2017 Coonabarabran High School Annual...

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Coonabarabran High School Annual Report 2017 8347 Printed on: 25 April, 2018 Page 1 of 29 Coonabarabran High School 8347 (2017)

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Coonabarabran High SchoolAnnual Report

2017

8347

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Introduction

The Annual Report for 2017 is provided to the community of Coonabarabran High School  as an account of the school'soperations and achievements throughout the year. 

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Mary Doolan 

Relieving Principal

School contact details

Coonabarabran High SchoolNewell HwyCoonabarabran, 2357www.coonabarab-h.schools.nsw.edu.aucoonabarab-h.School@det.nsw.edu.au6842 1099

Message from the Principal

Coonabarabran High School is a high performing, comprehensive school in a rural setting. Our teachers are committedto providing students with the best possible opportunities inside and outside the classroom. We deliver programs thatinclude experiences beyond our school to deepen the understanding of our students.

In 2017 our HSC students accomplished impressive results which evidences the learning that occurs every lesson, everyday throughout the school. Credit is due to the professionalism of our teachers and the enthusiastic support of ourcommunity. The teaching staff continue to innovate in their teaching and through extra–curricular activities to enrich thelearning of students.

I commend this report to you. I certify that the information provided in it is the result of a rigorous school self–assessmentundertaken with staff, parent and student leaders pursuant to the Schools Excellence Framework. The Annual Reportprovides a balanced and genuine account of the school’s achievements and areas for development.

Message from the school community

Throughout 2017 the P&C have been active in fundraising and have committed these funds to resources that haveimproved educational opportunities at the school. A major contribution from the P&C to the school was made with theacquisition of a Kawai Baby Grand Piano for the school hall; this was done from P&C Fund raising activities as well asthe Buy a Key campaign run by our Music teacher Aimee Rossler. The Show Gate supervision and North WestEquestrian Expo, International Feast and Community partnership with the Regional Australia Bank have been theprimary fundraising events in 2017. In addition to the funds raised, the International Feast is a positive P&C Activitybringing the Coonabarabran community together at the school, “Food is a great way to communicate”. 

As parents, being a member of the P&C is an example to your children and a sense of pride for them as they grow into aresponsible member of the community at large. Parents taking part in assisting with events teaches the students thatthey are supported in their school years.

On behalf of the P&C, I would like to congratulate the school for the achievement of their students throughout the year.The success of students is a source of great pride for our committee and it is always very satisfying to see studentsmaking use of the resources that the P&C have helped to provide.

P&C representatives have also supported the school with recruitment and several parents have taken a role on interviewpanels at the school. Building relationships with the school has been a role that the P&C has engaged in through theYear 7 introductory barbeque and partnerships with fundraising. The P&C always welcomed teachers to attend meetingsand share their knowledge with parents.

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The Coonabarabran community is very fortunate to have students that take on leadership roles. The SRC Inductionassembly in Term 1 celebrated the breadth of leadership talent of our school students. The Annual Awards nightcelebrated the achievements of the year and acknowledged the students who excelled in a wide range of pursuits. As theP&C President, I was honoured to represent our community at these events and throughout the year. 

Merril Sana, P&C President

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School background

School vision statement

Coonabarabran High School is a vibrant educational community which aspires to excellence in a safe and respectfulenvironment. Every student has the opportunity to achieve to their potential through the support of the school communityand quality teaching programs.

School context

Coonabarabran High School is a comprehensive high school in a rural community. The school enjoys a long and proudhistory of excellent student outcomes in the academic, sporting and cultural fields of endeavour. The school providesstudents with diverse educational opportunities; both curricular and extra–curricular. The students are positivelyencouraged and guided to extend themselves in a variety of fields, embracing the school motto ‘Forever Dare’.

Coonabarabran High School is a respected and integral part of the local community. The school receives valuable inputfrom all sectors of the local community; especially from parents, the Aboriginal community, business and service clubs,as well as from local government. Such community support is a major feature of the school and further enhances theschool’s capacity to provide quality education to its students.

Additionally, the school is characterised by its strong focus on quality teaching including the integration of technology intothe classroom. The school’s commitment to the fostering of high expectations and the supportive and positive rapportwhich exists between staff and students at the school underpins the successful and productive nature of the school’slearning environment.

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

The results of this process indicated that our whole school focus on enhancing classroom practice hasdelivered improvement including the stronger use of data to inform teaching and by focusing on explicit instruction.

In line with our Strategic Directions 2018–2020 , areas for future focus include: assessment, student wellbeing and crafting systematic processes to encourage stronger collaborative practice to build teacher capacity.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine our school plan, leading to further improvements in thedelivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching–and–learning/school–excellence–and–accountability/sef–evidence–guide 

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Strategic Direction 1

Student Achievement

Purpose

Student achievement is integral to ensuring that students experience success as learners and are supported intransitioning to productive post–school lives, equipped with the necessary skills as 21st Century learners.  

Overall summary of progress

Strong growth was evidenced in Reading/Comprehension and Numeracy across both Years 7 and 9 NAPLAN results,drawing upon the successful, whole school, implementation of the Secondary Learning Strategies. Students achievedabove Similar School Groups in these aspects of NAPLAN.  Grammar, Spelling and Writing remain areas of focus asdoes student  attendance.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

In 2017, an increase in thenumber of Year 9 students,including Aboriginal students,progressing to the top 2 bands inLiteracy and Numeracy as per thePremier's Priorities.

In 2017, Year 9 students whocompleted the MULTILIT programin 2015 and 2014 will have 10%greater growth than StateGrowth, in the READINGcomponent of NAPLAN.

In 2017, Year 9 students whocompleted the QuicksmartNumeracy  program in 2015 and2014 will have 10% greatergrowth than State Growth, in theNUMERACY component ofNAPLAN.

In 2017, student attendance willincrease from 89.2% in 2016 to90%

Seasons for Growthprogram funding – Equity$800

Employment of SLSOs tosupport attendance –Equityfunds $61,334

SLSOs facilitated MultiLitand QuickSMART, literacyand numeracy programswhich targeted identifiedstudents to improve in theirreading comprehension andnumeracy skills. Theseprograms continue to beessential in our strategies tolift student performance forstudents who fall belowliteracy and numeracylevels. 

Student attendance was 88.36% in 2017. This wasbelow 2016 but in line with average attendancescores. Aboriginal attendance was 77.7% in 2017and was below SSG by 0.56% Again, this score issimilar to average attendance for Aboriginalstudents. 

Whole School PL – Evaluation and Planning for2018. Student performance for focus group ofstudents in Years 7 and 8 has been assessed andplans in place to lift in 2018.

Year 9 students who completed MULTILIT in2015/6 achieved an Average Scaled Score Growthin the Reading component of NAPLAN in 2017 of38.7 compared with 38.6 State growth and 37.1NSW DoE growth.

Year 9 students who completed the QuicksmartNumeracy Program 2015/6 achieved an AverageScaled Score Growth in the Numeracy componentof NAPLAN in 2017 of 51.3 compared with 52.4State growth and 50.7. NSW DoE growth. 

Year 9 Aboriginal students who completed theQuicksmart Numeracy Program implemented by anAboriginal tutor 2015/6, achieved an AverageScaled Score Growth in the Numeracy componentof NAPLAN in 2017 of 38.1 compared with 52.4State growth and 50.7 NSW DoE growth .

Next Steps

Through cross KLA fortnightly PL groups, staff will implement a whole school writing focus in Semester 1 2018, premisedupon systemically and responsively using the teaching and learning cycle to explicitly teach the skills of good writing.Numeracy will be a whole school focus in Semester 2.

Additionally , embedding evidence based practice – drawn from the document  What Works Best : Evidence basedpractices help improve NSW student performance will be the other, overarching focus of cross KLA PL groups to targetachievement , engagement and hence attendance.

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Strategic Direction 2

A Culture of Learning

Purpose

A commitment to a culture of learning is central to all decisions made within the school environment. Such commitmentensures that all practices are focused upon enriching learning opportunities for students, thereby building positiveeducational outcomes.

Overall summary of progress

The Secondary Learning Strategy ( 2LS ) has been successfully implemented across the whole school . All staff arefamiliar with 2LS strategies and have used them in their teaching practice to effectively break down the 'silos' thatsometimes exist in high school settings and which work against student acheivemnt.  NAPLAN results inReading/Comprehension and  Numeracy evidenced the success of 2LS strategies  as did both staff surveys and studentwork samples. Numerous, equity funded projects were delivered and evaluated by both staff and students as havingenriched the culture of learning at our school.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

• Comparative analysis ofindividual student NAPLAN datafrom Years 7 to 9 evidencesimproved outcomes. • Students will be able to identifythe learning skills that they havelearned through the program. • All teachers will be familiar with2LS strategies and able todemonstrate the planning anduse of a strategy in their facultyarea. • Teacher led Equity projects areimplemented to enrich studentlearning and access tocurriculum. They addresssocio–economic disadvantage.

equity Socio–economicfunds of $147000 wasallocated for Equityprograms 

All teachers were given the opportunity to completesurveys at the end of Terms 1, 2 and 4 regardingthe implementation of 2LS.  Staff feedback wasvery positive both in terms of the collegiallysupportive  nature of the cross KLA PL groups aswell as noting the benefits that flowed from learningnew skills and strategies to employ in the classroomto make learning visible. 

