Maitland Area School

Despite inclement weather the night before, our 2017 Cross Country ran in cool, overcast conditions; perfect for a long distance event.

This was our second year on the western Maitland Golf Course and the greens, reservoir and bridges made a perfect backdrop for a competitive field.

Thank you

Thank you to the Sam Holmes, Naomi Davey and the CYS Sports Committee for their guidance and organisation. Thank you to the many parents who acted as marshals this year, directing students around the course and to many staff who gave so freely of their time help.

Thank you also to the Maitland Golf Club who were so accommodating with our use of the course and to Apex who gave us access to toilet facilities at their clubrooms. Supervision and photographic records prepared by teaching staff was also appreciated as was the way our students were encouraged to do their best.

FINAL SCORES

Participation in the event was high with 103 students in Years Reception – 7 from both campuses taking part in running the course. 

After the allocation of place getting and participation points the final scores were Eagles 244 and Sharks 208. Congratulations to the Eagles as the winners of the 2017 Cross Country trophy. Place getters received ribbons and all students received a certificate acknowledging their participation.

Facebook Video

Our SAASTA Connect students were rewarded with a day at Alberton Oval courtesy of SAASTA and the Port Adelaide football club. Students participated in a range of activities including boomerang and spear throwing, team building games, football skills and drills and a personal tour of the player’s facilities with Port Adelaide champion Russel Ebert.  It was great to see our students getting to know other SAASTA connect students from across the state, something which we hope will only grow as students move forward into senior SAASTA.  

It has been great to see our secondary students get into lawn bowls as a part of their practical component with Mrs Schmidt.  We have been very fortunate to have had the use of the local bowls club in Maitland as well as the expertise of Gary Downs and John Spaans who have volunteered their time to work with our students.  

Classes will now complete a 5 week intensive block to develop their skills and already it seems the students have been having a lot of fun!

Earlier in the term we tried to make bridges but unfortuantely only one was successful. 

We tried the task again with students having to work in groups to make a bridge that could hold a toy car 

We talked about how we could make our bridges stronger, looked at photos of bridges and discussed some of their features. 

We set aside an hour to design, build, test and make changes to our bridges. 

This time we were much more successful with four out of the six holding up the car. 

We then evaluated our bridges and discussed with the groups what changes could be make for next time. 

This challenge not only tested our design and making skills but also our teamwork.

Our Year 7/8 class have spent their Science lessons this term learning about compounds, mixtures and solutions. As a ‘Grand Finale ’practical assessment task, they took part in The Laboratory Challenge – a team competition which tested their laboratory skills. 

Task

Each team of students was given a beaker which contained 20 grams of iron filings, 20 grams of sand and 20 grams of salt. The challenge was to separate the mixture into its three component parts, whilst losing as little matter as possible.

Group work rules

Our groups showed great skill in the laboratory, first using the magnetic separation technique to extract the iron, then adding water to the mixture and filtering out the sand and finally, evaporating the water to recover the salt.

Safety in the laboratory was always top of the agenda and contributed to the overall assessment for each team. The total error achieved by the teams when they weighed their final products ranged from minimal to over 23 grams.

Final results

In the end, the results were very impressive, with Emma Rowe and Joylene Wanganeen taking first place in the competition with a total error of only 1.58 grams, followed by the team of Oscar Moore, Eddie Sansbury and Lochlan Trevena in second place with a total error of 2.29 grams. 

Congratulations to all the students for showing great teamwork and skill in the laboratory. They are now working on their final task for the term – a home project – designing a rubbish purification system. We look forward to displaying the models and photos in the classroom when they are completed in week 11. 

Wow what a very busy few weeks we have had. One of our Rural Care mums Indi came to visit and talked about her Indian culture - Sikh. We watched how a traditional turban is wrapped using a 7 meter long piece of cotton, it was really cool. Indi also talked to us about traditional Indian food and the Palace made of real gold.

