News

Secondary Swimming Champions

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 13:17:20 AEDT

Congratulations to the following students on their personal accomplishments in being awarded Age Champions at our recent swimming carnival:

13 Years Matt Russell and Isabella Orminston

14 Years Jack Opie and Charlotte Porter

15 Year Juarn Stanton-Sing and Kylah Vipen

16 Years Bailey Scarborough-Moss

17 Years Paul Thomson and Olivia Edwards

Our winning House was Zemos by 33 Points, awarded to House Captains Alex Gregson and Shona Hughes

Congratulations to all students who turned up to participate on this fabulous day!

Secondary SRC 2020

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 12:58:11 AEDT

Congratulations to the following students on being elected as members of the Student Representative Council. We would like to thank these student leaders for their ongoing commitment to our school.

Year 7: Ashden Carter and Rebecca Drummond

Year 8: Mykil Merritt and Tamara Ryan

Year 9: Dakota Cormie and William Finch

Year 10: Alex Gregson and Phoebe Riley

Year 11: Jess Paull and Chalmonie Fletcher (absent)

Year 12: Maggie Ratcliffe, Hayley Northey, Zac McNeill and Dennis Clarke (absent)

Primary Captains: Meaghan Hawley, Tori Clare, Boady Russell and Connor Kesterton (all absent)

Year 7 - 12 Award Assembly

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 12:55:31 AEDT

Year 7 – 12 Award Assembly

In 2020, our students in years 7-12 will be involved in merit award assemblies every fortnight. These assemblies will be an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the fantastic achievements and contributions made to the school and community, by our secondary students. Well done to this fortnight’s award recipients, who have demonstrated the school ethos of ‘I begin, I strive, I achieve’.

Congratulations!

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:26:07 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

National Brilliant Kids Festival

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 11:36:43 AEDT

Last week 5 students from our Secondary Department travelled to Sydney University for the National Brilliant Kids Festival 2019.

These students earnt their position to this fantastic event via their presentations of their Agrifuture’s proposals of the Hydrocrate and Eperb Pouch.

Millie, Meegan, Rayah, Jess and Chalm travelled down to Sydney on Thursday for an early start on Friday at the Business College of Sydney University.

The girls participated in University style workshops with industry leading professionals and entrepreneurs, learning how to critically think outside the box, and solve complex issues.

To finalise the day our girls had to present their pitch to four judges and a lecture theatre full of strangers and other competitors. A somewhat terrifying thought for our girls. But as usual, with a lot of preparation and some words of wisdom from Mrs Taylor and myself, the girls shone like diamonds, really stepping up to the occasion. Although the judges only announced one winner, the four judges approached our girls after the event and whispered ‘you were both sharing a very close second place’..... how amazing.... A colossal effort and a credit to their character and personalities.

It was so good to see our girls rubbing shoulders with so many schools from all over Australia including multiple exclusive private schools from around Sydney. And as per the judges’ comments - ‘beating those schools in their respective presentations’.

I trust the girls had a great time visiting the beach, walking in the shoes of those Sydney Uni business students and learning from industry leading professionals who gave up their time and resources to make the event happen.

I would like to thank Agrifutures and startup business for this opportunity and Jess Taylor for giving up her time, helping with transport and supervision. I would also like to thank our local CWA branches for helping fund our Agrifuture’s program this year.

Mr Connors

Kindergarten Celebration

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 13:43:52 AEDT

Our annual Kindergarten Celebration was a huge hit last Thursday. Our Kindergarten students received a book as a gift from the school which Mrs Alston wrote a beautiful personal note to each student inside the cover. The highlight of the celebration was a play, songs and dances performed by Kindergarten students. It was amazing to see such talent and cuteness.

Thank you Mrs O’Brien, Mrs Alston, Mrs Martin, Mrs Bevitt and Miss McDonald for all of the work that you put into the performance. It was amazing. One of the dances can be viewed on our Facebook site. Very entertaining.

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 18:30:45 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

CAPERS 2019

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 11:34:24 AEDT

On Friday, Friday night and Saturday night students from Manilla Central School participated in the 10th CAPERS production- Carnivale.

They were involved in the massed choir, massed Indigenous dance, Stage 2 massed dance and backstage commitments. The students represented MCS with pride and showed great enthusiasm in their chosen item.

Many rehearsals were had in order to get the students ready for the performances which were very well received by family members in the crowd. Ms Singleton from the secondary was involved with the students in the choir and coordinated most of the rehearsals for the massed Indigenous dance. Mrs Hawley, Mrs McNeill and myself assisted students in the rehearsals of the massed Stage 2 dance and the finale dance.

Thank you to all of the dedicated students who upheld their commitment to be a part of the production. Also to the committed staff who gave their time to ensure that CAPERS was a huge success for 2019. Thank you Ms Singleton, Mrs McNeill and Mrs Hawley- I couldn’t have done it without you!

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 14:09:45 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

Careers Education K-6

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 11:45:32 AEST

Last Friday, 20th September 2019 we celebrated Aspirations Day in the primary. The day focused around what job our students want to do when they leave school. They all dressed up as the occupation they want be when they leave school.

What is Aspirations Day?

Once a year we are going to expose our students to a variety of jobs so that they can create a pathway into employment. We will have people from a variety of jobs speak to our students about what skills are needed to do their job, what steps they have to take to attain employment in that field and what their job entails.

Our purpose is to inspire our students to work hard in school in order to attain their dream occupation.

How? This year we arranged a representative to talk to our students from a variety of agencies such as the NSW Ambulance, NBN News, Hart Rural, Doctors Surgery, Assets Management, Fire Brigade and Police.

We would like to thank Trish who is a Paramedic from the NSW Ambulance, Constable Andrew Wainwright from Manilla Police Station, Jacob Hawley from Hart Rural, Alison Brand who is our Assets Manager from the NSW Department of Education, Dr John Kelly, Manilla Farmer Angus Faulks, Isobella Evans from NBN and John Martin and Paul Gray from the NSW Fire Brigade.

Why? In our experience, we have found students work well in class when they have a purpose / goal to work towards. When our children have a clear picture of what occupation they want to pursue, it provides them with an incentive to work harder, a guideline of what subjects they need to study, what marks are needed and a work ethic that will make them attractive to an employer.

Why K-6? We link our secondary students to outside agencies and businesses regularly throughout the year. Our aim is to ‘plant the seed for employment’ much earlier in the primary years.

Our students also enjoyed a canteen meal deal (thank you to our volunteers for your cooking), costume Parade and a Daytime Disco.

Regional Athletics Results

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 10:03:53 AEST

Last Friday, Dakota McInerney, Sekora Daley and Ben Coomer-Ison represented MCS at the PSSA Regional Athletics in Tamworth. All students performed extremely well resulting in Sekora and Ben qualifying for the State Carnival being held in Sydney later this year. Their results were as follows:

Dakota - 5th in 100m final

Sekora – 3rd Discus

Ben – 3rd Shot Put

Congratulations Ben, Sekora and Dakota. We are very proud of you!

Central Schools Netball Finals - Dubbo

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 09:35:47 AEST

Massive congratulations to the MCS under 16s and Opens netball teams for their fantastic efforts at the Central Schools Netball state finals.
The under 16s started strong on Thursday, playing some tough netball against well-drilled teams. Led by captain, Jessica Paull, the girls fought hard to earn 3rd place in the state. Well done girls.
A special mention goes to Shona Hughes and Samantha McCubbin for being nominated by the umpires for Most Valuable Player.
The Opens campaign commenced on Friday, beginning with two tough games straight up. One close loss and an intense and physical draw throughout the day led us to finish with the silver medal.
Isobel Kemp led with composure and maturity as captain. A special thank you to our year 12 girls Isobel, Maddison, Nyomi and Tara for all they have done for netball at our school.
Congratulations again to Sammi McCubbin for her multiple nominations for MVP, an amazing effort for an under 16 on the opens day.
Well done to all girls, and a massive thank you goes to our supporters and parents. This year we had an excellent turn out on the sidelines which helped us immensely. Another thank you to our P and C for their support of our trip.

Kindergarten Diamond Excursion

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 14:17:30 AEST

Kindergarten Diamond are studying the inquiry unit "People Live in Places". To enhance the study of work we walked to the Manilla bird park (Rotary Park) and found a lot of reasons why this park is so special to Manilla. The students enjoyed a picnic lunch and played on the equipment. We also enjoyed walking around the park to discover monuments and old photos featuring Manilla’s past.

Education Week Awards

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 11:35:43 AEST

On behalf of all of the Manilla Central School community, we would like to congratulate three inspiring people who will be formally recognised during Education Week awards on Monday at Nemingha Public School.

Jessica Wise (Year 5): Student Achievement Award

Mr David Ridgewell (long standing volunteer): outstanding contribution to a school by a volunteer

Mrs Rachael Ferguson (Deputy Principal): outstanding contribution to a school by a staff member

We are so lucky to have such amazing people as part of our MCS community.

We are so proud!

Education Week 2019

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 11:45:54 AEST

Last week Education Week was celebrated with the theme, Every Student, Every Voice. It was great to see so many parents, grandparents and caregivers visiting classrooms to witness the great things happening at our school. See also our Education Week Gallery.

NAIDOC Week

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 12:06:10 AEST

It was a privilege hosting ex-NRL player, Boxing champion and mental health advocate, Joe Williams as our keynote speaker at our assembly last Wednesday. Joe also ran workshops for our Years 5 - 11 students, which were very thought provoking and extremely worthwhile. Fourteen students received a backpack made by the Bundurra company for their NAIDOC theme writing. They looked awesome. We also had students receive book vouchers for winning the artwork competition. Congratulations to all who participated.

North West PSSA Softball Selection

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 13:25:18 AEST

Congratulations to Logan Northey on being selected in the North West PSSA Softball team today.

Robotics Workshop

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 12:32:13 AEST

Robotics Workshop 2019

As part of Manilla Central School’s GeTs (Gifted extended & Talented Students) Program, all Year 7 and some Year 5&6 students participated in a Robotics Workshop presented by Western Student Connections on Thursday, 30th May. We attended this workshop to enhance our integration of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) into our classroom activities.

The workshop had many educational and fun activities such as learning how to program a Beebot/ Bluebot, using an ozobot, learning how to block code and many other activities. The first activity we did was programming a Beebot/ Bluebot, we would press different buttons which would program the Bots to move once you pressed go (this was my favorite.) There were also little Ozobots which moved when their sensors pick up colours (Red, black, blue and green.) We also learnt how to block code by using an app called Scratch Jr. The last thing we did before finishing the workshop was using tablets to control a different type of Ozobot, we made them run around the room. This workshop was very fun and I would definitely recommend it to others.

By Jemarli Dallas (Year 7)

BLAZEAID

Mon, 27 May 2019 09:45:07 AEST

This week the Year 12 Primary Industries class along with Mr Connors, Mr Faulks and Mrs Allen are working in the Inverell area with Blazeaid, repairing fire damaged farms and fencing. Reece, Billy, Ezra, Angus, Kate, Matthew, Nyomi and Dashe are all excited to work with the other Blazeaid volunteers.

The students left school on Friday afternoon, giving up their weekend time, and will return on Thursday night ready for school on Friday. This will cover their work placement requirements for the course while also achieving their fencing competencies for their Cert II in Agriculture. The best part of this opportunity is the kids volunteering their time and working with the local community helping those in need after the fires and the ongoing drought. Reece is excited to be entertaining us all with a few tunes of Johnny Cash tonight around the campfire.

Mr Connors

CHS State Basketball

Thu, 30 May 2019 10:03:40 AEST

Last week Angela and Samantha McCubbin competed in the State CHS Basketball Championships held at Minto in Sydney. The girls performed extremely well in an understaffed team, which finished tenth in the competition.

Although finishing tenth, Samantha was highest point scorer in each game and was third overall highest point scorer for the tournament. This is an amazing feat and as a result Samantha has been named North West player of the tournament.

Congratulations Angela and Sammy. Your school and region are very proud of you.

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:36:17 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

Video – Kids ask the hard questions

Duration – 3:45

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:14:22 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 14:34:10 AEST

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

Welcome Mrs Prinsloo

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 11:03:50 AEST

This week we welcome Mrs Alida Prinsloo to our school community. Alida has moved to Australia with her husband, daughter and son. She comes from a small town, called Nelspruit in South Africa. Nelspruit is situated next to the Kruger National Park, where the BIG 5 (African elephant, rhinoceros, cape buffalo, lions and leopards) of the animal kingdom roam.

Alida has taught Science at secondary schools for the past 20 years and is looking forward to meeting the Manilla children and opening the world of science to them!

Welcome Alida, it is a privilege having you join our team.

Secondary Awards Assembly

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:26:18 AEDT

The Secondary awards assembly for Term 1 was held on Thursday morning of last week, Congratulations to our bronze award winners for Term 1, Samantha McCubbin, Angela McCubbin, Caitlyn Pryce, Dakota Cormie and Zakary O’Connor. Our Fast5 Netball team champions, Zac McNeil, Isobel Kemp, Maddison Collier, Dylan Walker and Caitlyn Pryce received their medals for their win on the 15th March in Inverell. Congratulations to Mr Windred’s Easter Egg recipients, Nyomi White, Kate Taylor, Daisy O’Brien, Ava Woodward, Phoebe Riley, Isobel Kemp, Zac McNeil, Angela McCubbin, and Samantha McCubbin. We also celebrated our North West team representatives Zac McNeil, Angela McCubbin and Samantha McCubbin.

