Phone: 9892 0611 Fax: 9842 1514 Issue No. 5/13 23 August 2013

NASHS Dance Team NASHS Speech Team

NASHS Mixed Soccer Team

NASHS BOYS AND GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM

A very warm NASHS welcome to Year 7 students and their families who have enrolled with us for 2014. As a way of keeping parents of Year 7 students informed about the many events, activities and celebrations at NASHS, this and remaining editions of NASHS Newsletter will be forwarded to families of our 2014 Year 8 cohort. The Year 7-8 transition program is moving along very nicely. During this term Year 7 students, and some Year 6 students from our local intake area, attend NASHS for half a day. The students are involved in problem solving and team activities in the NASHS Library Learning Centre and, possibly for the first time in their schooling, participate in a Science lesson in a Science Laboratory. Recently a confirmation of enrolment letter, also containing details of upcoming transition events, was mailed out to parents. In the near future NASHS staff will be visiting primary schools to engage with primary teachers and students in their classroom. Year 12 Students As we welcome Year 7 students to high school, our Year 12 students are fast approaching their final weeks at school. The final day of attendance for Year 12 students is Friday, 25 October. Between now and then students will be completing tasks and assessments and it is important that they give it their full attention to ensure the best possible results. Really focussing on school over these last few weeks will be worth the effort. More information regarding end of year activities will be provided for Year 12 students and parents in the near future. Opening of the Health Centre. Monday 5 August was an important day for NASHS as the Albany Regional Health Trade Training Centre was officially opened by Senator Glenn Sterle. 35 guests from the

PRINCIPAL’S COMMENT Health Industry, Great Southern Institute of Technology and local schools also attended. Thank you also to Mr Lester Coyne, local Noongar Elder, who delivered the Welcome to Country. Located at the front of the school the centre is a simulated hospital with a four bed ward, aged care facility , allied health therapy room, medical reception and laboratories. Careers in Allied Health, Aged Care Nursing and pre Nursing commenced in Term 2 this year for students attending both school and the Great Southern Institute of Technology. Health Care is an area of growing employment opportunities locally and nationally. The Performing Arts is certainly proving to be very popular amongst NASHS students. Performing Arts comprises visual arts (art and photography), dance, drama and music. In the July edition of NASHS newsletter we featured the work of our photography students. On Monday night 19 August I was privileged to watch NASHS students perform in both dance and drama at the Albany heats of the YOHFEST competition held at the Albany Entertainment Centre. YOHFEST will be featured in our next newsletter. A number of our students also performed at the recent the Albany City Wind Ensemble concert and also sang with the About Face Choir. With the upcoming NASHS Got Talent show this term, I am sure we will see even more talent emerging! I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. Regards, Sharon Doohan PRINCIPAL

W H O D O I C O N T A C T I N T E R M THREE 2 0 1 3 For general enquiries about your child’s progress at school please contact the Year Coordinator or other members of Student Services Team (see the list below). For subject specific issues please contact your child’s subject teacher or the relevant Head of Learning Area. Yr 8 Coordinator Peter Gray School Nurse Amelia Wake Yr 9 Coordinator Lyn Peters Aboriginal & Islander Education Officers Rachel Brown, Lexi Mortimer Yr 10 Coordinator Andrew Harrison Attendance Officer Toni Castlehow

Yr 11 Coordinator Andrew Harrison Student Services Coordinator Andrew Harrison Yr 12 Coordinator Jo Stevens School Psychologist Brooke Bevan-Wilson Chaplain Ben Wyatt / Jennie Small

HEAD OF LEARNING AREAS AND TEACHERS IN CHARGE ICT Coordinator Ian Spurgeon English / LOTE / S & E

(HOLA) Marc Ruffell Visual Art Trish Ware, Helen Parry

& Robyn Brindal Mathematics / Science (HOLA) Physical Education / Health

(HOLA) Dave Powell Home Ec Maureen Nichols

Curriculum Leader —Science

Leonie Puzey Technology & Enterprise / Art (HOLA)

Peter Gray Business Ed & Workplace Learning

Pamela Green

Curriculum Leader —Society & Environment

Anthony Ritchie Library Pippa Williams

Deputy Principals: Terry Bolt (Years 8, 9), Mark Cullen (Years 10,11,12) Business Manager: Keely Field

Thurs, 29 Aug Interschool Soccer Carnival

Mon, 2 Sept—Wed, 4 Sept

Year 12 Outdoor Education Camp

Tues, 10 Sept School Council Meeting—5.00pm

Fri, 13 Sept Science Engineering Challenge at Mt Barker

Fri, 13 Sept Year 11 / 12 Geography Excursion

Wed, 18 Sept P & C Executive Meeting

Sat, 21 Sept P & C Centennial Markets

Mon, 23 Sept—Fri, 27 Sept

Year 11/12 Video Conference and SIDE exams

Mon, 23 Sept—Fri, 27 Sept

Follow the Dream—Year 9 Camp.

