Murray Bridge High School · Joy, Jayde Kennedy, Emilio Macerola, Emily Paech, Courtney Ribbons, Carley Roesler YEAR 11 ... Australian folk to modern day pop tunes such as ‘Happy’

Principal: Phil Fitzsimons 8532 1788 – Chairperson Governing Council: Keith Simmons 0407 396 749

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

Murray Bridge High School

Excellence, Respect and Working Together Tel: 8532 1788 Fax: 8532 5335 Email: [email protected] Website: www.murraybridgehs.sa.edu.au

From the Principal Phil Fitzsimons

Welcome back to Term 3. I trust all students and their families had a

pleasant holiday break.

Staffing in Term 3

I would like to inform the school community that Ruth Mussger has won the

Deputy Principal position at Murray Bridge High School for the next 5 years.

Ruth will have a strong focus on developing curriculum in the area of Science

Technology Engineering and Mathematics over her tenure.

Michael Stratfold has been permanently employed as the Science and

Information Technology teacher along with Simon Roos-Freeman (previously

at Peterborough High School) who won the Work Education/Geography

position. I hope to be in the position to announce a number of further

permanent teacher appointments in the next newsletter.

Stacy Frogley and Hayley Nielsen returned to school last week following their

12 months maternity leave.

Funabashi High School

Students from Funabashi High School, and their teacher arrived at Murray

Bridge High School earlier this week after their flight from Japan. This is the

17th visit to Murray Bridge High School and over the next 2 weeks the

students will work with Lauren Haggis and Helen Peake improving their

English and learning more about our fabulous culture. More information

about their visit will appear in the next newsletter.

Domestic Violence Awareness

This Friday, 31 July Murray Bridge High School will play its role in supporting

the River Murray Football league and the River Murray Netball Association by

“saying no” to Domestic Violence by wearing white. All staff and students

are encouraged to wear white to school and take a stand by not turning a

blind eye to Domestic Violence.

To support this cause further there will be a students versus staff football

game at lunchtime on the main oval; white ribbon will be available for

students and staff to wear while SRC and Parents and Friends will hold a

sausage sizzle throughout lunch.

TERM 3, Week 2 – 27 July 2015

CALENDAR

TERM 3

Mon, 27 July Funabashi students arrive

Mon-Fri – 27-31 July Year Work Experience

Thu, 30 July Australian Maths Competition

Tue, 4 Aug Finance Committee – 4.30pm

Wed, 5 Aug MASA Quiz Night

Sat, 8 Aug Funabashi students depart

Sun, 9 Aug – Sun 16 Aug Ski Trip

Mon-Fri – 10-14 Aug Year 10 Work Experience

Tue, 11 Aug Parents & Friends – 5.30pm

Governing Council – 7pm

Wed, 19 Aug LMTTC VET Taster Day

Mon/Tue, 24-25 Aug Subject Course Counselling

1.30-7.30pm

Thu, 27 Aug Subject Course Counselling

1.30-7.30pm

Fri, 4 Sep SCHOOL CLOSURE – SHOW DAY

Tue, 8 Sep Finance Committee – 4.30pm

Tue, 15 Sep Parents & Friends – 5.30pm

Governing Council – 7pm

Sat/Sun 19-20 Sep Pedal Prix Murray Bridge

Thu, 24 Sep Youth Opps Graduation – 3.30pm

Fri, 25 Sep Last day of Term 3 – 2pm dismissal

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

2

Culture of Success Assemblies for Semester 1 by Helen Peake

During Week 1 assemblies were held to acknowledge the academic

achievements of students in the various year levels for Semester 1.

On Wednesday 22nd Year 8 and 9 students were congratulated for

their excellent academic efforts while on Thursday 23rd students in

Years 10, 11 and 12 received their medallions and certificates.

