GINGIN DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL
Daw Street, Gingin 6503
Telephone: 08 9575 5300 Facsimile: 08 9575 2403
PRINCIPAL – Kevin Brady
www.gingin.wa.edu.au
Newsletter No. 17
5th November 2014
Music News - Band Camp
COMING EVENTS - TERM 4 2014
WEEK 4
Wednesday 5th November
Literacy Centre Incursion – Years 1&2
Thursday 6th November
Assembly – 9.00am in the PAC (7.1 & 8.1 item)
WEEK 5
Tuesday 11th November
Room 3 & 4 Incursion
Year 10 & 11 RAC Talk
Thursday 13th November
50th Anniversary Assembly
Friday 14th November
K-10 Incursion – It’s a Mad World
Saturday 15th November
50th Anniversary Celebrations
WEEK 6
Monday 17th November
Year 10 & 11 RAC Talk
For more upcoming events please visit our new look
school website: http://www.gingin.wa.edu.au/ or follow
us on Twitter.
In week 2 of Term 4 a music tour was completed by
some of our Instrumental Music students. We
performed for three schools, Bindoon Primary School,
Ellenbrook Christian College and Parkfield Primary
School in Australind. The students represented Gingin
D.H.S. extremely well. They played, sang, performed
and danced their way into the hearts of more than
800 students at these schools from Pre-primary
through to year six. Their behaviour was exemplary
and they all worked together in a wonderful way to
make it one of the best camps ever. They were Rock
Stars!
Once the hard work of performing was over, the
students were treated to some sight- seeing in the
southwest of the state. We had perfect weather as
we went to the Busselton Jetty’s underwater
observatory as well as seeing whales off of Cape
Naturalist and going deep into the earth at the Ngilgi
Caves.
Many thanks must go to Debbie Bandy for driving the
instrument trailer so the coach bus didn’t have to
tow it. Kylie Kay for the wonderful food and
happiness she brought with her and Cameron
Gaskell for being the ‘sound techie’ with Debbie.
Thanks must also go to Michael Beard for taking time
out of his long-service leave to come along and look
after the boys. On behalf of Ms. Foxon and myself,
thank you to the students and parents for all of your
hard work practising and learning your instrument so
we could display to others that Gingin’s Got Talent!
Alison Robeson – Music Teacher
Principal’s Bits & Pieces
50th Anniversary Celebrations
Our 50th Anniversary celebration day will be on
Saturday, 15th November. Come along and help us
celebrate the history of our school in the community.
Gingin School first opened in 1964, starting with the
two rooms that are now called Rooms 13 and 14, the
toilets and the Chaplains office as the administration
of the school. In 1981 the school became a District
High School. Our celebration will be an opportunity
to recognise the outstanding achievements of our
ex-students and the incredible work of teaching staff
throughout the years. More details are included in
this newsletter.
Year 11 students finish for the year on Friday 14
November, except for those students who have
exams.
Independent Public School
The School Council has requested that we seek
information from a current Independent Public
School to inform our decision to apply to become an
Independent Public School next year. We will be
spending some time discussing the opportunities and
will present these to parents before any decision is
made.
Kevin Brady - Principal
Poetry in Action Incursion
The school will also be holding a 50th anniversary
assembly on Thursday 13th November at 9.00 a.m. so
that all students have the opportunity to celebrate
this important milestone. Parents and community
members are welcome.
Booklists
Class booklists for next year will be distributed by the
end of this week. Parents can order on-line or by
going directly to the shop before December 19th.
The booklists will be delivered by Australia Post to the
address you give on-line. We try to minimise costs to
parents while also ensuring that all students have
sufficient materials to learn effectively.
Canteen
With regret the P&C has decided to close the
canteen on Tuesday each week starting in Week 5 of
this term (next week). The decision has not been
taken lightly and is based on ensuring that the
canteen remains economically viable into the future.
Tuesday has been chosen because it is the day
when we have the fewest lunch orders. The P&C are
looking for volunteers for the canteen, so if you are
available please contact the canteen or the school
to nominate as a volunteer.
Year 11/SIDE
The School Council has formally decided to cease
offering Year 11 and 12 programs at the school. The
availability of excellent options for future Year 10
students at Butler College and Bullsbrook College
mean that the rationale for offering Year 11 and 12
programs at the school no longer exists.
From next year the school will not be accepting Year
11 enrolments, except in unusual circumstances and
only with special exemption from the school. Current
Year 11 students will still be enrolled and offered a
program for Year 12.
Last Friday the Poetry in Action group from Sydney,
Alex, Dean and Vanessa, treated our secondary
students to a live, and very dramatic performance of
a range of different poems. From ballad to rap, love
poetry to song lyric, students were entertained, and
at the same time learned facts about the structure
and content of poetry. A great way to help students
access this creative and often very personal medium
of self-expression.
K Cairns
Wilderness Walk 2014
Ten energetic and motivated students left Gingin
with three intrepid staff members for 110kms of hiking
on the Bibbulmun Track. The preparation was hectic
with only two days to get all the back packs ready.
Previous experience has taught us that every added
weight makes it harder.
With thanks to Mrs Elliot who drove the bus, we
began our hike at Sullivans Rock walking south to our
first camp site at Mt. Cooke a warm-up 5kms. We
were delighted to find a stream half way which
refreshed us as it was sultry and warm.
Bouquets to the students on the walk who responded
to the challenge and came out triumphant. Special
thanks to Mrs Marlin, Mr Cowell and Mr Knight for
showing true grit and determination and keeping
their sense of humour and to Mr Sawers for his
superior cooking skills and unwavering support
organising the wilderness walk.
Michelle Diver (Chaplain)
Year 7 Rottnest Camp
Earlier this term 37 Year 7’s went to Rottnest Island for
a 4 day camp. During this time we learnt about the
history of Rottnest and the important part the Island
played in the Second World War.
The adventure started with a short ferry trip from
Hillary’s, during which a few of the students got a
little sea sick. When we got to Rottnest we had our
first encounter with a Quokka, which we did not
touch or feed just like the teachers told us.
First practice at setting up tents and cooking on
trangia’s was successful! The tics were particularly
friendly at Mt. Cooke and they turned out to be
constant companions on our journey. Friday morning
we hiked north, it was a relatively easy 11kms to our
next camp. The weather was kinder. Our camp fire
discussions were a highlight as we reflected on our
day. Saturday was longer but the packs were starting
to “grow” on us. We were very fortunate to miss out
on the extreme storm weather forecast, only
receiving some rain which cleared by morning.
Once we finished exploring the Settlement Area for a
couple of hours, we walked the 1.5km to our
accommodation which was a series of little houses
all named after Governors. We split into our groups
and began the fight over our bunk beds. Then we
unpacked our bags and changed ready to go to the
beach, which was a short walk away.
With the help of a couple of students we cooked up
a feast of hamburgers which were delicious. With full
tummies we walked back into town to try our luck
fishing off the jetty. Mat E caught the first fish which
Miss Siviour then topped by catching a bigger fish
moments later. Plenty of students caught a fish that
night, mostly bream.
Mr Sawers was a welcome sight on Sunday at the
food drop – more delicious tuna sachets and
crackers! It rained which made opening our packs
difficult. We put on our fashion sensation black
garbage bags and completed the short hike to our
camp site with HEAVY packs again.
Despite new food supplies Nicola and Cody decided
against more rations and tried toasted witchetty
grubs. I took some priceless photographs of the facial
expressions and the rest of us decided to stick with
tuna and crackers!
The hills became mountains! The next two days we
hiked close to 20kms each day grinding our way up
never ending hills. The consolation was the
spectacular views. Camp sites also had impressive
views. We were sporting a collection of blisters and
sore muscles but no serious injuries. The luxurious
sleeping mats got thinner as we got sorer!
One last burst of energy and we walked into the
Mundaring camp site with HOT showers what a
pleasure to get clean! An appealing BBQ of steak
and sausages with salad….green food at last and
fruit was enjoyed by us all followed up by a big
cooked breakfast.
We spent the next 3 days exploring the island on foot
and bikes (riding 12km in one day!) in small groups.
One of the fun activities was the “Adventure
Challenge” which was kind of like the Amazing Race.
We visited Oliver Hill and learnt about the guns and
how Rottnest helped in World War II. We also went to
Wadjemup Lighthouse and got to climb to the top.
Luckily no one fell off! We saw so many quokkas,
including one cheeky quokka that jumped into the
girls’ house!
Each night we went fishing off the jetty but we didn’t
catch as many fish as the first night. Lauren was
clever enough to catch a small Port Jackson shark
which we let go. Abbey was also pretty clever and
managed to catch a pelican (well the pelican
actually stole the fish that Abbey caught, while it was
still hooked!)
One night we did a Twilight Tour including a visit to
the cemetery, the Pilot Boat House, John Lomas
Cottage and the old chapel where our guide told us
a spooky story. On the last night we performed our
skits.
A very big thankyou to Mr Knight, Miss Pickering, Miss
Siviour and Mrs Morton for organising and supervising
us on camp!
The Year 7’s
Science Opportunity for Students
The ConocoPhillips Science Experience is taking
place at ECU Joondalup from 20-23 January 2015.
ECU is offering four days of interactive hands-on
workshops. A welcoming team of scientists and
engineers will expose students to the following
science disciplines/careers:
1. Engineering (includes Motorsport, Robotics,
Physics, Civil and Chemical Engineering)
2. Sport and Health Science (Sport Analysis,
Coaching, Nutrition)
3. Medical science (Nursing, Paramedic, Biomedical
science techniques)
4. Environmental Science (Astronomy, Chemical
Forensics, Reptiles and Animals)
5. Social Science (Psychology).
This event is suitable for current Year 8, 9 or 10
students who want to be exposed to science careers
or have an interest in science. There are no
interviews or entry tests as advanced science ability
is not required.
The program costs $150. You can register online or
call the ConocoPhillips Science Experience office on
the number below.
You can watch our YouTube video by searching
“Science Experience ECU” where you will find a
video showcasing our 2014 event.
budgets. Students and their families can visit the
ANCAP website for information about safety ratings
for cars. Further information about the importance of
choosing safe vehicles is on the Office of Road
Safety website.
Gingin Jive Vintage Fair - 30th November: As we did
last year the P&C will be hosting a cake stall (very
Retro) at the Vintage Fair. Please - if you are baking
at anytime this month, consider baking double and
freeze one for us to sell. We sold out last year but
would love to have more to sell this year. Cupcakes
sell for $3 each with larger cakes at $10-$15
(depending on ingredients). Drop them to us in the
morning or call us to pick up. Emma 0439 062 414.
Booklists – Your booklists will be coming to you shortly.
You can choose to order items online and have
them delivered or purchase the items yourselves from
other stores. If you order online OfficeMax pays the
P&C a commission. Last year we received $489
which went towards our insurance (and saved us
from fundraising for them).
CANTEEN NEWS – CANTEEN TO CLOSE ON TUESDAYS.
AFTER A REVIEW OF THE CANTEEN, THE P&C HAS
DECIDED TO CLOSE THE CANTEEN FOR ONE DAY A
WEEK. Running costs and a lack of volunteers have
made this decision necessary.
After consultation with the Canteen Staff, the P&C
have decided the canteen will be closed on
Tuesdays. This will take effect from week 5. Tuesday
11/11/2014 will be the first day of closure. This
decision will be reviewed next year. We hope this will
not inconvenience too many students, and the
School is aware of the decision we have made. If
you have any concerns regarding this matter please
contact the P&C
Contact Us: We can be contacted on our Facebook
page ‘Gingin District High School P&C’. This is a
closed group and you may not ‘see’ it. Shoot us an
email and we will get you on:
[email protected]
Feel free to visit the science experience website for
all the information you may need, including costs
and sponsorship at www.scienceexperience.com.au
Road safety reminder: Choose the safest vehicle for
your budget!
Cars with 5-star ratings provide much better
protection in crashes than those with lower ratings. If
all motorists bought the safest cars for their budgets,
overall safety across Australia would improve by 25%.
The Road Safety Council and School Drug Education
and Road Aware are parents who are considering a
car purchase, Year 11 and 12 students who are
learning to drive to purchase the safest cars for their
Gingin
Super
Seals
season
commences at the Gingin Aquatic
Centre on Monday 10th November
2014.
1st squad session to start at 3.45pm
(weather permitting).
For further details contact Karen on 0429 358 927.