Tues, 24 Sept School Photographs. Details to follow

Wed, 25 Sept—Fri, 27 Sept

Dance Camp (Dance AIR Grants Program)

Fri, 27 Sept Students Last Day—Term 3

Fri, 27 Sept NASHS Dance Performance 7pm

Oct Holiday Year 12 WACE Practical Exams

Mon, 14 Oct—Fri, 18 Oct

Year 12 Mock WACE Exams

Mon, 14 Oct School Development Day

Tues, 15 Oct Students Resume—Term 4

Tues, 22 Oct Interschool Basketball—Lower School

Wed, 30 Oct—Fri, 1 Nov

Year 11 Outdoor Education Camp

Fri, 1 Nov WACE exams commence.

Wed, 6 Nov Interschool Cricket Girls Super 8s

Thurs, 7 Nov Interschool Cricket Boys Super 8s

Fri, 15 Nov NASHS School Athletics

Mon, 18 Nov—Fri, 22 Nov

Year 11 exams

Tues, 19 Nov Interschool Lawn Bowls

Wed, 20 Nov GSA Awards Night

Fri, 22 Nov WACE exams conclude

Fri, 22 Nov Year 12 Presentation Evening

NASHS IMPORTANT DATES—TERM 3/4 2013 NASHS TRIAL SCHOOL FOR YEAR 10

LITERACY AND NUMERACY TESTS

From 2016, Western Australian students will need to demonstrate minimum levels of literacy and numeracy to achieve their Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE). This minimum standard equates to Level 3 of the Australian Core Skills Framework. In Western Australia all Year 10 students will be required to sit online assessments in literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy, starting in 2014. These assessments will be held in March and September each year. Students will continue to sit the assessments until they achieve the minimum standard. Education Minister Peter Collier announced the new requirement in January this year. The standard is the minimum required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work in our knowledge-based economy. There will be 60 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes for each of the reading and numeracy assessments. In the writing assessment, students will be asked to prepare a written response to a presented prompt. Responses would be a maximum of 600 words. Achieving the standard will help provide parents and the community with confidence that students will leave school with the required literacy and numeracy skills and will help employers and post-school educators in their decisions on the suitability of applicants. The assessments are managed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. Answers to frequently asked questions will soon be available on the Authority website at h t t p : / /www.scsa .w a .edu .au / i n t e rne t /Sen io r _ S e c o n d a r y / T h e _ W A C E / W A C E _ 2 0 1 6 /literacy_numeracy You can email questions to info@scsa.wa.edu.au In 2013 NASHS Year 10 students will be participating in an online trial of the literacy and numeracy test. The trial test will provide important feedback to our students as to their literacy and numeracy standard in preparation for their post school options. The trial period will run between 2 September to 13 September. Please support your child’s participation in the trial by ensuring they attend school in the weeks of the trial period. If you have any queries regarding the trial test please contact Senior School Deputy Principal, Mark Cullen on 9892 0611.

2013 COUNTRY WEEK This year NASHS Country Week teams included girls and boys volleyball, mixed soccer, speech and dance. All teams trained exceptionally hard in the lead up to the event to ensure the best possible results. Every participant was an excellent representative of NASHS for the duration of the week. Our students demonstrated excellent sportsmanship, fair play, mateship and always gave their very best in all aspects of Country Week. Results for the week were as follows: Mixed Soccer First—C Division Speech First—B Division– Speech— Stuart Neil Third—B Division—Monologue— Stuart Neil Third—C Division—Monologue— Bradley Bishop Girls Volleyball Second—B Division Boys Volleyball Second—C Division Dance Worked extremely hard but unfortunately were not placed this year. We are already looking forward to next year. (Dave Powell—Country Week Coordinator)

