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- From the Principal, Carol Thorsby
- House Swimming Carnival
- World's Greatest Shave
- Hi from the School Nurse
- Drama Performance
- Cadets
- Blessing of the Roads
- Maths Club returns in Term 2!
- Tell Them From Me - Parent Survey
- Bridgetown High Students head north…
- Check out what students have been making in Home Economics
- Blackwood United Football Club Seeking Under 15 Players
- From the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire Ranger
- Better Health Program Term 2 starting soon in the South West of WA!
- The 2022 Premier's Anzac Student Tour competition is now open.
- Kids Writing Workshop
- Bunbury Eistedfodd is back!
From the Principal, Carol Thorsby
Welcome to the end of a whirlwind Term 1, 2021. Despite there being only 8 weeks of term, it has been very busy for staff and students.
I am very proud of our School Student Forum members, Bree Wyatt, Eva Henderson Mott and Emily Karafilis. They have recently represented our school at the Vote Compass event and the Blessing of the Road Ceremony. The girls are a credit to our school and I look forward to hearing them again when they represent BHS at the Anzac Ceremony.
Our students have also been fortunate to participate in a number of incursions and excursions this term. Last week, our Year 9 students participated in the BYA Mental Health Promotion Day hosted by Manjimup SHS. This was a fantastic day that was enjoyed by all who attended. We also hosted 61 Hawaiian Riders at the school last week and the students that heard them speak gained a poignant insight into the very sad effects that mental health issue can have on families and how to prevent this. Legal Aid presented a very valuable session to all students titled “R U Legal?”. This presentation covered a variety of topical issues affecting young people including Cyber Bullying. The information provided gave a very clear message to our students that Cyberbullying is not OK and students who engage in this can face some severe penalties. As parents and carers, this is a timely reminder to always monitor your child’s use of devices and actively discourage any participation in this type of bullying.
Earlier this term, I asked staff to provide me with a list of students who were not achieving to their potential in classes. As a result, the Administration Team have made numerous phone calls to parents and carers to follow up. A clear message that students need to be aware of is that the comments provided by staff on students' end of semester and end of year reports are very important. If a teacher’s comment reflects that the student has tried their best, despite a lower grade, then this gives a clear picture to an employer or a destination school, that the student is persistent when faced with difficulties and has a positive attitude. All we, as adults in our student’s lives, can expect is that they do their best or in the words of our School Motto – “Seek the Best”. Please support your child by reinforcing this message at home and providing the encouragement that is needed.
Along with a strong parent contingent, I had the pleasure of attending the performance this week by our Drama students. It was lovely to see the fun the students had in performing for an audience and the confidence they showed in being able to do this. Congratulations to all of the students involved and to Ms Cullen for her work with them.
A reminder that the Alumni Association Golf Day fundraiser and AGM is to be held at the Bridgetown Golf Club on Saturday 17th April, 2021. Membership of the Alumni Association is open to all ex-students of Bridgetown HS and the group provides invaluable support to our school in terms of scholarships to students and helps fund school programs and works. Please contact the school on 9761 0100 if you would like more information.
All the best for Easter and a restful - but enjoyable - Term 1 holiday.
Kind regards
Mrs C. A Thorsby
The annual House Swimming Carnival was held on a hot Friday, 19th March.
Some big changes were made to the program by our new Phys Ed teachers, Miss McDonald and Miss Cicchini which resulted in some new records being made and some old records being broken.
Congratulations to the following record breaking students!
