Model Farms High School

NEWSLETTER ISSUE 11 Term 2 – Week 2 Monday 30th April 2012

Gooden Drive, Baulkham Hills Telephone: (02) 9624 3133 Facsimile: (02) 9838 8407 Email: modelfarms-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE… Welcome Back It was with much pride I participated in our Anzac Ceremony on Tuesday in the quad. It was a delight to see the solemnity of the occasion respected and honoured by our young people who in reality and thankfully, have no complete understanding of the sacrifices made by our heroes past and present. The ceremony was organised by Ms Fornasier who scripted and staged a moving tribute to our diggers and the Anzac tradition. Thank you to all concerned. I now look forward to another enlightening and engaging term at Model Farms High School where quality teaching and learning remains our strong focus. Student Successes Following on from the Western Sydney Regional Senior Dance Camp last term at the Merroo Convention Centre in Kurrajong, Taneal Norman of Year 11 was selected as part of the WSR Dance Off Troupe. This is the second year Teneal has been selected and this year she is one of only 16 selected from 100 dancers. Taneal will now perform at PULSE, the State Dance festival and the School Spectacular. Last year Teneal went to China with the Troupe so you never know where she may end up this year! Congratulations Teneal. Congratulations also to Bria Auzins of Year 12 who competed in the Australian National Band Championships as a member of the NSW Performing Arts Unit Symphonic Wind Orchestra. Bria is an accomplished alto saxophone player and I am pleased to congratulate her and her band as they won the Junior B National Championship. Our Year 11 Art students attended the awards ceremony for the ART 4 AGRICULTURE Cream of the Crop competition at the Royal Easter Show during the holidays and came away with an Award for Excellence for their Powerpoint presentation. ART 4 AGRICULTURE is a competition where NSW students with an interest in agriculture, primary industries and natural resource management were asked to take the bull by the horns and turn their rural tales into cash cows! They spun a yarn about sheep, chewed the fat about pigs & talked turkey about poultry. Our students should be proud to have admirably competed against schools with more knowledge of, interactions with and interest in the wider agricultural industry. Well done.

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Year 7 student Joel Norman also won some fantastic awards at the Royal Easter Show this holiday. Joel baked cakes with his Grandmother, a family tradition in the Norman household, and was rewarded with a Highly Commended for his Chocolate Cake, a 3

rd

place for his Muffins and a 2nd

place for his small cakes. Sounds yummy and I hope I get to taste the fruits of his skills some day! Well done Joel.

Staff Development Day Day 1 of term was another opportunity for us to engage in professional learning and I am happy to say that last Monday was full of collegial conversations and professional dialogues about the need for continued growth as educators. Our day focused on school, faculty and personal professional planning and while I am still to confirm the feedback with head teachers, it appears that staff have endorsed the principle and tools of personal professional development that the executive has proposed. This is not something new but an endorsement and confirmation that the staff of Model Farms High School is committed to being the best they can be. We will now move from this phase of our discussions into the implementation and evaluation phases as the year progresses. P&C Trivia Night This exciting event is getting closer and closer and if you haven’t already booked your table then you’d better be quick! Please get your tables organised before the 5th of May. It is the highlight of the P&C year in regards to fundraising. The P&C have been working hard and now look forward to seeing the masses roll through the doors on the evening. If you are willing to donate items for the prizes please contact Julie May on 0411126393 to arrange collection. Alternatively leave your items at the school and we will pass them on. See you all there. Christina Bennet Principal

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FROM THE DEPUTY …

Year 9 Parents and Students: Please be aware that all of the laptops must be returned to the TSO on Monday the 7th of May. This compulsory recall is to fix a hardware issue that is known to cause serious damage to the laptop if not fixed. Students who do not lodge their computer for repair may have their warranty voided and if the laptop is damaged may be liable for the cost of repair. This is a MUST DO return. Students will be “nagged” about the importance of this return by all and sundry here at school. It is anticipated that this fix will be completed by the end of the week. If laptops are not returned for this week they will need to be sent away. This may then mean they are gone for many weeks. Year 11 Parents and Students: Warranty on the blue laptops (Year 11) runs out on the 12th of May. If a student has any issues they should see Ms Neilson ASAP. After this time all repairs must be paid for by the student/parent. Year 11 and 12 Boys Uniform: A final reminder that a tie is a mandatory element of uniform for this group for Terms 2 and 3. Students who do not wear a tie will be placed on uniform detention. I think we can all do without this angst. Found Lost Property 1x football with the name Luke on it 1x Mariano Skateboard 1x scooter 1x pair of Zutara glasses (black frames) 2x data sticks: Black Fission attached to 4 house keys. Belongs to Julie Black Essentials: student does IST

Mark Anderson Deputy Principal

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Term 2 Calendar

Week 2 Tues 1/5 Yr 8 Maths Half Yearly Paper 1

Salvation Army Assembly Speech

Wed 2/5 Yr 12 Senior Science Prac Exam Peer Support Tutors to TAFE

Thur 3/5 Yr 8 Maths Half Yearly Paper 2

Friday 4/5

Yr 7 Music Incursion Fretwork TLC

Sat 5/5 P&C Trivia Evening

Week 3 Tues 8/5 Yr 12 Biology/Snr Science

Excursion to Museum of Disease Yr 7 Maths Half Yearly Paper 1

Wed 9/5 Hills Zone Cross Country Thur 10/5 Yr 10 Science Skills Test 2

Yr 7 Maths Half Yearly Paper 2 Friday 11/5 Yr 10 Commerce Excursion

Courts & Parliament House Yr 12 Debate vs Baulkham Hills

Week 4 Mon 14/5 Yr 11 vs Yr 12 Debate Pds 2-4 Tues 15/5 NAPLAN (Yrs 7 & 9)

Yr 12 Maths Assessment Yr 12 Maths Assessment Task 2 Yr 12 General Maths Assessment

Wed 16/5 NAPLAN (Yrs 7 & 9) Thurs 17/5

NAPLAN Yrs 7 & 9 Yr 12 Ext Maths Assessment Yr 12 Extension Maths Assessment Task 2

Fri 18/5 Yr 10 WOW Info Session Yr 11 SDD Assess 1 Yahtzee due

THE GLOBAL EXPERIENCE – LIVE IT AT HOME In June-July 2012 students from over 20 countries around the world will be arriving in Australia to study at local high schools for 5 or 10 months.

