News

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 19:09:19 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

#Ready2020 – a great year starts here

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:36:14 AEDT

Starting school is a big moment in a child’s life. Here’s how to make the most of it.

We can’t wait for you to join us for a great year – the first step towards a lifelong love of learning.

Visit the department’s primary school resources for hints, tips and checklists to make a great start to the new school year, whether your child is starting Kindergarten or Year 6.

You’ll find:

Getting ready for primary school booklet – everything you need to be #Ready2020
Daisy’s First Day – the story of Daisy the koala’s first adventure at Kindergarten
advice from teachers – they’ve been through this before.

Video – #Ready2020: First day of Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Staying healthy into the new school year

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 17:01:16 AEDT

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way to protect your family from harmful diseases this holiday season and into 2020. Visit your doctor for general health and vaccination advice.

Immunisation not only protects you and your family but also others in your community, by reducing the spread of preventable diseases.

Children starting school in 2020 must have up-to-date immunisations to enrol.

These vaccinations help protect children from highly infectious and severe diseases including whooping cough and measles.

Travel health

If you’re travelling overseas during the school holidays, you may need vaccinations or medication – both for general health protection and for region-specific diseases.

If you’re travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, you may even need a flu shot.

Find out more about staying healthy while travelling.

Cooking up a storm

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 11:33:18 AEDT

Students have been enjoying regular cooking this term using the equipment and recipes from the Ozharvest Feast Program. The honey soy vege noodles went down a treat!

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:21:21 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

Kindy Orientation

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 14:27:48 AEDT

We have been delighted to have 5 young students joining our class each Thursday as part of their orientation for starting Kindy next year! Our 2020 Kindy will comprise of 6 students- a great size cohort!

Looking forward to play time!

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:34:57 AEDT

Playing with some of last year's props is a good prelude to making the props for the 2019 play! Our helicopters were used last year in the BFG. Probably not needed when we go to the chocolate factory this year!

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 19:06:45 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

Have your say on before and after school care

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:39:24 AEST

We want to better understand your needs for before and after school care in NSW.

Have your say today on before and after school care.

Fill out the survey by Service NSW to share your specific care needs and to register interest to stay informed of new developments.

Your input will provide insights into where there are gaps in service availability and help us to deliver extra places where they are needed.

You can also contact the team responsible for rolling out the before and after school care commitment at BASCreform@det.nsw.edu.au.

Book yourself in for Reading Hour

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:25:51 AEST

This Australian Reading Hour, encourage your child to discover or rekindle their love of a good book. Take the time to learn, escape and relax on Thursday 19 September and read for one hour.

Get involved at home

Join in at home and read your child a bedtime story. Studies show that reading a bedtime story six days a week can give kids almost a year’s head start when they begin school. Reading has also been shown to develop empathy, promote critical thinking and help children find a sense of self.

Join in from the classroom

Bestselling children’s author and illustrator Matt Stanton will broadcast live to primary school children across the country from the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 17 September. We invite schools to register for the livestream of this free event.

Stanton’s author talk is among more than 140 events happening across the country involving more than 50 authors.

Take the Book Swap Challenge

We all have favourite books that we come back to again and again.

To help celebrate Reading Hour take our Book Swap Challenge. We want students, teachers, staff and parents to try reading something new on the day. To get involved, simply pair up with someone and swap your favourite books.

Take a photo and tag it with #ReadingHour so we can see how you got involved.

Video – #ReadingHour authors talk about their favourite place to read

Duration: 0:38

Looking for a good spot to open a book? We asked authors Benjamin Law, Morris Gleitzman, Jacqueline Harvey and Mick Elliott about their favourite place to read.

How to be smart and safe on social media

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:46:41 AEST

Use our new Digital Citizenship toolkit to empower your child to understand how their online behaviour affects themselves and others.

You and your child can find information on:

how to ‘be positive’ by understanding online behaviour and its effect
'be smart’ by thinking critically and being digitally aware
'be safe’ by protecting your security, privacy and wellbeing.

A toolkit to empower you and your child

You can find articles and videos to equip and empower your child to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in our digital future.

We’ve partnered with leading researchers to produce a curated toolkit – aligned to the curriculum – which teachers and you can share with the young people in your lives.

Guide your child through important concepts such as:

managing privacy settings in social media
collaborating online
avoiding scams and hoaxes
understanding the law when it comes to online speech
Internet banking, shopping online and much more.

Keep your child safe and happy online

Visit and bookmark the Digital Citizenship website. We’ll continue to add articles and resources to ensure the best possible tools are available to help you guide your child to be positive, smart and safe online.

Birdo in the making

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:09:50 AEST

Top score for a primary school student- well done!

The day included many facets- bird calling, bird identification, trivia, photography and more- so it was wonderful to have one of our students announced as the overall winner. An interest in birds is the key for sure!

Sharing skills

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 12:13:23 AEST

Choosing something that you enjoy and sharing your knowledge and skills with the other students is what it is all about. Great photo in the school vegetable garden demonstrating how in a small school we all learn together.

Bird Olympics team

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 15:33:04 AEST

The Towamba bird team was all smiles receiving their certificates back at school this week. A great day was had at On the Perch providing a wonderful learning experience and venue.

Note it was also Crazy Hair Day back at school - and a peacock is a very fitting theme!

SCLC Art Exhibition

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 15:42:05 AEST

The SCLC Art Exhibition was held in Bega as part of Education Week.

Eleven Towamba students had their artwork included as part of the exhibition.

Some students were lucky to be nearby at the right time and called in to check out the exhibition after the Bird Olympics.

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:12:05 AEST

We are celebrating our students and their powerful voices this Education Week Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August. Every year Education Week celebrates the achievements of public schools, our students and the value of public education.

This year, the theme is Every student, every voice.

Join us for #EdWeek19 as we celebrate our students and their power to shape the world.

Video – #EdWeek19 – Every student, every voice

Duration: 0:34

Gymnastics program

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 12:45:25 AEST

The Sporting Schools grant enabled the students of Towamba to access expert gymnastic coaching with two sessions at school, and two in town at the gym.

The added benefit of gym in town is a change of scene for lunch and a chance to explore the beautiful area of Panboola.

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:41:39 AEST

Creative kids can now put a $100 voucher towards extra-curricular creative activities outside of school.

Together with Active Kids, this program aims to encourage more NSW children to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as coding, languages, circus, performing arts and visual arts.

Parents can apply for one $100 voucher for each child enrolled in school on the Creative Kids website and use it towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition. You just redeem the voucher with a registered provider in your area when making your payment.

This is a great opportunity for your child to become involved in a range of activities that will build on their education, growth and development.

Service NSW is working with industry bodies to deliver the program.

For more information, contact Service NSW on 137 788 or creativekids@service.nsw.gov.au.

Magpie egg awards

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 10:18:35 AEST

It's wonderful to see how much students are enjoying the reward scheme started at Towamba some years ago. Students earn wild cards for many reasons, and then once they have 4 they are presented with a golden magpie egg. Four eggs make a nest, and then at the end of the year the students with the most nests receive the High Flyer award. Well done students!

Gymnastics at Towamba

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 12:47:19 AEST

The Sporting Schools grant has allowed Towamba students to learn some great gymnastics skills with a qualified coach.

The first two sessions at school will cover basic skills and then students will travel into the gymnastics centre at Pambula for some more gymnastics skills using a wide range of equipment.

A great opportunity thanks to Sporting Schools.

More photos in the gallery.

The Game Changer Challenge is back

Fri, 31 May 2019 12:26:50 AEST

It’s not too late to become a Game Changer with applications for the Education Week challenge due by 7 June.

The Game Changer Challenge brings 16 teams from public schools across NSW – eight from primary and eight from secondary – to Sydney during Education Week in August for a three-day, intensive design-thinking workshop.

The Game Changer workshops, which start on Tuesday 6 August, includes teacher training in the use of design thinking as a teaching methodology and its application for school planning.

It also includes a team competition where schools will work under the guidance of experts from industry and academia to develop a solution to this year’s critical question: How might we humanise technology?

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has encouraged students and teachers to get behind the event as it highlights the critical thinking students will need to develop to succeed in the future.

“The Game Changer Challenge is an exciting initiative that helps educate and inform our students and teachers on how to integrate the problem-solving methodology of design thinking into the classroom,” Mr Scott says.

“It embraces the 21^st century skills our students will need to thrive in a globalised world such as collaboration, creative thinking and communication.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students at all levels to be involved in discussing and addressing a real-world issue that will affect their future lives. I encourage every school to get involved.”

The challenge is designed to make strong learning and teaching connections to the NSW syllabus specifically in the area of developing general capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication and problem-solving.

The challenge also provides teachers with an opportunity to gain exposure to the design thinking process and includes teacher resources to introduce this creative problem-solving methodology into the classroom.

Finalists will be selected based on a 60-second video that showcases your team’s vision around the question of humanising technology.

For more information email edweek@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the Game Changer Challenge page.

Thank you to our school mums!

Mon, 13 May 2019 16:11:46 AEST

Some great artwork plates for Mothers Day this year!

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:21:33 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

Video – Kids ask the hard questions

Duration – 3:45

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:13:27 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 15:25:05 AEST

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

The Big Vegie Crunch

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 14:26:13 AEDT

Only around 5% of NSW children eat enough vegetables. The Big Vegie Crunch (part of Vegetable Week) at Towamba School this week demonstrated how delciously cunchy, colourful and fun vegetables can be!.

5 road safety tips for parents and carers

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:38:53 AEDT

Now that students are back to school after a break it’s a good time to chat with your child about safe behaviours when you walk or commute to school.

Here are our top tips to help our students make a safe trip:

1. Be alert and aware

Take note of the dangers you come across on your walk and bring them to your child’s attention. Point out dangers, such as vehicles coming out of driveways. Talk to your child about being alert in a road environment.

2. Hold hands

When on the footpath, at a crossing or in a car park always hold your child's hand. It is advised to do this up to the age of at least 8 years old and closely supervise until at least the age of 10.

3. Choose a safe crossing

Lead by example and choose a safe place to cross the road. Explain why it is the safest place to cross.

4. Set a good example

Your child watches everything you do, so if you cross at the crossing they will too. It is also important to share these messages with other carers who may walk with your child to school.

5. Stop, Look, Listen, Think every time you cross the road

Discuss this important road safety message. STOP! one step back from the kerb. LOOK! continuously both ways. LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic. THINK! whether it is safe to cross.

Practise makes perfect

The more supervised practice your child can get the better, so why not make Term 1 the start of a new routine to walk with your child to school more often.

Older children may be ready to make the journey to school independently. Before they take this step, observe if they are road safe and reinforce the road safety messages.

For more information, check out the department’s pedestrian safety advice for students, parents and carers.

Welcome to 2019!

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 16:01:19 AEDT

Welcome to the new school year, and to three of our Year 6 school leaders!

We warmly welcome two new students this term, bringing our numbers up to 23.

Back to school

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 15:04:38 AEDT

The first day of Kindergarten and the return to school in the new year are busy times for your child – and for the entire family. To help you make the most of this time and enjoy the experience, we’ve compiled some useful tips and checklists. We want every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools.

Our film #FirstDay2019 captures the excitement – and the nerves – of the rite of passage that is the first day of Kindergarten.

