The high school and primary school at Narooma both have bumper classes of new students for the new school year of 2017.
There is a big class of 82 new Year 7s at Narooma High School, according to Year 7 advisor Kate Klose, who said the students were all fitting in well, learning the ropes and their way around school.
Principal Tony Fahey said it great to have such a big class and it showed local parents had faith in Narooma High School to provide a good education for their children.
“We’re up a little on the previous year, which is always nice,” Mr Fahey said. “They seem to be a great group of students and have enjoyed their first week at high school.”
The Year 7s this week are all away at a school camp at the Bournda Environmental Education Centre at Kalaru, which the new students attend every year for some bonding, personal development and to learn leadership skills.
“They’ll get to know each other and break down barriers as they have all come from different primary schools,” he said.
Narooma Public School meanwhile has 60 new kindergarten children in 2017, a big increase from last year where it had 47 students moving into Year 1.
“Narooma Public School currently has 422 children at our school and we will be keeping similar structures as per last year,” principal Paul Sweeney said.
Back at the high school, Mr Fahey has taken on a new role for the next two years being appointed liaising principal school leader for his fellow public school principals from Milton to Eden, where he will perform support and mentoring role.
He will be away for up to three days week for the role but in his absence John Melville and Andrew Thomas will be acting principals.
In other local education news, The Crossing Land Education Trust at Bermagui is offering school-based traineeships for students now completing Year 10.
The traineeship involves:
- One day a week paid work with The Crossing Land Education Trust (with some extra multi-day work periods)
- One day a week TAFE attendance to study Certificate 2 in Land Conservation Management (at Bega or Moruya TAFE or to study Certificate 2 in Tourism and Hospitality)
- Three days a week school attendance to complete your HSC (the TAFE Certificate 2 means less subjects need to be taken at school for the HSC)
Successful completion of the school-based traineeship may lead to a career in outdoor education. Crossing trainees have won the School Based Trainee of the Year awards in 2012 and 2016.
Traineeship tasks include:
- assisting groups of young people on journeys with bushwalking, bike riding, canoeing and camping
- landscaping, garden maintenance and fencing,
- food growing and food preparation
- tree identification, growing, planting and maintenance (Landcare)
- forest survey to measure changes in the forest over time
Please call the project director, Dean Turner on 6493 3400 or thecrossing@thebegavalley.org.au to arrange a time to visit The Crossing to discuss the traineeship.
Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
