Lion's Roar 3 May 2019

lion’s roar TERM 2 • 3 MAY 2019 • VOLUME 320

Educating successful women of tomorrow in a Christian Environment

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL Mrs Nicola Taylor Principal Welcome to Term 2 and a special welcome is extended to those girls and their families who are joining the College for the first time. I trust the Easter break provided much needed rest and recreation time for both students and staff after what was a long and busy Term One. Thank you to the many girls and families from PLC Armidale who took part in the ANZAC Day commemorative services both in Armidale and across the region.

We received feedback from a member of the local community at how encouraged they were to see such a strong representation of our students and staff, especially as we are not one of the larger schools in town. PLC Armidale girls certainly take seriously the importance of representing the College in support of community events.

In contrast with last term, Term Two is only a nine week term with a very full calendar ahead. With a range of winter sports starting up and the Eisteddfod season upon us there are many experiences and activities for the girls to make the most of, either as a participant or an active supporter. Not to mention rehearsals for Matilda the Musical commencing this weekend which the staff production team have spent considerable time preparing for. Oh, and there is much teaching and learning planned for this term too!

A reminder to Parents & Carers Year 7 - 11 Parent/Teacher interviews have been scheduled for the following two evenings in Term 2: Thursday the 9 of May 2019 taking place from 4:15pm through to 6:30pm* Wednesday the 15 of May 2019 Taking place from 4:15pm through to 6:30pm To make a booking, please follow the link below: https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/book You will be asked to enter an event web-code.

The code for this event is: xen4h Once you have done this, please follow the three steps below to complete your bookings: Step 1: Fill in your details (name, contact email, student name/s…). Please enter all fields.

Step 2: Select all subjects and teachers that you would like to schedule an interview for, from the drop-down menus.

Step 3: Select booking time-slots that suit your availability. Where possible, it would be appreciated if you could please book the earliest time-slot that is convenient for you.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Lorna Ahern to our Executive team. Lorna takes up the position of Head of Teaching and Learning bringing with her considerable experience in both teaching and leadership.

Lorna has most recently been working at O’Connor Catholic College as the Leader of Learning, HSIE with previous leadership positions establishing the Stage Six program at St Raphael’s Catholic School as well as a number of years as Head of Humanities at Blue Mountain’s Grammar School. We look forward to welcoming Lorna to PLC Armidale later this term and the contributions she will make to our focus on Teaching and Learning across the College.

Listeners to ABC Radio may have heard a conversation between Interviewer Richard Fidler and Lawyer/Social Researcher David Gillespie entitled “How the iPhone rewrote the teenage brain.” Whilst some of his comments were provocative, there was also much to give both parents and educators food for thought. The link to this podcast is below.

As a school we do have a rule in place that mobiles phones are not to be visible or used by students between the hours of 8.30am and 3.30pm. At our Term One Commencement Assembly on Monday, the girls were reminded they are able to use the school phone at either the Junior or Senior School reception area in the event of needing to contact a parent. Likewise, should a parent need to contact their child during the course of the school day, should phone the Junior or Senior School reception. https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/ david-gillespie-2019/10986686

UPCOMING EVENTS MAY 2019 EVENT

DATE

KYCK CONVENTION

3/05 - 5/05/19

EVENT

DATE

OGU MOTHERS’ DAY BRUNCH

11/05/19

PSSA CROSS COUNTRY

03/05/19

PLC ARMIDALE P&F AUTUMN BALL

11/05/19

BOARDERS’ CHAPEL

06/05/19

MOTHERS’ DAY

12/05/19

IN HOUSE CONCERT

08/05/19

BOARDERS’ CHURCH SERVICE AT ST PAUL’S

12/05/19

PLC PERFORMS

08/05/19

ARMIDALE EISTEDDFOD BEGINS

13/05/19

JUNIOR SCHOOL MOTHERS’ DAY BREAKFAST AND CHAPEL SERVICE

09/05/19

BOARDERS’ CHAPEL

13/05/19

YEAR 6 AND PRINCIPAL MORNING TEA

09/05/19

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS YEARS 7 - 11

09/05/19

WARIALDA SHOW

9/05 - 11/05/19

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL - HALF DAY

09/05/19

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL - ALL DAY

10/05/19

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PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEW YEARS 7 - 11 NAPLAN TESTING

