BIRRONG BULLETIN

The Newsletter of Birrong Girls High School Cooper Road, Birrong 2143 Telephone: 9644 5057 Fax: 9644 8157

Issue No. 1 February 2013

„Ad astra‟ – Reaching for the Stars

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT After 7 months Long Service Leave in 2012 spent touring remote and very beautiful parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, I have returned to Birrong Girls this year refreshed and more committed than ever to build on the school‟s long tradition of success. I owe a huge “thank you” to Ms Fletcher, the Relieving Principal, who led the staff and students very ably during my absence. I was delighted to learn that during that time the school was awarded the Director-General’s Award for Quality Teaching in recognition of the skill, dedication and hard work of our teachers. In this the first edition of the Birrong Bulletin for 2013, I warmly welcome to the school community our new teachers: Mr Merv Da Cunha (Head Teacher Technology and Applied Studies); Ms Melinda Feld (Head Teacher History/LOTE); Ms Farrah Bassam (Science); Ms Aya Jarvis (English); Mr Tony Kazzi (Maths); and Ms Tamela Martin (English) an exchange teacher from Canada. In addition I am very pleased to welcome all our new students, especially our keen Year 7 students, and their families. As this Bulletin goes to the press, preparations are underway for the Welcome Barbecue for all new students and parents to be held on Wednesday 13 February from 5-7pm. This is an excellent opportunity for all new parents to meet your daughter‟s teachers and classmates in an informal and relaxed setting. We expect a large crowd at this barbecue as this year we have enrolled more than 153 new girls including 125 girls in Year 7. I encourage all new families to come along and meet our school community. Excellent 2012 HSC results Congratulations to our 116 successful 2012 HSC students and especially to the high achievers whose names were published in the Board of Studies‟ Distinguished Achievers‟ List for marks over 90 (Band 6) in a course.

All teachers involved with Year 12 2012 should be very pleased with our 22 credits (Band 6 or above 90 in a course) in 14 courses shared amongst 19 students.

More than 50% of our 2012 HSC class were offered places at university and many students achieved UAIs above 90.

Congratulations girls, we are very proud of you all! HSC Course HSC Distinguished Achiever

Ancient History Vivian Tran

Vicki Wong

Business Studies Vivian Tran

Community and Family Studies

Leila Abdallah

Lauren Clarke

English (Advanced) Fatma Alameddine

Lily Huang

Emily Trinh

Legal Studies Emily Trinh

General Mathematics Sally (Kwai Meng) Chok

Hiba Dabliz

Samiha Elkheir

PDHPE Vicki Wong

Society and Culture Fatma Alameddine

Studies of Religion I Fatma Alameddine

Emily Trinh

Studies of Religion II Leila Abdallah

Textiles and Design Lily Huang

Thanh An Vo

Business Services Leila Abdallah

Hospitality Aimee- Lee Fisher

Heather Miller

Inside this issue: Page/s

Principal’s Report 1-2

Report from the Deputy Principals 2-3

Introducing the New Teachers 3-4

Student Attendance Information 5

Welcome BBQ for new students and their parents 5

Welfare Matters 6-7

Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) Program 7

School Swimming Carnival 2013 7

Mobile Phone Policy 7

From the Careers Room 8

Library News and Chess Club 9

A Thai-riffic! Assignment 10

North Sydney Boys High School Environment Excursion 10

Important Anaphylaxis Information 10

Amnesty/Environment Holiday Stall 11

Year 10 Students Graduate from UTS Summer School 11

BGHS Homework Centre 12

School Calendar 12

Free Summer Hockey Comp 12

Teen Triple P Parenting Program 13

Homework / Study Time Plan 14

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2012 Achievements Celebrated Our 2012 Presentation Day was held at the Bankstown Sports Club and was a whole school celebration of the academic, sporting and civic achievements of our students. Ms Zeynab Gamieldien, a former student of Birrong, was our very entertaining and inspirational guest speaker.

Ms Fedes and her excellent team ensured that this event was a great showcase of our students‟ success. Thank you too to all the families who came to share the celebration. Congratulations to:

Isabella Pham (Year 11) who received the Jason Clare MP 2012 Community Service Award in December 2012. Privacy and Communications Throughout the year, the school will be publishing examples of student work as well as names and photographs of our girls in publications such as the local newspapers, the Birrong Bulletin, the school magazine and even the school‟s website. If you have any objections to your daughter‟s work, name or photograph being published in this way could you please inform the Principal in writing as soon as possible. Parent Involvement This year P&C meetings will again be held in the Common Room at 5pm on the Wednesday of Weeks 3 and 8 of each term. Each meeting will be introduced by a special focus segment for parents. Parents are encouraged to attend the Welcome Barbecue on Wednesday 13 February, where we meet and greet our new parents informally, and the first formal meeting of the P&C on Wednesday 20 March. I invite you to contact the school to make an appointment with me (Tel: 9644 5057) if you have any issues that you wish to discuss about your daughter‟s education. I hope you enjoy reading about the achievements and activities of the school in the following pages.