Congratulations go to the following students:

YEAR 8

Gold

Demi Jenner, Aidan Morrell, Angello Deionno, Tegan Afford, Madi

Jones

Silver

Keefe Dela Cruz, Lachlan Young, Hayley Gray, Gen Gregory, Darcy

Kleinig, Willow Schenscher, Brock Smith, Keelin Solley, Benjamin

Wohlfeil

Bronze

Lawson Jolly, Madison Kruschel, Ronald Mafara, Jacob Morrison, Ellen

Pahlia, Tamika Pitcher, Toby Watson, Brianna Williss

YEAR 9

Gold

Chloe Elliott, Abbey Kruschel, Olivia Richards, Meg Daniel, Paris

Holland-Long, Jayme-Lee McKay, Sophie Meers

Silver

Angela Bensch, Zayrelle Dimaano, Zyrill Dumlao, Katisha Elder,

Mikayla Folley, Abigail Groocock, Nikki Madula, Tasma Schutz, Chloe-

Marie Wedding

Bronze

Alev Erkoc, Todd Fullston, Milaina Gregory, Jess Hattam, Chelsea

Rickaby

YEAR 10

Gold

Breigh Angove, Joshua Davis, Annarose Deionno, Taylah Edwards,

Sarah Groocock, Tiana Pickering

Silver

Xsara Burns-Whenan, Shanna Collins, Gemma Kleinig, Britt Liebich,

Claire Neal, Jarrod Pica, Rhianna Wohlfeil

Bronze

Taylor Bartlett, Peggy Constant, Chelsea Curd, Emma Deutscher, Jade

Joy, Jayde Kennedy, Emilio Macerola, Emily Paech, Courtney Ribbons,

Carley Roesler

YEAR 11

Gold

Amber Symons

Silver

Chloe Helgeson, Kate Newman, Madeline Pica, Trang Tran

Bronze

Brianna Fullston, Lemuel Madula

YEAR 12

Gold

Reece Waltrovitz, Ryan Varga

Silver

Courtney Afford, Eleanor Binney, Nikki Foster, Cedric Garcia,

Courtney Klenke

Year 9

Year 8

Year 10

Year 11

Year 12

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

3

Work Experience with the Police Band by Sam Reed, Year 11

From the 28th of June to

the 3rd of July Wen Liu and

I took part in a great

opportunity to spend a

week in Adelaide with the

Band of the South

Australia Police (SAPOL

Band) doing Work

Experience.

To be honest, the music was far from easy and not what Wen

and I expected. We got assigned mentors to help and support

us throughout the week. Our mentor was David and he has

been playing the flute for at least 25 years and has immaculate

talent I can only dream of having in the future.

The first day consisted of an introduction and tour of the police

barracks, followed by sectional practise with our mentors.

Sectional practise was a good time for us to look at and play the

music for the first time and get a grasp of the melodies and

rhythms. The concert band rehearsals are more like run

throughs as they don’t work on the things we usually do at

school. The director, Michael Dowrick kept us on our toes,

throwing in things to think about and consider while playing,

such as dynamics and articulations, but explained them in weird

but effective ways.

We had the opportunity to listen to three of the 16 ensembles

the SAPOL Band have, including the Clarinet Quartet, Dixieland

Band and Blues group. They explained that even though they

have a role as a player in the concert band, they are also a part

of small ensembles. All 16 ensembles have different purposes,

such as the Dixieland band who usually play to the older

generations.

All the 34 students that participated in the Work Experience

were part of various presentations, including auditioning for the

SAPOL Band and improvisation. We were also given a guided

tour of the MOU (Mounted Operations Unit) and also the

headquarters upstairs, where the arranger, logistics staff, stores

and librarian worked in between rehearsals. The SAPOL Band

have a massive library of music, entailing over 3,000 pieces of

music, all recorded in a data spreadsheet. They explained to us

that they have to abide by the copyright regulations and initially

had to sort through lots of music, throwing out 700+ pieces of

sheet music which breached the regulations.

