20 September 2023
Important dates
Friday 22 September – Last day of Term 3
Monday 09 October – Staff professional learning day
Tuesday 10 October – First day of Term 4 for students
Werte, Hello
The end of another busy and exciting term is fast approaching. As we look back over the last few weeks’ events, we feel proud of the achievements that our young people at Centralian Middle School have accomplished and grateful to the community for providing opportunities and support for our young people to grow.
Year 6 and Year 9 transition programs
It has been wonderful to welcome the Year 6 students across various primary schools for their second transition visits. Moving to a new school can be quite overwhelming to a lot of students and these visits help with the transition by allowing students to familiarise themselves with the school, the routines and start to build connections with staff and CMS students. A massive thank you to Miss Emma and CMS staff for making these visits a success.
We also had our Year 9s students attending their second transition visit to Centralian Senior College (CSC) a few weeks ago. The students had opportunities to engage in various learning experiences as well as making some important decisions about their VET options for next year. We thank the CSC staff for making our Year 9s feel welcomed. I would like to take this opportunity to remind families and guardians to complete and return enrolment forms for next year as soon as possible.
We are adventurous!
Year 8s took a break from the busy school life and focused on developing their independence and strengthening their connections with their peers, staff and nature at the Hamilton Downs Year 8 camp. Students had a fantastic time as they participated in various activities and develop new skills. Well done to the Year 8 team for organising another great camp!
Exciting learning opportunities
One of the great joys of teaching is watching our students step out of their comfort zones and reach out to new learning opportunities. Alice Can Dance provided that and much more. The dedication and hard work from students across Year 7 to Year 9 were phenomenal. From last week’s performance, we will all agree CMS can Dance! Congratulations to all our amazing dancers and thank you, once again, to GUTS for providing such opportunities to our young people.
We are super proud of all our Year 9 students who took part in the VET program at CDU last week. This was the first time that most of our Year 9s have engaged in an adult learning environment and our students did extremely well. The Year 9 VET program is an essential part of the transition into senior education and provides prospects for students to expand their learning in areas that are not available in the middle years. Congratulations to all the students who successfully completed the program. We encourage all our Year 9 students to participate in next VET program in Term 4.
Wellbeing is important
Our Wellbeing team organised some activities for R U OK? Day last week, which included a Wellbeing Expo. It was great to see our students engage with a variety of organisations which provide mental health services to our community. We thank the Wellbeing team for organising this event and all the stallholders who participated.
Upcoming events
The Ethics Olympiad is on again next term and Mr Gill is recruiting the teams. We encourage students to participate in this exciting competition, which is open to Year 7, 8 and 9.
Year 6 and Year 9 transition programs will continue. Year 9s will also have another opportunity to engage in the VET program at CDU and we are looking forward to our camp in week 2.
We hope that students and staff will have a restful break over the next two weeks and we look forward to a great Term 4!
Warm regards,
Clarence Jeanny
Senior Teacher – Year 9 Coordinator
School news and updates
Year 7
Science
We've been learning about the living systems, how almost all energy on Earth comes from the Sun, and how we can use food chains and food webs to show how this energy enters and flows through ecosystems. We'll be finishing up the term with learning how changing one part of an ecosystem impacts the rest of it. For anyone interested, check out the 4 minute YouTube clip "How wolves change rivers".
Year 8
Year 8 Camp – Hamilton Downs
48 Year 8 students went on the Year 8 camp to Hamilton Downs from August 28th – 30th.
“Some of the activities we did including teamwork games like capture the flag and creative activities like painting. Some people went on a walk up a hill to look at the view. I enjoyed hanging out with my friends, cooking and food preparation. The best meal was tacos and I liked the ice cream.” ~ Taylah Johnson
“A new experience for me was hiking up the Drover’s Hill walk.” ~ Jamahl Spencer
“The best part was hanging out with new people and when Mr. Mapstone made up run up the hill.” ~ Joseph Brown
“I liked playing hide and seek.” ~ Jarred Ryan
“The best thing about camp was going to Slippery Rock, spotlight, roasting marshmallows and the mountain view. I learnt how to cook an egg, how to stack a ton of rocks and how to beat LT in Uno Flip.” ~ Finoa Nepe-Fuamatu
“I liked going on the walk to slippery rock, but I was scared to climb it because it was too high. I learned more about painting with Mr. Raja and made new friends. I also learned about bird watching with Mrs. Baney. I liked to watch the sunrise too.” ~ Haddy Sandy
“The best things about camp was sleep, seeing a spider, seeing a lizard and talking to people.” ~ Jerry Balzer
“The best thing was going to Slippery Rock and having fun. I learnt there was someone I didn’t know. We all got to play spotlight in the middle of the night.” ~ Lilyan Fong
“Thanks to Mrs McCarthy and all the teachers.” ~ Taylah Jonhnson
Science
Last week 8.3 and 8.4 students dissected beef hearts as part of biology and learning about the circulatory system.
