11 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal's Address

Principal's Message

The school is moving along very nicely. A key focus for us at present is establishing a positive proactive school-wide behaviour management practice. Through the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) program we are going to develop strategies that provide individual support for students in order to ensure more social and academic success for our students.

PBS as it is fondly known is a research based process. That when correctly implemented creates a safer and more effective school. The PBS program will allow us to build on our existing strengths and strategies. It works on the premises that is a whole school approach to improvement and relies on us all using a consistent educative approach when dealing with students.

In the classroom we continue to ensure that we are setting high standards and expectations of all students. Educational research has said that there are three main ingredients which help make this happen. Firstly that students have the ability, talent and skills to undertake a number of tasks. Secondly it is about the motivation a desire to engage in learning. Finally and lastly it is about attitude and how well you want to achieve.

With this in mind we would encourage you to help us bring out the best in the students so their potential can be reached. Parents can help us maximise their students learning successes. This includes ensuring a regular home study routine is set in place and by contacting the school at any time if you have any issues with your child so we can address any concerns. Please remember we run formal homework class sessions on Monday and Thursday, we have tutors available to support but of course students can also go into the IRC (Information Resource Centre) any day after school 3:00 – 4:00pm to use computer resources, take out books and/or just do study and homework. Our IRC is usually open also on the school holidays and students can let us know if they would like to study in the IRC. This school holiday we are running a study skills program to support on Year 10, 11 and 12 students. More details about the program schedule are in this edition of the newsletter.

Finally I would like to remind parents that we value their support and would like to encourage them to meet with staff to discuss their child's progress if any issues arise affecting their learning or social development. This is particularly important at this time of the year for our Year 11 and Year 12 students. They only have this term to complete some important assessments before they sit their next set of exams.

I look forward to your positive and continual support of the school.

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

Up and Coming Dates

Student Services Update

Year 7 Diary Tips

Square Breathing

When students experience tense feelings and anxious thoughts about their progress, the workload ahead, maintaining their study performances and peer group issues, their bodies respond with signals such as:

• tension in their necks and backs
• quickened and shallow breathing
• hot facial flushes
• anxious thoughts flooding through their minds
• disrupted sleep patterns

To assist students to overcome these negative influences, they need to be taught techniques to improve their wellbeing. To relieve these tensions and anxieties, research has shown that a technique called Square Breathing will bring immediate benefits

• they can do it anywhere and anytime they have a spare five minutes
• nobody around them is aware that they are square breathing.

Square refers to the fact that there are four parts to it which they repeat over and over again

• concentrating hard on the four parts distracts students' minds from their pressing issues
• it increases their oxygen intake and blood flow to the brain which promote clarity of thought
• it is a form of meditation
• it is also known as box breathing.

Concentrating on breathing deeply will release feel good brain chemicals and lessen tension and anxiety. Knowing how and when to use Square Breathing will benefit their overall wellbeing and enhance their performances.

Psychologist

Aussie Optimism

A group of Year 7 boys and girls have been involved in the Aussie Optimism Social Life Skills Program. This is a comprehensive 10 week school based program which aims to promote mental health and wellbeing in young people and prevent emotional problems such as depression and anxiety. The early adolescence years are an important developmental period for the promotion of mental health and this program has been particularly designed to suit this age group.

Students have learnt how to:

• Talk about feelings
• Use decision-making skills
• Communicate with others in a positive way
• Be assertive
• Negotiate
• Manage early warning signs of stress and make themselves feel better by relaxing, distracting themselves, thinking about positive images and having fun.
• Use networks for information, friendships and emotional help.
• Use the skills to get along better with friends and family.

The groups thoroughly enjoyed the interactive program which ran for an hour a week. A lot was learnt and great friendships were made.

Miranda Gerson
School Psychologist

Chaplain

My Money, My Life

The City of Joondalup has designed an online notebook to help young people deal with all the important things in life when transitioning out of school or home into the big wide world.

There is information of things like how to manage your money, buying your first car, moving out, mobile phones, credit cards and more.

Learning Support Coordinator

As you would be aware the second round of OLNA (Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment) for some of our Year 10, 11 and 12 students is fast approaching. Part of my role here at Newton Moore is to support staff in delivering preparation tasks for students before the assessment. It is vital these students understand the importance of passing OLNA. And in doing so, understanding how to give themselves the best chance at passing the assessment, which is by being prepared.

