SCHOOL NEWS

Wednesday, 11th November, 2009.

 

ENROLMENTS FOR 2010

Parents wishing to enrol children at Condong for 2010 should contact the school with details as soon as possible.  If you know of any families wishing to enrol their child/children at our school please ask that they contact the school.

 

REMEMBRANCE DAY
Congratulations and thank you to our senior students for conducting a moving Remembrance Day Service for the school today. Thank you to Mrs Goode for co-ordinating the special assembly.

 

KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION ACTIVITIES

Our 2010 Kindergarten students will be visiting their new school this Friday, 13th November from 9.30am to 11.00am for an orientation activity.  Parents are not required to stay at school during the activity but are welcome to if they wish.

Our Kindergarten Orientation Morning will be held on Wednesday, 25th November from 8.30am to 10.15am.  The orientation morning provides an opportunity for the children to meet fellow classmates and their ‘buddy’ for next year and experience a preview of life in Kindergarten.  Parents will meet with myself and a representative of the P&C Association followed by morning tea. 

Mrs Jodie Taylor, our Uniform Coordinator, will open the uniform shop for sales and fittings.

We are looking for volunteers to help with the morning tea and the sale of uniforms.  If you can help please return the response slip attached to this newsletter.  Thank you to those who have already volunteered to help.

 

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE & SUPPORT STAFF (SASS) RECOGNITION WEEK
This special week provides us with the opportunity to formally acknowledge the efforts and special contribution made to our school by the SASS staff at Condong.  Sue in the front office; Jo, Lyn, Ryan and Jane our teachers aides; Chris in the library and Jamie our groundsman all do a fantastic job to help make Condong School the very special place it is!  Thank you for your commitment and dedication to the school - it is greatly appreciated.

SENIOR STUDENTS VISIT MURWILLUMBAH HIGH
Last Monday our Year Six students attended a special training day in the Cooling Conflicts Program conducted by Murwillumbah High School.  Condong students joined students from other local primary schools and will be involved in transferring their newly learnt skills to junior students at Condong.  On Thursday our team - Dane Gregg, Priya Barnes, Daniel Dixon and Amy Partridge - did a fantastic job representing their school at the Science Olympiad at Murwillumbah High.  See Student Views for more details.

SCHOOL MAGAZINE UPDATE

The P&C’s School Magazine is starting to take shape but still requires sponsorship.  We are asking for $20 to sponsor a page for business or family e.g. this page was proudly sponsored by the Anderson family/business logo which will appear at the bottom of the page.  Please contact the school office if you are interested.  The School Magazine is running an art competition to create a cover for the new magazine.  Artwork needs to be on A4 page and be in full colour.  Entries cost $1.00 each and you can enter as often as you wish.  Students are also asked to think of an exciting name for the new school magazine.  Entries cost $1.00 each.  So get busy kids, your artwork could be the cover of the new school magazine or the magazine could be named by you.

Baby photos of all Year 6 students (clearly labelled) are also required.  Photos will be scanned and promptly returned.

 

MURWILLUMBAH SHOW DISPLAY
I hope you got a chance to see the fantastic display of our students’ work at the Murwillumbah Show last weekend.  Thank you to Mrs Borton, Ms Browning and Mrs Bertram for assembling the display last week whilst I was attending a Principals’ Conference in Sydney.  Thank you to Ms Browning and Ryan for dismantling the display on Monday.

 

CONDONG P & C - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting will be held in the school library on Thursday, 26th November at 7.00pm.  Your support is always appreciated.  All positions will be declared vacant. 

The Parent and Citizen Association is a most valuable partner for Condong Public School.  If you haven’t been involved before please consider becoming involved.  The people already involved are fellow parents and are all very friendly and welcoming. 

The official P&C constitution states that the object or purpose of the P&C is to promote the interests of the school by bringing all the stakeholders (students, parents and teachers) into close co-operation and to assist in the provision of facilities and equipment for the school.

All parents are partners in their child’s education, becoming a member of the P&C only costs 50c and gives you the right to cast a vote.  Not just a vote for your P&C representatives but on every issue put before the P&C. 

Becoming a member does not mean you have to attend every/any meeting, but if you do it allows you to have immediate input into issues that concern you and your children.  The unstated or unsaid message, picked up by children when they see their parents involved in the school, is that school is important to mum and/or dad.  This subtle message can make an invaluable contribution to your child’s education.

Here is a brief description of the positions and what is involved in each position.  Plenty of ‘on the job’ training and support is available and we always operate as a team – so please consider taking an active role in your child’s school.

PRESIDENT – attends and runs the regular monthly meeting (if unable to attend a Vice President chairs the meeting).

VICE PRESIDENT x 2 - attends regular meetings and chairs meetings when the President is absent (which rarely happens).

SECRETARY – attends regular monthly meetings, takes down the minutes at meetings (this is done in a scrap book and then written out at home and copied to be handed out at the next meeting), receives correspondence, sends correspondence (4 letters per year at the most).

TREASURER – attends regular monthly meetings and presents financial report, banks money from fundraising etc, pays cheques for supplies, uniforms etc, balances accounts with bank statement (book work takes 10-15mins per month).

CANTEEN PURCHASER – checks supplies in canteen weekly and then orders supplies required.

CANTEEN TREASURER – attends regular monthly meetings and presents financial report, pays cheques for supplies, balances accounts with bank statement.

