14 February 2023

Newsletter Articles

Important dates

Thursday 23 February - Ethics Olympiad International Final
Tuesday 28 February 4.30 to 6pm – Meet the Teacher
Tuesday 28 February 6pm to 7pm – AGM Meeting
Tuesday 7 march – Year 7 Immunisations
Wednesday 8 March – International Women’s Day

From the Principal

Werte, and welcome to 2023

Dear Families

We warmly welcome everyone in our school community. It has been great to meet all our new students and catch up with our returning students in the first couple of weeks.

For our Year 8 and 9 students, returning means getting back into those learning routines essential for students to progress and achieve. Things like making sure they are getting enough sleep, making sure that they are prepared with all materials and making sure that they are in the right place at the right time are essential. Most students have made this transition back into school successfully, and most home groups have focused quickly on the learning in front of them. Thank you to students and families for helping us to ensure the new Territory-wide Mobile Phone Policy is being adhered to. Students have quickly adapted. The policy states that students must have mobile phones switched off and out of sight during school hours. Please do not ask your young person to contact you on their mobile during school hours. If you need to pass a message on, please contact the front office, and we will happily do so.

For Year 7s, starting at a new school is more involved. This week, we have been doing much work on key learning like understanding the school, getting to know the staff and whom to talk to in different circumstances, where things are and how the timetable works. We have also been doing much work this week on developing relationships within the school. There have been many activities during Home Group and lesson time to help our students learn names and more about the students and the staff in their learning community this year.

As well as welcoming new students into the school, we also welcome some new teaching staff. We are delighted to welcome the following teachers to the school:

• Lucy Ewers-Riley – Year 7 and 9 English and Humanities
• Natasha Mavec -Year 7 Maths
• Cameron Say – Year 7 Maths and Science
• Sarah Colomb – Year 9 Maths and Science
• Angela Flahive -Year 9 Maths and Science
• Joanne Dermody – Year 8 Small Group Class Teacher

We have a few important events coming up.

• Meet the Teacher – Tuesday 28th February from 4.30-6.00 pm (more information will be sent home soon)
• Annual General Meeting (following Meet the Teacher) Tuesday 28th February, 6.00 -7.00 pm. If you would like to nominate for school council before the AGM, please collect a Nomination form for the front office or email simon.rowlands@education.nt.gov.au
• Year 7 Immunisations Tuesday 7th March

This is our first newsletter of the year. These newsletters will come out three times per term (in Weeks 3, 6 and 9) and contain important information about the school. Newsletters are sent electronically via our text messaging system, as we find this to be the most effective form of communication with families. Alternatively, you can pick up a paper copy from our front office. Please ensure you read them carefully. We also have a Facebook and Instagram page which we use to share stories – liking our page will help to get school information posted on your feeds.

In 2023 we hope to engage more than ever with our families. We encourage you to come in and say hello to your young person’s teachers or other staff in the school. Consider joining the school council or helping our school community in areas of interest to you. Alternatively, you can give us a call on 8955 2333.

We are looking forward to an exciting year of learning!

Introducing our team

School Leadership

Simon Rowlands – Principal
Wellington Pasi – Assistant Principal
Emma Forrester – Senior Teacher - Year 7 Coordinator
Emily Webster – Senior Teacher - Year 8 Coordinator
Clarence Jeanny – Senior Teacher - Year 9 Coordinator
Katharine Adams – Curriculum Coordinator
Josh Mapstone – Senior Teacher for Inclusion

Year 7 Team

Emma Forrester – Senior Teacher / Year 7 Coordinator/Humanities

Emma Hurley - English and Humanities
Emma Pegg - English and Humanities
Lucy Ewers-Reilly – English
Georgie Sutton – Maths and Science
Cameron Say – Maths and Science
Natasha Mavec – Maths
Jacelyn Anderson – Science
Marcus Druce - Health and Physical Education
Catherine Harris – Special Education Teacher
Kim Jorre – Special Education Teacher
Rajinder Uppal – Special Education Teacher
Tenneil Wark – Special Education Support Officer
Jess Milner – Special Education Support Officer
Barry Georgopoulos – Special Education Support Officer
Nola Hunter – Special Education Support Officer
Ibu Darmini - Tutor