On the last day we were taught a few basic marching skills and

marched in the Thebarton police barracks quadrangle playing

Waltzing Matilda which we had to learn from memory. Over

the week I had an appreciation of learning methods, as how and

what I learn in music at school is slightly different. I had to apply

myself differently. Band Director, Michael said they (SAPOL

Band) hoped they gave us a better understanding of the

dedication required to become a professional musician, which it

definitely did. Please click on the link below to hear a program

of prepared works from the 2015 Work Experience program.

https://soundcloud.com/bandsapolice/sets/work-experience-

concert-2015/s-3hS3I

Australian Girls’ Choir and Murraylands

Schools’ Concert by Sean Hickey

The Australian Girls’ Choir once again visited the humble

shores of Murray Bridge at the end of June to present a

number of performances. The highlight of the visit was the

performance to a capacity audience at the Christian Family

Centre on the 30th of June. The concert featured

performances from the Primary Schools Festival of Music Choir,

Murray Bridge High School Vocal Ensemble and Guitar

Ensemble, combined Murray Bridge High School and Murray

Bridge Community Concert Band.

The Australian Girls’ Choir performed a range of songs; from

Australian folk to modern day pop tunes such as ‘Happy’ by

Pharrell Williams, and classics like ‘Steppin' Out with My Baby’

and ‘People Get Ready’. The Choir amazed the audience with

their engaging and entertaining choreography throughout their

performance. Students from the Vocal Ensemble, Guitar

Ensemble and Concert Band also performed a number of

songs in conjunction with the Australian Girls. The evening

finished with a rousing rendition of ‘I Am Australian; with the

Murray Bridge High School Vocal Ensemble and Primary

Schools Choir.

If you didn't manage to make it to the concert you can listen to

the recording of on the MBHSmusic Sound Cloud page, see

below or scan the QR code with your smart phone.

https://soundcloud.com/mbhsmusic/sets/murraylands-schools-

and-australian-girls-choir-concert

We would like to thank all of the families that billeted the 58

students from the Australian Girls’ Choir and recognise their

contribution towards making this event possible. We would

also like to thank the teachers and students that spent hours

preparing and rehearsing music for the concert.

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

4

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 Programme for Year 10 students throughout Term 2

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

over the course of the term in an adult learning environment. So

each Tuesday, 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, running one program in term’s 1, 2 and

again this term.

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

Thursday the 2nd of July (Week 10, Term 2), attended by the

families and friends of the graduates, the Principal of Murray

Bridge High School, staff and members of the community

including Rotarians, Mr Jack Redden and Mr Sam Cozens (also a

former Murray Bridge High School member of staff).

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

mention must go to Abbey Fiegert, who was nominated by her

peers and awarded as the group’s Student Representative. A

special thank you must go to Doug Gray, Year 10 Leader at

Murray Bridge High School, for his kind and thoughtful words at

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

Florey-Fox (MBHS staff member & trainer) and Hannah Russell

(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

on 8532 1788 or email [email protected]

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

5

Automotive

The Automotive course have finished their first major project

of 2015 with the installation of a new second hand engine in

our Holden Barina being started and running ok. It will need

some finer tuning but has passed the first hurdle.

Doorways 2 Construction

Stage 3 of the refurbishment for the Resource Centre and

Student Services Office required the former entrance corridor

and storage area to be redesigned for a storage compactus.

The Doorways to Construction group were given the task to

demolish and refit the area giving them practical skills in

joinery, gyprock and painting to complete their course

requirements.

This has not only given students the opportunity to perform

work onsite but has provided cost savings to the project with

only material costs.

The group has almost finished the revamping of the old

storage and corridor area in the Murray building foyer. The

main area has been fitted with a large compactus to be used

for storage by the Resource/Library Staff. A new door

remains to be fitted by the trainees to secure this area and the next part of the project will be finished by other trades.

M-SP Murraylands-Student Pathways Lower Murray Trade Training Centre

The Career Information Day ‘Come and Try’ will be hosted

by the Lower Murray Trade Training Centre – Murray Bridge

High School on Wednesday,19th August. The Come and Try

Day provides an opportunity for students to gain an insight

into VET courses being offered in 2016.