CANTEEN ROSTER CONVENOR – organises roster for each term.

UNIFORM CO-ORDINATOR – stock takes and orders uniforms.

PUBLICITY OFFICER – extracts information from newsletter each week to create School News to be published in the Murwillumbah Weekly. 

 

BECOME A CONDONG P&C ASSOCIATION FINANCIAL MEMBER FOR 2010

Would you like to join the P&C?  All parents are partners in their child’s education, becoming a member of the P&C only costs 50c and gives you the right to cast a vote.  Not just a vote for your P&C representatives but on every issue put before the P&C.  Becoming a member does not mean you have to attend every/any meeting, but if you do it allows you to have immediate input into issues that concern you and your children.  Please complete attached Membership Form and return with your 50c to become a P&C financial member for 2010.

 

THE MARGARET HORAN ACADEMY OF DANCE: STAGE LIGHTS - STAGE BRIGHT

We have the opportunity to provide an experience with the Arts for our students.  The Margaret Horan Academy of Dance is presenting their Dance Spectacular ‘Stage Lights – Stage Bright’ on Friday, 27th November at the Murwillumbah Civic Centre.  The Dance Spectacular features outstanding dancers of all ages (including some Condong students).  The cost will be $4.00 entry plus bus fare to be determined.  Please return the attached response slip if you are interested so that a decision can be made about the viability of this proposed excursion. 

 

Terry Timms, Principal.

 

 

CANTEEN ROSTER:

Tuesday, 17th November

FULL    L. HARVEY

AM        A. FELTON

PM         P. LOUBRIS

 

Thursday, 19th November

J. TAYLOR

         

                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

 

 

P & C NEWS:

P&C Annual General Meeting – The date for the AGM has been set for 7.00pm on 26th November 2009.  Please come along and get involved in your child’s school.

 

COMMUNITY NEWS:

Urgently Wanted: House on Property to Rent – 3 or 4 bedroom for 2 working adults and 2 children plus adopted children (1 Kelpie dog, 2 cats plus 1 horse which we feed so no problem about grass) – please contact Mandy on 66766078 (home) or 66724988 (work)

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: SCIENCE OLYMPIAD On Thursday, 4th November Priya, Dane, Daniel and Amy travelled to Murwillumbah High School for a Science Olympiad. After we all arrived the bell rang. One of the Year Ten students took us down to the MPC where Mrs Morris-Grant was arranging the tables. She soon called us in and each team of four sat at a table and we got started. There were three rounds with three to four tests in each round and each test had ten questions. If you got the highest mark out of the ten questions your team would get a lolly. Some of the topics included space, jewellery, the human body, animals and plants. We won the first round with a score of 28 out of 40 and got awarded a flask. After we finished the first round it was time for recess. After recess we went back to the MPC and started the next round. We won a few of the tests but not the second round. Then we had lunch. After lunch we completed the last round and Tumbulgum won the big trophy for having the most points overall. We all tried our best and had a great day. Amy Partridge & Priya Barnes

Cooling Conflicts

On Monday, the 2nd of November, Year 6 went to Murwillumbah High School for a program about how to solve bullying called Cooling Conflicts. In case you don’t know, conflict means to come into collision or disagreement.

When Amy and I got off the bus, we were nervous because we couldn’t see any other schools and started wondering if it was that day. Amy and I found our way to the quadrangle where soon Priya turned up with her big sister, Giorgia, then Alana.

After standing around being bored, Alana and I went down to the bus bay and waited for Sarah and Maryke. Eloise Smith saw us and came down to see what we were doing. When the bell rang we walked back up to the quadrangle where we found Sarah and Maryke.  The high schoolers were having an assembly so everyone was looking at us. It was so scary.

We were directed to the Multi Purpose Centre A.K.A. MPC by the head drama teacher and some Year 10 students. We were there for about ˝ an hour when Mr Timms came with Kelly, Brodie, John, Jyle and Daniel. We played many games like The Name Game, Forest, Levels, Postcards and Knots. When we were split into groups, I was in a group with Jake, a boy from Sathya Sia and a boy from Stokers Siding. Our Year 10 leader was Jean. This made me the only girl in my group.

The bell rang for recess and we grabbed our bags and ran for the canteen. I bought a pie, Gatorade and a slushy.  The bell rang so we ran back to the MPC.  Between recess and lunch we did our plays on conflict.

After every group finished and practised their conflicts we had to show in front of the other groups.

When one group did their play the audience had to put up their hand to try to solve the conflict. 

During lunch we just sat at a bench and talked to my next door neighbour, Sally and her friends. 

When the bell rang to go to class, again we went back to the MPC. But this time we only did sports and games.

At the home bell I caught the bus home with my brother and friends. 

I think I really learnt some things on how to solve conflicts.

Brooke Maynard

 
 
Double Brace: Cooling Conflict Program On Monday, the 2nd November, we went to Mur-bah High School for a cooling conflict program. We had to meet at the quadrangle. As soon as I got there I recognised a lot of people, mostly my brother’s friends. When everyone arrived we had to go to the M.P.C. where we got split up into groups. Sarah was in my group. Our leader was Lachlan, he was really cool. In our groups we had to make a conflict such as bullying. My character was a teacher and Sarah was a bully and I made her get suspended. When everyone left at 2.30pm we had a big game of soccer, we only won once. Jarod Taylor