NASHS CROSS COUNTRY

On Tuesday, 13 August 2013 our annual NASHS Cross Country was held. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side, but students who competed, took to the track both as individuals and in relay teams. NASHS students and staff cheered the runners on and recorded times. Individual Results: Year 8 Girls and Boys 1st Paige Sykes Brandon Woods 2nd Leah Dye Sean Haddleton 3rd Amy Franklin Halem Collinge Year 9 Girls and Boys 1st Kate Curlewis Corey Linthorne 2nd Hailee Walley Broady Linthorne 3rd Charlie Richardson-Cronin Kieren Sims Year 10 Girls and Boys 1st Rebecca Bell Riley Martin 2nd Melissa Bell Travis Golding 3rd Tehya Sykes Robert Woods Year 11 Girls and Boys 1st Mikayla Penn Liam Bennell 2nd Airienne Spidell Dylan Puls 3rd Mat Sims Year 12 Boys 1st Duran Patch 2nd Hayden Smart 3rd Sean Thomason Team Results: Year 8 Girls Kiera Hurley, Katie Jose, Leah Dye, Samira Williams Year 8 Boys Joe Goldsmith, Marcus Mellon, Tyrone Lister and Halem Collinge Year 9 Girls Charlie Richardson-Cronin, Kate Curlewis, Kirsten Patton, Hailee Walley Year 9 Boys Corey and Broady Linthorne, Jack Steel and Zac Rowe Year 10 Boys Riley Martin, Frank Teio, Travis Golding and Robert Woods

Left to Right: Bradley Bishop came 3rd in the Monologue C Division and Stuart Neil came 1st in the Speech and 3rd in the Monologue B Division at Country Week this year.

Term 3 has set off at a cracking pace – it’s hard to believe we are approaching the half way mark to this Term already! For the Year 12’s this must be a strange

feeling; after spending about two thirds of their whole life in school, they find themselves staring down at the last half a term here at NASHS before mocks and final exams are upon them. You are almost there! Keep pushing through and finish well!! It might be a hard slog, but it is worth hanging in and getting to the finish line which is so close for you now! If you’re finding it a bit tough and just need some encouragement to make it through these last couple of months, come and have a chat with us – with the offer of a warm milo or something to nibble on! Term 2 ended with almost 40 students and a handful of staff heading up to Perth for Country Week, with Ben tagging along to drive one of the buses! NASHS students did themselves proud with both their excellent behaviour and their sporting success. The Dance, Speech & Debating, Soccer, and Volleyball teams all performed excellently and deserve pats on the back for their efforts and achievement against stiff competition. I am sure everyone slept well the first few days of the holidays, catching up on some well needed sleep! As a side note, just in case you haven’t been following the footy lately, we would just like to point out that the Dockers aren’t doing too badly, not at all! We are both looking forward to spending a few days with the other chaplains from the Albany area at a Professional Development camp at Camp Quaranup this week. Ben is also looking forward to supporting some Outdoor Education classes this term with a day trip serving as a build up to a three day camp. Remember, we are here to listen and support you however we can. Our office (and phone-line!) is open to any student, staff member, or family member. Come in and have a chat! Blessings, (Ben Wyatt and Jennie Small—YouthCARE School Chaplains)

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

Jennie Ben

ACT BELONG COMMIT NASHS is an Act Belong Commit School and in all editions of our school newsletter we will be providing information about this program and what

it means for our students. The key focus of Act Belong Commit is that “keeping mentally healthy is just as important as staying physically healthy”. So: Act – do something… Belong – do something with someone.. Commit – do something meaningful… A special mention goes out to those students who have signed up for this years 40 Hour Famine. It is great to see our students committing themselves to a worthwhile cause.

KIDS NEED CONNECTION Connectedness can be defined as a sense of belonging to a community, whatever that community is - your family, school, sports club or congregation. It is a feeling that you matter, that your contributions are valued and others care about you. Authentic connectedness, however, requires reciprocity. It means doing things for others as part of that group and taking the needs of your community into consideration. To do this you not only need to be able to relate well to people, you also have to believe that others in your community are worth the effort. Having a sense of belonging impacts on many aspects of individual and educational outcomes. (Dr Sue Roffey)

ATTENDANCE The NASHS Student Services Team spend a considerable amount of time monitoring the attendance of our students. Part of the role of Year Co-ordinator’s is to investigate reasons for students being absent from school. To help with this it would be appreciated if parents/care givers were to provide a note or send a text indicating the reason for the absence. All notes can be left at the Student Services office.

LATENESS We all have those days when the car won’t start, the dog has got out, the alarm didn’t go off etc and consequently we are late to work or school. It would be appreciated if parents could provide those students coming to school late with a note, this allows us to adjust our records accordingly. Students who continually arrive late to school, without explanation, will be given detention after a third warning.

NASHS GOT TALENT 2013 NASHS is again holding its annual talent show this month and students are asked to get their nominations in. This is a hugely popular event which is always a heap of fun. Who will this years special judge be? For more information see Mr Harrison.