Kind regards

Jenni Wilkins Principal

REPORT FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPALS What you do makes you who you are… Success is the sum of small efforts repeated daily…

We would like to welcome all our parents, caregivers and students to the start of another busy year at Birrong Girls High School (BGHS).

To our Year 7 students and to those girls who are newly enrolled we wish you a fulfilling year. We are confident that you will enjoy your time at BGHS. It is a wonderful school; the students are friendly and helpful; the staff are experienced, highly qualified and dedicated. You will have already noticed that the environment of our school is conducive to learning and to participating in the many activities that are part of school life here at BGHS.

To all our returning students we welcome you back to another year of learning, academic success and personal growth. At the beginning of this new year at school, we encourage you to use your diaries to support your learning and to help you improve your study techniques. Our school diaries have been designed specifically to assist you with time management techniques and to motivate you to learn to the best of your ability.

We hope that you will start this year aiming to achieve your personal best in all areas of school life. The most helpful advice we can give you is to begin 2013 with high expectations of what you want to achieve. Now is the time to organise your homework space, a quiet place where you can concentrate whilst you complete your homework and revision every night. Now is the perfect time too, to complete a homework/study time plan (see last page of this bulletin), so that you can fit in all your after school activities and not fall behind at school. It is very important in these first few weeks of school to establish good habits, like packing your school bag the night before, ensuring that you have a DEAR book and your timetable every day, and being certain that all the work you complete at home and at school reflects your very best efforts.

The successes of our students are always the result of strong partnerships between students, their families and their teachers. We encourage parents to support the progress of your daughter by taking an interest in her homework and helping her to improve her study skills, through monitoring the use of her school diary.

BGHS has a rich tradition of academic success. It is a school which encourages extra-curricular interests such as sport, debating, chess, the environment team, the Amnesty group, etc. We urge all Birrong students to begin the school year

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seriously, by laying strong foundations for success. Remember, it is important to be proactive. You will be successful if you work seriously, with concentration; participate thoughtfully in all learning activities; come to school in correct uniform, with the correct equipment, prepared for every lesson; take pride in your homework and get into the habit of following your homework/study time plan.

If it is difficult to find a quiet space or if you need support to complete your homework, make certain that you organise to hand in your note to attend the Homework Centre, as soon as possible. Attending the Homework Centre will ensure that you are able to complete your homework and assessments effectively, with the help of the teachers who staff the centre four afternoons a week.

The beginning of the new school year is the time when we remind each student of BGHS to remember to live by the values of our school:

* Personal Excellence * Respect * Responsibility * Cooperation * Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion * Integrity Not only do these values underpin the culture and expectations of our school, they are a checklist for your personal and academic success. If you are upset by a problem, seek help from a teacher before the problem grows. Often advice from friends is not effective because they may be experiencing the same problem too!

Finally we would like to sincerely congratulate our one hundred and sixteen 2012 HSC students who achieved impressive HSC results across twenty nine different courses. We wish all those students good luck as they look forward to using what they have learnt at school to begin their adult lives.

We look forward to a year of success and accomplishment for all our students.

Ad Astra Ms Crossan and Ms Fletcher Deputy Principals

INTRODUCING THE NEW TEACHERS

Merv Da Cunha Head Teacher Technology and Applied Studies

My name is Merv Da Cunha. I joined Birrong Girls High this year as Head Teacher in the Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) faculty. I am a qualified chef. I did my training in London and worked in many

restaurants and hotels for more than twenty years. In 2000, I had the chance to retrain as a teacher which would give me the opportunity to pass on my skills and knowledge of the Hospitality industry to others and have never looked back. I have a Bachelor of Education in Technology and Applied Studies, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and Commercial Cookery qualifications. I have spent the last nine years at Bankstown Senior College where I taught Hospitality (as food is my passion) and Computing which I really enjoy. I am excited to work in this new position and I have been warmly accepted by the TAS faculty team. I would like to thank everyone who I have met so far for making me feel very welcome. I am looking forward to my time here at Birrong Girls High.