25m Freestyle | Year 7 | Aviarna Lim | 15:22 |
50m Backstroke | Year 9 | Tara Chadwick | 48:19 |
50m Freestyle | Year 9 | Riley Kelly | 36:20 |
50m Breaststroke | Year 9 | Tara Chadwick | 49:99 |
100m Open Backstroke | Aviarna Lim | 1:29.55 | |
25m Backstroke | Aviarna Lim | 19:60 | |
25m Backstroke | Luke McGuire | 22:66 | |
25m Butterfly | Year 7 | Aviarna Lim | 18:45 |
25m Butterfly | Year 8 | Anne Collin | 23:50 |
25m Butterfly | Year 9 | Tara Chadwick | 19:18 |
Individual Results
YEAR 7 | ||||
Champion | Aviarna Lim | James Rutten | ||
Runner-Up |
Tilly Butler | Bri Gluck | Hunter Jacques | |
YEAR 8 | ||||
Champion | Luke McGuire | Eva Henderson-Mott | Layla Hanrahan | Cassidy Waters |
Runner-Up | Anne Collin | |||
YEAR 9 | ||||
Champion | Tara Chadwick | James Gardner | ||
Runner-Up | Jill Baker | Riley Kelly | ||
YEAR 10 | ||||
Champion | Emily O'Neill | Matthew De Ronchi | ||
Runner-Up | Bree Wyatt | Darcy Woodhouse |
Final House Points
Ice | 458 |
Fire | 340 |
Sun | 290 |
At first, four Year 8 boys nominated themselves for the shave – Ewan, Luke, Rowan and Smith. Within a couple of days, four more eager volunteers nominated themselves – Conner, Imi, Lucy and Bayden.
The staff and students of Bridgetown High School could not be prouder of these eight students! Each one pledged to lose their hair in a quest to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation so further research for a cure and special care for the 110 000 Aussies battling blood cancer can continue to happen.
As you can see from the pictures below, it was a huge success! Despite their nerves and trepidation, all eight brave souls had their heads shaved for a fantastic cause. A huge thanks to both Jazz and Bonnie – two local hairdressers who volunteered their time to shave the student’s heads.
Meanwhile, we also held a free dress day (or in Mr Dareff’s case, a uniform day!) and a cake & slice stall, with all monies raised donated to the Leukaemia Foundation as well. A big shout out to Big Mike for baking a batch of his delicious donuts!
As of 4pm yesterday, and after a bucket of money collected by Ewan Fabiszak, the gold coin donations for the free dress day and the proceeds from the cake & slice stall totalling $825.30 all factored in, more than $5500 has been raised by the Bridgey Braves!!
Well done – each and every one of you!
A huge thank you must also go to Sharon Mann, who personally responded to many messages of support posted on the website.
This is a charity event we would be keen to support again in 2022, so think about nominating for next year!
Risky behaviour in teenagers: how to handle it
Looking for new experiences is normal for teenagers, and sometimes it involves thrill-seeking or even risky behaviour. If you’re concerned that your child is taking unsafe risks, there are things you can do to help your child stay safe – and ease your own anxiety.
Thrill-seeking and risky behaviour: why teenagers do it
It’s normal for teenagers to want new experiences – although it can be stressful for you as a parent.
Teenagers need to explore their own limits and abilities, as well as the boundaries you set. They also need to express themselves as individuals. It’s all part of their path to becoming independent young adults, with their own identities.
Also, the parts of the teenage brain that handle planning and impulse control don’t completely mature until about age 25. This means teenagers are sometimes more likely than adults to make quick decisions without always thinking through the consequences.
And sometimes teenagers make decisions about potentially risky things to fit in with a group.
Common risky behaviour
It’s normal for you to feel worried about risky behaviour like:
- unprotected sexual activity
- sexting
- tobacco smoking, alcohol use and binge-drinking
- illegal substance use
- illegal activities like trespassing or vandalism
- fighting
- truancy
Teenage interest in new experiences and thrill-seeking can include less concerning behaviour, like trying new tricks at the skate park. This behaviour peaks at around 15-16 years and tends to tail off by early adulthood.
Keeping your child safe
Knowing that teenagers test limits doesn’t make thrill-seeking and risky behaviour any easier to live with. Here are some ideas to help your child think about consequences and stay safer.
Talking about behaviour and consequences
Talking about behaviour and consequences can help your child learn to work out how much risk is involved in different situations. But be careful it doesn’t come across as a lecture or a ban on the behaviour, because this could encourage your child to rebel. For example, you might say, ‘There are going to be times when it’s really hard to say no to drugs. But you know how bad they are for your health and other parts of your life. I really hope you can stay strong’.
Working out agreed boundaries
If you work with your child on boundaries and consequences for breaking them, your child is more likely to follow the rules. You’ll need to be flexible and adapt the rules as your child grows and shows they are ready for more responsibility.
