Principal’s Report

COVID-19 inspired changes: From Wednesday 19th August, additional measures were put in place by the New South Wales Government to combat the potential for COVID-19 to spread in the community and specifically in schools. If your child is sick with a cold or flu-like symptoms: • Keep that child at home. • Have your child tested for COVID-19. • Do not send that child to school until the test results

are known and "negative." • Do not send that child to school until the school has sighted the negative result. This point is the important change. If you need to have your child tested, this can be done at Lightning Ridge Hospital. COVID-19 test results can be sent as an SMS or printed. If your child returns a negative test and is well enough to attend school, you need only show that SMS or present that printed confirmation at the front office to allow that child to return. A reminder that we really are all in this together, please:

Keep washing your hands.

Keep using hand sanitiser.

Keep your social distance.

Science Week: Last week was Science Week. At Tuesday’s secondary assembly Mr Coghlin and Mrs Currey, ably assisted by Cameron Farkas conducted an experiment which saw a chemical reaction take place when metal was heated. I am no scientist, I did not take any sciences when I finished year 12 in 2010, however, even for a person who considers themselves not particularly talented at science, I am aware that science has an impact on me in every aspect of my daily life. One part of science that is particularly important is chemistry and the invention of the lithium-ion battery. The great majority of us, including the young people in our care, make use of lithium-ion batteries virtually every day. Mobile devices including smartphones and laptops are perhaps the most commonly used appliances that are powered by lithium-ion batteries. The electricity interconnector that links South Australia with NSW and Victoria makes possible the sourcing of power to residents of all three states from the world’s largest lithium-ion battery; the Tesla-built, 100 megawatt Hornsdale Energy Reserve, meaning the lights you had on last night or the television you watched may have been powered by a lithium-ion battery located 1519km away. The invention of the Lithium-ion battery is credited to John B. Goodenough and M. Stanley Whittingham from the US, and Akira Yoshino from Japan. All three received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in October 2019 and have seriously changed for the better the way in which we live. Australia is at the forefront of pioneering efforts to develop the next generation of lithium-based batteries; the lithium-sulphur battery.

2020 School Newsletter now available online via our Skoolbag App and

website on www.lightningr-c.school.nsw.edu.au

Principal: Mr Richard Finter

Primary Deputy Principal: Mrs Jane Miles

Secondary Deputy Principal: Mrs Margaret Morriss

LIGHTNING RIDGE CENTRAL SCHOOL

Term 3, Week 6, 2020

PO Box 294, Kaolin Street Lightning Ridge NSW 2834 T 02 6829 0511 F 02 6829 0137 E lightningr-c.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Join us on

Last Day Term 3

Fri 25th Sept

Students to bring their

own water / drink bottle

Uniform Shop

Monday and Thursday

8:30 am to 9:00am

National Indigenous

Literacy Day

Wed 2nd Sept

Father’s Day Stall

Tue 1st - Fri 4th Sept

Year 8 Geography

Narran Lake Excursion

Tue 1st Sept

School Photos

Tue 15th - Wed 16th Sept

Walk Safely To School

Day

Fri 11th Sept

T420 Laptop Payments

Due

Fri 4th Sept

mailto:lightningr-c.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Continued,

In January this year, a team of scientists at Monash University announced that they had developed the

world’s most efficient lithium-sulphur battery, capable of powering a smartphone for five continuous days.

In a nutshell, Monash University researchers Australian researchers are on the brink of commercialising

the world’s most efficient lithium-sulphur (Li-S) battery. Early testing suggests such batteries could

outperform lithium-ion batteries by more than four times. They have the potential to power a large electric

family car more than a 1,000km. It’s only 715km from Lightning Ridge to Sydney so you will comfortably

get there. In a world where our TVs are crammed with “reality” shows featuring bachelors and

bachelorettes seeking partners, food cook-offs and housing renovations

full of ugly confrontations; a world in which social media platforms

seemingly seek to raise to ever new heights the patently mundane and

downright frivolous isn’t it good to know that there is science as a

counterpoint? Science: a real defence against all of the dross. It is so

good to know that there are people – scientists – prepared to take a

ride on the shoulders of the many who have gone before them to make

daily existence so very much easier for the rest of us, and increase the

great and expanding catalogue of human knowledge.

Thanks, scientists and science!

Secondary Deputy Principal’s Report Trial exams are currently being held for Year 12 students as they near their HSC

examinations in October. All Year 12 students are required to attend all classes up

until the end of term. During this time valuable revision, exam preparation and

completing exam papers will occur. All Year 12 students must attend every day–

remember ‘Every Day Counts’.

