R e s p e c t , R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , C a r e - O u r C o r e V a l u e s .

COMING EVENTS

16/3/18

Cross Country

21/3/18

Harmony Day

26 /3/18

Immunisation

Years 7 & 11

30/3/18

Good Friday

2/4/18

Easter Monday

4/4/18

Year 12 Exams start

NAPLAN trial

6/4/18

Year 7 Science

Excursion

13/4/18

Merit assembly

Last day Term 1

P & C

MEETINGS

Our P & C Meetings

are held on the

3rd & 7thTuesday

of each Term

at 6.30 pm in the

Common Room, Ad-

ministration Build-

ing.

We look forward to

seeing you.

STAR SPOT

Oak Flats High School has received two awards for student achieve-

ment from the University of Wollongong’s Faculty of Engineering

and Information Sciences. After submitting Engineering reports

written by Year 10 Engineering students, Jemma Shepherd , Sachar

Kelly-Wiseman and Giwangallani Medez, OFHS was judged as the

winner of the "Excite and Educate" and the "Historical Aircraft

Restoration Society" (HARS) overall school awards.

Closing The Gap , Working Together for a

Brighter Future

We acknowledge the traditional owners of this land,

past, present and future ,for they hold memories, tradi-

tions and dreams of Aboriginal Australia .

On Monday the 19th of February, Oak Flats High School held our Expo for

students from Years 4, 5 and 6 and their parents and carers. This was an oppor-

tunity for our visitors to meet our staff members, including the future Year 7

Year Patrons. Students and their parents and carers were able to visit class-

rooms and to participate in a wide variety of fun activities within the various

Faculties. The school’s Ag plot was a favourite destination as was the school’s

café, “Froth on Top”, where our students demonstrated how to make coffee

and milkshakes in the industrial kitchen. The visitors also enjoyed the barbe-

cue and the special prizes drawn at the end of the afternoon’s activities.

OFHS EXPO 2018

R e s p e c t , R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , C a r e - O u r C o r e V a l u e s .

It has been a frenetic start to 2018 with the start of some wonderful new programs to assist your child and

reinforce the Teaching and Learning at Oak Flats High School. Students are touching base each day with

Check and Connect, which has replaced our roll call. Attendance rolls are still completed after period 1,

however, the Check and Connect teacher will also be working with your child on developing Growth

Plans and mentoring your child in developing Grit, Determination and a Growth mindset. This will also

assist in developing a stronger connection to the school.

Success of the Pathways to Employment program

Staff and students working together in the Pathways to Employment program (formally known as LEAP)

have been hugely successful with many students gaining apprenticeships and employment over the last

few months. As a result there has been a need to develop a new timetable and review our staffing and

curriculum offering. Please check your emails, school App, Website, Facebook page or Parent Portal for a

letter sent / posted on the 7th March for further details.

Calendar Reminder

At the start of Term 2 there will be two staff development days. School will commence for students

on Wednesday, the 2nd May., 2018.

At the start of Term 3 there will be no staff development day so students will commence school on

Monday, the 23rd July , 2018. If you require your child who attends High School to look after

younger siblings on the pupil free day please find alternative arrangements so that your child can

commence their learning on day 1, Term 3.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Tell Them From Me

Student feedback survey (Term 1, 2018) This term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of

Education initiative called the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors

that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide

survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au

The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide the school with valuable and quick feedback on

what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that

teachers interact with them. More than 6,300 schools in Australia and around the world have used Tell Them

From Me to survey 5.4 million students. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do

things at our school.

Please be assured that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less

than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between the 12th of March and the

13th of April. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary.

A consent form and FAQs for parents and carers about the survey is being sent home with students. If you

do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by Friday 9th of March,

2018.

Copies of the form and FAQs are available from: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents

R e s p e c t , R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , C a r e - O u r C o r e V a l u e s .