MCS Cattle Team

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:27:33 AEDT

This weekend the Manilla Show team attended Walcha show on Friday and Manilla show on Saturday. A huge weekend with massive successes. At Walcha show, Meegan lead brilliantly winning 4th place in the heifer show, Dylan paraded in the under 17’s and received 6th place, the seniors participated in the under 18’s paraders and went exceptionally well with Kate winning 1st, Ny winning 2nd and Ezra winning 4th. After Walcha show, the show team then attended their local show, winning "Best 2 heifers" while also winning the "Breeders group" with Millie and Chalmonie leading. Later in junior parading Ezra, Ny and Dylan made the finals in the open paraders. A fantastic finish to a very busy show season. Good luck to our senior members, Kate, Ezra and Ny who have worked tirelessly throughout their time in the team over the past 5 years. A big thank you to Angus, Jessica, Cindy and Renai for helping over the season along with Andrew and Sharon Gunn for their generosity and commitment throughout the year.

Mr Connors

On behalf of the show team, we would like to thank Mr Connors for providing us these awesome opportunities.

Kate and team.

Fast5 Gala Day

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:12:36 AEDT

Last Friday, Miss Wrightson took our senior mixed netball team to Inverell to compete in the first regional Fast5 gala day. The team displayed some exceptional netball skills and teamwork to make it to the semi final. They capitalised on the power play rule to win, heading into the grand final. Glen Innes was the team to beat going undefeated all day. It was a close match and we held on to secure the win!! Congratulations to our seniors!

Cattle Showing - Inverell Show

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:12:52 AEDT

Cattle Showing - Inverell Show

Primary Zone Swimming Carnival

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:13:00 AEDT

Primary Zone Swimming Carnival

Secondary Swimming Carnival

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 11:46:06 AEDT

Secondary Swimming Carnival

5 road safety tips for parents and carers

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:25:54 AEDT

Now that students are back to school after a break it’s a good time to chat with your child about safe behaviours when you walk or commute to school.

Here are our top tips to help our students make a safe trip:

1. Be alert and aware

Take note of the dangers you come across on your walk and bring them to your child’s attention. Point out dangers, such as vehicles coming out of driveways. Talk to your child about being alert in a road environment.

2. Hold hands

When on the footpath, at a crossing or in a car park always hold your child's hand. It is advised to do this up to the age of at least 8 years old and closely supervise until at least the age of 10.

3. Choose a safe crossing

Lead by example and choose a safe place to cross the road. Explain why it is the safest place to cross.

4. Set a good example

Your child watches everything you do, so if you cross at the crossing they will too. It is also important to share these messages with other carers who may walk with your child to school.

5. Stop, Look, Listen, Think every time you cross the road

Discuss this important road safety message. STOP! one step back from the kerb. LOOK! continuously both ways. LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic. THINK! whether it is safe to cross.

Practise makes perfect

The more supervised practice your child can get the better, so why not make Term 1 the start of a new routine to walk with your child to school more often.

Older children may be ready to make the journey to school independently. Before they take this step, observe if they are road safe and reinforce the road safety messages.

For more information, check out the department’s pedestrian safety advice for students, parents and carers.

Follow your heart, not the herd

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:25:55 AEDT

We spoke with a group of Kindergarten students to find out what they had to say about going against the herd. They had some wise words for us on how we can care, respect and support each other in our schools.

Let’s start the year off right and prevent student bullying happening in our playgrounds, classrooms and online. If a group of 5-year-olds know the difference between right and wrong, shouldn’t everyone?

Video – Wise at 5

Duration – 1:08

Primary Swimming Carnival

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:13:06 AEDT

K Guru News

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 12:25:55 AEDT

K Guru

Term 4 is very exciting as Kindergarten complete their first year of school. The children have made such wonderful gains over the year in reading, writing, maths skills and socially. We have been busy practising for our graduation concert which will be held for parents on Wednesday, 5th December (more details to follow). It has been fun rehearsing songs and drama acts and everyone is very excited about the upcoming performance. The children have enjoyed the intensive swimming program and have made improvements with their water confidence and swimming ability. With the warm weather coming up it will be wonderful to reinforce the skills they have learnt if you have an opportunity to take your child swimming.

Year 12 Formal Dinner 2018

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 12:25:56 AEDT

We bid farewell to our graduating Year 12 last Friday evening at the Manilla RSL. The auditorium looked amazing thanks to the work of Mrs Ferguson, Miss Nott, Miss Wrightson, Mrs Kelly, Mrs Burns, Mr Peters, Mr Saunders and Rosie Ferguson. Great work team!

Thank you Sonia Manicaros and the team from the RSL for providing us with a great venue and service. Thank you Tony from the kitchen and his team for a delicious meal and to the Manilla Bakery for a delicious cake.

4/5 Bandaarr Poetry

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 13:38:50 AEDT

4/5 Bandaarr Poetry

MCS Student a Questacon Winner!

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 12:26:01 AEDT

Laura Carter

New Website Under Renovations

Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:12:47 AEST

Welcome to the new MCS website. We are currently updating our information, content, and galleries.

Athletics Carnival Friday, 3rd August 2018

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:45 AEST

Our school oval is currently unusable for athletics, so we have made alternative arrangements. We are going to conduct the Athletics Carnival at Wolseley Oval in Gunnedah. This will take place in Week Two of next term. We will travel to and from the Gunnedah by bus. We are looking into our canteen organising a set menu for everyone to order some food and drinks.

We will only be taking students who turn 8 years of age and above. Therefore, this will be a combined Primary and Secondary event. We will hold an Infants carnival at school next term.

We will be completing all field events at school. We will only conduct running events at the carnival in Gunnedah.

More information and permission notes will follow this week and then again next term. This is a claim the date for our parents to plan around.

In short:

What: Athletics Carnival

When: Friday, 3rd August 2018.

Who: 8 year olds - 18 year olds ... Primary and Secondary.

Where: Wolseley Oval, Gunnedah.

Travel: Bus.

Year 3 Happenings

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:49 AEST

After reading "My name is Lizzie Flynn" and learning about the history of the Rajah Quilt, year 3 were inspired to have a go at sewing. With the help of Mrs Vicki Hawley, we learnt a basic running stitch and sewed squares of material together. Then Mrs Hawley helped complete our project by backing it with polar fleece so now we have our very own class blanket/quilt.

Year 3 demonstrated outstanding commitment and perseverance during this activity, and were able to gain an insight and appreciate how those convict women must have felt all those years ago on board the ship, The Rajah. A big thank you to Mrs Hawley (Vicki) for giving up her time to assist year 3.

Happenings in 3 Guda

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

It has been another busy start to the Term for 3 Guda with being involved in a variety of activities such as the school ANZAC Service, choir, NAPLAN and Zone Cross Country, just to name a few.

This Term in HSIE, 3 Guda are studying the unit ‘First Contacts'. This module allows students to examine European exploration and colonisation in Australia and throughout the world. During our Creative Art lessons with Mrs Hawley, students have sketched designs of the ship ‘The Endeavour' and painted oceanic backgrounds. Don't they look fantastic?!

3 Guda have also been working hard on their Country Women's Association projects for 2018. This year's country of study is Poland, and students have been utilising and building on their ICT skills throughout the Term to develop Information Reports.