Video – Back to School 2019: First Day at Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Learning with drones

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 13:06:41 AEDT

Students enjoyed a really engaging day learning about flight, building and designing drones, coding them and then flying. A fantastic demo too of some very skilled flying and a chance to use the virtual reality goggles.
Also a very pertinent message about managing addiction to gaming. Thanks Ben!

Swimming skills

Thu, 06 Dec 2018 14:47:37 AEDT

Learning to swim and building on swimming strength and endurance are essential skills for where we live. We have been making the most of our travel time and doing two lessons back to back at the pool. Students are tired on the way home but at least it is one week and not two weeks of travelling.

Concert

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 14:19:00 AEDT

Towamba School presents The BFG.
Come and join us for the school play followed by our presentation evening.

A community supper- please bring a plate.

The P&C Hamper raffle will be drawn on the night.

Carols and a visit from Santa to finish off the night.

2019 school budget allocations

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 16:27:04 AEDT

Like all NSW public schools, this week we will receive a School Budget Allocation Report with our funding for 2019. The report will help us manage our total budget delivered through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).

The RAM supports schools through needs-based funding to ensure a fair, efficient and transparent allocation of funds. Our school has the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of our students.

We will use our 2019 funding to support students and improve educational outcomes. The school executive will continue to work with the school community as we implement the school plan using this needs-based funding.

Learn more about the 2019 RAM funding.

Cooking from the garden

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 12:01:06 AEDT

Students harvested the crop of broad beans and tomorrow will be making (and eating!) felafels with them- sure to be delicious!

3D printer

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 15:58:28 AEDT

Thanks to the STEMShare program our students have been having a great learning opportunity in the classroom. Using the tinkercad program these glasses were designed and are now 3D printed. What fun!

Magnetic Forces

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 15:22:11 AEDT

Exploring magnetic forces that repel or attract provoke an interesting discussion about polarity.

Coding Kids

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 11:21:23 AEST

Every Wednesday the younger students eagrerly look forward to their time with their coding mentor.

Students are working together to create a robit and then develop the code.

A maze has been made by jdjdkdkdkdkdk

Robot time

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 14:14:29 AEST

Every Wednesday we are lucky to have a volunteer parent come and work with students developing their LEGO robotics coding program. Older students are buddying up with K12 students and sharing the knowledge.

Athletics Carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

What a great Towamba team! A great day was had at Candelo this year for the Small Schools Athletics Carnival. Thank you to all the supporting parents and extended family!

Coastal Excursion

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 11:28:34 AEST

It was lunch with a different view today as students enjoyed a dance performance in town, featuring many present and former students, followed by a picnic at Spencer Park and a little scenic bushwalk!

Thanks to the the parents that assist with transport and enable our kids to make the most of these opportunities.

Fun with Procedural texts

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

Learning about procedural texts has never been so much fun!

We had the sandwich making test- where students quickly learnt how they need to be explicit with their steps in a procedure!
Paper plane making was another good one.

Then of course recipes are the most common type of procedural text, so students enjoyed following the recipe and then the eating as well!
More photos in the gallery.

Autumn bug watch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

The weather was coming across as students were sampling the river for the regular Autumn bugwatch survey. Rain didn't become heavy until afterwards- fingers crossed it continues and replenishes our sad looking river (and everyone's water tanks too!)

Towamba Cross Country

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

Students did a great job on a hot Autumn day for the Towamba cross country. The route includes circuits within the school and then up to the community hall and oval for a number of times depending on age. Well done everyone for your participation and persistence. We have 6 students going on to compete in the Zone Cross Country at Wolumla.Well done!
More photos shared by parents in the gallery.

Playgroup

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

The Towamba playgroup meets at the school every Thursday from 9.30am. Parents with younger children and babies are welcome to join- just come along, bring a piece of fruit to share and enjoy some company while the kids play.

Apples galore

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

Harvesting huge boxes of apples and nashis from the school fruit trees was a fun job for K12 students. Even more so the following week when some of the apples were turned into apple crumble for the whole school to enjoy!

Welcome to 2018

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:25 AEST

Principal Mr Dinwoodie welcoming our kindergarten student this year! The K12 class have greatly enjoyed Toby's arrival into the classroom. It was great to see everyone back at school again- it's going to be a great year!

School poultry are flying the coop!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:18 AEST

At the end of the school year our beloved school chooks are looking for new homes, with tenders closing on Friday 8 December. The students have enjoyed the experience and got to know some quirky characters!

Bug watch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Our Spring bugwatch was a lovely day down the river below school, with a huge number of diving beetles found, as well as mayfly nymphs, and other smaller populations.

Canberra

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Last week Mr. Dinwoodie accompanied the Stage 3 students to Canberra along with 5 other schools. When we went up Brown Mountain on day 1 we were treated with a thick layer of snow for around 20km which made for an exciting start to the trip. The students were kept very busy and stimulated the entire time with breakfast being served at 7am and with the students not returning back to our accommodation until after 9pm each night. It was a great trip with the students displaying very high behaviour standards and no doubt they all would seemed a little tired over the weekend. The students visited the National Film Archives, New and Old Parliament House, The Mint, The War Memorial, Telstra Tower, Questacon, Australian Institute of Sport, The National Museum and they even had time for some ten pin bowling. Some great opportunities for learning were had by all, and I know all the 2018 stage 3 students will alre

ady be looking forward to the stage 3 camp to Jindabyne next year. More photos in the gallery.

Welcome

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:25 AEST

Welcome to our school Mr Dinwoodie- our new Relieving Principal for the rest of the year.

Welcome Mr Dinwoodie

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

The P&C are running a morning tea to welcome Mr Dinwoodie to our school. Thursday 15 June- come along for the parent workshop on creating healthy meals (run by the Cancer Council) and then stay for a welcome cuppa and chat. All parents welcome. Please bring a plate.
Hopefully a sunny day and we can enjoy the views from the deck of the MPR.

Fun at school

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

Watching kindy students develop a love of learning is always a joy.

Chickens at Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

Our chickens are loving the chook tractor made by the students, and are growing well, enjoying the food scraps keenly delivered after fruit break each day.

In the K12 classroom the incubator has been busy too, with four little silkies hatching out of their eggs- very eggciting news! They are now living in a brooder box for a while to keep them warm.

Bug watch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Students sampled the Towamba river near the school for our Autumn survey, revealing many different invertebrates such as diving beetles, freshwater shrimp, water boatmen, mayfly and caddisfly nymphs and more.

All data is loaded up into the Waterwatch website- collating longterm data from all around the state on water quality and biota.

Payments -deadline this Friday

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

A reminder that ALL payments must be in by this Friday.

In addition, from 4:00 pm this Friday 12 May 2017, parents and carers will be unable to make online payments via our school website.

From this time, the ‘Make a Payment' button will be removed by the Department's School Website Service team to allow for important pre-deployment system preparations.

Allawah Ngindigaan

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

Today we welcomed Chelsy and Nathan into our school for the start of a two term program incorporating Aboriginal culture and language. The sound of the didjeridu resonated across the valley and everyone enjoyed the introductory session, and will be looking forward to our fortnightly program. More photos in the gallery, and will be added each fortnight.

ANZAC Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

As part of their learning about ANZAC Day on the first day back this term, students were shown a selection of portraits of military personnel, and then sketched their choice - as part of seeing through their eyes and understanding. Some beautiful thoughtful portraits are all displayed on the classroom wall.

A wonderful gift

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

A beautiful custom made wooden bench for the school was presented by Mr Claxton at the farewell assembly last term. It is an piece of art, with gorgeous timber colours and grains enhanced with a lovely smelling oil. It even has Towamba engraved on the backrest. Something to treasure, thank you Mr Claxton.

Assembly

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

Join us on Wednesday for our end of term assembly. It starts with the P&C BBQ at 12, to be followed by the assembly including term slideshow, Easter Hat Parade, awards, cross country ribbons, a dance presentation, and our farewell to Mr Claxton.

Farewell

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

It is with a mixture of sadness and joy that we announce that Mr Claxton will be leaving Towamba PS at the end of this term. Sadness as all the students and families and staff will miss the zest he has brought to our school, but also joy that his skills in engaging and exciting learning will be shared with another group of students and families.
Congratulations Mr Claxton, we wish you all the best at Wolumla School.We look forward to catching up at events when all the small schools get together.

Towamba School will be seeking a Relieving Principal for the remainder of the year starting next term. The EOI is being published in SchoolBiz on the last Friday of term.

Our young leaders

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:15 AEST

Our Year 5 & 6 students are up in Sydney attending the Halogen Young Leader's conference with thousands of other students from around the state. A quick run through Sydney's downpour made them early and scored seats near the front too, ready for a day of stimulating and affirming speakers.

Seasonal Calendar

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

The younger class looked around the school at what was flowering and fruiting as part of the seasonal calendar project.

It is currently buru season when the hickory wattle flowers.

Coding is fun!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

Learning more about our LEGO Ev3 and WeDo kits with the help of Ben and the Games and Gadet Van was an incredible two days. Students of all ages really learnt some foundation skills and applied them to the challenges supplied.

Wild cards 2017

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:25 AEST

These six students are the artists whose designs were chosen as our 2017 wild card artworks. They were presented with a monster size wildcard, but more standard sized ones will be given out soon!

Webcats Launch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

in the WebCaTS Shop:ONLINE VIEW EVERY BOOK

http://www.webcats.org/view-and-order-books

BOOK LAUNCH EVENT INFORMATION is here:
http://www.webcats.org/book-launch-poster

RSVP: Please let us know if you will be attending by clicking here:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/webcats-book-launch-tura-marrang-library-tickets-31669902531

2017 first swimming carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

Thursday February 2 is the Towamba Tanja and Wyndham swimming carnival at Candelo Pool. All students should be at the pool by 10am, and everything should be finished by around 2pm. We strongly encourage parents to stay for the day as it is a relaxing day catching up and helping out. Hope to see you there.

School Dates

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:17 AEST

A reminder that students finish on Friday 16 December. Our concert night is Wednesday 14th, and the river picnic movie fun day on the 15th. The Friday will be a clean up day.
Staff will be at the school on Monday19th for planning and learning, but have made alternative arrangements and will not be at school on the Tuesday.
In 2017 staff return on Friday 27 January, students in Years 1-6 on Monday 30 January, and Kindy on Wednesday 1 February.
(Don't forget our swimming carnival at Candelo with Wyndham and Tanja is just the next day on the 2nd!)

Learning with the garden

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

The beans that have been germinating in jars to demonstrate the germination stage of the lifecycle are now being planted in the vege garden so that they can flourish and grow more beans! Students enjoyed harvesting the first lettuce and cucumbers and then making a vinaigrette dressing to enjoy their fresh salad with!

School as normal on Thursday

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:17 AEST

On Thursday December 8, the NSW Teachers Federation have called a stop work meeting to vote on recommendations about wages and conditions for all teaching staff.
The requirement of the Department of Education is that all schools provide minimal supervision for students who come to school.

However as we are a small school we have decided to ensure that all of our students can come to school as normal.

While, as a federation member I fully endorse and support the actions of the Teachers Federation, I will not allow our students and families to be adversely affected by this stoppage.

Shelters

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Making durable shelters for our animal friends was a creative experiment- we will look again in two weeks!

Ambulance visit

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

Last week we had a visit from Craig of the NSW Ambulance service, who

provided the students with a morning of fun and learning, all centred around our local paramedics. Each of the students were able to have an up close look through the ambulance as well as using some of the equipment which paramedics use on the job. It was an informative and enjoyable experience for everyone and was made even more special as Craig volunteered to do this for our school on his day off.

