Principal: Phil Fitzsimons 8532 1788 – Chairperson Governing Council: David Watson 0416 201 488

Murray Bridge High School

It is through working together, with respect, that we can achieve excellence

Excellence, Respect and Working Together Tel: 8532 1788 Fax: 8532 5335 Email: dl.0785.info@schools.sa.edu.au www.murraybridgehs.sa.edu.au

From the Principal Phil Fitzsimons

Welcome back to term 2. I trust all students and their families had a pleasant Easter holiday break.

Student Achievement One of the strategic directions for the school is Excellence in Learning with a

particular focus on celebrating student success. In term 1 I was pleased to

see high levels of student achievement. The table below indicates the

number of A grades students achieved in each of the year levels. It should

be noted that students in Year 8 – 11 have seven subjects and in Year 12 four subjects.

Year Level 4 or more A Grades received – formative result

Year 8 22

Year 9 15

Year 10 16

Year 11 8

3 or more A Grades received – formative result

Year 12 5

On Tuesday, 6 May, morning tea will be held for these students to recognise

their achievements.

At the end of this term the school will be introducing a new concept to

acknowledge the academic success of our students with a formal assembly

to be staged in Week 10. Students achieving academic success of 4 or

more A grades in Years 8-11 and 3 or more A grades in Year 12 will have their achievements formally acknowledged with a medallion and a certificate.

Parents and family will be invited to this assembly as well.

Attendance Data I applaud parents and staff for their efforts in supporting students to value

the importance of attending school every day. Over the last 4 years the rate

of student attendance has steadily improved. However, all year levels are still well short of the 93% target rate the school has set itself as being

acceptable.

Attendance by Year

Level

% Attendance

2011 2012 2013 2014 -

Term1

Year 8 88.2 87.8 90.0 90.3

Year 9 83.1 86.7 86.7 83.9

Year 10 86.7 84.6 86.5 86.4

Year 11 80.4 87.2 88.9 87.0

Year 12 83.1 87.1 90.4 90.5

Total all Year Levels 84.2 86.6 88.5 87.6

TERM 2, Week 2 – 5 May 2014

Staffing

At the end of last term we farewelled Ms Angela

Embling. This term we welcome back Ms Amra Causevic

from maternity leave.

NAPLAN

In Week 3 of this term all Year 9 students will undertake

the NAPLAN tests over a period of 3 days. Like

previous years, the school encourages all students to

achieve their personal best. While there is considerable

political debate over the NAPLAN and the subsequent

political point scoring over the information presented on

the My School website, my belief has always been that

the information gathered from the NAPLAN results

benefits the teachers, parents/caregivers and the students

through an identification process of the student’s

strengths and weaknesses. Teachers use this data in

their curriculum planning and as part of the school’s

approach to improving the numeracy and literacy

outcomes for all students.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

On 6th and 7th May all parents and caregivers are invited

to attend the interview evening with their student’s

teachers. These evenings are valued highly by the school

and are a wonderful opportunity to get to know your

student’s teachers and discuss your student’s progress.

If you are unable to attend on the evening, teachers are

always willing to meet at another suitable time.

Student Uniform

As winter fast approaches parents and caregivers are

reminded of the need to ensure that their student

maintains the correct full school uniform every day at

school. A reminder that the wearing of hooded jumpers,

leggings and blue denim jeans is not part of the school

dress code. I ask that all families support this policy, as

has been predominantly the case for this year.

Enjoy reading this week’s Newsletter.

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

2

Year 8/9 Aboriginal Students Camp at

Woodhouse by ATSI class and Brooke Goyne

On Wednesday, 26th of March the Year 8 and 9 Aboriginal

students of Murray Bridge High School left for a three day

camp at Woodhouse. During the camp the students were

divided into two teams called the Kangaroos and the Koalas

so that everyone could get to know each other and make

new friends. The students participated in a variety of

activities including laser skirmish, challenge hill, cooking, quiz

night and painting a boomerang. In our free time we played

ping pong, football and taught each other some important

words in different Aboriginal languages.

We slept in bunk bed cabins and had to do our own dishes

after each meal. On the final night of the camp we had a

group discussion, where we shared information about our

cultural identity and if we knew where our names come

from. We had a fantastic time, challenged ourselves to try new things and made some new friends.