The rest of Term 2 proves to be just as busy, with other upcoming events such as the Athletics Carnival, Netball Gala Day and various fundraiser days, which 3 Guda are all eagerly looking forward to with enthusiasm!

Immunisation Dates 2018

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

Wednesday - 21st March
Wednesday - 9th May
Wednesday - 26th September

Forms were sent home with Year 7 students last week. Please return forms promptly.

Green Day 2018

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

Friday 2nd March, was Green Day, a celebration of World Environment Day and Clean Up Australia Day. Students came dressed in ‘GREEN MUFTI CLOTHES' and participated in the cleaning up of the school grounds and boundary. Each class had designated areas and all students were provided with a glove and bag to put their rubbish in. Students were briefed on safety procedures within their classes prior to commencing the clean-up. At the end of the clean up students were a given a cup of green cordial to cool themselves down.

Thank you to the canteen that supported Green Day by selling green food. A big thank you also to our wonderful parent community who kindly sent in a gold coin donation to help raise funds for small wheelie bins for each classroom. The total amount raised was $104. Well done everyone!

Mobile Phones

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

We understand that mobile phones are a major component of teenage lives, but they do not have a place in the classroom. Yes, phones can be used for research, however we have enough technology in the school for teachers to use with their class when they require the students to use it.

There is no excuse for phones to be used in the classroom.

Mobile phones are not to be used in the classroom.

When a parent needs to make urgent contact with their child, they will make contact by calling the office on 67851184 and the office will get their child.

If there isn't an emergency, then parents are to make contact with their child during first break or second break.

First break is between: 10.48am – 11.18am (secondary)

Second break is between:1.04pm – 1.34pm (secondary)

The problem isn't just the parents contacting their children, it is more so the students making contact with other students. They are ignoring the learning taking place in the classroom and are disrupting others.

There is no reason for a mobile phone to be used in the classroom.

The students have been told to not to take their phones out whilst in the classroom.

Any student that uses their phone or someone else's phone whilst in a classroom, will have their phone taken off them and taken to the office for the rest of the day. The student can then have their phone returned to them at the conclusion of the day.

We trust that you will support us in this action. There is no need for a phone to be used in the classroom. Your children have been warned. We want to get on with learning in the classroom. Your children can socialise outside of the classroom.

Secondary Swimming Carnival 2018

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

The Secondary Swimming Carnival was held on Friday, 16th February and the day saw lovely warm weather and enthusiastic participation from students.

Sirius were crowned the champion house on the day scoring 629 points, followed by a very competitive Zemos with 584 points, and in third place Adara with 457 points.

The age champions are as follows:

Boys

12 years – Jack Opie

13 years – Juarn Stanton-Sing

14 years – Reuben Nunn

15 years – Lucus Sing

16 years – Thomas Howlett

17+ years – Charlie Nunn

Girls

12 years – Laura Carter

13 years – Kylah Vipen

14 years – Jasmine Collier

15 years – Zantara Stanton-Sing

16 years – Maddison Collier

17+ years – Tara Winter

A highlight of the day was definitely the "Big Splash" competition that saw some epic belly flops and some very sore body parts. Congratulations to Jasmin Player for taking out the "Big Splash" competition on the day. Staff, were again successful in finishing first in the staff vs. student relay.

Congratulations to all students that joined in and participated on the day, especially to the age champions and Sirius house.

Miss Wrightson

2018 Primary Swimming Champions

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:45 AEST

Our Twilight Carnival was quite a success on Thursday. This carnival is primarily a selection trial for the Zone Swimming Carnival and we have a strong team heading into Tamworth Zone carnival later this term.

Results were as follows:

House Points:

1st Adara 260

2nd Sirius 215

3rd Zemos 195

Champions:

Junior Girl Champion Imogen Nunn

Runner-up Jessica Wise

Junior Boy Champion Brayden Vipen

Runner-up Boady Russell

11 Year Girl Champion Isabella Ormiston

Runner-up Isobel Hargraves

11 Year Boy Champion Logan Northey

Runners-up Kade Keighran

Tylar Browning

Toby Scott

Senior Girl Champion Jarnalia Pacey

Runner-up Tamara Ryan

Senior Boy Champion Bryn Heywood

Runner-up Jayce Tavo

2018 Primary Captains

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:44 AEST

The 2018 Primary Captains were announced at last Friday's Presentation Day Assembly. Congratulations to Stuart Moodie, Dione McCubbin, Bryn Heywood and Jemarli Dallas.

Kindy Celebration

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

On Wednesday, Kindergarten celebrated completing a successful first year at school with a performance of The Sky is Falling. Parents and grandparents were delighted to see the children perform with such confidence and aplomb. Well done Kindergarten!

Year 1/2 Manellae Lodge Visit

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

Last Tuesday, Years 1 and 2 delighted the residents of Manellae Lodge with a visit. Students accompanied by Mrs O'Brien on the piano sang for the residents and delivered gifts to them.

Year 12 Formal 2017

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

The year 12 Formal was an awesome occasion. All of Year 12 students looked amazing and very grown up … well they should since they are young adults now. I believe everyone enjoyed themselves as the venue looked great, the food was delicious and the speeches weren't long. Mrs Heywood and Miss Nott did a great job organising and setting up the night. Congratulations to both of you.

An enormous thank you is extended to the Manilla Bowling Club for hosting the formal, to Winston and Yo-Yo for the delicious food, to our office staff for all of their behind the scenes organisation, Bonnie Sevil for the photos, Emily McDonald and Taylah Kelly for their farewell speech, to our school community and to Laura Stackman and Cody Hooper for their farewell speech. Great job!

CAPERS 2017

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

Primary CAPERS

The curtains have gone down on another successful CAPERS production. It has been a long time in the making and the matinee, Friday night and Saturday night shows did not disappoint. Kindergarten were the first MCS performers to take the stage and they did us all proud as the cutest white rabbits you have ever seen! Then came the Stage 1 Indians accompanied by Mrs McNeill. Stage 3 were up next dressed as tin men, scarecrows and lions who danced their way down the yellow brick road. Stage 2 were the final performers to perform in their blue alien costumes. All the while the amazing massed choir accompanied throughout the night which included some of our talented secondary students.

A huge congratulations is in order for all performers and their families for upholding their commitment to CAPERS. A production like this does not happen without many helpers. Thanks to Di Hall and the team for putting on a great show. Thanks also go to the Howlett family for transporting us to rehearsals and the shows, even helping to cook the BBQ on Friday afternoon. Finally a very big ‘thank you' to all of the dedicated staff involved in making this happen for our students. There have been many late nights making costumes, trips to Spotlight and Lincraft for supplies and days consumed with rehearsals, but it was well worth it.

Secondary CAPERS

CAPERS 2017 was held last week at the Tamworth Regional Conference and Convention Centre (TRECC). The name stands for Creative Arts in Public Education Regional Spectacular and occurs every second year. Similar to other regional spectaculars around the state, CAPERS involves music, dance and drama performances relating to a particular theme. This year's theme was "Far, Far Away" and had segments portraying Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Around the World, The Wizard of Oz and the Wild West.