Opportunities exist for families to act as a host family, in a volunteer capacity. Hosting can be on a temporary, short or long term basis. Host families help provide international students with the chance to study and experience life in Australia. This is a great way to learn about another country and culture, establish a lifelong link to a family in another country and contribute to international goodwill.

If your family can offer a friendly, supportive and caring home environment, contact us today. To hear more about this wonderful opportunity or

our student exchange programs out of Australia Call Student Exchange Australia New Zealand on 1300 135 331 or visit

www.studentexchange.org.au/host-a-student

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From the faculty that counts!

Year 7

Shaun Wang

Year 8

Ranuli Athauda, Rebekah Cooke, Rachael Logozzo, Holly Palmes x 3, Tasma Vasudewan.

This week’s news

Half Yearly Exams: Term 2 is our Half Yearly Exam time for Years 7 to 10. Please make sure that your student is aware that

they need to be preparing for their examinations during their home study time.

Year Paper 1 Non

Calculator

Paper 2 Calculator

8 Tuesday 1st May Thursday 3

rd May

7 Tuesday 8th

May Thursday 10th

May

9 Week 5 – dates to be advised

10 Week 6 – dates to be advised

Please make sure that your students bring their correct equipment to the examinations. Year 8 will need to

bring calculators and their geometry sets to the second paper on Thursday 3rd

May.

Calculators:

Please make sure that all students have their own calculator. The Casio fx-82AU is sold at the uniform shop

for $35. Students need this calculator from Year 7. It is vital for their progress that students are familiar

with their calculator and know how to use the different functions.

Coming Events:

Maths Competition:

Notes have been handed out for this year’s Australian Mathematic Trust Mathematics Competition. It is to

be held on 2nd

August this year. Notes must be completed and returned to the school with payment by 10th

May. Should your child not have received a note and they want to do the test, they can collect a note from

the Mathematics Staffroom.

Mathletics:

Don’t forget that all of our students from Year 7 to Year 10 have now received their passwords for

Mathletics. In addition to using Mathletics for homework and class work, Mathletics is a most useful

resource for preparation for NAPLAN and the Half Yearly Examinations. Please encourage your student to

show you the website. You can also encourage your student to compete with other students from all over

the world online. Thanks again to our P&C for their generous financial support of Mathletics in our school.

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Free After School Maths Tuition

Free Maths tuition is provided by the Mathematics faculty every Thursday from 3pm to 4pm. Students from

Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 can go to room 8-07 and Years 11 and 12 to room 8-06. It is fully supervised by the

Mathematics Faculty. Fun with Maths

In my backyard I have some chickens and some dogs.

Altogether I can count 25 heads and 78 legs. How

many dogs to I have?

Have a Mathematical week,

From Jackie Dalton and the

Maths Faculty Staff

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We need your help!

The Annual Model Farms High School P&C Trivia Night will be held on Saturday 5th of May. Please assist by donating items suitable for prizes - gift vouchers, hampers, chocolates, non perishable food items for hamper packs, cosmetics....anything you would be happy to win! Please send these items to the school office on Friday 27th April or contact Julie May on 0411126393 to arrange collection. Thank you in advance for your assistance...all P&C funds raised benefits every student of Model Farms High School!

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COMMUNITY NEWS...

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SPORT BUS PASSES CAN NOT BE PURCHASED ON WEDNESDAYS

Sports Bus 052-001

Please indicate preferred pass:

A 5 trip pass for $37.50 No. of passes ______ Total $________

A 10 trip pass for $75.00 No. of passes ______ Total $________

Name of Student/s _______________________________________Year/s____________

Payment by: CASH CHEQUE

PAYMENT BY MASTERCARD OR VISA SLIP Please circle the appropriate card

Please debit my Mastercard / Visa Account No: / / / 4 digits 4 digits 4 digits 4 digits

Amount in figures _____________________________ Expiry Date: _______________ CCV: ___________ Name of Credit Card Holder (as shown on card) _______________________________

Signature of Credit Card Holder: ____________________________________________

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The office may need to contact you urgently please complete the form below and

detach from newsletter and return to the front office.

CHANGE OF CONTACT INFORMATION MODEL FARMS HIGH SCHOOL

Name of Student: ____________________________________ Year ___________

New Address: ________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________ Postcode: ______

Correspondence: ______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________ Postcode: ______

Email Address: _______________________________________________________

New Home Phone No. __________________________________________________

Mother Mobile: ________________________________________________________

Mother Work: _________________________________________________________

Father Mobile: ________________________________________________________

Father Work __________________________________________________________

Emergency Contact if changed: _________________________________________

Phone No. ____________________________________________

Any change in Medical Condition e.g. Allergy, Asthma etc.

Details _______________________________________________________________

Bus Pass: YES / NO