Year 9 Excursion to the Botanic Gardens by Tayla Groves, Mollie Thulborn and Cody Sinkinson

On Wednesday, 9th of April, the Year 9 Cultural Studies class

travelled down to Adelaide to visit the Botanic Gardens. The

students went on an Aboriginal plant trail. On the trail they

learnt about the different uses that trees can have, such as

food, clothes, tools, medicine, transport tools, shelter and glue.

There was a different variety of uses. Also on the trail they got

to imagine what life was like before the Europeans.

Mr Miles: “Hopefully students can take this knowledge and use it

in their everyday lives by thinking about sustainability and looking

after the earth and its plants and animals.”

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

3

AFL Aboriginal Academy by Miranda Mulder

Congratulations Shaun Tyas!

Shaun has been accepted into the AFL Aboriginal Academy

(AAA). This Academy is based at Alberton Oval and has been

created in partnership with SAASTA and the Port Adelaide

Football Club. 30 students from around the state have been

chosen to take part. Students will attend the Academy one day

a week for 40 weeks where they will have access to all of Port

Adelaide’s staff and training facilities. Part of the program also

involves the participants completing Certificate III in Sport and

Recreation. If completed successfully, this certificate can provide

50 SACE credits. We are very excited for Shaun and wish him

well!

SAASTA Certificate III Sport and Recreation by Sherry Bone

Once again this year the SAASTA team will be attending three

one week blocks at Regency TAFE to complete requirements for

the Certificate III in Sport & Recreation.

The first block was held in Week 11, Term 1 and again the

students who attended embraced the opportunity to study in an

adult learning environment. Students attended both practical

and theory based subjects including, organise personal work

priorities and development, respond to emergency situations,

provide customer service and undertake risk analysis.

Students also had the chance to improve their football skills and

tactics with excellent coaching and teaching from some of the

most experienced lecturers on campus.

The SAASTA team was also the first group of students to trial

the TAFE’s new high ropes course. This challenging course was

completed by all members of the team with flying colours.

Evenings were also jam packed with activities including making

pizzas and hamburgers for dinner in the TAFE kitchen and an

excursion to West Lakes for a well-earned shopping trip!

Well done to all students who attended the block, you did an amazing job.

Shaun with Paul Vandenbergh from Port Adelaide Football Club

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

4

Stone Carving Experience by Goran Yakas

During Term 1 of this year, our Year 8, 9 and 10 Visual

Arts students were given an opportunity to express their

ideas in stone; limestone to be precise.

After sharpening their skills and exploring the medium in a

number of introductory workshops, the students set about

designing and developing their own sculptures.

Dressed for the occasion in overcoats and sporting safety

glasses, they set about pounding, grinding, drilling, sanding,

rasping, eroding and smoothing the stone into their person

vision.

Their efforts have been rewarded with some spectacular

results, some which are displayed in the school and some will go on to be displayed around the community.

Congratulations

To Kedeisha Kartinyeri and

Brad Wright who were

selected into the 2014

Australian U18 National

Basketball teams.

The Championships were held in Canberra between 10th

and 17th of April.

Kedeisha reports back that they played games for 7 days

against every state in Australia. The Girls team made the

top 4 and finished in 3rd place with a bronze medal and

the boys finished 9th.

The National Young Leaders Day – 2014 by Brendan Watts

On Thursday 27th March, the Halogen Foundation

Australia presented the National Young Leaders Day at

the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Phea-Jae Gage,

Reece Waltrovitz, Courtney Afford and Bianca Howell

represented the school at this event, listening to a

series of motivational speakers including Daniel Flynn

(A co-founder of Thankyou), Anneka Deaton (Airforce

Pilot) and a lady who has climbed Mount Everest.

There were also opportunities for the students to

interact with the speakers and other organisations and

tertiary institutions who provided information about

courses, programs and extra-curricular activities that

they offered. The theme for the day was “I am

somebody”, implying that if somebody needs to do

something to make the world into a better – we are all

“Somebody”.

The students attending were great ambassadors for the

school and all came away positively motivated.

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

5

Karoonda Farm Fair Success by Ian Howard

Murray Bridge High School students swept the board again in

this year’s wool handling competition at the Karoonda Farm

Fair with a first and third placing. Tom Daniel, Courtney Afford

and Hayley Vardon worked quickly and with precision to take

out first prize of $250 and the trophy. Michael Verrall, Nikia

Heaven and Jennifer Whitehead took out third prize. The

other two teams also performed admirably but were unplaced.

The students competed against 12 other teams from schools across the state.

