21 June 2022

Newsletter Articles

Important dates

Friday 24 June – Last day of Term 2 - Mid Semester Break
Monday 18 July – First Day of Term 3 - Semester 2

From the Principal

Hello, Werte!

My name is Simon Rowlands, and it is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as the Acting Principal for the remainder of 2022 here at CMS. May I also share how excited the staff of CMS are to support our students and families for another semester of learning, challenge, and fun! Your young person is in excellent hands with the staff at CMS, combining expertise with enthusiasm.

This is my 10th year living and working in education in Alice Springs. I am passionate about mathematics and the West Coast Eagles – but please do not hold that against me!

I worked at Bradshaw Primary School from 2012 to mid-2019 as a classroom teacher and numeracy coach and for my final two years as an assistant principal. From mid-2019, I was an assistant principal here at Centralian Middle School and spent the first half of 2022 as Acting Principal at Ross Park School. I am thrilled to be returning to the CMS community and look forward to getting to know all our new students and families well while reconnecting with our Year 8 and 9 students and their families.

We had an unusual start to the year, with Covid19 impacting heavily on our attendance. As we move into ‘Living with Covid’, it is essential that we increase the number of days our students are attending school. This is true for every student. If a student misses just one day per week, a whole year of learning is missed every five. We have incredibly passionate and knowledgeable staff at CMS, and I am confident they will make a difference in your young person’s life, but students must be at school for us to do so.

There are so many wonderful opportunities presented to the students at CMS, and as we move away from Covid19 restrictions, we will see more opportunities arise. I would love to hear from you, our students, and our families about what you think would make CMS even better. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or want to join a school council meeting. You can contact me at simon.rowlands@education.nt.gov.au or on 8955 2333.

I look forward to this great opportunity of leading CMS in our shared future.

Simon Rowlands
Acting Principal

Mr Simon Rowlands

School news and updates

2022 Centralian Eisteddfod

Congratulations to our talented CMS students who participated in the 2022 Centralian Eisteddfod. What a great performance, we are very proud of you all!

Visit from the ALL4FMX

Jake Smith and Shane from ALL4FMX freestyle riding came to CMS last week. Jake is a professional freestyle rider who has travelled the world performing.

In the past he was involved with Crusty Demond’s and Nitro Circus freestyle riders. Shane also rides however; he is now MC and YouTube sensation for ALL4FMX . Both Jake and Shane signed posters and enjoyed their visit at CMS.

Year 8

Media Project

Here are some Year 8’s Media students brainstorming their film project.

Visit from the Reptile Centre

Rex from the reptile centre visited us to talk about native fauna from Central Australia. He showed us how to avoid a snake bite and what to do if someone gets bitten. He also talked about the importance of not leaving rubbish behind as it is dangerous for our pressure wildlife. Thank you Rex!

Year 9

Year 9s are finishing up their unit on Plate Tectonics.

When learning about converging plate boundaries (where the plate are forced together), students learnt how one of the plate can sink beneath (subducts), melting and releasing huge amounts of gas under pressure. This pressure builds up underneath the top plate until it causes a volcanic eruption. To simulate how gas pressure can be unpredictable and explosive, we created bottle rockets.

We were also fortunate enough to visit our local seismic station. The Joint Geological and Geophysical Research Station is run jointly by the US Air Force Detachment 421 and Geoscience Australia. They collect and record seismic data (earthquake and ground vibrations) for community safety and national security on a global scale. A huge thank you to Detachment 421 personnel and our student teacher Bridy Baney who made this possible.

VET - Conservation and Ecosystem Management

The group have been working hard to get the last pieces of their theory work in and focussing their learning on the final "Support Ecological Restoration" unit. For this, they've needed to know about soil and what types of plant communities grow in different habitats - trips to Olive Pink Botanic Gardens and the Alice Springs Desert Park have let us take a closer look at these differences.

We went on an industry visit to Simpsons Gap and the ranger station workshop to learn about the many "hats" a ranger wears in managing our NT Parks. A big thank you to Mark Anderson for showing us around.

We also had a chance to visit the CSC Certificate II Rural Operations class in action (and see some of our past students!) training cattle for the Show circuit - thank you to Danielle Brown for taking us through the stockyards.

Stars Foundation

Over the course of Term 2, our Year 7’s have settled into middle school and have developed good learning habits to set them up for success in Term 3. The work that they have done with Katie Thompson (from BluEarth) has taught them valuable lessons on self-confidence, standing strong in culture and living healthy lifestyles, both mentally and physically. To finish off the semester Year 7 students that displayed Stars values (Respect, Honesty, Pride & Commitment) as well as maintaining attendance and good behaviour in school were rewarded with a Year 7 Fun Day. We hope the girls enjoyed their reward as much as we did, and we encourage everyone to keep working hard in Term 3.