YEAR NINE UPDATE Year 9’s have had a good Semester One but it is important to remember that to achieve good results students need to concentrate in class and listen attentively to your teachers. This important interpersonal skill of being a good listener is essential for life long learning. Another important skill is really working hard at doing your best work in class (which of course is one of our school values) and a lot of Year 9’s are showing a commitment to doing their best in their subjects at school this term. This mature attitude to their work is fantastic as it shows they are committed to being reliable and responsible in their ‘current workplace’ which is school. Maths is a very important subject at school, a C pass or better is needed to get into TAFE if you want to do an apprenticeship and get a trade. So Year 9’s it is very important to work hard in Maths and do the best you can to get good grades if you are interested in getting a trade. Science is an interesting subject also as there are many career options that are related to science such as Aquaculture, Acupuncturist, Fisheries office, Horticulturist, Nurse, Paramedic, Marine biologist, Nutritionist and Sports psychologist to name a few So Year 9’s keep trying to do your best and you will be able to make a good life for yourselves. Many of you have already set goals for your future careers during our career part of Society and Environment, which is fantastic. Let’s all work really hard so then we can and be proud of our efforts. (Lyn Peters—Year 9 Coordinator)

YEAR EIGHT UPDATE Welcome back after the holiday break. I trust that students and parents had an enjoyable time together. All parents have received their child’s first Semester Report for 2013. Many students worked very hard for the first part of the year and achieved some great results. However some students have found that they will need to apply themselves more for the remainder of the year to improve on their results. Most teachers commented that the students had the ability to do well but some did not focus on class work. Congratulations to Samira Williams and Ashlin Douglass for their outstanding report having achieved all A and B grades. Many other students are not that far behind. Overall 41 students received either a Principals or Deputy Principals Award. Well done to all. Over the next coming weeks I will be interviewing all the Year 8 students to review the year so far along with their report as part of the schools student tracking process. This occurs with the students up to the completion of their schooling in Year 12. If you have any questions in regard to your child’s report, please feel free to contact the relevant teacher or myself. Student attendance is taken seriously at NASHS and is monitored daily. I have been reviewing the attendance data for Term 2 and a number of students have a significant record of unauthorised absences. If your child is late to school or is away for a day or more please provide a note as explanation for your child’s absence. When a student accumulates a number of unexplained absences a letter is sent home highlighting the classes and days missed. Could parents please complete the form and return it to the school. Significant absences are followed up by the Deputy Principal and Year Coordinator. Attendance at school has a direct link with academic progress. Please refer to the ‘Keeping Kids in School’ flyer included in this newsletter. Congratulations to the students who recently received a Silver or Gold Attendance Award at our Year Assembly. Gold Attendance Award certificates were given to those students that had 100% attendance for the term. Thanks to the Year 8 Student Councillors who assisted with the opening of the new Health Centre recently. The students greeted guests and assisted in the setting up and serving of the morning tea. All councillors did an outstanding job and looked the part wearing their school blazers with pride. Year 8 Students Tayla Robinson & Shania Gardner.. with Keely Field (NASHS Business Manager)

All year 8 students have completed their course selections for next year. They have selected from a range of courses across the eight Learning Areas to ensure the breadth and depth of study needed to make choices for future employment, further education and training. Compulsory courses - All students are required to study courses from the five learning areas. English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences (formerly Society & Environment), Health and Physical Education. The placement of students in the compulsory courses will be determined by the Head of Learning Area or Curriculum Coordinator in consultation with parents. Allocation to classes and pathways for 2014 will depend on how the student has performed in the course this year. Electives – Students choose six electives from across the following learning areas. The Arts, Health and Physical Education, Technology & Enterprise, Science and Languages. (Peter Gray—Year 8 Coordinator)

Term 3 • Week 10 23 Sept—27 Sept

Year 12 Mock exams for students studying by Video Conference or SIDE courses.

• October Holidays Year 12 final WACE practical exams.

Term 4 • Week 1 14 October—21 October

Year 12 Mock written exams. • Week 2 25 October

Year 12 Final Assembly—Last Day for Year 12s.

• Week 3 1 November WACE (written) exams start. Remember to take your personalised examination timetable slip to every exam.

• Week 4 & Week 5 WACE exams continue.

• Week 6 18 November—22 November Year 11 exams and WACE exams continue.

• Week 6 22 November Year 12 Presentation Evening

Any queries please contact Mrs Stevens on 9892 0611.

