1 August 2024

Principal’s Address

Principal’s Message

Kaya 

I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and managing to keep warm as we embark on the second semester of the year.

I want to extend a warm welcome back to all our students and staff.

The staff spent the first school development day planning and developing strategies for our new Business Plan. Staff also had the opportunity to review our school vision and values. At later forums parents and students will also have the opportunity to have their input into our new business plan and future school directions. 

A strong focus for us at Newton Moore SHS is providing a safe, supportive, and productive environment, free from bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence. To this end the school has just finalised our new school bullying policy “Unknighted we stand against bullying”
You can read this updated school policy on our school webpage. 

The Department of Education has a policy called “Connect and Respect” which has a suite of resources to guide school communities to work together in the best interests of our children. This includes when and how to contact the school, what you can expect from us and the behaviours that interfere with teaching and learning. This is a focus for us at Newton Moore to have strong positive working relationships with our families, we encourage you to go to the department website to read this policy prior to contacting the school.

Throughout the term we always have lots of positive things and important messages going out to families. Can I please encourage all parents and carers to ensure they are part of the school Connect Community and that they join our Facebook page to receive the relevant school information and see students in action learning and partaking in lots of fun educational activities.

Finally, for the rest of this term I will be on leave and Kate Nightingale will be acting principal. Dylan Sercombe will be backfilling Kate’s deputy position as acting deputy. Thank you once again for entrusting your child's education to us. We look forward to working hand in hand with you to make this semester a rewarding one for all our students.

Susan Kerr  M.Ed.Admin, B.Ed,Dip.Teach
PRINCIPAL
Newton Moore SHS

From the Finance Team

Congratulations to the four winners of our 2024 C&C draw. All parents/carers who paid their 2024 contributions and charges in full before 26^th April 2024 were entered into the draw, with four winners selected at random. Thank you to Hayley from our P&C for drawing the lucky winners. The same competition will be running again next year to give away another four Dell Optiplex 5080 computers.

Our winners were:

Gellyn Polack
Marian Blackwell
Sue Cuzzola
Courtney Coyne

Contributions and Charges

A big thank you goes out to all parents and caregivers who have paid contributions and charges in full. We really appreciate your commitment to our school.

Reminder accounts will be emailed out in the coming weeks. Email the accounts office for an early copy.

Payment Plans

• Available to all families
• You decide on the amount and frequency of the payments – small payments are welcome, weekly, fortnightly or monthly
• Set and forget – set the plan up in your internet banking

If you have any questions, contact Michele in our accounts office

• Email: shs.accounts@education.wa.edu.au
• Phone: 9722 2419

Our payment options are listed below. These can be used for payment in full or for payment plans:

Bank Transfer

• Account name: Newton Moore Senior High School
• BSB: 036-134
• Account #: 19-7827

BPay

Newton Moore Biller Code: 106708

Use the unique reference number on your invoice or contact the accounts office to obtain this number.

Centrepay

If you receive payments from Centrelink, choose to have some of your benefit paid to the school. The school’s Centrepay CRN is 555 062 848L.

In Person

Payment by eftpos or cash at the accounts office during business hours 8am - 3.45pm Mon - Fri

By Phone

Call the accounts office 9722 2419 to pay by credit card during business hours 8am - 3.45pm Mon – Fri

Secondary Assistance Clothing Allowance Top-Up Payments

Concession Card Holders

The State Government announced in the media on 1^st July 2024 that there will be an increase to the clothing allowance paid to parents/caregivers who are eligible and applied for the Secondary Assistance Scheme during term 1 this year.  The clothing allowance will now be $300. 

The parents/caregivers who applied during term 1 this year with a valid Centrelink Concession Card, will be issued with a top-up uniform allowance payment of $185 in September this year.  Parents/caregivers do not need to re-apply or contact the school, the payment will be automatically paid to your bank account by the Department of Education.

If your clothing allowance was paid to the school, you will be contacted by the Department of Education and asked to advise if you would like the $185 top-up payment to be paid to the school or to your bank account.

Lower School Deputy Principals’ Update

It's remarkable how much has transpired since our last Schoolzine update! Here are some highlights:

Our shining knights had a wonderful time at the sausage sizzle, enjoying a fun and tasty event together.