For this day we invite all Regional Schools to bring Year 9, 10

and 11 students and ask Training Organisations to provide

information and where possible a hands on activity. It is a

great opportunity for students to gather information for

planning a future direction. Students will be transported on

the school bus to sessions hosted off campus. Students can

chose from the following Vocational Pathway programs;

- Music at the Station,

- Aged Care-Pathways to Nursing,

- Metal Fabrication,

- Civil Engineering,

- Doorways to Construction,

- Electro-technology,

- Automotive,

- Animal Studies,

- Hospitality,

- Early Childhood Education,

- IT Media Studies,

- Hair and Beauty.

Registration forms including excursion consent forms are

available to students from their PLP and Year 11 Home Class

teachers. Parents are welcome to attend via Registration with

Helen Wilden at the Trade Training Centre on 85322648 or email [email protected]

Lower Murray Trade Training Centre Update by Greg Fulwood and Helen Wilden

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

6

The Independent Learning Centre Update by Penny Conway, Assistant Principal

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful

break. Term 3 will be a hectic term as students are coming

to the business end of the year and working towards fulfilling

learning program requirements. I would encourage students

to meet with their teachers and youth workers on a regular

basis in order to get the support and help needed in order to

complete their work in a timely and successful manner.

On Thursday July 2nd we held our Semester One Presentation

Ceremony. It was extremely pleasing to see so many

parent/caregivers, family, visitors, staff and students attend this

event. It is an important event for the ILC as it is the day that

we publicly celebrate the success of our students. Students

who completed the requirements of their learning programs

in Semester One were presented with certificates and

everyone mingled after the ceremony at the celebratory

Morning Tea. I congratulate all the students who received

certificates.

Certificates Presented

PLP - 24 students

Literacy - 17 students

Numeracy - 17 students

Certificate III Business - 12 students

Research Project - 6 students

Work Experience - 7 students

Other VET Courses - 12 students

White Card - 9 students

Apply First Aid - 17 students

Many thanks to Elona Koop (ICAN Learning for Partnerships

Coordinator, Murray Bridge DECD Office) who attended the

Ceremony and presented awards to our young people.

Operation Flinders

This term we have a group of 7 students and 2 staff

undertaking Operation Flinders. The group have been

preparing for their trek in Defence Fitness Sessions held on

Mondays throughout Semester 1. They recently went on a

hike at Mt Lofty to “walk in their boots!!!”

Operation Flinders Group will depart from the ILC on

Tuesday 28 July at 3.00 am and return to the ILC on Tuesday

4th August at approximately 5.00 pm.

Our thanks to Lynton Hall who is driving the group to the

venue and then the return trip back to Murray Bridge.

ILC Vege Garden

The ILC has located it’s veggie garden in the Community

Garden (Third Street) and students have taken it in turns to

plant, weed and in general look after the garden. At the

moment we have Broccoli, Cauliflower, Leeks, Spring Onions,

Cos Lettuce and Spinach growing in our veggie beds.

Dates to remember

Thursday, 6 August ILC: will be closed at 1.30pm. Staff will be

undertaking Training and Development.

Monday, 7 September: ILC will be closed for Show Day.

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

7

Aboriginal Learning on Country (ALoC)

Graduation by Brooke Goyne

During Term 2 students Tayla Groves and Gerald Rigney, along

with HASS Coordinator Jo Clark and teacher Brooke Goyne

were invited to attend a special graduation ceremony at Monarto

Zoo. Graduates Leon Dodd, David Wilson and Michael Holland

were awarded their double Diplomas in Conservation and Land

Management and Pest Management as part of their work in the

ALoC Program.

As special guests to the graduation ceremony, the students met

with Zoo SA’s Chief Executive Elaine Benstead along with the

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Kyam Maher

MLC. They discussed their involvement in designing, developing

and constructing the Cultural Garden as part of the work of the

Aboriginal Learning on Country (ALoC) Program. Tayla and

Gerald explained how working together in small groups under

the guidance of the ALoC employees allowed them to effectively

transform an unused area into a fully functioning native food

garden. The three graduates were very pleased to have

representatives of the Cultural Studies class present for the

official unveiling of the garden and for the graduation ceremony.