Kindystart begins!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Today we welcomed our 5 kindystart students who will be joining us every Thursday morning until November 24 which will be a full day. The orientation program ensures that students are more than prepared for starting Kindergarten next year - in fact most of them wanted to stay all day even on the first day! We really enjoyed having 5 eager happy faces joining the K1 students for the morning- look forward to seeing you next week.
Year 2 students moved up to the primary classroom too as a transition for their move next year too- a little taste of 2017 for everyone!

Ski Excursion

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

The whole school ski trip may become one of the highlights of a student's education. The ski trip provides valuable lessons in goal setting and achievement, builds self confidence, increases social interactions and broadens the experiences in activities that otherwise may not be possible.

Thank you to the P&C for your huge financial support, and thank you to the attending parents for your invaluable assistance at the excursion.

More photos in the gallery.

Recorders performance in Sydney

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:17 AEST

Towamba students travelled to Sydney to perform at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Festival of Instrumental Music. For country kids it is a wonderful opportunity to also explore a little bit more of Sydney! More photos are in the gallery.

SCLC

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Well done everyone for your part in this years SCLC Performing Arts Spectacular, held at the new Bega Civic Centre. Towamba students participated in the combined recorder ensemble. the combined choir and a school item in conjunction with Wyndham school.

Small Schools Knockout Comp

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

Towamba students travelled to Cooma to play touch football against Captains Flat PS in August, as part of the Small Schools Knockout Comp. Students played very well but congratulations go to Captains Flat for winning the game.

Playgroup visit

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

Playgroup visited the K12 class this week, as well as shared story time and other activities, everyone got to enjoy having their faces painted!

Rainforest Excursion

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

Descending into the rainforest south of Eden. The excursion to Maxwells Road Reserve to visit the rainforest topped off a term of learning about the complexity of a rainforest. Student spent some time sitting with eyes closed and ears open to focus on the smells and sounds of a rainforest too. Having pinkwood trees nearby makes it a distinctive smell too! Students had a great day of learning in the environment.

Jump Rope for Heart

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Lots of skipping and other sporty activities were the order of the day for the Jump Rope for Heart Day recently, hosted by Wyndham School. Towamba and Tanja students travelled to Wyndham and enjoyed a fun day with the students from other small schools. More photos in the gallery.

Athletics Carnival a success

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

The recent Far South Coast Small Schools Athletics Carnival at Towamba was a huge success! Students from Candelo, Bemboka, Wyndham, Tanja and Wolumla all travelled to Towamba for the carnival this year. There was a great sense of participation and support as students competed in many track and field events, as well as a great range of fun activities for the younger ones.

Winning schools on the day were Wolumla and Candelo as a tie.

Handicap scores (allowing for the fact that some schools have very small numbers with which to collect points) revealed that Towamba was the winner of the smaller shield.

It was also great to have some of our champions awarded- Uluka for 11 year Girl, and Ty and Hayden runner ups for Senior Boy and Junior Boy Champions respectively.

Check out the beautiful photos in the gallery, thank you to our photographer with the magic eye- Priscilla!

School closed Tuesday

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:17 AEST

Tuesday 7 June- Towamba School will remain closed.

Once the bridge emerges from the floodwaters it will be inspected to ascertain the structural integrity before school reopens. Thank you for your understanding. Hopefully tomorrow will be the start of a gradual return to normal.

Please note too- the athletics carnival has been postponed until Friday 17 June.

School non-operational tomorrow

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:18 AEST

Monday 6 June

Towamba School

is NON-OPERATIONAL

due to flooded roads.

(Photo credit: Bianca)

Wolumla Cross Country

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:26 AEST

Well done to the Towamba team competing at the Wolumla Cross Country. For a small school among some very professional runners we did extremely well, with Hayden and Uluka both coming 10th in their races, Ty 12th in the senior boys, and Amy 24th and Ezekiel 30th. It was a great day out with all the other schools. Thanks to the parents involved and to Candice and Steph for sharing their photos.

K12 boosting their AFL Skills

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Most of our K12 class enjoyed a day refining their AFL Skills along with many other students at Bega Sportsground recently. It was a great day out and everyone worked really well. Thanks to Bianca for sharing her wonderful photos.

Towamba Cross Country

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

All Towamba students were part of the Towamba Cross Country last week, with younger students doing 1.8km, 8-10 year olds doing 2km, and older students 3km. It makes the 800m at the upcoming Athletics Carnival look like a breeze! The route had some last minute changes when it was discovered that roadwork with lots of trucks and graders was happening that day around Towamba!
The kids all did really well, check out the gallery for more photos. It was wonderful to see so many parents and grandparents in attendance too. Your assistance helps run the event, but most of all your kids love you being there!
Thank you to Priscilla for her photos.

Farewell

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

At the end of last term we said a sad farewell to Ms Hopson who is taking up a position for the rest of the year at another school. We will miss her enthusiasm, professionalism and dedicated approach- but it's probably fair to share such a great teacher around too!

Easter Hat Parade

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

It was wonderful to see so many parents, grandparents and friends at our Easter Assembly. The kids did a wonderful job performing and the Year 6 students led the assembly well. The Easter hats were colourful and creative! Well done to our first 2016 Nest recipients too.

Thanks to the P&C for hosting the BBQ again too- much appreciated.

Thank you to Tina Janssen and Karen How for the photos.

Cooking from the garden

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

A lot of action in the kitchen recently using produce from the school grounds, and the school and other local gardens too- zucchini slice, tomato passata, fig icecream....yum!

Thank you Earn & Learn

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

K12 were excited to unpack and put together the class train set purchased using the Woolworths Earn & Learn stickers! We also chose a WeDo robotics kit, as well as a few other smaller items. Thank you so much to all our sticker collectors last year!

Cool Learning

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Student learning relocated to the river last week during the extreme hot weather. How wonderful to have the river on our doorstep!

Archery

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

Arrows Across Australia's Andrew came to Towamba this week, on his travels around Australia, and shared his expertise and experiences with archery. In small groups students learnt about the history, safety issues, equipment and techniques involved. More photos in the gallery.

Garden Bounty

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

Buckets of grapes, raspberries and wheelbarrows of apples- students in K12 enjoyed harvesting just a little from the school garden this week. Delicious!

Swimming success

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

Six students are going on to represent Towamba at the Far South Coast Small Schools Carnival this week. All Towamba students displayed a wonderful have-a-go attitude at our combined swimming carnival with Wyndham and Tanja in week 2.

Book Launch next week!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

We are so proud of Uluka, Maddy & James- beautiful books!

Preview the webcats books

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

Using this link you can preview the delightful books made by students from our school, as well as Tanja and Eden. If you would like to make an order then download the order form.

Please note when previewing the books you will also see an order link in the top left corner- this is an alternative but more expensive way to make an order. Ordering through webcats is very reasonable and free postage until the end of the year.

Well done everyone and thank you so much to Jude Radin and Sarah Irwin for creating this opportunity for our students.

Book launch for our webcats authors

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Uluka, Maddy and James have worked hard this semester as part of the Webcats program and they will be launching their beautiful product later this month. The Picture books are available for order from the school, or we can email you the order form on request. Payment must be made prior to the order going through.
Come to Booktique in Merimbula on Thursday 26 November at 5.30pm for the book launch of these three gorgeous books- written and illustrated by the students, plus the other 5 students involved from Tanja and Eden.

Market Day success!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

A lovely sunny market day afternoon gave the Club Kidpreneur students a chance to test out their businesses, after months of development and planning and production. Stalls included Mister Foods selling bacon and egg paninis and spinach quiche, The three chocolatiers with their chocolate goodies, Creative Kiddets with their colourful tie dye shirts, Michael's educational posters and placemats, and a range of products from Woodwork designs. Over $800 was taken on the day which for just over an hour in Towamba is an amazing success! Of course the next part of their project is looking at their costs and if they charged enough to cover all the extras etc- a great learning process!

Market Day coming up

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

Market Day Friday 30 October- the students will be bringing their Club Kidpreneur projects to life, at their first market day to be held at the school from 1.30pm. On sale will be deluxe money boxes (pictured), wooden pencil boxes, puzzles and stilts, tie dye shirts, delicious hot lunches and sweet treats.

Bugwatch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

A beautiful afternoon to be down by the river's edge collecting samples and seeing what buglife is present. Thanks to Bob from Bournda EEC for another great session. Quite a diverse sampling of creatures-a healthy river basically!

Bandannas for sale

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:26 AEST

National Bandanna Day is CanTeen's largest fundraiser and will be held on Friday 30th October.

Every year, another 23,000 young people (63 a day) have to deal with the challenge of cancer. CanTeen is the game changer.

Bandannas play a significant role as a symbol of hope and empowerment for people who are affected by cancer and are worn during their cancer journey.

Show your support and help us raise funds for young people when cancer crashes into their world:

We are sharing a box of bandannas with Wyndham PS so that we can help support children with cancer- there are many colours and patterns to choose from.

You can come and buy your bandanna from the office anytime for $4 each - come select your style- and then wear it to school on National Bandanna Day on Friday 30th October.

Tanja Art Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

A wonderful opportunity to explore many forms of printmaking with staff and visiting tutors at Tanja. Students from the three P6 schools (Towamba, Wyndham and Tanja) got together for a creative day this term at Tanja. See the gallery for more photos.

Canberra Excursion

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Students have just returned from a full three day excursion in Canberra, exploring the nation's capital. Thanks to the P&C, and PACER (the Parliament and Civics Education rebate from the Federal Government) as well as school funding and our famous cake raffles, we could offer this excursion at a subsidised rate for our school families, enhancing the learning experience for our students. A lot of learning, as well as a lot of fun, was had by our students!

Ski Excursion

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

Towamba students had a ball on the first whole school ski excursion. Staying at Jindabyne and travelling to Smiggins for two days, they experienced the full range from a blizzard snow filled first day, to a glorious blue sky day the next. Many skills were learnt and other skills like resilience and perseverance were also practised very well by all. Well done!
More photos in the gallery.

Facebook

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Our school facebook page is now connected here - see below.
As our social media page is a lot more active and dynamic it is of great benefit to have our two main sites linked together!

Athletics Carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

We had a wonderful day at Wyndham for the Far South Coast Small Schools Athletics Carnival, with Wyndham, Candelo, Bemboka, Wolumla, and Tanja all in attendance too. It was great to see so many parents enjoying the day and a good have-a-go attitude!

More photos in the gallery-we welcome any other photos from parents too to share.

Bournda Outdoor Expedition

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Getting out there bushwalking and camping on a very cold first day of winter- what a great way to start a leadership camp! Stage three students from Towamba, Wyndham and Tanja participated in a long bushwalk, learning navigation and bushcraft and had fun in leadership and teamwork challenges at Bournda National Park. More photos in the gallery.

Music Gala Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

Towamba, Wyndham and Tanja students enjoyed a day full of music and the performing arts last week. Damon Davies and Peter Howe started the day off with a performance, then groups worked on songwriting, percussion, dance, choir, singing and theatre. A wonderful day. We also collected $91 in donations for the UNICEF Nepal Earthquake appeal. Thanks to the P&C and other parents for your support and the delicious food too! More photos (thanks to Priscilla) are in the gallery.