Equity programs support extra–curricular andsubject activities external to the classroom. Theseprograms were proposed by classroom teachersand head teachers and supported by the budgetcommittee. Program organisers were responsiblefor coordinating and evaluating programs, whichincluded Ag Skills Day, Year 7 Study Camp, HSCstudy seminars and a variety of cultural enrichmentprograms. These Equity programs provideadditional learning opportunities to students andoften require significant travel as the events occur adistance from Coonabarabran. 

Next Steps

Familiarise  teaching staff with the  teaching practices identified within the document  What Works Best : Evidence basedpractices help improve NSW student performance, as a means to support growing effective classroom practice. 

Analysis of staff and student Wellbeing survey responses together with the Wellbeing Framework to inform direction ofprograms to enhance students' sense of belonging and connectedness to the school community.

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Strategic Direction 3

Teacher Capacity

Purpose

Teacher capacity is central to student achievement. Accordingly, a commitment to building teacher capacity will driveimprovement in student learning outcomes and strengthen the culture of learning within the school environment. 

Overall summary of progress

Whilst no staff gained higher accreditation from AITSL at the level of Highly Accomplished or Lead, a number of staffwere provided with the opportunity to relieve in higher positions and hence strengthen their leadership capacity.Additionally, the diverse array of enrichment opportunities offered by the school pursuant to equity funding presentedstaff with leadership experience though their steering of programs such as the annual writers’ festival (Feast of Words) ,Ag Skills Day and Feast of Pi (Mathematics Faculty).

The Performance Development Framework is now embedded in the school's culture as a useful mechanism to plancareer goals and relevant professional learning. The School Excellence Framework guided the school's planning for2018–2020.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

Increased numbers of teachersgaining accreditation from AITSLat the levels of HighlyAccomplished and Lead.

All teachers engage in theProfessional DevelopmentFramework and effectively setgoals and reflect upon progresstowards them.

All teachers know the SchoolExcellence Framework (SEF) anduse it to collaboratively evaluatethe school as part of thewhole–school planning process. 

Professional Developmentallocation of $69,499 wasused to support training ofstaff in subject–specific andwhole–school activities. Allteachers in 2017 took partin 2LS training which hasstrengthened theirknowledge of supportingstudents in writing through asystematic, whole–schoolapproach. This, in turn, hasdeveloped the school'sresources in teachersupport for embeddingwriting skills in classroomactivities. These resourcescontinue to be built upon in2018, as the 2LS programcontinues throughout theschool. 

Interviews between staff and HTs reflect ongoingprofessional dialogue and achievement of teachers'goals. Completed Professional Development Plansshow evaluation and success of staff goals. 2018NESA accreditation processes also informed futureplanning goals.Staff PL in 2LS, as well as individualand faculty PL, including Learning Progressions forMathematics and VALID for Science. Our beginningteachers are working with mentors and receivingprofessional learning through classroomobservations of senior classes and cross–facultyteam teaching. HTs are working with faculty staffthrough PLPs to monitor and assist learning goalsfor teachers. Peer classroom observations havetaken place during Term 1 and 3.

Next Steps

Teacher capacity will be supported through whole school PL centred upon Teacher Wellbeing, to equip staff to take aproactive approach to their wellbeing and to proactively support the wellbeing of their colleagues.

Continue to support teachers in gaining accreditation at higher levels by facilitating access to professional learning andopportunities to undertake leadership roles in the school 

Provide further opportunities for staff to undertake leadership roles through equity programs

Continue to utilise the Performance and Development Framework to underpin the building of teacher capacity

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Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Aboriginal background loading SLSO (Ab Ed) employed toassist Aboriginal students inimproving literacy andnumeracy skills. ($14,964flexible funding)

Aboriginal Education Officer (AEO)entitlement allowed Aboriginal students to besupported through welfare and academicprograms. The AEO actively used the Phonentervention Program (PIP) to monitor andsupport student attendance. Aboriginalattendance for 2017 was 77.7%, a –0.56%difference compared to (SSSG) statisticallysimilar school groups (2017 SCOUT data).Year 9 NAPLAN data reflected 6.3% ofAboriginal students in the top 2 bands forSpelling and Numeracy. Year 9 Aboriginalstudents who completed the QuicksmartNumeracy Program implemented by anAboriginal tutor 2015/6, achieved an AverageScaled Score Growth in the Numeracycomponent of NAPLAN in 2017 of 38.1compared with 52.4 State growth and 50.7NSW DoE growth

Low level adjustment for disability Outcomes 2017 Studentperformance of students inMiddle Bands andIndigenous students Yr 72015 improved for Yr 92017 as per Premier’sPriority Students in lowerbands exceed StateAverage growth in Literacyand Numeracy

Analysis of NAPLAN results highlightsignificant growth for students engaged inQuicksmart and Multilit programs.Teachersreport on effectiveness of adjustments inprograms to improve student outcomes.Theeffectiveness of the MULTILIT program isdemonstrated by the following data: Year 9students who completed MULTILIT in 2015/6achieved an Average Scaled Score Growth inthe Reading component of NAPLAN in 2017of 60.2 compared with 33.2 State growth and32.1 NSW DoE growth and 34.3 SchoolGrowth.

Socio–economic background In addition to Equity funds,a great deal of humanresources are garneredthrough communityparticipation and support.

All students have participated in programsthat are directly related to Equity Projects.Staff responsible for Equity Projectscoordinated evaluations that included asurvey of students and a assessment reportaligned to the School Excellence Framework.The School Executive manages the review ofprograms and budget for the following year.

Support for beginning teachers Beginning Teacher Funds$24,238

Three Beginning Teachers successfullyengaged in the accreditation process in 2017.They collaborated with school leaders todesign an effective plan for their professionaldevelopment. They were supported bymentors and drew upon the expertise of otherteachers to develop their professionalpractice.

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Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2014 2015 2016 2017

Boys 191 190 200 208

Girls 168 177 171 180

Student enrolments have increased slightly during thepast four years but is smaller than a decade ago. Thiscan be attributed to smaller year cohorts whichprogress through the school, with some year groupshave a minimum of 60 students. Some students fromsmall neighbouring towns enrol at Coonabarabran Highin Year 11, increasing the number of senior students inthe school, but this has plateaued in the last few years. 

Student attendance profile

School

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

7 92.1 92.2 92.5 91

8 89.1 91.7 89.9 88.8

9 89.5 87.8 90.3 89

10 85.9 84.4 88.3 88.7

11 87.1 85.9 86.6 88.7

12 88.3 88.9 87.3 88.4

All Years 88.7 88.4 89.2 89.2

State DoE

Year 2014 2015 2016 2017

7 93.3 92.7 92.8 92.7

8 91.1 90.6 90.5 90.5

9 89.7 89.3 89.1 89.1

10 88.1 87.7 87.6 87.3

11 88.8 88.2 88.2 88.2

12 90.3 89.9 90.1 90.1

All Years 90.2 89.7 89.7 89.6

Management of non-attendance

An Attendance Team supports student attendance withstrategic interventions for students whose attendancecauses concern. The team collaborates with theLearning Support Team, Year Advisers and all teachingstaff to encourage regular attendance. Where additionalsupport is required to improve attendance parents andcarers are engaged to develop a PersonalisedAttendance Plan with students. This formalises the

school's contact with parents, clarifies the concern, andcollaboratively develops strategies to improveattendance. The plan has measurable outcomes forimprovement and includes follow–up.

Where required referrals are made to the Home SchoolLiaison Program for further intervention with the supportof the Department of Education.

To ensure optimum engagement and attendance fromstudents the school: • Continued to offer a broad curriculum include

electives and high interest courses to studentsfrom Year 9 to 12.  In addition to an expansiveschool curriculum, VET and TAFE courses havebeen incorporated into the school subject offering.

• Provided social and learning support to allstudents, particularly those made vulnerable byillness or domestic circumstances.

• Provided mentoring and tutorial support to allstudents particularly the senior students as theencounter the demands of the H.S.C.

• Developed Personalised Learning Plans forstudents to introduce strategies to improveaccess to mainstream courses and makeadjustments to improve student learning.

Post-school destinations

Proportion ofstudents movinginto post-schooleducation, trainingor employment

Year10%

Year11%

Year12%

SeekingEmployment

1 3 1

Employment 2 1 25

TAFE entry 1 1 21

University Entry 0 0 46

Other 0 0 2

Unknown 0 0 5

Students are supported by the school to transition fromschool to work or study. Approximately 46% of studentsreceived an offer to study at University. All studentswho applied for a place at university received an offer.Of these approximately 74% took up the offer whilstothers have chosen to seek employment first to maketertiary study economically viable.

2 Aboriginal students successfully completed their HSCin 2017. Of these students, 2 were offered a place atUniversity, 1 has accepted their offer and 1 hasdeferred until 2019.  