Last week on Tuesday we had the Point Pearce Kindy Children visit us for Harmony day. We made a little kite for our Harmony Day Banner “we all belong under the one sky”. We enjoyed playing with our Point Pearce Kindy friends and sharing some oranges. On Wednesday we had our first excursion which was to the Maitland Lutheran School to participate in Jumping Jelly Beans where we did some Easter crafts and went on a Easter Hunt. Thank you Paula and staff at MLS for inviting us, it was lots of FUN. Thursday we had a visit from Ben McNicholl a Hearing Special Educator. He came to teach us all about our ears. It was very interesting learning about how the ear works and learning some sign language.

We have also had Oliver’s mum Sallyann bring in a baby lamb and Paige’s mum Rebecca bring in some baby ducks; they were so cute!

Maitland Show

CYS students were well represented at the 2017 Maitland Show with a vibrant and comprehensive display in the schools shed and with entries in the various prize categories. Thank you to Trevor Allen for all his help in transporting and mounting our display boards and to the staff and students who collected photos, artwork and writing then sorted, arranged and mounted them on the boards.

Well done to:

• Jethro Ship (1st prize, R-2 Poster Competition)
• Sophie Heinrich (1st prize, 6-7 Poster Competition)
• Isis Schulte (2nd prize, R-2 Poster Compeition)
• Bethany Hollams (3rd Prize, Painting)
• Orlando Reddin (2nd Prize, Drawing)

Congratulations to Ali Adams and her Garden-to-Plate students who won prizes in the vegetable section: your fine produce is a credit to you all

Our Long Run, Long Jump and Javelin events are held prior to sportsday so student athletes are at their best for the demanding day.

The Long Jump and Javelin were held early on Monday March 6 with overcast conditions helping athletes.

The Long Run, with events ranging from 80m sprints for the youngest through to the gruelling 1500m for the oldest students was held on Thursday March 9.

Conditions were warm to hot, but that didn't stop enthusiastic students from achieving personal bests.

Thank you to all the staff and parents who organsied and officiated on the day and to the families who supported students in the spectator area.

We held our 2017 R-6 Splash Carnival early on Friday March 3 to avoid the hot weather that had been promised for the day.

As always, there was an enthusiastic crowd of parents and grandparents and an eager and energetic pool of competitors.

Classes enjoyed the new events and the competitive races which saw the Sharks - again - beating the Eagles by a substantial 10 points.

Congratulations to all students on their outstanding involvement, sportsmanship and swimming skills.

Thank you to Principal Grant Keleher for opening and compering our event and to Mrs Julie Adams for presenting the cup.

Well done to House Captains  Ollie, Isabel, Aidan and Annabelle for your help and leadership throughout the day.

On Friday of Week 6, our SRC Team participated in an intensive training day at our Maitland Campus for a team-building and training day.

Together we identified the qualities that build successful teams, discussed our individual roles and responsibilities, rehearsed meeting procedures, set-up our working committees, developed skills in planning events and motivating others and identified the immediate needs of our school which will be our driving force as we begin to plan activities to address them. 

Our team also had a relaxing lunch at a local cafe and took-part in a range of challenges that provided our SRC with opportunities to showcase their leadership skills in a competitive and practical setting. 

Overall the day was fun and rewarding and instilled further confidence in our individual members to be able to contribute and work together as a team in order to achieve our goals in 2017.

We had a small taste of the Clipsal on Friday as the Jesus Racing team ute pulled onto the school grounds in Maitland. The roar of the engine captured attention and students came running to check it out. Obviously it was a replica ute of the one raced, but it was still great to be up close!

Throughout the year I have the privilege of organising Christian Option/ Values presentations to visit our school, and when Jesus Racing became available following their Clipsal races, I didn’t pass the opportunity up. The last time they visited was in March of 2012.