15/05/19 14/05 - 16/05/19

FOUNDATION MEETING

16/05/19

IGSSA CROSS COUNTRY

17/05/19

BOARDING EXPO - DUBBO

www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

17/05 - 18/05/19

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UPCOMING EVENTS 2019 For enquires, please contact info@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

MAY JUNIOR SCHOOL MOTHERS’ DAY BREAKFAST Thursday 9 May 2019 • 8 - 8.45am Dining Room RSVP: juniorschool@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

PLC ARMIDALE OLD GIRLS’ UNION MOTHERS’ DAY BRUNCH Saturday 11 May 2019 • 10am - 12 noon PLC Armidale Rose Garden RSVP by 3 May 2019 to: OGU President, Kathie Marquardt kathie@marquardtconstructions.com.au or Shona Eichorn, Director of Development development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au Cost - by donation

PLC ARMIDALE P&F AUTUMN BALL Saturday 11 May 2019 • Astra Arts Centre Tickets $100 per person or Earlybird $90 per person (First 100 tickets) Purchase tickets online at www.trybooking.com/BBJEK For more information: pandf@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

JUNE JUNIOR SCHOOL LEARNING JOURNEY Friday 21 June 2019 • 2.30pm PLC Armidale Junior School For more information and to RSVP please email: juniorschool@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

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PLC ARMIDALE NEWS Mrs Shona Eichorn Director of Development Attention ALL Year 9 -11 students!!!

All PLC Armidale students in Years 9, 10 and 11 who are interested in exploring and developing their leadership skills are encouraged to attend the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA) and YLead annual youth leadership conference for girls, which is to be actually held here at PLC Armidale on July 18 and 19, in the next school holidays. This is the very first time that this conference is being held outside a metropolitan area. More Information can be found in this edition of Lion’s Roar or by going to:

www.agsa.org.au/events BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE …

Our PLC Armidale Foundation is offering an amazing opportunity for two students from PLC Armidale (one day student and one boarder from Years 9 - 11) to attend this exciting conference by providing each a ‘scholarship’ to attend.

Term 2 Lunch Menu

INTERESTED? ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS:

The Term 2 Lunch Menu can be found on our website under the Current Families tab.

Please click here:

http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/ current-families/dining-plc-armidale

1. Write a short letter of application to the PLC Armidale Foundation, outlining why you would benefit from this opportunity and how you would share the information you learn from the conference with your peers at PLC Armidale.

2. Applications must be submitted to Mrs Shona Eichorn in the Development office, by FRIDAY 31 MAY. 3. Applications will be assessed by members of the PLC Armidale Foundation and the Principal, and may involve an interview with prospective candidates.

Stories to Tell?

Photos to share?

4. Successful candidates will be advised by Friday 14 June.

Please ensure that you discuss this opportunity with your parents and contact Mrs Eichorn should you need to know more specific details.

Our students are involved in so many activities both in and out of school hours and we do our absolute very best to keep on top of all the information we receive, and then promote.

Boarding Expos & Field Days in 2019 ‘Tis the season for Boarding Expos and Field Days around the greater region.

Again this year, PLC Armidale will be well represented commencing with the first Boarding Expo which will be held in Dubbo on July 17 & 18 and next term in Tamworth on July 26 & 27. We will also be attending the Mudgee Field Days in the holidays on July 12 & 13, as well as Agquip in Gunnedah from August 20 - 22. If you live or have family and friends who live in these areas, please call in and see Sally or Shona at the PLC Armidale stand.

Should you have a news or a photo to share, please send directly to development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au (until further notice). Please also appreciate that not every single photo which is submitted will be used.

Mrs Sally McCook • Enrolments Manager enrolments@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Shona Eichorn • Director of Development development@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

Miss Amy Chiu • Pathways Administrator achiu@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

and introducing... Mrs Renee Jones • Media and Communications Manager • communications@plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au

Student Absence or Exemption from Attendance 2019 Under the NSW Education Act, school attendance is compulsory until the age of 17. As a school, we have a Duty of Care responsibility to see that students enrolled at the College are in a regular pattern of attendance unless there are special circumstances making this difficult.