YEAR TWELVE UPDATE The Ball is over, the Year 12 jackets have arrived, students are working tirelessly towards Graduation (I hope), all is good with the world! But wait there is more! The Year 12 Dinner will be held Week 2 of next Term with a date still to be confirmed. This is a great night where students and staff have a chance to celebrate the year. The Farewell Assembly is Friday, 25 October (end of Week 2) to be followed by the all important Graduation Ceremony . The other big ticket item is the year book and a small group of students have been meeting over the last few weeks. A request for any photos that tell the story of the last five years is being made, please get them to me as soon as possible. The Year 12 students sitting WACE exams for University entry should by now have all their TISC information. Please contact Mr Cullen for any help with completing these forms for university entry, a late fee of $130 applies if they are not in on time. It is also very important for students to get information regarding scholarships for universities. These can be found on the Universities’ websites. Don’t forget Studentbox is a great resource for exam preparation and of course Wednesday after school study group is open to ALL students. (Jo Stevens—Year 12 Coordinator)

YEAR TEN UPDATE The Year 10 students have been busy completing their course selection forms for Year 11, 2014. This means that students should have brought home a selection booklet which includes a section for parents to sign off their child’s course selections. It is important that you are aware of your child’s courses and that selections fit into career pathways that you may have discussed with your child. It is important that students pick subjects that they can achieve success in and that are appropriate. This can be a confusing time for both parents and students, so I would strongly suggest that parents (or students) wanting further information should contact either myself or Senior School Deputy, Mr Mark Cullen. Those students who haven’t yet handed in their course selections need to return them as soon as possible. (Andrew Harrison—Year 10 Coordinator)

YEAR ELEVEN UPDATE

The biggest news for Year 11 students this month is that we are starting the design and ordering process for next years leavers jackets. By starting this early it means that we have a better chance of having our jackets at the start of the year rather than in the middle. The Year 11 Student Councillors have drafted a design and approached the Year 11 cohort and it seems that everyone is happy with the design. The next stage is to work out sizes. Once we have a better idea of the production costs all parents and students will receive a letter giving final costs and sizing instructions. The Year 11 dinner has been set for the 6 November. This is a great night that tends to be a highlight of the year and it would be great to see everyone attend this year’s dinner. The dinner will be at the Le Grande Motel and once prices have been finalised a permission letter will be sent home. (Andrew Harrison—Year 11 Coordinator) (Below) Students competing in the Cross Country

At NASHS, Year 8 Japanese and Italian languages are taught, by Ms Tina Dawson and Mrs Belinda Powell. Some keen language students continue their studies from Year 9 to Year 12 online through School of Isolated and Distance Education. Cassie James is one student who studies Year 10 Japanese through SIDE and is having great success. Recently, Cassie entered the 10 day online "Language Perfect World Championships 2013". This was a competition consisting of 225,000 students from around the world. During the competition, Cassie answered 9904 questions. While most questions were in Japanese, 30% of questions were in Italian, Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Russian and Maori. To add to the pressure, questions were timed. Only 20 - 30 seconds was given to answer each one. Cassie received a Gold Award in the competition, which means she obtained a score which places her in the top 2% of all the 225,000 competition participants. Well done, Cassie. Your effort is to be commended. (Tina Dawson—Japanese Teacher).

In Society & Environment in Term 2 we studied law and politics in Australia. In the politics section we have learned about the different political parties and what they stand for (especially the major parties). We learned about how each major party wanted to change Australia for the better in their own way. We also learnt about voting systems and how they work. We mainly focused on Australia’s lower house voting system which is the Preferential Voting System. How the system worked was that you number the parties in your preferred order, with ‘1’ being your most preferred. We also learnt about how people can waste their votes – by ‘donkey voting’, which is numbering straight down the ballot paper; and ‘informal voting’ which can include writing anywhere but the boxes. Right after learning about voting, we then started to make our own parties with our friends. The parties were asked to make a poster or two, a speech, and most importantly a name to present to the whole class. The poster needed the name of the party, a slogan, and a logo to represent the party. Students had fun making the posters and the speeches to present to the class in their own ways. This meant that they could do anything they want to promote their party. One group did a quick skit in their speech to the class for more attraction. After all the parties had presented their speeches / presentation the whole class used preferential voting to vote for the group that looked and sounded the best out of the whole class. The different types of groups during the election varied from sports to better food in the canteen to relaxing and one party was just all about parties. The next day, the votes were distributed to each party leader. The winning party was called the “Relaxed Party” and the runner up was the party called “Party Party Party”. (Article by the Relaxed Party)