Manilla Central secondary students represented the school in the Massed Choir. This consisted of rehearsals twice a week during their break times (over terms 3 and 4) in order to learn all of the required songs before heading off to Tamworth for 3 full days of full group choir rehearsals at the TRECC, culminating in both a matinee and evening performance on the Friday and another evening performance on the Saturday. All students did a superb job in their participation and made a valuable contribution to forming the CAPERS Massed Choir with up to 10 schools from around the New England region.

Miss Singleton would like to sincerely thank the participating students and their families for supporting this large scale regional creative arts production. Without all of your effort and cooperation, Manilla Central Secondary Department would not be able to be represented in such a marvellous and successful event.

Stage Success

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

Congratulations to Cody Hooper (School Captain 2018) on being selected to perform as part of a student ensemble at the State Drama Festival at the Seymour Centre in Sydney on 26th October. Cody was selected after attending the State Drama Camp earlier in the year. The NSW Public Schools State Drama Festival is a two day showcase of outstanding devised drama performances from public schools' students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Pieces range from movement, comedy, drama, and feature the work from the Public Schools Ensemble Program, State Drama Camp and schools across NSW. The showcase is the culmination of the excellent work happening in public schools across the state in drama and the performing arts. The festival involves more than 800 students from 100 different schools.

Cody's ensemble performance was titled ‘Limit Break' and he was thrilled to perform at such a prestigious event. Cody is studying HSC Drama at Oxley High School while completing his subject load at Manilla Central School. Cody is very appreciative to Manilla Lions Club for supporting him in his initial trip to Sydney and his mother, Jen for being his greatest fan!

We are very proud of you, well done Cody!

Another coup for Manilla Central School photography

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:45 AEST

Photography - Video and Digital Imaging (PVDI) student Nikita Coomer Yr 12 has had not only one but two works make it to the semi-finals of the ‘Health Link - National Photographic Competition'. 40 students from across the country have been selected as semi-finalists of which Nikita is the only student to succeed with both her entries being accepted.

Congratulations Nikita.

To view Nikita's and the selected finalists' entries, visit the Health Link Website

Mr James Galloway

Teacher: PVDI

1/2 Yellow ‘Colonial Day’

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:44 AEST

To finalise the Unit of Inquiry that 1/2 Yellow worked on in Term 3 ‘Past and Present Family Life', our class had a ‘Colonial Day' last Friday, 20th October. Students came dressed in colonial-type clothing, and visited the Manilla Heritage Museum to explore its artefacts. Unfortunately, the much needed rain cut our excursion short which meant that we had to return to school instead of having morning tea at ‘The Junction'.

A huge thank you to Jodi and Duncan Ellem, and Councillor, Jim Maxwell, for taking us through both the museum and Yarramanbully School. It was so great to have volunteers who have personal knowledge of uses of artefacts from their own childhood to share with students. Manilla is very lucky to have volunteers such as these. Thank you!

On return to school, students stepped back-in-time in the classroom and experienced a little taste of schooling in the 1800s. The electricity was not turned on in the classroom and technology did not play a role in the days learning. Instead, students used mini blackboards and chalk to write with. Students also experienced what it was like to use a back-straightening-board which was used on students who slouched, and finger stocks which were used on students who fiddled constantly…or picked their nose. The dreaded ‘Dunce Corner' was also put into play and an attempt to employ a serious teaching-style. Students then made a home-made version of an elastic and enjoyed an afternoon of playing indoor games including: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales (elastics), Noughts and Crosses and Hopscotch.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Mrs McNeill and Mrs Alston, who not only attended the excursion and were a big part of the day, but also supported student learning throughout the Unit and Inquiry.

Overall, I am so impressed with how students in 1/2 Yellow are always so willing to try new things and embrace learning. Our Colonial Day was quite different from a normal school day and students adapted well to the new style. All students were very positive and appeared to enjoy the day. When questioned at the end of the day if they would prefer to be a child of the past or the present, half the class voted for ‘the past' and the same for ‘the present' with technology playing a massive role in their decision.

Tanya MacDonald

HSC Commences Today (16/10/17)

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

We wish our HSC students all of the very best as they commence their HSC exams today at 9.30 a.m. Today they commence the examination period with the first English paper.

Good luck and best wishes to each and every one of you: Emily Paul, Emily McDonald, Chelsie Riley, Jodie Black, Taylah Kelly, Sophie Kemp, Nicole Bradley, Dakotah Kiem, Aimee Jones, Ruby Nye, Regina-Lee Gregson, Nikita Coomer, Rebecca Kent, Kurt Butcher, Drew Eather, Hayden Highlands, Hayden Perry

We extend our congratulations to Regina-Lee Gregson who has just gained entry into Wollongong University to complete a Bachelor of Arts. Well done Regina!

2018 Secondary Captains Announced

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:45 AEST

We would like to congratulate our Secondary Captains for 2018.

Captains: Laura Stackman and Cody Hooper.

Vice Captains: Moesha Clarke, Tiarn Northey and Karl Harvey.

We are confident that these outstanding student leaders will be great ambassadors of Manilla Central School and advocates for the student body. All captains talked about teamwork in their speeches and we are certain that together we will continue to make Manilla Central School a school were are students achieve their dreams and achieve their aspirations.

ICAS Australasian Test Results

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

Along with students from across Australasia, some of our students in the Primary and Secondary nominated themselves to participate in a variety of assessment tests. These included Digital Technology, Writing, Spelling, English, Science and Mathematics.

Claire Fisher has achieved outstanding results in the recent English ICAS Competition, attaining a High Distinction. This means Claire was placed in the top 1% of entrants across Australasia in English She also attained a Distinction in Writing which placed her in the top 10%. Claire also attained a Credit in Science and Spelling. Well done Claire on this amazing result.

Other notable results are:

Isobel Hargraves: Credit in Digital Technologies.

Meeghan Hawley: Credit in Digital Technologies. Merit in Science. Credit in English.

Jessica Wise: Merit in Writing.

Bryn Heywood: Merit in Science. Credit in English.

Emily McBride: Merit in Spelling. High Distinction in English.

Tenaya Gilbert: Merit in Spelling.

Results in Mathematics are still to come.

Years 11 & 12 Legal Studies

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:49 AEST

On Thursday, 31st August Years 11 & 12 Legal Studies students travelled to Gunnedah to participate in a Legal Studies Seminar. The presenters were Dr Michael White OAM QC and The Hon Margaret White AO. The day consisted of valuable presentations on current issues of contention in the Australian legal system and also provided students with the opportunity to engage in Question and Answer sessions. In these sessions students were able to ask questions of interest to help deepen their knowledge and understanding of legal issues. Some of the interesting issues discussed on the day included the current issues of citizenship with members of the Australian Parliament and Section 44 of The Australian Constitution, the Plebiscite, enacted legislation and the impact on individuals privacy, and the current Royal Commission into juvenile detention in the Northern Territory. It was a fantastic opportunity for regional students to have access to serving members of the Australian legal system with decades of experience and knowledge to share with us.

