Welcome back to term 4, the year is really flying by! I hope everyone had a chance to rest up and are ready for a great term of learning.

Teachers are busy writing new goals and will call in week 3 to discuss these with parents/guardians.

Term 4 is renowned for being extra busy with new goals, assessments, writing reports, excursions and some fun activities to tie up the end of term.

Thank you to the parents who completed the parent school survey this is your opportunity to guide the new goals of the school.  This document is used to analyse the data and identify where improvements can be made.

There will be a student free day on Monday 27th October as staff wrap up two years of learning with Dan Petro our behavioural specialist. Dan has been instrumental in guiding the management of students across the school and upskilling all staff in this area. Most students are familiar with our whole school approach to managing challenging behaviours and know what to expect from staff. This gives our students and staff the consistency they need to learn successfully at school. Many schools across Victoria are using his techniques with great success.

Keep up the good work everyone and take care

Kylie Carter

At the end of term three the Early Years team attended an overnight camp at Camp Cooriemungle near Timboon.

Students started our trip with a bus ride through some beautiful countryside and arrived at Camp to a beautiful sunny day. We got straight into our activities and enjoyed the giant swing, canoeing, bush cooking, archery and a low ropes course.  

The food was plentiful during the day and we ended the busy day with a delicious BBQ followed by a movie night. Some students choose an early bedtime after such a busy day.  

Staff awoke early on Friday to another clear sunny day. We packed up, said our thank yous and departed camp and headed to the ice creamery in Timboon for a Churn & Learn excursion. Students enjoyed some delicious ice-cream and after another lovely lunch supplied by camp we headed back to school for a final play on our own playground before our parents picked us off to begin school holidays.  

We were very spoiled by the staff at Cooriemungle and a big thank you to all the staff who attended and helped out and a massive thankyou to our host Nicole for her hospitality.  

Team Towers

(Marshmallow challenge)

MY students took part in a marshmallow challenge; they had to work together in small groups to build the tallest free-standing tower. Their goal was to be able to work respectfully as a team, show empathy for each other and practice their communication skills as a part of a team. They were then able to describe at the end what that looked and sounded like. Students showed cooperation, active listening and encouragement to all their teammates during the challenge.

During week 1 in RRRR MY1 class worked in two separate teams and worked through an Island Survival scenario. They had to be creative and practical in their decision making while practicing their problem-solving skills and working cooperatively. Both teams were given 40 points to start with, and they could be awarded more points for great teamwork and contribution and loose points if team members leave, argue, don’t contribute or cheat. Students had to create a character and decide what things they were to choose to help them survive. Some battles they had to work through as a team were storms, injuries, building shelters and signals they could use with the materials on the island to be rescued. Both teams were able to work cooperatively and were successfully rescued. All students listened respectfully to their teammates and were able to encourage each other to openly share ideas and show great compromise when there were different opinions.

The Middle Years exhibition “Paint the Shire” continues to make its way around our communities and artworks have been made for display in our local shows.

Well done to students, for creating these artworks that shine on display!

We have done it again and have somehow organised to end the year with a bang.

Xmas Raffle
We have organised a Christmas gift hamper again this year. Tickets are on sale now and will be drawn on the 19^th of December. Tickets are available at the Cobden School Office, with Parent Association members and at all events that the Parents Association will be at until drawn.

Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5.

We are very grateful for the support that we have received putting this raffle together.

Bunnings BBQ
This was our biggest money spinner last year with us making well over what we expected, and we somehow got the same date. So, on December 22^nd we will be looking for helpers again this year. If you think you could possibly help, then please get in contact with Kristie Simpson or let the school know the times you are available and we can put you on the roster. Students over the age of 13 can also help on the day.

Noorat Show
We have decided to have a site this year at the Noorat Show on the 15^th of November.  We need help in 3 ways.

1. If you are crafty, we would love to take something off of your hands to sell on our stall.
2. If you have some time available on the day we would love to see you on the stall, we have decided that any of the MY or LY students that can offer an hour or 2 on the day will go in the draw to win one of the 2 free entry tickets that we have. We would love to be able to give them both away.
3. Come and see us at the stall on the day and support the school.

We are having a little bit of a competition happening amongst the classes. The class that raises the most money from craft items on the stall on the day will win a prize. This includes from parents also. Just drop your items at the school with your child’s class labelled on it  some where by the 13^th of November and your child’s class could well be the recipient of a prize.  Feel free to price your item also if you feel there is a certain value that you want the school to get for it.

Sports Carnival and Christmas Celebration
 On the 10^th of December we will be holding the annual sports carnival and this year we will have a Christmas celebration afterwards with fun things to do and a visit from Santa. We will also have Santa photos available for students and family alike. We will also have Santa photo packs available to order for $10. Yes they are cheap but so is the photographer. Watch this space because we have some exciting things planned for the day.

Terang Gala
Is on the 19^th of December. This was our 2^nd biggest fundraiser last year with everyone having a blast. We will also be making use of the dunk tank again this year, after all we were the community group that raised the most. We are hoping to have a big announcement on who we are dunking soon.

Photos
As you can see we have been extremely busy behind the scenes so we have been a little late getting the Fathers Day Photos back to you all. We will have them at the school on Monday.

We will also be taking the Halloween photos this year at Terang.

                                                                                                                   What does the money go to?

This year we purchased toiletries for every student to go on camp. These were also bigger enough to go home and be used afterwards.

We will be giving the school a Christmas party  to remember

We take photos at all celebrations and print these for the students to have

We host Fathers Day and Mothers Day events and supply craft activities.

We are always open to suggestions as well.

Course info: 

Conversations about Suicide

Friday 17th & 24th October

Killara Centre, 210-212 Manifold Street, Camperdown

9:30am–1:30pm (4-hours)

☕ Morning tea provided

Register via link or QR code: https://forms.office.com/r/etq2DAzzua

It’s a great opportunity for people (18+) in the community to learn how to talk openly and supportively about mental health.

More information about the course can be found https://www.mhfa.com.au/our-courses/specialised-courses/conversations-about-suicide

MONDAY 20^th October at Cobden campus

Pillowcase workshops help children prepare for, cope with and respond to an emergency.

Children may be vulnerable in an emergency, but they also have unique strength and capacity to prepare, cope and help their families.

Pillowcase was originally inspired by events during Hurricane Katrina in the US. While evacuating campus, students of a local University used pillowcases to carry their cherished and basic possessions. After hearing this, American Red Cross staff developed the concept of using a pillowcase as an emergency kit. The program quickly grew into a global preparedness education program that has since become known as Pillowcase.

Delivered by Red Cross volunteers and staff, the workshop encourages children to be active participants in their own emergency preparedness. The content is useful for all kinds of emergencies and includes activities to highlight the importance of being prepared. Pillowcase helps to reduce real and imagined fears and has successfully built children’s stress management skills.