Talking about values
Knowing what’s important to your family will help your child develop responsibility and personal values. You can back up family values by being a good role model in things like drinking alcohol, driving and treating other people respectfully.
Keeping an eye on your child
Knowing who your child is with and where they are can help you protect your child. For example, your child’s plans change ask them to contact you and let you know where they are.
Staying connected to your child
If you stay connected and build a strong relationship with your child through the teenage years, they are likely to do better at handling situations like pressure to use drugs or be involved in sexual activity.
Encouraging a wide social network
You probably can’t stop your child from being friends with a particular person or group – but you can give them the chance to make other friends through sport, community or family activities. And if you make your child’s friends welcome in your home, it gives you a chance to get to know them.
Helping your child handle peer influence
If your child feels peer influence to fit in, you could help them think of ways to opt out without losing credibility. For example, they could tell their friends that smoking gives them asthma. Or they can’t stay out partying because they have a big game the next day and need to get some sleep.
Let your child know they can send you a text message anytime they feel unsafe and need to be picked up, and that you won’t be angry. Some families find that a text ‘code’ – like an ‘x’ or a particular emoji – work wells. Your child texts the code and you call back with a ‘family emergency’ that means your child ‘needs’ to be picked up. It’s also great if there’s another trusted adult your child can contact with no questions asked.
Encouraging safe thrill-seeking
Teenagers need to take some risks to learn more about themselves and test out their abilities. This means that wrapping them in cotton wool is likely to backfire.
If your child is into thrill-seeking, try channeling this energy into safe and constructive activities, like rock-climbing, martial arts, canoeing or mountain biking. Some teenagers might find they love the ‘rush’ of performing in drama or creative arts.
Support for handling risky behaviour
Thrill-seeking is a fairly normal part of adolescence, and most teenagers won’t take it to the extreme.
If your child occasionally stays out past curfew, you might not worry too much. But if they regularly do things with dangerous consequences – like using drugs, getting into fights, drinking or breaking the law – consider seeking help and support.
If you’re having a hard time talking with your child about risky behaviour, it might help to ask a trusted adult to raise the subject. Some teenagers find it hard to talk about sensitive issues like sex and drug use with their parents, but they might be willing to talk to somebody else.
Adapted from Raising Children Network, visit www.raisingchildren.au for more information.
For any questions or queries regarding any health issues please don’t hesitate to contact me by leaving a message in the front office or email: felicity.lukins@heatlh.wa.gov.au
COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE-WACHS South West
On Monday night, students from Years 7-10 performed scripted and self-devised scenes to an appreciative audience of family and friends.
The students were fantastic onstage and backstage. The show had everything- humour, melodrama, fight scenes, animals and zombies!
Well done to everyone involved. I have really enjoyed working with you all this term and you should all be so proud of the effort you put in to rehearsals and performance.
Thank you to all those who helped make this night a success.
Meegan Cullen
Drama Teacher
Cadet Hiking Camp, by Ava Birrane
On the 11th of February, the new cadets went on a hiking camp for one night at Grimwade. The hike to the campsite was 5km and we had to carry our own hiking bags. We took funny photos of the campground and the hiking trail. After the hike we set up our own area including tents and camp chairs then prepared and cooked our dinner. It was a new experience cooking on the trangias.
We had lots of fun playing hide and seek in the dark, we had to hide in groups so we wouldn't get into trouble. Camp was a good learning experience because we packed our own resources and learned what to bring and what not to bring for next cadet camp.
I found this camp a very fun and rewarding event. Thank you to all the cade leaders and volunteers for taking us on this wonderful camp.
Year 8 Bike Camp, by Luke McGuire and Eva Henderson-Mott
From the 24th to the 26th of March, twelve year 8 students, one year nine and one year ten students, rode part of the Munda Biddi Track for the Cadet Camp. The adults that came were Miss Old, Mr Tonai-Moore, Craig Beswick, Tony Brebner and Alan Boobyer from the Bridgetown SES. Over three days we rode almost 80km which included a bit of downhill and a lot of uphill.
The first day we drove on the bus to just past Deanmill and set off on the first leg of our journey which was approximately 20 kilometres. It involved some very fun switchbacks which some cadets Tokyo drifted down and rode over One Tree Bridge. The campsite of the night was Green’s Island. After some tasty dinner, a few rounds of a card games or a night walk, everyone turned in for the night.