Melinda Feld Head Teacher History/LOTE

This year I joined Birrong Girls High School as Head Teacher of the History and Languages faculty. My career path has taken many exciting turns over the years. I have taught at Punchbowl Boys and Strathfield South High Schools and been Head of the History faculty at Wiley Park Girls High School. I came to Birrong Girls High School for the first time in 2004 as Head Teacher of Administration.

Last year I was the Relieving Deputy Principal at Walcha Central School. This was a fantastic experience working and living in a small rural community in New South Wales.

In between school positions I was in private enterprise, had a wonderful time teaching in England and worked for the Department of Education and Communities in South Western and Sydney Regions as a Student Welfare Consultant.

It‟s great to be back at Birrong Girls High and I look forward to contributing to the school‟s excellent quality teaching and learning environment.

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Farrah Bassam Science

My name is Farrah Bassam and I have just joined the Science faculty at Birrong Girls High School in 2013. At university I completed an undergraduate double degree in Forensic Biology and Biomedical Science graduating in 2010. Upon the completion of my degree I decided to undertake a Masters of Teaching which I completed in October 2012. I was appointed to Birrong Girls by the DEC as I was on a scholarship program. My first university practicum teaching block was completed at Beverly Hills Girls High, followed by my second teaching block at Blakehurst High School. I also completed a Term 3 internship at Beverly Hills Girls. I believe that every student is entitled to a quality education whereby they are able to become informed educated citizens of the wider Australian community. Science has always been my passion and I aim to instil my enthusiasm and knowledge to the students by fostering a safe yet challenging learning environment. I have felt extremely welcomed and would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff and students and I look forward to working with everyone here at Birrong Girls High.

Aya Jarvis English

My name is Aya Jarvis. I am newly appointed to Birrong Girls High as an English/Drama teacher. I was working at Moorefield Girls High last year as a temporary teacher where I taught English. I also built a commercial café where Year 10 students completed a Barista course

and worked in the café serving coffee to teachers and seniors as well as toasted sandwiches, smoothies, ice chocolate/coffee and other treats. I created a Glee Club and performed throughout the Kogarah area in competitions and Guerrilla gigs. Before Moorefield Girls I taught English/Drama at Riverside Girls and Kingsgrove North and also taught English at Malek Fahd Islamic High School. I am excited to be here and hope to be involved in many aspects of school life.

Tony Kazzi Mathematics

My name is Tony Kazzi. I am new to the Mathematics faculty in 2013. I am looking forward to teaching at Birrong Girls High School.

At the University of New South Wales, I completed a Science Degree and Diploma of Education. I have been with the Department of Education as a Mathematics teacher since 1990.

Mathematics is a passion of mine, especially applied Mathematics. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you.

Please say hello as you pass by. Again I appreciate and look forward to working with both teachers and students.

Tamela Martin English

First of all, I‟m so excited to be at Birrong Girls High! I just moved here from Canada and am doing a year-long exchange. This adventure was something I‟ve been interested in for over 10 years. I finally felt brave enough to make it come true. I filled in the paperwork and was accepted last May. After many months of

mixed emotions, lesson planning and suitcase packing, I arrived here ready to soak up the sun. This was quite exciting since all of my Canadian friends and family are back home shovelling snow. I‟ve taught high school for 19 years and am excited to learn new things throughout my year in Australia. Birrong is a new adventure since I‟ve only taught the senior boys and girls. I‟m sure the staff and students will enjoy teaching me the new Australian lingo. I‟m happy to also share my Canadian ways! Thanks so much to all of you who have made me feel so welcomed. I‟m looking forward to getting to know everyone!

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STUDENT ATTENDANCE INFORMATION

Welcome to the start of another fantastic year. It is always a good time at the onset of the school year to refresh our memories about the attendance procedures for Birrong Girls High. What do I do IF I COME LATE TO SCHOOL?

School starts at 8:30am.

If you are late you must go to the late desk (near the finance office) and get a large blue late note.

What do I do WITH THE BLUE LATE NOTE?

Show the blue late note to your class teacher and then see Mrs George at recess.

Take the blue late note home to your parents and ask them to complete the reason for your lateness.

Return the blue late note the next day to Mrs George – Head Teacher Administration.

What do I do IF I KNOW I WILL BE LATE TO SCHOOL?

You should bring a note from home explaining why you are late.

Hand this note in at the late desk (near the finance office).

You will be given a small blue note.

Show this small blue note to your class teacher and see Mrs George at recess.

What do I do IF I COME TO SCHOOL AFTER ROLL CALL IS FINISHED?

If you arrive late to school, no matter what time, you must always sign in at the front office.

Do not just go to class. The school must know that you are here and you must see Mrs George at recess.

What do I do IF I AM ABSENT FROM SCHOOL (TEXT MESSAGING)?