SAS Staff Recognition Week 2017

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

Even though our School Administrations Staff hold our school together every day of the year, we are pausing this week to say ‘thank you' for everything you do for the teaching staff, our students and parent body.

ICAS High Distinction Award

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

Emily McBride has achieved outstanding results in the recent English ICAS Competition, attaining a High Distinction. This means Emily was placed in the top 1% of entrants across Australasia. Well done Emily on this amazing result.

Manilla Central School Students Shine

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

Over the last week we have had numerous students achieve in sport and extracurricular activities. Congratulations to all!

North West Secondary Athletics Carnival

On Tuesday, 8th August, Samantha McCubbin and Brock Russell competed in the North West Secondary Athletics Carnival for their respective events. Sammi competed in the 14 year girl's 800m, javelin and discus. Brock competed in the 12 year boy's shot put and discus. Unfortunately, they won't be progressing to The State Secondary Athletics Carnival, but we are very proud of their efforts this year and look forward to their success in years to come.

7/8 Girls All Schools Touch Football

On Thursday, 17th August, the Year 7/8 girls touch football team travelled to Gunnedah to compete in the All Schools Competition. They played three teams from the North West region in six games. The girls played some great football, coming up against some touch competition in Gunnedah, McCarthy, and St Marys. There is great potential in this team and I look forward to coaching them in the future.

Netball – Dubbo

This week, the U16s and Opens netball teams will compete in the Central Schools State Carnival in Dubbo. The girls finished second overall in the qualifying round in Inverell last term and progressed to the state level. We wish them all the best.

Chess

Last Monday, our chess team competed in the final games of the NSW Junior Chess League Tournament at Tamworth Public School. Thirty teams competed in the competition overall. Manilla finished in 4th Position out of 10 teams in the Championship division.

Mrs Aylwin reported that students were well behaved and a credit to our school.

Thank you to the parents who drove students to Tamworth. Also a very big ‘thank you' to Mrs Aylwin for all the time and effort she puts into teaching and organising chess for our students. Your efforts are truly appreciated.

North West Basketball Reps

Congratulations to Dione McCubbin and Laura Carter who represented at the North West at the PSSA State Basketball Carnival last week.

Primary Zone Athletics

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

A small, but determined, contingent of Manilla Central students represented our school at the Zone Athletics Carnival in Tamworth on Friday. Against strong opposition, Manilla athletes gave a very creditable account of themselves. Hayden Laird won his heat in the 100m with Blaire Carroll, Sekora Daley, Bailey Russell, Bryn Heywood, Jake Scott and Boady Russell all finishing in the the top three for their 100m heats. Laura Carter, Kade Keighran, Bailey Russell and Jake Scott all placed in the first three places for their 200m heats.

Individual performances worthy of mentioning were Sam Butcher finishing 5th in the shot put and Sekora Daley 4th in discus, both of which narrowly missed qualifying for Regionals. Hayden Laird qualified for the Regional Carnival after finishing 4th in the 9 years 100m final. Bryn Heywood had a very successful day by qualifying for Regional in three events after finishing 3rd in the 11 years 800m and 4th in the 11 years high jump and long jump.

The most pleasing aspect of the day for me, personally, was the impeccable behaviour of the MCS students over the length of the day and the support offered by the MCS contingent toward every one of our athletes participating.

Born To Read

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:45 AEST

The Manilla Born to Read Reading days were successful last week with visiting author, Oliver Phommavanh, visiting our school. Oliver is a primary school teacher and has published 7 books so far.

On, Monday, 31st July, Oliver presented a workshop to Year 7 and 8 students before heading to the primary to have lunch with staff. After lunch he worked with Year 3 and 4 students before heading across to St Michaels for the afternoon. Oliver shared ideas about the process of writing a novel and how he gets inspiration from observing everyday people.

On Tuesday morning, students from Manilla Central School, St Michaels, Manilla Community Pre-school, Newtrain Long Day Care and Manilla Playgroup gathered together under the COLA for an assembly. Captains, Charlotte Good and Jack Opie, from MCS and Molly Purtle and Cameron Keys from St Michaels interviewed Oliver with a series of questions about his writing and announced competition winners. Oliver has a wacky sense of humour and his use of props such as Mario, Care Bear etc. certainly engaged students.

After the assembly, students were split into groups to complete 3 rotations. During each rotation, students were read a story and then completed an activity to take with them. With the focus being on reading some groups had time to read more than one story which students enjoyed. On completion of the activities students returned to their respective schools for the afternoon.

Overall the days were very enjoyable and it was lovely to have such a young and inspirational author to spend time with our children. Oliver was very supportive of the notion that everyone has the potential for writing good stories and as such encouraged students to write down their ideas and to believe in themselves.

A big thank you to the Manilla Born to Read Committee for their continued fundraising that enables authors such as Oliver to come and inspire our children. Thank you also to students and staff from Manilla Central School, St Michaels, Manilla Community Pre-school, Newtrain Long Day Care and Manilla Playgroup for making the day a fantastic community event. Last, but not least, a big shout out to all of the business who supported our Born to Read Scavenger Hunt competition and also those businesses who continue to support Manilla Born to Read throughout the year.

Please remember to encourage and promote the life-long skill of reading with your children as it is such a powerful tool that should never be underestimated.

Year 12 Trial HSC Exams

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:49 AEST

Our Year 12 students will be sitting their Trial HSC Exams in Week 4 starting on Monday, 7th August. We wish them all the very best of luck! To check an exam time or date, please see our Year 12 Trial Exam Timetable (pdf 392 KB).

Blazeaid Cassilis

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:45 AEST

The Year 12 Primary Industry students of Manilla Central School (Kurt, Drew, Emily, Hayden, Rebecca, Chelsie and Emily) attended a voluntarily run Blazeaid camp last week, helping those farmers affected by the Sir Ivan fire, stretching over 160 thousand acres around the Cassilis region. On arrival, I was told the average age of the volunteers was 63. The students were introduced to the community of volunteers with a very warm welcome, dramatically lowering that average age. Later that night we setup camp at Cassilis Public School out of the blistering cold weather.

Each morning, the students were woken at 6am, packed up all their gear (bags and swags) and were transported to the Blazeaid camp for breakfast and the morning muster whereby the plans for the day's work would be distributed to the small teams. After breakfast, the students would make their own lunches, pack it in the esky, load the trailer and head off to the respective farms.

Our two teams focused on helping two farmers, Dan and Paul. All of Dan's external and internal fencing had been destroyed by the fire however he was very lucky as he managed to save all his livestock. Paul also lost a huge amount of fencing and some stock in the fire.

Essentially, our job was to physically rebuild fences, however our secondary and, possibly, more important job was to rebuild hope. A lot of these farmers and community members were suffering some degree of depression due to their losses. We would work hand in hand with the farmer, removing the old fence and erecting the new, while all the time, interacting with the farmer, asking questions, making conversation and generally being there for those affected.