Bugwatch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Towamba students participated in our Autumn bugwatch surveys this week, always interesting after recent flooding, and river changes. It was surprisingly still full of water invertebrates though! More photos in the gallery.

Cross Country at Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Every student got in and had a go today for the Towamba Cross Country at school, with senior students extending the run around the local roads of Towamba too. Well done to Hayden for coming well in front of everyone. Ten students will be going on to represent our school at Wolumla next week.

More photos will be added to our gallery next week.

Flooding emergency

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

Roads into Towamba today are blocked by flooded creeks and a landslide on the Eden Road, so most staff cannot get to school. The school is still open and operational in a very limited capacity today with limited staff.

Young Leaders Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:26 AEST

The Halogen National Young Leaders Day in Sydney recently was attended by our two Year 6 students, alongwith a contingent from Bemboka PS. When asked who they enjoyed listening to the most from the guest speakers, who included Mike Baird and Bindi Irwin, the answer was resoundingly the Paper Planes blokes! A great experience for students from a 21 student school to attend a special day with 6000 students a similar age.

Having a ball!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Towamba and Tanja students travelled to Wyndham for a joint sports gala day. Students participated in soccer, tee ball and dodgeball as well as many other fun activities. It is a great opportunity for the three smallest schools in the area to get together. Next term the plan is for a Performing Arts Day at Towamba!

Learning more about Oysters

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

Learning about oysters and keeping our lake water quality pristine are things that go together well.

Raspberry delight!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:17 AEST

Towamba garden is bursting with fresh raspberries and they made a wonderfully bright coulis as part of a cooking session this week. It was wonderful to be able to use such local produce to create a delicious dish- see photos below in the gallery.

Fun in the K12 class

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

The K12 classroom was a hive of activity today with parents, grandparents, and sisters all joining in with the K12 class to create some lovely personal bags. The students handstitched, printed , glued and 'glitterised' their bags resulting in some lovely creations. Thank you to the helpers for your participation!

Delicious cooking fun

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Students enjoyed our first cooking session of the year last Thursday. Using the apples growing around the school Nicci and the students, along with sister and grandparent helpers, cooked delicious apple crumble, while learning mathematical principles about volume, capacity and mass.
It was a great day and we look forward to seeing what's next on the menu.

Swimming Stars!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

Well done Towamba! Students enjoyed the first swimming carnival of the year, with students from Wyndham and tanja schools. It is a fun, have-a-go carnival to get 'back in the swing' for the Far South Coast Small Schools Carnival next week. More photos in the gallery. Thanks to our parent helpers as well!

Welcome to 2015

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Welcome, welcome, welcome! To our new Principal Mr Peter Claxton, to our four Year 6 school leaders, and our five Kindergarten students.

The Best Show on Earth!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

The X-Mas Factor was a blast- the students excelled themselves and everybody enjoyed a great night of entertainment. Thank you so much to all involved- the students, the staff, the P&C, the sound crew, the parents and the inteersted community members! A great night. More photos are in the gallery.

Farewell Ms Davis!!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

We have relished your time at Towamba School. You have made so many amazing changes. We wish you all the best for your future! And we look forward to seeing you round!

Zeeko

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:26 AEST

Another wonderful Musica Viva performance - the musicians hosted by Musica Viva are always high quality and Zeeko definitely did not disappoint! Some fantastic percussion and extremely funky music revving up the crowd on a damp and cool day!

Hello Mr Claxton!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Today we welcomed Peter Claxton, who will be the Principal of Towamba Public School, starting next year. The students and parents enjoyed meeting him, and Ms Davis has been introducing him to the job! We will miss Ms Davis, and wish her all the best as she moves on, and welcome Mr Claxton to the role.

Kindy Start K12 picnic day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

While the big kids were in Sydney, K12 and KindyStart had a picnic lunch and party afternoon with parents, older siblings and other interested young kids in the area. A fun afternoon - in between the showers! More photos in the gallery.

Sydney here we are!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

How exciting- boarding the plane for the Sydney excursion- all those city and transport experiences and iconic imagery, and the Zoo too! They will be happy but exhausted at the end of today! Photos uploaded to the gallery and the school facebook page as we receive them.

Sydney here we come!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

Read all about it on the Magnet's online site!

http://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/2726097/towamba-kids-fly-high/?cs=656

New Principal for 2015

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

We are pleased to announce that Towamba Public School's new principal for 2015 (pending appeal processes) is Mr Peter Claxton.
Thank you to the merit selection panel for your time and professionalism. I know Mr Claxton will have a positive impact on the school and its community and will be warmly welcomed by everyone.
Parents who are connected to the school via our Facebook page heard this news first on Tuesday!

Jindabyne Camp

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Stage 3 students enjoyed their Jindabyne camp with students from six other small schools this month. A wide range of experiences created some very diverse challenges and a lot of fun! More photos are in the photo gallery.

Bikes at school

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Mr Bell and the students worked on bicycle maintenance today and how to look after your bike, before completing a course around the school on their bikes.

Oyster time

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:15 AEST

Our students enjoyed the second excursion to Pambula Lake with the Grow your own Oysters Program. As well as looking at water quality and measuring, they participated in the harvest, sorting and shucking (and even eating!). More photos in the gallery.

Garden inspiration

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

A recent video conference with Botany Bay EEC about Captain Cook, involved both drama and art. Students created telescopes and went out into the garden to draw what they could see looking through their telescope. Some beautiful creations highlighted how gorgeous all the native shrubs are flowering at the moment! See more photos in the gallery.

Creative cake!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Our regular cake raffles are raising money for our excursions to Sydney and Jindabyne later this term, plus giving local families a really good chance to take home a cake with small numbers of tickets sold. It also allows families the opportunity to explore their creative side- how about this amaxing cake in the shape of a magpie! Well done!

Oysters at Pambula Lake

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:15 AEST

Students are enjoying the first week of the fantastic Grow Your Own Oysters Program, managed by the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery program and supported by Local Land Services.
An introductory visit at the school on the first day back was then followed up with a highly enjoyable excursion out to the oyster leases on Pambula Lake. More of the same in Week 4. A great experience- check out some of the photos in the gallery.

Congratulations!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

It was wonderful seeing so many parents and friends at our End of Term assembly today. It started with a lovely BBQ lunch in the sun, put on by the P&C- thanks for that! The musical talents of our students were demonstarted by the K12 and Kindy Start class performing The Grandfather Clock and the primary class doing a fantastic job on El Condor Pasa- with marimba, drums, guitar and bass guitar, keyboard and other percussion instruments - no music teacher accompaniment needed!

Awards given out included the Magpie Nests- the second one this year for many students - well done- keep doing your best to earn the wild cards that make up the eggs for the nests!

The slideshow of the term and the SCLC Concert performance just highlighted what a great term it has been.

Enjoy your holidays and be ready for another wonderful term to finish the year!

Fun in the sun

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

We know it's a weed but it provides a great fun challenge when making a daisy chain- before they all get mown away!

Today's cake raffle!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

What a magnificent cake! Annalyse and her nan worked together to create a beautiful homemade sponge for the raffle today- raising $55! Pretty good for a small school!

P&C Cake Stall success

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:15 AEST

The P&C ran a cake stall at the Towamba RFS Family Fun Day last Saturday. Many thanks to the parents, grandparents, staff and community members for the huge variety of delicious slices and biscuits donated to the stall. The P&C raised about $400 on the day - a great amount. A special thanks to the parents and students who helped set up and run the stall throughout the day.

Image courtesy of Fairfax Media

http://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/2508362/chop-chop-towamba-turns-out-for-community-fundraiser-photos-videos/?cs=658#slide=39

Fundraising for Sydney

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

Students have a pretty good chance of coming home with a cake on a Thursday or Friday for the rest of the year as we commence our cake raffles each week. Thursdays raises money for the Sydney excursion- and the roster is the Stage 2 students- it started well today with an amazing cake- a true 'Sydney Cake'!

Fridays is fundraising for the Stage 3 Jindabyne excursion next term, and the cakes are provided by Stage 3 students.
Don't forget to buy your tickets- you wouldn't want to miss out on such good odds!

A visitor

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

Students were delighted to meet little 5 week old Rammy today - complete with his nappy on for safer cuddling! The benefits of school in the country!

New soccer goals

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

Students worked together with Mr Bell and Kim to construct our new set of soccer goals- and tested them out well soon after!

Education Week Luncheon

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

This year we celebrated Education Week with a shared luncheon- inviting parents and grandparents and staff to join with the students in a marvellous home cooked lunch.

The menu of garlic bread, lasagne and salad was made entirely by the students. They made the pasta for the lasagne, choped all the ingredients needed for the meat sauce, made the ricotta from scratch and grated the cheese to mix in for the bechamel-type sauce, and even made the butter from scratch to put in the baguettes with garlic to make the garlic bread!

After lunch we were spoilt with a special celebration cake in honour of Education Week- and 60 years of it too. The cake design (made by Sandy Huff) was based on the Education Week poster this year, which was modified from the 1954 poster when Education Week first began.

More photos in the gallery.

Our Hooping Crew

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:14 AEST

How fantastic do they look?

The colourful Towamba hoopers with the inspiring Krista Dodsworth.

SCLC Performing Arts festival a blast!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

We are so proud of our students for their performance in the SCLC PAF this year- showing off their amazing hooping skills (thanks to Krista Dodsworth), performing so well and smiling so much on stage.

Thank you too to Louise for her role as manager- assisting Krista and the students with the choreography, costume design and collation, and for all the rehearsals.

Thanks to the parents for your support.

It was great seeing Towamba up there in the Combined Choir too- well done everyone!

The Eden Magnet has some amazing photos online

http://www.edenmagnet.com.au/story/2451393/combined-school-arts-festival-brings-down-the-house-mega-photo-gallery/?cs=658

Image above courtesy of the Magnet/Fairfax media.

Crazy Hair Day at Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Students went crazy on the last day of term and together we raised $109 for research into Cystic Fibrosis at Crazy Hair Day. Also enjoyed on the day was the end of term assembly, a welcome sausage sizzle on such a cold day and a relaxed afternoon. Have a great holiday and see you back next term on Tuesday 15th July.

The beauty of the seasons at Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

Winter weather has finally arrived and some of the autumn leaves are still catching up! A bit of wind and it is raining leaves today- makes for lots of fun too!

AFL Skills

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

Students enjoyed an afternoon of AFL Skills with Luke. It was a fun afternoon of running, ball skills and learning more about the game of AFL.

Athletics Carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

Our students all participated with enthusiasm at the 2014 Far South Coast Small Schools Athletics Carnival, hosted by Wolumla but held at a slightly less boggy Candelo sportsground.It was a great day with track events, field events and a myriad of fun activities for all those in between times. More photos are in the gallery.

Athletics Skills

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

Mr Bell will be back on Friday and we will be practising our field event skills for the Far South Coast Small Schools Athletics Carnival on Friday 13th.

Jacana- another quality Musica Viva performance

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Students from Towamba and Wyndham Schools enjoyed liestening and learning with another great performing group from Musica Viva- Jacana. Those whirly tubes made some interesting music too!

Bioblitz at Panboola

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Senior students enjoyed being part of the large scale Bioblitz at Panboola on May 16, along with scientists and other interested people collecting data for the Atlas of Life. Thanks to our parents Maryanne and Di for staying with the group, and thanks to Maryanne we also have some photos of the day!