Year 12 students undertaking vocational or tradetraining

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52% of Year 12 students were enrolled in trade orVocational Education courses with a number enrolled inmore than one course. The following courses werestudied by Year 12 students:

TVET

Cert 3 Human Services – Health Care Assistant

Cert 1 Automotive – Vehicle Maintenance

VET

Cert 2 Rural Operations

Cert 1 Metal and Engineering

Cert 2 Sports Coaching

Distance Education

Cert 2 Information Technology

Year 12 students attaining HSC or equivalentvocational education qualification

Fifty–two students attained their HSC in 2017. Thisincluded 2 Indigenous students. The academicperformance of the cohort was impressive with 46%offered University Entry and 21% entering other tertiaryeducation programs including TAFE and the DefenceForce. 25% of the cohort entered employment directlyfrom school.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 1

Assistant Principal(s) 0

Head Teacher(s) 6

Classroom Teacher(s) 27.5

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0

Learning & Support Teacher(s) 1.2

Teacher Librarian 1

Teacher of ESL 0

School Counsellor 1

School Administration & SupportStaff

10.98

Other Positions 1

*Full Time Equivalent

Coonabarabran High School has an Indigenous teacherin the HSIE faculty, and an Aboriginal Education Officer(AEO). An Aboriginal Education Student LearningSupport Officer is employed to support Indigenousstudents.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools. 

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 0

Financial information (for schoolsusing both OASIS and SAP/SALM)

Financial information

The three financial summary tables cover 13 months(from 1 December 2016 to 31 December 2017). 

The financial summary consists of school incomebroken down by funding source and is derived from theschool Annual Financial Statement. 

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Receipts $

Balance brought forward 555,604

Global funds 545,779

Tied funds 470,297

School & community sources 108,359

Interest 10,255

Trust receipts 151,596

Canteen 0

Total Receipts 1,286,286

Payments

Teaching & learning

Key Learning Areas 72,843

Excursions 43,988

Extracurricular dissections 23,254

Library 9,589

Training & Development 3,295

Tied Funds Payments 361,076

Short Term Relief 71,614

Administration & Office 175,105

Canteen Payments 0

Utilities 71,795

Maintenance 24,236

Trust Payments 73,082

Capital Programs 0

Total Payments 929,876

Balance carried forward 912,014

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding. 

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2017 to 31December 2017. 

2017 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 0

Revenue 987,907

Appropriation 912,014

Sale of Goods and Services 4,679

Grants and Contributions 60,081

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 11,133

Investment Income 0

Expenses -210,065

Recurrent Expenses -210,065

Employee Related -109,027

Operating Expenses -101,038

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

777,842

Balance Carried Forward 777,842

The Opening balance for the 2017 school financial yearis displayed in the OASIS table as Balance broughtforward. The financial summary table for the yearended 31 December 2017 shows the Opening balanceas $0.00 because the Opening balance for the 2017school financial year is reported in the OASIS table (asBalance brought forward). 

The amount displayed in the Appropriation category ofthe financial summary table is drawn from the Balancecarried forward shown in the OASIS table and includesany financial transactions in SAP the school hasundertaken since migration from OASIS to SAP/SALM.For this reason the amount shown for Appropriation willnot equal the OASIS Balance carried forward amount. 

The school's finance committee meets regularlythroughout the year to monitor financial expenditureacross the school. The school's budget sub–committeeplans the strategic allocation of school resources in linewith school plan directions and allocated fundsreflected in the Schools Based Allocation Resource(SBAR). 

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above. 

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2017 Actual ($)

Base Total 4,616,364

Base Per Capita 58,771

Base Location 107,960

Other Base 4,449,633

Equity Total 407,964

Equity Aboriginal 101,627

Equity Socio economic 146,939

Equity Language 0

Equity Disability 159,398

Targeted Total 726,748

Other Total 143,246

Grand Total 5,894,321

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding. 

A full copy of the school’s financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

School performance

NAPLAN

In the National Assessment Program, the results acrossthe Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy andnumeracy assessments are reported on a scale fromBand 1 to Band 10. The achievement scalerepresents increasing levels of skillsand understandings demonstrated in theseassessments.

• The Year 7 cohort was above the like schools'group (LSG) average growth in the followingareas: Reading– 5.1%, Writing –.5%, Spelling–3.8%. They fell below state average growth inGrammar and Punctuation 3%. 

• The Year 7 cohort exceeded state growthcompared to all NSW DEC schools from Year 5 toYear 7 in; Spelling –4.4%, Reading –8%.

• In the Year 7 cohort, 12.3% achieved the top 2bands in Grammar, 25%, in Reading, 26% inSpelling, and 8% in Writing. 

• The Year 9 cohort was above LSG in Reading by4.3%, Spelling 2.1%.

• As a year group 2.8% achieved the top two bandsin Grammar, 17%, in Reading, 18% in Spellingand 4.2% in Writing. 

Band 4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage of students 8.1 17.6 29.7 33.8 5.4 5.4

School avg 2015-2017 10.4 18.7 31.3 22.9 10.5 6.2

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Band 4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage of students 8.2 16.4 31.5 27.4 8.2 8.2

School avg 2015-2017 6.7 23.2 26.0 25.2 13.3 5.5

Band 4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage of students 9.5 12.2 28.4 29.7 13.5 6.8

School avg 2015-2017 11.4 12.9 28.7 26.5 15.0 5.6

Band 4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage of students 13.5 28.4 39.2 12.2 5.4 1.4

School avg 2015-2017 12.2 30.9 31.8 18.6 5.6 1.0

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Band 5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage of students 23.6 25.0 19.4 29.2 2.8 0.0

School avg 2015-2017 20.3 23.8 21.9 22.4 7.2 4.4

Band 5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage of students 10.0 17.1 31.4 27.1 11.4 2.9

School avg 2015-2017 9.4 22.7 32.9 19.4 12.2 3.4

Band 5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage of students 13.9 27.8 27.8 12.5 15.3 2.8

School avg 2015-2017 15.6 21.7 22.7 23.1 12.6 4.3

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Band 5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage of students 29.6 25.4 26.8 14.1 2.8 1.4

School avg 2015-2017 27.9 24.9 28.9 14.6 3.4 0.5

The Year 7 cohort was above the like schools' group(LSG) average growth in the following area:  Numeracy–14.2%.In the Year 7 cohort, 12.3% achieved the top 2 bands inNumeracy, 17.9%.The Year 9 cohort was above LSG inNumeracy by 4.9%.As a year group 2.8% achieved thetop two bands in Numeracy 14%. 

Band 4 5 6 7 8 9

Percentage of students 4.2 16.9 31.0 26.8 14.1 7.0

School avg 2015-2017 4.8 19.5 31.3 27.9 11.4 5.1

Band 5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentage of students 1.4 27.1 31.4 22.9 12.9 4.3

School avg 2015-2017 2.4 28.1 30.1 21.5 11.2 6.7

The My School website provides detailedinformation and data for national literacy and numeracytesting. Go to http://www.myschool.edu.au to accessthe school data.

Year 7 Indigenous students experienced growth inReading 38%, Spelling 6.4%, Grammar andPunctuation 26.2% and Numeracy 22.4%. They werebelow state average by 6.9% in Writing. 

Year 7 Indigenous students had 5.9% achieve top twobands in Grammar, 17% in Numeracy, 14% in Reading,18% in Spelling and 4.2% in Writing. 

Year 9 Indigenous students exceed state growthexpectations by 4.6% in Reading and 1.1% inNumeracy. As a cohort 6.3% were in the top 25% forNumeracy and 6.5% for Reading. 

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Higher School Certificate (HSC)

The performance of students in the HSC is reported inbands ranging from Band 1 (lowest) to Band 6(highest).

Subject School2017 SSSG State

SchoolAverage

2013-2017

Ancient History 73.5 60.7 68.1 66.2

English(Standard)

67.0 63.1 65.6 65.6

Geography 67.4 62.3 70.7 70.9

IndustrialTechnology

59.6 58.3 64.8 59.6

MathematicsGeneral 2

60.0 59.4 63.6 64.6

PersonalDevelopmentHealth andPhysicalEducation

65.6 63.1 67.7 74.5

Society andCulture

73.2 69.0 76.4 73.2

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Several surveys were conducted throughout 2017 tocollect the opinions of our school community.

Year 12 Exit Survey

At the end of 2017, just prior to STUVAC, Year 12

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students were asked to fill out the Year 12 Exit Survey.This survey is used to determine the specific teachingstrategies which best support the learning outcomes ofour senior students. In addition, this information willassist our teachers to cater to future students'educational needs and preferences when deliveringcourse content. Questions covered the followingaspects of teaching and learning: • Most effective teaching strategies • Least effective teaching strategies • Preparation for the Trial HSC • Most effective revision strategies • Teacher feedback • Engagement in classroom learning • Qualities of effective teachers

The survey revealed that the Year 12 cohort felt wellsupported in navigating the challenges of their HSCyear of study. Students were very positive in theirappreciation of the mentor program which runs,teaming students with a particular member of staff whois an additional source of encouragement and advicethroughout the year.

