Newsletter - Birrong Boys High School

Birrong Boys High School
Newsletter
Address: Rodd Street, Birrong NSW 2143
T 02 9644 5200
Facebook: www.facebook.com/birrong.boys/?fref=ts
email: [email protected]
www.birrongboy-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Twitter: @birrong_boys
Principal’s Message
Happy holidays to all members of the
school community. These holidays are
of particular significance to Islamic
members of the school community as
the Holy month of Ramadan draws to
a conclusion and Eid celebrations take
place.
June 2016
Upcoming events:
24 June
Parent Meeting
1 July
Term 2 Ends
19 July
Term 3 Begins
26 July
Parent/Teacher Night
Years 7-12
19 August
Parent Meeting
Inside this issue:
Deputy Principal 8,10,12
2
Deputy Principal 7,9,11
5
Community Liaison Officer
6
Sports Report
10
Student Profiles
11
Community News
12
Social Media letter
14
I take this opportunity to say Eid
Mubarak to all the Islamic members
of our school community, I extend this
to students, parents, families,
teachers and our community
members.
On Monday 20 June 2016 we had held
the annual Birrong Boys High School
Iftar once again. On this occasion we
were fortunate to have the
sponsorship of Human Appeal
International Australia and broadened
the event compared to past Iftars.
This year we were able to hold the
event at the Emporium Function
Centre Grand Ballroom and could
accommodate many more guests. On
the evening we were joined by special
guests such as Member for the
Federal Seat of Blaxland, Mr Jason
Clare. A great friend of our school, Mr
Clare spoke of his love for our
country, particularly the level of
inclusivity that exists here. Whilst
listening to his wise words I was able
to reflect on what makes Birrong Boys
High School so special and it is exactly
that, inclusivity. We were also joined
by the Director of Bankstown Schools,
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Ms Jan Green, who later spoke
glowingly of the event and
commented on the level of respect
shown by our students. For months
our Iftar committee has worked
tirelessly to make this a special event.
Thanks to our CLO Ms Harris for
leading this team and for coordinating
the whole event.
Our former Deputy Principal Ms Hala
Ramadan was also able to join us at
this event. Ms Ramadan has recently
gained the Principal’s position at
Belmore Boys High School, we were
delighted that she could take the time
out of her busy schedule to join us.
Term 3
Term 3 looms large! For our Year 12
boys it is a term full of commitment,
the Trial HSC is just a matter of weeks
away, final preparations to maximise
marks are presented and assessment
tasks and major works are completed.
For our Year 11 boys it is the end of
the Preliminary Course and the Yearly
Exams that go along with it. For the
rest of our boys there are half yearly
reports and parent/teacher night to
look forward to.
The Hassam El Masri Cup appears as a
highlight on the Term 3 calendar as
does the Power Lifting Competition, in
its second year, as organised by Mr
Karam.
Page 1
School Attendance
The 1990 Education Act says that school attendance
is compulsory, every day, for all young people
between the ages of 5 and 17. Of course there are
some exceptions such as severe illness or having
gained employment as an apprentice. But for most
people, most of the time, you need to be at school.
There are a few basic reasons; to learn, to be safe
and this is the one that I discuss most of the time
with our students. It is the job of the school to
prepare you for life after school. Not just to get by
and survive, but to reach your potential and to have
the skills necessary to gain a job that will sustain
you for the rest of your life. We cannot do that job
if you are not at school. So I make it very simple
with this message; ‘be at school, on time all of the
time’.
Our school office sends an SMS, at around 11.00am
each day to the mobile phone contact number that
we have been given for every student who is absent
each day. Please ensure that we have the best
contact number for you, it is important that we are
able to provide you with this information as soon as
possible.
Some of our students, from time to time, decide
not to attend all of their lessons, at school we refer
to this as truancy. If your son truants a lesson the
classroom teacher will issue the student with a
detention, they will also make every effort to
contact you as soon as they can. From the start of
term 3 the school will also send you an SMS in the
afternoon to let you know that your son has missed
a lesson during the day. Feel free to contact the
school for any inquiries, the best point of contact is
usually the classroom teacher, every student has a
Year Adviser who is more than willing to help.