They are keen to keep promoting and strengthening the

partnership between Monarto Zoo and Murray Bridge High

School.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, we celebrated with the

graduates and other special guests with afternoon tea made from

a variety of native ingredients that can be found in the Cultural Garden, such as Wattle-seed biscuits and quandong jam.

Family is a Verb by Rachel Baldwin, PCW

‘Family is a verb. It’s not just what we ARE. It’s something that we actively keep on making.’ Ann Voskamp

As parents, carers and grandparents will already know, family

life isn’t something that ‘just happens,’ despite what we may

see portrayed on TV or in the movies. Creating a stable,

happy family takes a lot of effort and hard work.

During the school holidays, we went on a four wheel driving

trip with two other families. It was a great experience and we

created a lot of wonderful memories which we will be able to

talk about for years to come. However, things didn’t always

go smoothly on the trip and I often had to bite my tongue so

as not to say things I would afterwards regret! I’m not the

world’s best camper and didn’t love the flies, lack of showers,

mosquitos, cold nights and car breakdowns that we had. (We

got towed into not just one, but two campsites along the

way). It was hard work packing up and setting up each day

and our teenage sons had their moments of bickering,

complaining and wrestling with each other. Despite these

challenges, our family is stronger as a result of these shared

experiences and we may even go on another four wheel

driving trip at some stage. (though maybe not for a little

while!)

I don’t know what your school holidays were like, but I

imagine that like mine, they had their ups and downs. Families

come in all shapes and sizes and whether you are a single

parent, a grandparent looking after grandchildren or have a

partner to share the parenting load, I want to encourage you

in the important and tough job you are doing. Every time you

take the time to listen and encourage your kids, you are

making a difference. Every time you set boundaries and have

those difficult but necessary conversations, you are making a

difference. Every time you take your kids to netball practice or

a footy game, (those cold, early starts!) you are making a

difference. When you take the time to encourage your child’s

teacher or coach, you are making a difference. When you put

aside time to plan a birthday party or special family event, you

are creating positive memories that your kids will remember

for years to come. Every time you bite your tongue instead of

‘losing it’, you are teaching your kids self-control. Every time

we model those good old-fashioned values such as respect,

hard work and looking out for others, we are making a

positive impact in the lives of our young people and creating

the community that we want for the future.

So, parents, carers and grandparents, be encouraged in the

vitally important job you are doing every single day.

Rachel Baldwin is the Pastoral Care Worker at

Murray Bridge High School. Her regular days are

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

afternoons.

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

8

Is your son or daughter taking up the Challenge in 2015?

If so, please ensure they fill in their student reading records as they read their books, gets them signed off as they go and please make sure your child hands it in to their teacher or the school contact person before: Friday 4 September. The Challenge is to read 12 books in total:

Reception to Year 7: 8 of these books are to be from the Challenge booklists, available on our website and 4 of their own choice, which can include class novels and research texts.

Years 8 and 9: 4 books from the Challenge lists and 8 of their own choice, which can include prescribed texts, research texts and any other texts from their studies.

Years 10 to 12: 12 books of their own choice, which can include prescribed texts, research texts and any other texts from their studies.

Student reading records are available from your child’s teacher, from the school contact person, who is usually someone in the school library (ask your child’s teacher) or download from the website. Your son/daughter can also Rate a Read, reviewing the books that they are reading and send this in to us. We award a winner every month with a book prize and post their review, first name and school on our website. Also, we have a student blog section for both primary and secondary students to post and share thoughts about the Challenge and books that they are reading – encourage your son/daughter to have a go! The Challenge website has a section for students, school staff and families. Check it out for some great ideas!

Murray Bridge High School Newsletter 27 July 2015

9