7-12 Seminar

Although all students could check the ute out, view the trophy they won at the Clipsal and get a poster signed by race driver Andrew ‘Fishtail’ Fisher, the seminar was presented to the Year 7-12’s. The Lutheran School Year 7-9’s also joined us in this great presentation. Andrew Fisher is not just a successful race driver, he has also had a successful business career where he has provided strategic advice to hundreds of companies and was also the CEO of a public company. 

In Week 5 of this term our SACE Physical Education students participated in an Aquatics program at Port Vincent. 

Year 12 course

As part of their Year 12 course, our Stage 2 Physical Education students combined with students from Minlaton District School and together completed a 3-day sailing course that not only tested them physically but also mentally. 

They were put through a comprehensive program where they were required to learn and apply their skills in rigging, getting away and returning to shore, capsizing, man-overboard recovery, points of sail, tacking, gybing and initiating tactics. 

Testing skills

Although it was a very exhausting and mentally draining three days for our Year 12 students, I was extremely proud of the resilience and teamwork shown as they worked tirelessly through their skills criteria. 

Our Year 11 students were also put through a strenuous 3-day program that allowed them to learn new skills in kayaking, snorkelling and sailing.

Andrew Mills | Year 12 PE

Our instrumental, band and choir programme at CYS is off to a flying start with record numbers of students enrolling for 2017.

Vocal Ensemble

 Over 30 students from years 4 to 10 have joined our choral program this year. We have many new and excited year four students and are also delighted to have the support of secondary vocalists. Students in years 5 to 7 will have the fabulous opportunity to be selected to perform at the Entertainment Centre in September. All choir students have homework set each week as our repertoire is all performed from memory. Please encourage your child to practice regularly with their book and CD. 

Instrumental Music 

There are currently over 50 students enrolled in the instrumental music program at Central Yorke School. The beginner year 5 students have set new records with home practice and we are looking forward to great progress from all our music students.

Hello everyone, it has been an extremely busy start to the term with lots of exciting things happening at the Point Pearce Campus.  

We had a lovely bacon and egg breakfast in week 3 attended by community members and CYS staff.  

Students have been involved in swimming lessons at the Maitland Campus and I have been extremely impressed with the progress they have made with their skills and confidence.  

FLO / FLEX Program

As you would have seen in the previous editions of the newsletter we have launched our FLO/FLEX program with secondary students at the Point Pearce TAFE on Tuesdays.  Cori Pollard, Eddie Newchurch and myself are overseeing the program and so far it has been extremely successful with around 10 students working towards completing their SACE.  

The Flex Centre is based in the Tech Wing of CYS in Maitland. Students with alternate timetables work in Flex with support to complete their work. This includes students with an apprenticeship a few days a week who attend school part time, Many subjects are studied in this area, including numeracy, literacy, PLP and Research Project. 

With Flex as a base, 14 students have also being participating in Adult learning at the Point Pearce TAFE building to complete their compulsory SACE subjects in order to achieve SACE. 

Within the Flex Centre is also a meeting room which is also used as a self-regulation space. We have implemented sensory items which can be used for thought processing and wellbeing if needed. 

We have an internal Flex Centre newsletter that highlights great work from our students and also keeps all staff informed.

If you'd like to have more information on the Flex Centre and its operations, please contact us at either the Maitland or Point Pearce Campus.

It was great to see all of our students involved in the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day. This was one of our first events where the Maitland Campus and the Early Years Centre have joined together to enjoy the activity. 

The students loved their pancakes with cream and jam and it was a pleasure to watch our students using their manners with each other and reflecting our values of Respect and Relationships. 

A huge vote of thanks must go to our PCW Kelly Whittaker for organising the day and our local Lions Club for the cooking of the pancakes. 

A big thank you also goes to the Point Pearce Campus staff and community for organising their special pancake day. The pancakes certainly looked delicious in both locations!

On the 7th of February the R/1/2 classes travelled to Redwing Farm. We got to see donkeys, cows, goats, pigs, chooks, ducks, geese and even a cheeky dog under the fence. Both classes had a fantastic time feeding, patting and learning about the different types of animals. 

