MUIRFIELD MATTERS Muirfield High School

Educating today for managing tomorrow

Muirfield Matters Newsletter

Issue 6

Week 10 Term 3 2009

Barclay Road, North Rocks NSW 2151

Ph: (02) 9872 2244 Fax: (02) 9871 4106

E: muirfield-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

www.muirfield-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

through countless amounts of tantrums, bad moods,

major work freak outs, and 'interesting' marks. Par-

ticulalry a thankyou to Mr Billington who allowed us

to wear pyjamas to school, all the teachers who

have practically dragged us through our year 12

course, Miss Frame for being our fill in 'mum' when

Miss Sharp went away, all the wonderful office ladies

for hunting us down for money and sending us home

when we were sick (or signing us in when we were

late), Taminda for helping with all our printing needs

and OF COURSE, our awesome year advisor Miss

Sharp. Sharpie has helped us through so much over

the past 6 years and even though we may have

given her a lot of strife, we all know that she secretly

loves running after us :)

So on that, we wish you all the best and try not to

miss us too much!

Love Gabby on behalf of Year 12 - 2009.

FAREWELL YEAR 12 CLASS OF 2009 Dear Muirfield

The time has come that your current year 12 has to

leave, a depressing and sad thought that is. It goes

without saying that us as a grade will miss seeing you

all and enjoying your company day in, day out. How-

ever, we have shared some great memories with all

of you guys including embarassing ourselves in 'its

raining men' renditions, selling ourselves off to the

highest bidder on slave day, forcing Isaac to dress as

Santa for christmas photos and having Ryan and

Alec come and sing to you on valentines day, with

love hearts painted on their nipples.

On behalf of our grade, we would like to say than-

kyou to everyone who has contributed to our fund-

raisers by buying candy canes, roses, santa photos,

countless sausage, bacon and egg sandwiches, hot

chocolates and pancakes. Another massive than-

kyou goes to the teachers who have supported us

Week 10 Term 3 2009, Page 2

RELIEVING PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Muirfield Matters

NAPLAN RESULTS

Families who have students in years 3,5,7and 9 will have

received their results for NAPLAN testing in the past

week. The tests were conducted in May this year and

involved students from across Australia.

All students were assessed in Reading, Writing, Lan-

guage Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctua-

tion) and Numeracy.

Muirfield results in all categories are significantly higher

than state and national averages.

Our educational programs are driven by the needs of

our students and the information provided by the

NAPLAN results gives us an invaluable insight into any

changes which may need to be made to further im-

prove our results.

Year 7 Overall Literacy 565.2 compared to the State

mean of 542.2

Year 7 Numeracy 577.3 compared to the State mean

of 550.7

Year 9 Overall Literacy 610.5 compared to the State

mean of 578.9

Year 9 Numeracy 606.1 compared to the State mean

of 597.1

YEAR 11 EXAMINATIONS

As year 12 prepare for their HSC in the weeks ahead,

year 11 have reached the end of their Preliminary

Course. They will begin their final examinations next

week in preparation for starting their HSC courses next

term. I wish them well.

STUDENT PERFORMANCES

It has been an extremely busy time for many of our stu-

dents as they performed in front of appreciative audi-

ences. I was fortunate in being an audience member

for the Rock Eisteddfod final, Bravo and the Comedy

Night.

All students involved in these evenings were engaged,

motivated and committed to giving of their very best.

These attributes often translate into classroom practice

in other areas of the school. Congratulations to all and

thanks to the dedicated teachers who worked long

and hard to coordinate these events.

Since this is the last edition of Muirfield Matters before

year 12 begin their formal Higher School Certificate ex-

aminations, I wish them every success. I hope that their

efforts over the past year are rewarded. I look forward

to joining them on October 2 and at their formal to

celebrate their graduation after 13 years of secondary

education.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all fami-

lies a safe and enjoyable holiday.

David Tanner

FROM THE RELIEVING DEPUTY’S DESK SKI TRIP

Mr Tanner and I were able to greet a lot of happy

skiers back from the snow on Friday 18 September. All

skiers returned with all limbs working, but looking a

little tired. Acknowledgment must be given to all the

staff that not only had the “arduous” task of having a

week in the snow, but the amount of preparation in

the lead up to the trip. Congratulations Keh-lee Ng,

Cameron Malcher and Erin Sullivan.

DER

Finally the laptops have

arrived!! They arrived

Thursday morning and Mr

Gerke, Technology Sup-

port Officer, started the

commissioning process

early on the Friday morn-

ing. The commissioning

process went “almost”

hassle free and all year 9

students, who have

signed the Charter, have

now received their laptop.