To streamline our process of notifying the College when a student is absent, parents are asked to bookmark and use the online forms found on the College website:http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/current-families/notification-of-absence If permission is being sought for a period of absence longer than five consecutive school days duration a separate form is to be used, also found on the College website:http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/current-families/request-for-leave These online forms are received by our receptionists in the Junior and Senior school with our attendance records on Edumate adjusted accordingly. Parents are asked to use these forms to ensure that notification of absence, or requests for exemption from attendance are actioned promptly.

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SENIOR SCHOOL Mrs Anna Caldwell Head of Senior School Welcome back to Term 2 I trust you have all had a relaxing and rejuvenating break. PLC Armidale is such a vibrant place that never ceases to amaze with how much is going on! This term, although only nine weeks long, promises to be as action packed as ever with our Whole School Athletics Carnival in Week 2, In House Concerts, Parent Teacher Interviews, The Eisteddfod, NAPLAN, the P&F Ball, winter sport and so much more!

Uniform Winter Uniform is to be worn during Terms 2 and 3. Blazers are required to be worn as the outermost garment to and from school at all times. If the weather is warm, the girls are to remove their jumper and still wear their blazer. If at school, they may take both their jumper and blazer off, but must have the sleeves of their white shirt rolled down.

If the weather is particularly cold, whilst at school the girls are able to wear their tracksuit jacket over their jumper and blazer. They are not allowed to wear the tracksuit jacket without wearing their Blazer.

Please ensure that your daughters wear an appropriate coloured bra that cannot be seen through the white shirt.

Eisteddfod With the Music and Speech and Drama Eisteddfods coming up, please remember to contact the school in writing (email) to notify of any /all absences from school due to performances.

NAPLAN Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will sit NAPLAN in Week 3, on Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 May.

Congratulations • Year 10 student, Rachael Kenrick, who has qualified for the State Finals of the Brain Bee Challenge, which will be held at the end of May. This result means that Rachael is ranked in the top 85 students in NSW for Stage 5 an incredible achievement!

• Year 10 student Imogen Dellow & Year 12 student, Gracie Martin, who have been named in the Regional Australian Team (RAT), to compete at the Oceania Area Championships in Townsville, 25-28 June. Imogen has been selected for U18 High Jump and Gracie has been selected to compete in U20 200m and 400m.

• Paris Whibley https://www.moreechampion.com.au/story/6091413/cracking-successwhibley-whipcrackers-take-sydney-royal-by-storm-photos/ • Mia Emanuel - on her selection in the NSW Blues U/21 Women’s Hockey team to compete in the National titles in Lismore in July.

60km Walk to celebrate 60 Years of Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

Compliments, Concerns or Complaints?

PLC Armidale welcomes feedback. To enable us to continually improve our school we encourage suggestions from parents, students, community members and staff.

Please submit any compliments, concerns or complaints here: http://www.plcarmidale.nsw.edu.au/current-families/compliments-concerns-complaints

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SENIOR SCHOOL

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Mrs Anna Caldwell Head of Senior School 60km to Celebrate 60 Years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme in Australia.

The school holidays started with a fabulous 60km four day hike, exploring the National Parks in the New England region. Each day was a 15km hike, all Grade 4 & 5 in difficulty and challenge and all very different in vegetation and scenery. Day one saw us head down to Dorrigo National Park and enjoy the rainforest, stunning waterfalls and Never Never Picnic Area. We then hiked and climbed up to the top of Cathedral Rock and Woolpack Rocks in Cathedral National Park.

The next two days were spent at Point Lookout where we scrambled over and under rocks and enormous fallen trees, and bush bashed and navigated through varied and dramatic vegetation. When the clouds lifted, the view at the top of Wrights lookout had us all feeling that we were on top of the world, the views were breathtaking.

To complete our exploration of New England on our way back to Armidale, we stopped off at the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and walked out to see the Wollomombi Falls, or where the falls are when there is any water flowing! Despite the lack of waterfalls at the end of the walk, the gorge country is truly spectacular.

Not only did we celebrate 60 Years of the Award in Australia but we also celebrated three of our Year 12 Gold Awardees at the end of this hike.

Congratulations to Lucy Martin, Mackenzie Constable and Sarah Miron who have now completed their Gold Adventurous Journeys.