Your parents are asked to ring and notify the school before you receive a text message.

Your parents are to reply to the text message on the day of your absence.

The text reply should include your name, roll class, date of absence and reason for absence.

The phone call or text reply explains the absence and there is no need to write an absence note.

If you are away for a few days your parents are to ring or reply via text and send a Doctor‟s Certificate to school when you return.

What do I do IF I AM GOING ON A HOLIDAY?

You must inform the school that you are going on a holiday. Do not just leave.

Your parents must provide a letter explaining where you are going, your date of departure from school and your date of return to school.

If your holiday is for 2 weeks or more your mother or father must have a meeting with the Principal.

Your parents must complete forms from the Department of Education.

If you are going overseas you must bring a photocopy of the plane ticket.

What do I do IF I NEED TO LEAVE SCHOOL EARLY?

You must never just walk out of the school.

Bring a note from your parents explaining what time you must leave and why you must leave.

Include your name, roll class and date on the letter.

Give this letter to Mrs George – Head Teacher Administration no later than 8:20am on the day you need to leave. You will be issued with a School Leave Pass.

What do I do IF I AM AT SCHOOL AND I FEEL SICK?

Never just ring your parents to pick you up.

Get a note from your class teacher to leave the room.

You must then see Mrs Paul (Science) or Mrs Markkunen (Finance Office).

They will contact your parents or family member. What do I do IF I AM MARKED ABSENT AT ROLL CALL BUT I WASN’T? (eg work placement)

Speak to your roll call teacher

If you receive a letter asking where you were, bring this letter to Mrs George or Ms Pirie (Reception).

Please monitor your daughter‟s attendance by recording in a diary or on a calendar the days that she has been absent from school. Could you please ring the school or reply via text message when your daughter is absent so that we can ensure a greater system of monitoring your daughter‟s attendance. If you have any concerns with your daughter‟s attendance please feel free to contact me at the school. Thank you. Mrs George Head Teacher Administration

To all new 2013 parents (and especially Year 7 parents)

You are invited to a

on Wednesday, 13 February from 5.00pm – 7.00pm

for a welcome to Birrong Girls High School

We hope to see you there!

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WELFARE MATTERS The Welfare Team members warmly welcome all students back to school, especially our Year 7 students and newly enrolled students. We wish all students and their families a very fulfilling and successful year. We look forward to working with families to support the growth, development and wellbeing of our students. Our school Welfare Team consists of the School Counsellor, Ms Athena Tselepi, the Careers Adviser, Ms Jacqui Austin, the Year Advisers and Assistant Year Advisers, as listed below, and the Head Teacher Welfare, Ms Cathy Salvagio. Ms Tselepi is on leave for the next three weeks and is replaced by Ms Rynsaardt who will be at the school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Parents and guardians can make an appointment to see our School Counsellor, the Head Teacher Welfare or the relevant Year Adviser if there are issues or concerns that you wish to discuss. Below is a list of the Year Advisers and Assistant Year Advisers for this year: YEAR 7 ADVISER - Ms Hawk Assistant - Ms Lazarevski YEAR 8 ADVISER - Ms Gallard Assistant - Ms Rothwell YEAR 9 ADVISER - Ms Bolanca Assistant - Ms Wai YEAR 10 ADVISER - Ms Boyle Assistant - Ms Shinas YEAR 11 ADVISER - Ms Lee Assistant - Ms Seberry YEAR 12 ADVISER - Ms Waltho Assistant - Ms Trinh Home Contact Details It is important that the school has the correct address and telephone/mobile numbers on record so that in the event of students being ill at school or an accident occurring we are able to quickly contact parents or guardians. If you have had a change of address or telephone/mobile numbers please inform the school of the new details immediately.