HATCH 2018

The Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Faculty hosted Oak Flats High School’s annual ‘HATCH’ camp

at The Tops Conference Centre from the 21st to the 23rd of February. HATCH was a jam-packed three

days of innovative teaching and learning where 67 students studying Dance, Music, Visual Arts, Entertain-

ment Industry, Photography and Visual Design across Years 9 - 12 had the opportunity to engage in a range

of workshops focused around the themes of Creativity, Collaboration and Careers. Together we explored the

different stages of the creative process, the power of creative collaboration and developed a better under-

standing of ourselves as creatives. We were fortunate to have a number of outstanding guest presenters fa-

cilitate workshops in our various subject areas. These guests included Shontelle Hannigan (Yoga on the

Move), Michelle Forte (Austinmer Dance Co.), Josh Brightman (Balanced Image Studio), Leonie Wilkinson

(S&S Wholesale), Fiona McKay, Miss Hartley and Mrs Jenkins. We were also thrilled to have the following

universities participate in our Careers & Pathways session: Australian Institute of Music, Academy of Music

& Performing Arts, Excelsia College, JMC Academy, The University of Notre Dame, National Art School

and the University of Wollongong. We even had a visit from WIN News and featured in their evening news

bulletin. Both the students and staff valued this opportunity to engage in innovative learning we just cannot

deliver within the confines of a classroom and 1 hour periods at school. Our students were outstanding and I

would like to thank the dedicated CAPA faculty for ensuring this HATCH was our best yet!

R e s p e c t , R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , C a r e - O u r C o r e V a l u e s . 2

Work Experience Already this year a number of students have taken part in our Work Experience program.

At Oak Flats High School we have an ongoing Work Experience program that encourages student

participation from Years 10, 11 & 12 at any time, depending on examination and assessment schedules.

Work Experience is a proven way of picking up apprenticeships, traineeships and / or full time work. It is

also a great way of gaining ‘experience’ which can be added to your Resume.

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force offers the Gap Year Program which is a great way to get a feel for life and

work in the Navy, Army or Air Force without committing to a longer period. Information sessions are

available for students who are interested.

Fire & Rescue NSW FIRE & RESCUE NSW offers a 4 day work experience program that provides participating students with

an overview of the roles of Fire & Rescue NSW and its firefighters. Schools from around the state can

send a maximum of two students to the training college at Alexandria throughout the year.

For more information see Mr Wishart (Careers Adviser).

UOW (University of Wollongong)

Discovery Day

A number of our finest Year 12 students enjoyed an action-

packed day at the recent UOW Discovery Day. Students were

able to witness first-hand what life as a university student was

really like when they received a personal timetable and

attended lectures. All students enjoyed the day and now have

some food for thought as they inch closer to the end of their

school career.

VET AWARDS

Oak Flats High School was well represented

at the recent Illawarra Schools Excellence in

Vocational Education & Training Awards.

Mr Keen and Mr Wishart attended the gala

presentation evening, held at the Sage Hotel,

in support of the students who were in

contention for Vet Student of the Year in

various categories.

Congratulations to:

Zarah Lide – Entertainment

Bradley Schlick – Entertainment

Alanis Dalziel – Primary Industries

CAREERS NEWS

R e s p e c t , R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , C a r e - O u r C o r e V a l u e s . 4

On Tuesday THE 6th of March, Ms Jennings and the following

students from Oak Flats High School, Yanin Charoenkit-Ford, Na-

talie Mansfield, Claudia Mansfield and Kylah Harkness, were invited to attend the International Women’s

Day 2018 Brunch at BlueScope Steel. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social,

economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also commemorates the movement for

women’s rights and is important as it also signifies Anti-Sexism day, Anti-Discrimination day, Civil Aware-

ness day and Women and Girls’ day. We were fortunate enough to be able to listen to four guest speakers

with incredibly powerful stories. The guest speakers included Mrs Nyan Thit Tieu, who is a Burmese Mus-

lim and who migrated to Australia in 1977; Megan Cracknell, who is the owner of the Dynamics Perform-

ing Arts Studio; Ana De La Vega, who is a flautist and who has performed extensively worldwide, as well

as Kath who has entered the health insurance sector. These speakers gave us different insights and perspec-

tives of the challenges women face, helping us understand that we should all help and support each other.