The value of constructive and detailed feedback wasalso highlighted by students in their responses. Theycould clearly see the enhanced learning that occurswhen they are given teacher feedback which outlines‘where to from here’ in terms of improving theiroutcomes. Likewise, students appreciated the value ofdeveloping positive learning partnerships with theirteachers.  The  need to balance school and out ofschool commitments such as employment was alsocommented upon as was the various strategies whichstudents employed to combat the stress of their finalyear of study. 

Many students noted the benefit of regular physicalactivity as essential to supporting their wellbeing as wellas keeping perspective on the year; that is that theHSC, whilst important, is certainlynot the soledeterminant of their future success.

Notwithstanding the obvious benefit of technology,many students rated very highly what could perhaps beregarded as ‘old fashioned’ teaching strategies, ‘chalkand talk’ sessions, particularly for revision, whichreinforced student learning.  The additional time out ofschool that staff gave to support their HSC classes wasalso highly valued.

Tell Them From Me Student Survey

Most of the students in Years 7 to 11 completed theTell Them From Me survey in Term 3. This providedvaluable feedback regarding students' attitudes tolearning and levels of engagement. This supported theschool self evaluation and planning process,particularly in relation to the strategic direction ofCulture of Learning.

Student responses tended to follow state and nationalnorms. The high levels of student engagement in Year7 decreased gradually through Year 8 and dipped inYear 9 before increasing in Year 10 and the seniorschool. 

Most students responded positively about therelationships that they form with teachers and otherstudents at school, their pride in the school and theirbelief that they have a people who will advocate ontheir behalf within the school.  These positiverelationships promote improved student learningoutcomes and wellbeing.

Secondary Learning Strategy ( 2LS )  TeacherSurvey

All teachers were given the opportunity to completesurveys at the end of Terms 1, 2 and 4 regarding theimplementation of 2LS.  Staff feedback was verypositive both in terms of the collegially supportive nature of the cross KLA PL groups as well as noting thebenefits that flowed from learning new skills andstrategies to employ in the classroom to make learningvisible.  Survey responses will guide the future directionof cross KLA PL groups which will continue in 2018. Inparticular, staff have requested access to thepedagogical readings and research which hasunderpinned the school's focus on explicit instructionand this will be provided to support staff professionalgrowth in 2018

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

"These commitments affirm the inherent right ofAboriginal students to fair equitable culturally inclusiveand significant educational opportunities so that allstudents obtain a high quality education as a platformfor enriching their life chances and achieving their fullpotential."

(Department of Education Policy Statement)

Our school is committed to improving the educationaloutcomes and wellbeing of Aboriginal students so thatthey excel and achieve in every aspect of theireducation. It is our goal that Aboriginal students willmatch or better the outcomes of the braoder population.

Our school is committed to increasing knowledge andunderstanding of the histories, cultures andexperiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders asthe First People of Australia. We will provide Aboriginalcultural education for all staff and students and ensure

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the strengths, diversity, ownership and richness ofAboriginal cultures and Custodianship of Country arerespected, valued and promoted. 

Our school is committed to collaborative decisionmaking with Aboriginal peoples, parents, caregivers,families and their communities. We will identify andengage our Aboriginal community as partners inAboriginal Education. 

Alison Stanton performs a critical role as AboriginalEducation Officer. She supports students and liaiseswith the community to ensure that students receive thegreatest opportunities for success at school.

2017 has been an enriching year for AboriginalEducation at Coonabarabran High School. OurIndigenous students have been given opportunities tocelebrate their culture and contribute to our schoolcommunity. Some of the highlights include: • Term 1 has seen selection of our Junior AECG

with students from Years 8–11. Our four IYLPScholarship holders were recognised at a formalassembly.

• Term 2 started with our staff holding adevelopment day at Burra Bee Dee with four ofour local elders Aunty Madge Nixon, AuntyMaureen Sulter, Aunty Margaret Robinson andUncle Casey Dowd. 

• At the National Sorry Day Ceremony, Jada Kurasand Jackson Sulter were Master of Ceremoniesfor this event. Our girls Dance troupe alsoperformed. 

• An excursion to Sandstone Caves occurred with18 students along with Mr Mel Johnston, Mrs GailKenny and Mrs Alison Stanton. 

• Sista Speak Program in conjunction withCoonabarabran Public School Year 6 studentsand Year 7 girls along with Mrs Christina Marsh(Teacher), Miss Laurel Kuras (AEO) and MrsAlison Stanton (AEO) was held once a week atthe high school. 

• Term 3 – Excursion to Pilliga Discovery Centrewith 10 students and then onto the Sculptures inthe Scrub with Mr Johnston and Mrs Stanton.

• School showcase – Our girls' Dance Troupe andDidgeridoo players opened the show with theirperformances.

• Year 9 students were involved in NAIDOCcelebration at Coonabarabran Public School.Students held dance and language workshopswith K–6 students.

• Four Indigenous students have completed Year12 and their HSC this year

• Wallace Walker and Lachlan Sutherland raisedthe flag at Community NAIDOC and Lachlanperformed the smoking ceremony.

• The Official Opening of our Gathering Place wasattended by His Excellency the Governor Generalof NSW, General David Hurley and Mrs Hurley. Itwas officially opened by Elder Myra Cain alongwith Roman Kershaw, Abbey Edmondstone andEbony Whalan who cut the official ribbon. Thankyou to all who attended our opening.

•  Term 4 – The International Feast was supportedby Mr Marty Gordon and Peter Thompson. Thank

you Marty and Peter. • Students were involved in a visit to Western

Sydney University for a week. During the weekstudents were involved in various workshopsincluding Nursing, Engineering, Law and Policing.Thank you to Mr Ashby and Mrs Stanton fortaking students to WSU visit.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

"The Community Relations Commission and Principlesof Multiculturalism Act (2000) recognises and valuesthe different linguistic, religious and ethnic backgroundsof the people of NSW. It also promotes the equal rightsand responsibilities of all the people of the state withina cohesive and harmonious multicultural society inwhich diversity is regarded as a strength and an asset,individual's share a commitment to Australia andEnglish is the common language."

Cultural Diversity & Community Relations Policy:Multicultural Education in Schools – 5/12/05 

The school implemented planned curriculum andteaching programs that: • Promoted practices which counter racism and

intolerance and develop an understanding ofcultural, linguistic and religious differences.

• Provided teaching and learning programs thatenable students from all cultures andcommunities to identify as Australians within ademocratic, multicultural society and to developthe knowledge, skills and values for participationas active citizens.

• Ensured inclusive teaching practices, whichrecognise and value the backgrounds andcultures of all students and promote an open andtolerant attitude towards different cultures,religions and worldviews.

Other school programs

ENGLISH

2017 has been a frenetic and industrious year for theEnglish Faculty and our students. • In the 2016 HSC, it was pleasing to see the

Advanced English class achieve marks 3.91%above state average.

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• In 2018, we will put into place the revised Year 11English curriculum (with the new HSC curriculumfollowing in 2019). Much programming andplanning is already underway to meet thesechallenges. 

• A small number of students from Years 7 to 12participated in the 2017 English InternationalCompetition and Assessment for Schools.Our results are as follows:       

 Amy Maher    Year 7    Credit        AlisheaRankin    Year 7    Credit        Lachlan Eshman    Year8    Credit        Ellenah Wall    Year 8    Credit • Our students continued to showcase their

outstanding writing ability in a number ofcompetitions:   

 The Norman McVicker Youth Literacy Award (forwriters under 22), Mudgee        Daisy Andrews    Year12    2 Highly Commended        MaddisonHincks    Year 12    Highly Commended        BrittanyDoolan    Year 10    First prize in Poetry section;                Commended in the Prose section  

  Grenfell Henry Lawson Writing Competition      

  Brittany Doolan    Year 10    Commended  

  Whitlam What Matters? Writing Competition,Sydney     

   Brittany Doolan    Year 10    Top 30 Finalist (Years9/10)   

 Lambing Flat Writing Awards (Secondary StudentsSection)    

    Brittany Doolan     Year 10    First prize in PoetrySection • In the Shakespeare Festival, the standard of

performance once again impressed the judges.The awards were as follows:  