A visit from the Zoomobile

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

The Taronga Zoomobile made its way to Towamba and introduced many animals to our students. Living in a rural area, many of these animals are familiar but the chance to get up close and personal and to learn more about them is highly valuable.

The Dinosaur experience

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

Wow- what a show! The Dinosaur Petting Zoo brought to the area by Erth contained some incredibly realistic dinosaurs, moved by puppeteers, and gave our students a real taste of meeting a dinosaur. More photos are in the gallery, including the tranquil walk through the Panboola Wetlands afterwards.

Art

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

There has been some amazing art done at Towamba recently- we are greatly enjoying having the artisitic Mrs Macey back at school. Check out some more photos in the gallery.

Mega Cricket fun!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

We topped off Day 2 of our intensive cricket workshops with the Milo In2Cricket Program with some giant cricket!! Amazing fun!

Cross Country

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Congratulations everyone for your participation in our school cross country today. Well done to all our runners!

Hula Hooping

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

It's been very exciting to have well known hooper Krista Dodsworth coming out to the school for hooping skills this term. First week this week saw students creating their own unique hoop and having an introduction to what hooping is all about. Every Wednesday will be hoop day!

Cricket skills

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Mondays this term have had a couple of intensive cricket days with two visits as part of the Milo In2Cricket program. Students enjoyed basic movement and ball catching skills and learnt more about the game of cricket in the second session. More photos in the gallery.

Bugwatch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Having fun down at the Towamba River. The Autumn bug watch was on a cooler day, with students sampling the river and then sorting and counting the aquatic waterlife as part of our twice a year survey.

Easter Hats

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Our Term 1 assembly was a fun affair with a great rollup of parents too. The kids were stunning as they paraded their Easter Hat creations down the catwalk for the audience. Congratulations to the first 2014 Nest recipients Mabel and Michael. Thanks also the the P&C for a delicious BBQ lunch- just the thing for a cool rainy day! The hardest thing is remembering that school is still on tomorrow after all that frivolity!

Annual School Report now available

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

Our school's Annual School Report- reporting back on the year that was, 2013, is now available on this website. Use the Our School tab above to find the Annual School Reports page.

Kindy Start

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Towamba is launching a new transition program for 4 year olds next term as well. Kindy Start is a long transition program, involving joining in with the K12 class every Friday as a fantastic preparation for starting school in 2015. Fridays are a great day to be at school with movement skills, music, story time and social skills all exciting parts of the day. There is even the option for lunch orders too! If you need more information or haven't received the info pack (with leaflet and registration form) please contact the school on 6496 7159.

New playgroup for Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

Campbell Page are faciltating a new playgroup starting next term. The playgroup will meet in the MPR at school every Tuesday morning, starting 6 May at 9.30am. The playgroup is open to any young children in the area, along with their parents or grandparents or other carers. Liz Huggert from Campbell Page will be starting the group off, and then we hope it becomes a continuing event. Spread the word to any families with young children out there, and we look forward to seeing some young children at the school next term!

Marine Debris

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

Students greatly enjoyed another wonderful outreach program from the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre- this time all about Marine Debris. They learnt some amazing facts, such as the length of time it takes for various items to break down in the ocean, and why debris is such a problem. A un activity trying to pick out the food from the plastic debris in a certian timeframe - resulting in either not much food or lots of food mixed with plastic- revealed that it is often a lose-lose scenario for wildlife.

A flood of eggs!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

Congratulations to all the students working hard to earn wildcards- some have even earned enough to qualify for their second Golden Magpie Egg! A huge collection of eggs presented this morning!

First egg of the year!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

Congratulations Mabel on being the first student this year to have earned enough wild cards to reach the next level award- the Golden Magpie Egg!

FSC Small Schools Swimming Carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

Well done to the Towamba Swim Team competing in the Far South Coast Small Schools Swimming Carnival at Candelo last week. Everyone approached the day with a great attitude and performed well. There are a few photos in the gallery too. Thank you so much to our parents for being there and taking on roles in team management, timekeeping, team support and photography!

Unique and colourful

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

Students made some fantastic designs in their custom made felt pouches made this week. Students selected various colours of merino fleece and laid out the tufts of wool for the pouch around a plastic template, embellished with cut out prefelts and then explored the feltmaking process using water, soap and agitation to create the unique felt fabric. The range of colours and unique designs was amazing!

The 2014 wildcards

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

Congratulations to the student artists with the winning designs selected for this year's wild cards. These designs will now be printed (in a more manageable size!) and collected by students for good behaviour, collecting 4 wildcards for an egg, then 4 eggs for a nest. Great artwork!

Get with the program

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

Classroom programs and plans are now available for the information of parents and interested community members.

The new tab above, titled 2014 program, has a collection of PDF files available for download.

As well as forward planning for the term or semester ahead, there are also some of the special whole school programs run on Mondays included.

This page will be updated frequently so keep an eye on it and be part of what your child is enjooying in the classroom.

Shake shake shake!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Students enjoyed making butter and ricotta cheese at school on Monday- and then sampling the result of course!!

Swimming carnival time!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

The first carnival of the year went off with a blast! Students from Towamba, Wyndham and Tanja schools combined to have a carnival to get everyone back 'in the swim'!

Younger students enjoyed some creative water games with one of the teachers while older students participated in 25 and 50m races in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly. Three students from our school also participated in the 200m medley- well done!

A team of 13 students has now been selected to attend the next level carnival- the Far South Coast Small Schools carnival at Candelo on 14 February.

More photos in the gallery.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

What better way to celebrate the Year of the Horse than with a visiting horse! Students greatly enjoyed learning a bit more about horses from Lisa and Frank (parents and local farrier). Other celebrations included drama, artwork and culinary samples.

Welcome back!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

It was great to see everyone again this week! Look forward to a great 2014 at Towamba School!

Preparing to come to school

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

Children who make a positive start to school are more likely to feel excited and motivated to learn, have good relationships with others and develop a sense of belonging within the school community.

Use the link below for some great tips from KidsMatter for starting the school year well.

Making a positive start!

Farewell Ms Charlton!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Today Ms Charlton was informed that she has been appointed to Merimbula PS from 2014. It was a big, but pleasant surprise, after being placed on nominated transfer since school numbers went down.

We are very sad to lose Ms Charlton who has been at our school since 2008 but would like to wish her all the best!

Security over the holidays

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

There is a School Security Hotline number that we are notifying the community of.

If you see any suspicious activity or security issues over the holidays please call.

The number is 1300 880 021.

Concert night

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

The night Christmas comes to Towamba! Join with the school and wider community to celebrate the students of Towamba School. Be entertained by another humorous school play involving all the students, enjoy the presentation of the High Flyer Awards, the Year 6 slideshow and send off, and the welcome to next year's Kindergarten students.

After the community supper- please bring a plate to share- share the Christmas celebrations with carols, the arrival of Santa and the Giving Tree gifts.

Swimming

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

Almost all our students have spent a busy week travelling to Sapphire Aquatic Centre for a double lesson with the School Swimming Scheme in week 8. Good progress was made- well done all! More photos in the gallery.

Tuesday

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

On Tuesday 3 December there has been a call for a Teacher Stop Work Meeting.

Please note: Towamba School will be operating as normal on this day.

Art and Craft Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

Students had some wonderful opportunities at this year's Art and Craft day to explore some different facets of the art and craft world in a more in depth manner. Students participated in workshops in leatherwork, tie dyeing, felting, shellcraft and carpentry. Check out the photos in the gallery.

The Australian Curriculum

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

This website has all the details about the new Australian Curriculum and the timeframe for introduction.

Use this link to find out more in an easily accessible format.
A Parent's Guide

Having fun and learning

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

What a glorious day to be out playing and working as a team at Towamba School!

Online Payments from next week!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:14 AEST

On Monday 14th October this website will have a new option in the blue toolbar above that says $Make a Payment.

Payments can be made using either a Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card. The secure payment page, hosted by Westpac, is accessed via our website by selecting the Make Online Payments link above from Tuesday next week.

You will be pay for anything that you would normally pay via the front office.

When you access the Make Online Payments you must enter:

the students name, and
date of birth.

These details are entered each time you make a payment as student information is not held within the payment system. No student's details are given to Westpac. As a consequence, payments for each child need to be made separately. Only the asterisked fields need to be entered. You must also enter details about who is paying and provide an email address.

This is a secure payment system hosted by Westpac to ensure that your credit/debit card details are captured in a secure manner, these details are not passed back to the school.

Under payment options, you enter the activity or item for which you are paying. Write a title in the Payment Description that will enable the School Staff to match your payment with the school activity or item.

You have the ability to check and change any details of the payment before the payment is processed. You can print your own receipts or have the receipt emailed to your email account. This gives you immediate proof that you have paid for the item.

The next morning, details of the payments are passed to the school where they will be matched against your child's account. As a receipt has been issued from the payment page a further receipt will not be issued by us.

Download the instructions Parent User Guide for POP (doc 443 KB) if you need to, but those that have bought online will find it very simple.

Murder in the Depths

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

A great use of scientific method in another fantastic program run but the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre at our school, with the support of the ANU. Students had various bits of evidence that they had to examine and test to solve the mystery. Very professional and a great educational and interesting program!

Delay in NAPLAN REsults

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

On Thursday 5 September ACARA identified an error in the placement of the national average markers on the Years 5 and 7 NAPLAN Student Reports for Language Conventions. Importantly the NAPLAN student data is correct.

ACARA made the immediate decision to halt any further packaging and distribution of NAPLAN reports while options regarding the distribution of correct NAPLAN Student Reports were considered.

ACARA is working closely with Test Administration Authorities (TAAs) in every state and territory to ensure correct reports are distributed.

This matter may result in the delay of the distribution of student reports, possibly to the week of 13 October, however ACARA and TAAs will seek to minimise the delay."

Towamba Hip Hop Crew

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

Towamba students farewelling Jessye who came out to Towamba for 8 weeks of fun Hip Hop sessions this term. Everyone had so much fun; learnt some great moves to some funky music, and parents and community can expect to see some of the moves showcased in the school concert this year! Thanks to the P&C for supporting this program in our school.

Making Payments Online

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

From Monday 14th October it will be possible for our parents to make online payments to the school for amounts owing for students, via a secure payment page hosted by Westpac. Payments can be made using either a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card. The payment page is accessed from the front page of the schools website by selecting $ Make a payment

Items that can be paid include voluntary school contributions, subject contributions, excursions, sales to students and creative and practical arts activities (these include band, drama and dance). There is also a category called Other this to cover items not covered in the previous headings, Other can be used to make a complete payment of a school invoice.

When you access the $ Make a payment you must enter:

the students name, and
class and reference number OR
the students name, and
date of birth.

These details are entered each time you make a payment as student information is not held within the payment system. There is also the option to enter the Student Registration Number and Invoice number if you are aware of them, these are optional fields.

This is a secure payment system hosted by Westpac to ensure that your credit/debit card details are captured in a secure manner, these details are not passed back to the school.

You have the ability to check and change any details of the payment before the payment is processed. Receipts can be emailed and/or printed.

Details of the payments are passed daily to the school where they will be receipted against your child's account. As a receipt has been issued from the payment page a further receipt will not be issued by the school. Permission notes will be amended to include inclusion of online payment reference.

For any enquiries regarding the Online Payment process please contact the School Administration Office.