Our Year 8’s showed great leadership focusing on Healthy Lifestyles this term, where we had fun at Get Physical doing a HIIT session with personal trainer Charmaine. The girls are really committed to our Health Sessions and were awesome in encouraging one another to keep going. We’re especially proud of them for leading Sunrise Walks and committing to them even in the cold weather! Next semester we hope the girls continue this focus inside and outside of school.

In Year 9 our Stars girls worked extremely well with Robyn Liddle from Headspace discussing healthy tools and practices around mental and physical health. We’re proud of the girls’ maturity around the subject, and they have done well in keeping this session a safe space. Stars Year 9 students have also had the opportunity to connect with the Stars program in Centralian Senior College with a visit during Reconciliation Week for their morning tea as well as their upcoming NAIDOC celebration lunch. We will continue these transition visits in the next term as it’s never too early to prepare for the next big step in their education!

After a term jam-packed with physical activity such as the athletics carnival, lunchtime activities and the NT School Sports Footy carnival it is obvious that our girls are talented on and off their respective fields.

We’re excited to share what Term 3 has in store for us!

Clontarf Corner

Clontarf Billy Cart Derby

The annual Clontarf Billy Cart Derby finished with a bang at Bunnings Warehouse Australia ! CMS academy placed a respectable second, including a special guest appearance from the Alice Springs Town Mayor - Matt Paterson driving "Brendan's Bunnings Billy Cart" in the celebrity heat.

However, it wasn't all about winning on the day. In true Clontarf spirit, it was more about the journey than the destination. The design process, construction, and painting of the Billy Cart positively engaged our members at school, allowing their creative minds to lead the way.

A special mention to our Principal, Miss O'bree, Mr. Ryan, and Mr. Marfan, who were all involved during the build phase and the event.

Here is a few more photos of the fellas having a good time!

"From Little Things, Big Things Grow"

Community Announcements

Dodgeball @ The Y

Wednesday 22 June, 2:00pm - 4:00pm - FREE

Join us for an ultimate Dodgeball competition at the Y! For ages 12 – 25.

Come to one session or come to all! For more details check out the poster below.

Alice Springs Beanie Festival 2022

24 June – 27 June

The world's biggest and best Beanie Festival. 6800 handmade beanies from around the world arrive in Alice Springs for four days of textile workshops, Indigenous culture, live entertainment and fabulous food. A feast of the senses full of colour warmth and a truly unique experience.

Check out the website below for more information:

Inspired NT Science Roadshow@ Alice Springs Public Library

Saturday 25 June, 10:00am - 12:30pm – FREE

The Inspired NT roadshow is coming to Alice Springs! We will have Science and Technology activities and workshops for children from 4 to 12 years old. Check out the flyer below for more info.

Horsin' Around

Tuesday 28 June 2022, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Interact with horses – learn how to care for them and enjoy a short ride! For ages 12 – 25.

For full program dates, see the poster below

2022 Govies' Muster

Friday July 1, 6:00pm - 11:30pm @ the Gillen Club - $20 per adult

Alice Springs School of the Air’s annual fundraiser - the 2022 Govies’ Muster! Come along for a great family night out and help support the education of outback students. More info below or visit the website below.

Ninja Warrior @ The Y

Sunday July 3/17/31, 2.00pm - 4.00pm @ The Y - 71 Sadadeen Rd, Sadadeen NT 0870.

Youth Sport Series

This school holiday do not miss out on our Youth Sport Series Program! The YSS is a free program that gives youth the opportunity to try a variety of sports offered in Alice Springs, delivered by experts in the field!

Play Day: STEM IT UP! @ Alice Springs Town Library

Monday 11 July, 10:00am - 2:00pm – Free

No bookings required except for the ‘Build an E Skateboard’ workshop.

DJ WORKSHOP (Ages 8+) Be a DJ with local DJ’s K WUN and NUXX WELLAMAH.

QUESTACON SCIENCE (ALL Ages)
Enjoy, discover and explore principles
of Science Technology Tubs.

BUILD AN E SKATEBOARD (Ages 12 17 )
Help build & Take home a circuit kit!
Bookings via Eventbrite from the link below.

ROBOCUP SOCCER (Ages 8+)
A fun learning on robotics programming.

SUNNY SCIENCE (ALL Ages)
Make your own jewellery using
the sun.

STEM FIT (ALL Ages)
Move to the music! See how your body
works, measure and learn about your
heart rate.

Young Territory Author Awards 2022

The upcoming school holidays is a great time for young authors to work on their entries for The Young Territory Author Awards 2022.

• For more info go to Check out our Young Territory Author Awards website from the link below.

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