  Year 9 Best Scene  

      Annabelle Shannon, Breanna Menz, Arabella Smithand Jemma Tilborghs  

  Year 9 and 10 Highly Commended Scene   

     Jacob Bandman, Hannah Bennell, Luke Bonello andLachlan Meier  

  Year 9 Best Actor       

 Harry Williams   

 Year 9 Runner Up     

   Hannah Meier  

  Year 10 Best Scene and Reserve Champion Scenefor the day   

     Rory Allerton, Liam Russell, Angus Lambert, BaileyReedman and Bailey Milford   

 Year 10 Best Actor        

Brittany Doolan    

Year 10 Runner Up   

     Rhiannon Robinson   

 Year 11 Best Scene and Champion Scene for theday  

      Ian Whittall, Tristan Thomas and Konna Newton   

 Year 11 Highly Commended Scene     

   Ellen Nilsson, Jessie Dumble and Nicholas Bowden   

 Year 11 Encouragement Award Scene    

    Bryson Jones, Joseph Samuel, Samuel Hendersonand Ashleigh Smith  

  Year 11 Best Actor      

  Jessie Dumble   

 Year 11 Runner Up     

   Ian Whittall    

Overall Champion Duologue     

   Rhiannon Robinson and Brittany Doolan 

   Reserve Champion Duologue       

 Hannah Meier and Cobey Smith   

 Shakespearean of the Year     

   Brittany Doolan • This year three debating teams competed in the

North West Premier's DebatingCompetition.    Year 7/8 DebatingTeam    Coached by Mr Rollo, this year studentsin Years 7 and 8 came together to form one ofCoonabarabran High’s debating teams in theNSW Premier's Junior Debating Competition. Thetopics for both debates were topical and sparkedheated debate in both rounds: In the first,students debated on whether social media shouldbe banned for persons under the age of 18, andin the second on whether or not members of thescientific community should have reserved seatsin Parliament. In both rounds of the competition,Coonabarabran took the negative. The juniordebaters countered their opponent’s argumentswell, but in the end victory escapedCoonabarabran for this year. The students whomade up the 2017 Junior debating team reportedthat they thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity, andit proved a valuable learning experience to carrythe Coonabarabran teams forward into nextyear.    Students who made up the JuniorDebating team for 2017 included Alishea Rankin,Melinda Ryan, Jacob Bonello, Amelia Toynton,Jordan Dicks, Amy Maher, Molly Shannon and

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Lachlan Eshman.    Year 9/10 Debating TeamOurYear 9/10 debating team, consisting of AnnabelleShannon, Harry Williams, Hannah Meier andEmily Wallace, was coached by Mrs Birrell thisyear. Our first debate was held at home againstCoonamble High School. Coonamble arrived andwe had a quick morning tea before choosing ourtopics. The topic for this debate was ‘That weshould ban Naplan testing’ and was adjudicatedby Mr David Macintosh. We were missing one ofour team members, but luckily we had anexcellent reserve in Cobey Smith. Both teamspresented good arguments but we were thestronger on the day coming away with our firstwin. Sadly, the second round was forfeited byParkes High School due to illness and we movedon to the final round.The third round was heldagainst Trangie High School via video conferenceand our adjudicator for this debate was HeatherEdgell. The topic for the debate was ‘That weshould no longer have the states in Australia’.Coonabarabran argued well and once again comethrough with a win. Due to the timing of thisdebate, we found ourselves organising toparticipate in the regional finals two days later.Sadly, Emily could not be with us for this debateand so we called on Cobey once again. Wehopped in the car at 8am and headed off toMolong Central School for the final debate. Therewere five teams debating so it was going to be along day. Molong was the team we were todebate and we tossed for the topic, which was,’That we should provide safety testing for drugs atmusic events’ before entering lock down. Thedebate was well argued and Coonabarabran werewell prepared but they were not as lucky this time,narrowly losing to Molong. We had a team ofadjudicators that consisted of Tony Davey,Andrew Lasaistis and Meredith Healey. Thefeedback was excellent and the students learneda lot. We hopped back into the car and we startedthe three hour drive home. The students were inhigh spirits and were very pleased withthemselves.Mrs Birrell has been working withsome of these students for the last three yearsand has seen a considerable improvement in theirdebating skills. The next day Mrs Birrell receivedan email to say that Cobey Smith had beenselected for the JSDC Western Region Team andwould be competing in the Championships at theend of November.         Year 11/12 DebatingTeam    The Senior Debating Team for 2017consisted of Year 11 students Ian Whittall, JarrodLambert, Annabelle Park, Charles Knight andJessie Dumble. For the first debate we travelledto Coolah Central, where we came up against astrong team and an extremely challenging andcontroversial topic: “Parents should be fined whentheir children do not attend school”. It was a closedebate, and Coonabarabran put up some uniquearguments, however they sadly fell short on theday, but were proud of their efforts. Our seconddebate was held at Coonabarabran High, wherethe team were wonderful hosts to Dubbo SeniorCampus and received much appreciation for theirhosting skills. In the second debate the team once

again faced a difficult topic: “That we should allowemployees to give up workplace rights inexchange for higher wages”, which sadly, resultedin a narrow victory to Dubbo Senior Campus. TheSenior Debating Team represented the school tothe highest degree and should be congratulatedfor their efforts. The Year 11/12 Debating Teamwere coached by Ms Johnston this year.

• Year 12 English students attended HSC revisionlectures in Dubbo accompanied by Ms Johnstonand Mr Guihot.

• In July, the school once again hosted the Feast ofWords. Well–known writers who attended wereJC Burke, Kim Hodges and Sue Whiting.    Students were given insight into the writingprocess and the creation of complex characters.A very successful and enjoyable communitydinner was held at "Feathers". Many studentsalso entered the 50 Word Competition: BethanyFreeman won the student prize and Mr Johnstonwon the staff prize

• .HSC Standard English students travelled toOrange to view a performance of their prescribedtext, "The Shoe–Horn Sonata". Equity Fundingsupported this excursion.

• All Year 8 students travelled to Dubbo RegionalTheatre to see a Bell Shakespeare performanceof ‘The Merchant of Venice’.

• The Advanced English class were guests ofSydney University English Faculty as part of theirOutreach Program. Students attended creativewriting lectures, undertook a campus tour andacquired enough information to encourage themto consider Sydney University for their tertiarystudies. They also had a guided tour of the ArtGallery of NSW while in Sydney.

• HSC students were strongly supported in theirstudies by additional revision workshops in theholidays.

• The MultiLit and Fluency Reading Programs havecontinued to successfully support studentlearning.

• Mrs Birrell and Ms Johnston participated in HSCmarking for Standard English in Coffs Harbour.

•  Professor Will Christie from the AustralianNational University Humanities Faculty visited theschool in March and September and madevaluable presentations to Year 12 students

• .There were several staffing changes in 2017.Sadly for us, Mrs Teigan Aitkin moved fromCoonabarabran with her family; Mr ChristopherRollo is currently filling in her position. MsShannon Johnston and Mr Thomas Guihot werealso appointed to the English Faculty. It has beenlovely to welcome such enthusiastic youngteachers into our faculty. 

MATHEMATICS 

  Our faculty has engaged students in curriculumdesigned to develop their mathematical skills andunderstanding to enable them to lead productive livesand to provide a strong foundation for future studies.The faculty supports all students through numeracyprograms such as QuickSmart and enrichment through

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Mathematics competitions, extension activities and ourFeast of Pi.Junior Programs • This year, the Mathematics faculty continued the

implementation and consolidation of theAustralian Curriculum (NSW) for Years 7 to 10. 

• The faculty also continued to implement aninteractive web–based online platform forself–paced revision and homework, providingstudents with the opportunity to use this siteanywhere. All students have free access to thewebsite. This resource has been usedsuccessfully by many students, especially thebooster pack for our Gifted & Talented students.Mathematics Competitions

• Our students once again showed their potential ina range of mathematical competitions and werewell deserving of the awards they received fortheir efforts.             

•  The CAT Mathematics Competition was verychallenging and the following students are to becongratulated upon receiving:   

 Year 8         Benton Ernest     –    Credit        LachlanEshman     –     Credit   

 Year 9         Harry Williams     –     Credit        BethanyFreeman     –     Credit   

 Year 10        Johst Bowmaker     –     Credit    

Year 11        Charles Knight     –    Distinction    

The Australian Mathematics Competition waslikewise very challenging and the following students areto be congratulated upon receiving:  

  Year 7    Abiel Singh     –     Proficient    

Year 8    Lachlan Eshman     –    Distinction     NilsThomas     –     Credit    Benton Ernest     –    Credit    George Bell     –    Proficient    JamesWhalan     –    Proficient  

  Year 9        Harry Williams     –    Credit        BethanyFreeman     –    Credit   

 Year 10        Johst Bowmaker     –    Credit        JasperSomervaile     –    Proficient        Jesse Somervaile    –    Proficient    

Year 11        Charles Knight    –    Distinction        Tristan Thomas    –    Credit        Jackson Sulter     –    Proficient.

Feast of Pi

• The sixth annual Mathematics Festival – Feast ofPi was successfully held on Friday 28 July 2017at Coonabarabran High School. The goal of theFeast of Pi is to raise the profile of Mathematicsas a discipline in the school, thus encouragingstudents to recognise the significance of acquiringmathematical skills which can open the door to anextensive range of career opportunities

• This year we once again welcomed an outreachbranch from the UNSW. We are very lucky to beable to bring presenters and workshops to our

students like this as it exposes our students to allsorts of possibilities and ideas, without the needfor extensive travel.

