Care | Opportunity | Success

S O U T H SY D N E Y

Principal’s Report

HIGH SCHOOL

Newsletter | Term 1 Week 4| 22 February 2019

What a great start to the school year! We have had an action-packed few weeks and are delighted to share

news of the many achievements and initiatives already underway in 2019. Our wonderful staff are already

hard at work, and are especially busy guiding our very first group of Year 12 students who are engaging with

the new exciting challenges of the new Stage 6 Australian Curriculum across a number of subjects.

Congratulations to:

Year 7 students for their exemplary behaviour at

camp at Tea Gardens last week. Many thanks to Mr

Yasaman, Ms Corlija, Ms Dawson, Ms Cooley, Ms

Maynard and Mr Benischke for supervising a very

energetic, enthusiastic group of students.

Our Year 10 PASS classes who were such great

representatives for SSHS at the Sydney East “Play for

Fun” launch at Maroubra Beach on Thursday.

Our school prefects who were such fabulous

ambassadors for the school as they led tours of the

school for parents from our feeder primary schools

attending our South Sydney Enrichment Program

Orientation.

High Achievers and Leadership Assembly

On Thursday 21st February, this important assembly acknowl-

edged the achievements of our high achieving 2018 Year 12

students. It was also a great opportunity to publicly recognise

our current Captains, Vice Captains and Prefects, House Cap-

tains and Vice Captains, SRC members and Beacon Ambassa-

dors. I would like to thank Mr Benischke, Ms Wilson, Ms Fiala

and Ms Stell for organising this important assembly in our

school calendar. Many thanks to Leo Charnas who was the

2018 Dux and past School Captain who spoke about his jour-

ney through school in an entertaining and thought provoking

speech.

Open Day Saturday 9th MaNJch – save the date!

We will be holding our SSHS annual Open Day on Saturday 9th

March from 11.00 am – 1.30 pm. We would love to see you there

- and please encourage your neighbours and friends to attend

Congratulations to our wonderful Ms Deeks who does such a great job

in our Front Office with our amazing SASS Team. Ms Deeks and husband

welcomed Nate on Tuesday 12th February. Mum and Baby are both

doing well and we are hoping for some more visits to SSHS in the very

near future!

Welcome to little Nate!

Welcome Night for Parents/Carers

On Tuesday 19th February, the SSHS P&C and SSHS hosted a

wonderful BBQ for Year 7 parents and students and new families

to the South Sydney High School Community. It is a tremendous

opportunity for people to meet with each other in a relaxed

setting, renew past acquaintances and forge new friendships.

Once again, I would like to thank Mr Benischke, Ms Brander, Mr

Yasaman, Ms Maynard and Ms Graham and our hard working

parents for contributing to such a happy, inclusive event

this special event. There will be student displays, information about the Enrichment Stream for Year 7 2020,

sausage sizzle, gelato machines, a jumping castle and school tours. Come and join us, meet our dedicated,

hardworking staff and see a slice of high school life.

Kind Regards

Cathy Walton

A reminder to all students and parents, that the homework club is up and running on Tuesday afternoon in the

Student Services Centre from 2.45 pm – 3.45 pm. Staff are available to assist students with homework and

assessment tasks.

Homework Club

Duke of Edinburgh

We are proud to be running the Duke of Edinburgh Award here at South Sydney High School. The Award is an international non-competitive program that empowers young people and provides opportunity for students to acquire and develop skills, initiative and self-esteem, helping them to become more confident members of the community. Participation in the award is highly regarded by many employers and organisations. The Award is available to all 14-24 year olds and comprises of 3 levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold, each progressively more challenging. Participants, in conjunction with adult helpers, devise an individual program of activities, which is flexible enough to satisfy their enthusiasm and meet their aptitudes, capabilities and available resources. There are 4 sections: Physical Recreation, Skill, Service and Adventurous Journeys. We run 2 overnight hikes as a part of this program throughout the year. For further information on the Duke of Edinburgh Award- go to their website: https://dukeofed.com.au/ We would like to invite Year 9 or 10 students and their parents who are interested in participating in the Bronze program to a parent information evening in order to ensure you are fully aware of the commitments required for this program. The information evening:

WHERE: South Sydney High School, C1 (next to common room).