Looking at arachnids

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

Students enjoyed a fantastic video conference this week all about arachnids, hosted by the Field of Mars EEC. Students had collected arachnids around the school and after learning about arachnids the students used a digital microscope to share the images of their spiders on the interactive whiteboard so that they could be identified by the spider expert. It was fascinating!
Students then did some observational drawings of the collected specimens (see the gallery for more images) and finished off with a fun peacock spider dance while watching a video of this fascinating spider!

Ever wondered what is inside a fish?

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Students in Years 4-6 found out today, with a fantastic outreach program run by the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre, in conjunction with the ANU.

Our students enjoyed dissecting several different types of fish and learning how to identify the organs and their functions. There were no squeamish people- just very enthusiastic and engaged learners!

Thanks Jill and SCMDC for coming to Towamba for this wonderful program.

Check out the gallery for more photos, plus the SCMDC Facebook Page.

Celebrating Education Week

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Thank you to our parents for coming along to school to celebrate Education Week with us. It was a glorious sunny winter's day with a sunny deck and a good spread of food. The students were entertaining with their poetry and performance and a good day was had by all. Thank you for your support.

Crazy!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Towamba students raised nearly $70 for Cystic Fibrosis with their Crazy hair Day on the last day of Term 2, plus had a lot of fun!

Celebrating NAIDOC Week

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

The whole school enjoyed an excursion to Jigamy Farm- the Monaroo Bobberrer Gudu Aboriginal Culture Centre south of Pambula as part of NAIDOC Week Celebrations. A fine day with a wealth of learning and experiences.

Celtic Connections

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Students enjoyed a wonderful performance by Pastance this month in another high quality Musica Viva program. They enjoyed looking at melodies and harmonies and all sorts of wierd and wonderful instruments from the past. There was even a request for more bagpipes at the end! A maypole dance successfully braided the pole and the whole school and adults in the audience enjoyed the fishermens dance in the MPR. More photos in the gallery.

Movie making

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

Four students were lucky to be part of a 2 day movie making camp at the beautiful Bithry Inlet in Mimosa Rocks national park recently. Students from several of the local schools enjoying learning more about making movies and using the ipad and iMovie. Thanks to Tanja school fro organising this wonderful experience.

Questacon Science Circus

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

Students revelled in some interactive science facts and information in an engaging show by the Questacon team. Just love that amazing octopus hair!

Getting crafty

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

K-6 students have really been enjoying some constructional projects with papier mache recently. Look forward to seeing the finished painted up results too! More photos in the gallery, and will update as the projects progress.

Our wonderful mums

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:15 AEST

We hope all our mums enjoyed the lovely little artworks made by the students last week. It was a great idea using a doily to impress a pattern into airdry clay! The patterned clay was then cut into a heart shape with a cookie cutter and ribboned and painted- lovely!

Cross Country Team

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Well done Towamba students. Competing at the Zone Carnival at Wolumla with all those other schools on a sunny Autumn day and doing your best.

Bike Program starts at Towamba School

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Learning some practical skills and being mentored by men are some of the fantastic parts of being part of the Bike Program run by Camobell Page at our school.The program will run over 6 weeks and we are very appreciative that this is being run at our school.

More photos in the gallery- and will be added to each week.

Cross Country

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Well done Towamba students!

Towamba Cross Country

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

Towamba students all did their best in today's school cross country. Disctances ranged from 1.8km for the youngest students to 3km for the oldest. The route is a scenic one around the school and garden area then out the gate into the village of Towamba, past paddocks and horses and around the oval before heading back into school. Thank you to the parents who assisted at checkpoints along the way, and thank you to our photographers Jo, Steph and student Louise. More photos are in the gallery.

Easter Assembly

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Students enjoyed parading their crafty Easter Hats to a large group of parents and community members on the day before Good Friday. The day started with a P&C run BBQ (gourmet style) after which parents enjoyed being shown around the school classrooms and garden by students. An assembly with the popular Easter Hats and a Term 1 slideshow was followed by a fun Easter egg hunt, and the reminder that Term 1 continues after Easter this year!

ASR now available

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

The Annual School Report for last year is now available for perusal. You can access it using the Our School tab above and finding Annual School Reports in the left hand menu. A hard copy will also be sent home with the newsletter next week.

Towamba goes solar

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

Towamba School now proudly has a 7.5kW solar power generating system installed and in action. We are now part of the National Solar Schools and have access to an amazing data portal showing all sorts of information about the power we are generating.

Towamba River: a healthy river

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Students participated in the Autumn Bugwatch with Bob harris from Bournda EEC in March. Many invertebrates were found (as well as a very cute baby eel!), including those that indicate that the river is in good health! What a lovely activity and a great spot.

Science in the garden

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Students have been looking at the principles of science in the school vegetable garden. Examining features such as suspensions, pH, and other aspects, the students had to hypothesise and then do the experiment with their samples. The photo above is not tomato paste of course - it is a pity we didn't remove the label to better demonstrate the enclosed soil in suspension in the bottle!

FSC Small Schools Carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

Six students from Towamba represented our school in the Far South Coast Small Schools Swimming Carnival at Candelo Pool on Friday 15 February. It was great to see the students particiapting in as much as they could and trying their best.

Thank you to the parents for coming along to lend your support. Thank you too to Anne for providing us with some photos to share!

Hook in2Hockey at Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Students enjoyed a hockey workshop at Towamba yesterday with Jonathon, Wendy and Harley from Hockey NSW.

The opportunity to learn another skill was well received.Thank you to our visitors for travelling so far.

Welcome to Kindergarten

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:25 AEST

Principal Kathryn Davis is so excited to welcome little Ted to Towamba School this year.

Year 6 leaders

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Our two Year 6 students in 2013 ready to lead the way!

Back to Towamba in 2013

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

We welcome students in Year 1-6 back to school on Wednesday 30 January. Kindergarten will start on Thursday. Welcome to Towamba School 2013!

Farewell Year 6!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

We will miss this group of Year 6 students, and they will leave a huge hole in our school too!
Graduating Year 6 students enjoyed a fabulous banquet on Friday evening with their parents and staff on our very scenic deck of the Multipurpose Room.
Students prepared the banquet after school, with menu items that used produce from the school garden as much as possible. Dishes such as fresh tomato soup, zucchini slice, tomato tarte tatin, caramelised onion, anchovy and olice tart, pumpkin and potato gratin, herbed spinach rice. baby broad beans with fetta and mint, and garlic ciabatta were the dinner options. There were some complaints that there was so much food that the delicious desserts on offer (rhubabrb and apple crumble, homemade strawberry icecream and berry chocolate pavlova) could not be fitted in - for some!
Congratulations and farewell Year 6 students!

Congratulations!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

The excitement is plain to see! Year 6 student Darcie was the deserving winner of the inaugural Ella Binnie Scholarship, a prize funded by the descendants of Ella Binnie originally of 'Dunblane'.Darcie demonstrated her strong desire to learn, in both her written application and her public speaking in the finalist round.The scholarship is managed by the Eden CWA. Congratulations Darcie!

Swimming a treat this year!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

Students participating in the School Swimming Scheme (nearly the whole school!) have really enjoyed going to the Sapphire Aquatic Centre this year. Rainy or cool days have no impact on the swimming, and hot days are better being indoors too. A great week of upskilling and building persistence and perseverance.

Thank you to our volunteers

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

At Towamba School we have a strong connection to our wonderful Towamba Valley community, with volunteers coming to help with reading, gardening, cooking, lunch orders, school radio, event planning, and scripture. We greatly appreciate the time that you give to our students to expand, enhance and embellish their school experience.

Farewell Mr Crosby

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

This week we say goodbye to Mr Crosby who has been with us for the last 5 weeks as part of his teaching degree at University of Wollongong. Towamba students have enjoyed some fantastic sport and fitness routines, as well as exploring drama and art and the usual lessons. An added bonus was his participation in the Stage 3 camp at Jindabyne Sport and recreation campsite. It has been great having Mr Crosby here at Towamba and we wish him all the best for the completion of his studies.

Whale Wise

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:25 AEST

It's the time of year when many whales are seen in the coastal waters around Eden and nearby coastal towns, plus it's Eden's Whale Festival on the weekend, so a good time to learn more about whales with the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre.
Students also measured out the size of a blue whale in the playground and got the chance to get up close and personal with some whale bones and jaws.

Garden time

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

Students from K12 enjoyed time harvesting all the winter grown veges. A huge surplus of silverbeet and onion mostly!

Frog Habitat

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

Students in the 3-6 class explored the nearby Towamba River looking at frog habitat as part of their study of the frog lifecycle.

Birds from the New World

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

Students enjoyed a day out in Bega recently, attending an exhibition at the Regional Gallery by Nicola Dickson titled Birds From the New World. To make a day of it, students also walked down to the local Bega Valley Primary School and visited there to get a feel for what it is like in a bigger school.

Banquet time at Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

Students enjoyed the last day of term three with a whole school banquet. All students were involved in the harvesting, preparing, cooking and eating of some delightful dishes. Students and staff all sat down together and enjoyed spinach pastries. pasta bake, spinach frittata, baked Jersualem artichokes, home made pizza and herby spinach rice. Dessert was rhubarb crumble and icecream.

The banquet was followed by a assembly featuring the marimba ensembles for their inaugural performance to an audience of parents and community members.

Happy holidays everyone and thank you so much to the parents that do so much for our students and school.

Science is fun!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Students had fun with making circuits and learning more about power and electricity with Bob from Bournda EEC at the end of Term 3. As the sun eventually came out they could also explore solar energy, a good insight as the school will soon be installing solar panels with a National Solar Schools Program grant.

Marimba time!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

There is an exciting new addition in the music room at Towamba Public School. Thanks to a wonderful collaboration within the local community, the school is now in possession of two 3 ½ octave marimbas.

The school's P&C raised the funds to buy two sets of marimba bars and Eden Mitre 10 generously agreed to donate the other materials needed for building the marimba frames.

Of course, once the materials were sorted some help was needed to put it all together. A few fantastic volunteers, working from the Eden Men's Shed, donated their time and expertise and built two sturdy and professional looking marimba frames.

The marimbas look and sound fantastic and can accommodate 3-4 players each. They have already brought Towamba students a lot of fun and enjoyment and will widen the music-making possibilities in the classroom. All the students have been very excited to try them out!

The school, and music teacher Miss Amber Robertson would like to thank everyone who contributed to this project. It is greatly appreciated and makes a big difference to a small school like ours.

Crazy Critters at Towamba

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:04 AEST

Students really enjoyed today's marine science outreach program, run by the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre. The opportunity to really explore and touch and learn more about marine life was greatly appreciated.

Gymnastics Program starts!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

Towamba students will benefit greatly from the gymnastics program running at the school by Activated Gymnastics. The students will be participating weekly for the remaining 5 weeks of term in the gym program, and will develop new skills as they go.

A little taste of opera

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

Sounds Baroque are another of the high standard Musica Viva performing groups that Towamba have hosted this year. The students really enjoyed the performance (and many costume changes) of Hercules this week.

The circus comes to Towamba!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

Students were treated to a great circus workshop at school in Week 4. The success of the program is seen in the amount of students that race to use the circus gear every recess and lunch time.

HAPPY 150th TOWAMBA!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

We had a wonderful day with many many people returning to Towamba and enjoying reconnecting with past friends. Displays were very popular and the cake and our special guests were amazing. More photos in the gallery.

