No images? Click here The last two weeks have been very busy with students now well settled into classes and the calendar of activities for the year ahead is rapidly filling up. It was a pleasure last week to welcome the Principal, teachers and students from our Sister School, SMPN 16 Singkawang Indonesia. After seeing some of the sights of Sydney they arrived at Camden Haven High School last Monday, departing for their return journey by train from Kendall on Friday. We also welcomed guests, Jessica Stevens and Nicole Bratchford, from the Asia Education Foundation to join in the visit. They were able to inform us that Camden Haven High School is one of only two schools in Australia to currently receive grant funding for three years to further cement our partnership, with a Lighthouse Grant, a federal government initiative. We were successful in our application from over 300 schools who applied due to the relationship we have established and the reciprocal visits between schools since the initial grant was received. So the Foundation are keen to support the school and help make this partnership even more successful. During their time at school they were able to participate in lessons across a range of Key Learning Areas and engage in lots of practical activities including driving the school tractor. We welcomed our guests at an assembly on Tuesday, during which they were able to also be present at our ceremony celebrating the achievements of our Dux for 2019, Lucy Falco. They met our Director Educational Leadership, Andrew Kuchling and staff at Port Macquarie Education Office before visiting the Billabong Zoo and the Koala Hospital, enjoying some different cuisines available and taking in other local landmarks and sights. As you are aware we had a return visit planned for later this year and whilst this had received Conditional Approval to go ahead last week, this is no longer the case. Advice was received from the Deputy Secretary, Murat Dizdar, on March 1 2020 which states: Many of our schools have planned overseas travel or excursions to occur during the year. However with the current COVID-19 situation, the safety of our students and staff is paramount and it is for this reason that all overseas excursions are required to be now placed on hold until further notice. Fundraising will continue in the hope that the situation will improve and the planned excursion is able to proceed later this year or early in 2021. The Parents and Citizens who attend our P&C meetings are a very supportive group and funds raised are, and have been regularly, donated to the school to support our students over many years. At the last meeting, a motion was carried unanimously to provide 15 teams across the school with $2000 each to support student learning initiatives within the team. I would like to publicly acknowledge this generosity and thank all members for their ongoing support. The P&C have also indicated that they are willing to support the furniture and requirements for our new STEM room when it is completed. I have signed off on the funding to build the room and work will begin on its construction soon and it will be completed over the next twelve weeks and hopefully ready for use in Term 3. I would also like to advise all parents that our P&C President, Jacqui Hallet, has agreed to call an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday 10 March. This will be so the school can provide details of our new Anti-Bullying Plan and strategies. We were one of twelve schools within the state who were chosen to attend a summit on Anti-Bullying last year. The students and staff who attended have been working with the Student Wellbeing Team to develop our new plan. This needs to be presented to the P&C and hopefully gain their approval. I would like to encourage all parents that are able to attend this meeting to support our students and staff who have been working hard to develop this plan. I would especially encourage parents from students transitioning to high school over the next several years to come along, become members and gain an insight into how the school operates. Our assembly last Tuesday recognised the outstanding achievement of Lucy Falco, who was the Dux of the 2019 Higher School Certificate cohort. The highest award that can be bestowed on a student is the Dux Award for academic excellence and it exemplifies that hard work and diligence are the foundations of a successful school journey. Lucy’s message to the assembly was that any student could one day in the future be receiving the Dux Award, all you have to do is believe in yourself. If not, why not? You just have to make the most of your school years to achieve your personal best. This was a great message to all. Thank you Lucy and thank you to Mr Hetherington for recognising her achievement and the continued support from Higgins and Dix in sponsoring the prize. Thank you Elizabeth Jokantos for attending to present the cheque to Lucy. Lucy will be going to university in 2021 and following a career in teaching. Congratulations on your achievements and we wish you a successful future in all you undertake. The Transition Evening for Years 5 and 6 from our local primary schools will be held this week with students and parents visiting the school to hear and see the exciting opportunities on offer at the school, both in class and as extra-curricular activities. Thank you to Mr Hughes and Ms Westman for their organisation of the evening and all the staff and students who are supporting them with tours, displays and demonstrations. Year 10 Mandatory Geography Excursion was held last Friday and Mr Mearrick has reported that it was successful day with students completing the planned activities at Lake Cathie as scheduled, in glorious weather and a very enjoyable day was had by all involved. When I visited, the students were fully engaged in a range of activities around various spots around the lake. The wind was making cooking lunch a challenge, but they returned looking like they had a full day of productive activities and had been well fed. Mrs M Hutchinson With the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) it is important to protect ourselves and others against infectious diseases. In general hygiene is extremely important and staff and students are advised to be very careful and wash hands thoroughly. Any staff or students suffering from respiratory illness are advised to remain at home until they recover. The NSW Department of Education current advice is:
See our full calendar here. 3 March • Years 5/6 Transition Evening Sister School PartnershipWelcome back SMPN 16 Singkawang!! This week we have been hosting two students and three staff from our Indonesian Bridge Partnership School. On Tuesday we held a special welcome assembly and heard from Jessica Stevens, Coordinator at the Asia Education Foundation. In her speech, Jessica highlighted the significance of our parternship with SMPN 16 Sinkawang and congratulated our efforts by awarding us Lighthouse Status. There are only two Lighthouse Bridge Partnerships in the program that includes over 300 Australian schools. Congratulations Dux Lucy FalcoThe highest award our school can bestow on a student is the Dux award for academic excellence. The recipient for 2019, Lucy Falco, exemplifies that perseverance and diligence are the foundations of a successful school journey. Dancing our way to SydneyCongratulations to our DE Dance student, Amelia Holmes, on her Callback performance! Some of our face-to-face Dance students travelled to Sydney to support Amelia and watch the show. This was an inspiring and valuable experience for the students as they were able to see the incredible student works and listen to their experiences and tips to survive the HSC through a Q&A session. Anti-Bullying SummitLast year four students attended the Anti-Bullying Summit in Sydney. Aboriginal Education CampsAt the end of 2019, students attended a STEM camp and a University camp at Charles Sturt University. Geography Field Trip a SuccessOn Friday 28th February we had wonderful weather for Year 10 Geography classes to undertake their mandatory field work at Lake Cathie. We also used the day to clean up a large area around the lake as part of our Clean Up Australia Day activities. Notices from the local community. Click on an image to see a larger version. |