We even brought some friendly chickens back with us who will be living in the Ag Block. When we returned we wrote some great recounts and excitedly shared our adventure with our parents. A big thank you to Redwing Farm for allowing us to come and visit, Trevor Allen for driving the bus and Ali Adams for supporting us and showing us around. 

What a fantastic few weeks we have had at our Early Learning Centre. We had our first visit to the library last Thursday where we had some time to read and look at the lovely children’s books and we even got to borrow two books each. 

Loose Parts

Mel read us a great book about making things with ‘loose parts’! We loved this book as it showed that with loose parts and your imagination you can create wonderful things. If you have any loose parts we could use in play for building and creating please let us know.

Cooking time

We also used our cooking skills to make some zucchini burgers with the zucchinis we grew in our very own kindy garden. With Jo we peeled, chopped and grated the veggies and herbs. Thank you to Hunter’s Mum Lisa for donating parsley and chives from their home garden too. The kids weren’t so sure about them but the staff thought they were very tasty.

Mat & story time

We have also been having lots of fun mat times and story times where we have been learning lots of new things. We have been focusing on learning our daily routines with Oscar Organised, recognising our names and counting using songs and stories just to name a few. We have been learning how to listen by following the 5 L’s of listening – legs still, hands in our lap, lips closed, looking  at the person speaking and using our listening ears.

Relaxation...

After lunch we have also been having relaxation time where we have been playing relaxing music and concentrating on deep breathing with bean bags on our bellies. 

Most importantly though we have been doing lots of playing!.

DECD schools are required to promote and develop learning environments that are safe and supportive.  Students and staff may have anaphylactic (severe allergic) conditions that include nut allergies.  

This means that exposure at school may constitute a risk to their health and wellbeing. While it is not possible to guarantee that the school environment will be completely free of potential nut hazards, risks can be minimised by adhering within reasonable guidelines. Given this context, CYS is developing Nut Awareness Guidelines for our R-12 students.

Wow those holidays went quick! Now we have a busy Term One jam packed with sporting opportunities for all our students at Central Yorke School. 

House Captains

Our first item on our calendar is nominating and selecting of House Captains. Students will be given the information during the Homegroup double on the first day of school. 

During this time teachers will outline the role and expectations of House Captains.  We will be asking all students in Year 5/6  to nominate a boy and a girl who they think will suit the role (students can vote for themselves) these names are then put on the board and students choose whether to decline or accept the nomination.  

This allows students who may be too shy to nominate themselves to be nominated by a peer and take on the nomination if they wish.  Students who wish to accept the nomination will then take a Nomination form which they will then use to fill out a short speech which will be delivered in front of their house group the following Monday the 6th of February (Week 2) during elections. 

Years 4/5/6 will vote for the Primary House Captain and Years 8/9/10/11/12 will vote for the Secondary House Captain once all nominees have completed their speeches. 

Students who are successful in winning the role of House Captain will then be recognised at the Leaders Induction which will be held on Tuesday the 14th of February (Week 3).

Welcome to 2017 School Year from Point Pearce Campus. We are very pleased to see some extra students attending this term. We have six Junior Primary Students and six Pre-school students. Our Occasional Care has four enrolments at this stage 

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

From term 1 2017 parents and carers with children enrolled in a government preschool, rural care, occasional care, family day care or respite care service will be asked to provide evidence of their child’s immunisation status under a new procedure aimed at protecting children against vaccine preventable diseases (VPD).

Please bring this information to the school when enrolling or bringing a child to our campus. 

Thank you for your co-operation.

Information about the policy can be found on the DECD Intranet Visit the DECD Intranet

Welcome to 2017 in our fantastic new Early Learning Centre! We hope you enjoyed the holidays and had a relaxing Christmas and New Year with your loved ones. 

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Kerry Richardson and I am the Head of Early Years at Central Yorke School. I will be overseeing the Early Years Preschool Education at both the Maitland and Point Pearce Campuses. I am really looking forward to getting to know all of the preschool children and their families. 