SCLC a blast!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Towamba students did a fantastic job performing the Towamba River rap at the 2012 SCLC Festival of the Performing Arts on 31 July. The many hours spent practising were obvious with a really professional job on the night. Thanks to the parents for the assistance enabling our students to be part of this great event. Kudos to Louise for her wonderful idea and direction.

Some students were also part of a combined schools choir. More photos are on the photo gallery. Thank you to Ross Mannell for the great photos.

Towamba goes crazy and raises money for Cystic Fibrosis research

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

Towamba ended Term 2 with a Crazy Hair Day, culminating a week of learning about Cystic Fibrosis and how children with that condition have a life that is not as easy as ours.The challenge on Friday was to make a line of gold coins 2m long- and we did it! Towamba students raised $83 for Cystic Fibrosis, an amazing result from a small school of 17 families.
Senior girls even had the privilege of doing the Principal's hair for the day- a task they relished with great joy and plumes of spray!

Athletics Carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

It was a sea of red at Bemboka as Towamba students gathered to do their best and have a go at the many track and field events on offer. Thank you to the parents who transported children to Bemboka (we had it easy last year when it was at Towamba!) and who stayed and helped out with the day. It is a privilege to be involved and participate in these events.

More photos in the gallery! If you have some more to share please email them in!

Fishing Excursion

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

This was a new kind of excursion that students hadn't had before- learning all about the basics of responsible fishing and how to fish ethically and sustainably. A beautiful day at Bournda was enjoyed by all, especially after several days of rain and flooding! Fishing (catch and release) was a new experience for many students too.

Local history and people

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

Students from the 3-6 classroom recently enjoyed a local excursion when they walked up to the Towamba cemetery and discovered how much local history and information could be discovered in the scenic historic cemetery.

Stop Work Action Advice

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

On Friday 18 May, students at Towamba School will not be affected by the stop work action

and classes will run as usual.

Visiting the Endeavour replica in Eden

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Towamba enjoyed a rare whole school excursion this week to Eden, to catch up with the HMB Endeavour at the end of a long trip. Students really enoyed learning a lot and experiencing life on a boat in those times. The second part of the day was just as enjoyable with time in the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre. Look out for more photos in the gallery very soon!

Photo courtesy of Ross Mannell

Growing our food garden!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

Students from K12 planted a citrus tree at school this week, adding to our growing number of fruit trees around the school.

Autumn Bugwatch

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

Senior girls participating first week back with our twice yearly Bugwatch of the Towamba River. Third flood of the year happened over the holidays so it has been an interesting year for bug watch this year!

Easter Hat Parade

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Preparations are in place for a great Easter Hat Parade tomorrow, following our End of Term Assembly at 11.30am. Stay on for the P&C barbeque and enjoy a casual relaxed and fun last day of term enjoying our students' achievements and experiences in Term 1 this year.

Annual School Report now available

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

Towamba Public School's Annual School Report for 2011 is now available on the website for your perusal. Just go to the Our School tab above and use the left hand menu to access the Annual School Report page.

Celebrating 20 years

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Mr Macey was presented with a certificate on Thursday 22 March from the Department of Education and Communities, recognising 20 years of service.Steve always keeps our school safe and well maintained- no easy task given the small amount of time allocated and the large amount of grounds to keep on top of. Steve is a wonderful asset to the school and his work above and beyond his actual employment hours is an example of how this community as a whole supports and nurtures the children of Towamba.

Our amazing pumpkins!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:14 AEST

Check out the huge pumpkins the students grew in the school vegetable garden. Students then estimated the weights and measured how much the pumpkins weighed. The heaviest was 32kg!

Our budding scientist

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:14 AEST

Always finding interesting creatures around the school and sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge is our budding scientist!

New technologies

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

Back to school and back into the fun of learning!

Concert night a huge success

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

All Towamba school students excelled themselves with a fantastic school play at the end of the year. The play, titled MSB was written by the students and was extremely well rehearsed, well costumed and well choreographed on the night. The props courtesy of the the students and Mrs Macey were excellent as well.

As well as the concert, with a hall full of the community and standing room only left, the evening included the Presentation Night and Year 6 farewell. More photos are in the gallery.

Welcome back

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Our school website is all upgraded and updated and has a whole new look!

Apologies for the gap in newsletters, but the last three newsletters are now online again.

Stay tuned for some great photos of recent activities soon.

Pizza Canteen Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

The Pizza Canteen Day last week was an important milestone as well as a truly enjoyable day.

It celebrated the fruition of the original garden grant concept titled Seed to Canteen back in 2005.

While only some of the items used in the cooking on Friday were directly from the garden; many other ingredients purchased were items that have been grown in the past at different times of the season in our school garden.

The students proved that by using simple and fresh ingredients, with no need for the other additives used in prepared items, they could produce a delicious and much better product and sell it for the same price – plus make a profit that goes back into the kitchen garden project.

It is hoped that this event becomes a special event each term. Stay tuned for news of the banquet planned for Term 4!

Buzzing from B'tutta!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:02 AEST

Students, parents and community members enjoyed some fabulous high quality music with a performance in the multipurpose room today by percussion band B'tutta.

A very interactive, educational, thought provoking and fun afternoon was had by all!

More photos will go up in the gallery shortly.

Connected classroom in action!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

Towamba students participated in an exciting interactive class with Eden High Science teacher Mr Dodd and his Year 10 students today. The high school students shared their knowledge and mentored the Towamba students on a project propagating herbs, and then students set up an experiment as well. It was an exciting first use of our video conferencing facility and the Bridgit facility with the IWB.

Garden Art Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

Thank you to all the parent and community volunteers for giving your time for our fabulous Garden Art Day this year. Some fantastic creations from the day will soon feature in our school garden and surroundings. What a glorious winter day in the Towamba Valley and a privilege to use the new outdoor classroom in the midst of the school garden. Another wonderful parent-led project at our school.

More photos of the art projects are in the website photo gallery.

Have your say

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Parents and community members are invited to complete a survey as part of our self-evaluation. A paper copy will be going home with this week's newsletter or you can find it attached here.Parent Community SASS Survey (pdf, 53 KB)

Education Week

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Our special Education Week celebrations started with a lovely morning tea on the deck of the Multipurpose Room overlooking the lovely Towamba River. The P&C provided its usual amazing selection of delicious cakes for all to share.

For the following assembly, Towamba Public School was very excited to have Debbie Wray Aboriginal Education Consultant and Rod Slockee Aboriginal Liaison Officer attend as our special guests. Rod played the didjeridu to the collected audience of students, staff, parents, grandparents and community members and it sounded fantastic. We look forward to more visits in our small school.

The assembly featured speeches by our Principal Kathryn Davis and our guest speakers, followed by some persuasive speeches from students in the primary classroom. Entertainment also included some musical items from older girls demonstrating their singing, and a fun musical movement piece by K12 to the music of B'tutta- a band soon to be visiting our school as part of Musica Viva.

Open classrooms after the assembly saw lots of parents and grandparents being eagerly shown student work on the walls, in work books and on the computer. Footage from the recent successful SCLC Performing Arts Festival and the inaugural Music Camp that four of our students attended was screening on the interactive whiteboard as well.

After lunch a games afternoon completed a fantastic celebration of Education Week. A selection of photos is also in the gallery.

Maggie heads north!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

The K12 class are participating in the JuJu Project run by the Country Area Program. A juju mascot made by the children has now been sent off to explore its new home at Bolwarra Public School near Maitland.

Some videoconferencing between the two classes once we receive their juju will be a great experience.

Outdoor Classroom

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:15 AEST

Thanks to the Kids Grow Kids Cook program the Towamba School garden is growing to include an outdoor classroom!

NAIDOC

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

Students in 3-6 had a wonderful day down at Monaroo Bobberrer Gudu Aboriginal Culture Centre this week. The day included many practical activities and shared experiences and celebrated our country's indigenous culture today.

Compost kings

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

What a beautiful compost heap made by the children in the school garden, with assistance from the staff, parents and Kids Grow Kids Cook facilitators. It's cooking nicely!

Kids Grow Kids Cook

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Students in both classes today enjoyed a session with our special visitor Liz Copping. After an initial demo the children worked in groups on their assigned task preparing and cooking vegetables according to the recipe. The resulting Minestrone went down a treat on a chilly day in Towamba. Home made and delicious!

More photos are in the gallery

Towamba Cross Country

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

Well done everyone for a great effort in our school cross country. There are a few photos in the gallery from the day, thanks to our parent helpers.

All the best to the 19 students going on to the Zone Cross Country at Wolumla next week.

Thank you Mum!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

Students in K12 made some fantastic Mothers Day gifts with plants from the school vege garden. Terracotta pots were embellished with glass mosaic tiles and paint. We hope you enjoyed them Mums!

Zoomobile visit

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:26 AEST

This week students enjoyed a visit from the Taronga Zoomobile!

Happy Holidays

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Thank you for a great Term 1. Enjoy a relaxing and safe holiday and we will see you back happy to start Term 2 on Thursday 28 April.

Flood closes school

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

The biggest flood in over 50 years was experienced in the Towamba Valley in March 2011. Communities up and down the valley were all affected by the huge amount of rain and flooding creeks and rivers, creating isolation and damage. Towamba being further downstream had a huge amount of water, with the river rising to amazing heights. The bus shelter used by high school students was the reference for many people, as seen in the photo gallery collected from local families.

School could not open for two days and the third day was minimal attendance as most children and teachers still could not get through due to flooded and damaged crossings. Loss of power and phone also emphasised the physical isolation caused by floods. Thanks to many members of the community who got in and assisted to repair and clear and clean.

Enjoy these photos and some of the flood inspired art in another photo album!

Australian Bush Poetry

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:00 AEST

Students got to act out some classic Australian Bush Poetry with local performer Archie Bishop this week.

See if you can work out the poems from the photos and props!

Learning about our flag

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:12 AEST

Towamba students welcomed local scout leader Mr Keith Hadley to school today. Mr Hadley shared his wealth of information about our flags and brought along some others to show as well. Students learnt about correct flag protocol and what our flags mean in our heritage.

Kids grow- that's for sure!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Every Monday the students of Towamba get into the garden and learn all about growing food and cooking healthy food with the homegrown produce.

Drawing from life

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

K12's enormous sunflowers were the subject of some drawing time for the infants class. The students reap the benefits of having an artist for a teacher; producing some fantastic artwork!

Welcome to our happy students

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:25 AEST

Some of the 2011's Year 6 students were happy to be back on day 1 in their special shirts!

Welcome back!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Students in Years 1 to 6 return to school on Monday 31 January.

Kindergarten students start on Tuesday 1 February.

Happy Holidays!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:09 AEST

Happy holidays everyone!

Look forward to seeing our fantastic students back in 2011.

The B.U.S. Express

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

The school play was held on Tuesday 14 December and it was a big hit in the community. The students wrote the play about a bus trip from Eden to Towamba via all sorts of places, had some fantastic characters and amazing props and some great music. Every student was involved in the night and it was a roaring success. The students are confident and accomplished up on stage and a credit to families, school and community.

See the photo album for more images.

Thanks to parents June, Marty, Rachel, Zoe for prop work, as well as staff and students. Great job!

Farewell Phyllis!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

The school and community today farewelled Mrs Phyllis South. Phyllis has done an amazing job cleaning and looking after the school for 36 years! Over such a long period of time Phyllis has been a part of the lives of many many school children at Towamba School- and in some cases it spans generations where Phyllis was the cleaner for both parent and child while at Towamba School.