Year 8 Team

Emily Webster – Senior Teacher / Year 8 Coordinator/English

Ashleigh Casey – English and Humanities
Bradley Gill – English and Humanities
Ricki Willis – Maths and Science
Bridey Baney – Maths and Science
Chris Raja – English and Health and Physical Education
Gaby Sidhu – Special Education Teacher
Joanne Dermody – Special Education Teacher
Robbie Smith - Special Education Support Officer
Stacy Vueti - Special Education Support Officer
Lauren Boyle - Tutor

Year 9 Team

Clarence Jeanny – Senior Teacher / Year 9 Coordinator

Katharine Adams - English and Humanities
Angela Flahive - Maths and Science
Ashleigh Casey – English and Humanities
Lucy Ewers-Reilly – English and Humanities
Sarah Colomb – Maths and Science
Sarah Steel-Park – Health and Physical Education
Vicky Howie – Special Education Teacher
Junior Lijanga - Special Education Support Officer
VET Conservation and Ecosystem Management - Jacelyn Anderson – Teacher & Assessor
Leah Emery - Tutor

Flexible Learning

Rebekah Krebs – Classroom Teacher
Rachel Abbott – Special Education Support Officer
Emma lake – Special Education Support Officer
Debbon Webb – Tutor

Teachers working across the school

Stone Lee – Visual Art
Sarah Wall – Food Technology
Stephen Ryan – Design and Technology
Kate Axten – Special Education Teacher
David Yates – Special Education Teacher
Ed Gould – Music
Sarah Steel-Park – Health and Physical Education
Marcus Druce – Health and Physical Education
Jacelyn Anderson – VET Conservation and Ecosystem Management Teacher

Wellbeing support for students

Denise Casey – Home Liaison Officer
Jamahl Hayes – Aboriginal Education Worker
Rachel Abbott – Flexi Engagement Officer
Laura Higgins – Health Promoting School Nurse
Mel Dunnage – Authorised Engagement Officer
Joe Tuilua – School-based Constable

Administration and school support

Brenda Savage– Business Manager
Julia Pearson – Attendance & SAMS Administrator
Simone Stafford – Front Office
Siobhan Dermody – Executive Assistant
Georgia Barlow – Executive Assistant
Carolyn Bindle – Lab Technician
Sandrine Frapier – Library Technician
Daniel Mar Fan – Maintenance
Robbie Rolfe – Cleaning Supervisor

Clontarf Academy

Cheyne Miles – Director

Clontarf Operations Officers/Mentors:
Kynan Barnes
Nic Piggott
Will Carlile

Stars Foundation Program

Lara Harding – Program Mentor
Tiara Hawea – Program Mentor
Krydence Schwalger

Polly Farmer Foundation

Hamish McLoughlin – Program Mentor
John Cooper - Program Mentor

Welcome message from leaders across the school

Year 7

Welcome to all the Year 7 students and families.

It has been wonderful to meet and get to know all of our new Year 7 students over the past few weeks. It has been fun to learn about many of their family connections and to discover that many of our Year 7 staff have already met and taught many of their siblings and cousins in previous years. Everyone seems to be settling into their new Home Groups and adjusting to middle school routines and expectations.

I have already been thoroughly impressed to see our Year 7 cohort embracing and demonstrating our school values of respect, responsibility and fairness both in the classroom when they are learning, and in the yard during break times.

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to chat, please contact your young person’s Home Group teacher or Emma Forrester the Y7 Team Leader. We can’t wait to meet everyone at the Meet the Teacher evening later in the term.

