportunity to Mountains, Western Sydney and most recently Tomaree Wed 30 - Yr 12 Performance achieve excellence in academic, cultural, sporting and High School. He brings a broad range of educational Thur 31 Mar Exam community endeavours. I am committed to building experiences and knowledge to the school as well as strong community ties as he lives in the Port Stephens Thur 31 Mar Ag - Royal Easter Show greater engagement with the wider school community, including our partner schools of Irrawang PS, area. Mr Baxter is actively involved with a number of Fri 1 - Yr 12 Half Yearly Exams Grahamstown PS, Wirreanda PS and Medowie PS. community and sporting groups in the region. Fri 8 Apr Fri 8 Apr LAST DAY OF TERM 1 Sport 4-5 Welcome Yr 7/New babies 6 P & C Meetings IRRAWANG HIGH SCHOOL on the Ag plot Mount Hall Road P & C meetings are held on the fourth Welcome Mrs Zannoni/ 7 RAYMOND TERRACE NSW 2324 Monday of the month. February’s P: 49874687 F: 49831027 Snack & Study/ Congrats All welcome Josh! meeting has been changed to: Date: Thursday 25 February 2016 Principal: Mr P Baxter Congrats Stacie!/Defence 8 Transition Time: 6:30pm www.irrawang-h.schools.nsw.edu.au Where: MICA Room Students learning Gathang 9 [email protected] language/7kg gramma / This is a chance to meet other parents and learn what is going on Congrats Seth and Teeya! at your child’s school. Become involved in your school community. Inside this issue: PBL Forum/Snack and 10-17 Have your say in your child’s/children’s education. From the Principal’s Desk 1 Study/NDIS/Canteen Menu/ Ads and Sponsors Principal in attendance. New Teachers 2-3 Welcome to our new Support Class Teachers Welcome to our new Support Class teachers By Mrs L Fagan Community Liaison Officer Ms Natalie Moore Head Teacher Ms Natalie Moore (pictured right) comes to our school with a wealth of knowledge, having achieved positions of Head Teacher at various schools and Assistant Principal at a Central Coast SSP school (Schools for Specific Purposes). These students from Pre-school to Year 12 require intensive levels of support. Ms Moore is looking forward to working collaboratively with her new team of highly qualified teachers and support staff who each bring different skill sets, and who collectively will be addressing each individual student's different needs and interests. Ms Suzy Morris Ms Suzy Morris (pictured below) who will be teaching our Senior Support students was previously teaching at Tomaree High School in the Support Unit and looks forward to continuing the programs established by Mr Hannon. The new staff join the team of highly dedicated teachers and support staff who create learning environments where students with a range of learning difficulties can flourish. SAVE THIS DATE: Friday 26 February SCHOOL PHOTOS Envelopes out as soon as possible New Teachers for our School Welcome Mrs Wallace - "I have been made to feel very welcome here by both students and staff, Head Teacher English everyone has been so helpful and I have By Mrs L Fagan loved my time here so far," said Mrs Community Liaison Officer Wallace. "I am highly committed to a range of Literacy programs which will A big warm Irrawang High welcome to see more students engaged with public our new Head Teacher English Mrs speaking, debating and theatre trips to Tracey Wallace. Sydney" she said. Graduating in 1991, Mrs Wallace has As a proud Dhurrag woman, Mrs Wallace taught at a diverse range of rural and will be taking a keen interest in regional high schools; Walgett, Narrabri, Aboriginal studies and education along Woolooware and Deniliquin with her last with the Student Representative Council. posting at West Wallsend High School as Head Teacher English. After 12 years at Mrs Wallace has an open door policy for West Wallsend Mrs Wallace accepted all parents/carers/students and is the position at Irrawang High School and contactable by phone or email. Her firm is feeling enormously positive about the belief is . change. "Every child matters every day." Young teachers start their Ms Ryan (pictured below) a targeted Science teacher Mr Taylor Ross career at our school graduate with degrees in (pictured below) a scholarship Mathematics and Music, gained her graduate who majored at university By Mrs L Fagan Community Liaison Officer Masters in Teaching last year and in Biology with a Minor in Physics was awarded a Maths Scholarship - and Chemistry, believes his students Teachers Ashley Burgess (pictured below) one of only 40 across the state. have responded well to his teaching and Leena Ryan have joined the Maths faculty, bringing with them a great deal of style. Ms Burgess and Head Teacher Maths enthusiasm and a determination to make their classes enjoyable and fun, by using a Ms Bailey, are working with Middle He looks forward to preparing his variety of resources and giving their School students in 7E & 7M in open senior students to become lifelong students more practical activities. space learning. Small groups of learners and teaching them to students rotate within the space, become more independent later in As “New Scheme” teachers their goal is to individualise the learning process and with all taught the same content but the year in readiness for university engage and enrich the students in their in different ways. and/or further education. classes. Sport Sports News Swimming Carnival By Mr W Turner By Miss J Duma Head Teacher PDHPE PDHPE Our competitors only Swimming Carnival (please see highlights on Congratulations to our new captains and vice captains. next page) was held on Tuesday 9 February at Lakeside Leisure and Aquatic Centre. Although we only had a small number of competitors, all competed with much enthusiasm and displayed House Captains and Vice Captains good sportsmanship. Thank you to all who participated in the Bramley: Osborne: Carnival as competitors and those who acted as officials. Overall results are as follows. Captains: Courtney Cotton Captains: Jazmine Hughes Samuel Chaffey Robert Lewis Age Champions Vice Captains: Annabel Bisley Vice Captains: Dylan Hopper Congratulations to the following Age Champions: Riley Blunt Daniel Hilzinger Age Group Female Male Dawson: Moy: 12 Years Mahala Fisher Captains: Chloe Martin Captains: Shannon Reilly Noah Maher Joel Sheals 13 Years Gwen Dunn Timothy Blanch 14 Years Luke Allanson Vice Captains: Kalais Minnis Vice Captains: Amy Weston Bradley Marshall Jacob Zok 15 Years Mitchell Swan 16 Years Brieanna Paul Upcoming Sporting Events 17+ Years Emily Allanson Joshua Howland Athletics Carnival - 8 March - All day at Vi Barnett Oval On Tuesday 8 March, students who catch buses to school will be House Point Score delivered to and picked up from the Vi Barnett Oval.