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Mrs Anna Caldwell Head of Senior School Year 10 & PLC Pathways Canberra Excursion PLC Armidale’s dedicated and hardworking Year 10 students undertook an educational tour of our national capital during Week 10 of Term 1. Led by Mrs Clynch and Miss Leahy, our intrepid group spent 5 days taking in the sights and sounds of Canberra. The students from the PLC Pathways program in Armidale and Bathurst also came on the tour, bringing Mr Spencer, Mrs Sennet and Miss Chiu with them. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

The excursion to Canberra was a very enjoyable experience. Educational programs were undertaken at many of the significant historical and political sites that are located in our capital; highlights included both Old and New Parliament Houses, the National Library, the War Memorial, the Australian Electoral Commission, Questacon, the National Gallery, the National Botanic Gardens, and the Royal Australian Mint. Accommodation at the AIS was excellent, the tour of the AIS facilities was fun, and students enjoyed the opportunity to swim at the National Aquatic Centre at the institute of sport as well.

Question time at Parliament House was an exciting part of the week, especially as we were there for Budget time. Students were introduced to the workings of our national capital, and were able to see some aspects of our democracy in action. In spite of the fact that it is a very long bus ride away from Armidale, Canberra provided a unique and interesting week for us all.

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SAIL TRAINING SHIP YOUNG ENDEAVOUR On the 15 April I took my first step onto the STS Young Endeavour, not realising that the next 11 days on board as a member of the youth crew were going to be the greatest days of my life. Upon arrival, we were given badges that included our name and the ‘Watch’ that we belonged to, out of White, Red and Blue. I and 9 other people were in the White Watch. Each Watch/group was responsible for different sections of the boat and every 8 hrs we would do a 4hr deck shift which could involve setting sails, furling sails, keeping a lookout on both Port and Starboard sides, being the helmsman, navigator, or doing rounds. There wasn’t a second in the day where we wouldn’t be doing something. Even if you weren’t on watch, you sometimes were still required to help tack the ship or you would be off learning in your Watches different calls, knots, names of the sails, names of each rope and where you can find them.

I was on Voyage 05/19 from Sydney to Newcastle and we were lucky enough to travel both south and north of our destination and drop anchor in numerous bays along the way such as Athol Bay, Jarvis Bay, Broken bay, Broughton Bay and Port Stephens.

We were very fortunate on the voyage as we had amazing weather. We spent every second night at anchor and the rest of the time was on spent on the open ocean.

During my experience on board, I learnt sailing terminology and calls for setting and furling sails, how to navigate, tack the boat, set and furl sails and how to steer the ship. When we anchored, we got the opportunity to go swimming, play games on shore, go for a short hike and swing off the rope swing into the water. On days 8 and 9 the youth crew experienced Command Day which was where we were put in charge of the ship for 24 hrs. It was a great opportunity to develop our teamwork, strengthen our leadership, initiative and co-operation.

The young endeavour provides an opportunity to work alongside other people who were strangers at the start and are now friends. There is something about working with a common purpose that brings people together. The challenges we faced as a crew united us and developed a sense of trust in one another. It tested me as I learnt to navigate, set sails and climb the 30 metre mast. It developed my confidence, teamwork, leadership and communication skills. I can not recommend this program enough. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime and the memories I have made I can not put into words of how amazing they are. The Young Endeavour exceeded all of my expectation and I am so grateful for the opportunity!

Charlotte Caldwell

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JUNIOR SCHOOL Mrs Fiona Wake Head of Junior School Welcome back to Term 2 It was delightful seeing the girls return to school eagerly, ready for this short and rather busy term. Monday saw the staff at PLC working with AIS Consultants on our Strategic Direction, setting goals for improved practice and reflecting on student achievement and well-being.

These sessions are invaluable as they provide reflective time and discussion around our College’s goals and how to better meet the needs of our students Pre K - 12.

Teachers and schools can lift all students’ performance if they are equipped to collect and use evidence of individual student achievement and progress. Working together, teachers should assess what each student knows now, target their teaching to what they are ready to learn next, and track each student’s progress over time.

Teachers should then analyse their own impact, keep what works and change what does not. This is a mandatory requirement when developing our College Teaching Programs. Each lesson is to be evaluated and annotated as part of the feedback process. These evaluations are then reflected upon when designing future learning to meet the needs of the varying abilities and interests of our students.

In the world’s largest analysis of the factors that improve student learning, Professor John Hattie shows that the teaching strategies with the greatest impact are those that use evidence of learning to inform and improve teaching. It is reassuring as this is standard practice across our College.