Hopefully, next year we might even have some boys attend this amazing event. We enjoyed this outing tre-

mendously and had a lot of fun! Thanks to Ms Jennings for taking us to this inspiring function.

By: Yanin Charoenkit-Ford, Year 11.

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS’ DAY 8 March

CANTEEN NEWS

R e s p e c t , R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , C a r e - O u r C o r e V a l u e s .

Here are links to organisations within our community who would like to advertise services and current events:

School bus travel – Apply for Opal card for free bus travel to school if eligible

www.opal.com.au

Smith Family – Saver Plus – Help to families with school costs eg uniform, laptops, excursions

https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/programs/financial/saver-plus

Tuning into Teens 2018 Parenting Program

https://www.sahssi.org.au/programs/tuning-in-to-teens-program/

JLT Sheffield Shield NSW Blues v Queensland Bulls

https://www.cricket.com.au/series/jlt-sheffield-shield-2017-18/Z5VeQufr9Uiv5D3h811yGg

Great Illawarra Walk for Saving Chloe Saxby

http://www.greatillawarrawalk.com/media/GIW-Poster-2018.jpg

http://www.greatillawarrawalk.com/

Active Kids Rebate Voucher – How to apply

https://sport.nsw.gov.au/sectordevelopment/activekids

Pippi’s Café – Flagstaff Group/Warrigal Care – Non- Profit, employ people with disability

https://www.facebook.com/PippisCafe/

Albion Park Girl Guides

https://www.girlguides-nswact.org.au/

Albion Park Crows

www.albionparkcrows.com.au

South Coast Schools Sport Association Facebook – updates on trials, championships and carnivals

https://www.facebook.com/southcoastschoolsports/

Ride in 2 BMX - Come & Try Day – 10th of March 2018

https://www.facebook.com/southlakeillawarrabmxclub/

FROM OUR COMMUNITY...

R e s p e c t , R e s p o n s i b i l i t y , C a r e - O u r C o r e V a l u e s .

OAK FLATS HIGH SCHOOL IN FOCUS

On Monday the 19th of February, Oak Flats High School held a very successful

school EXPO for students from Year 4, 5 and 6 and their parents and carers.

Our visitors were able to meet with our teachers and future Year 7 advisors, vis-

it classrooms to view displays and participate in various activities from different

Faculties.

The CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) Faculty held their annual three-day

HATCH camp at Stanwell Tops last week. Students attended workshops run

by a number of professionals from the fields of dance, photography and the

entertainment industry. The camp presented a great opportunity for innovative

teaching and learning in a non-school environment where students explored

the different stages of the creative process.

A number of students from Oak Flats High School enjoyed an action-packed day at the Uni-

versity of Wollongong to sample the realities of university life. The students followed a per-

sonalised timetable and attended lectures, which gave plenty of food for thought about future

university life.

The following Oak Flats High School students attended the recent Illa-

warra Schools Excellence in Vocational Education and Training awards

to receive recognition as Student of the Year: Zarah Lide for Entertain-

ment, Bradley Schlick for Entertainment and Alanis Dalziel for Primary

Industries.

Students from our school attended a morning tea hosted by BlueScope Steel for

International Women’s Day, which is held each year to celebrate the social, eco-

nomic, political and cultural achievements of women. The students were moved by

the powerful stories from the guest speakers who told of the challenges facing

women every day and how we can all work together for a better outcome for all.

OFHS EXPO 2018

HATCH 2018

UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG - DISCOVERY DAY

VET AWARDS

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY - MARCH 8