2017 Staff

Mel Richards is our Early Years Teacher who you all know well and Jo Rawlings and Tammy Wheaton are our Preschool SSO’s. We understand that there have been many changes and if you have any questions regarding Preschool please feel free to speak with one of us.

Term 1 program

Our Term 1 Preschool Program is focusing on building relationships with the children, creating a feeling of belonging in the centre and learning our centre routines. 

Our first day of Kindy was great fun! We made an ocean in the water trough, we made some wonderful rose petal creations, we played in the sandpit, cooked in the new mud kitchen and made cakes, pizza and doughnuts with the playdough, just to name a few things. When we are playing we are learning lots!

Kerry Richardson

Welcome to the 2017 school year and our new school Central Yorke! Who knew where we were going to be 12 months ago. 

Our kids are excited, our school community proud of what we have achieved and the staff renewed with an energy to provide an engaging and relevant education to our leaders of tomorrow.

While each of our campuses have great traditions and pride, our new school will allow for our cohort to create their own traditions and identity that someday their children will be a part of. 

If you look around both campuses you will see many changes already completed as well as in the pipeline to occur. Maitland will be looking at getting a new reception area, while Pt Pearce will be looking at new offices and toilets. Our goal is to make Central Yorke an innovative learning space that encourages both staff and students to push the boundaries and take risks.

Our Early Years students are already talking about how cool our school is and our Senior Students are already planning the best way to achieve their SACE. At this point in time we have started with 235 students with more enrolling each day. 

The Children's Centre held their very first End of Year Celebration in the new building on Thursday. Mel thanked staff and parents for their help through the year, highlighting the way everyone had worked together to make the move from the old kindy so smooth. The children performed several entertaining Christmas songs then received their individual books highlighting their achievements throughout 2016. After a video showcasing the year's activities and events Chairperson Emma Mann also thanked staff and parents for their support. She presented Mel and Rachel, who leave at the end of the year, with gifts in appreciation for their dedication and work with the children. Afternoon tea was served then Father Christmas, (accompanied by the Maitland Police) made a surprise but welcome visit.

Five Maitland Area School  students ,out of the team of 12, were selected to represent Yorke Peninsula in the U12 Country Carnival cricket team.  Harrison Geater-Johnson, Will Davey, Henry Butler, Rupert Polkinghorne and Ollie Linke played in Whyalla over the weekend. They all had a marvellous time and represented both their district and our school with excellent sporting behaviour. Well done boys !

Through play based learning children have been engaged and exploring:

Numeracy

Children were introduced to the Maths Toolbox and have enjoyed using the variety of ‘tools’ in their play.  They have particularly enjoyed using the tape measures, calculators and timers and have been creative in how they use them to support their exploration and investigation. 

Literacy

Children have been creating journals and drawing pictures about their favourite thing at the new Kindy.  It’s not surprising that most of them are enjoying the ‘tap’ in the sandpit.

Inquiry

This week we will introduce our learning tub to explore children’s knowledge and interests around “What is a scientist?”  

Child Protection

We will begin our child protection focus this week looking at Early Warning Signs.

You Can Do It

Oscar Organisation has been helping children revisit routines and learn where everything belongs in our new play space.  We look forward to meeting Connie Confidence over the next few weeks.

It has been fantastic seeing children settle in and explore our new learning environment.  We have received positive feedback about our Centre from both children and families as well as the wider community. The Children’s Centre received a lot of visitors as part of the recent MAS Open Day who were very impressed by our Centre.  

We have had a successful start to the term and I look forward to an exciting and busy term.  Once again thankyou to all of you for your ongoing support and understanding during this time of settling in.

As a member of AFFLIP and as part of our responsibilities as an international school, we have just recently hosted a group of Filipino Principals. 

They were on a study tour to look at our programs, our daily structures and wellbeing of our students. They were amazed at how our school ran and the strong focus we have on literacy and numeracy. 

