south sydney€¦ · sydneys acting principal, ms athy walton. parents left the school following a...
TRANSCRIPT
Care | Opportunity | Success
S O U T H SY D N E Y
Principal’s Report
HIGH SCHOOL
Newsletter | Term 1 Week 6| 8 March 2019
School Swimming Carnival
Our Swimming Carnival was held at Botany Aquatic Centre on Monday 4th March and staff and students had a
fantastic day out. With similar attendance, participation was well up on previous years, and I would like to thank
to Mr Wood for successfully coordinating a very well organised carnival. We wish our students all the best when
they compete in the Zone swimming carnival on Tuesday 12th March.
Spreading the good word about South Sydney High School Please come along to our Open Day tomorrow -
Saturday 9th March. This is a great opportunity for
prospective students and their parents to see our
excellent grounds and facilities, engage in hands on
activities and meet our wonderful students, staff
and parents. Please encourage your friends and
family to see for themselves the opportunities on
offer at our school.
P&C Meeting
The next P&C meeting will be held on Tuesday 12th March at 7.00 pm in the Teacher Common Room and will
feature a NAPLAN presentation by our Head Teachers in Maths and English. We invite you to come along and
participate in discussion and decision making that affects your child.
International Women’s Day
Today South Sydney High School celebrated International
Women’s Day. It was a day to ponder the question:
A balanced world is a better world. How can we help forge a
more gender balanced world?
We celebrated gender equality and women’s achievements and
highlighted the work which remains to be done to ensure that
we live in a world where all people are treated equally. Many
thanks to the SRC and student leadership team who have
worked with staff to organise a thought provoking video clip
that will be shared with students. #BalanceforBetter
School Community Charter and School Plan
For your perusal, I have included the Department of Education’s School Community Charter. This outlines the
responsibilities of parents, carers, educators and school staff to ensure our schools are collaborative, supportive
and cohesive environments. It is a valuable resource in terms of strengthening our community connections and
reinforcing expectations around collaborative respectful communication.
The 2018-2020 School Plan visual gives you an overview of our three main strategic areas in the context of a
future focussed world:
Quality Teaching and Learning
Quality Systems
Quality Relationships and connections
Kind Regards
Cathy Walton
Quality
Teaching and
Learning
Differentiation
—Enrichment
Literacy
Numeracy
Differentiation
Programming
Feedback
and
Assessment
Quality
Relationships
and
connections
Wellbeing
Framework Support for
Aboriginal
Students Transition
Pathways
Student
Attendance
Quality
Systems Emerging
Practices
Reporting
Processes
Management
Practices and
Processes
BYOD
Readiness
Teacher Accreditation
Policies and procedure
HSC minimum standard
School Plan
2018-2020
Solar Panel Launch This week we celebrated our new solar power system at the school,
the largest on a public school in the Eastern Suburbs. You can see it on
J block.
The 300 solar panels will help us:
Cut 23% off our annual energy bill
Produce clean green energy equal to powering 580 school
computers each year
Avoid 103 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions - like taking 36 cars
off the road each year
Solar power is a great way for our school to reduce our environmental
impact and also educate our students about the benefits of renewable
energy.
We celebrated with a special assembly with the Mayor of Randwick, and other guests, as well as an interactive
session with Year 7 students to build 50 solar-powered lights that will be sent to students in developing coun-
tries.
Thanks to the vision of James Grimshaw, School Captain this year, who initiated this project in 2017 and saw it
through to its reality. It shows that one person can really make a difference.
The project was made possible with the help of the 3-Council Solar my School program and funding from the
Clovelly Community Bank.
Gifted, Talented & Enrichment Chess Teams & a Chess Masterclass
South Sydney High School will be participating this year in the Metropolitan Interschool Chess competition. We
are forming both a junior and an intermediate team to represent our school. Keen South Sydney chess players
are being offered the opportunity to take part in a Masterclass being offered by the Sydney Academy of Chess.
This event will take place in our Staff Common Room on Wednesday 13th March from 11am – 12.30pm.
Public Speaking Competitions
This term’s One Minute Public Speaking Milkcrate Challenge is designed to assist us in choosing students to
represent our school in Interschool Public Speaking Challenges that will be taking place in Term 2. We encourage
those who might be interested in participating in the challenge to join us at SSCIM Club on a Thursday at
lunchtime.
ICAS
As the end of term approaches parents and students are reminded that it is important to have paid at the
student office and to have returned your form if you would like to participate in any ICAS examinations this year.
No student will be enrolled after the cut-off date of the final day of this term.
Senior SSCIM Camp
Senior SSCIM Camp will be taking place on Cockatoo Island during week two of Term 2. Those who wish to
engage in Project Based Learning in a very stimulating environment are encouraged to submit their project
proposal and to return a permission note to Ms de Paor or Mr Wagg. The cost of this year’s camp, $180 needs to
be paid to the student office.
Juggling
Thank-you to our school’s Head of Science Ms Brock Misfud who visited SSCIM Club on Thursday 28th February
to offer SSCIM Club members some help with their juggling skills. This challenging skill employs both the right and
the left hemispheres of our brains. Students who can or want to learn how to juggle are always welcome in the
Drama Room every Thursday at lunch time.
South Sydney Enrichment Program Year 6 Week 1
It was exciting to see the sixth intake of students for the South Sydney 2019 SSEP course arriving with their
parents and families to our school on Wednesday 20th February. They were greeted at our school gates and
directed into the staff common room by eager prefects many of who had taken part in the first intake of SSEP
students from our local schools in 2013. These prefects took parents and students on a tour of South Sydney
following a welcome and orientation talk by Aine de Paor, the SSEP teacher assigned to the group and South
Sydney’s Acting Principal, Ms Cathy Walton. Parents left the school following a morning tea they shared with Ms
Walton, Ms de Paor, prefects and SSEP students.