On the second day everyone awoke at around a quarter past six, some people took more coaxing than others. After a lovely breakfast everyone started preparing themselves for the 28km ride, mostly uphill. The second day was a very scenic route through the forest on our way to Donnelly Village, where we stopped for lunch. The emus were very friendly and tried to steal all the food that we bought from the shop. A few people explored the playground and tried to learn how to fly. After the pit-stop we rode the rest of the way to Willow Springs which was also the Davies Stockroute Camp. After setting up the tents we had a visit from Mr Dareff who brought with him nachos and cakes that were made by Mrs Dareff. We had dinner, played a few games and went to bed.
The next morning, we awoke bright and early ready for our final day of riding. The last day was all on roads, some bitumen, some gravel. Most of it was downhill but there were some killer hills. After 74km of riding we went down our final hill into Nannup. We put our gear at the redback spider park and some people went into town. After we scoffed our chips (courtesy of Miss Old) we hopped on the bus. We unpacked the bus, hung out the tents, laid on the grass and went home to our first hot shower in multiple days.
The event is an ongoing tradition which highlights not only the importance of our Emergency Services volunteers, but also the importance of road safety during busy holiday periods such as Easter. After hearing an address from Shire President John Nicholas, the attendees listened to safety messages from the local Police and DFES. Following this, student leaders from the local schools took turns to present their own safety messages.
Bree and Emily were asked to present a speech on the topic of “Speed”, whilst other schools focused on “Driver Distraction”, “Fatigue” and the “Importance of Wearing Seatbelts”. Bree and Emily’s speech was thought provoking and delivered some strong and sobering statistics. As a final message to those gathered at the park, the girls pleaded with everyone to stay safe on the roads over the Easter break.
As expected, Bree and Emily were strong ambassadors for Bridgetown High School and we are very proud of their efforts.
Tell Them From Me - Parent Survey
Dear Parent/Guardian,
As part of our school planning process, Bridgetown High School would like you to complete an anonymous survey regarding your thoughts and opinions about our school.
We know you are very busy and don’t have a lot of time to spare. However, the survey should only take about 10 minutes to complete, and your feedback will be of great help to us as we plan the next years ahead for our school. It is very important that our planning incorporate voices and thoughts from everyone connected with our school – parents, students and teachers.
You just have to go to the link www.tellthemfromme.com/BHSSURVEY and you will be guided from there.
The survey is from an external provider and many schools throughout Western Australia use it, as it is of proven value to school planners.
Thank you in advance for your time. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at 9761 0100 if you have any questions.
Bridgetown High Students head north…
In August 2021, due to the restrictions on international travel, lucky Year 9 & 10 students from Bridgetown High School will be attending a week-long camp to Broome, in the unique Kimberley region of WA.
This tour will allow these students an up-close-and-personal experience with all that this amazing part of the world has to offer. It will be a cultural immersion and a lesson in the history of this special part of our state as well as a whole lot of fun.
Parents of this group of students will be fundraising over the coming weeks and months to help alleviate the cost of sending this group of students north. Please look out for activities that you can participate in and help us make this the best school camp ever!
As of Saturday 3rd April, we have registered the “Bridgetown High Broome Camp” as a recipient of funds from the Containers for Change recycling points in Bridgetown, Manjimup and Balingup. Please consider donating part of all of your recycling change to this worthy cause. It will run until August this year when the students depart. Please spread the word to your family, friends and work colleagues that this is happening.
Thanks in advance for your support.
Any parents of students travelling who are willing to be involved in the fundraising activities please contact Sharon Gardner on 0417 902 096 or gardnerfamilybalingup@gmail.com
From the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Shire Ranger
School bus drivers and parents have requested ranger patrols to ensure compliance with the clear signage in place which advises parents and other drivers not to park in bus zones during school drop off and pick up times.
The 2022 Premier's Anzac Student Tour competition is now open.
Students are encouraged to apply for this once in a lifetime experience exploring the journey of our Anzacs.
Student applications close 5.00pm, Friday 13 August 2021.
Visit the link for more information: 2022 Premier's Anzac Student Tour