It was also great for our staff to understand what it is like to teach in a developing country.  For example, did you know that class sizes in the Philippines can be at minimum 35 students and get up to nearly 70. The Principal and teacher we hosted have 2800 students at their schools and only 7 computers in the whole school. Also in the Philippines many of the students come to school malnourished and have set supervised eating times so teachers know they are getting something to eat. It made us realise how lucky we are to live in Australia and be educated here. 

The Filipino principals thoroughly enjoyed their time here and the pedagogies they will take back with them. Some our classes will be running units concurrently with their schools and some of our students will also get a chance to Skype on one of their seven computers with a class.

This week we say farewell to our Year 12 students. Many will be going onto complete exams in the next few weeks; some will be going onto employment and others taking that next step in their lives.

As a word of advice to the Year 12’s who are finishing, life is a series of events, both good and bad. No matter how deft your organisational skills, there will always be life influencing factors over which you may have no control. 

As you embark on this new stage of life, you will be able to rise to the occasion because of the values our school has taught you. On such occasions think of the values the teachers have instilled in you and you will make us proud. "Change indeed is painful, yet over needful", said Thomas Carlyle.

Maitland Area School is  going to miss you. 

We hope that someday you will look upon your days here fondly and remember the staff who made a difference in your life. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

I was lucky enough to attend the Public Education Excellence in Teaching awards during the holidays where our very own Sarah Atkinson was a finalist. 

The night showcased the amazing work our teachers do and while Sarah did not win the top prize, to be recognised in the top six teachers in the state is a massive achievement and a testament to the effort and work that Sarah puts into her work here. 

On behalf of the school and community Sarah, we say well done and thankyou for what you do. 

Reminder we will be having a Pupil Free Day on Monday 28th November. On this day Staff will be engaged in reviewing 2016 achievement and perception data, team target reviews and starting planning and setting targets for 2017. They will also use this time to refine our curriculum and look into problem based learning as timetabled lessons.

Last Wednesday was our open day. 

We had over 140 families visit the school to see our students in action and culminate our Paddock to Plate program. 

I was honoured enough to conduct a Principal's tour in which many a memory was shared. The new Early Learning Centre proved a hit and the students loved the learning journey with our visitors. 

After a short morning tea we had our grandparents and students read to each other. This brought back many memories of the times I spent with my grandparents reading. Both grandies and students had a ball and showcased the strength of our school community. 

What really made this a special time were the grandies who read with students they didn’t know, just so our students didn’t miss out. 

A big thankyou must go to our parents and friends and friends of the library that made our open day a possibility. 

Our 2016 R-10 musical Bonsai Samurai made its world premiere in the Maitland Area School Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday September 21 and Thursday September 22 to packed houses and enthusiastic audiences.

Telling the story of a short, Samurai obsessed boy called Hiroki (played by Ollie Linke) and his long-suffering sister Shun (played by Emma Rowe), Bonsai Samurai featured ninjas (short and tall), Samurai (blue and red), Imperial Lords (good and bad) and a wide assortment of bandits, villagers, sumo wrestlers, koi fish, shadow puppeteers and ghostly Japanese spirits called Tsukumogami.

But why a historical musical, why Japan and why a short samurai?

The SRC would like to sincerely thank the 14 students and staff member who participated in the 40 Hour Famine Project from home. Collectively $422.00 was raised by this group. We conducted our ‘Go without Day’ on the 26th August, and raised $305.80 by allowing students to wear casual clothes for $2. An additional donation box was also circulated on the day. 

During SRC class meetings conducted earlier in the term each class elected to ‘go without’ an item or activity as their way of supporting and making a stand for global hunger.

Term 3 has been a busy one (as always!) for instrumental music and choir students, with competitions at Balaklava, performances for the Japanese Exchange at MAS and involvement in the Bonsai Samurai production.

Ardrossan Music Concert Thanks

Thank you to all students, staff and parents who supported the Concert Band rehearsal last week at Ardrossan and the performance at their music concert this week.