The learning journey for this year’s cohort began with a series of drama games and activities designed to allow
students to become familiar and comfortable with the group. Working together creatively and collaboratively to
communicate exciting ideas is a strong thread that underpins much of what will be expected of these students in
coming weeks. They clearly enjoyed their first taste of this experience judging by the enthusiasm with which they
embraced the challenges presented to individuals and groups during the workshop.
After lunch it was time to begin the learning journey that will result in the creation of short films that these
students will create during the ‘Make a Film in a Day’ workshop at the end of March. Joining google classroom
and completing worksheets on shot types and their purpose allowed the students to begin to embrace the
language of film that will facilitate their eventual creation of short films.
Week 2 - Neuroscientist for a Day
On Wednesday 28th February all of our SSEP students walked through the doors of South Sydney ready to
become Neuroscientists. The day’s activities began with a fun video and subsequent discussion of the science
behind the human brain and the history of how this science developed. Did you know that it was once thought
that the shape of a person’s brain and skull was the key to understanding how their brains worked? This was one
of the many interesting topics discussed before we looked at different thinking styles and in groups students
completed activities that demonstrated each style.
Rational: Students completed logic problems
Organisational: Students made brain hats
In the afternoon a dissection of sheep brains was undertaken by students in one of South Sydney’s Science
Laboratories with one of the school’s expert Science teachers, Mr Szallasi.
South Sydney Enrichment Program Year 6 Cont...
Tournament Of Minds
Writing Competition Students are strongly encouraged to enter the Whitlam
Institute’s ‘2019 WHAT MATTERS?’ Writing competition.
This is a catalyst for young thinkers and young writers to
develop a perspective, a point of view, on where we’re
heading as a society. Students need to submit an original
written work between 400-600 words in prose or poetry,
of either fiction or non-fiction. Entries close 10th May,
2019. Students should submit entries online. Further
information can be located at the Institute’s website.
Ms Tilby - Writing Competition Coordinator
South Sydney High encourages participation in Tournament of Minds. Teams of seven students from Years 7-10
are invited to participate in the Secondary Division. Students work collaboratively and creatively and in a caring
way to find solutions to real world 21st century problems. After initial training sessions and exposure to
Spontaneous Challenges, teams are expected to work on a Long Term Challenge for a period of six weeks prior to
Tournament Day in late August. The current challenges are drawn from the following disciplines: STEM, THE
ARTS, LANGUAGE LITERATURE and SOCIAL SCIENCES. Training sessions will begin early in Term 2. Interested
students should see Ms Tilby (English Department)
Ms Tilby - TOM Facilitator
P&C News
Our next P&C meeting will be held next Tuesday evening – we meet in the
staff common room at 7pm (access is through the courtyard gates which are
located to the right of the back of the hall – enter via the Paine St carpark). All
are welcome. This month, Mr Askounis and Ms Hasking will be presenting the
2018 NAPLAN results.
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.
We are holding a BBQ at the upcoming state election Saturday 23rd March. If you can help for an hour between 8am and 3pm, please let us know via [email protected], or you can sign up for a timeslot via this link: http://signup.com/go/UOUkXrm Justine Jennings - P&C President
Group Year Group/s Meeting time/Where Teacher Contact
Beacon Ambassadors Year 10 students C16 Monday lunchtime
Ms Stell
Book Club Year 7-10 students Library From Term 2
Ms Maddocks
Breakfast Club All students are wel-come
Common Room Tuesday mornings at 8.10 am – 8.40 am
Mr Benischke
Chess Team Year 7-11 students F18 Thursday lunchtime
Ms de Paor
Christian Club All students are wel-come
C17 Monday lunchtime
Ms Stell
Code Club Year 7-10 students Library Monday from 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
Mr Chadwick
Dance Club All students are wel-come
A1 Thursday afternoon 3.15pm - 4.15pm
Ms Mifsud
Debating Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 students
B5 Monday lunchtime
Mr Flewellen Ms Khouri
Drama Ensemble Year 8 students
F18 Thursday lunchtime and special work-shop days
Ms de Paor
Duke of Edinburgh Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 students
See contact teacher for further details. Ms Mifsud
History Club All students are welcome
C2 Friday lunchtime
Mr Davidson
Homework Club All students wel-come
Student Services Centre Tuesday from 2.45 pm – 3:45 pm
Mr Benischke
Jems All students wel-come
Common Room Every 2nd Monday lunchtime
Mr Wiseman
Library - extended hours All students are welcome
Thursday 7.30 am - 4.30 pm Ms Maddocks
Meditation All students are welcome
C18 Monday lunchtime
Ms Lopez
Prefect Team Elected positions B4 Monday lunchtime
Ms Maynard
Public Speaking Year 7-11 students F18 Thursday lunchtime
Ms de Paor
School Band Year 7-12 students
A13 Tuesday 8.00 am – 8.45 am
Ms Sainty
Senior Tutorial Centre Senior Students Student Services Wednesday from 2.45 pm – 3:45 pm
Ms Graham
SRC – Student Rep-resentative Council
All students are welcome
B4 Tuesday lunchtime
Ms Maynard
SSCIM – South Sydney Club for Intelligent Minds
All students are welcome
F18 Wednesday lunchtime
Ms de Paor Mr Wagg Mr Armanios
Tournament of Minds Year 7-10 students Tba Ms Tilby
Vocal Group
Year 7-11 students
A12 Wednesday 8:15am
Ms Gregov
Volunteers Year 9 and Year 10 stu-dents
C16 Thursday lunchtime
Ms Stell
Opportunities at South Sydney High School