Just a reminder about Year Advisers;
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Mr Hill
Mr Karam
Mr Ewen
Mr Mohamed
Ms Good
Ms Khelladi
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
We have recently appointed our Year 7 Adviser for
2017, Mr Matar. Mr Matar will work closely with
our local primary schools between now and the end
of the year to ensure the transition process into
high school is seamless. Mr Matar joined our PE
faculty this year, bringing with him a depth of
experience, from James Cook Boys High School.
Mr D Stevens
Principal
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
YEARS 8, 10 & 12
Parent and Teacher Night
Our Parent and Teacher night is scheduled for
Tuesday 26 July 2016, from 4-7 pm in our school
Hall. The students have been given a booking sheet
to arrange a time with their teachers. This is a
valuable time for both the parent/care givers and
teachers to reflect on the outcomes and to discuss
how better to work together to achieve the best for
all. We look forward to seeing all parent’s/care
givers to discuss the progress of their son. The
semester one report will be distributed on the
night.
IFTAR Dinner
On Monday 20 June 2016 we held our Iftar dinner
at Bankstown, this was a very successful dinner. We
will like to thank Human Appeal for their generous
donations, we also thank our CLO Ms Harris for her
organisations and leadership role in ensuring this
school event occurred.
2016 HSC Students
Students sitting their HSC in 2016 have access to
their HSC timetable, students will be able to access
personalised timetables using their student number
and PIN in My Details. It is crucial that they
continue to plan and organise themselves for this
final Exam of their schooling.
Practical advice to assist those sitting the HSC
If your child is studying for the HSC, you're probably
Page 2
feeling the stress too. Many parents want to help
but don't want to interfere.

As well as pre-exam tension, there are other
common factors that can make life seem even more
challenging for the whole family.
Year 12 is often the year when kids:
 lose interest in school
 have no plans for after the HSC
 develop an intense relationship with a boyfriend
or girlfriend
 get their driver's licence
 experiment with legal or illegal drugs
 have a part-time job
 are a member of a sporting team
 develop an eating disorder
 suffer from depression.


If any of these concerns sound familiar, don't
despair. You're not alone - and this won't last
forever.
How you can help
Richard Cracknell, counsellor and district guidance
officer at Inverell High School advises that "the most
obvious forms of support parents can offer are the
practical, physical things," and recommends
parents:
 Provide a good place to study, that's quiet,
comfortable, with good ventilation, good lighting,
adequate desk or table space and free from
distractions such as TV, noise, a telephone,
interesting conversations, little brothers and sisters.
 Provide healthy, balanced meals.
 Encourage sleep and regular exercise.
 Encourage them to avoid late night parties and
alcohol consumption.
Less obvious, but just important, is giving your child
the support they need in the lead-up to exams,
which can be hard when emotions run high.
Tips to remember
 Be supportive and encouraging.
 Highlight strengths and successes. Encourage
your child not to dwell on failures, but to see
them as "mistakes", which can actually be
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition





something they can learn and benefit from.
Appreciate your child maybe feeling very
stressed, even if it's not obvious to you. Many
kids fear letting their family down so beware of
setting unrealistic expectations. Some worry
they can't do as well as a sibling, or friend. Many
Year 12 kids are feeling overwhelmed about
what lies ahead: leaving home, leaving lifelong
friends, the prospect of having to live in a new
city.
Understand people under pressure become
supersensitive and explosive from time to time.
Family members are usually the first targets. Try
not to overreact.
Be realistic in your expectations as to where
the HSC leads. Not all HSC students will go on to
university – but they can still have a wealth of
excellent and satisfying career options. If they
don't get the HSC marks they needed and still
really want to go on to tertiary education later,
there are many other pathways. Interestingly,
the success rate of mature age students is much
higher than for those who go straight from
school.
Encourage your child to seek help from
teachers or the school counsellor if they are
having any difficulty with subjects, study
organisation, stress or anxiety about
examinations.
Encourage a healthy balance between work
and leisure. Sometimes kids need a total break
from everything for a weekend or so, to
recharge their batteries.
Take an interest in what your child is doing, if
they'll allow you to (some won't). This can
include the subjects or topics being studied, how
their study timetables and programs have been
organised and their leisure pursuits. (Note:
"Taking an interest in" does not mean
interfering.)