We recently held our parent evening, where reports were distributed, and fruitful discussions took place between parents and teachers. It's heartening to see such strong support for our students' educational journeys at NMSHS.

Year 9 students were treated to an exciting Mind Flight career taster program. Using virtual reality goggles, they explored a wide range of careers, from heart surgeon to bricklaying and beyond. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to envision their future paths.

Congratulations to our Year 7 and 8 Clontarf boys who participated in the Coodanup basketball tournament! Their dedication and hard work were truly commendable.

Throughout all these activities, our students remained focused on their academic pursuits, demonstrating resilience and commitment throughout the term.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making these events and achievements possible. Your support and involvement are invaluable to the vibrant life of our school community.

Mindflight Career Taster

Coodanup Basketball Tournament

Senior School Deputy Principals’ Update

Highlights

I'm thrilled to share some highlights and important updates with you since our last issue of the Schoolzine.

Country Week was undoubtedly a standout event for our upper school students during the final week of Term 2. The assembly to send off our Country Week participants was a resounding success, filled with palpable energy and excitement. Congratulations to all our students who competed; your determination and team spirit were truly inspiring.

Meanwhile, many of our Year 10 students not involved in Country Week had the invaluable opportunity to participate in work experience. This hands-on experience allows students to explore industries of interest and gain practical insights into the working world. A special thank you to all our Year 10 students who represented our school admirably in the community during this time.

Our Year 12 students are entering their final stretch of school, and we commend them for their hard work thus far. As they prepare to transition into the workforce or further study, we encourage them to utilise the wide range of supports available at our school.

Reflecting on Semester 1 grades, it's important to remember that these are indicative and not final. Every student has the opportunity to improve their grades in Semester 2. The effort students put in over the next 20 weeks will significantly impact their final grades for the year.

OLNA Update for Year 11 and 12

Our second OLNA testing window for Year 11 and 12 students will be from September 2nd to September 13th, 2024. This marks the final opportunity for Year 12 students to pass the OLNA test at school. It is crucial that they attend all OLNA classes and utilise all available resources, including our online OLNA support program. Year 11 students, this is your last chance for the year; let's aim to succeed and alleviate any pressure going into Year 12. Practice diligently to ensure you're well-prepared.

As we head into the next phase of the school year, let's continue to support each other and strive for excellence in all our endeavours. Together, we can make the remainder of the year rewarding and successful for every member of our upper school community.

Senior School Handbook 2025

Access the Senior School handbook by clicking the link below.

Study Skills Update – MID-YEAR CHECK-UP

As we approach the second semester now is a good time to do a bit of a check-up to see if students can improve their approach to their learning. Parents you may like to go through these questions with your child and together set goals for Semester 2. 

1. Have you set yourself goals to strive for during this year?
2. Do you know what motivates you to learn and complete your work for school?
3. Do you try to take a positive approach to school and your studies?
4. Do you make the most of class time, listening and focusing and completing all work?
5. Have you been asking for help if you don’t understand something?
6. Have you been writing all your homework into your diary or online planner and getting it done?
7. Have you been breaking down bigger tasks and scheduling the work in your diary/planner?
8. Have you been keeping track of what you complete and rescheduling unfinished work?
9. Have you organised your folders for papers and digital resources for school?
10. Do you have folders or somewhere at home to file all your work and notes for your topics?
11. Have you been working on study notes each time you finish a topic for a subject?
12. Do you have a term planner above your desk where you can easily see when work is due?
13. Have you set up a good study environment at home, a place where you can focus and work?
14. Are you doing around an hour and a half of schoolwork most nights (2-3 hrs for seniors)?
15. Have you thought realistically about whether you have too many outside school activities?
16. Have you allocated set periods of time for schoolwork (eg at least 3 x half hour blocks)?
17. Do you remove all distractions etc. when you are focusing on your schoolwork at home?
18. Do you prioritise each afternoon what you will work on that night?
19. When you make study notes, are you making them visual with mind maps, highlighting etc?
20. When you study for a test, do you both ‘learn’ the content and ‘practise’ the skills?
21. Do you try to do lots of the practise under examination conditions?
22. Have you reviewed the different study techniques that you should use for your learning preferences?
23. Are you doing more than ‘just reading’ when you study for an assessment?
24. Have you thought about how you will overcome the obstacles you face in achieving your best?
25. Have you set up some routines to try and create habits that will help you this year?