Year 11 students will be sitting their Yearly Examination during Week 10 of this

term. We wish all senior students luck with their examination results.

There will be a focus on attendance and arriving on time to school in the coming weeks. Secondary

students must arrive at school for a 8:40am start. Some students are missing out on valuable learning

time as they frequently arrive late to school. Arriving on to time to work is an essential part of working life

and our young adults need to learn this necessary fee trait.

Laptop fees are due in Week 7, those students who received a Blue Opal have their laptop fee waived.

Parents will have received an invoice recently, please pay the fee at the office. Shortly laptops will be

collected if the fee has not been paid, once the fee is paid the laptop will be returned to the student.

During Week 7 students in Year 8 will be visiting the Narran Lakes to explore the local catchment area

and learn about the economic, cultural and environmental use of water in the local area. Thanks to

Mr Nixon for organising the local excursion for the day.

During week 7 some students in Year 11 will be completing their work placement hours for Primary

Industries. Mrs Currey will be escorting and assessing the students while they work on properties around

the local area. Each day students will attend a different property and demonstrated their Primary

Industries skills. Thanks to Mrs Currey for organising these events.

Secondary staff and students have been attending fortnightly 15 minute assemblies. This enables us to

publicly recognise our students who have achieved awards such as Bronze, Silver and Blue O.P.A.L

certificates.

Last week was Science week and our

Science department demonstrated some

experiments with the very capable

Cameron as the Science assistant. Mrs

Currey & Mr Coughlin made toothpaste

and produced a gas which inflated a

balloon. The audience were asked

questions testing their science

knowledge.

Library Report I hope everyone had a fantastic Mid Term Break. It has been a

very busy two weeks in the library with adding an additional day

to homework club and catching up on the growing ‘to add’ pile

in the library office.

Along with sorting and labelling the books that students K-12 will be

receiving on September 2nd from the Indigenous Literacy

Foundation (ILF). Why September 2nd? Because that is National

Indigenous Literacy Day, which is a national celebration of

Indigenous culture, stories, language and literacy. Who are the ILF? The ILF is

supported by the Australian Publishers Association, the Australian Booksellers

Association, the Australian Society of Authors and the Children’s Book Council of

Australia. Its team of ambassadors, volunteers and seven full-time staff get no

government support or major corporate funding to run their core programs, which give

away tens of thousands of new books annually, run literacy projects and organise

major fundraising events, including Indigenous Literacy Day. Working with more than

30 generous publishers, they gift engaging, culturally relevant books to schools,

libraries, playgroups, women's centres, youth centres and other service organisations

that use the books in different ways. So far they have gifted more than 440,000 new

books to over 400 remote Indigenous communities, with plans to gift another 98,000

books in 2020. To do our part to help promote Indigenous literacy, I have been

working on putting an Aboriginal Flag sticker on books in the library that are

written by, are about or cover themes about Indigenous Australians and their

lives. Many of our students have commented on how much easier it is for them

to find books about people like them. It is my hope that as the books go back to

the shelves in coming weeks they will continue to be easy to find and will stand

out on our shelves. To add to this we also have extended the time we have had

our NAIDOC Week Display up, with books focusing on the theme Always Was,

Always Will Be.

Turtle Draw Winners:

Week 4 Week 5

Kindergarten: Arly Seaton ES1P Kindergarten: Skye Latimer ES1P

Stage 1: Isabella Pavy S1B Stage 1: Cara Pavlic S1Y

Stage 2: Caitlin Wallace S2H Stage 2: Charlotte McFadden S2H

Stage 3: Bernadette Troutman S3B Stage 3: Kaylee Whitty S3B

Book Week Trivia Contest

With Book Week being postponed until Term 4, I have decided to run a bit of a “Trivia” contest each

newsletter until our Book Week Celebration. Each newsletter there will be a question for each Stage,

the student with the most correct answers from each stage will be given a $20 voucher to spend at the

Book Fair. We have broken questions into Stages to be fair to all students and to target questions to

their typical reading level.

Thank you to the students who had a crack at last weeks challenge.

Kindergarten Year 1 and 2

In Saved what sport does Kangaroo play? Who wrote Our Home, Our Heartbeat?

Year 3 and 4 Year 5 and 6

Who wrote One Rule for Jack? Who is the main character in Urban Hunters?

Year 7 and 8

Where on the shelf would you find Dreamtime Stories?