It was a very busy two weeks, and we are appreciative of families time and commitment.

Showcase concert

All instrumental music and choir students will feature in our music showcase concert on November 17th, 7pm. Tickets are priced as in other years at adult $10, child $5, Family$25

We will be showcasing our yr 12 flautist Sherida Borghouts, the choir, our latest recruits, YP schools concert Band and guest artist Lucy Young ( currently  a jazz student at Adelaide Uni) 

Beginner and intermediate students should be practicing page 13 and senior band students their concert band repertoire.

Choir students will have a selection of songs from their books to prepare. 

Choir students have also been asked if available to perform at the Weetulta Strawberry fete 8pm Saturday November 5th. 

Our Royal Show experience looked a bit different in 2016 from previous years – no steers this time, but a fantastic group of goats entered into the Led Wether Competition. 

Our Year 9/10 Ag class spent lessons in Term 3 training, grooming and feeding our Boer goat entries to prepare them for the big event, and a lucky group of hardworking students were selected to represent Maitland Area School in Adelaide. 

Day 1

After unloading and settling the animals on Tuesday night, we were ready for busy day of preparation on Wednesday. 

The goats were weighed and scanned, then washed and blow dried. Finally, in beautiful sunshine, they were presented in the Grand Parade along with goats, steers, dairy cows, horses and hundreds of students from around the state. Our team looked fantastic in their bright red shirts and the goats looked very smart in their red halters. The occasion was a bit too much for a couple of our youngest goats and they needed a bit of help (ie a carry!) around the main arena! Overall our students represented MAS brilliantly and they can be very proud of their efforts.

What a busy end to the term we have had!  

We visited Port Pirie for a “Patch Theatre” performance to allow students to experience the expressive arts.  

We were fortunate enough to have a visit from Emeritus Professor Judy Atkinson.  Judy really enjoyed visiting the school and working with the community.  Judy shared a lot of knowledge and wisdom with us. 

We had a visit from some year 9 students from Xavier College in Melbourne.  It was great for the students to interact and participate in a range of activities together.  The staff from both sites worked very hard to make this day happen. 

On Monday the 19th of September the JP classes received a visit from Mr John Andrews on his 430km bike ride along the peninsula, raising funds and awareness for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Mr Andrews set out from Moonta on the 18th of September and spent his first night in the Maitland Caravan Park and got quite wet! 

He showed us all of his special gear, his bike, first aid kit, spare tyres, tubes, tools, kitchen, food supply, clothes, tent, and a not very comfy looking bed (rolled up yoga mat) which he could fit into a small trailer he towed behind his bike. 

Mr Andrews happily explained all of his equipment and answered all of our questions before continuing on his journey.

t the end of this term we farewell a very important member of our wellbeing team in Emma Ward. Emma started with us as a professional counsellor 2 years ago and the work she has done since with our students in times of need has been amazing. Emma is continuing her counselling in Adelaide and we will miss her dearly. Thankyou Emma for the way you looked after the wellbeing of everyone at Maitland Area School. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

This was a fantastic spectacle that was put on last week. A big thankyou must go to our school community for making this such a success. While watching the thank-yous at the evening performance I started to ponder on the journey I started here 9 months ago. In my first assembly I asked our students and our families what the MAS logo means to them. I received answers such as respect, pride, tradition and history. 

After being a part of Bonsai Samurai, I witnessed first hand what our school means to our scholars and greater community. As I write this I feel both honoured and proud to be working with such an amazing community. While we may not achieve the greatest results (yet) I can see that our students and staff genuinely want to do well. We are well supported by our families and after the improvement we have seen this year it is just a matter of time before our school is rewarded with the results they deserve. 

A huge thankyou must go to Tim Tuck, Val McLean, Di Bourne and Debbie Schwartz whose tireless efforts made this production a reality. I cant wait until the next one!

Early years teaching and support staff attended a training session last week led by Yorke Peninsula Occupational Therapist Janine Burrows.