Remember the occasional hug and "I love you"
don't go astray, even when they are 18 years
old.
Encourage and allow your child to be as
independent as you can possibly stand. The
more independent your child is in meeting the
demands of Year 12, the better prepared they
Page 3
will be to succeed at a tertiary level or in the
workforce.
Just before exams:
 Don't stress about the little things like leaving
lights on, leaving the lid off the toothpaste and not
doing chores.
 Don't panic when they announce on the
evening before the examination that they know
nothing. (Reassure them, even if you think they
could be right, "just do the best you can, we know
you're giving it your best shot", is a good standby).
 Avoid nagging, which doesn't mean you can't
give a nudge or gentle reminder from time to time.
 Encourage confidence by reassuring your child.
If you have doubts, keep them to yourself.
According to Richard Cracknell, all parents make
mistakes, and we need to bear in mind that we're
human too.
Don't feel too badly when you forget not to nag,
when you get picky, and complain bitterly that your
child has the time to attend the 18th birthday party
of every Year 12 student, but doesn't have time to
help with the washing up.
As parents we sometimes can't help being overinvolved and from time to time we also feel the
pressure of Year 12.
Know this is a temporary stage, just like the
newborn, toddler and adolescent stages you've
already negotiated together.
Free Assistance
We have a Homework Centre operating at school
on Mondays and Tuesday between 3.10 and 4.10
free to all students. Students at the Homework
Centre can be assisted with studying, completing
homework, assistant with assessments.
assignments, they also have access to the internet
and photo copying.
Our Wellbeing Policy and Procedures
We believe in developing an environment that
focuses on positive relationships within a structured
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
and responsive setting that both rewards and
sanctions behaviours. Our wellbeing system
involves a variety of measures designed to support
students. Unfortunately, at times when students
are not able to improve behaviour or act in
unacceptable ways it is necessary to suspend them
to allow time for reflection. Suspension is not
intended as a punishment; it is only one strategy for
managing inappropriate behaviour within our
school’s wellbeing policy. It is most effective when
it highlights the parents’ responsibility for taking an
active role, in partnership with the school, to
modify the inappropriate behaviour of their child.
Please assist us by following the guidelines below:
 Updating personal details, in particular home
address and contact numbers.
 Making sure that your son arrives at school
before 8.50am each morning.
 Ensuring that your son is attending school with
proper school uniform, this includes a white
shirt, black jumper or jacket and black shoes.
 Send a note the next school day to explaining
student absences
 If special appointments need to be made during
school hours and an early leaver’s is required,
send a note from home indicating the reason,
date, time your son needs to leave, signature
and please include a contact number
 If your son brings a mobile phone to school, he
needs to have the phone off at all times while in
any building.
 If you have any concerns, contact us to make an
appointment. This may include talking to the
class room teacher, Head Teacher, Year Adviser,
Counsellor, Deputy Principal and Principal, with
notice interpreters can be arranged.
Student of the month
June 2016
Ahmad Al Khazaaly
Mr M Derbas
Deputy Principal – Years 8, 10 & 12
Page 4
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
YEARS 7, 9 & 11
Parent Teacher Night Term 3 – Tuesday 26 July 4-7
pm in School Hall
I am hoping to see many parents/carers attend
parent teacher night early next term. It is an
opportunity to speak to your son’s teachers about
their progress in all subjects.
Uniform
With the cooler weather some boys have brought
clothing which does not meet our standard. In a
number of cases students have been sent home to
change. In cases of difficulty students should bring a
note.
Truanting
Unfortunately, some students truant classes. This is
a major concern for many reasons. The first is
safety. At school students are safe and they are in
the classrooms learning which is what they come to
school for. Some senior students do not take their
studies seriously and do not realise that the school
(as per DET procedures) can declare their position
vacant because they are deemed to be non-serious
students. Additionally, junior students who persist
in truanting school may find themselves having to
repeat as they have not fulfilled the necessary
requirements to proceed onto the next year.