NAPLAN Years 3 and 5 will be participating in NAPLAN on May 14, 15 and 16. As communicated from previous years, NAPLAN is only a ‘one off’ test and we ensure that multiple assessing techniques are used at PLC to gain a broad understanding of where our students are situated academically.

Prior to NAPLAN Testing a short session will take place with Year 3 and 5 students to discuss perspective in attempt to ease the anxiety that some students experience when undertaking testing for the first time or in their early years of education.

NAPLAN Schedule 2018 TUESDAY 14 MAY

WEDNESDAY 15 MAY

THURSDAY 16 MAY

Language Conventions Writing

Reading

Mathematics

The following information published by BrisbaneKids may help when you are having discussions with your daughter about their concerns relating to the NAPLAN Testing or any form of testing they are required to undertake across the course of their education.

1. DISCUSS - Discuss a ‘try your best’ attitude to exams in your home if NAPLAN is mentioned - be clear to your kids you are proud of the effort they put in, and you are less concerned about the outcome (i.e. the marks they get and how they compare to others - as many factors out of your child’s control affect these).

2. EXPLAIN - Explain how exams are at least a little bit stressful for everyone – maybe share an appropriate story about a time when you had to complete an exam and found it stressful, but you just tried your best and got through it (this ‘normalising’ of stress is helpful for many children).

3. PLAN A REWARD - Ask your kids to come up with some ideas for activities you could do as a family on the weekend after NAPLAN - discuss it as a “reward” for your child trying their best with NAPLAN. This will reinforce your ‘try your best’ attitude to them and give them something else to think about and look forward to after the week of NAPLAN. 4. PRACTICE - This has been done leading up to the testing that begins in Week 3. The girls have been well prepared and have been exposed to the format and style of questioning presented in the NAPLAN tests.

5. ENCOURAGE - Encourage your child to read each NAPLAN test question first (quietly in their mind) before answering a question.

Also encourage them to look at the other questions on the exam paper before they start working on them and answer the questions they find easiest first (this will help to settle their nerves and improve their confidence during the test). You may need to practice this approach at home with your child using a worksheet to demonstrate what you mean.

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Mrs Fiona Wake Head of Junior School Thank you for responding to the Expression of Interest communication, regarding attendance at the Sydney Eisteddfod, that was sent out during the holidays. If you have not yet responded, please email or return the Expression of Interest Slip to Emma Young at Junior School Reception as soon as possible.

Year 3 and 4, Mrs Robertson and Mrs Hey were welcomed back to Term 2 by a new look and feel demountable classrooms. The painting of the demountable by Warren Johns and his team was done with perfection and the transformation incredible. On behalf of the College, many thanks.

Have a great term everyone. We look forward to sharing our up and coming experiences and achievements with you.

Author Visit On 3 May Jacqueline Harvey will visit the Junior School to share her success and journey as an author. Below is a little about Jacqueline and how becoming an author is a reality for all, if this dream is fostered and actioned. Being inspired by people like Jacqueline assist our students in believing in themselves as writers and developing secretarial and authorial skills all begins in Junior School.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jacqueline Harvey knew she wanted to be an author at a young age. She couldn’t say exactly when, but winning a minor writing competition as a teenager inspired her to think that maybe, sometime in the future, she might be able to write books.

It wasn’t until November 2012, that Jacqueline took the giant step away from a 20 year career in schools as a teacher, Deputy Head of Junior School and most recently, Director of Development, to become a full time writer. She is now one of Australia’s most popular authors, having sold over a million copies of her AliceMiranda and Clementine Rose series’ in Australia and New Zealand.

Jacqueline Harvey’s bestselling Alice-Miranda series began as an idea for a picture book but it soon became apparent that this perpetually positive seven-and-aquarter-year-old had a lot more to say. The series has been sold to the United States, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil (for Portuguese translation), Hungary, Germany and Russia and has been shortlisted for numerous children’s book awards in Australia including both industry and children’s choice. AliceMiranda at School won the YABBA for Younger Readers in 2012 and Jacqueline has had an Alice-Miranda title on the REAL awards shortlist every from 2012-2017. She has recorded the first five titles as audio books for Audible and the series is now in production as an animated television movie in partnership with SLR Productions, ZDF Enterprises and the Nine Network (Australia).