Year 9
VET Week Update
Year 9 students were at Charles Darwin University last week for the Year 9 VET program. This program allows students to experience an adult learning environment and even gain accreditation for units completed. Below is a list of courses that were available.
- Barista
- Culinary skills
- Hairdressing
- Work readiness
- Automotive
- Construction
- Metal work
- Media and sound
- Music
VET Conservation and Land Management
Our group are finishing off the term with some great experiences. They have now completed their bird and plant surveys for their "Observe and Report Plants and Animals" unit. The highlight of this was a trip out to Angkerle Atwatye - Standley Chasm. A big shout out to Rosie McKenzie and David McCormack for their support of our Cert I program. David gave us a tour, showing us the Country, how to identify plants, what these plants are used for and their cultural significance. It was also great to see how conservation and tourism can fit together for business. Thank you - we definitely recommend their tours!
Also, a big thank you to the VET in Schools committee. Their grant allowed us to complete a Provide First Aid course with St. John. Our St John trainer Julie was amazing, taking us through CPR and hands on responses to emergency scenarios.
Jacelyn Anderson
VET Land Management trainer/assessor
Stars Foundation
We are drawing near to the conclusion of Term 3 and the Stars girls have been busy! The last few weeks our Stars students were able to have a strong focus on a few of our pillars – wellbeing, education and training, and healthy lifestyles. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to reconnect with people we’ve already worked with, as well as experience the activities that new ones offer too!
In Week 6 we concluded our ‘Tackling Smoking’ program with Kasey from Congress. We were able to conclude our sessions by creating posters to hang around the Stars room, in hopes of reminding ourselves and others about the dangers that different substances can have to our bodies, as well as how to overcome challenges linked to them.
A focus for our Year 9’s has been preparing for work readiness, and we’ve been able to take steps towards this with the help of some local businesses and organisations. A big thank you to Mel Middleton from Services Australia who ran a workshop on Tax File Numbers, AbStudy, Centrelink and other services that can be of use for our girls as they transition into employment or studies. Additionally, we’d like to thank Sam Edelmann and the team at KFC Alice Springs for facilitating a workplace visit and introducing the girls to what happens behind the scenes in such a fast-paced and dynamic business. The girls enjoyed trying something new and learning more about how to prepare themselves for the working world!
One of our highlights from the past few weeks has been learning about cuisines from other cultures, with our Stars students in every year level learning to make their own Sushi in Contact Time MasterChef. The Year 9’s were able to take it a step further and also made a sweet Korean drink made out of fresh fruit, strawberry milk and lemonade - called Hwachae! The girls were big fans, the staff were not so much!
During Week 8, we were able to celebrate Women’s Health Week. The theme for this year’s health week is ‘Grow your Knowledge’ encouraging women to learn more about topics affecting women’s health, such as PCOS and Endometriosis. We had a range of different activities and meals to promote women’s health and on Thursday we were able to have a trivia session to test the girls’ knowledge on certain topics that often go unspoken. Having conversations about health is so important for our young women and both our Stars and non-Stars CMS students were able to get involved in trivia while enjoying a granola bowl, fresh fruit, and snacks! To end Women’s Health Week on a high we also went for a sunrise walk and warmed up with hot chocolates after!
Finally, we were able to conclude our term with our Stars Basketball Carnival. Unfortunately, Tennant Creek were not able to join us; however, we were able to spend the day at Alice Springs Basketball Stadium playing against the other Alice Springs middle/high school academies! The girls did well to demonstrate the Stars Values in their games, showing honesty, respect, commitment, and pride as they competed in not only Round Robin Basketball games, but a Knockout and 3-Point competition also. A big thank you to Lanee Ford from the Alice Springs Basketball Association for all your help in getting our carnival running!
Now as the term begins to come to an end, we look forward to planning some new and exciting activities for next term!