Drumbeat Performance at The Station By Luke Wilson

During Term 1 a selected group of Year 8 students attended

the Drumbeat Program. Once a week the group had a

session where they learnt various life skills which included

working as a team, developing their confidence and playing

some fantastic beats!! After 10 weeks of teamwork it

accumulated into a performance at ‘The Station’ to help

celebrate Youth Week. The students spoke in front of the

crowd as well as performed on the Drums. The whole

performance was a huge success and the students were very

excited over their efforts.

LM Trade Training Centre Update By Greg Fulwood

National White Card Training (NWC)

The LMTTC has run two training sessions in Term 1 for NWC

training. 39 students and trainees together with 4 staff have so

far completed the training and received their White Card.

This is a Nationally Accredited Unit and a mandatory

requirement by law for anyone interested in the Construction

Industry to do Work Experience or Structured Workplace

Learning, to be employed, carry out any type of construction

work or enter any construction site for any purpose. The NWC

training develops basic skills in relation to Work Health & Safety

and the obligations and requirements associated with it.

We have a fully booked training session scheduled for Tuesday

20th May and another training day scheduled for Friday 27th June

which is filling fast.

Anyone interested in NWC training can contact Greg Fulwood

at the LMTTC on 0411 657 105.

Electro Technology

During the last two weeks of Term 1 the trainees have been

working in the Multi Trades Workshop (formerly the Polymer

workshop in the Skill Centre). They are learning the art of sheet

metal work under the guidance of their Trainer Mr John Davis of

TAFESA.

They have put their new found skills to making storage boxes for

the multitude of hand tools available for their use in this

workshop.

Doorways to Construction

Beginning this Term the trainees will be starting their largest

project for the year. They will be constructing a timber framed

extension to the southern end of the Pedal Prix shed joining

onto the side of the Little Athletics storage shed.

The construction will enable the trainees to use many skills from

digging foundations and site preparation and concreting to stud

work, door, window framing and roofing.

The site work for the new extension

will be carried out towards the end

of week 1 with the trainees working

on site from week 2 onwards. The

site will be easily recognisable with

bollards and bunting surrounding the

perimeter. Please feel free to

observe, but only from a distance for safety reasons.

L-R: Teacher Ian Howard, students Courtney, Tom, and

Hayley and Graham Buchanan and Bob Reid from

TAFESA

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

6

Workplace Practices by Laurice Braithwaite

On Thursday, 3rd April, Mr Brenton Lewis, Chief Executive of

the Murraylands Regional Development Board addressed the

Stage 1 Workplace Practices class about the future of local

employment.

He informed students which new regional employment

opportunities, especially in the food Industry, should be

available in the next couple of years and advised them on

how they could choose a future in an area of choice for

either the long or short term.

His advice to “start at the bottom” and “work hard at what

you do” was followed by positive examples of where this

could lead to, such as further education and managerial

positions.

Mr Lewis also offered to discuss work issues with any

student who wished to contact him. Students appreciated

the time he took to spend with the class, the talk and the

general nature of the information supplied.

CFS Fundraiser by Natasha Bourke & Tahlia Hills

We are currently studying SACE Stage 2 Community Studies.

For this subject we decided to raise money for our local CFS.

We have already organised two fundraisers one which was held

on Sports Day and the other on the 2nd of April (Casual Day).

Sports Day - 7th of March we held our CFS stall where we sold

bottles of water for $1 and bags of lollies which were 50c or $1.

We sold out of the lollies at about 12pm but did not manage to

sell all the water. We sold about 82 bottles of water. We also

walked around with a donation bucket and collected around

$60 in donations.

Casual Day - 2nd of April we held our CFS Casual Day, asking

the students and teachers to wear the CFS colours which are

red, green and yellow. We still had water left over from our

sports day fundraiser so we decided to sell the water for $1.

We also had a donation bucket sitting on the table where we

raised about $50. Selling the water we raised about $20. With

the support of people dressing up on the day we were able to

raise about $130.

Easter Prize Draw by Lisa Riley, CPSW

The prize for our Easter draw

held last term was a 900gm

chocolate Easter bunny! 150

students and staff entered the

draw by answering 3 questions

about the history of Easter. The

winner was Liviya Hobbs in Year

10. Congratulations Liviya, I’m

sure lots of people helped you

enjoy your prize!

Thanks go to the Murray Bridge Churches for donating

the chocolate bunny, the SSO counter staff for helping

people with the draw answers and to Mr Geiger for

drawing the winning entry.