I have already conducted a survey of all year 9 stu-

dents trying to ascertain their ICT needs. One part of

the survey also asked interested students who would

like to be laptop mentors. So far, 18 keen students

have registered their names with me. These students

will be able to capitalise on the time they devote to

mentoring, to con-

tribute to the

community ser-

vice points re-

quired for the Sil-

ver Medallion un-

der the Muirfield

Merit System (see

students‟ diary for

an overview of the

Muirfield Merit Sys-

tem).

I would like to thank the Year 9 Mentors for their assis-

tance they gave Mr. Gerke during the commissioning

process.

TERM IV

Term 4 will be a busy term for all our students. The HSC

exams start on 20 October 2009, and the Muirfield

community wishes year 12 well in their preparation

during these upcoming holidays. Year 10 students will

commence the start of term IV with their Trial School

Certificate exam, starting on 19 October 2009. We

also wish them well in their preparation for the Trial

and ultimately their School Certificate exam in No-

vember. The rest of the junior school‟s exam period

runs from 26 October - 30 October 2009.

I wish all the students a happy and safe holiday. (Year

12, I wish you a happy, safe and study intense holi-

day).

Sonja Anderson

Muirfield Matters Week 10 Term 3 2009, Page 3

Muirfield Matters

CAREERS NEWS

Week 10 Term 3 2009, Page 4

Best wishes to Year 12 as they start their final

preparations for the HSC. A reminder that univer-

sity preferences need to be registered with UAC

by September 30th and that TAFE courses requiring

application (visit the TAFENSW website) are due in

by October 30th 2009. By now any student want-

ing to start a TVET course at TAFE next year for Year

11 or 12 should have handed their application

forms to Mrs. Scott. This applies to both new

courses and continuing courses.

Information Received:

The University of Western Sydney Triple Advan-

tage provides more opportunities for year 12

students to study at UWS. The USW Triple Advan-

tage provides three clear admission advan-

tages. 1: Regional Bonus Points, 2: Subject bonus

Points, 3: Early Offer of Admission For more infor-

mation see Mrs. Scott or call 1800 897 722 or visit

myfuture.uws.edu.au/tripleadvantage

Meadowbank TAFE is offering a “Taste of TAFE

Carpentry” course. In this course you will learn

about the types of carpentry tools, plant and

equipment, safe operating practices and pro-

cedures, along with receiving your industry

“White Card” Dates for this course are the fol-

lowing: Compulsory White Card session will start

at 8.30am Tuesday October 20 Tues October 27,

Tues November 3, Tues November 17, Tues De-

cember 1 The course will commence 9am and

run till 3.30pm each day with a half hour for

lunch. You are required to wear leather top

closed shoes. Enquires see Mrs. Scott

Meadowbank is also offering a “Taste of TAFE

Plumbing” A short 6 week course for plumbing is

due to commence Friday October 30 at 9am to

3.30pm with a half hour break for lunch. Course

dates are the following:

Friday October 30, Friday November 6, Friday

November 13 NO TAFE STAY AT SCHOOL, Friday

November 20,Friday November 27, Friday De-

cember 4, Friday December 11.Time: 9.00 –

3.30pm.

For International students in year 12 thinking of

applying to study Medicine or Dentistry. You

may be required to sit for the International stu-

dent Admissions Test (ISAT)

BASAIR are offering some programs to assist stu-

dents interested in becoming pilots. There are

the 2 day careers workshops , held in the school

holidays, at Bankstown and Cessnock, more

info on their website www.basair.com.au And

the Holiday Camps for one week, visit

www.basair.com.au/flightcamp for more infor-

mation and to book.

The Hotel School Sydney has sent information

about their Bachelor of Business in Hotel Man-

agement and their Diploma in Hotel Manage-

ment programs.

Lattitude has sent information about their gap year

programs. There is still time to find a project. Visit

the website on www.lattitude.org.au

Newstep is a one year, full time program for stu-

dents to prepare them for university studies at the

University of Newcastle. It is suitable for current Year

12 students who may not meet ATAR requirements

but also for students who left school without com-

pleting their HSC. For further information see Mrs.

Scott, or contact Dianne at ena-

bling@newcastle.edu.au

There will be an Apprenticeship and Traineeship

Expo at Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, 117 Ryedale

Rd, West Ryde on Wednesday 30 September 5-8pm

for more details call Daniela on 94497201.