WHEN: 5:30-6.30pm Tuesday 12th March 2019

If you are not able to attend for any reason but are still interested in your child participating in the Award please contact Brock Mifsud or Alison Maynard for more information.

brock.mifsud@det.nsw.edu.au, alison.maynard@det.nsw.edu.au

South Sydney High School SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE TAKEN ON: 28/02/2019 _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Parents, School photographs are scheduled to be taken by advancedlife Photography. Envelopes have now been handed out to students. If possible it is our preference that ordering be completed online to reduce administration and potential security issues related to the return of cash and envelopes on photo day. Orders for packages and sibling photographs can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit Online Order Code. Portrait and group package orders are due by photography day. Should you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, the order must be placed no later than the day before photography day. Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed. If you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

ORDER NOW WWW.ADVANCEDLIFE.COM.

9 Digit Online Order Code

7YX LAG HE2

Girls Volleyball Team News Congratulations to the SSHS female Volleyball Team and their coach, who competed at the Zone Knockout

tournament on Thursday 14th February. After a highly competitive opening two games, the girls were

unfortunate to lose the deciding game 13 – 15 to a very impressive team from Tempe High School. All

students were outstanding representatives for their school and should be commended on their excellent

effort and sportsmanship.

Year 7 students arrived on their first day of high school dressed sharply and ready for new adventures. Over

the first two weeks they’ve had to learn where the different staffrooms are, where their new classes are, what

their new subjects are and who their new teachers are.

In Week 3, 102 Year 7 students braved The Great Aussie Bush Camp. The camp was a great way to strengthen

old friendships and foster new ones. The students participated in a range of team building activities, including

Alpine Rescue, Raft Building and the Leap of Faith. Congratulations on a memorable trip, it’s great to see that

Year 7 is already a cohesive year group.

Mr A. Yasaman

Year 7 Camp

Beacon & Opportunity Introducing our 2019 Student Ambassador Leadership Team An outstanding group of students have been elected to be part of the school leadership team. They are:

Jessica Zhang, Hope Kyd, Cooper Fenton, Chris Chu, Simon Mrvac, Emelia Adams Del-Pilar, Michael Chieng,

Matilda Hay, Luti Maile, Dylan Nguyen, Stefano Catroppa, Linh Huynh, Tupac Ozgul, and Makayla Manu.

Together we will be leading the school into Future Focussed Careers, work programs and experiences. There is

much to be done, but is clear that our students are self-aware and equipped with a desire to improve their fu-

ture pathways. So far, we have completed mandatory leadership training and we are currently preparing to go

to Google! We have many opportunities this year and hope students will embrace these and succeed. For

more information on our Beacon & Opportunity Program please contact Mrs Helen Stell.

Helen Stell Beacon & Opportunity coordinator SSHS

Gifted, Talented & Enrichment SSCIM Club

Did you know that juggling engages both the left and the right hemispheres of our brains? Juggling is the new

craze at SSCIM Club this term. We will be running a Juggling Challenge at the end of term. For now, those who

come to SSCIM are enjoying learning the skills involved in this tricky mind/body co-ordination challenge. A one

minute Milkcrate Challenge running this term also offers students who would like to flex their public speaking

muscles a chance to do so.

SSEP 2019 is underway

On Wednesday 20th February Year 6 students from our local primary schools arrived to South Sydney with

their families to begin the exciting learning journey that is the Annual South Sydney Enrichment Program. The

day included an introduction to our school with our prefects taking parents and students involved in this year’s

program on a tour of our wonderful school to see teaching and learning in action. Workshop days planned for

this year include:

‘Neuroscientist for a Day’: Students learn about how their brains works and indeed the science behind how

we learn. The highlight of the day is a sheep brain dissection in one of our Science laboratories.

Shakespeare his World & Sports that endure: Shakespeare as a writer has stood the test of time. Students

will be introduced to his world and work. The day will conclude with students trying out a sport that has simi-

larly endured through the centuries: Croquet.

Chess, The Game of Kings: Chess is the ultimate game of challenge, strategy and skill. Students will learn

basic chess, hone their chess abilities in a Masterclass as well as researching some interesting aspects of this

ancient game.