Student Assistance Scheme Each year the school is provided with funds from the State Government to help students from families who are experiencing financial difficulties. The school is able to help families by allocating some of these funds towards the payment of uniforms, either new or second hand, excursions and subject fees. Parents must be able to show that there is financial need. Pensioner Concession cards or Centrelink cards can be used to show the need of the family. Parents can telephone the school to speak to Ms Salvagio or make an appointment to see her. The Clothing Pool The Clothing Pool is situated on the top floor, near Room 1. Students and parents can buy or donate good quality used items of school uniform and PE uniform. The items are sold at very reasonable prices. Mrs Paul can assist students and parents with the purchase of these uniform items. School Uniform Policy It is our school policy that all students wear full school uniform. Our uniform can be purchased at Berelle School Wear, 3 Bellona Ave, Regents Park, Phone: 9738 1264. The uniform includes enclosed black leather shoes for safety, especially when working in the Science laboratories and the kitchens. For students who wear long sleeves the school has a long sleeved blouse. Wearing a short sleeved blouse with a long sleeved undergarment is not part of the uniform and is not acceptable. If for a very good reason an item of uniform cannot be worn on a given day the student is required to have a note of explanation signed by a parent or guardian which the student presents to her Year Adviser before school to obtain an Out of Uniform Pass. If the student fails to follow the appropriate procedure consequences will apply. It would be expected that students have more than one school outfit and that their uniform items are washed and ironed regularly so that they are in a clean uniform at all times. Excuses such as “it‟s dirty” or “it‟s in the wash” are not acceptable. The hems on school trousers and skirts should be neatly sewn and should not drag on the floor. Ragged and torn hems are not acceptable and are a safety concern. Being in full school uniform demonstrates a student‟s commitment to being a positive member of the school community and enhances the good image of our school.

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Study Skills Program Year 12 students will participate in the Elevate Education HSC preparation seminars on Thursday 7 March during periods 2 and 3 which will focus on time management, study and examination techniques to assist students to be more effective learners and to cope better in examinations. Students will also be provided with access to the Elevate Education online resources to assist students with study, assignments and exams throughout the year. All students are expected to attend the seminars. A note with details about the seminars and the cost will be issued to students closer to the time. Year 11 students will participate in the Elevate Education HSC preparation seminars on Monday 25 March during periods 2 and 3 which will focus on effective learning strategies, time management and study techniques to enhance students‟ performance as a senior student. Students will also be provided with access to the Elevate Education online resources to assist students with study, assignments and exams throughout the year. All students are expected to attend the seminars. A note with details about the seminars and the cost will be issued to students closer to the time. Year 7 students will participate in a study skills program during their DEAR lessons in Term 1. Ms Salvagio Head Teacher Welfare

DROP EVERYTHING AND READ (DEAR) A school wide reading literacy program

Every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Birrong Girls High School every student participates in Drop Everything and Read. (DEAR). Every student from Years 7 – 12 must bring a novel or non-fiction book to Roll Call on these days. Parents can support DEAR by discussing what their daughters are reading, recommending good books and by asking about what is being read in DEAR this week at school. HAPPY READING! Ms Crossan Deputy Principal

SCHOOL SWIMMING CARNIVAL 2013

Let‟s start off Term 1 with a splash at Birrong Girls High School‟s annual swimming carnival. This year‟s carnival will be held on Monday, 18 February (Week 4, Term 1) at Birrong Swimming Centre, Wellington Road, Birrong. Students are to make their own way to and from the pool. The carnival will start at 8:30am and conclude at 2:15pm. Students will be required to pay an entry fee of $3.00 (to be paid on the day, at the pool). As a compulsory school day all students are required to attend, and will be able to score points for their team, whether they‟re swimming or chanting in their house colours. A few things to remember… Students are to wear recognised swimming

attire and suitable clothing in their house colours.

Students are to bring a towel, hat, sunscreen and wet weather gear. The canteen will be available during the day; however, it is recommended that students bring their own food and plenty of water.

Parents are welcome to attend; however, usual entry fee will apply.

For any enquiries please contact the PDHPE Faculty. Ms Sirris Carnival Organiser PDHPE Faculty

BIRRONG GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

Mobile Phone Policy

Mobile phones may be brought to school as safety devices providing they are not a disruption to learning.

Phones must be switched off during lessons, exams, DEAR, assemblies and in all interviews with school staff.

Phones may not be used to breach privacy or copyright. Permission must be given for phone photographing or recording.

Phones must be kept in bags, out of sight, for security purposes, when not in use.

Phones can only be used during recess and lunch within the school day.

It is the responsibility of phone owners to secure their phones.

If mobile phones prove disruptive to learning, they may be confiscated until the end of the day.

Students must present themselves promptly at the end of the day to recover confiscated phones from the confiscating teacher.