English Learning Area Staff 2013

Marc Ruffell—Head of Learning Area Brad Donaldson

Jo Morgan Wendy O’Rourke

Katy Steed Tina Dawson

Karen Niculescu Natascha Atanassoff

I should introduce myself. My name is Marc Ruffell and I am the new Head of Learning Area for English, Humanities (S & E) and LOTE at NASHS. I am very happy to have made the move south from Katanning SHS, where I enjoyed teaching and being HOLA of English, LOTE, Design and Technology for the last 16 years. I plan to lead and take my current LA’s from strength to strength for many years to come. Please call me at the school to discuss any aspect of your child’s learning that you are concerned with. In terms of contributing to students being skilled lifelong learners, the English Learning Area is crucial, as to be confident learners students need to be literate. Raising literacy standards is a school priority. Ask your-self these questions:

• When do I use a capital letter, full stop and question mark? • When do I use an exclamation mark and comma?

• When do I use an apostrophe, brackets and hyphen? • When do I use a colon and a semi colon? • How to punctuate direct speech • What is a noun, adjective and verb? • What is an adverb, conjunction, preposition and pronoun? • What about the Writing Process itself, from brainstorming and information gathering through to final text? • What is a Sentence? • What is a paragraph? • What is rhetoric and figurative language in prose, poetry, drama or expository

texts? • How do I do Self-Editing? • How do I write using the correct Text Forms? • How do I deconstruct texts of many kinds and the signs and signifiers that we encounter every day

of our lives? • How do I see through the spin and lies that sometimes bombard us and attempt to twist our

thoughts and emotions in written, audio and visual text? • How do I write an essay, narrative, recount, report, news article, feature article, review, procedure,

editorial, letters of all sorts, poems, plays, referencing, bibliographies, summaries, notes?  This is the stuff of English classes each day. Year 8 has been particularly busy. Using a past NAPLAN test, during term 2 we tested all Year 8’s in the areas of Reading, Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. Using this data we can assess exactly how much, and in which specific areas, their individual skills have improved since Year 7, and in which ways we need to focus to best up-skill individuals in the remaining three terms before the Year 9 test is upon us. After careful and extensive analysis, this data informs our teaching and allows us to better identify individual strengths, weaknesses and meet specific learning needs. It also allows us to better craft Individual Education Plans.

Improving literacy is one of our school’s primary goals. Each Learning Area has its own responsibility for improving literacy skills, but English remains the key driver of this priority. In Year 8 we have constructed two classes of one period a week for each, in addition to regular English classes, where literacy skills are the focus. The class is comprised of students who need their literacy skills developed and extended. These classes have been a success. We have been constructing a story book aimed at a specific target audience; we have written a letter of complaint, using the conventions of business letter writing for a specific audience and purpose, and we are constructing a short biographical text requiring reading, research, note taking, drafting and, proofreading, for length, depth, complexity and clarity of expression. Year 9 is always a massive year. Term one is largely devoted to polishing the large set of skills required for successful NAPLAN performance. Since NAPLAN, our Year 9 teaching has been focussed on implementing the Australian Curriculum through energetic, varied and flexible classroom experiences targeted to individual student needs. A side point worth mentioning is that we have been blessed in all year groups at this school to have a number of Education Assistants present in the classrooms. Having taught at other schools I am acutely aware of how lucky we are to have the support of Education Assistants and they have certainly been appreciated in English. The time required, when conferencing work, helping students with proofreading and developing their thoughts along certain lines and helping students strive for clarity and correctness of expression, is significant. One teacher is stretched at the best of times doing this, and the Assistants have been great. Year 10’s have been working towards their pathways ahead in Upper School and Year 11 Stage One and Two English classes have working hard as this year very quickly moves towards its climax, which is just around the corner, scarily so. The Year 12 Stage Three cohort is respectably strong this year. As Head of Department I have read a range of work from this class and am very impressed with the quality of much of the writing and the clarity and quality of articulation of much of the thought in response to texts and questions. The Stage Threes will be participating in after school revision seminars, at our school later in August and then again in September. Other schools will also be participating using their video conference facilities. Something you can do at home: (please) If your child is working on an assignment in English (and they should be) you should encourage them to do some regular proofreading or drafting in the quiet confines of their room. Time spent at home on work consolidating skills or working on polishing or drafting class work is wisely spent and does contribute to the quality, length and depth of texts created. You might have a look at what they are writing and help them proofread for correctness, relevance to the task and clarity of expression, use of grammar and punctuation. No one is going to judge your child if they cannot develop cold fusion or calculate the path of an asteroid. The world will judge your child however, if they are not at least functionally literate and articulate in the adult world. We take our role in English very seriously and ask that you know what tasks your child is working on at any given time and encourage/coerce/beat them into consolidating skills focussed on in class time by a regular pattern of work at home. One doesn’t have to be “great at English” to benefit from homework. Slow steps can take someone far if the sessions are regular and become a habit. (Marc Ruffell—HOLA English / HASS / LOTE)

