Week 9 Friday 14th June

Important dates

Werte, Hello!

Hello, Werte!

It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as the new Associate Principal to our CMS community. I previously worked at CMS between 2011 – 2015 in a variety of roles ranging from classroom teacher to Assistant Principal. Since 2015 I have worked in many schools and communities around Australia in both educational leadership roles and for the Clontarf Foundation. Like many people, we were drawn back to Alice Springs by the magic of the community and fond memories of my time at CMS. In my opinion CMS is the most important school in Alice Springs. We bring together a range of students from our amazing primary schools and provide a holistic education at what is such an impressionable age. Part of my role will be to continue the work around our ‘School Wide Positive Behaviour Support’ (SWPBS) framework which fosters a safe, positive and supportive learning environment and is based on research that positive behaviour can be taught and learned. With consistent implementation of SWPBS across the school we create conditions for a calm, orderly learning environment allowing our students to achieve success.

As the holidays approach I would like to wish our students and staff a safe and happy break. Holidays are a time to connect with family, explore and recharge our batteries. With another exciting semester on the horizon I am looking forward to seeing everyone come back fresh and ready to learn!

Regards, 

Daniel Lewinski

Associate Principal

School news and updates

Sports Voucher 

Semester 2 2024 Sports Vouchers are now available. Parents and carers will need to apply each semester at the following website. 

Please note if the details of the young person are already on the system, a voucher will be available to print or save straight away, if the details are not found by the system a voucher will be sent to the email address you have provided within 7 days. Applications Close 24th May. 

More information is available at the link below, alternatively you can also contact the Sport Voucher team by phone on 1800 817 860 or by email sport.voucher@nt.gov.au .

Phone Lockers at CMS in Semester 2

The Department of Education policy banning student mobile phones in all NT schools during the school day was introduced at the start of 2023. The policy includes mobile phones, smart watches and air pods.

It came about because schools received feedback from families that at times, they feel powerless in managing the impacts of mobile phones on young people. Schools are also experiencing a rise in cyberbullying and social harm. Research shows the use of mobile phones in schools can negatively impact students’ capacity to concentrate, think and learn.

CMS has implemented the mobile phone policy, but staff need to continually remind some students. Providing a mobile-free zone in classrooms and on school grounds will help our teachers and school staff provide a focused and productive learning environment where young people can feel safe and connect with each other.

In Semester 2, CMS will introduce phone lockers, pictured below. These lockers are being used effectively in many other schools.

Students who bring their mobile phone to school will be required to hand it in at the start of the day in their year level. There will be a process for students to place their phone in a plastic pouch with their name on it. Phones will then be stored in allocated slots in phone lockers and given back just before 3:00 pm. If a student is seen with their mobile phone out between 8:30 – 3:00, the student will be required to hand it to a staff member for safe keeping in a phone locker or at the front office. If a student refuses to hand over their phone, students will be sent home and parents or carers will need to collect their young person. All reasonable care will be taken to ensure the safety of phones, but CMS does not accept responsibility for devices that students bring to school. 

Debit cards at the canteen

If your young person has been using their phone to pay for food at the canteen, please arrange for them to have a debit card or cash.

Exemptions

Students can still access their mobile phones to monitor a health condition as part of a school approved, documented health plan

Contacting your child in an emergency or generally

If you need to contact your child during school hours, families are to contact the school on 89552333.

Thank you in advance for supporting our introduction of phone lockers for the benefit of wellbeing and learning.

NAIDOC at CMS 

CMS will be celebrating NAIDOC during week 10. This years NAIDOC week theme is "Keep the fire burning! Blak, Loud and Proud". NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and an opportunity to expand our knowledge of the oldest. continuous living cultures on Earth. 

We look forward to seeing all the poster competiton entries and celebrating with our school community. 

See the image below for our program of events. 

School Improvement Updates

This year CMS is supported by additional funding from the Australian Government (also referred to as OCLM or ‘On Country Learning Measures’). Some of the ways we have used this funding include:

• New student laptops, working towards one laptop per student by the end of this year
• New Ipads and equipment in music
• More support for students needing reading and literacy support with two additional staff
• New reading comprehension resources
• Additional classroom support staff
• Increased employment of local Aboriginal staff
• LEaD Committee (Local Engagement and Decision-making) Committee meeting for families of Aboriginal students. A small but promising start on 9^th We aim to increase to 2 meetings per term and build a core group.
• Flexible Learning program up and running again for students who have been disengaged from school
• Cultural presenters to support two-way learning and integration of Aboriginal perspectives in the curriculum
• Breakfast program for all students
• Improving focus on School Wide Positive Behaviour with the appointment of Associate Principal Dan Lewinski

Interschool Athletics 

Congratulations to all the CMS students who participated in the Interschool Athletics competition in week 7. Students modelled the CMS values of Respect, Responsibility and Fairness throughout their engagement. A special mention to Olive Barwick who collaborated with students from other schools to field a combined relay team. A big thank you to our staff - Sarah, Gordon and Riley for supporting our young athletes to attend this event. 

Year 8 Chemical Reactions

This term year 8 students have been having fun learning all about chemical reactions, making elephant toothpaste (the foam pictured) and producing hydrogen and making it explode with a big POP sound! 

HPE Update 

Our students had a blast while learning teamwork, coordination, and fair play through multi-sport which incorporates skills from AFL, Rugby, Basketball & Soccer. Recently students got together for a Just Dance Nintendo event, where they picked up teamwork skills by dancing in sync.  They also enjoyed ball sports like basketball and soccer, which boosted their coordination and strategic thinking.

In selected PE lessons Reclink Australia came down to host some sports and health workshops for the students. Their team worked alongside CMS students to build their self-esteem, confidence, and appreciation of others through fun and interactive sports games.

By focusing on fair play and inclusivity in all we do in HPE, students learned to respect rules and value sportsmanship, making for positive interactions and mutual respect. These activities helped our students develop essential life skills, and we're super proud of their progress both on and off the field!

Kind Regards

Rebecca Stephens

Community Announcements

Topics covered: • Eligibility • Council’s priority areas • Key dates • Overview of funding • Preparing your application • Assessments and scoring • Budget and expenditure • Acquittals

Date: July 16th 2024, 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Location: Andy McNeil Room, Alice Springs Town Council Civic Centre

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