Week 9 Friday 13 June 2025

Important Dates

Hello, Werte!

Werte!

Dear families,

This is our final newsletter for Term 2 with plenty to celebrate.

Student teams competed against Yirara College in an interschool soccer event last week. Student Leaders spoke up against bullying with a modest but well received ‘Do It For Dolly’ lunchtime event. They also supported the ‘CMS for South Sudan’ bake sale, which was a delicious success, raising over $6,000 for children impacted by war, displacement and disease. All our local Year 6 classes have now had their first transition visit to CMS, with students and teachers making them feel welcome and excited for next year. Thanks to the Centralian College staff for also extending a welcome to our Year 9 students in their first transition visit. And finally, music to our ears was the news that the CMS rock band took first place in their Eisteddfod event; you can hear the full song on our CMS Facebook page. Like and subscribe 😊

Of course, our core business is teaching and learning so that our young people improve in literacy, numeracy and all the skills needed to be successful in their senior years of school and beyond. It is wonderful to see the assessment tasks being completed in all subject areas. Reports will be mailed home, so please look out for them at the start of the holidays.

Attendance can drop in Term 2 with cold and flu season as well as the long weekends. Please remember to contact the school on 89552333 if your young person is sick or absent from school for any other reason. On a positive note, 117 students earned the Subway and donut attendance lunch for two weeks of excellent attendance on Friday 6^th June.

We have been focusing on our school value of ‘Respect’ lately, specifically kind and respectful language. We understand that banter and jokes are part of life, but there is no place for hurtful language, racism or other forms of bullying. Thank you for supporting us with the message that words matter, words can hurt or heal. Everyone needs to feel safe and well at school for learning.

Finally, we wish all our students a safe and relaxing three week break. Keep warm, enjoying any camping trips and see the community notices at the bottom of this newsletter for holiday activities. We look forward to welcome students back to school on Tuesday 15^th July.

Glenda McCarthy

Principal

Attendance on Compass

Our new Compass platform allows parents to check attendance and provide reasons for absence. If you haven’t received an email invitation from Compass, it might mean we don’t have a valid email address on record. Please email centralian.middle@education.nt.gov.au with your updated details.

South Sudan Bake Sale

CMS for South Sudan

Staff and Student leaders held a successful bake sale for South Sudan on Thursday 5^th June.

After hearing about the tragic situation of children impacted by violence, displacement and disease outbreaks, teacher Adam Haack suggested the fundraiser. Two Sudanese teachers, Gatkuoth Kueth and Tethloach Ruey, encouraged the bake sale. The conflict in South Sudan affects people that have connections with some CMS staff and students. CMS partnered with Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) who will turn the money raised into much needed medicine, food and essential items.

Students and staff brought in an amazing array of baked goods which they served at recess and lunch to students and staff, and then to families after school. Some people chose to make donations instead of purchases, including members of the Alice Springs Sudanese community who expressed their gratitude for the event. Over $6,000 has been raised, and the donation window is open until June 20^th.

A big thanks to Adam Haack for all his work, and to everyone who supported with time and energy. The CMS for South Sudan brought staff, students and community together through compassion and delicious food!

Year 8 English & History

Alice Springs might seem a long way from the Pacific Ocean, but despite the distance, approximately eight per cent of CMS students have some kind of Polynesian or Pacific Islander background. This term the history and culture of Pacific Islanders has been the focus of the Year 8 English and History curriculum. In English lessons, students have studied Moana, analysing film techniques and discussing the deeper meanings of the film. Is it a story about…

• overcoming fear and being true to yourself?
• a strong female character who challenges stereotypes?
• the importance of tradition especially among Pacific Islander communities?
• taking care of the environment?
• all these things and more at the same time?

In History lessons students have investigated the expansion of the Polynesian peoples across the Pacific Ocean – from Hawaii to New Zealand to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). They have used their inquiry and research skills to answer historical mysteries such as…

• where did the Polynesians originally come from - South East Asia or South America?
• why is the sweet potato so important?
• how did Polynesian wayfinders successfully navigate thousands of kilometres across the ocean?
• what caused the collapse of society on Rapa Nui?
• how were the giant stone statues (Moai) transported across the island of Rapa Nui?

To finish our study of Polynesian history and culture, students enjoyed a lesson making their own Moai statues from clay.

Joel Morrison

Year 8 English and History

Duke of Edinburgh

Congratulations to Hannah Munn!!

Hannah Munn is one of 40 students across Year 8 and 9 currently enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh, Bronze Award at Centralian Middle School. As part of her award, Hannah's new skills were within the Prepared Reading and Recital from Memory reading in the 2025 Centralian Eisteddfod.  Hannah spent over 13 hours practicing and rehearsing for these categories. She won the Prepared Reading section and was Highly Commended in the Recital from Memory Section.

STARS

As Semester 1 wraps up, take a look at some of the amazing things our STARS students have been up to.

Year 9 Stars students volunteering with umpiring at the primary school gala day

Some of our Year 9 STARS students had the opportunity to volunteer at the all-girls Primary School AFL Gala Day. Whether they were on the field as umpires or at the goals, the girls stepped up with enthusiasm and confidence. They demonstrated outstanding leadership and were fantastic role models for the younger students throughout the day. They were also lucky enough to meet a few Melbourne Demons AFL players—including local superstar Ricky Mentha—which made the experience even more exciting and memorable.

Year 7 & Year 9 sleepover

Unfortunately, our planned camp to Tennant Creek for the STARS OzTag Carnival had to be cancelled due to the wet weather. Instead, we held a fun sleepover at the school to reward the girls for their hard work throughout the term. Despite the rain, we made the most of the sleepover with activities around town—including a scenic drive to Simpsons Gap, a few competitive rounds at the bowling alley, and some laughs at the driving range. It turned out to be a memorable experience after all!

Mother's Day Card Making & Candle Making

For Mother’s Day, our thoughtful STARS students created their own unique candles and handmade cards to show appreciation and love for the special women in their lives—whether it was their mum, sister, nana, or aunty. It was a beautiful way for the girls to express gratitude and give something truly personal.

We’re all looking forward to a well-deserved break but are also very excited for a busy and rewarding Term 3 ahead!

The STARS team!

Interschool Soccer CMS vs Yirara College

The Term 2 Interschool Soccer friendly comp between Yirara College & CMS went excellently on Friday. Thank you to the many staff across the schools and community involved in making the day possible, and to all the students who participated whether in the sporting element or supporting the BBQ lunch. It was a massive team effort, and everyone had their moment to shine.

The results were:

• Round #1 Fellas- CMS vs YC: 3 Points Tie
• Round #1 Ladies- CMS vs YC: Yirara winning with 0 to 1
• Round #3 Fellas- CMS vs YC: CMS 3 -Yirara 1

It was a very positive day, with great feedback from CMS, Yirara & Football Northern Territory staff who attended. Looking forward to networking more with Yirara College and their students in the future.

See below some photos of the day!

Kind Regards

Rebecca Stephens

8.5 8.6 9.5 9.6 HPE Teacher

General Information 2025

Uniform Shop

Student Access (opposite the CMS Front Office) will be open for purchasing uniforms and stationery packs.

Opening hours are:

Monday - Friday 8:30-4pm

The new CMS royal blue hoodie and CMS black trackpants are available for students to wear with the cold winter weather.

It's great to see students embracing the CMS Uniform and wearing with pride and respect.

Students are reminded to wear FULLY enclosed shoes to school.  Crocs, thongs or slides are not acceptable and are a safety and WHS concern. Parents/Carers are asked to remind their young person(s) to wear correct footwear.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS