Mingoola Mail Term 3 Weeks 3-4 29 July – 9 August 2013 Calendar Attachments     Education Week Assembly Transport note Lake Keepit Information and medical forms Canteen menu Northern Daily Leader Article Education Week Assembly @ THS Wed 31 July, 3:30pm Australian Mathematics Competition Thu 1 August Canteen Resumes Mon 5 August My School Rules Yr 6 Transition @ THS – Session 1 Mr Pryce at Technology RG Meeting Zone Athletics 7 August, 9:30am 10:45am Thu 8 & Fri 9 August Fri 9 August Mr Pryce at PPA Meeting PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGES Kids vs. Wild Last week saw our students travel to Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre to participate in the Kids vs. Wild program. After a crash course in orienteering, the students set out to test their navigational skills against the bush. Before long, the teachers began to fear that the first quarter score would read Wild 1 – Kids 0 as one team had to be recovered after taking the scenic route to the finish line. But after constructing shelters that survived a ‘storm from the east’ (a bucket of water launched by Mr McKenzie), built fires on which to cook their lunch, faced their fears of eating unknown foods and navigating in the dark, the score was firmly in our students’ favour. The focus of the day’s activities was on challenging yourself to rise above adversity and reflecting on what kind of person you wish to be. The students had to actively engage in this process of challenging themselves and reflecting upon their character to truly benefit from the experience. Thank you to Mr McKenzie and Mrs Moloney of Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre for the effort and overtime they put in to make our stay productive and enjoyable. Before returning home the following day, we made a trip to the Aboriginal Keeping Place and the New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale. We were fortunate at the Keeping Place to be able to view an exhibition featuring the artist Rodney McIntosh, who early last year painted the beautiful landscape on our water tank. At NERAM, our students were inspired to enter the UNESAP competition next year, with several students already planning their pieces. Debating Last Thursday, our debaters took on Ross Hill Public School at Mingoola. The topic was ‘That parents should be banned from smacking their kids’ and it was our closest contest yet. Both teams raised good points and prosecuted their cases well. Despite a valiant effort from the Mingoola team, the Ross Hill team The Bruxner Way, via Tenterfield, NSW 2372 website: www.mingoola-p.schools.nsw.edu.au ph: 02 67 375224 fax: 02 67 375201 mobile: 0409717565 e-mail: [email protected] managed to argue their way to victory. Thank you to Jayden who stepped into the Team Advisor role at short notice and congratulations to all students involved in the debating challenge on a huge improvement over the four rounds. We look forward to applying the lessons learnt in this year’s competition to our 2014 campaign. Lake Keepit Major Excursion Attached to this newsletter is some interesting information regarding our planned excursion to Lake Keepit in Week 7. Included is a list of required equipment and a list of activities available to us. More details about this excursion will be sent home in the coming weeks. Please return the included medical information form to school by the end of this week. Education Week Assembly As parents will be aware, the Education Week Assembly for the Border Country Community of Schools will be held this Wednesday evening at Tenterfield High School. As the assembly starts at 4pm, with afternoon tea available from 3:30pm, I will transport students to THS to ensure that we are seated in time for the start. Normal school uniform will be worn by students unless otherwise indicated to individual families. Please keep in mind that all students will be performing onstage as part of the assembly. Please complete the attached permission slip or contact the school should you wish to make alternative arrangements. Wood Raffle Thank you to all those P&C workers involved in the wood raffle fundraiser last weekend. The quality of the wood, cut and split by Peter Towse enhanced the ability of Tanya, Kristen, Mrs Northey-Manser and I to sell tickets. Thank you again to Ian Saunders for the use of his ute for the day, as well as the donated fruit, seedlings and baking from Pat Gillespie, Heather Middleton and Heather Saunders. Leading the Way Attached to this newsletter (paper copy only) is a recent article from the Northern Daily Leader, illustrating Mingoola Public School’s use of current technology to enhance the educational experience for its students. I have attached the article as it provides the opportunity to promote our school and demonstrate to parents and the community the quality practice at MPS. Mr Cam Pryce Principal The Bruxner Way, via Tenterfield, NSW 2372 website: www.mingoola-p.schools.nsw.edu.au ph: 02 67 375224 fax: 02 67 375201 mobile: 0409717565 e-mail: [email protected] Learning Support We have been again looking at solving word problems in maths this term. When solving a worded maths problem there are some steps to take to make sure that you know what the problem is asking. To help us remember what to do, we have broken down the skills into five easy to remember steps. 1. Read the problem at least twice, just in case it is trying to trick you with irrelevant information or confusing language. 2. Look for cue words that tell you what the problem wants you to do. Sometimes they are less obvious and require you to read the information again. 3. Show working out so that you can work through the problem. Then, if you make a mistake, you can look back and see where. 4. Write a number sentence or draw a graphic organiser to show the problem or help you work it out. 5. And finally write your answer to the problem remembering to indicate what units you are dealing with. School Captain’s Message Hi everybody, I hope you had a good weekend. Last week we went to Thalgarrah for Kids vs. Wild. I hope that everybody enjoyed it. On Thursday, we had our last Premier’s Debating Challenge debate for the year. We debated against Ross Hill. I think we were great. Mr Pryce even said, “That was the closest debate of them all!” This week is another busy week. We have the Education Week Assembly at THS. I hope all the students have been practising. Good luck to all the students competing at zone athletics next Friday. Jayden Swan School Captain We have also been looking at writing our own word problems. We created a number sentence then wrote a short story that put the calculation in context. For example: The number sentence is 9 x 7 - 1= 62 Luke’s word problem was: There was a sheep sale. There were 20 pens of sheep on sale. Bob bought 9 pens of sheep. Each pen had 7 sheep. Bob loaded all of the sheep onto a truck and when he got home one sheep had died. How many sheep did Bob have left? Mrs Northey-Manser Learning & Support Teacher The Bruxner Way, via Tenterfield, NSW 2372 website: www.mingoola-p.schools.nsw.edu.au ph: 02 67 375224 fax: 02 67 375201 mobile: 0409717565 e-mail: [email protected]