Emma Forrester
Year 7 Coordinator

Year 8

A warm welcome to all the students joining us in Year 8 this year! Our Year 8 team is very excited to be working with a fabulous group of young people who are already demonstrating their readiness for learning. We’ve spent our first two weeks getting to know new teachers and new classroom spaces, and reviewing our school values of Respect, Responsibility and Fairness. We’ve also plunged right into our learning programs, and our Year 8s are off to a flying start across all subject areas. In Maths, students have been revising shapes and angles in preparation for our Geometry unit. In Science, we took a journey to the centre of the Earth to learn about the structure of our planet, which will then lead into our Geology unit. For English, our students are engaged in a film study of Moana, which links with their learning about Polynesian Expansion in History. Each Year 8 class is participating in an Arts & Technology class, which will rotate each term – Music, Art, Food Tech or Design & Tech - check in your young person about which class they have this term and what new skills they are learning. This week, we will commence our Home Group program, which will involve two sessions a week of Wellbeing/Social-Emotional Learning; setting attendance goals; and Friday trivia – we can’t wait to see who will come out on top as our Year 8 Trivia Champs! We are excited for the learning that will take place this year, for the friendships that will grow stronger and the adventures that we will embark on together. I encourage families to connect with our Year 8 staff and contact me through the school if there is anything I can support them with.

Emily Webster
Year 8 Coordinator

Year 9

Welcome back to all our Year 9 students and a warm welcome to all our new students and their families who have joined us for 2023. We are very pleased to see that most of our Year 9 students have returned to school after this long break. We hope that everyone is feeling refreshed and recharged for the exciting year ahead.

We are very proud to see how well our Year 9s have started this year, engaged in learning. In English, students have plunged into visual analysis as they study the book Fox. Industrial revolution and the movement of people have been the topic of discussion in Humanities. In Science, students have been reviewing the basic scientific concepts in preparation before they explore how body systems work to create balance. Brains and kidneys are on the menu! We have started our Maths program by reviewing perimeter and area of polygons and circles. We are then going to explore surface area and volume of prisms and cylinders, with an emphasis on problem solving skills.

Students are learning to analyse factors that influence identities, relationships, decisions, and behaviours in Health and P.E. In Visual Art, students are having fun learning how to create a portrait in Lichtenstein’s style. The cooking has been smelling delicious in the Food Tech room as students revisit kitchen etiquettes and develop their skills in food presentation, before they plunge into the world of Asian cooking. Students studying Woodwork are learning to use the design process to design and construct their own ukulele, through sustainable practices. Those doing Music are learning about the elements of music and will have the opportunity to learn an instrument through self-directed practice. Our VET Conservation and Ecosystem Management class started with a review of safety practices and risks assessment. The students also learnt how to use the brush cutters. We have some lovely designs on the oval!

The adventures in Year 9 are exciting and the opportunities for learning, endless. We are busy planning our Year 9 camp and organising workshops for personal development for our students. This Year all Year 9s will have the opportunity to participate in VET Skillsets at CDU. This will take place in Semester 2. Our Homework Centre will be up and running from next week on Thursday. We encourage students to make use of this opportunity to complete unfinished work, access extra support and extension as well as complete assessment tasks. We have a team of dedicated teachers who are looking forward to supporting our learners in this space.

We will have our Meet and Greet in the next few weeks. We are looking forward to meeting all our Year 9 families. More information will be out soon. We will also be sending home a Year 9 Welcome Pack in week 3 with more details about what is going on this year and some paperwork that needs to be completed. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you wish to discuss your young person’s learning or if you have any queries.

We look forward to working with all our students and families to make 2023 a great year.

Clarence Jeannie
Year 9 Coordinator

Assessment Schedules

Each term we will provide you with Assessment Schedules so that you know the key assessment tasks your young person has to complete in each subject area and the timeframe for when items are due. The Term 2 Assessment Schedules foe Year 7, 8 & 9 are below.

School news and updates

Year 8

Year 8 students are exploring the structure of the Earth to begin with this term. I’ve included pictures of a couple of the plasticine models they have made.