Some of our jobs included;

Removing the old fence (utilising a frontend loader, post lifters), rolling the old fence, pickets and wire and lifting out the old strainers and stays.
Install new strainers and stays at either end of the fence
Run the top barb out to give us a straight line
Drive in new star pickets with the powered driver (some of the great gear in these Blazeaid trailers)
Run the following barb and 3 plain wires (top, belly and bottom)
Roll out hinge joint
Tie off and strain all the wires, then clip hinge joint onto plain wires.
Hang gate off strainers

Working hand in hand with the farmer on the ground was a symbiotic relationship. As I explained to the farmer, yes we are helping him re-establish a working farm, but he is also helping us by providing the opportunity and materials for our students to practise their competencies for their VET course (Primary Industries). Later in the afternoon, around 4 or 5pm, we would have a chat and a soft drink at the farmers house, whereby we would debrief about the day's work, work out what we need to do tomorrow and generally chat about the kids future… What they want to do after school, how they plan to do it and what help they might need.

Each night we would head back to the Blazeaid camp, sharing a prepared meal with the other volunteers, interacting with those around us and the local community. Then around 9.00pm, back to the school for a rest.

Over the period of time, our senior students built a relationship with the younger Cassilis primary students, forming a friendship. On the Thursday, we decided to stay awhile at the school, and help the kids train for an upcoming touch footy competition. The kids had a game together for an hour or so then they paired off and read a book to each other for 20minutes. We later did some spelling and math in the quad.

Throughout the week the students really bonded with the volunteers and farmers. Several student opportunities were formed, ranging from work experience through to permanent employment next year. A fantastic result for our students, school and the Blazeaid organisation and local farmers. Thank you to Angus and Laurelle for giving up their time away from their home and family as additional helpers and supervisors.

Mr Connors

2017 Public School State Drama Camp

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:44 AEST

Congratulations to Year 11 student Cody Hooper, who has been selected by the Department of Education to participate in an extremely prestigious Drama Camp in Sydney for year 11 students, between 25th and 29th June 2017. Cody will attend the Elanora Conference Centre where he will attend workshops in areas such as acting skills; improvisation skills; script writing; characteristation; set design; script interpretation and many others.

This is an amazing privilege and opportunity for Cody, as a student of Senior Drama, to expand his knowledge of the requirements needed to excel in his studies and what is needed to pursue a professional career. Well done Cody on this wonderful achievement.

P.B.L. Respect Grows and Flows

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

On Saturday the K-12 staff got together in order to work on our K-12 wellbeing strategy. It was a very productive day and we have an implementation plan in mind in order to educate our students and new staff of our expectations, implementation processes, data gathering and monitoring devices.

Step one in our process is to involve our students in an induction of what is Positive Behaviour Learning (P.B.L.) and the relevance of our school values:

Respect for SELF.
Respect for OTHERS.
Respect for ENVIRONMENT.

We will commence with a digital story book of the significance of our P.B.L. logo with which we will involve our students in the planning of and the filming of. I can't wait to see and hear the end product which we will present to our school community early next term.

Like any shift in culture, our appraisal and rewriting of our expectations will take time to embed across the school. However by having every teacher, student, support officer and administration staff involved, we will have a consistent message being communicated throughout our great school.

Primary Swimming Champions

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

On Thursday evening, MCS Primary held their first swimming carnival under the new 3 house format. A great evening was had by all participants and spectators. Champions and runners up (pictured above) for the carnival were:

Junior Girl Champion Allison Tooley

Runner-up Imogen Nunn

Junior Boy Champion Brayden Vipen

Runner-up Logan Northey

11 Year Girl Champion Tamara Ryan

Runner-up Tori-Ella Wales &

Laura Carter

11 Year Boy Champion Bryn Heywood

Runner-up Jack Opie &

Jayce Tavo

Senior Girl Champion Elizabeth Tooley

Runner-up Kylah Vipen

Senior Boy Champion Juarn Stanton-Sing

Runner-up Jake Scott &

Jai Watson-Gayford

The winning house on the night was Adara with 281 points, followed by Zemos (270) and Sirius (154).

One record was broken at the carnival with Allison Tooley breaking her own record for the Junior Girls 200 I.M. with a new time of 3.59.59.

Special mention must also be made to Charlie Jones for her huge effort in completing the 200 I.M. Her determination in this race is an example to all about persistence.

A special thank you to all the volunteers (parents and high school students) who helped to ensure the carnival ran smoothly. A note will be coming out in the next couple of days for students attending the Zone Swimming Carnival to be held on 24th February.

Welcome to Kindergarten 2017

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

Back Row: Kieran Clare, Jack Daley, Jordan Shackell, Preston Withers, Gideon McHugh, Hamish Kelly, Miss Shanna Baker (Teacher)

Middle Row: Oliver Shorter, Braxton Laird, Zander Buffett, Soul Mackie-Moss, Chance Bergquist, Joe Fogarty, Nic Flett

Front Row: Tahlia Russell, Eavie Rollason, Ava Perry, Taya Burns, Lillie Patterson, Liliana Gray

Year 6 Graduation

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:49 AEST

Congratulations to our wonderful Year 6 upon their graduation from Primary school. Year 6 celebrated with friends and family at the RSL club luncheon on Monday 12th December followed by a social dance on Monday night at the Secondary Hall.

We wish Year 6 all the very best for their High School years.

K-12 Showcase

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

Scone Beef Bonanza

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:48 AEST

What a weekend!

Once again Manilla took animals and kids down to Scone Beef Bonanza. With over 830 students competing and 520 cows the competition was fierce. The weather was particularly unkind to us with the rain and wind relentless on Friday and Saturday. Luckily we took the new P & C sun shelter and were able to get out of the wet from time to time.

On Friday, 6 of the elder students visited JBS Abattoirs for the interschool meat judging competition. On Saturday Will, Aiden and Taylor competed in the Junior Parading with Taylor making the semi-finals - a great effort. The remaining students competed on Sunday in the bog-hole with mud up to their knees. Unfortunately, the competition was too competitive this year and our senior students didn't place in their respective heats, but lead extremely well in trying conditions.

A great effort to all involved. A quick thank you to Chris Lake for his help in transporting one of our steers down to Scone.

Mr Connors

Native Australian Stingless Bees

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

Native Australian Stingless Bees'

On Tuesday, 18^th October, the school was buzzing with colour as students dressed in ‘YELLOW and BLACK' to resemble a swarm of busy bees. Students engaged in workshops with ‘Matthew Middleton, the Bee Man' himself and his nephew Rueben who educated students on a range of topics including: why bees are important, how to attract them to our school and home, Australian stingless bees, Australian solitary bees, how to make a bee hotel to attract solitary bees to the school and what pollination is all about. This aligned nicely with the Science Curriculum across all stages.