CMS Stars
Community Announcements
Library's Spring School Holiday Program
- Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Spanish Storytime: Friday 22 September from 3:15pm
- Spring School Holiday Program 2023: 24 September – 6 October
Stay up to date by following us at the link below:
Holiday Programs Sept/Oct - Splash Parties, 10 Pin Lock-In, ArtShip
10 Pin Lock In | 6:00pm — 9:00pm on Friday 23 June at The Dust Bowl (29 Gap Road) Come and celebrate the end of the school term with a night of 10 Pin bowling, pizza and good vibes. For young people aged 12 – 25. This program is free, with no booking required.
Wet Wednesday Splash Parties |WED: 12PM — 4PM @ASALC| Summer is coming, join us for free pool entry and lots of fun activities, music to keep the vibes high and food! ASALC is the Alice Springs Aquatic & Leisure Centre, located at 10 Speed Street.
Youth Fashion Lab Workshop |MON 25.09 + 02.09 & FRI 29.09 + 06.09: 2PM – 5PM @ARTSHIP| Come make sustainable fashion and wearable craft works. The Lab will include basic sewing skills, fabric cutting, eco dying, printing on fabrics, making patches. Bring something of your own to mend or find something in our selection.
Cardboard Creature Making Workshop |TUES 26.09 + 03.09: 2PM – 5PM @ARTSHIP| Learn different techniques for constructing with cardboard boxes and other recycled materials, then paint and decorate your own wearable creature.
Dye & Weave Textile Sculptures Workshop |THURS 28.09 + 05.09: 2PM-5PM @ARTSHIP| Find new ways to use natural and recycled materials. Use tree branches, reticulation pipe or bike wheels to create sculptural forms, and learn how to dye and weave tjanpi or scraps of fabric around them.
Print On & Patch Up Clothing Workshop |SAT 30.09 + 07.09: 2 – 5PM @ARTSHIP| Use stencils, dye and simple sewing techniques to combine and modify clothing. Look through op shop donations or bring your own.
The Alice Springs Steiner School Spring Festival
When: Sept 21st 2023, 5:45pm
Where: 163 Ragonesi Road
Music. Singing. Bush Dance. Join us as we celebrate the grandeur and life of Spring time. 5.45 pm - dark
Desert Festival 2023
When: Sept 21st – Oct 1st 2023
Over 11 balmy days, catch a sensational program of local and national artists across more than 18 events. We’re talking live music, DJs, theatre, circus, exhibitions, comedy, dance performances, workshops and more!
For the full program and tickets go to the link below or phone 08 8952 2392.
Desert Festival Night Market
The Desert Festival Night Market is NEXT THURSDAY on the 21st of September from 5pm to 8:30pm!
Head down to the Todd Mall for live entertainment, food from across the globe, and unique crafts and culture as we celebrate the opening of Desert Festival 2023.
Come and check out great live acts by Super Raelene Harmonium band, Juggling & Assorted Monkey Business with Michael Connell, and The Holy Dimes! See the Gig Guide attached to plan your evening!
Also Sissy Fu will be facilitating a FREE Hula Hoop class starting at 5pm in front of the stage before showing us how it’s done at 5:50pm!
ASTC & Desert Festival Pop Up Park!
When: 29th of September from 4-7pm
Where: Lyndavale Park, Larapinta
An evening of hip hop with established artists and emerging young artists sharing the stage! Check out below for the line-up:
- 4pm - Karnage DJ
- 4:30pm - Youth Hip Hop showcase
- 5pm - Dan the Underdog
- 5:30pm – Karnage and Darknis
- 6pm - Dem Arrernte Mob
FREE sausage sizzle and face painting, giant games, yummy cakes from Red Dot Catering and more!
Empowering Youth Program
When: Sept 26th - Sept 29th 2023
Where: Discovery Parks Entertainment Centre, 25 Palm Pl, Ross NT
The program is FREE but places are limited, so registration is essential.
The Empowering YOUTH Program is for young people approximately aged between 12 and 17 who have diverse abilities. This includes young people who may be on the autism spectrum, have sensory processing needs or have experienced challenges that affect their wellbeing. Hoping for continuous participation through 4 sessions. (26th Sept, 27th Sept, 28th Sept and 29th Sept, 9:00am-12:00pm)
The Warm-up
Celebrating one year to go with The Warm-Up event at Anzac Oval on 14 October 2023!
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