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

7

Sammy D Foundation - Partywise Workshop by Doug Gray, Year 10 Coordinator and Jo Heward, ILC

On Tuesday 8th April, 40 plus Year 10 students from MBHS and

33 students from the ILC attended this workshop held at The

Station, as part of Youth Week. The program was presented by

Headspace in collaboration with Communities for Children.

Sam Davis was a 17 year old footballer who died after being

coward punched in the back of the head at a party, almost six

years ago. The Sammy D Foundation was set up in his honour to

help students to understand the implications of poor decision

making and how they can be life changing.

Sam’s dad Neil spoke about Sam, including life before and after

the night that claimed Sam’s life and the impact on the whole

family. Students were given information about Drugs and

Alcohol and two students (Livi Hobbs and Luke Prentice) were

involved in a simulated demonstration about the effects of

alcohol, using “drunk goggles”. Students then split into groups to

workshop some strategies for dealing with party scenarios and

reported back to the whole group. Overall the session was very

informative, relevant and hopefully everyone who attended will

think about the impact of choices they make, particularly when it

comes to partying. No-one will forget Sam Davis.

We would like to congratulate all the students from the ILC and

MBHS who attended on their excellent behaviour.

Motor Accident Commission / SAPOL

Presentations by Barb Quast

As you are all no doubt well aware, there have been a

number of serious accidents affecting our student cohort

over the last three months. One was a fatal accident. As a

result we invited SAPOL and the MAC to come to the

school on Monday April 7th to conduct two sessions with our

senior students. The first was directed at the Year 11 group

and focused on the “Fatal Five” leading causes of road

accidents among this age group: fatigue, alcohol and drugs,

peer pressure, risk-taking and speed. The presenter was a

member of SAPOL, and the session was interactive and

involved the students in discussions.

The second session was directed towards the Year 12 group

and included some of the same messages but also focused

on “Getting Home Safely” as this is the group, many of

whom are now legally able to drink.

Mr Noel Kneebone, father of Molly an ex-student of MBHS

who was killed in December 2013 asked to be part of those

presentations, and provided a really powerful message to our

senior school student group by bringing the issue very close

to home and making it personal. We hope that by becoming

pro-active we can get our student cohort thinking about the

risks and dangers inherent in being drivers, and prevent the

tragedies that we have seen in recent months.

Parents and Friends Report by Tracey Cregan

On Tuesday, 25th of March we held our AGM which

resulted in several new parents joining the committee.

The new committee now consists of:-

Chairperson - Tracey Cregan

Deputy Chair - Narrelle Roe-Simons

Secretary - Brendan Watts

Treasurer - Ruth Mussger

General Members - Cheyne Howard, Carol Kruschel,

Sam Dowling, Tracey Long, David

Watson, Kerry Daniel, Codi

Miegel and Rosalie Nethercott,

and Phil Fitzsimons.

Unfortunately our egg and bacon fundraising BBQ held on

Election Day outside the school gym was not as successful

as we had hoped it would be, but I would like to thank

Keith and Rose Simmons, Donna Pearce, Ruth Mussger,

Brendan Watts, Phil Fitzsimons and Luke Johnson for

volunteering their time.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 20th May 6pm – 7pm

in the staff room. If you are interested in being a part of

the P&F and couldn’t get to the AGM you are more than

welcome to attend any of our meetings.

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

8

Youth Opportunities celebrates another

successful term! By Stuart Kenny, Student Counsellor

and Youth Opportunities School Based Coordinator.

Murray Bridge High School, in partnership with Youth

Opportunities SA, has successfully delivered the Personal

Leadership Program for 18 Year 10 students throughout Term

1 of this year. This program is conducted for one day per

week over the course of the term in an adult learning

environment. Each Monday these 18 students attended

Murray Bridge TAFE to experience the many beneficial aspects

of the program.

For those unfamiliar with the organisation, the program and its

relationship with Murray Bridge High School; Youth

Opportunities is a not for profit organisation working in

partnership with schools to help young people realise their

potential. They provide Personal Leadership Programs for

selected Year 10 students and mentoring for graduates until

they leave school. Murray Bridge High School has delivered

the program since 2005, currently running one program per

term, in term’s 1, 2 and 3 this year.