Medieval Day: Students will engage in a ‘hands on’ workshop about medieval weaponry during a day spent

immersing themselves in the medieval world.

Making a Short Film in a Day: Arguably the most exciting, challenging and creative day of our program. Stu-

dents in groups will be honing their film making skills as they create films to be shared with parents and the

school community at the end of the program.

What does the Future Hold?: This theme will be explored through literature, robotics and finally the making

of rockets.

What a fabulous night was had on Tuesday at our annual Welcome BBQ! It was so fantastic to see so many of

our new families – such a great way to meet our children’s new peers and their families! Thank you to Lisa,

Jane, Michael and Andigone for all your help.

The P&C run a second hand uniform shop, which is open every Friday afternoon from 3-3.30pm. All items are

$3 (cash only). The shop is located at the back of the school hall. If you have any items for donation, they can

also be dropped off to the second-hand shop, or left at the front office.

Our next P&C meeting will be on Tuesday 12th March at 7pm in the staff Common Room (enter via the hall

courtyard gates next to the hall in the Paine St carpark). These meetings are an important way to find out

about events and other happenings at our school, and we do invite guest speakers to attend regularly also. All

the meeting dates for 2019 have been added to the P&C section of the Skoolbag app.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with the school’s Open Day (Saturday 9th March) – if you can help for an hour between 11-1.30, please let us know via sshspandc@gmail.com Justine Jennings - P&C President

P&C News

Science News

South Sydney High School Clubs & Programs

Reminder that……

South Sydney High has a number of clubs and programs for students to involve themselves with.

Two include, the Volunteering Program- where we teach that service is leadership- if our students can’t learn

to serve they will never grasp the importance of Leadership. This program comes with awards and recognition

from our Premier at speech day. It’s fun and social and students tend to make great connections and

friendships.

We also have JEMs (Jewish Group) and the Christian group that meet each week to discuss and learn about

various religious and cultural content. The sessions are fun and interesting.

We are a diverse school and celebrate and respect all cultures and faiths.

We are excited to be back for another year in Science. Ms Corlija, Mr Szallasi, Mr Wiseman, Mr Spencer, Ms

Mekhael, Mr Yasaman and Ms Mifsud are back this year teaching in Science. The Science faculty have also

welcomed 2 new members of staff- Ms Allanson and Ms Lal.

We would like to congratulate the current Year 9 and Year 11 students on their great VALID results from 2018.

The Validation of Assessment for Learning and Individual Development (VALID) test is held each year and is an

interactive, multimedia test completed entirely on a computer. This test is framed on the Science Syllabus and

assesses student knowledge and understanding of Science, their understanding and skills in scientific

investigation and ability to evaluate evidence, make judgements and think critically.

We are extremely pleased to report positive results in both the Year 8 and Year 10 cohorts and as the graphs

below show- the average SSHS student VALID score (the blue line) compares most favourably to both the state

average (red line) and a Statistically Similar School Group (SSSG) (black line). You can also see the positive

trend of an increasing average score for our school over time since 2015, which is most pleasing, and evidence

of the excellent work that is happening in our school from our students and their teachers.

Congratulations!

YEAR 8 VALID 2018

YEAR 10 VALID 2018

Outdoor Fitness Space This week sees the opening of our brand new outdoor fitness space. Located in between J block and the oval,

this area will be available for students to use during structured PDHPE lessons and afternoon sport, as well as

recess and lunch breaks.

My name is Ms Maddocks and I’m delighted to become a member of South Sydney High School staff as

Teacher Librarian. I am passionate about information literacy, critical thinking and the joys of reading for

pleasure. To get into the spirit of February as Library Lovers’ Month, why not go on a blind date with a book?

Select your “date” from the display of specially wrapped books. Take a chance to meet your next great literary

love. Remember never judge a book by its cover.

Library News

New library opening hours!!!

The library will trial new opening hours from week 4 until the end of term one. Tuesday –Friday the library will open at 8am Thursday afternoons the library will be open until 4pm Students may use this time to read or study. Library borrowing will commence from 8:30 am.