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FROM THE CAREERS ROOM

Certificate III in Health Services Assistance (Acute Care Nursing) HLT32507: Six Year 11 students, following interviews, were successful in gaining entry to Certificate III in Health Services Assistance (Acute Care Nursing) HLT32507 which runs each Tuesday afternoon at Liverpool Hospital. I wish Bushra Al Hiriz, Zahraa Alhirz, Raneem Assoum, Houda Deeb, Batoul Hamadi and Belinda Vongratsavai the best of luck with their studies. Unpaid trials are illegal: An unpaid work trial is when an employer asks a job applicant to work for a period of time at the place of business as a “trial” and does not pay them wages for the trial period. Trials are generally used to find out whether a job applicant is suited for a job. As a general rule, a prospective employee must be paid for any trial work they have performed to establish their suitability for a role. The Fair Work Ombudsman often receives complaints from young people about not being paid for work trials. Both employers and job seekers need to be aware that not paying workers for work trials is illegal and unfair. If you believe you have not been paid for a work trial, contact www.fairwork.gov.au/contact-us/pages/default.aspx for assistance. Getting paid! Now, let‟s talk about the major reason why most of us are at work - to get paid! Your employer should pay you at least the minimum rate shown in your award or agreement. Depending on your age, you may be paid a junior rate. Different rates apply for apprentices and trainees. You may also be paid allowances for doing certain tasks or loadings for working at certain times, such as weekends, late nights or public holidays. You should be paid for all of the hours you work, including:

team and individual meetings at the employer‟s request

trial periods

opening and closing the business

training sessions, courses or days

travelling during work hours in association with your employment

compulsory attendance at a function.

You should be paid on a set day - usually weekly, fortnightly or monthly. So that you know what you are being paid for, you must also get a pay slip from your employer within one day of being paid. Your pay slip must include:

your name, your employer‟s full name and Australian Business Number (ABN)

date of payment of wages

pay period covered

date you were paid on

number of hours being paid for

ordinary and overtime rates and the amounts paid at that rate

if you are paid an annual rate of pay, that rate as at the last day in the pay period

all deductions made

details about superannuation

gross wages (the amount before tax) paid

net wages (the amount after tax) paid, and

allowances, loadings, penalty rates and other

amounts paid.

Helpful hints:

keep a diary of days and hours worked (and employer paid breaks)

keep copies or records of your employment details, pay slips, your agreement or award and your superannuation and tax documents. for young workers

Students’ after school work: Fair Work Australia varied the General Retail Industry Award to allow 1.5 hour shifts exclusively for secondary students, in recognition of the unique role of the retail sector in providing employment to students. This law recognises the time span between the end of the school day and retail stores‟ closing times. Volunteering: If you have a passion for a particular career and work experience is not available to you, don‟t give up, volunteer instead. There is a great website: http://www.volunteering.nsw.gov.au/ Years 10 – 12 Tax File Number (TFN): Each student should have a TFN. Please see me to apply if you do not have a TFN. This number stays with you for life and should never be revealed to anyone except your employer. Year 12: Any student who is still undecided about their career path, please make an appointment to see me this term. Year 10: The first week for Year 10 Work Experience is 18-22 March 2013. All Student Placement Records were due in 2012. I wish all the girls the best as they test out a potential career option in a real workplace. Year 7: I look forward to working with you this term as you start reflecting on your potential career choice. As you are probably aware, your future career may not even be invented yet. Just a few years ago who would have predicted a career as a blogger, App developer, or online web journalist? Girls, follow your passion, and always reach for the stars! Ms Austin Careers Adviser

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LIBRARY NEWS Welcome to the school library for 2013! We are excited about all the services and activities we have planned this year. The library opens at 8am and closes at 3pm including lunchtime and recess (except Tuesday). Junior students can borrow 4 fiction and 4 non-fiction books for a period of two weeks. Senior students can borrow 6 fiction and 6 non-fiction books. The library also operates Scholastic Book Club (for students who like to buy their own books), the “Wrap With Love” knitting and crocheting project, the Chess Club, the Premier‟s Reading Challenge and the Principal‟s Reading Challenge. Book Week will be held in August to the theme of “Read Across the Universe“, and is our opportunity to celebrate the culture of the narrative.

New library cards will be distributed in Week 3. Remember, you are responsible for all library books borrowed under your name so NEVER lend your card to anyone else. It is easy to renew books so you never need have an overdue fine. Overdue fines are 10c per day with borrowing rights suspended after 2 weeks if the books are not returned.

Year 7 students will come to the library during the year to study Information Literacy and learn about narrative and story so that they can enjoy recreational reading. They will also be shown how to log on to the Premier‟s Reading Challenge (PRC) in library lessons from Week 6 to record their reading list. There are 30 computers in the library for use during class, before school, recess and lunchtimes. Years 8 and 9 can be assisted with PRC log-on in the library at recess or lunchtime after 4 March 2013. In the meantime, please make a list of the books you have read since September 2012 so that you will be ready to enter them into the PRC database when the website is opened. Don‟t forget, you can also borrow PRC books from your local public library.