If you want to read more follow the following link www.studyskillshandbook.com.au

Our log in details are:

Attendance

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

EMAIL

At the beginning of each week, an email is sent to parents/carers to notify them of any unexplained absences for the previous week. The school has an expectation that student absences will be explained within 7 days. If this does not occur, absences will be recorded as unacceptable, and the student will risk losing good standing.

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

Students must attend school and be in education, training and/or employment until the end of the year in which they turn 17 years and 6 months. Teachers submit records of student attendance each period. The data printouts created from this information are legal documents and may be utilised in a court of law.

TRUANCY

Truancy is illegal. Parents/Guardians will be required to attend meetings to discuss student truancy and be involved in support planning to rectify this behaviour.

MEDICAL CERTIFICATES

A medical certificate for prolonged absences that are due to sickness and/or injury will need to be provided after 3 days. Illness includes both physical and mental health.

PUNCTUALITY

Students who are late for school MUST report to the Student Services Centre. If students are late for a legitimate reason, they must provide the school with a note from a parent/carer OR the parent/carer signs them in.

Ongoing lateness to school will be communicated to parents to determine any reasonable cause and support will be offered by the school where possible. Consequences will be considered for students with no reasonable cause for lateness.

PERMISSION TO LEAVE SCHOOL

Permission to leave school grounds must be sought from the staff in the Student Services Centre who will issue a leave pass to students with a legitimate reason to leave the school. This must be authorised by a parent/guardian.

SMS

The School requires that an explanation of a student’s absence is provided on the day of the absence.  An SMS will be sent home to parents for all students who are marked absent without notification on the day of the absence. The easiest way to explain any absence is to reply to this SMS immediately.

SMS: 0400 207 827
Please save this number to your mobile device

Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)

At Newton Moore, we are committed to fostering a positive and supportive environment where every student can thrive. A key part of this commitment is our ongoing effort to acknowledge and praise appropriate behaviour among our students.

Throughout the year, our dedicated staff members have been diligently awarding PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) points to students who demonstrate exemplary conduct. These points are not just a form of recognition; they are a way to teach and reinforce the values that will serve our students well beyond their school years.

We are thrilled to share that our efforts have already resulted in an impressive 76,573 PBS points awarded so far this year. This milestone reflects the collective dedication of our staff and the commendable behaviour displayed by our students daily.

By promoting positive behaviour, we aim to prepare our students not only for academic success, but also for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter in their lives beyond school. Your continued support and partnership are invaluable as we work together to nurture a community where respect, responsibility, and kindness are celebrated.

Wellbeing & Program Coordinators Report

Party Program Year 10 Excursion

Twenty year ten students visited the Bunbury Regional Hospital to Participate in the P.A.R.T.Y (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth) Program. The program is designed to increase knowledge and change attitudes and behaviours of teens. The desired goal is to reduce the number of youths involved in traumatic injury due to poor choices regarding taking preventable risks.

During the day, students met the people that care for them. Paramedics, Nurses, and Physiotherapists who described the painful journey of a trauma patient. They developed an understanding of head and spinal injuries and were provided a hands-on experience with some of the equipment used in trauma care and rehabilitation.

The day was confronting with real life stories, pictures, and hands on activities, providing students with a realisation of how much things will change for them if they are involved in a traumatic injury.  Students developed an awareness of the trauma faced by the families, emergency service people and the victims themselves. The message was received well, and students enjoyed the presentation.

Learning Areas

VET

Year 10s take on Work Experience!

A very big congratulations to the Year 10 students who participated in Work Experience at the end of Term 2.  We have received some fantastic and very positive feedback from the host employers about our students and how well you represented yourselves and NMSHS while in your chosen workplaces.    

Host employers were really impressed with students’ enthusiasm, respectfulness and willingness to give things a go.  Some of the great things they said were:

“She did very well at her placement and appeared to enjoy her time with us, it was a pleasure to have her.”

“He was enthusiastic and always had a smile on his face.”

“They really took to the work, asked lots of questions and picked everything up so easily.”

Students performed placements in building and construction, electrical, automotive, fabrication, engineering, hospitality, local government, administration, retail, hairdressing, hospitality, education and childcare.