If you have any questions or would like some information on how to best prepare your child at home for the upcoming OLNA, please feel free to contact me on 97222473

School Nurse

Cystic Fibrosis

A student has recently enrolled at Newton Moore Senior High School with Cystic Fibrosis. I had very little knowledge of this condition prior to his enrolment and thought that it was a good opportunity to share my new knowledge with the school community.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. There is currently no cure. People with CF develop an abnormal amount of excessively thick and sticky mucus within the lungs and the digestive system. The mucus causes impairment of the digestive functions of the pancreas and traps bacteria in the lungs resulting in recurrent infections which lead to irreversible damage. From birth, a person with CF undergoes constant medical treatments and physiotherapy (often daily). CF is not contagious. People with CF must have a high calorie diet, maintain hydration and consume numerous medications throughout the day. If it important for CF patients to avoid bacteria and situations where air quality is diminished ie: freshly mulched garden beds or smoke from a nearby fire.

Click here to access quick but informative video sharing teenagers' perspectives of living with CF.

Literacy Corner

Grammar Matters!

Welcome to the tenth instalment of Grammar Matters! At Newton Moore SHS we explicitly teach grammar and spelling rules to empower our students to be more confident, stronger writers.

How can parents help? Literacy Corner is a regular feature in which we roll out some of the basics we are covering in our Year 7 classes. You can talk to your child, help them understand and do simple exercises with them to ensure they understand. Contact your child's English teacher or the English HOLA Lesley Stace at Lesley.Stace@education.wa.edu.au if you would like additional exercises for them to do at home.

Every word in our language is a "part of speech".

Having a common language in our classrooms is important. We teach that there are NINE parts of speech. In the last issue we talked about how all sentences have a "part that names", or subject, and a "part that tells you more", or predicate. Now let's look at rules for using commas in sentences.

Rule 1: When you put the end of an original sentence in front, you put a comma after the part you moved.

Look at this example: We heard lots of strange noises during the night.

We can change the order of this sentence, by moving the parts around like this:

During the night, we heard lots of strange noises.

You must put the comma after during the night in this example.

Rule 2: If the part after and, or, but, or so is a complete sentence, you put a comma.

Look at this example: I need to study hard or I won't pass the test.

The part after or is a complete sentence. (I won't pass the test.) This means that the rule applies. When we join the two parts, we need to add a comma.

I need to study hard, or I won't pass the test.

Now look at this example: She was drinking a cup of tea and reading.

The part after and is not a complete sentence, so the rule DOES NOT apply. You would NOT put a comma in this sentence.

More rules about commas next week.

Positive Behaviour School

Why School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)

PBS is not a curriculum, intervention or practice but a decision making framework that is based on best practices.

It is based on data analysis and helps us assess needs of students and tell us where best to put in support.

It has a focus on prevention and it is about teaching what the expected behaviours are that we want here at Newton Moore Senior High School.

If a child doesn't know how to read we teach.
If a child doesn't know how to spell we teach.
If a child doesn't know how to count we teach.
If a child doesn't know how to behave we teach.

Aboriginal Education

Follow the Dream

During the first week of the school holidays and for the second year the Academic Success Workshop was presented by Oliver Maratea, lecturer from Edith Cowan University Bunbury. The workshop was delivered over 3 days and focus of the delivery was to develop with the students the strategies, skills, knowledge and understanding in the following areas:

1. Preparing for exams; memory technique and how to write good short answers in an exam.
2. Careers; future career options, career action plans, and alternative pathways to University
3. Study: how to create good study notes, study cards, mind mapping, study timetable and stress management and anxiety.

Those students who attended found it extremely beneficial and as the sessions were delivered in an interactive and enjoyable format. The highlight, aside from the knowledge that the students attained was the consumption of pizzas at the end of the sessions.

Newton Moore Senior High School would once again like to thank ECU Bunbury for providing a lecturer to deliver this workshop it is greatly appreciated and we look forward to the partnership continuing in 2017.

News from Parent Bodies

Canteen News

Hello everyone,

The canteen and our online canteen are running a promotion for August.

Any student registered and placing an order in August will be in the draw for a $20.00 credit voucher, to be drawn at the end of the month.

Regards

Jenny Hall
Canteen Manager

Events

NMSHS 50th Celebrations

A lot of the projects related to the 50th celebrations are starting to be completed – we have selected a badge, the 50th Souvenir booklet is almost ready for the printer and most importantly the plans for the cake are well underway.

We had a great suggestion of having a display of "Uniforms through the Ages" which would be great, but we only have a hat and blazer, a school shirt and of course, the latest style so if you have any old uniforms tucked away please think about lending them to us for the day – I've heard rumours of some domestic science uniforms lurking in boxes somewhere which I would love to see.