Iftar Dinner
This was a wonderful event that took place this
term. The committee organised a lovely dinner at
The Emporium, Bankstown that encompassed many
religious and cultural aspects and it was a pleasure
to be a part of it. Many guests spoke to me after
and commented that it was pleasing to see so many
parents and students attend. Congratulations to our
Community Liaison Officer, Ms Harris and her hard
working team for making it an evening to
remember.
School resumes for all students on Tuesday 19 July
2016.
See you at Parent Teacher Night.
Ms G Tsopanos
Deputy Principal Years 7, 9, 11
Western Sydney Refugee
Youth Award
Congratulations to Niloy Bal for his Western Sydney
Refugee Youth Award.
Niloy received the award in recognition of
outstanding achievement in the field of Community
Leadership.
Ms D Good
Year 11 Year Adviser
May I wish all parents/carers and students a safe
and enjoyable winter break and to those
celebrating, a joyous Eid Mubarak.
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 5
COMMUNITY LIAISON
OFFICER (CLO)
Ramadan Greetings
I would like to extend my
Ramadan Greetings to all
students and families
fasting the Holy month of
Ramadan. May this
month bring you and your families peace and joy.
BBHS 2016 IFTAR
This year BBHS held its annual Ramadan Iftar with
over 220 people in attendance. We were excited to
have Human Appeal International Australia on
board this year to sponsor this event which was
held at the Emporium Function Centre at
Bankstown.
Guest speakers included Mr Jason Clare-member
for Blaxland, Mr Issam Chaouk – Director, Human
Appeal International Australia (HAIA). Awards of
thanks were also HAIA and Fettayleh Smallgoods for
their contributions to the school.
Students, their families, government and nongovernment guests and school staff thoroughly
enjoyed the night, in particular with entertainment
by the International Nasheed Artist Mr Yahya Hawa.
I personally would like to thank the Iftar Committee
who assisted me along the way, Mr Derbas, Ms Etri,
Ms Kurdi, Ms Al Kurdi, Ms Sharma, Ms El Homawi.
Also to the SRC and Prefect students who assisted.
Well done to all involved.
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 6
Next Parent meeting:
Friday 19 August 2016 at 9.30 am in school library.
I wish all students and staff an enjoyable holiday.
Ms S Harris
Community Liaison Officer
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 7
Birrong Boys High School
students build careers
while building homes
encourage them to relax and enjoy their time here.
It’s a wonderful way for them to assess whether
construction is the career for them and it’s a great
way for me to assess their potential”, adds Dean.
Dean Brown from Dean Brown Construction has
been renovating homes in Sydney’s inner city for
over 25 years.
Bernie Livermore, VET Coordinator at Birrong Boys
High School, once a carpenter himself, loves
teaching construction. He says “I feel like I am paid
to do my hobby. The work placement program is
invaluable in connecting our students to industry
and the students get to practice what they have
learnt in the classroom.”
He attributes a lot of his success from having a
great team around him. Dean Brown Construction
currently employs six apprentices and four
tradesmen and often has multiple jobs running at
any one time.
“I’ve had students offered apprenticeships in
plumbing, electrical and carpentry while they were
still in Year 11. They were work ready and keen to
start their careers. It is a win/win situation.”
Dean Brown (far left ), work placement students from Birrong
and Belmore Boys High Schools and Mr Livermore (far right).
For the past four years Dean has been offering Year
11 and 12 students, who are studying Construction
as part of their Higher School Certificate, the
opportunity to get hands on experience on his
worksites.
He sees great value in work placement and offers
up to eight students every week the opportunity to
labor for him. They are work ready, have their
white cards and are eager to help.
Three of his current team were offered
apprenticeships after completing a successful work
placement with him.
Dean says “I team the students up with our
apprentices. The apprentices get to work on their
supervisory skills and they enjoy having other
young people around them. I try to make the
experience a bit of fun. The students start with a
safety induction and then assist with general
laboring duties.”
L to R: LingTao Yu and Jackson Zhang (Birrong Boys High
School)
MWLP – Linking Youth is the new Work Placement
Service Provider that co-ordinates all Work
Placement in Bankstown, Canterbury and the Inner
South West for local high schools and TAFEs. They
have been servicing the Macarthur area for over 20
years (and still are). This year they will place over
6,800 students into business.