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/blog/411728-birronggirlshishschoollibrary/ is the library iRead Blog where you can tell us about the books you enjoy reading and why. We are always looking for new books to buy for our school library‟s collection, so if you have any suggestions please email Mr Davidson at Victor.Davidson@det.nsw.edu.au

Mr Davidson, Mrs Dyer and the Library Monitors look forward to helping you in the library this year and Mr Payne will help those students with DER laptops.

Mr Davidson Teacher Librarian

CHESS CLUB

Speed Chess Competition Another highly successful year of chess was celebrated on 4 December 2012 with the inaugural Birrong Girls High School Speed Chess Competition. Sixteen junior school entrants competed through three rounds to progress to the final. Each match had to be won in less than ten minutes and all entrants competed with a great deal of skill, enthusiasm and sportsmanship. The matches drew a great deal of interest and spectators enjoyed the level of play.

The semi-finals were fiercely contested as the crowd cheered on their classmates and friends. Tension filled the library as students waited to discover the overall winner.

The final was won by Cindy Nguyen (7G)

Semi-finalists were: Stacey Webb (7S) and Victoria Pahulu (8S). Runner Up: Tamara Garces (8H) Speed Chess Champion: Cindy Nguyen (7G)

Congratulations to all who entered and all who have enjoyed chess in the library throughout 2012.

Chess is played in the library every Tuesday at lunchtime. All are welcome and we are happy to teach new players.

See you there in 2013! Ms Conway English Teacher

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A THAI-RIFFIC! ASSIGNMENT In Term 4 of 2012, class 9English6 read a novel called ‘Thai-riffic!’ by Oliver Phommavanh. As a class task we wrote letters to the author and the most exciting thing was that he wrote us all a letter back! We really enjoyed reading the novel, it is funny and interesting. It is about a Thai boy called Albert Lengviriyakul, a.k.a. Lengy, who lives above a Thai restaurant called Thai-riffic! in Fairfield. Lengy does not feel confident about his Thai background and wants to stop eating Thai food. The novel is about Lengy‟s adventures and crazy, embarrassing family. If you want to find out what happens you can find the novel in the school library. Our class loved that this novel was set in an area we know and described situations we have experienced. In English class we wrote beautiful and enthusiastic letters to Oliver Phommavanh about our emotions and opinions about the novel. Everyone wrote something different. Some people wrote about what they liked and disliked about the novel, other people wrote funny stories that were similar to events in the novel. Our letters were sent away to the author and we didn‟t expect to get anything back. We were very happy when we each received letters from him. The letters were very beautiful, they were on small colourful paper and he even signed the bottom! He answered our questions, commented on our stories and thanked us for reading his novel.

Some of the letters the students received from the author

We would like to say a big thank you to Oliver Phommavanh for writing us these awesome letters and for writing this wonderful novel. By: Nofo Kepu, Penina Leaaetoa, Amani Fleyfel, Marina Harry and Ms Brown from 10E6

NORTH SYDNEY BOYS HIGH SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT EXCURSION

On 7 December the girls from the Environment Team travelled by train to North Sydney Boys High School to develop ideas and projects to pursue at their own schools. The day was a success and the students gained a deeper understanding about various eco-friendly and sustainable projects to implement at school. An idea that was produced was „the Juice Hoose‟ which is a project from Europe, a greenhouse made of plastic bottles which promotes reusing and recycling. The students plan to invest more time and effort next year into advertising and bigger projects promoting awareness throughout the school and regional community.

Birrong Girls High students presenting a PowerPoint

of completed projects at school

The girls had a great time and were even taught a new game by the boys that could be used as a leisure activity at school. Thank you to Ms Stachiw for helping to organise the excursion with help from the other teachers at North Sydney Boys High School. Birrong Girls and North Sydney Boys will continue to work closely together through teleconferencing to further benefit their schools in an environmental and sustainable manner. By: Shanice Baker, Year 11

Important Anaphylaxis Information

If your child is diagnosed at risk of a severe allergic reaction, particularly Anaphylaxis, the Anaphylaxis Procedures for Schools contain information for schools and parents designed to minimise the risk to students. If your child has an allergy it is important to let us know – see Action steps for parents. Find out more: http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/studentsupport/studenthealth/conditions/anaphylaxis/index.php

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AMNESTY/ENVIRONMENT HOLIDAY STALL

On 12 December, Birrong Girls High School‟s Amnesty International Team and the Environmental Team joined together and created the holiday stall.

The Amnesty/Environment teams baked and sold cupcakes, cookies, caramel fudge, chocolate cakes, candy canes, reindeer antlers, mugs and lolly cups. Even Santa made a special stop before Christmas to visit the teams to congratulate them on their hard work and also to take a few photos with students for only a gold coin donation to the teams.