Menzies representatives came along too to the morning tea and presented Phyllis with a plaque in recognition of her long period of service. Gifts from the school included a framed collage of children's artwork and a cushion using knitted squares made by the students. An interview with Phyllis was recorded by Maureen Volentras and played on the day accompanied by projected images of students and staff at Towamba School from 1974 until now.

It was a very emotional farewell as many school and community members took the opportunity to say THANK YOU for being part of the Towamba Public School team for so many years – our gratitude is immense. We hope that you enjoy your retirement and spend plenty of time doing just what you like to do.

Teddy Bears Picnic

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:21 AEST

Final day of Kinder Orientation included a teddy bears picnic for all students in the K12 class. It was a lovely day and an idyllic setting. The Principal Kathy Davis joined in the fun as well, enjoying the muffins made earlier in the day by the students in beautiful Towamba. Great work!

Having fun learning

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

The K12 classroom is such a vibrant learning place- it's no wonder the kids love coming to school!

2011 School Dates

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:57 AEST

Here's a handy one page calendar that shows all the school holidays, staff development days and when students start back each term.

Download it for your records!

2011 School Terms Calendar (pdf, 105 KB)

Welcome!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:25 AEST

This week we welcomed next year's new students for kinder. They had a great time getting to know the school and will be back next week for a full day and a show bag of information all about our great school.

Remembrance Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:17 AEST

The 11th Day of the 11th Month is the day when Australians stop to remember the men and women who fought and died in wars and think about those soldiers who are serving in the army overseas right now. Towamba students and staff gathered quietly near the flag pole at 11am to honour this ceremony. We discussed the history, poetry, and tunes associated with the occasion as well as certain protocols such as the flag flying at half mast and standing still and quietly during the one minute silence. All students showed awareness of the solemnity of the moment and, again, were a credit to their families, school and community.

The Towamba Melbourne Cup

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

Nothing beat the Towamba version of the Melbourne Cup last Tuesday! Students dressed up with amazing hats and fascinators made for the event, participated in horse races and other games and activities and had a great time. More photos are in the photo albums.

Welcome morning tea

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Parents joined with the new Principal Kathy Davis for an informal morning tea on the deck of the MPR on a glorious Spring day.

Welcome back!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Welcome to Term 4 and our new Principal Kathy Davis!

Farewell

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:07 AEST

Mr Hockings was very surprised on Friday when he was presented with a rug hand-knitted by the students, and embroidered with their names, as his farewell gift. The rug project had been secretly going on for the whole term with a beautiful result.

Each student was represented on the rug- so nobody will be forgotten!

Towamba School would like to wish Gareth, Mel and Maya all the best on their move and new life on the Far North Coast.

All the best!

Sustainable Living

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:20 AEST

Students enjoyed a visit from the staff of Bournda EEC on Monday as part of 2010 the Year of Living Sustainably.
K12 class looked at waste and the older class explored plants, soil and water.

Towamba's SCLC Performance

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

We were pleased this week to receive a CD of photos from the Sapphire Coast Learning Community Performing Arts Festival earlier in the term. There are some fantastic photos!
More will be uploaded to the website shortly.

DVDs of the performance for those families who ordered them have come in and will be distributed shortly.

Enjoy the wonderful performance and the sea of talent all over again!

Towamba Story Writing Award

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

Congratulations to Mabel and Hannah for winning the inaugural Towamba Story Writing Award for their imaginative and well illustrated stories.

Mabel wrote 'Living under the Bridge' and Hannah wrote a story titled 'My Life built on letters'. Both stories used the theme for Book Week which was Bridge.

Encoruragemnent awards went to Liam and Astrid.

Well done

Exploring Energy

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Students had a great day on Friday exploring different types of energy with the staff of Bournda EEC as part of Science Week celebrations.

Introducing the new classroom

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

K12 have definitely settled into their new room, and doesn't it look fantastic!

Minibeasts in action!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

Students in the K12 classroom have been learning all about various minibeasts so it was exciting for them to discover a beautiful spiderweb glistening on a clear frosty morning!

Art & Craft Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

Art and Craft Day was celebrated this week as part of Education Week. Workshops were led in woodwork (making letterboxes), felting (hats, boots and bags), textiles (wall hangings), copperwork and mosaics.

Share the day with the photos in the gallery.

SCLC Practice

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Students have really enjoyed preparing for their performance at the Sapphire Coast Learning Community Performing Arts Festival coming up on Tuesday 3 August.

Sam Martin is a very inspiring music teacher.

Ex-Towamba student author

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Ex-Towamba student Cabrini d'Arcy Stewart an author at 14 years!

See the article here (pdf, 31 KB)

3-6 Bali Adventure

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:58 AEST

For the past 8 Weeks the 3-6 class have been studying the different areas of Bali culture. We have all enjoyed each others presentations, from cooking and tasting traditional food, learning a bit of the local language, looking at traditional dress and celebrations and practicing some of the interesting art and craft techniques. The journey has been interesting and fun and we have learnt about how the people of Bali lived and live today and the differences between our culture and theirs.

By Bronte & Doug

The taste of Bali

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:22 AEST

Students in the primary room have been looking at many aspects of Balinese culture with Mrs D recently. A unique fruit salad was enjoyed by all on the MPR deck with fruit including pomelo, pinaeapple, apple, cucumber (!) and banana, with a sweet chilli sour sauce.

Potato time!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:16 AEST

K12 harvested the garden's potato crop and looked at potato as a food in the food pyramid, and then cooked and ate them too!

More photos in the gallery.

Value adding the garden produce

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Garden Club kids harvesting the tomatoes and worked well to produce a batch of 2010 Garden Club Tomato Pickles- ready to sell at the Towamba Fire and Wood Carnival. The proceeds go towards making further purchases for the garden.

See the photo gallery for more images of the cooking co-operative learning session.

Anzac Day

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

Towamba School held a special Anzac Day ceremony on Friday 23 April. The Last Post echoed through the valley and the students all participated in the day.

Fun first day back!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:08 AEST

Towamba School's annual bug watch survey was a fun wayto start back for Term 2. The river had water in it and everything looked beautiful. Stay tuned for the results and comparison to past years. Check the photo gallery for more photos too.

Easter Hat Parade

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Last day of term was a great day. We had a fantastic musical performance by all- singing songs ranging from quirky to heavy metal, accompanied by older students on guitar and keyboard. The Easter Hat parade showed off some very interesting designs (see more in the albums) and then the kids enjoyed games, egg hunts and lunch alongwith parents and community members. All ready for a great holiday break too!

Towamba School Garden

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:23 AEST

The garden groups have been looking after the vegetable gardens well- check out the cute eggplant!

Last cooking day they all enjoyed making and eating zucchini slice, pesto pasta and apple and rhubarb crumble- all made from the Towamba School garden produce.

How exciting!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Students were very excited to see the new classroom arrive this week- on three different trucks! A large crane then manoeuvred everything into place and we have a lovely new building at our school. It was the focus of all attention over recess especially when the crane was in action. More photos of the classroom construction are in the photo album gallery.

Enjoying the contrast

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

Students (and a teacher!) enjoying the lush green growth. Towamba has been lucky to have received some good rain in recent weeks and locals have enjoyed the return of the river flow and lush green grass everywhere!

Having fun with science

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Students in the primary class this week are using scientific method to investigate some mysterious white powders. They have been examining the appearance, solubility and other characteristics of the provided substances in an experiment to try and solve the mystery.

Zone Swim Carnival

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:26 AEST

Congratulations to the three Towamba School students who represented the Far South Coast Small Schools at the Zone Swimming Carnival on February 17.

Well done!

Having fun learning

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Learning is always fun when working with another.

Welcome to 2010

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:24 AEST

Welcome back to 2010- the vege garden did very well over the holiday period. Thank you to the parents for their time looking after it, enabling the students to harvest a bumper crop!

New to the website this year will be access to permission notes etc- additional forms that are sent out via the newsletter but will also be accessible on the website.

Form downloads can be accessed from the menu on the Our School page.

Concert Night was wonderful!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:03 AEST

The hall was packed as people from the valley and beyond attended Towamba School's End of Year Presentation. The students performed a play called Video and the Terrible Twins which had some fantastic music, costumes, props and jokes too! Over supper many agreed it was the best play yet!

After a fantastic supper spread was enjoyed by all, the Presentation part of the night began. The four new students commencing Kinder in 2010 were welcomed as well as a farewell to the four Year 6 students going on to High School.

Awards were presented and thank yous were made. Well done.

The school choir and band led the way with the carol singing and when Santa arrived on the fire truck the children were excited to receive their book gifts.

Well done everyone and have a great Christmas and happy holidays.

IWB

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:11 AEST

Working with the interactive classroom has been a great experience for both students and staff alike!

Digital Storytelling

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:05 AEST

Students learnt a lot of technology and the preparatory work involved in Digital Storytelling this week as they enjoyed a three day workshop. After a day of planning, preparation and storyboarding the children worked with their photos, adding them into Photostory. Their naration, accompanied by original music made in Acid was added to the movies. The screening in the classroom on the last day was very enjoyable and we all learnt more about each other.

School Parents e-zine

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:18 AEST

The latest School Parents e-zine is now online.

School parents e-zine

Visit the link to explore some of the current topics:

how to talk to your child about sex
rceipes for allergy free lunches
new opportunities at high school
parents supporting their teenagers through the HSC
the emotional help you need when you need it
how to get your children in free to museums and galleries

www.schools.edu.au/schoolparents

Holiday time

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:10 AEST

Enjoy a safe, happy and relaxing holiday and we'll see you back at school on the 19th of October. Look forward to hearing about your holidays next term.

Expeditioners return!

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:06 AEST

See the gallery for some great photos of the Bournda Outdoor Expedition.

Science & Ag Roadshow

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:19 AEST

Towamba had a visit today from some past students with the arrival of the Science and Ag Roadshow from Eden Marine High School.

Kali and Caley, alongwith some students from other areas, led groups of Towamba students in science experiments. They explored exothermic and endothermic reactions, magnetism, and pH testing.

In the Ag enclosure, students had close encounters with lambs, chickens and rabbits. A bank of microscopes was also set up for the students to look at things close up.

All in all, a great day. Mr Bradley from EMHS said that the setting for the science activities on the deck of the MPR was the best venue yet!

Animation

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:19:59 AEST

The primary students have been having a lot of fun creating animations using playdough in Technology on Fridays. We are using movie maker to put the images together and look forward to the school screening of some great animations.

The school assembly on Friday 25 September will showcase the animation movies.

Book Week

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:01 AEST

Towamba always does Book Week with style. Many thanks to Mrs Macey for organising the Fair and Parade- in which we saw a great number of wonderful characters lifted off the pages of books and into real life on our very own school oval. At one point I thought I must have walked into a parallel dimension as I looked around to see tigers and fairies, policemen and hunters!

Reading is highly valued by students at Towamba. The fair was a wonderful opportunity for the kids to look at books and purchase a few to read at their leisure. Students also wrote poems and literary responses, with some outstanding results.

See the photos in our website gallery.

See the attached PDF for some of the poems.PDFBooks are.....(PDF 411Kb)

New School Website

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 22:20:13 AEST

The new Towamba School website is currently being created. Watch this space as it grows and expands to become a fantastic record of our school and our student's achievements.