Get Sirius is designed for future uni students by cur-

rent Macquarie university students. For more infor-

mation go to www.getsirius./mq.edu.au

There are 8- scholarships on offer for Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islanders to teach in any primary or sec-

ondary subject area. For more info call 1300 301

435 or visit www.teach.nsw.edu.au/scholarships

There are also scholarships available for other stu-

dents in teaching in the key areas of mathematics,

science, English and special education and for em-

ployment for teachers in rural areas and western

and southwestern Sydney. Application forms and

further info can be downloaded from

www.teach.nsw.edu.au/scholarships

If you like cars and working with your hands, then

the collision repair industry may be for you. Modern

paint and repair workshops offer clean and safe

working environments. TAFE NSW Northern Sydney

Institute offers Certificate 2 and 3 in Automotive Ve-

hicle Body Panel Beating and Automotive Vehicle

Body Vehicle Painting courses For More information

contact Michael on 99420750 or email at Mi-

chael.renfrey@tafensw.du.au

Applications are now open for the 2010 UNSW Min-

erals Summer School. This is for students currently in

Year 10 or 11 and interested in Science or Engineer-

ing and who want to find out more about an excit-

ing career in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ge-

ology, Mining, Minerals exploration. Applications

close on September 25th For more info go o

www.mining.unsw.edu.au

Would you like to train to be an enrolled nurse?

Meadowbank TAFE is offering scholarships into the

Diploma of Enrolled Nursing in 2010. You will need

an HSC Band 4 pass in English For more info contact

Glenys Wensor 99423616 or email

glenys.wensor@tafensw.edu.au

The Taxation Institute of Australia is offering a free

Information session for students to learn about a

career in tax. The Information session will be held

on Tuesday October 6th. For more information

phone 82230032 or email kirsty-

payne@taxinstitute.com.au

UNSW has decided they will consider HSC Plus to-

gether with UNSW Access points to a maximum of

10 additional points when considering candidates

EXCELLENCE REWARD

Muirfield Matters Week 10 Term 3 2009, Page 5

YEAR 12 MATHEMATICS INCURSION

for the Coop Scholarships. For more information

about HSC Plus and a bonus points calculator visit

www.unsw.edu.au/futureStudents/undergrad/

ced/HSCPlus.html

Autostart is offering Pre-Apprenticeship courses for

Year 10 and 12 students who are interested in a

career in the Automotive industry. A number of

courses will start from the 16th November for par-

ticipantsto secure their apprenticeship for start in

January 2010. To see course dates and venues

and to apply, go to www.autostart.com.aui or

email thunt@autostart.com.au

Omnilink is a company specializing in geospatial

informationmanagement, software and data de-

velopment. They are offering 2 cadetships at their

Sydney office located in Eastwood. They are

looking for students in year 12 wanting to study

Geospatial Information Systems or Surveying. The

student would need to be strong in maths as well

as computing. For more information go to

www.omnilink.com.au

Sydney university has sent information about their

flexible entry scheme, which enables students to

gain entry to courses using other criteria such as

performance in a relevant subject, and extracur-

ricular activities. For more information go to

www.usyd.edu.au/flexible_entry

Mrs. Scott

Expo showcasing current

apprenticeship & traineeship

Interested in:

Finding out about apprenticeship & traineeship options? Talking directly with employers and companies offering apprenticeships &

traineeships?

Learning more about the training opportunities available?

North West Business Education Network is hosting an Expo showcasing cur-

rent apprenticeship & traineeship opportunities and different pathways into industry.

Wednesday 30 September 4:30pm—8:30pm

FREE ENTRY Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, 117 Ryedale Road, West Ryde

Bring a pen, lots of copies of your resume and talk with employers and training providers on the night!

For more details, please call Daniela Anderson at North West Business Educa-tion Network on 9449 7201. Employers are recruiting now for 2010!

Excellence Reward – Cameron Whittle.

Cameron Whittle of Year 12 has had his major practi-

cal project recognised by the Institute of Industrial Arts

Technology Education as being worthy of display in

the prestigious “In Tech 2010” displays.

The two Sydney displays will be part of the „Hands-on

Expo” and the „Timber and Working with Wood Show‟

held at Fox Studios in March and June 2010.

Cameron was selected by HSC markers from a candi-

dature of over 3600 students to exhibit his beautifully

crafted hall table. He joins an elite group of five Muir-

field students who have been offered this opportunity

over the last six years.

Cameron was

thrilled at his se-

lection and

thanked his

teacher Mr. John

Sommerlad for his

guidance and his

encouragement

throughout his

years of wood-

working in room

C8.