Janine talked about the 'building blocks for fine motor mastery' with attendees learning about the latest research in the area. Following this hands-on group activities offered opportunities for the practical application of new skills, techniques and ideas.

Wow! We only have two weeks (sort of) to go before the world premiere of 'Bonsai Samurai'! As always, students have impressed with their dancing, acting and general stage-confidence. It's been terrific to see older students taking on choreography roles and assisting younger classes. 

Mrs McLean's art students have been busy at the showgrounds painting our Kabuki-style backdrop while Di Bourne and her helpers have been very busy creating the costumes and props. 

Rehearsal/Show Schedule

Most rehearsals this term have been in performing arts lesson times, but as we approach our 'live' shows, we'll be running dress rehearsals across afternoon sessions.

On Friday 19th August the Maitland Playgroup spent a busy morning at the Area School. They were greeted by Year 9 students who, under the supervision of teacher Miss Sarah Townsend, took them on a tour of the Ag Block where the children particularly liked the goats and the chickens.

Following this they were treated to a story in the Library by librarian Mrs Moloney and enjoyed sharing a fruit platter, while the adults were able to have a hot drink.

The morning finished with Music & Movement and lots of drum playing in the Performing Arts centre with Mr Tuck. It was so lovely to share our facilities with the laygroup and we are very excited that as of next term they will meet regularly on our site when the  Early Learning Centre opens.

The MAS goats have been out and about, taking walks around town, having their hair trimmed in preparation for the Adelaide Show and soaking in the warm weather. Well done to our hard working 9/10 Ag class who don't kid around when it comes to looking after their goats.

It was a long time coming, but the weather finally made a turn for the better, so on Wednesday, August 17, the Year 4/5 class were able to make their contribution to National Tree Day by planting nearly 100 trees on the north side of the Maitland Cemetery.

Inclement weather

We'd initially planned to plant the trees back in week 1 of term, but the site was washed out with heavy rains over several days. We rescheduled for the following week and then rescheduled again when the site was, once again, flooded. 

The wait until week 4 was definitely worth it, as the day dawned sunny, a little cool, but with no clouds in sight.

Isaac Whittaker has represented South Australia many times in hockey at National Tournaments. Last year at the age of 16 he was competing in the National Under 18 competition, which led to his selection in the Under 17 Australian Mens team, who recently travelled to South Africa. This was a huge achievement and very exciting, making the many hours of training and travelling worth it.

South Africa Tour

He spent 16 days travelling through South Africa, playing test matches and stopping to sight see at Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. It was a fantastic experience to play against other elite teams and also learn a lot about the country, their history and culture. One memorable trip was to the prison where the famous Nelson Mandela was held, with the tour guides being ex-prisoners themselves.

SA Open Mens Squad

Isaac has now been selected in the SA Open Mens squad in hope to make the team who will travel to Perth later in the year, to play in the Australian Hockey League. Congratulations Isaac!

It’s encouraging to all, no matter what area; whether sport or study, that hard work and dedication does pay off. If you continue to strive and stay focused on your goals, you will be rewarded.

Breakfast Club is open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 8:25- 8:45am. Students arrive at school on bikes or buses and come in for a bite to eat, whether it’s their first for the morning or a top up, to get ready to learn. 

The menu consists of warm milo, toast with vegemite or honey, and fresh fruit. There are many students who volunteer to help and serve their school peers. It’s a great way to start the day.

Recently I contacted Kick Start 4 Kids who are a group in Adelaide who receive food and volunteer to deliver to schools for breakfast clubs like ours. Because there are a few schools on Y.P. receiving this service, it’s feasible for them. It’s an amazing organisation and we are so blessed to have their service. We had our first delivery last week.

Ultimate Frisbee expert Rex Johnson came to visit our SAASTA Academy last week to help the team brush up on their skills.  Students will be competing in an Ultimate Frisbee competition in Term 4 as a part of the SAASTA Shield carnival.