The Clementine Rose series for younger readers has followed closely in the footsteps of Alice-Miranda’s success and has been sold to the United Kingdom and Brazil and is now also available in the US. Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape was shortlisted for an Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) in 2015 in the Younger Readers Category – the same year Alice-Miranda in Japan was also shortlisted in the Older Readers Category. Jacqueline’s first and only picture book, The Sound of the Sea was an Honour Book in the 2006 Children’s Book Council Awards.

The first book in Jacqueline’s latest series, Kensy and Max: Breaking News was released in March 2018 to great excitement and has been a constant on the bestseller charts. The second, Kensy and Max: Disappearing Act followed in September 2018 and the third, Kensy and Max: Undercover is out in March 2019 with more to come! The first four books in the Kensy and Max series have been sold to the United States for publication early 2020.

She relishes any opportunity to get back into school and work with the children who inspire her writing. She is a highly experienced presenter, having delivered hundreds of talks and workshops at schools and festivals around the world.

Jacqueline is an ambassador for Dymocks Children’s Charities and Room to Read and is passionate about improving literacy outcomes for all children. She lives in Sydney with her husband Ian and Balthazar also known as Bally who used to be their Visitor Cat but became a permanent fixture a little while ago. Jacqueline is currently working on more Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and Kensy and Max adventures. In her spare time, Jacqueline likes to play golf in exotic locations.

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SPORTS REPORT AROUND THE GROUNDS Mr Peter Le Surf Director of Sport Welcome to the Winter sport season at PLC Armidale We have certainly hit the ground running! Our netball teams have commenced training and will play their first games tomorrow at the Lynches Road Netball courts.

The Senior Hockey teams have already played a few rounds and they have some very good results, including our ‘Parents and Daughter’ team that have already had a few wins this season.

The Junior Hockey games will commence shortly.

It would be great to see plenty of supporters on the sidelines cheering on the efforts of the girls.

For those new to the winter sports season, each Netball, Hockey, Rugby and soccer team, has a coach assigned to the team. These coaches have been selected, based on their knowledge and their ability to pass that knowledge on to the children.

Winter Sports The winter sports of Netball, Hockey and Soccer are getting ready to start. There have been sign up sheets on the sports noticeboard for a few weeks. If your daughter is wanting to get involved, please make sure they have placed their name on the sign up sheet.

The coach will get in touch with all parents in their team and pass on their contact details. If you have any questions regarding the team or your daughter cannot make training or the game, your first call should be to the coach involved.

Please feel free to talk to your daughter’s coach at any of the games.

We are also looking for a parent from each team to take on the role of ‘Team Manager’. This position is simply having an extra pair of hands on the sidelines each week, assisting the coach. If you would like to take on this role, please let me know.

CHANGES IN 2019 For Netball, Hockey and Soccer in 2019, there is now a requirement to go online, register and pay before we can place you in a team.

This is different for 2018, where you needed to register, however payment was made at the end of the season, and placed on your school account. You can use your active kids voucher in this registration process, so please make sure you have this ready.

Team Draws If you are looking for the draw each week for your daughter’s sport, you can search the local sports website or Facebook pages, however sometimes there are late changes to the draws. We will post the latest draws on edumate each week and place it on the sports noticeboard as soon as it is published. So please, keep checking Edumate for the latest draws.

Any ‘wet weather’ alerts are usually posted on the sport’s Facebook page.

If there is any cancellations, we will always get the information out to you as soon as we know, via Edumate or the Skoolbag app.

Parent Involvement

Athletics News

As a parent, if you would like to assist in the sporting programme, as a team manager, please let me know.

Congratulations to the two PLC Armidale athletes who have been named as part of the Regional Australian Team (RAT), set to compete at the Oceania Area Championships in Townsville from the 25 - 28 June.

Named in the team is Year 10 student Imogen Dellow for u18 High Jump, and joining her will be Year 12 student Gracie Martin for the u20 200m and 400m.

We would like to wish them all the very best for the Championships in June.

WHAT DOES THIS INVOLVE?

Sports on Offer in Term 2 & 3 If you are wanting to get your daughter involved in sport for the Winter season, it is not too late. We currently have the following sports on offer this season:

It does not require you to coach. It is just having someone at the grounds assisting the coach in organising the team. Simple jobs like making sure all equipment is returned to the kit bag, getting others organized to bring cut oranges for half time or just being an extra set of eyes in watching the game. If this is something that you could assist with, please get in contact with me.