John Sommerlad

On Tuesday Sept 15, the Year 12 students who study

Mathematics were involved in an in-school study day.

This compulsory incursion was designed by the Year 12

mathematics teachers of Muirfield High School, and

involved a rigorous program of study for the entire day

(all 4 periods). Each course worked in the Mathematics

Block – General Mathematics used the new

„connected classroom‟, and the Advanced/Extension

1 classes used A23.

The students were given some inside hints on how to

maximize their HSC marks. The tips included study and

exam techniques, inside info on how the exams are

marked and some clues to the moderation and scal-

ing procedures, and the effects of schools grading

and Exam results.

Students also practiced completing exam-type ques-

tions under recognized time constraints. The day was

rounded out by catering for an individualized study

program, with students experiencing the benefits of

the „mathsonline.com.au‟ program, and other re-

sources sourced by their teachers.

Most students were „thrilled‟ to spend the whole day

doing mathematics! And greatly appreciated the ef-

forts of their teachers.

The staff also believed the day of great benefit. So

much so, that it is envisaged to make this a regular

event on the Year 12 calendar.

David Highman HT

Muirfield Matters Week 10Term 3 2009, Page 6

As a parent I went to watch the boys play in the

Grand Final for soccer and was thrilled to be a parent

from Muirfield High. I was advised that this is the first

soccer team in a long time to get to the Grand Final. The team was down 1 nil after 10mins and were disap-

pointed with themselves. They pulled together and

supported each other as a team should. By half time it

was 2-1 against us and Mr Chandra spoke to the boys

and lifted their spirits. Early in the second half the boys had 2 more goals

scored against them but were still playing as a team.

The other team were quite rattled with our boys team

spirit and tried everything to break them. 12 minutes

out from the end and the referee had had enough of

the other team‟s attitude and one of their players was

sent off for bad sportsmanship. Our boys lifted another

notch to score 2 quick goals in a matter of 3 minutes. Unfortunately the end result was 5-3 Glenwoods way. Mr Chandra and all the parents that attended the

match were extremely impressed with our

boys attitude and spirit. Trish Bacales

UNDER 15’S SOCCER GRAND FINAL STOP PRESS: English Students Excel in International

Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS)

Writing Test

This year 70 MHS students from years 7 - 10 entered

the 2009 ICAS Writing Test and over half of the en-

trants received either a distinction or credit. These

students achieved marks that placed them in the

top 36% of all entrants from New South Wales and

the ACT. The ICAS Writing test is a prestigious inter-

national competition which is highly competitive.

All students who entered will be presented a certifi-

cate in assembly and listed below are the students

who received a distinction.

Thomas Arblaster

Ian Shern Zachary Loo

Euan Moyle

Thomas Pearson-Hatchwell

Louise Smalley

Ben Allen

Nicholas Andrews

Ian Avico

Elizabeth Bovard

Jordanne Halls

Linda Mitchell

All Students should be proud of their marks and

congratulated on their fine efforts.

Ms. K. McIntosh – Head Teacher English/ESL/LOTE

ENGLISH STUDENTS EXCEL!!

Hi guys, my name is Wen and I will be working at Muir-

field High as a bilingual teacher‟s aide helping students

with a non-English background. Starting fresh at a new

school can be scary and tough therefore imagining

moving to a new country... especially when you don‟t

speak the language.

I came to Australia when I was 9yrs old and I remember

my first day at school was rather confusing since I

couldn‟t understand a word of English, didn‟t even

know the alphabet. Then I spend the next six month of

4th grade mastering the art of „colouring-in‟ and „find-a-

word‟. I remember our teacher used to read to us Paul

Jennings and everyone would laugh around me and I

would be clueless. I used to ask my teacher for pieces

of “purple” because I get confused between the word

purple and paper. In addition, I thought Bruce Willis and

Mel Gibson is the same person. Looking back it is the

embarrassing moments that are priceless.

I came from Shanghai, the city that never sleeps. I love

my birthplace just as much as I have come to love Syd-

ney. There are so many ways that they are different and

I guess it‟s the differences that makes the world exciting

and worth exploring. Did you know that people in China

will all go out to eat at Pizza Hut, KFC and McDonalds

on Christmas Eve? Therefore with a population of 13 bil-

lion...you can imagine the line.

