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RESPECT      SELF-DISCIPLINE      ACHIEVEMENT      COURAGE
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
WEEK 4

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

This past week has been a great reminder of why I feel so fortunate to be part of our wonderful Calwell High community!

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who attended our P&C's Annual General Meeting on Wednesday night. It was fantastic to have some new faces joining our wonderful group of parents carers and grandparents, bringing fresh energy and ideas. Congratulations to Geoff Puleston for his appointment as President and thank you to all of the committee members for your contribution to our school.

On Thursday, our school spirit was in full swing at the Swimming Carnival at Civic Pool. It was a fantastic day filled with fun and friendly competition.

As we dive deeper into the academic year, our staff and students are fully engaged in their current units, with various assessments coming up. Students are encouraged to access the assessment schedule and use the Google Calendar to keep to due dates. I encourage all students to reach out for support if needed and to make use of Flexible Learning Time to stay on top of assignments.

Have a great weekend Swifties!

Trish

IMPORTANT DATES FOR WEEK 5 2024
Wednesday 28 February
  • Outdoor Education Lake Tuggeranong - Canoeing
Thursday 29 February
  • Advanced Outdoor Education Erindale Pool
  • Breakfast Club
Friday 1 March
  • Outdoor Education Lake Tuggeranong - Canoeing
  • Breakfast Club

SCHOOL BOARD NOMINATIONS
Calwell High School is still seeking several new members for our School Board. We are seeking nominations for: 
  • 1 parent representative
  • 1 P&C Association representative
  • 1 staff representative
Nominations are now open and close on Friday 8 March. Please consider contributing to the life of our school by nominating for a place on our School Board. Elections will take place following the nomination period if needed.

To nominate, please fill in and follow the instructions on the nomination form and submit it to the Front Office.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
NAPLAN
NAPLAN testing will occur in our school between 13 and 25 March 2024 for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
 
Online NAPLAN tests provide more precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive), which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.
 
Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.
 
NAPLAN provides valuable information to schools and parents about literacy and numeracy achievement. It supports school improvement processes by enabling teachers to monitor student progress over time and to identify areas of strength and development.
 
All eligible students are encouraged and supported to participate in NAPLAN testing. Visit www.nap.edu.au to see interactive versions of the test and for more information.
 
NAPLAN
NAPLAN testing will occur in our school between 13 and 25 March 2024 for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
 
Online NAPLAN tests provide more precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive), which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.
 
Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.
 
NAPLAN provides valuable information to schools and parents about literacy and numeracy achievement. It supports school improvement processes by enabling teachers to monitor student progress over time and to identify areas of strength and development.
 
All eligible students are encouraged and supported to participate in NAPLAN testing. Visit www.nap.edu.au to see interactive versions of the test and for more information.
 
SWIMMING CARNIVAL
This week we held our Swimming Carnival at the Canberra Olympic Pool. Below are a few quick snaps with a full report and more photos to follow next week!

FACULTY UPDATES
JAPANESE CULTURAL STUDIES
This week in Japanese Cultural Studies we have been looking at Japanese customs and etiquette around meal times. Students have discussed polite manners, practised the Japanese phrases ‘Itadakimasu’ and ‘Gochisousamadeshita’ and had the opportunity to experience eating with chopsticks.

As students have become more confident using chopsticks we competed in chopstick races. Students have also made chopstick rests out of clay that we will use later in the term as we move into cooking various Japanese meals.
YEAR 7 JAPANESE
Year 7 students have started the year especially well learning Japanese phrases matched to Auslan (Australian Sign Language) signs as memory prompts or flashcards. If your child is in year 7, ask them to tell you the Japanese word for “thank you” and “please” (and show you the Auslan sign too). Recently we prepared for a Japanese speaking task by watching the superb animated movie “My Neighbour Totoro”.

This classic film is some of the best listening practice a learner of Japanese can do – it’s fast, natural and realistic. Soon year 7 students will be practising speaking lines from this movie and recording them on video. I hope you will be surprised at the progress your child is making.
MUSIC
In music, students have been actively working towards their performance assessments, including selecting pieces and improving their coordination.

In Percussion Ensemble, students have been refining their marching rudiments on snare drum, learning the fundamentals of grip, rhythm and accents.

In Music Industry, students have begun working in Adobe Audition, looking at audio editing and techniques to mix multitrack sessions.

CAREERS & STUDENT PATHWAYS
CALWELL HIGH SCHOOL CAREERS WEBSITE
Calwell High School has a dedicated careers website with lots of information for families such as:
  • Post school options
  • Workplace learning
  • Jobs board
  • Newsfeeds
All students also have access to Career Tools through the website giving them access to lots of features such as virtual work experience, resume and portfolio builders, career journeys and much more!

The website can be found at https://calwellhighcareers.com/  so start exploring today. For further information regarding Career Tools please contact Andrew.Rowe@ed.act.edu.au.
CERTIFICATE II IN CONSTRUCTION PATHWAYS INFORMATION NIGHT
Calwell High School is conducting an information night for the CIT Certificate II in Construction Pathways course on Monday 26 February 2024 at 5pm for 5:15pm start and will be presented by both Calwell High School and CIT staff.  All families that are interested are welcome to attend. For further information please contact Andrew.Rowe@ed.act.edu.au.
 
Course Information: 
Course:  Certificate II in Construction Pathways 
Additional industry training certificates: 
  • General Construction Induction (White Card) 
  • Asbestos Awareness
  • Silica

P&C NEWS
Hello parents, carers and friends

A huge thank you to those that attended the P&C AGM last night. We are pleased to announce our new committee for 2024 as follows:

President: Geoff Puleston
Vice President: Pippa Harbers
Treasurer: VACANT
Secretary & Public Officer: Libby Melton
Executive Committee Members: Megan Fox & Lisa Ferraris
Delegate to ACT Council of P&C Associations: Geoff Puleston & Pippa Harbers
P&C Representative for Calwell High School Board: TBC

Please join us in welcoming the committee. 
Big and exciting things are planned for the P&C this year and as always we welcome any new members wanting to assist in any way......in fact.....did you notice that our Treasurer position remained unfilled last night? If you are interested or know of anyone who is, we would love to hear from you!

Geoff Puleston, Calwell High School P&C President       
calwellhighpandc@gmail.com

COMMUNITY NOTICES
RUNNY STOOLS? STAY AWAY FROM POOLS
The ACT has seen an increase in Cryptosporidiosis cases recently – much like other states across Australia. What is Cryptosporidiosis? Cryptosporidiosis commonly affects young children, but anyone can get it. Often, people will get infected by swimming in, and swallowing water contaminated with Cryptosporidium parasites.

This infection causes gastro-like symptoms – such as acute diarrhoea and abdominal pain and can last several weeks. While people are most infectious when they have diarrhoea, they can still pass the infection on to others for several weeks after their symptoms have stopped.

Read how to avoid catching Cryptosporidiosis and what to do if you develop symptoms on the ACT Health website. Need more information? Contact your doctor or call the Health Protection Service, Communicable Disease Control Information Line during business hours on 02 5124 9213.
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