The Library has been a buz with guest speakers and lots of displays of fantastic student work including mask making, photography and woodwork. Here is a small selection of masks from Years 8,9 and 10 classes, Semester One. July brings a new lot of books from publishers, so our new book collection has recently had a boost.

RAC Talks (Pictured Right) Walking the Line. Simulated effects of alcohol on motor skills.

Scoliosis (spinal curvature) is an important health problem for adolescent girls. 25 per thousand are at risk of developing a significant curve. Three girls per thousand

require active treatment. National self-detection program for scoliosis runs from July – August. Please see the self detection brochure enclosed with the Newsletter for your daughters in Years 7- 9. Screening this age group is a sound preventative health measure. As part of Year 9 health, school nurses will attend NASHS in Term 3 to run the ‘Core of Life’ program, in conjunction with health teachers. The Core of Life is an innovative, ‘hands on’ pregnancy and parenting program for teens. This research is based on information about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and early parenting to youth and the wider community. Core of Life comprises teams of presenters including midwives and other youth/health/education and community representatives, delivering an education program about the journey to becoming a parent, utilising slide images, video, discussion and role play to portray real life. The programs key aims are— • Encourage increased self confidence in making

informed decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health choices, thus discouraging unplanned teenage pregnancy.

• Improved youth/community connectedness to support active engagement with available pregnancy and parenting support services.

• Foster positive pregnancy and parenting practices thus promoting improved child and family wellbeing outcomes. For more i n fo r ma t i on v i s i t ‘C o r e o f L i f e ’ www.coreoflife.org.au. We are very lucky to be able to run such a wonderful program at NASHS.

The conclusion of last term coincided with drug action week. NASHS hosted a library display with a linked questionnaire – answers to be found in display. Students who participated in the questionnaire received a show bag containing goodies from the ‘Drug Action Week’ campaign. The stall aimed to raise awareness about health harms associated with drugs and alcohol to teenagers, as well as laws regarding the topic.

NASHS SCHOOL NURSE I recently attended a study day from the Cancer Council and even though it is winter, we can still be caught out with high UV index and get burnt! They are promoting a new message as part of sun smart. The old message ‘sit under a tree between 10.00am—3.00pm has now changed. The Cancer Council recommends using sunscreen and other forms of sun protection when there is a UV rating of 3 or more. Download a free app from http://www.bom.gov.au/uv/iphoneapp.shtml to check the UV rating (Bureau of meteorology). Also vitamin D deficiency cannot be caused by wearing sunscreen, but if you are still concerned and want sun exposure, it is only safe when the UV rating is 1 or 2 - sun protection is not required. When the UV rating is 3 or higher it takes as little as 11 minutes to burn! Always use a broad spectrum sunscreen to filter UV light. Recent research proves there is no link suggesting sunscreen causes cancer. The Cancer Council does suggest rub on sunscreens versus spray sunscreens as spray can cause unnecessary inhalation and does not apply evenly. Always check the expiry date of your sunscreen and remember a SPF 30+, broad spectrum sunscreen filters approximately 96.7% of UV radiation – 3% of UV radiation is still causing damage to your skin, so take other precautions. Hope this addition of the NASHS newsletter finds you all safe and well! (Amelia Wake—School Nurse)

CIRCUS QUIRKUS

A big thanks to the Albany business community for donating tickets to NASHS and as a result a number of students attended the performance at the PCYC on Wednesday the 7 August free of charge. Circus Quirkus is a non-animal, family oriented show. It has been created specifically to provide wonderful entertainment for children and families. It comprises local and international performers. Acts included the Zimbabwe Brothers showing the skills of pole climbing, chair balancing and group acrobatics. Traditional circus disciplines of clowning, juggling, acrobatics, contortion and balancing as well as comedy routines. Students from all year groups were selected to attend the circus.