Year 9 and 10

Where on the shelf would you find Sally’s Story?

Year 11 and 12

Who wrote The Rabbit Proof Fence?

Worth your Weight in Opal

Arthur Langmead ES1P

Arthur was nominated by Miss Elliot for achievement and citizenship.

Worth your Weight in Opal

Zane Gough S1B

Zane was nominated by Miss Elliot for effort and improvement.

Worth your Weight in Opal

Shalay Brack S2F

Shalay was nominated by Mrs Caley for being an independent worker who is

always prepared to support less confident classmates. Thank you, Shalay.

Worth your Weight in Opal

Kyemma Hooper-Bolton S3C

Kyemma was nominated by Miss Elliot for effort. Well done, Kyemma!

Worth your Weight in Opal

Brendan Mahoney MC1P

Brendan was nominated by Miss Elliot for citizenship. Well done, Brendan!

Worth your Weight in Opal

Charli McCabe Year 8

Charli was nominated by Ms Abbott for always working hard and being a cheerful influence on her class.

Worth your Weight in Opal

Byron James Year 8

Byron was nominated by Mr MacLean for maintaining his commitment to his

Aikido and showing great focus in class.

Secondary PBL Focus

If you need to get a message to

your child please contact the

school office by 2:30pm.

Thankyou!

mungin = mosquito

With all the rain, and the weather warm-ing up, we might soon hear the sound of mungin at night.

Primary PBL Focus

Stage 3 Report

S3Culgoa

S3C have been learning about units in Mathematics.

This maths lesson was a bit difficult and challenging. We were exploring the properties of a meter

cubed. We had to make a meter cube out of rolled newspapers and tape. My team nearly succeeded

but one part fell down.

Imigen Hayes.

S3Bokhara

During Science we have been learning about different types of energy sources such as non renewable

energy and renewable energy. Non renewable energy is energy that takes millions of years to make and

when you run out there is no more left for a very long time.

We talked about the process of how fossil fuels were made; living organisms that died and dropped

down to the bottom of ancient oceans. In time, layers of mud and rock stacked on top of these dead

organisms. After many years of pressure and heat they became what we know as fossil fuels today.

Renewable energy is energy that can be constantly renewed.

Paxton Kaluski.

S3Narran

S3N have been studying a novel called Holes.

Each week we read 5 chapters of the novel and then complete a

range of literacy based activities. The class have been focusing on

the figurative language, themes, character analysis, plot,

and opinion writing within the novel.

Students in our class have been learning how to play the glockenspiel this term.

The glockenspiel is a small percussion instrument that looks like a xylophone

without legs. To create a sound you have to hit the notes with a stick that is called

a mallet. When you hit the right notes the glockenspiel is meant to make a really

nice sound. Our class is still learning so it doesn’t always sounds nice.

We enjoy the glockenspiel as it is a really fun instrument to play!

Sharlize Masters and Rheana Constantino.

Secondary Studies Food Technology

During their practical lesson Stage 5 Food Technology class prepared a

strawberry frappe. The ingredients included crushed strawberries, caster

sugar, honey and ice, which were then placed into a blender and crushed

for one and a half minutes.

The frappes were served in a tall milkshake cup and thoroughly enjoyed by

the students and Mr Finter.

The class all described them as “yum”.

Primary Industries and Agriculture

Stage 6 Primary Industries and Stage 5 Agriculture students have

gained practical hands-on sheep management experience by

looking after Merino wethers for six months in preparation for a

two-day competition in Dubbo during August. Due to the current

Covid restrictions this was unable to take place, so our LRCS

team created a video of their journey, which can be viewed via

our Facebook page.

The 2020 School Merino Wether Challenge in NSW is the biggest one yet of this annual competition

organised by the NSW Stud Merino Breeders' Association. The initiative aims to educate and

engage students on the commercial production of Merino sheep by giving them a memorable ‘hands

on’ experience covering a broad range of sheep and wool production skills.

PCYC After-School Activities

Lightning Ridge Central School students have commenced the 8-week multi-sport program being run in

partnership with the PCYC in both Term 3 and Term 4 this year. For one hour, once a week, students

from K-4 and years 5-12 are participating in programs designed to keep kids active and build skills in a

number of sports.

Many Parents/Caregivers have utilised the NSW Governments Active Kids Vouchers and the continuing

positive response to keep our students active has been overwhelming.

During Week 5 Active Kids afternoon, Years k-4 thoroughly enjoyed their mini Olympics session.