Year 7

Science

In Year 7 Science we have been starting the year strong! We have been learning about the science labs and how to make sure we are being safe and ensure others are safe in the lab too. We have been exploring what makes successful science experiments, how to learn well in teams and even designed some paper helicopters in the lab using our team skills. Lots more to come with Chemistry 1.

Year 9

Year 9’s have also been very busy around the school.

VET Conservation and Land Management

The 2023 VET Land Management crew have already had a good start to the year, starting the units "Work Safely", "Support Nursery Work" and "Maintain the Workplace".

These Year 9s have...

• worked on their plant propagation skills, planting seeds in our nursery
• practised safe manual lifting
• learnt about some common weeds and weed management techniques
• created a started a maintenance checklist for maintaining our training room
• learnt about pre-start checks and S.O.P.s (Standard Operating Procedures) for brushcutters

If you have a young person in this program, please sign and return the excursion permission forms (back to me or the Front Office) as soon as possible so we can start our industry visits.

Also, please if you have not yet enrolled in this program with the Department, please let us know how we can help.

Jacelyn Anderson
VET Land Management trainer/assessor

Stars Foundation

What a wonderful start it has been to 2023!

We kickstarted our year with a classic whole school pancake breakfast, burrito and spaghetti bolognese lunch, a few fun basketball games, and a great chat with the NT Minister of Education, Eva Lawler, whilst she visited Centralian Middle School! We have been so excited to welcome back last year’s Stars students as they become the leaders of the school, and it has been great getting to know our new Year 7 Stars students as they begin their middle school journey with us.

Our Stars team is comprised of Lara Harding and Tiara Hawea as the Program Coordinators and Program Mentor, Krydence Schwalger. We are committed to supporting our students and their families throughout their middle school years to ensure they are not only attending school consistently but are enjoying it and making the most of the opportunities it provides!

In contact times we have reintroduced our Stars values of Respect, Commitment, Pride and Honesty and the four key pillars we focus on: Wellbeing, Healthy Lifestyles, Community, Culture & Leadership and Education, Training & Employment. All our Stars students have created Stars Plans with goals related to our four key pillars, such as spending more quality time with family, having a sleep routine to ensure they are refreshed for a new day, learning their languages, and finding employment opportunities. To ensure their success they have also included how they can be supported by Stars staff, family, and friends to achieve these goals throughout the year.

We were fortunate to have Victor Williams and Melissa Cole from the Department of Education, Leaders of Tomorrow – Aboriginal Student Aspiration Program, come in to talk to our Year 9s about the program and the opportunities they provide to promote connections to businesses and industry partners, links to universities and enhancing their personal development skills. We’re looking forward to this partnership growing and our students benefiting from this awesome program!

In the weeks to come we will be facilitating team building sessions, lunch time volleyball games and a MasterChef lesson, so make sure you don’t miss out!

If there were any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us using the below details:

Krydence Schwalger, 0467 944 271 – Year 7
Lara Harding, 0467 826 485 – Year 8
Tiara Hawea, 0467 304 839 – Year 9

Clontarf Corner

Welcome back everyone!

The boys have had a great start to Term getting stuck into all our activities, trainings and events.

The Year 7 boys have been in getting straight into it, taking full advantage of the academy room and settling into life at Clontarf. The table tennis has especially been a hit with long lines to take the title of King of the Table.

There has been some great engagement already in our afternoon activities with 18 boys heading out for AFL 9’s with David Thomas and 6 boys joining our staff to finish off painting the Clontarf logo in back the area. Well done to the fellas for getting involved!

The boys were up bright and early for our first morning training with our older brother Academy at Centralian Senior School. We've were lucky to be joined by very special guests including the Chief Minister, Natasha Fyles. It was a great session all round and the fellas enjoyed the games and activities ran by the fellas at the senior school.

Finally, a big shout out to new fellas joining the crew and a warm welcome back to the boys returning. Looking forward to a big year with you all!

Ethics Olympiad

On Thursday, 23 February a team from CMS will head to the international final of the Ethics Olympiad – competing against schools in India, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and from Around Australia.