ALBANY ‘KEEPING KIDS IN SCHOOL’ PROGRAM

Our children’s education is vital to their future and the future of our community and attendance at school is a key to their success and learning. It has been proven that any time away from school lessons will impact on children’s learning and education outcomes. One of the biggest obstacles to full school attendance facing students is the temptation to truant from school. The “Keeping Kids in School” campaign in Albany will commence Term 3. It is a community campaign to reduce truancy and improve education and community outcomes. Under ‘Keeping Kids in School’, students can be refused service in local businesses during school hours unless accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Participating businesses will display large posters on their premises issuing this warning. Students without a valid school leave pass will not be served, and schools or local Police may be contacted by the business or businesses concerned. The ‘Keeping Kids in School’ campaign is supported across Albany by the Department of Education, Albany police, the Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the City of Albany – all of whom recognise the importance of school attendance and the value of education. All parents and caregivers are encouraged to reinforce the messages of the Keeping Kids in School campaign – attendance at school is important and the community recognises and supports this. Your help in taking a positive and active role in this campaign is highly valued and appreciated.

Back Row: Shania Gardner, Clayton Pomery, Michaela Barker, Tayla Robinson Front Row: Savannah Hart, Chanese Dodimead and Tahlia Hinks

NASHS Cross Country competitors

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2013 TERM DATES FOR STUDENTS

The new term dates for NASHS students for 2013 are:

School Development (Pupil Free Days) in 2013 for Government schools in the City of Albany are: • Monday, 14 October • Friday, 8 November (Albany Show Day) • Friday, 20 December

2013 COMMENCES ENDS TERM 3 Tues 23 July Fri 27 Sept

Holidays Sat 28 Sept Sun 13 Oct

TERM 4 Tues 15 Oct Thurs 19 Dec

COMMUNITY NOTICES IN OUR NEWSLETTER Throughout our newsletter, NASHS provides these notices as a service to our school community. Please note that this does not mean we endorse these programs/events.

2014 TERM DATES FOR STUDENTS

The new term dates for NASHS students for 2014 are:

School Development (Pupil Free Days) in 2014 for Government schools in the City of Albany are still to be confirmed.

2014 COMMENCES ENDS

TERM 3 Mon 21 July Fri 26 Sept

Holidays Sat 27 Sept Sun 12 Oct

TERM 4 Mon 13 Oct Thurs 18 Dec

Holidays Sat, 5 July Sun, 20 July

TERM 2 Mon, 28 April Fri, 4 July

Holidays Sat, 14 April Sun, 27 April

TERM 1 Mon, 3 February Fri, 11 April

All Albany families have free access to on-demand, online tutoring after school.

Students, use your Albany Public Library card number (membership is free) to access tutors when you have a homework question, would like feedback

on your essay, or are simply ‘stuck’!

Expert Australian tutors after school - no appointments, no travel, no cost to families.

Go to: yourtutor.com.au

English concepts | Essay and report writing feedback | Maths | Biology | Chemistry | Physics | Study

Skills | Assignments and Projects

Year 4 – advanced Year 12 4pm – 8pm

ADULT LEARNERS WEEK MONDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER TO FRIDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER

Adult learners are invited to join us for a ‘Cuppa and a Chat’ during Adult Learners Week. There will be a display showcasing the range of courses and units we have available for you to study. You can also book an appointment to speak with one of our career guidance officers about your training needs, including employability skill development. Please join us on Tuesday, 3rd September between 10am and 2pm, Wednesday, 4th September between 4pm and 6pm or Friday, 6th September between 10am and 12pm. Worklink, Unit 3/15 Peels Place, Albany (behind Centrelink). For further information, please contact our Client Services staff on 9841 7741 or visit our website www.albanyworklink.com.

The Apex Australia Teenage Fashion Awards—Inaugural Albany Heat was held on Saturday, 3 August 2013 at North Albany SHS. NASHS was well represented at this event. Congratulations to Madeline Francis (Year 12) and Layla McPherson (Year 10) who are through to the State Final in the Society and Environment category and Kiara Jasper (Year 8) who is also through to the State Final in the Wearable Art category. The State Final will be held in Perth on Sunday, 22 September 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom. Finalists from all heats will compete in their respective categories. The Society and Environment category allowed students to portray a garment depicting a civilization, a background or surrounding. The Wearable Art section allows students full creative talents to be paraded. Construction and material is left to the imagination of the entrant. We wish our students the best of luck in this event.

Layla McPherson modelling her creation in the Society and Environment category.

Kiara Jasper entered in the Wearable Art category.

Madeline Francis also entered in the Society and Environment category. Her design was modelled by NASHS student, Sarah Michael.

Photographs taken by Jenny Feast

Milarie Dogello (Year 10) and Kirsten Patton (Year 9) entertained the audience.