• In addition, we welcomed Mrs Donna Lane,Deputy Principal of Dunedoo Central School. MrsLane is a very experienced Mathematics HSCMarker, and she spoke to our senior students,giving them study tips and hints for theirrespective courses. Our senior students found hersessions very helpful

• .A brief outline of the workshops delivered by thestaff from UNSW is listed below:Digital ScienceLab: Astronomy

• Students were taken on a tour of the southernnight sky and learnt about stars and the solarsystem inside an inflatable portable planetarium.Understanding Gravity

•  Students learnt about Einstein’s Theory ofRelativity via an interactive space–time curvaturedemonstration.Circular Mechanics

• Round and round we go! Some of the questionsposed were: Why does water stay in a bucketwhen it is swung above your head? What is thedifference between Centrifugal and Centripetalforces? QuickSmart

• Mrs Redden and Mrs Norton organised a numberof Year 8 and Year 7 students to participate in theQuickSmart program. This program is attended bystudents three times per week and helps studentswith their accuracy and speed in using their timestables as well as improving their efficiency insolving problems.

Transition •  Mrs Debbie Redden led the transition program to

support students arriving into Year 7 in 2017. MrsDeshon and Mrs Redden visited Year 6 studentsin their classrooms and work–shopped somemathematical activities.New EnglandMathematical Association Problem Solving Day

• Eight talented Mathematicians from Year 8attended the NEMA Problem Solving Day at UNEin Armidale. 64 teams from schools across NSWcongregated for a full day of fun and challengingquestions. Well done Ellenah, Nils, Benton,Tameka, Max, Hayden, Jimmy and George, fortheir great participation and effort.    

SCIENCE

 In 2017, we welcomed Miss Katherine Christoff, anexperienced Biology teacher to the Science Faculty.Miss Christoff came to us from Gunnedah High Schooland very quickly became an integral member of thefaculty. A big thank you is extended to Dr PeterMorrissey for supporting the Science Faculty whilst MrsKellie Nash was on leave during Term 1.    2017 alsowelcomed Mrs Robina Ranken and Miss EmmaRankmore into the Science teachers fold and we thankthem for their assistance in developing and teachingprograms for Year 9 Science.  • We were fortunate this year to have two visiting

Science programs – a Forensic program andSnake Tails (a program to inform and educatestudents about Australia’s venomous andnon–venomous reptiles). 

• Year 7 students also had the opportunity to visit

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Siding Spring Observatory and learn about solarviewing and Indigenous Astronomy. 

• Students from Coonabarabran High Schoolperformed well in various Science competitionsthroughout the year. 

• In the Big Science Competition, 3 studentsreceived Participation certificates, 2 studentsreceived Credits, and 2 students receivedDistinction certificates. In the ICAS ScienceCompetition our results were 2 Participationawards, 1 Merit, 2 Credits, 2 Distinctions and 1High Distinction. Congratulations to all juniorstudents who participated. 

•  Some of our senior students participated in theScience Olympiads this year. These Olympiadsare highly competitive and cover material that isnot covered in the Stage 6 syllabi.Coonabarabran High School students performedadmirably, with a number of Participation, Creditand Distinction certificates.    

• 2017 saw Coonabarabran High School studentsfrom Year 9 and 10 participate in the North WestScience & Engineering Challenge in Narrabri.Unfortunately, we placed second to a strongNarrabri High School team and so did progress tothe next level of the competition in Newcastle,however, students gained valuable team workand Science skills that will benefit and enhancetheir scientific knowledge and understanding.    

• During Term 4 we received the results of the Year10 VALID assessment in Science. Our results forthis were very pleasing and they help to identifyand determine our focus for Stage 5 Science in2018. 

• During Term 4, we were fortunate to have MissLucienne Martel working in the Science Facultyas part of the UNSW Internship Program. Wewish Miss Martel all the best as she embarks onher career as a Science teacher. 

• Mr Jeffery Nott took advantage of long serviceleave during Term 4 and was capably replaced byMiss Casey Birrell. We would like to thank MissBirrell for her patience and her determination toconquer a subject area that she was not familiarwith. 

• Finally, thank–you to Miss Sherelle Moore for hertireless work in promoting robotics atCoonabarabran High School. Yay to team 6476 –2 awards in 2 competitions!!! Can’t wait to seewhat 2018 brings.

HUMAN SOCIETY & ITS ENVIRONMENT

2017 has been a busy year for the HSIE faculty both inthe classroom and across the whole–schoolcommunity. We welcomed Mr Craig Ashby to our staffwho joins us from Wilcannia and comes with a wealthof knowledge in History, Aboriginal Studies and hasbecome a valuable member of the HSIE team. At theend of Term 3 we farewelled Mrs Gail Kenny, who hasmoved back to the central coast where she willcontinue her teaching career. At this time we welcomedMs Danielle Barisa to the staff and later in Term 4 wewere joined by Ms Erin Dowse replacing DuncanGraham when he took on the Role of Relieving DeputyPrincipal. 

As a faculty we provided a number of opportunities toenrich the knowledge of our students both in theclassroom and beyond, including:      • Year 11 and 12 Ancient and Modern History

students as well as Year 9/10 History(Archaeology) students travelled to Sydney toattend the Sydney University HSC lectures aswell as complete some vital site studies acrossthe city including The Rocks, the MaritimeMuseum and the Sydney Jewish Museum.

• Year 12 Legal Studies once again made the coldjourney to Sydney to attend the annual LegalStudies Teachers Association HSC EnrichmentLectures, which are an excellent re–enforcementof their in–school learning and an opportunity toexperience some retail therapy during thestressful HSC year. 

• Year 12 Legal Studies, Ancient History, ModernHistory, Society & Culture, Business Studies andGeography students attended the annual HSCLecture Days in Dubbo in June.

• Year 12 Geography completed two importantcase studies, one a visit to Sydney Olympic Parkwhere they studied urban dynamics ofdevelopment, focusing on how the HomebushBay area has been transformed from an industrialwasteland into a vital part of the Sydneylandscape. The second a trip to the MacquarieMarshes where they studied ecosystems andtheir management – they also learnt how hardcanoeing can be when the waterway is cloggedwith reeds.

• Year 10 students investigated geographicalissues in the local environment, Australia’sinvolvement in the Vietnam war, our regional andglobal links and completed a comprehensivestudy of a decade, its technological and socialchanges culminating in the creation of visualdisplays of their chosen decade.

• Year 9 HSIE students spent two days on the roadexploring the gold mining settlement of Hill Endand the technology used to mine the gold andhow hard it was to actually pan for gold in afrozen creek, the living conditions on the goldfields and impact of the gold rush on Australia’searly history. They also spent a day at the Ulancoal mine exploring the impact of human activitieson the environment and the work put in repairingthe landscape after the mining operations arecompleted.

• Year 9 created museum displays whichdemonstrated their understanding of the IndustrialRevolution and the Movement of People aroundthe world. They also explored a local soldier inWorld War I and investigated their localcommunity of Coonabarabran. 

• Year 8 students were lucky enough to participatein the "Zoo Snooze" at Taronga Western PlainsZoo. This gave students an opportunity tosocialise as well as an opportunity to study therole of zoos in management of endangeredspecies and look at some special breedingprograms and to test their ability to functionwithout sleep.

• Year 8 Geography students, as part of theirstudies of Global Issues, convened a United

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Nations meeting, where students representednations from around the globe and spoke for andagainst a number of pressing notions. Studentsput a supreme effort into investigating theperspective of their chosen nations anddeveloping a display of costumes, food and iconicitems to help inform their presentations. 

• Year 7 students made the long journey to theWarrumbungles to study landscapes, campingovernight and then racing to the Grand HighTops. Along the way, studying changes in thelandscape and climate. A big thanks to the staff atthe Warrumbungle Education Centre whoprovided tents and camping facilities to help makethe event possible.

• The school's Mock Trial Team, coached by MrMoffat and Dr Armstrong, successfully won theirway through to the final 32 schools in the state –an amazing effort, along the way winning throughsome tough competition from schools inTamworth, Armidale, Wellington and Dubbo. Thiswas a wonderful achievement given that the LawSociety of NSW's state–wide Mock TrialCompetition began with 200 teams.

• The 9/10 Aboriginal Studies class has beenextremely busy both around the school and in thecommunity participating in a number of culturallyimportant events, liaising with Gamilaraay Elders.This course is an invaluable part ofCoonabarabran High School’s curriculum, givingstudents an opportunity to explore Australia’sunique Indigenous culture. Students exploredissues of autonomy, self–determination andhuman rights. They investigated the importantrole of Aboriginal Art and Literature in preservingculture. Students were critical in designing anddeveloping the recently opened Indigenousgarden at Coonabarabran High School. Theyplanned a very successful NAIDOC Day whichinvolved community members, local AboriginalElders and whole–school participation. Studentshave also immersed themselves in localIndigenous history with visits to Burra Bee Dee,the Sandstone caves and Sculptures in theScrub. 

• Year 9 and 10 Commerce were critical in themarketing and catering for the Celebrate CHSnight. Together they surveyed the schoolcommunity and prepared a menu for catering thenbaked and served an amazing array of goodies tothe community members who attended the event.

TAS (TECHNICAL & APPLIED STUDIES)     •  The 2016 Design & Technology cohort are to be

congratulated for their outstanding success in theHSC. This amazing class of eight saw six of itsmembers gain a Band 6 in the HSC. Thesesuccessful students include; Sally Deshon,Melanie Dow, Alexandra Eastburn, Emily King,Anna Nash and James Pearson.