The Ethics Olympiad promotes respectful, supportive, and rigorous discussion of ethics among thousands of high school students throughout Australasia. The Ethics Bowl format is rooted in ongoing dialogue and deliberation. It is designed to get students thinking, talking, and ultimately working together on some of the toughest moral issues of our time.

CMS entered two teams in the competition, they were awarded the silver and bronze medal. One CMS team was also awarded the Most Improved award for their performances throughout the day. Attached is a picture of the two teams receiving their awards at a presentation ceremony held at CMS last year.

Visit from Eva Lawler MLA (Minister of Education)

CMS was proud to welcome Eva Lawler MLA: Member for Drysdale . We met to discuss the needs of our most vulnerable students and how we can continue to provide adequate support for those students and their families both now and in the future

Polly farmer Foundation

The Polly Farmer Foundation is looking for tutors!

Hamish McLoughlin

NT Health’s Collection Flyers “Pack a healthier lunchbox”

Community Announcements

Leading Australian Resilient Communities (LARC)

LARC is about supporting Australia’s regional communities to meet challenges and collectively drive the positive changes they want to see. The program involves a combination of community-based future forums, 5 day leadership development programs, webinars, coaching and mentoring. In each region 26 leaders receive a scholarship to take part in the program. We have had several registrations so far but still looking at attracting a total of 26 individuals to join the ARLF on an experiential leadership journey. This opportunity is totally free of charge and will be held on some of the most special homelands around Alice. These positions are worth around $12,000 each, it offers to residential style program to immerse yourself in the learning and to find time to work on self.

Registrations are now open at:

Ronald McDonald Learning Program

The Ronald McDonald Learning Program (RMLP) team would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the student support services we offer, that are fully funded by Ronald McDonald House Charities. Students whose education has been impacted by their serious illness or injury, including mental health diagnoses, may be eligible for:

Individual tutoring for 12 months (40 hours in total).
Educational/cognitive assessment, if necessary.
Occupational, speech, and/or other therapy, if recommended.

After School Arts & Crafts

Martha’s crafts afterschool sessions every Wednesday from the 8 February. More info below

Alice Springs Town Library

• 14 February – Library Lover’s Video Competition (FREE coffee voucher up for grabs!)
• 17 February – Spanish Multilingual Story Time @ your Library (fun craft activities included!)

Confident Girls Empowered Women - Free Muay Thai & healthy living sessions!

If you are a female aged between 10 – 25years old, this is for you!
FREE sessions weekly until end of school term!

• Training gear provided
• Fruit Provided

Get your workout clothes on, bring your water bottle and we will see you there!!
NEW LOCATION: 3/70 Elder Street, Ciccone, Alice Springs

Holi Celebration 2023

Date: — Saturday, 4th of March 2023
Time: — 4 PM to 9 PM
Location: — Club East Side, 28 Undoolya Rd, East Side NT 0870
Ticket Price: — $25 per person excluding service charge from Eventbrite, and includes Buffet Dinner.
Please follow the link to Eventbrite to secure your tickets

Equal futures Fair

Date: 4 march 2023, 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Womens Museum and Old Gaol
Cost: Free Gold coin Donation
Contact Details:
admin@pioneerwomen.com.au
Join us for an evening of food and market stalls, local musicians and artists, other entertainment, and more!

This family friendly community event will be held on Saturday 4 March 2023 from 5pm-8pm with live music played by local artists, interviews, a panel discussion, local service stalls, market stalls by women-owned businesses, food and drinks, and a live broadcast by 8CCC Community Radio.

Sports voucher

Semester 1 2023 Sports vouchers are now available. Parents and carers will need to apply online each semester by going to the following website:

Please note if the details of the young person are already on the system, a voucher will be available to print or save straight away, if the details are not found by the system a voucher will be sent to the email address you have provided within 7 days.

More information is available at the link below, alternatively you can also contact our Sport Voucher team by phone on 1800 817 860 or by email sport.voucher@nt.gov.au .

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