For further information, please contact the MWLP
Work Placement Team on 4625 1863 or email
[email protected]
Media relations contact: Sue Scobie on 0348 046
293 or at [email protected]
Mr B Livermore
Head Teacher TAS
“I am passionate about young people and
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 8
Business Studies Trip
On 17 May our school's business studies teachers
Mrs Khelladi and Ms. Sharma accompanied Year 11
and Year 12 students on a Business Studies
Excursion to Art Of Gelato factory in Carramar.
The aim of the excursion was to investigate and real
business and the various business processes for a
gelato company. We were greeted by Vince and his
father who separated us into two different groups.
All of us had the opportunity to make gelato and to
create a new flavor. It was a great learning
experience for all of us as we were able to learn the
traits of how a business is managed. We really
enjoyed experiencing the manufacturing process of
gelato making first hand. Two boys thanked the
owner for showing us the key business functions
and they were very complimentary on our
behavior. This made our teachers really proud. I
would like to thank you to Mrs. Khelladi and Ms.
Sharma for organising this excursion for us.
Niloy Bal
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 9
SPORTS REPORT
As we come to the conclusion of another semester,
students at Birrong Boys have been participating in
a range of sporting events.
The Bankstown Zone Cross Country Carnival was
held in mid May and I would like to commend the
20 students which attended. There were some
pleasing results on the day:




Muse Ciise - 3rd (U13s)
Haidar Al Ugaili - 4th (U13s)
Haider Al Khazaaly - 4th (U14s)
Bilal Saadi - 8th (U14s)
The under 14s Buckley Shield side has performed
very well. They were up against Holsworthy High
School in the regional final last Friday. In a very
tight and even contest, the boys narrowly went
down 24-16. Congratulations to the entire squad on
a very good achievement.
The school recently held the athletics carnival at the
Crest. It was a bitterly cold day, which didn't affect
performances. Ali Kolka (opens javelin) threw over
40m which will see him be very competitive at the
zone athletics carnival next Wednesday and
Thursday. Good luck to all those boys competing.
The Hazem El Masri cup has had an unfortunate
start due to the wet weekends we have been
having. Hopefully lots of sunshine ahead as boys
look forward to taking the footy field in the under
13s and under 15s events.
I wish all students and their families a happy midsemester break, and look forward to seeing you all
in Term 3.
Mr G Roukanas
Sport Organiser
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 10
Student Profiles
Student
Abdullah Farhan
Year
7
Favourite Sport
Soccer
Favourite Food
Pizza
Favourite Subject
Sport
What I like about
BBHS
Friends
When I leave
Not sure yet
school I want to be
Student
Andrei De Luna
Year
11
Favourite Sport
Basketball
Favourite Food
Spaghetti
Favourite Subject
Sport
What I like about
BBHS
Friends
When I leave
Police Officer
school I want to be
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 11
Community News
Payments
Payments for school fees,
uniform, equipment and
excursions can be made at
the front office. Cash
(correct money please), cheques and EFTpos may
be used. No cash out available.
School Holiday Activities
For what’s on during the
school holidays visit your
local council websites.
Mutilated Bank Notes
The school’s bank has advised that mutilated bank
notes must no longer be
accepted for any payments
at school. Mutilated bank
notes are described on the
left. Any mutilated bank
notes can be replaced at
your bank.
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 12
Community News
Birrong Boys High School Newsletter June 2016 Edition
Page 13
Birrong Boys High School
“From each his best"
Rodd St, Birrong NSW 2143
Tel: 9644 5200
www.birrongboy-h.school.nsw.edu.au
June 2016
Birrong Boys High School is on Social Media
We are excited to inform you that you can now catch up on all our schools events, activities, important
dates such as parent meetings, parent/teacher interview dates, exams timetables, school event
pictures and much more.
Please find us on Facebook
has the following picture:
under the name Birrong Boys High School which
Once you find us on Facebook, please LIKE our page to ensure
you get notified
on all our posts. We do hope you will make use of this page and we look forward to any feedback on
enhancing the page further. For any further information or recommendations, please feel free to
contact our Community Liaison Officer, Ms Souhair Harris on 9644 5200.
You can also follow us on Twitter @birrong_boys
Yours sincerely
Mr Darren Stevens
Principal