• Three students in the 2016 Engineering Studiescohort achieved outstanding success in the HSC.Olivia Colantonio, Augustus Elton and RichardKnight achieved a Band 6 in this course. 

• An outstanding performance in the 2016 Metal &Engineering HSC Examination by MitchellFosdick, saw him ranked equal 8th in the state.

• Amazing projects have been manufacturedthroughout 2017 by the Metals & Engineeringstudents. Their dedication to producing practicalitems, as well as their fabulous expertise, wasparticularly evidenced in the following jobs: a trayback for a Ute, a stick rake and forklift for atractor, a trailer and a weight bench press.

• Year 11 Design & Technology students havebeen honing their creative skills in preparation forthe HSC year. Their projects include: landscapeor fashion design, ARCHI CAD program and theup–cycling any item.

• Year 11 Food Technology students havesignificantly increased their knowledge of nutritionand the practical application associated withquality products. They have also supported thecatering for events such as; the InternationalFeast and Biggest Morning Tea.

• Year 12 Design & Technology class studentsdesigned and created the followingprojects:         Daniel Cherry     Lydia Harris              Bullying Animation         Shoe StorageCabinets          Hayley Korff     Sean McElhinney              Over Bed Table        Portable CricketPitch          Jade McNeice    Abby Over              Boxing Training Bar        BreakThruActivities          Tristan Sulter    Ashleigh Thomas              Rugby League TrainingProgram        Equipment Bag          HolleeWatts              Wakeboarding website and Wetsuitdesign*    Year 11 Industrial Technology (Timber)students worked throughout the year developingtheir skills ready for their major projects in 2018.They have been involved in an exciting crosscurricula project with Music. The Marimbas Musicproject involved the Industrial Technologystudents making instruments inspired by Africanxylophones. Additionally, the students createddrawing sets and Celtic cross rolling pins.

• Year 12 Industrial Technology (Timber) studentsconstructed quality products, including a folio.The students made the following majorprojects:         Byron Coe     –     Merbau GardenBench Seat with fold out table         Thomas Varty    –     Victorian Ash Multi–Purpose Table         Jarod Moody     –     Iron Bark BBQtable/bench seat         Kurtis Meier     –     RadiataPine Dovetail bookshelf         Jayden Anastasis    –     Merbau Entertainment Unit         BenHarris     –     Merbau Garden BenchSeat         Nicholas Willoughby     –     SpottedGum Rocking Chair         Teaghan Barron     –    Outdoor Table Setting created out of Jarrah,Victorian Ash and Merbau         Jed McEvoy     –    Black Butt Seats with matching footstools         Brandon Worrell     –     MerbauGrandfather Clock 

LOTE (Language Other Than English) German 

2016 brings to an end a highly successful year ofGerman language and culture studies atCoonabarabran High School. The course has delivereda basic level of language acquisition and culturalunderstanding to our Year 8 cohort. The overall aim ofthe program is to give our students some basic

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understanding and uses of the German language,whilst simultaneously delivering a familiarisation withthe diverse communities that use the German languagearound the world. • During the course our Year 8 cohort have become

familiar with common German phrases, words foritems around the school and home, explored thesimilarities and differences between Germany andAustralia, learnt the words for numbers, colours,animals, housing, sports, nature and foods.

• As it is such a broad subject, students have beenable to explore Art, History, Nature, Traditional,Lifestyles and cultural values that make up theGerman language as well as broadening students'understanding of their place in a global context. 

AGRICULTURE  With the promising autumn rains a distant memory, theAg Plot’s only green patches left are from the frequentirrigation by Marty Wilkin of the Year 11 Agriculturewheat trial and the Year 7 and 9/10 Agriculturevegetable plots.  •  Along with maintaining their vegetable plots, Year

9/10 has also been busy studying SheepProduction, Winter Cropping and PoultryProduction units. Feeding and handling livestockforms another large part of their practical activitiesand keeps the Ag Plot running on the days Martyis working on his own farm.

• Extra–curriculum excursions form a big part of theAgriculture department’s time and money. Thisyear the Livestock Team tried their hand atshowing Australian Whites of B&B Farms, in thesheep section at the Binnaway, Coonabarabranand Baradine Show with the latter being our lastand most successful one winning the SupremeExhibit. 

• The school’s Berkshire pigs had their time of glorywhen they were exhibited at Dubbo Show, withboth receiving Champion ribbons in the SeniorSow and Boar sections. The sow had justfinished feeding her litter of 8, which have beensubsequently grown out to 80–85 kg and sold inAugust. Monies raised have gone back into theAg Plot as well as contributing to Year 10excursion to the snow, which purchased thepiglets as weaners and paid for their feed.

• The 2016 Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza at Scone,which falls in Term 4, was attended by theLivestock Team with 5 very competitive steers.Although the steers did not win major prizes, thestudents did themselves proud with all the steersplaced in the top 10 of their classes. 

• For the 2017, the team comprised of 7 steers and12 students for the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza.The judge awarded 2 of the steers places in theHoof classes which were full of very competitiveclasses, and on the Hook, 5 out of the 7 were inthe top 10. Anghus Heaney was the mostsuccessful parade, achieving a second placewhich is very well done considering there were800 students attending the show.

• A big thank you to Mr Mark Heaney for taking theLivestock Team for sport practice allowing timefor breaking in the steers in the safest mannerpossible. As a result of these efforts, students

excelled in their parading competitions with bothsheep and cattle at the local shows, honing theirskills in leading through sport and many lunchtimepractices. He also drove us there and back toScone, and was an enormous support for thestudents throughout the excursion.

• Luckily for the Agriculture department, Kellie Nashhas lent her agricultural expertise to the Year 11Agriculture class, ensuring their learning is up todate in the absence of Liz Hawkins who isreturning to the helm in 2018. Thanks to Ms Nashfor her enthusiasm and dedication to thesestudents. 

VISUAL ARTS • 2017 has, once again, been a fantastic year for

Visual Arts at Coonabarabran High School.Students in Years 7–12 have worked well tocreate artworks which demonstrate the skill, talentand creativity they have developed in class. 

• Our students were successful in a number ofexhibitions and shows, including the annual ArtExhibition at the Coonabarabran Show. In theYears 7–9 category, Lachlan Sutherland wasawarded Best and First place for his Aboriginal artpainting; Breanna Menz was awarded Secondplace for her Pop Art lino print; Jayde Sim wasawarded Third place for her painting of aseascape with a city view. In the Year 10–12category Ellen Nilsson won both Best and Firstplace for her owl painting and Second place forher Viking shield. Summer Ensor won the SpecialAward for her painting in the Aboriginal Artcategory. Congratulations to all the finalists andwinners. 

• The school’s inaugural Showcase exhibition gavean opportunity to highlight the great work thathappens throughout the school. The Visual Artsdepartment was part of this exhibition anddisplayed work from Years 7–11 Visual Arts andYear 12 Photography. The new hanging system inthe hall showed off the work of our talentedstudents. 

• The Year 12 Photography students were part ofthe school’s major works display. Works fromIndustrial Technology, Design and Technologyand Photography were displayed for parents andfriends to see the hard work and effort it takes toachieve a major work. The Year 12 Photographystudents' portfolios showed Magazine andAlphabet assessment tasks and how skillful ourstudents are at digital manipulation and desktoppublishing. 

• Thank you to Miss Rankmore again for hersupport in teaching the junior classes this year.

MUSIC •  Year 7 and 8: Music activities in Years 7 and 8

include a large practical component. In Year 7, allstudents learn the basic of guitar playing, but alsodid a bit of work on ukulele and Boomwhackers.In year 8, students form a class band and canchoose from a wide variety of instrumentsincluding guitar (acoustic, electric and bass, drumkit, percussion, ‘cello, flute, clarinet and

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saxophone. This year, students learnt a variety ofsongs in class band and also spent time workingon their individual choices. Apart from thepractical component, Year 7 classes worked onGraphic Notation, Elements of Music and MusicalInstruments. Year 8 worked on Elements ofMusic, African Music and the History of Rock andRoll.

• Year 9/10: We had a particularly large group in9/10 Music this year. In Performance, studentsworked on individual and a few group pieces ontheir own instruments. During practical lessons,students continued to develop their instrumentalskills. In Composition, Year 10 students createdtheir own compositions in GarageBand on iPadsand Year 9 wrote their own 12–Bar Bluescompositions with variations. All Year 9/10 Musicstudents attended a performance by the SydneySymphony Orchestra in Dubbo and, inpreparation for the performance, studied a seriesof compositions representing the main eras inClassical Music History. Students alsoparticipated in a workshop on Samba rhythms ledby Tom Harding. The last topic studied by thisgroup was Australian Music and students listenedto examples of Pop, Rock, Jazz, Indigenous,Classical and Film Music written and performedby Australian musicians.