Murray Bridge High School is changing the culture of the school

and the lives of young people by providing Year 10 students

with the chance to participate in the Youth Opportunities

Personal Leadership Program. The program has been created

to empower them with the skills and knowledge necessary to

make positive life changes and choices and to create successful

and happy lives despite their circumstances. South Australian

schools have observed improved student behaviour, increased

student achievement and decreased harassment and bullying as

a direct result of its programs.

Students initially apply to participate in the program through an

interview, with successful applicants establishing goals relating to

how they wish to grow and develop as an individual and a

leader throughout the program. Students then set about

achieving their goals utilising stories and lessons conveyed via

animated DVD lessons and facilitated discussion.

While this is occurring within the group, individual students

are taken out to receive one to one coaching to specifically

tailor the program principles to the goals they have for their

lives.

Students commence the program in many cases shy and

inward and emerge as confident and outgoing young adults.

Many are bursting with promise, but lacking in direction, only

to come away with the skills and desire to harness their ability

and fulfil their potential. Upon completion of the program,

graduates also receive a certificate of completion, a reference

and achieve 10 credits towards their SACE.

The term culminated with the Graduation Ceremony held on

Wednesday, 9th of April (Week 10, Term 1), attended by the

families and friends of the 18 graduates, the Principal and

Deputy Principal of Murray Bridge High School, Murray Bridge

High School staff and members of the community, including

former President of the Rotary Club of Murray Bridge Mr

John Scarvelis and Director of RALY Stephen Walker, also

from the Rotary Club of Murray Bridge.

Congratulations must go to all students who graduated - you

performed extremely well, spoke confidently, presented

yourselves in an incredibly positive manner and provided great

testimony to the Personal Leadership Program. A special

thank you must go to Doug Gray, Year 10 Coordinator at

Murray Bridge High School, for his kind and thoughtful words

at the Graduation. Also, a very special thank you must go to

Hayley Nielsen (MBHS staff member) and Tom Cleland

(Youth Opportunities Senior Trainer) for working tirelessly

with these students to ensure they were given the greatest

opportunity to meet their goals and develop as young people.

For more information on how you can support or have your

child be involved in the ongoing success of the program at

Murray Bridge High School, please visit our website at

www.youthopportunites.asn.au or contact myself, Stuart

Kenny (Student Counsellor and Youth Opportunities School

Based Coordinator) on 8532 1788 or email

Stuart.Kenny876@schools.sa.edu.au

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

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Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

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Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 5 May 2014

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DATES TO REMEMBER

TERM 2

Tuesday & Wednesday 6 & 7 May

Parent/Teacher Interviews 3.30 – 7.30pm

Friday, 9 May

Careers Expo – Murray Bridge Showgrounds

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 13 – 15 May

NAPLAN TEST

Tuesday, 13 May

Finance Committee – 5.30pm

Monday, 19 May

STUDENT FREE DAY

Tuesday, 20 May

Parents and Friends – 6.00pm

Governing Council – 7.00pm

Sunday & Monday 25 & 26 May

Careers Expo – Adelaide Convention Centre

Thursday, 29 May

Year 8 Immunisations

Friday, 6 June

Year 11 Production – 7.00pm

Monday, 9 June

QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY

Tuesday, 10 June

STUDENT FREE DAY

Thursday, 12 June

Maths Apps external exam

Monday – Friday, 16-20 June

Year 11/12 Exams

Tuesday, 17 June

Finance Committee – 5.30pm

Tuesday, 24 June

Parents and Friends – 6.00pm

Governing Council – 7.00pm

Wednesday, 25 June

Year 9 Immunisations

Music Showcase – Drama Workshop

Wednesday, 2 July

Youth Opportunities Graduation – 3.3pm

Friday, 4 July

Last day of Term 2 – 2pm dismissal

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES AND GIVE BLOOD

The Blood Service is visiting the John Dohler Hall, 31 Swanport Road, Murray Bridge on:

Tuesday 6 May 12.00 noon to 7.00 pm

Wednesday 7 May 11.00 am to 7.30 pm

Thursday 8 May 11.00 am to 7.30 pm

Friday 9 May 7.30 am to 3.00 pm

If you already haven’t made an appointment to give blood you can call us on 13 14 95

Before you donate eat something, drink 4 good-sized glasses of water and bring photo ID.

Do you want to assist your children with their school work? Are your reading, writing and maths skills a little rusty?

TAFE SA can help you!

Contact us to find out how; you may even be eligible for free accredited training. *Conditions apply.

TAFE SA Murray Bridge Contact: Peta Gregory Contact Number: 8535 6571