Premier’s Reading Challenge The Premier’s Reading challenge for 2019 launches March 4th, but students

are able to count any books they have read since last year’s challenge

closed. We encourage all students in years 7-9 to complete the challenge.

We are excited to announce a very special event!

Scientist, environmentalist, author and explorer, Professor Tim Flannery is coming to South Sydney High

School to deliver a presentation on ‘Where are the jobs in the future clean economy?’ followed by a question

and answer session. The presentation focuses on the need for Science and Innovation in a whole of economy

transformation as we address climate change.

Professor Tim Flannery is an eminent Scientist and 2008 Australian of the Year and has recently been

appointed to the Australian Museum as Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Climate Change.

A synopsis of his presentation:

"Climate change is recognised globally as a serious threat to our planet and civilisation. The carbon budget

requires that over coming decades, the global economy must transition from carbon emitting, to carbon

absorbing. This has big implications for children studying in Australian schools today.

Following the Paris Agreement, the world has made great progress replacing polluting forms of electricity

generation with clean ones. This has resulted in a jobs bonanza, with clean energy typically creating three

times as many jobs as fossil fuels do. But this is just the beginning. The electrification of transport, the cleaning

up of industrial processes, and the decarbonising of the construction and agriculture businesses will create

millions of jobs that are not even thought of today.

I've had a ringside seat as new technologies and methods compete for a piece of the future economy. Some of

the entrants can even remove atmospheric carbon at a profit, and today are flourishing businesses.

In my talk, I'll be telling the story of the coming clean technology revolution in ways that excite and inspire

young people, regardless of what they aspire to study after HSC."

To read more about Professor Tim Flannery- https://australianmuseum.net.au/about/history/exhibitions/trailblazers/tim-flannery/

DETAILS OF PRESENTATION

WHEN: Wednesday March 13th 2019, Period 3.

WHO: 9Y and 10Y classes will be participating and any other interested student from Yrs 9-11 are also

welcome to join. All interested students will need to sign up on the list in the Science staffroom during week 5.

There may be limited space, so sign up quickly! Don’t miss out!

Visiting Professor Tim Flannery

NSW SCHOOL VACCINATION PROGRAM

Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.

In 2019 the following vaccines will be offered

Parent Information Kits that include an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement will be sent home to parents/guardians. To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents/guardians are advised to:

Read all the information provided

Complete the consent form, including signing their name next to the vaccine/s they would like their child to receive

Return the completed consent form to their child’s school

Ensure that their child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic

Please note that students who commence HPV vaccination in school clinics in Year 7 but do not complete the course during the school year may be offered catch-up doses at school in Year 8. Students who have any HPV does at their GP will be advised to complete the course with their GP.

Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal or by phoning the school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation

To improve vaccination completion, students will be opportunistically offered any missed doses throughout the year where possible.

A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic as a physical card. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination.

Yours faithfully,

School Immunisation Team

Year 7 students

Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine as a booster dose for all students

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine

2 dose course (at least 6 months apart)

Year 10 students

Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine as a single dose

Year 8 students

Gardasil 9 Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, 2nd dose to any Year 8 male and female student who commenced the course in Year 7 (2018), but didn’t complete it

No year 8 student can commence HPV in the school program but the vaccine is provided free at the GP

Attendance Issues

Thank you for ensuring that your child attends school on time every day. We ask that you phone or text our

office staff if your child is running late. Students with unexplained lateness are expected to attend a lunchtime

detention with the Deputy Principal.

Please do not hesitate to contact Brendan Benicshke, Acting Deputy Principal on the school number if you

have any concerns.

Uniform

Thank you for ensuring that your child attends school every day in full school uniform. If you have any con-

cerns, please contact the Year Adviser on the school number 9349 3868.

Year 10 Drama students studying ‘Creating a believable character & Monologues’ this term were offered an

opportunity to witness excellence in character creation and performance at the Griffin Theatre on Friday

15th February. Ms de Paor and year 10 Drama attended a show written and performed by young Australian

playwrights and actors. It was particularly valuable to hear about the process that had assisted in the

creation of the characters presented as well as the crafting of the writing that produced the short plays.

Year 10 Drama, Intersection: Arrival