BILINGUAL TEACHERS AIDE

Muirfield Matters Week 10Term 3 2009, Page 7

COMEDY NIGHT On the 2nd of September Muirfield had its sec-

ond annual comedy night an ‘Extravagander’ of

musical, stand up and skit based comedy. Stu-

dents from years 8 to 12 created and adapted

skits for the intimate environment of the Drama

room. From book shop attendants to terrorists the

night threw a myriad of different scenes at our

unsuspecting audience who were taken along

for a wild and wacky evening of laughs and sur-

prises that went down a treat among the

younger kids and adults alike.

Cihan took us to Funky Town and back again,

while Georgia and Justine showed us the pinnacle of

Hannah Montana fandom, Jeremy and Dylan’s odd

couple created the music of love, Liam and Ben sold

us paper clips, Jordon argued with the lift, Chris got

knocked out with a baseball bat, Jake Swinn discov-

ered his inner punch lines, Tash showed the new face

of Grease, Rhys and Louise discovered their love of

Chinese food, Jake Nelson described the Irish rules of

drinking, Tom died of old age and I gained an appre-

ciation for clocks.

Oliver Rynn (Year 11)

With only four and a half weeks putting on a profes-

sional Comedy Show seemed impossible. However,

with an extremely dedicated cast and with the tire-

less help of my talented co-director, Oliver Rynn (Year

11), the night was a brilliant success. All the after

school and weekend rehearsals were rewarded

with a tight, clever and sophisticated show that

displayed the incredible range of talent that Muir-

field students have. The eighteen students per-

formed in multiple acts which were seamlessly con-

nected by Joel Williams musical interludes on his

Trumpet. The Drama room was transformed into

stylish dinner club where drinks and cheese plates

were offered to delight the palette.

And the laughter never stopped. No matter your

sense of humour all

found amusement and

something to entertain

the senses. The students lost their heads, learnt to

charm snakes, stepped on a bindi , learnt how to

spell, found out secrets, traveled, got funky, dis-

covered truth and justice, learnt the true defini-

tion of love, and gained appreciation for books

and beer.

Justine Conteh, Drama Teacher

MHS Assessment and Reporting MHS Assessment and Reporting

Calendar 2009Calendar 2009

Formal Merit Assembly 1st October Week 10A

Year 12 Reports to Principal 28th September Week 10A

Year 12 Reports issued at Graduation 2nd October Week 10A

Term 4 commences 19th October Week 1B

Year 10 Trial School Certificate 19th October-21st October Week 1B

HSC commences 20th October Week 1B

Year 11 N awards due 21st October Week 1B

Stage 6 meeting- beginning the HSC 27th October Week 2A

Year 7-10 Formal Assessment Week 26th October-30th October Week 2A

Year 11 Reports to Head Teachers 2nd November Week 3B

Year 11 Reports to Year Advisor 4th November Week 3B

Year 11 Reports to Principal 13th November Week 4A

Year 10 School Certificate 9th November-13th November Week 4A

Year 7-10 Reports to Head Teachers 16th November Week 5B

Year 10 N awards due 16th November Week 5B

Year 10 Grades due to B of St 23rd November Week 6A

Year 7-10 Reports to Year Advisor 25th November Week 6A

Year 7-10 Reports to Principal 27th November Week 6A

Speech Night 10th December Week 8A

Year 10 Reports issued 11th December Week 8A

Year 10 Graduation Ceremony 11th December Week 8A Year 7-9 Reports issued-on site 14th December Week 9B

Year 12 HSC marks available 167h December Week 9B

Year 12 Breakfast 17th December Week 9B

Student free Day 17th December Week 9B

Student free Day 18th December Week 9B

School Website www.muirfield-h.schools.nsw.edu.au The school web site is in the midst of a face lift, in just a short time a

bigger, better, brighter web site will be on line. It will still include up to

the date info, downloadable newsletters, bell times and maps, but also

photo gallery and links to other useful sites.

Uniform shop Our Uniform shop is already planning orientation day in term 4.

As we look forward to welcoming our new Students for 2010,

Our uniform shop committee will be at School on Orientation day to accommodate the new students wish-

ing to purchase their uniforms.

To do this as successfully as possible, we are seeking volunteer helpers, parents & senior students, to help in our

shop on this day and through out term 4 and term 1 and 2 2010. A roster will be available for volunteers to put

their names down to help.

Any time will be appreciated, and training will be provided on Monday & Thursday lunchtimes, over the 45

min the shop is open.

Please fill in the attached form and we will contact you. Your support will be greatly appreciated and will en-

sure smooth running into 2010 for our new & existing students.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

Name: _____________________________________

Contact number _____________________________________

Days Available _____________________________________