Students also had the opportunity to taste honey during their break. Most children found the taste of the honey to be very strong in flavour due to its pureness. Each hive of Australian stingless bees only harvests about 1kg of honey which means that it is very rare.

For the grand finale, Matthew split a bee hive which saw a swarm of up to 7000 stingless bees fly free under the COLA. Students are to bee congratulated for remaining calm when the bees were released. The bees made their way back to the hive later that afternoon.

Below is some writing about bees from our wonderful KP class:

Bees are insects. Worker bees collect pollen and nectar. Bees get nectar to make honey. Queen bees live in hives.

By Alana Bergquist

Do you know that bees are insects? They collect pollen and nectar. The queen bees lay eggs every single second.

By Cameron Tooley

Every beehive has a queen. Bees go to flowers. The workers get nectar and make honey for baby bees.

By Sophie Maxwell

Bees are insects. The wings are transparent and there is only one queen bee. Worker bees collect nectar to make honey. And they eat pollen. Worker bees die when the new worker bees come out.

By Amber Willoughby

Bees can fly. The queen bee lays eggs. The eggs hatch. Bees are insects. Bees collect pollen and nectar to make honey. People eat honey. Bees have three legs and they have hives.

By Liam Hawley

Bees are insects and there is only one queen bee in a hive. Bees collect pollen to eat and they collect nectar to make honey.

By Eleanor Fisher

2017 Secondary Captains

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:44 AEST

2017 Secondary Captains

At the Year 12 Farewell Assembly at the end of Term 3, the 2017 Secondary Captains were announced. Congratulations to

Sophie Kemp (Vice Captain), Taylah Kelly (Captain), Emily

McDonald (Captain) and Nicole Bradley (Vice Captain).

Happenings in 1D

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:46 AEST

1D have dived into term three! From an inspiring visit by author, Tony Flowers, for Born to Read to learning about primary and secondary colours in art, 1D have been very busy this term! Not to mention NAIDOC week and an excursion to Tamworth to see the theatre production of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie!

Our focus for this term has been water, which has been explored across all areas. In English we have used acrostic and onomatoepoeia poetry to describe water. We even typed and published our own poems onto raindrops we made! We have also been exploring different types persuasive texts as we look into humans' impact on the environment, in particular the marine environment.

We have become fine mathematicians in the class. We have progressed from fractions to division and multiplication. We are now exploring skip counting and place value, moving beyond tens and into hundreds! Our other math focuses have been 2-D and 3-D shapes, length, chance and will spend the rest of term learning about time. Last week, we worked on sorting different and very interesting types of sharks according to their size!

This term has been full of change. Trinity has moved schools, Elliot has moved classrooms (luckily just next door in K/1S) and we have said goodbye to Mrs Bevitt and welcome to Miss Howlett. But, we have faced the change and challenges with resillience and growing maturity. So to all of 1D, unreal banana peel!

2/3M News

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:44 AEST

Students in 2/3M have recently had to say goodbye to a member of our class with the departure of Jackson Laws on Friday, 2nd September. On Jackson's last day a farewell party was held with students surprising Jackson by jumping out of the reading corner with balloons and then enjoying party food. 2/3M would like to wish Jackson and his sister, Trinity, all the best on their new adventure at Oxley Vale Public School. Their family will be sadly missed.

In Mathematics, we have recently been working with fractions and measurement. Students have enjoyed investigating through hands-on activities to seek out answers to questions such as ‘what is the smallest fraction they can balance on using a sheet of newsletter without touching the carpet?' and ‘how far will their paper plane fly in metres and centimetres?' Pictured are students practising the art of balancing as they fold their sheet of newspaper to represent a fraction.

2/3M has been very lucky to have Mrs Margaret Dekkers celebrate scripture with our class each Thursday morning this year. During scripture, students listen to stories about the gospel and participate in various role-plays. A big thank is to be extended to Mrs Dekkers for dedicating this time each week to spend with our class and for sharing her passion and knowledge with students.

In Science and Technology students have been learning about Geology. Students have been introduced to rock types and the rock cycle and have conducted experiments in order to understand the different layers of soil. This week, students will conduct further experiments to investigate the causes of erosion and what effects it has on the landscape.

In PDHPE, we are looking closely at strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing. Students are investigating the importance of good nutrition and will look at food packaging to understand how information on food labels can help them make better food choices. Parents/carers are reminded to please encourage their child/children to bring a piece of fruit or a ‘brekky sandwich' to eat during roll call as this assists students to focus during the morning English session.

During English sessions, students have been looking closely at descriptive language and painting images to represent their sentences. After students painted their image, their sentences were then given to another student to paint. This week, students will compare their paintings and discuss how everybody sees things in a different way and that this is one of the reasons we are unique. This will also highlight the fact that there is no one-way to interpret a text as everyone visualises and interprets things differently. Listed are student's sentences that their paintings were based on. Absent was Toby Scott when these were written.

A monster truck did a flip and landed in the paddock. Sharlee Curry

In the olden days, there was a bull truck. Destiny Heywood

A girl called Jess was running on the sand down to the water. The water turned pink and spread friendship and love. Mercedees Russell

A big green John Deere tractor was ploughing the paddock and it fell into a grassy gully. Sully Taber

The pelican flew into the big tree of blood. Annabelle Dunning

There was an ugly red river near a large, strange haunted house. Layla Ajaj

A humungous T-Rex was chasing after a big juicy man. Ben Coomer-Ison

A seagull flew over a blue ocean and dived down to catch a fish. Sam Tunbridge

A big rainbow bear was walking under a rainbow. Rebecca Drummond

The seagull flew through the blue sky and landed on a yellow beach next to a crab. Ashden Carter

A teddy bear of death that had spikes destroyed the world. The world crumbled. Seth Roulstone

A fat red pelican flew to a giant island and ate a humungous juicy black fish. Ashton Dunning-Trewlynn

The grey horse had a little child on its back. It bucked the child off and the child died. Shakaya Fenton

A teddy bear with knives growing out of its shoulders was on fire and it split the world into two. Tylar Browning

The fat green frog jumped on the Lilly pad. The Lilly pad had flowers all around it. The frog saw a fly and ate it. Iana Bergquist

The red racing car was being pushed by a gust of wind that made it go REALLY fast. Tori Clare

The red motorbike did a backflip and stacked it. It landed in the red lake of death. Hayden Laird

The wall of flesh shoots lasers and has little red hungrays. Derek Gregson

Tanya MacDonald

Year 2 Excursion

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:49 AEST

Mrs Nist, Mrs Cox, Mrs Hawley and Mr Willis took our Year 2 students to the Capitol Theatre last Monday to see ‘The Peasant Prince'. The storyline was an educational one of a young boy overcoming adversity to become a famous ballet dancer. This rags to riches story is based on a true life event. Thank you for organising such an enriching experience for our students.

Primary Disco

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 22:34:47 AEST

We will be conducting our Primary Disco next Tuesday (13/9/16). The disco will run between 6 and 7:30 p.m. Gold coin donation. Stage 3 students are asked to provide a plate of food for the revellers.