• Year 11/12: This year, four Year 12 studentscompleted the Music 1 HSC course: Kurtis Meier,Gabrielle Webster, Hannah Smith and JadeMcNeice. In preparation for their exam, theyattended an HSC Study Day in Tamworth andperformed in the HSC category of the NarrabriEisteddfod. They presented a recital a weekbefore their final HSC exam and should becommended for their excellent work! They weresupported in their performances by the veryexperienced and talented Mr Paul Armstrong, MrStewart Row, Miss Moore and Angus Lambert.Gabrielle, Kurtis and Hannah performed atvarious assemblies through the course of theyear. The Year 11 students studied three topics inMusicology and worked at their analytical skills inAural lessons. These students wrote a shortcomposition as well and, in practical lessons,continued to work at developing technical skillsand performing contrasting works.

Extra–Curricular   • Celebrate CHS: This was one of the musical

highlights of 2017. At this event, students’ workfrom various faculties was displayed and aprogram of dramatic and musical items waspresented. The students who participated inmusical solos and group items included AngusLambert, Argyle Park, Ian Whittall, NicholasBowden, Liam Russell, Milly Smith, GabrielleWebster, Hannah Smith, Jade McNeice andKurtis Meier. The musical items were of a veryhigh standard and showed the depth of talent wehave at CHS. One of the highlights of the eveningwas the choir who performed the song Trusty andTrue by Damien Rice. Daisy Andrews andAnnabelle Park sang the solo part in thisperformance. 

• Celebration Sing Out: A small group of choir

students accompanied Ms Suthons to the annualCelebrate Sing Out choir event in Sydney duringOctober. At this event, they had the opportunity tosing in a massed choir and were accompanied byan orchestra. The students who participated were:Hunter Andrews, Amelia Toynton, Olivia Meier,Amy Maher, Jordan Dicks, Sha’e Davis, AlisheaRankin, Molly Shannon and Artemis Pech.

• School Choir: Following from the very successfulperformance at Celebrate CHS, we are in theprocess of establishing a permanent school choir.The choir performed for The Governor, HisExcellency General The Honourable David HurleyAC DSC (Ret'd) and his wife Mrs Hurley, duringtheir visit to CHS. The choir will continue toperform at various events and will play a veryimportant role during the 2018 School Musical.

• Moorambilla MAXED OUT 2017: We had aparticularly large group of singers attend theMAXED OUT Moorambilla camps andperformances. Students who participated were:Daisy Andrews, Annabelle Park, Argyle Park,Hunter Andrews, Mya Stone, Monique Bragg,Clover Hippisley, Lila Strong, Nick Bowden andArtemis Pech. The students attended two campsand performed at the Gala concerts in Dubbo atthe end of September. Coonabarabran HighSchool has also been given the opportunity totake care of and use a set of Taiko Drums. Thesedrums will be returned to the Moorambillaorganisers for use during the 2018 camps andperformances but, can be used at school for theremainder of the year. This is a particularlyexciting development for CHS!

• Band Workshops: Younger woodwind and brassstudents were privileged to take part in two bandworkshops this year. The first was presented bythe Concert Band from Sydney Grammar, and thesecond by Jenny Binovec and her students fromthe Riverina Conservatorium SaxophoneEnsemble. Students learnt new pieces at theseworkshops and were privileged to hear the bandsperform afterwards. 

• Orbital Swing Band: A small group of Musicstudents (and teachers) continue to participate inthe Orbital Swing Band rehearsals andperformances. The OSB presents a wonderfulopportunity for students to learn music, developtheir technique, and work together with adultmusicians from the community. CHS members inthe Orbital Swing Band for 2017 are: LachlanEshman, Olivia Meier, Caleb Smith, Milly Smith,Hannah Smith and Miss Moore.

• AMEB Music Exams: Nicholas Bowdencompleted an AMEB (Australian MusicExamination Board) viola examination this year.

• Live Music Performances: This year also sawsome live background music events. Studentspresented live music at lunch times in thequadrangle, at the International Feast, as well asat the monthly Sunday morning CoonabarabranTown Markets. These events provided a lovelyopportunity for students to perform music theyhave been working on and to practiceperformance skills.

• Cross–Curricular Project: Mr Dan Stewart and

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some of this woodwork students are currentlyworking together with the Music Faculty inbuilding a set of Marimbas. It is envisaged that,once the instruments have been completed, theywill be used for class music performances. 

SUPPORT UNIT

Curriculum and learning have been the focus for 2017in ‘The Unit • ’A great daytime excursion for students to Lake

Keepit, organised by Mr Schollbach, was ahighlight of the year

• Mrs Houley’s Swim program for D1 studentsduring Term 4 has been very much appreciated.

• Miss Pech’s library visits for D1 provide a weeklyeducational community access event.

• The Secondary Learning Strategy had studentsinvolved in all aspects of comprehension and as aresult many students improved their ReadingAges in standardised testing.

• Focusing on desensitising students and reducingtheir negative reactions to examinations duringSemester Two resulted in all students makingserious effort during assessment time ensuringreliable information was gained in regard tostudent knowledge and capabilities in all KLAs. 

• Burra Bee Dee program ran again this year andseveral Unit students have participated keenly.

• Mr Schollbach left after his contract wascompleted at the end of Term 2 and Mrs Cottrillcame to the Unit as a permanent teacher at thebeginning of Semester Two.

• TAFE courses were attended by Daniel, Penny,Hayden, and Jarrah.

• All students appreciate ‘The Gathering Place’ as aserene and quietening space

• Tina and Sam attended the BreakThru Carnivaland Tina was victorious winning a significanttrophy.

• The Unit’s SLSOs continue to support students tothe max. Venessa Houley and Meg Rice joinedYvonne Rice as permanent staff this year.

• Teachers in the Unit this year – Nicole Cottrill,Brenda Young, Simone Tenne, Tina Pech, NancyDoolan, Craig Ashby, Chris Rollo, HaydenSchollbach, Danielle Barisa, Loretta Pulham,Mel Jenner, Robin King, Sharon Rankmore.Another good year.

SPORT

Another year of fine sporting achievements as follows: • Libby Varley placed first at the North West

Swimming Carnival in the 15 Years 100mButterfly.

• At the North West Athletics Carnival, MadisonHeywood (14's Javelin), Amelia Hadfield (12Years High Jump and Long Jump) and Jon Kelly(11's 400m) placed first at the North WestAthletics carnival.

• Both the 14 Years and Open Rugby Leagueteams were runners–up in the North WestKnockout.

• The Lawn Bowls team were North WestChampions and finished 7th in the State

• Kate Masman represented North West in

Swimming, Squash and Softball. • Amelia Hadfield represented North West in

Athletics and Swimming • Nicholas Willoughby represented North West in

both Swimming and Cross Country. • Overall, 21 students represented North West

teams and are listed under the Sports Awardssection of this program

• Coonabarabran High was the Single Cup for the9th time in 10 years.

• Byron Coe was invited to play in the North CoastBowls team which finished 3rd at the CHSCarnival!

• Tomas Bowman finished 6th in the CHS BowlsSingles Championships.

NORTH WEST EQUESTRIAN EXPO  

  2017 was another very successful year for theCoonabarabran High School equestrian team. Unlikepast years, the weather was dry. • All students represented Coonabarabran High

with enthusiasm and dedication. We achieved anumber of outstanding results, both individuallyand in teams. Octavia Whale was awardedRunner–Up Champion for the 14 years girls.

• Riders competed in numerous events over the 5days. One–Day Event and Combined Trainingriders competed at a high level and we achievedmany Top 10 placings. Placegetters and winnersincluded Octavia Whale, Hannah Deshon, HayleyAndrews, Melinda Ryan, Mackenzie Raaen,Angus Lambert and Callum Letts.

• The Working Horse Challenge, WarrumbungleWay and Sporting again saw CHS students pickup wins and placings, with Annalise Edwardsscoring well in the Working Horse Challenge.Hannah Deshon and Hannah Stuart performedoutstandingly in the first division Polocrosse andMillicen McEvoy had a great time, placing in thesecond division of the Polocrosse. 

• Some of our riders were particularly successful inthe refined disciplines of Dressage and ShowJumping. Winners and placegetters includedLachlan McGill, Madisen McGill and MelindaRyan

• The final day saw some outstanding results bothin the hacking ring, and in the team penning andhorse ball. Mackenzie Raaen teamed withMadisen McGill, Lachlan McGill and OctaviaWhale to win their ring in the team of fours event.CHS also had another team place in this event.Well done to Callum, Hannah, Hayley andMelinda.

• Overall, all students had a great time andconducted themselves very well, displayingexcellent horsemanship, and most importantly,excellent sportsmanship.

• Thank you to all the parents who helped withrunning the team barrel event – which is the eventspecifically allocated to our school. Thank youalso to our tireless management team whichincluded Michelle McEvoy and Mr Johnston. Alsothanks to all the parents that were regularly onhand to assist team members. 

• The EXPO is a very well–renowned event, andtakes a lot of input both from the school

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community and the local community. Thank youto everyone who made a contribution, either froma “horsey” perspective, or in any other form, suchas assisting our P&C in the running of “The Hut”canteen. We look forward to another successfulevent in 2018.

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