• Hockey

• Soccer

• Rugby

• Basketball

• Pilates

• Strength & Conditioning

Athletics Carnival Just a reminder that the Whole School Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday and Friday 9 and 10 May. It would be lovely to have as many parents and friends coming along to cheer the girls on.

With so much sport on offer, I look forward to seeing you on the sidelines.

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I look forward to seeing you on the sideline during this busy term.

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MUSIC MR MATTHEW MINTER Director of Music In House Concert On Wednesday the 1 of May, we had an amazing In House Concert. The consistently high standard of performance was exceptional throughout the concert. There was a great variety of ages throughout the concert. It was a privilege to hear from our youngest performer, Rebecca Sung (Year 1) who played Vivaldi’s Concerto in C Major, through to highly polished performances of fine repertoire from some of our Year 12 Music 2 students, Elinor Warwick, Xinyue Li and Sophia Mackson.

The event was well attended by parents and guests. Thank you to our Year 12 music students who assisted with catering, set up and running the concert.

Congratulations to all the following students for their involvement in the concert: Rebecca Sung Cello

Chiyo Brown Violin

Xinyue Li Piano

Scarlett Loxley Viola

Kaylee Swick Violin

Lauren Williams Voice

Sophia Mackson Viola

Elinor Warwick Violin

Khushi Aila Voice

India Smith Violin

Emily Thompson Violin

Anais Dettwiler Violin

Jennifer Sung Violin

Kate Loxley Violin

2019 Armidale Eisteddford DATE Tuesday 14 May Wednesday 15 May

Tuesday 21 May

TIME 1pm

Tuesday 4 June

PLC Piano Trio

ST74 Ensemble on any bowed instruments K - 6

PLC Silver Strings

ST76 Ensemble on any bowed string instruments 3 - 8 players, Year 7 to 12

PLC Cello Ensemble

ST78 Large ensemble on any bowed string instruments K - 6

PLC Junior Strings

ST80 Large ensemble on any bowed instruments 7 - 12 ST81 Large ensemble on any bowed instruments (open)

PLC Senior Strings

9.30am

CH01 Choir - non competitive K - 2

PLC K - 2 Choir

12.45pm

CH03 Choir, unison, K - 6

PLC 3 - 6 Choir

CH06 Choir, Year 10 and Under

PLC Polly and the Anna’s PLC Year 7 and 8 Choir

CH08 Vocal Ensemble Open

PLC Bel Canto Ensemble

CH09 New England Choral Championship

PLC Senior Choir

CH10 Choir, Non Competitive, Open

PLC Staff Vocal Ensemble

CH05 Vocal Ensemble K - 6

PLC Treble Makers

CH04 Choir, Two Part, K - 6

PLC 3 - 6 Choir

EN07 Class Ensemble Year 9 and 10

PLC Pathways PLC Year 9 and 10 Music

EN08 Class Ensemble Year 11 and 12

PLC Year 11 and 12 Music 1 and Year 11 Music 2

EN27 Jazz Ensemble Years 7 - 12

PLC Jazz Ensemble

EN19 Any instrumental group, open, non-competitive

PLC Wind Ensemble

EN20 Any instrumental group with contrasting instrumental families

PLC Orchestra

EN04 Class Ensemble Years 3 and 4

PLC Year 4 Class Ensemble

Composition Night

PLC Elective Music Students

1.30pm

9.30am

9am

1.15pm 6pm

Wednesday 5 June

ENSEMBLE

EN14 Chamber Music Year 8 and Under

6pm

Wednesday 22 May

EVENT

9.30am 4pm

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PLC ARMIDALE production of

Book DENNIS KELLY

Music & Lyrics TIM MINCHIN

Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia).

All performance materials supplied by Hal Leonard Australia.

UNE ARTS THEATRE

30 OCTOBER - 2 NOVEMBER

PASTORAL CARE Paula Goode Pastoral Care Coordinator Connect Over the next few weeks in the Pastoral Care column I am going to focus on The Five Ways to Wellbeing which are effective ways to build opportunities to: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.