Work Experience offers students the opportunity to try out a job before committing to a study path or career in that industry.  Under the supervision of experienced staff, students can observe and participate in real life work situations, learn new skills and build their confidence in a work setting.  This can also lead to further opportunities in employment, with some students securing traineeships, apprenticeships and paid work as a result of successful placements. 

We are very grateful to all our fantastic employers for hosting our students for the week. 

Well done to all those students who participated, we hope you enjoyed the experience.

Mrs Kneuker and Mrs Potter  

HPE

COUNTRY WEEK 2024 WRAP-UP

Country week 2024 went off without a glitch for Newton Moore SHS, it was a great week of fun and games but unfortunately, we came home bare handed this year, however our teams gave their best and represented our school with pride.

Our team was very young which shows promise for future years. Students got to experience living with friends for five days, cooking their own meals, socialising with teammates and having to learn to tolerate differences in lifestyles within their apartment. I’m proud to say that our team bonded well and there were no evacuations or mishaps with cooking this year (unlike the mob across the street).

Off the field the students were involved in other activities such as movie night at Carousal, watching Ghost Busters (Mr. Towers pick), team dinner at Swan Districts Football Cub, (how good was the parmi & pasta?). Then finally the opportunity to go shopping at the end of the week.

On field there were some excellent performances throughout the week, for example a few Xavier’s heroics in the basketball, Ryley’s tenacity in netball, Axel’s and Jed’s massive spikes in volleyball, River Simpson’s fearless attack on the soccer ball, Tom’s ability to spin a web at indoor cricket and the volleyball girl’s ability to block on the net. Our school pride was there for all to see with our chants bigger and better than our neighbouring schools or our opposition for the game.

Finally, I would like to thank all involved, from our dedicated coaches to the students that put in the time and effort to attend. The parents that supported their child to get to country week and lastly the teachers and school that encouraged, reminded and kept students on track.
A big thankyou to you all.

Next year let’s aim to get bigger, better and stronger ‘Bring on 2025’

Aboriginal Education

Star of the Month 

Clifton Ryder

Clifton had a fantastic Term 2 with the highlight being an increase of 28% in his attendance from Term 1, earning a place on the Mandurah Camp where he also caught the biggest fish !

Clifton is a strong leader in our Year 8 group, and we are looking forward to him having a great Term 3.

Clontarf

The Clontarf Academy is excited for another Term of fun activities, engaging sessions and working hard with our boys to ensure they are being the best versions of themselves.

Our academy had some great results in attendance at our key Clontarf activities which included 33% of our boys attending a Morning Training session each week, 28% of boys at an After School Activity, we took 33 boys on a camp and organised 33 to receive a health check.

Along with our normal activities we have some exciting big ticket items for our boys and we look forward to them working hard to earn a place on them. For this Term they are;

Year 7 Engagement Day in Yallingup – Week 2

Year 11-12 Employment Forum Camp in Busselton – Week 4

IT Discovery Camp for Year 8-10 in Perth – Week 6

Year 8-9 Camp to Geraldton – Week 8

School Board

The School  Board is a vital component of our school governance system and continues to be an important component of the fabric of Newton Moore SHS. Our school is very lucky to have such a proactive and supportive school board. 

The Board is actively involved in interrogating performance data at each meeting , reviewing progress towards the achievement of whole school targets, and providing active consultation about the schools future  directions. 

The school board semester 2 2024 will be heavily involved in the process of reviewing and improving our practices and will be integral in the shaping of the strategies we will include in the new Business Plan.

Community Notices

The Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI)

The Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) is offering free home internet for eligible families with school-aged students until 31 December 2025.

To be eligible, families must:

• have no active broadband service.
• have a device capable of accessing the internet.
• live in premises where they can access a standard NBN service.
• have a child living at home who is enrolled in an Australian school.

The free broadband starts from the day the service is activated with a participating internet provider. Families will not be placed on a paid service by the internet provider at the end of the free service without consent.

For more information and a list of participating internet providers, visit NBN Co School Student Broadband Initiative or call 1800 626 269.

If you think you are eligible and want to self-nominate for the free broadband offer:

call the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 (Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm Australian Eastern Daylight-saving Time)

visit the School Student Broadband Initiative website.

For technical support in more than 100 regional and remote communities throughout Western Australia, contact your local Community Resource Centre.