Amnesty and Environment Team members at the holiday stall

Senior students taking a photo with Santa

Both teams had a successful stall and raised a total of $379.40 from two stalls this year. All profits and proceeds go to Oxfam to buy animals (pigs, goats, ducks and chickens), seeds, fruit trees and birthing kits for a third world country. A big thanks to the Year 9/10 girls in the Amnesty and Environment teams (Emily Webb, Sarah Bae, Aditi Jalandhra, Trang Dao, Shanice Baker and Sally Thai). Thank you to Mr McCredden as our mystery Santa, and also a big thank you to Ms Stachiw and Ms Dally for supporting and encouraging the girls with the stall to make it a great success.

By: Shanice Baker, Year 11

YEAR 10 STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM UTS SUMMER SCHOOL

Over the summer break sixteen Year 10 students attended the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Summer School. The students completed short courses in a variety of areas. Our Birrong Girls High students were part of a larger group of 160 students who took part in a range of interactive workshops in five different areas: Health, Science, Engineering and IT, Design, and Film. Students chose one stream, which allowed them to either: create and interact with robots; make a short film; experience a real-life hospital setting; conduct a forensic crime scene investigation; produce their own video game; or even create their own fashion garment or lamp!

A graduation ceremony and exhibition were held at UTS‟s Great Hall on the final day with hundreds of family and friends coming together to celebrate the incredible achievements of these dedicated students. The audience, which included dozens of UTS student mentors, academic advisors and tutors who make the program possible, were treated to an entertaining showcase of videos, speeches and presentations; plus there was even a performance by an up and coming hip-hop artist from Fairfield, Etha Hadi a.k.a. ET Rapaveli.

All 16 Birrong Girls High students graduated and thought their experiences at Summer School were worth sacrificing ten days of their school holidays. All the students will be continuing to be part of the UTS program which aims to help them to achieve their personal best in the HSC.

The students agreed that the highlights of UTS Summer School were: networking with students from many other schools, forming lasting relationships and meeting study pals, creating projects, learning to use new equipment to make these difficult projects come to fruition and finally the nerve wracking task of presenting their projects to all the other students, staff and guests at graduation.

By: Betty Nguyen, Aditi Jalandhra, Sally Thai, Sarah Bae, Jenny Thai and Zhi-Qing Huang

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BIRRONG GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

HOMEWORK CENTRE A free facility to assist your daughter enhance her literacy, numeracy, research and technology skills. Birrong Girls High School has been operating its after school Homework Centre for four years now. Owing to its success, we are delighted to announce that we are operating the Homework Centre again in 2013. The Homework Centre‟s program will offer your daughter a supervised facility where she can complete her homework, research and assignments. Additionally, we will be offering a range of FREE workshops that will assist students to further develop vital skills needed in their learning, such as: creative and essay writing skills; research and information decoding skills; and literacy and numeracy skills. A list of these workshops will be advertised in the school‟s daily student notices. The Homework Centre operates in the school‟s library to provide your daughter with a safe, interruption-free and supportive learning environment. The Homework Centre will be open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons between 2.50pm – 4.45pm. Please do consider the benefits of the Homework Centre and encourage your daughter to utilise its amenities as an additional resource for her learning. All you need to do is complete the permission slip available at Reception and return it with your daughter to give to Mr Ali in the CAPA staffroom. If you have any queries please contact Mr Ali, the Homework Centre Coordinator, on 9644 5057. Mr Ali Head Teacher Teaching and Learning / Homework Centre Coordinator

BIRRONG GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CALENDAR For your diary / noticeboard

February: Wednesday, 13

th Year 7 (and new enrolments)

Welcome BBQ, 5-7pm Monday, 18

th School Swimming Carnival

at Birrong Swimming Centre Wednesday, 27

th Netbook meeting for parents

of Year 9 students (9:15am or 5pm sessions) in the school hall

March: Friday, 8

th International Women‟s Day

Tuesday, 12

th Parent/Teacher sessions,

2-6pm Thursday, 14

th Selective High School

Placement Test, 9am – 1.15pm Monday, 18

th to Year 10 Work Experience

Friday, 22nd

Wednesday, 20

th Year 7 Vaccinations

P&C Meeting, Common Room, 5pm

Wednesday, 27

th SCHOOL PHOTOS

Friday, 29

th Good Friday Public Holiday

April: Monday, 1

st Easter Monday Public Holiday

Tuesday, 2

nd to Year 12 Mid-Course Exams

Friday, 12th

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HOMEWORK / STUDY TIME PLAN MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN

6.00am

7.00

8.00

9.00

10.00

11.00

12.00

1.00pm

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

10.00