SO HOW DO WE CONNECT? Information from The Learning Curve Parent Newsletter suggests: Our students were born into a digital world and communicating electronically is what comes naturally to them, which has reduced their opportunities for purposeful face to face conversations with real people in real time. It seems everywhere we turn, people, both young and old, are glued to their mobiles. Are we as a society lacking the presence and purpose to enjoy the positive emotions of human interaction in person? Are we hiding behind the invisible impersonal wall of electronic communication?

The research is overwhelming that the greatest single influence to living a meaningful and fulfilling life is high quality personal relationships.

We grow when we show courage to be kind and grateful to others. Nearly everything that we will achieve in life will be through people, with people and by people. Healthy relationships are the cornerstones to a well-functioning society and we need to develop our students’ interpersonal skills to communicate including: • using and reading positive body language messages • recognising inference, bias and emphasis in conversations • developing relationships through face to face conversations • learning to listen with their eyes, their ears and their hearts • valuing and considering other peoples’ opinions because they matter • being present and mindful in each and every moment.

So, with that advice I took on the challenge of the art of conversation, that is - face to face conversation. The recent holidays allowed me to switch off from various forms of technology and actually talk and really connect with friends and family, as well as others in the towns/ communities I visited over the holiday break. I was grateful that I was able to connect with things outside myself – others and nature.

Conversations had with the staff of the Information Centre of each town (not by just Googling: things to do?) was a real winner, not only were they fonts of knowledge, but asked questions to get to know us and get a feel for what we might be looking for during our visit. This led to nice little coffee shops, great places for dining, various points of significance in the areas where we were visiting, a leisurely (30km) bike ride around the wineries, bush walks, many art and sculptural galleries, all of which added to our itinerary to see, do and learn about and from, and of course many more interesting conversations were had with complete strangers.

“The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen.”

- Ray Moody Why not take the challenge too? You might be surprise at what you may learn!

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RESILIENCE

PASTORAL CARE

insights Daily lessons in resilience

by Michael Grose

Recently, I saw a mother give a simple, yet profound resilience lesson to her school-aged child, after he missed a much-anticipated excursion due to poor behaviour at school. Replying to the child’s protests about teacher unfairness and his over-reaction to missing out on a learning opportunity his mum simply replied, “Oh well!” Then she busied herself with other tasks. The child stunned by her reaction, shrugged and headed off to complete his homework.

Adult reactions matter It’s in our reactions to children’s and young people’s every day mistakes, mess-ups, muck-ups and hurts where the real lessons in resilience lay.

The lessons for this child were simple but profound. “Oh well” meant: Stuff happens Don’t look for fault or blame Keep your perspective Pick yourself off and continue with what you were doing

How to react The resilience lesson for this mother were equally as profound. When a minor mishap with a child or teenager occurs: Match your response to the incident Stay calm and be positive Don’t look for fault or blame Remember, stuff happens

Resilience lesson for parents – “Oh well” Every day there are opportunities for parents to give their children lessons in resilience.

parentingideas.com.au/schools

We're a Parenting Ideas school

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A child misses being picked for a team that he had his heart set on joining. “Oh well. Let’s see how you go next time” When a boy experiences rejection in the playground at school. “Oh well. You’ll find that some people don’t want to be your friend.”

When a teenage girl doesn’t get the mark she thinks she deserves in an assignment. “Oh well. Sometimes we don’t get the marks we think we deserve.”

Match your response to the challenge to promote resilience There are times when “Oh well” won’t cut it. When a child is bullied he needs your continued support.

When a student’s continuous efforts at improvement are constantly met with criticism then you may need to act on his behalf and meet with a teacher.

When a child always struggles to make the grade and is never picked for a team then you may need to help him make different choices.

These types of situations also present opportunities for daily lessons in resilience, but they require more parental support and teaching.

The resilience lessons learned are deeper and include concepts such as ‘things will eventually go you way,’ ‘there are times when you need to seek help’ and ‘this too shall pass.’

Promoting personal resilience focuses on helping kids cope with life’s hurts, disappointments and challenges in the present, while building strengths for the future.

Daily lessons in resilience are everywhere. You just need to be ready to make the most of these valuable lessons when they come your way.

Michael Grose Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 10 books for parents including Thriving! and the bestselling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It, and his latest release Spoonfed Generation: How to raise independent children.

parentingideas.com.au/schools

We're a Parenting Ideas school

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LAST CHANCE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

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COMMUNITY

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COMMUNITY

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